Humans
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Health & Medicine
Blood-brain barrier jiggled loose to deliver medicine
Using ultrasounds, doctors attempted to slip a chemotherapy drug into a woman’s brain through the blood-brain barrier.
- Health & Medicine
Cardiac risks rise for linemen during football season
Linemen on a football team face raised cardiac risk over the course of a season, a study of college players shows.
- Archaeology
Honeybees sweetened early farmers’ lives
Residue on pottery pegs ancient farmers as devotees of honeybee products.
- Health & Medicine
Organ waiting list policy benefits the wealthy, study charges
Wealthier patients can afford to get on more organ transplant lists, giving them an advantage, a new study says.
- Health & Medicine
Simple steps can offer health benefits
Studies find that even small changes in eating habits and movement can lower risk of heart disease.
- Health & Medicine
Dropping blood pressure to 120 lowers heart woes, data confirm
Aggressive treatment to lower systolic blood pressure to 120 reduces risk of heart attack, but causes some side effects.
- Health & Medicine
Antibodies to fight Alzheimer’s may have unexpected consequences
Alzheimer’s-targeted antibodies make neurons misbehave even more, a study of mice shows.
- Life
Gene editing helps a baby battle cancer
Doctors used molecular scalpels to tweak T cells to target leukemia but not harm the patient.
- Health & Medicine
Young babies live in a world unto themselves
Young babies don’t let information from the outside throw off their touch perception, a finding that has clues for how babies experience the world.
- Anthropology
Ancient hominids used wooden spears to fend off big cats
Saber-toothed cat remains suggest ancient hominids used wooden spears as defensive weapons.
- Health & Medicine
Parasite gives a man cancer
Tapeworms can kick parasitism up a notch to become cancer, a case in Colombia shows.
- Neuroscience
Blood exerts a powerful influence on the brain
Instead of just responding to the energy needs of neurons, the blood can have a direct and powerful influence on the brain.
