Humans

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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

  1. Health & Medicine

    Thick calluses don’t make feet any less sensitive

    Bare feet that develop thick calluses are just as sensitive as shoe-clad feet, a study in Kenya finds.

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  2. Archaeology

    Peru’s famous Nazca Lines may include drawings of exotic birds

    Pre-Inca people depicted winged fliers from far away in landscape art.

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  3. Health & Medicine

    3-D mammograms are popular, but are they better than 2-D?

    The use of digital breast tomosynthesis, a newer breast cancer screening technology with limited evidence, has risen in recent years.

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  4. Archaeology

    Capuchin monkeys’ stone-tool use has evolved over 3,000 years

    A Brazilian archaeological site reveals capuchins’ long history of practical alterations to pounding implements, researchers say.

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  5. Microbes

    Gut microbes might help elite athletes boost their physical performance

    Veillonella bacteria increased in some runners’ guts after a marathon, and may make a compound that might boost endurance, a mouse study suggests.

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  6. Health & Medicine

    New approaches may help solve the Lyme disease diagnosis dilemma

    Lyme disease is hard to detect, but scientists are investigating new diagnostic approaches.

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  7. Science & Society

    Lost wallets are more likely to be returned if they hold cash

    Worldwide, return rates of lost wallets goes up as the money inside increases, contradicting the idea that people act in their own self-interest.

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  8. Health & Medicine

    Rotavirus vaccines may lower kids’ chances of getting type 1 diabetes

    Vaccination against rotavirus is associated with a reduced incidence of type 1 diabetes in children, according to an analysis of U.S. insurance data.

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  9. Life

    Norovirus close-ups might help fight stomach flu

    Detailed views of a common stomach virus that causes vomiting and diarrhea could aid vaccine and disinfectant development.

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  10. Science & Society

    Science hasn’t managed to span the diagnosis gap

    Editor in Chief Nancy Shute discusses how scientists are devising better diagnostic tools to detect diseases.

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  11. Health & Medicine

    When fighting lice, focus on kids’ heads, not hats or toys

    Learning a little about lice makes for a more efficient battle against the bugs.

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  12. Archaeology

    People may have smoked marijuana in rituals 2,500 years ago in western China

    Cannabis may have been altering minds at an ancient high-altitude cemetery, researchers say

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