Humans
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Genetics
Genes offer new clues to stopping Huntington’s disease in its tracks
A new generation of therapies aims to intervene at a recently discovered gap between the disease’s molecular march and its neurological consequences.
- Archaeology
An ancient Maya astronomer finally has a name
A Maya calendar formula bears the name Sak Tahn Waax, the first known Classic Maya mathematician-astronomer directly credited for such work.
- Health & Medicine
A new sort of Alzheimer’s drug shows glimmers of promise
Clinical trial results show an experimental drug lowered tau levels in the brain and slowed some memory loss, but the data came with a surprise twist.
- Health & Medicine
Support goes a long way to boost birth control effectiveness
The HER Salt Lake Contraceptive Initiative’s approach, which centered the user and made refills easy, meant all types of methods worked well.
- Archaeology
Neandertal babies were a lot like ours — but didn’t stay that way
Two studies of Neandertal remains suggest their newborns were about the same size as those of modern humans but developed faster through infancy.
- Health & Medicine
Many U.S. teens underestimate fentanyl’s deadly risk
A majority of 8th-graders and roughly a third of 10th- and 12th-graders do not see great risk in using fentanyl once or twice, a study reports.
- Anthropology
‘Hobbits’ likely scavenged dragons’ kills
Homo floresiensis may have scavenged Komodo dragon leftovers instead of hunting small elephant relatives.
- Health & Medicine
Acetaminophen in pregnancy shows no link to autism or ADHD, again
Reassuring evidence on acetaminophen’s safety in pregnancy keeps growing, with another study that compares siblings with different prenatal exposures.
- Archaeology
We’ve had fire for longer than we thought
Archaeologists have unearthed new evidence that indicates hominids used fire up to 1.79 million years ago.
- Health & Medicine
Even ‘safe’ air pollution levels may affect heart health
An imaging study found early signs of coronary artery disease in people in Canada breathing air that regulators consider clean.
- Health & Medicine
The New World screwworm has returned to the U.S. Now what?
At least a dozen animals have been found with the flesh-eating maggots. It could take more than a year to eradicate the parasite again, experts warn.
- Health & Medicine
A deadly fungus that can infect cats and people is spreading
It’s just a matter of time before Sporothrix brasiliensis reaches the U.S. a CDC expert says.
