Humans
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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Psychology
Gene variant may foretell success in program for at-risk kids
Disruptive children with DNA twist show biggest turnaround with 10-year intervention.
By Bruce Bower - Health & Medicine
There’s more than one way to persuade people to vaccinate
Fear, facts and attitude are all strategies for promoting immunization
- Health & Medicine
New HPV shot fends off more types of the virus
A new vaccine that covers more strains of the human papillomavirus protects better against cervical and other cancers.
By Nathan Seppa - Anthropology
Fossil teeth flesh out ancient kids’ varied growth rates
X-ray technique sheds light on hominids’ developmental variety.
By Bruce Bower - Tech
Facebook detects signs of postpartum depression
An analysis of Facebook activity can identify new moms with postpartum depression.
- Genetics
Ebola virus evolution tracked by genetic data
Analysis of Ebola genomes shows how the virus has evolved and some of the mutations that may thwart treatments.
- Health & Medicine
E-cigarettes may be gateway to addiction for teens
Teenagers are using e-cigarettes more than any other tobacco product and for many, it’s the first time they’ve tried a tobacco product at all.
- Health & Medicine
Stoplights are hot spots for airborne pollution
Drivers get a big chunk of their exposure to pollutants from short stops at traffic intersections.
- Animals
When you’re happy and you show it, dogs know it
A new test using pictures of halves of human faces challenges dogs’ abilities to read people’s emotions.
By Susan Milius - Genetics
Ancient East Asians mixed and mingled multiple times with Neandertals
East Asians’ ancestors interbred with Neandertals more than once, explaining why modern East Asians carry more Neandertal DNA than Europeans do, two studies suggest.
- Psychology
Scientists of a feather flock together
When it comes to major scientific issues such as global warming and GMOs, scientists and the public don’t see eye to eye. It might be because socially, they don’t see each other at all.
- Health & Medicine
U.S. measles tally for 2015 now at 121 cases
The 2014–2015 measles outbreak in the United States has now reached people in 17 states and the District of Columbia.
By Nathan Seppa