Humans
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- 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.
- Health & Medicine
With little proof, Trump links Tylenol to autism and touts a treatment
The FDA plans to add a warning to Tylenol’s label and OK use of a drug for autism. Researchers say there’s little data to support either move.
- Neuroscience
Lung cancer plugs into the mouse brain
Exploring the relationship between cancer cells and nerve cells, which can signal tumors to grow, could unearth ways to slow disease.
- Humans
Staying on the keto diet long term could carry health risks
Months on a high-fat keto diet put mice at risk for cardiovascular disease and impaired insulin secretion.
- Animals
Bats live with some viruses. But others can do them in
Bats can carry some deadly human pathogens without signs of illness. A new survey shows that other viruses can still be bad for bats.
