Humans
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Life
Collins nominated to head NIH
The chemist — turned physician, turned geneticist — has a spiritual side as well.
- Anthropology
Maize may have fueled ancient Andean civilization
A chemical analysis of skeletons from Peru’s Andes Mountains suggests that cultivation of key crop made building a prehistoric civilization possible.
- Humans
Court backs EPA on controlling airborne particles
Upwind polluters can be held responsible for contributing to downwinders' violations of air-pollution standards.
- Animals
Megafish Sleuth: No Steve Irwin
There's no reason a scientist can't be an action hero — even if his damsels in distress have fins.
- Health & Medicine
You Are Who You Are by Default
A neural network active when the brain is at rest may prove critical to zoning out, a sense of self and envisioning the future.
- Health & Medicine
Bad Breath
New studies detail how the invisible particles that pollute the air can damage heart, lungs and genetic programming.
- Life
New drug hits leukemia early
An experimental drug may stop a deadly leukemia in its early stages, a study of mice shows.
- Chemistry
Concerns over bisphenol A continue to grow
Recent research finds that the hormone mimic may be more prevalent and more harmful than previously thought, highlighting why BPA is a growing worry for policy makers.
- Science & Society
Become a guinea pig
Three NIH researchers argue it should be considered a duty with a social mandate akin to voting.
- Health & Medicine
Schizophrenia risk gets more complex
Three studies find that large collections of variants, rather than just a few key mutations, probably predispose someone to schizophrenia.
- Psychology
2-year-olds possess grammatical insights
Toddlers discern basic rules for using nouns and verbs at least one year before speaking in complete sentences, French brain researchers report.
- Health & Medicine
Plastics ingredients may shrink babies
A new study links phthalates, one of the more ubiquitous families of pollutants, with a baby being dangerously small at birth.
