Humans
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Humans
Ancient hominid butchers get trampled
Bone marks advanced as evidence of stone-tool use to butcher animals 3.4 million years ago may actually have resulted from animal trampling, scientists say.
- Health & Medicine
Cocaine trumps food for female rats
A study in rats finds that males prefer food over cocaine while females prefer the drug, a step toward better understanding of sex differences in addiction.
- Health & Medicine
Alcohol heart benefits show up even after bypass surgery
Having two to three drinks a day was associated with decreased heart problems in men during the three years after the operation, researchers from Italy report.
- Health & Medicine
Mom’s past drug abuse may alter brain chemistry of offspring
A new study in rats suggests that the lingering effects of adolescent opiate use may be passed on for two generations, even if the female is drug-free when she gets pregnant.
- Life
Rare mutations key to brain disorders
Many cases of mental retardation can be explained by genetic variants that arise in affected individuals.
- Health & Medicine
A new way for blind mice to see
A new type of prosthetic eye can analyze patterns of cell activity to reproduce images similar to those produced in normal vision.
- Humans
Online comments maybe not total waste of time
Conversations on news sites reveal patterns in how information and ideas spread.
- Psychology
Many unhappy returns for wandering minds
A cell phone–based survey finds that people frequently feel worse when their minds wander than when they focus on the moment.
- Health & Medicine
Fructose poses gout risks even in women
Soft drinks are an even more potent source of the fat-generating sugar than had been thought, new research shows.
- Health & Medicine
Laptops and infertility: It matters how you sit
Men who keep their legs together while using the computers generate more sperm-endangering scrotal heat than those who splay them, a study finds.
- Life
Soil search suggests broad roots for antibiotic resistance
Drug-defeating genes are everywhere, but don’t blame dirt-dwelling bacteria for resistance seen in the clinic.
- Tech
Seeing red: Next installment in BPA-paper saga
Consumers now have a way to identify cash register tape that is free of endocrine-disrupting chemical.
