Humans
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Archaeology
The oldest known astrolabe was used on one of Vasco da Gama’s ships
A navigational device for taking altitudes at sea was found in a Portuguese shipwreck in the Arabian Sea and dates back to 1496.
- Health & Medicine
Saving monkey testicle tissue before puberty hints at a new way to preserve fertility
Frozen testicle tissue samples from prepubescent monkeys transplanted back onto those monkeys once they matured produced sperm.
- Health & Medicine
A new ketamine-based antidepressant raises hope — and questions
Little is known about the long-term effects on people of a newly approved antidepressant based on the anesthetic ketamine.
- Science & Society
The learning gap between rich and poor students hasn’t changed in decades
The educational achievement gap between the poorest and richest U.S. students remains as wide as it was almost 50 years ago.
- Health & Medicine
U.S. heart attack mortality reached a two-decade low in 2014
Deaths within 30 days of a heart attack have declined from 20 percent in 1995 to 12.4 percent in 2014, according to an analysis of Medicare patient data.
- Humans
The rise of farming altered our bite and changed how people talk
Eating soft, processed foods refashioned adults' jaws, which added “f” and “v” sounds to speech and changed languages worldwide, a study finds.
- Health & Medicine
Flickers and buzzes sweep mouse brains of Alzheimer’s plaques
Precisely timed clicking noises can counter signs of Alzheimer’s in the brains of mice and improve memory.
- Health & Medicine
Hidden compounds in many medications can trigger allergies
Analysis of 42,000 pill recipes shows nearly 93 percent have ingredients that may cause allergic reactions.
- Health & Medicine
Pharmaceutical abuse sent more than 350,000 people to the ER in 2016
The misuse of pharmaceuticals sent an estimated 350,000 people to U.S. emergency departments in 2016.
- Health & Medicine
Stroke victims with busy immune responses may also see mental declines
A small study links an active immune response soon after a stroke with a loss in cognitive ability a year later.
- Health & Medicine
50 years ago, doctors lamented a dearth of organ donors
Fifty years ago, surgeons’ supply of heart donations was woefully low.
- Animals
‘Skeleton Keys’ unlocks the history and mysteries of bones
From fish to dinosaurs to King Richard III, ‘Skeleton Keys’ surveys the scientific and cultural history of bones.
