Humans
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Health & Medicine
50 years ago, a ‘cure’ for intoxication showed promise
In 1972, vitamin and chemical injections reduced the amount of time that rats fed alcohol spent drunk. The science has yet to pan out for people.
- Health & Medicine
‘Forever chemicals’ may pose a bigger risk to our health than scientists thought
PFAS are linked to obesity, cancers and more. Growing evidence of the chemicals’ risks has prompted new guidance for safe drinking water and consumer testing.
- Health & Medicine
How researchers are working to fill the gaps in long COVID data
Collaboration with patients and with researchers from many specialties is key to better understanding long COVID and managing its many symptoms.
- Archaeology
A spider monkey’s remains tell a story of ancient diplomacy in the Americas
A 1,700-year-old spider monkey skeleton unearthed at Teotihuacan in Mexico was likely a diplomatic gift from the Maya.
- Health & Medicine
Pollution mucks up the lungs’ immune defenses over time
A study of immune tissue in the lungs reports that particulate matter buildup from air pollution may impair respiratory immunity in older adults.
- Health & Medicine
Got a weird COVID-19 symptom? You’re not alone
From head to COVID toe, doctors have seen a bevy of bizarre cases.
- Anthropology
Carvings on Australia’s boab trees reveal a generation’s lost history
Archaeologists and an Aboriginal family are working together to rediscover a First Nations group’s lost connections to the land.
- Health & Medicine
Louis Pasteur’s devotion to truth transformed what we know about health and disease
Two centuries after his birth, Louis Pasteur's work on pasteurization, germ theory and vaccines is as relevant as ever.
- Archaeology
Some Maya rulers may have taken generations to attract subjects
Commoners slowly granted authority to kings at the ancient Maya site of Tamarindito, researchers suspect.
- Health & Medicine
At a long COVID clinic, here’s how doctors are trying to help one woman who is struggling
As more people experience long-term health problems from COVID-19, long COVID clinics try to help patients manage symptoms, like brain fog and fatigue.
- Humans
The world population has now reached 8 billion
In a first, the global population surpassed this milestone on November 15, according to a projection from the United Nations.
- Health & Medicine
Why daylight saving time just isn’t healthy, according to science
Shifting daylight from morning to evening puts our bodies and brains out of sync with our clocks, leading to a host of potential health issues.
