Humans
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Health & Medicine
A once-scrapped Alzheimer’s drug may work after all, new analyses suggest
An antibody that targets Alzheimer’s sticky protein amyloid showed promise in slowing mental decline, according to the company that’s developing it.
- Humans
50 years ago, income inequality was severe in the U.S. It still is
In 1969, lower-income households tended to be nonwhite and in the U.S. South. That still holds true today.
- Health & Medicine
Scientists’ brains shrank a bit after an extended stay in Antarctica
The experience of an isolated, long-term mission at an Antarctic research station slightly shrunk a part of crew members’ brains, a small study finds.
- Humans
A gene tied to facial development hints humans domesticated themselves
Scientists may have identified a gene that ties together ideas about human evolution and animal domestication.
- Health & Medicine
Medications alone work as well as surgery for some heart disease patients
Patients with stable ischemic heart disease may be able to avoid stents or bypass surgery with medications alone.
- Humans
An ancient outbreak of bubonic plague may have been exaggerated
Archaeological evidence suggests that an epidemic that occurred several centuries before the Black Death didn’t radically change European history.
- Archaeology
Infrared images reveal hidden tattoos on Egyptian mummies
Infrared images show a range of markings on seven female mummies, raising questions about ancient Egyptian tattoo traditions.
- Neuroscience
Is taking birth control as a teen linked to depression? It’s complicated
As researchers sift through conflicting data, no clear answers emerge on whether birth control during teenage years can cause depression later.
- Humans
Archaeologists tie ancient bones to a revolt chronicled on the Rosetta Stone
The skeleton of an ancient soldier found in the Nile Delta provides a rare glimpse into an uprising around 2,200 years ago.
- Health & Medicine
A dose of ketamine could lessen the lure of alcohol
Ketamine may weaken wobbly memories of drinking, a trick that might ultimately be useful for treating alcohol addiction.
- Health & Medicine
A protein helps disease-causing immune cells invade MS patients’ brains
Blocking the protein may hinder B cells invading the brain in multiple sclerosis, a study in mice and ‘stand-in’ human brain barriers finds.
- Archaeology
A carved rock found in Jordan may be the oldest known chess piece
The 1,300-year-old game piece, which resembles a rook, or castle, was found at an Early Islamic trading outpost.
