Humans
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Health & Medicine
Understanding why hot peppers are slimming
Korean researchers describe pepper-triggered changes in genes that appear to underlie the fat-shunning changes of chilis — ones that point to how their fiery chemistry might be harnessed to fight obesity.
- Humans
July: When not to go to the hospital
Being admitted to the hospital is never a picnic. But when possible, schedule any therapeutic procedure for some month other than July. At least if you’ll be treated at a teaching hospital. That’s the conclusion of a new analysis that uncovered a cyclical spike across the nation in serious medication errors.
- Animals
Diversified portfolio yields benefit for salmon stocks
Local diversity keeps sockeye from going bust every few years, a study finds.
- Chemistry
Vodka’s bonds may influence taste
Differences in vodka brands reflect structural variations in cages of water molecules encasing ethanol, new research suggests.
- Archaeology
Jamestown settlers’ trash confirms hard times
Analyses of discarded oyster shells confirm a deep drought during the Virginia colony’s earliest years.
- Humans
Making scents of a partner’s feelings
Couples pick up on subtle differences in other half’s emotion-laden odors, new study suggests.
- Humans
Traumatic events trigger diverse responses
New study compares difficulties faced by survivors of life-threatening events.
- Psychology
Perfectionism works for some diabetics, but not for new moms
Demanding perfection of oneself boosts longevity for diabetic seniors, but it may prompt depression in new mothers.
- Psychology
Kids face up to disgust surprisingly late
A new study suggests that children don’t recognize facial expressions of disgust until age 5, much later than many researchers had assumed.
- Anthropology
Contested evidence pushes Ardi out of the woods
A controversial new investigation suggests that the ancient hominid lived on savannas, not in forests.
- Health & Medicine
Shark cartilage doesn’t appear to help lung cancer
Patients taking an extract show no improvement.
- Health & Medicine
Tiny blood vessels expel clots by force
A study in mice uncovers a new way that capillaries keep the flow going.
