Humans
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Life
Eating a lot of fiber could improve some cancer treatments
A high-fiber diet, which boosts the diversity of gut microbes, may make an immune therapy against skin cancer more effective.
- Health & Medicine
Sleeping in on the weekend can’t make up for lost sleep
Using the weekend to catch up on sleep is ineffective at making-up for lost sleep and offsetting the consequences to a person’s health.
- Health & Medicine
Wireless patches can comfortably monitor sick babies’ health
New skin sensors that wirelessly transmit health data could offer a less invasive way to keep tabs on newborns in the neonatal intensive care unit.
- Health & Medicine
Watching hours of TV is tied to verbal memory decline in older people
The more television people age 50 and up watched, the worse they recalled a list of words in tests years later, a study finds.
- Health & Medicine
50 years ago, people thought MSG caused ‘Chinese restaurant syndrome’
In the 1960s, people blamed monosodium glutamate in Chinese food for making them sick, but the claim hasn't stood up to time or science.
- Health & Medicine
Treating mosquitoes may be a new way to fight malaria
A lab test suggests it may be possible to treat mosquitoes infected with the malaria parasite to stop disease transmission.
- Health & Medicine
With its burning grip, shingles can do lasting damage
Varicella zoster virus, which causes chickenpox and shingles, may instigate several other problems.
- Animals
‘Mama’s Last Hug’ showcases the emotional lives of animals
In ‘Mama’s Last Hug,’ Frans de Waal argues that emotions occur throughout the animal world.
- Life
Readers ponder mitochondria, Neandertal diets, deep sea corals and more
Readers had questions about mitochondrial DNA, Neandertal diets, deep ocean corals and more.
- Archaeology
Ancient Angkor’s mysterious decline may have been slow, not sudden
Analyzing sediment from the massive city’s moat challenges the idea that the last capital of the Khmer Empire collapsed suddenly.
- Health & Medicine
The FDA says don’t buy young plasma therapies. Here’s why
Infusions of plasma from young people may hold the secret of youth, but there’s not much evidence to support the idea yet.
- Anthropology
African hominid fossils show ancient steps toward a two-legged stride
New Ardipithecus ramidus fossils reveal how hominids were shifting toward humanlike walking more than 4 million years ago.
