Humans
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Humans
Why it’s key to identify preschoolers with anxiety and depression
With mounting evidence that very young children can experience anxiety and depression, efforts are underway to identify and treat them early.
- Humans
Here’s what makes satire so funny, according to science
Analysis of headlines from the satirical newspaper The Onion could help you — or a computer — write humorous news headlines.
- Anthropology
New dates narrow down when Denisovans and Neandertals crossed paths
Mysterious ancient hominids called Denisovans and their Neandertal cousins periodically occupied the same cave starting around 200,000 years ago.
- Health & Medicine
Chinese ‘tweets’ hint that happiness drops as air pollution rises
A study of more than 210 million social media posts reveals a link between people’s sense of well-being and pollution.
- Anthropology
Why modern javelin throwers hurled Neandertal spears at hay bales
A sporting event with replica weapons suggests that Neandertals’ spears may have been made for throwing, not just stabbing.
- Health & Medicine
Readers have questions about Parkinson’s disease, moth wings and more
Readers had questions about Parkinson’s disease, the new definition of a kilogram’s mass, Saturn’s moon Dione and more.
- Health & Medicine
Vitamin D supplements aren’t living up to their hype
Once seen as a supplement with a long list of benefits, vitamin D’s glow may be dimming.
- Anthropology
Dogs may have helped ancient Middle Easterners hunt small game
Jordanian finds point to pooch-aided hunting of small prey around 11,500 years ago, offering new clues into dog domestication in the Middle East.
- Health & Medicine
Lack of sleep is tied to increases in two Alzheimer’s proteins
In people and mice deprived of sleep, researchers found an increase in tau, a protein involved in Alzheimer’s disease, in the fluid bathing the brain.
- Health & Medicine
‘Good to Go’ tackles the real science of sports recovery
In ‘Good to Go,’ science writer Christie Aschwanden puts science — and herself — to the test for the sake of sports recovery.
- Archaeology
Our fascination with robots goes all the way back to antiquity
In the book ‘Gods and Robots,’ a scholar recounts how early civilizations explored artificial life through myths.
- Health & Medicine
Overdose deaths tied to antianxiety drugs like Xanax continue to rise
Benzodiazepines, widely used but addictive drugs to treat anxiety and insomnia, are contributing to a growing number of overdose deaths.
