Humans

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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

  1. Anthropology

    Modern-day trackers reinterpret Stone Age cave footprints

    African trackers help researchers interpret ancient human footprints in French caves.

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  2. Anthropology

    Human laugh lines traced back to ape ancestors

    Chimps make laughing faces that speak to evolution of human ha-ha’s.

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  3. Archaeology

    Bronze Age humans racked up travel miles

    A new study indicates long journeys and unexpected genetic links in Bronze Age Eurasian cultures.

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  4. Health & Medicine

    Rotavirus vaccine is proving its worth

    Rotavirus vaccination cuts childhood intestinal infection hospitalizations in half.

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  5. Life

    MERS virus didn’t morph in its move to South Korea

    No obvious changes in the MERS virus account for its rapid spread in South Korea.

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  6. Life

    Tracing molecules’ movement in nails may help fight fungus

    Tracking chemicals through the human nail may provide valuable insight for drug development.

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  7. Health & Medicine

    Fly spit protein holds back parasite infection in monkeys

    A protein called PdS15 found in the saliva of the sand fly that spreads leishmaniasis may be used in a vaccine to combat the parasitic scourge causing the illness.

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  8. Health & Medicine

    Deadly MERS spreads in small cluster in South Korea

    Thirty people have MERS virus in the South Korean outbreak, including China’s first case.

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  9. Health & Medicine

    An antidepressant may protect against Ebola

    Zoloft and a heart drug keep most mice alive after exposure to Ebola.

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  10. Anthropology

    Neandertal bling and more reader feedback

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  11. Health & Medicine

    Why breast-feeding really can be easier the second time around

    The body remembers how to make milk, a mouse study suggests. Something similar may happen in humans.

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  12. Anthropology

    Chimps prefer roasted potatoes, hinting at origins of cooking

    Chimps really dig roasted potatoes, suggesting cooking arose millions of years ago.

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