Humans
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Health & Medicine
The fight against gonorrhea gets a potential new weapon: a vaccine
A vaccine used in New Zealand to curb meningitis also appeared to drop gonorrhea infections, results that hint at a way to make a gonorrhea vaccine.
- Health & Medicine
Drinking sugary beverages in pregnancy linked to kids’ later weight gain
Consuming sugary drinks while pregnant may mean kids are heavier when they reach elementary school age.
- Anthropology
Fossil tooth pushes back record of mysterious Neandertal relative
A Denisovan child’s fossil tooth dates to at least 100,000 years ago, researchers say.
- Archaeology
Pin-drop test pops Greek amphitheater’s acoustic claims
Analysis of an ancient Greek amphitheater’s ability to carry sounds reveals overblown tour guide claims.
- Anthropology
How humans (maybe) domesticated themselves
Prior to taming other species, humans selected for more docile traits among fellow Homo sapiens, a slew of recent studies suggest.
- Genetics
Double-duty DNA plays a role in birth and death
Coronary artery disease may be the price humans pay for improved fertility.
- Health & Medicine
Here’s how a child sees a Van Gogh painting
Children’s eyes are drawn to vivid, bright and bold parts of Van Gogh paintings. But they can shift their viewing strategies with a little prompting, a new study suggests.
- Anthropology
The southern drawl gets deconstructed
Analysis of the diversity of vowel sounds found in southern accents could help developers of speech recognition software.
- Health & Medicine
Getting a flu ‘shot’ could soon be as easy as sticking on a Band-Aid
Microneedle patches may make home-based vaccination a reality.
- Anthropology
Carved human skulls found at ancient worship center in Turkey
Visitors to an ancient ritual site may have carved human skulls as part of ancestor worship.
- Science & Society
Latest stats are just a start in preventing gun injuries in kids
New stats on firearm deaths and injuries are disturbing, but the picture to make policy is far from complete, researchers say.
- Archaeology
Sound-reflecting shelters inspired ancient rock artists
Ancient Europeans sought rock art sites where sounds carried.
