Humans
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Health & Medicine
Herbal supplementation can be an empty gesture
Chemical analyses show some botanical extracts contain little of the plant material they were supposed to possess.
- Life
Excess folic acid sits idle
Humans metabolize folic acid at a slow rate, suggesting that additional folic acid may yield no more benefits than recommended doses do, researchers report.
- Archaeology
Exhuming a violent event
Four graves containing 13 skeletons have given scientists a glimpse of a lethal raid that occurred in central Europe 4,600 years ago.
- Chemistry
Styrofoam degrades in seawater
Study suggests besides the visible plastic, smaller bits are fouling the waters
- Psychology
How to walk in circles without really trying
People walk in circles when landmarks and other directional cues are not available.
- Humans
Nostril rivalry
Like the eyes and ears, each nostril vies for the brain’s attention, a new study suggests.
- Health & Medicine
Docs writing fewer scripts
The number of antibiotic prescriptions for respiratory infections has declined since the mid-1990s, a new study shows.
- Health & Medicine
Better BBQ through chemistry
Food chemists reveal their secrets to juicier, tastier barbecue.
- Health & Medicine
Using estrogen to combat persistent breast cancer
Estrogen therapy stymies breast cancer in some patients who have exhausted their other options, a new study finds.
- Health & Medicine
Worm-inspired superglue
Researchers create a material that may one day be used to paste together bones in the body.
- Health & Medicine
Feds won’t cover PET scans during isotope crisis
One alternative procedure for scouting bone cancers is theoretically available, but currently may be an option only for people with deep pockets.
- Tech
How medicine is ‘barely managing’ the isotope crisis
Medicine is managing a prolonged and record shortfall in the principal diagnostic-imaging isotope by triaging the most urgent patients, substituting less effective procedures and working longer hours.
