Humans

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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

  1. Health & Medicine

    Readers inquire about measles, vaccine hesitancy and more

    Readers had questions about vaccine-hesitant parents, measles and DNA sequencing.

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  2. Science & Society

    You’re only as old as you perceive yourself to be

    Editor in Chief Nancy Shute discusses how people’s attitudes about aging can impact our physical health.

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  3. Health & Medicine

    Climate change could raise the risk of deadly fungal infections in humans

    The rise of Candida auris, a deadly fungus spurring outbreaks in the United States and worldwide, may have been aided by climate change.

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  4. Health & Medicine

    50 years ago, a drug that crippled a generation found new life as a leprosy treatment

    In 1969, a drug that crippled a generation found new life as a treatment for leprosy.

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  5. Archaeology

    ‘Fruit from the Sands’ explores the Silk Road origins of apples, tea and more

    A new book explains how many of today’s popular foods got started on Central Asia’s ancient Silk Road trade networks.

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  6. Neuroscience

    Boosting a gut bacterium helps mice fight an ALS-like disease

    Gut bacteria may alter ALS symptoms for good or ill.

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  7. Health & Medicine

    Botox may relieve persistent pelvic pain caused by endometriosis

    The wrinkle-smoothing treatment Botox may relieve pain from muscle spasms in the pelvic floor of women with endometriosis.

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  8. Science & Society

    Longer gaps between births can halve infant deaths in developing nations

    Leaving more time between successive pregnancies matters for infant survival, but only in less-developed countries.

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  9. Health & Medicine

    Manipulating nerve cells makes mice ‘see’ something that’s not there

    Using optogenetics to stimulate about 20 nerve cells causes mice to perceive nonexistent vertical or horizontal lines.

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  10. Tech

    50 years ago, lambs survived but didn’t thrive inside artificial wombs

    Artificial wombs to support preemie babies are closer to reality.

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  11. Health & Medicine

    WHO declares a public health emergency over Congo’s Ebola outbreak

    The yearlong Ebola outbreak in the Congo has been declared a public health emergency by the World Health Organization.

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  12. Health & Medicine

    Tiny glasses help reveal how praying mantises can see in 3-D

    Newfound nerve cells in praying mantises help detect different views that each of the insects’ eyes sees, a mismatch that creates depth perception.

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