Humans
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- 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.
- Anthropology
Fossil autopsy claims Lucy fell from tree
A contested study suggests a famous fossil ancestor plunged to her death.
- Health & Medicine
Clean inside those bagpipes — and trumpets and clarinets
Bagpipes’ moist interiors may be the perfect breeding ground for yeasts and molds.
- Neuroscience
Cool nerve cells help mice beat heat
A new study pinpoints fever-busting cells in mice’s brains.
- Neuroscience
Computers refine epilepsy treatment
Surgeons harnessed computers in 1966 to pinpoint source of epilepsy in the brain.
- Tech
Readers respond to terrorism’s roots
Readers respond to the July 9, 2016, issue of Science News with questions on terrorism, dog evolution and more.
