Humans
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Genetics
Genetic surgery is closer to reality
A molecular scalpel called CRISPR/Cas9 has made gene editing possible.
- Health & Medicine
Readers contemplate aging research
Aging research, dino guts and Earth's quasisatellite in reader feedback.
- Animals
Bonobos adept at nut cracking
Bonobos demonstrate their overlooked nut-cracking skills in an African sanctuary.
- Humans
Cognitive scientist puts profanity in its place
Swearing provides unappreciated insights into human thought and language, a cognitive scientist argues in the new book What the F.
- Animals
Bonobos rival chimps at the art of cracking oil palm nuts
Bonobos demonstrate their overlooked nut-cracking skills in an African sanctuary.
- Health & Medicine
Doctors need better ways to figure out fevers in newborns
When a very young baby gets a fever, doctors scramble to figure out the cause. A new type of test may ultimately help identify whether the culprit is bacterial or viral.
- Health & Medicine
Bacterial weaponry that causes stillbirth revealed
Vaginal bacteria may cause stillbirth by deploying tiny weapons
- Neuroscience
New Alzheimer’s drug shows promise in small trial
A much-anticipated Alzheimer’s drug shows promise in a new trial, but experts temper hope with caution.
- Humans
Brain’s blood appetite grew faster than its size
Over evolutionary time, the energy demands of hominid brains increased faster than their volume, a new study finds.
- Animals
Dog brains divide language tasks much like humans do
Dogs understand what we say separately from how we say it.
- Health & Medicine
Tasmanian devils evolve resistance to contagious cancer
Tasmanian devils are evolving resistance to a deadly contagious cancer.
- Health & Medicine
Mosquito moms can pass Zika to offspring
In the lab, Zika virus can pass from a female mosquito to her eggs, suggesting how infections can flare up again after adult insects dwindle.
