Humans

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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

  1. Anthropology

    Britain’s largest ancient massacre may have included cannibalism

    Bones recovered from a natural shaft unveil a 4,000-year-old massacre of men, women and children, possibly part of a cycle of revenge killings.

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  2. Space

    These discoveries in 2024 could be groundbreaking — if they’re true

    Did microbes ever live on Mars? Did an "elevator" help build Egypt’s first pyramid? Some signs pointed to yes this year, but confirmation is still needed.

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  3. Health & Medicine

    Cancer screening and quitting smoking have saved nearly 6 million lives

    Prevention, screening and treatment advances combined stopped 5.94 million deaths from cancer in the United States from 1975 through 2020.

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  4. Anthropology

    Humans have linked emotions to the same body parts for 3,000 years

    3,000-year-old clay tablets show that some associations between emotion and parts of the body have remained the same for millennia.

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  5. Genetics

    Neandertal genes in people today came from hook-ups around 47,000 years ago

    Most present-day humans carry a small amount of Neandertal DNA that can be traced back to a single period of interbreeding, two genetic analyses find.

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  6. Health & Medicine

    These are the viruses that defined 2024

    Here’s the latest on mpox, bird flu, dengue and other viral outbreaks that flared up this year.

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  7. Health & Medicine

    The benefits of Ozempic and its kin may extend far beyond weight loss

    Studies suggest that semaglutide reduces heart attack and stroke and may curb addiction and more. Scientists reflect on the future of GLP-1 drugs beyond weight loss.

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  8. Health & Medicine

    U.S. hospitals continue to shut down labor and delivery services

    More than half of rural hospitals and more than one-third of urban hospitals did not offer labor and delivery services in 2022.

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  9. Health & Medicine

    Some countries have eliminated malaria, but cases are growing elsewhere

    Egypt was added to the list of malaria-free places in 2024, but climate change, conflict and other threats could increase cases especially in Africa.

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  10. Health & Medicine

    During an allergic response, some immune cells digest others

    Mast cells lure and trap other immune cells during allergic reactions, using their compounds to increase inflammation in a process dubbed nexocytosis

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  11. Archaeology

    The oldest known ritual chamber in the Middle East has been found

    Engravings and other evidence suggest ancient humans attended religious ceremonies in the cave as early as 37,000 years ago.

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  12. Health & Medicine

    A squid-inspired medical device could reduce the need for needles

    The device, which directs a liquid by mimicking squids’ high-pressure jets, could provide alternative delivery methods for injectable drugs.

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