Life
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Neuroscience
Viva vagus: Wandering nerve could lead to range of therapies
Researchers are testing ways to stimulate the vagus nerve to treat a slew of ailments.
- Anthropology
Mummified boy’s DNA unveils new but ancient maternal lineage
An Inca child’s DNA shows he hailed from a newly identified line of maternal ancestors.
- Animals
Tortoises provide a window into the illegal wildlife trade
Tens of thousands of Indian star tortoises are poached every year, a new study finds.
- Archaeology
Honeybees sweetened early farmers’ lives
Residue on pottery pegs ancient farmers as devotees of honeybee products.
- Health & Medicine
Antibodies to fight Alzheimer’s may have unexpected consequences
Alzheimer’s-targeted antibodies make neurons misbehave even more, a study of mice shows.
- Animals
Windy days mean smaller meals for little penguin chicks
Wind speed appears to affect how much food little penguins can bring home for their chicks.
- Life
Gene editing helps a baby battle cancer
Doctors used molecular scalpels to tweak T cells to target leukemia but not harm the patient.
- Anthropology
Ancient hominids used wooden spears to fend off big cats
Saber-toothed cat remains suggest ancient hominids used wooden spears as defensive weapons.
- Paleontology
Land life spared in Permian extinction, geologists argue
New rock layer dating in South Africa’s Karoo Basin suggests that extinctions of land species didn’t coincide with the Permian extinction around 252 million years ago.
- Animals
Big cats hunt livestock when wild prey is scarce
Lions, tigers and other big cats tend to hunt livestock only after their wild prey has dropped in availability, a new study shows.
- Climate
Kangaroo farts may not be so eco-friendly after all
Kangaroos fart methane, but not much thanks to the metabolism of gut microbes
- Health & Medicine
Parasite gives a man cancer
Tapeworms can kick parasitism up a notch to become cancer, a case in Colombia shows.
