Humans

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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

  1. Genetics

    Mating with Neandertals reintroduced ‘lost’ DNA into modern humans

    Neandertal DNA brought back some old genetic heirlooms to modern humans.

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  2. Environment

    Pollution killed 9 million people in 2015

    First global look estimates the massive human and financial toll caused by pollution-related health problems.

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  3. Anthropology

    Scientists battle over whether violence has declined over time

    People are no more violent in small-scale societies than in states, researchers contend.

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  4. Health & Medicine

    Laws to protect athletes’ brains do reduce concussions — eventually

    Recurrent concussions among high school athletes went down about 2½ years after traumatic brain injury laws were on the books, a new study finds.

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  5. Life

    The next wave of bird flu could be worse than ever

    Deadly bird flu can pass between ferrets through the air.

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  6. Health & Medicine

    Animal study reveals how a fever early in pregnancy can cause birth defects

    Using chicken embryos, study shows that heat itself, not an infectious agent, is the driving factor behind certain heart and facial birth defects.

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  7. Health & Medicine

    Moms tweak the timbre of their voice when talking to their babies

    Mothers shift the timbre, or quality, of their voice when talking to their babies, a change that happens in many different languages.

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  8. Tech

    This stretchy implant could help kids avoid repeated open-heart surgeries

    A new type of surgical implant grows along with its recipient.

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  9. Health & Medicine

    A universal flu shot may be nearing reality

    Scientists are developing a universal vaccine against flu, making annual shots a thing of the past.

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  10. Life

    Gut fungi might be linked to obesity and inflammatory bowel disorders

    Fungi are overlooked contributors to health and disease.

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  11. Chemistry

    A potential drug found in a sea creature can now be made efficiently in the lab

    Cooking bryostatin 1 up in a lab lets researchers explore its potential as a drug.

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  12. Health & Medicine

    In many places around the world, obesity in kids is on the rise

    The last 40 years saw a big leap in obesity among children, totaling an estimated 124 million boys and girls in 2016.

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