Humans
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Health & Medicine
New oral GLP-1 drugs could offer more options for weight loss
GLP-1 injections use needles and require refrigeration. Pills that work in a similar way could be a cheaper, simpler solution.
- Anthropology
What Jane Goodall taught me about bones, loss and not wasting anything
A personal reflection recalls Jane Goodall’s quiet pragmatism, her deep bond with Gombe’s chimps and the scientific legacy of her skeletal collection.
- Health & Medicine
Can AI spot harmful health side effects on social media?
A new AI tool discovers harmful side effects of cannabis products from Reddit posts. Public health workers could use this info to help keep people safe.
- Health & Medicine
Scientists made human egg cells from skin cells
More work needs to be done to create viable human embryos, but the method might someday be used in IVF to help infertile people and male couples.
- Archaeology
12,000-year-old rock art hints at the Arabian Desert’s lush past
Newly found engravings of animals on rock outcrops in Saudi Arabia’s Nefud desert show nomads lived there thousands of years ago.
- Health & Medicine
Cancer uses mitochondria to reprogram neighboring cells
Cancer cells transfer mitochondria through nanotubes to healthy neighboring cells, turning them into tumor-supporting accomplices, a new study shows.
- Health & Medicine
More young U.S. adults report trouble with memory and focus
From 2013 to 2023, the prevalence of self-reported difficulties with memory, concentration and decision-making nearly doubled among young adults.
- Health & Medicine
Pasteurization destroys H5N1 bird flu in milk
Tests show pasteurized dairy with H5N1 remnants did not cause illness in mice, supporting safety of milk during outbreaks.
- Health & Medicine
In a first, Huntington’s disease is slowed by an experimental treatment
An experimental gene therapy slowed Huntington’s by up to 75 percent in a small clinical trial. While not a cure, it may give patients longer lives.
- Anthropology
An ancient Chinese skull might change how we see our human roots
Digital reconstruction of a partially crushed skull suggests new insight into Homo sapiens’ evolutionary relationship to Denisovans and Neandertals.
- Psychology
Striking moments make previous memories stronger
Emotional events help solidify memories. The findings may one day help students study or trauma survivors recover.
- Microbes
Staph bacteria are bad at letting go
Calcium, a mineral involved in wound healing, can strengthen the attachment between microbe and skin and make infections hard to shake.
