Humans

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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

  1. Health & Medicine

    Two cities stopped adding fluoride to water. Science reveals what happened

    As calls to end fluoride in water get louder, changes to the dental health of children in Calgary, Canada, and Juneau, Alaska, may provide a cautionary tale.

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  2. Health & Medicine

    Bird flu in cows shows no signs of adapting to humans — yet

    Easy replication in cattle mammary glands means H5N1 bird flu is under no evolutionary pressure to adapt to spread easily in humans.

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  3. Anthropology

    A lion’s bite marks a fatal fight with a possible Roman-era gladiator

    The first skeletal evidence of a gladiator show or execution involving an exotic animal comes from a Roman British man with bite marks from a lion.

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  4. Psychology

    Uncertainty is on the rise. Here’s how people can cope

    Societal upheaval can trigger uncertainty, which makes people susceptible to cognitive traps. Experts suggest some simple tools can help.

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  5. Psychology

    Loneliness is higher among middle-aged Americans than older ones

    Across much of the world, loneliness increases from middle age to later years. That trend is reversed in the United States, a new study shows.

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  6. Health & Medicine

    Autism rates rose again. Experts explain why

    Autism rates are higher than ever before, probably because of more expansive and sensitive diagnoses. Those numbers highlight the need for more support for people with autism.

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  7. Humans

    Ancient horse hunts challenge ideas of ‘modern’ human behavior

    An archaeological site in Germany suggests communal hunting and complex thinking emerged earlier in human evolution than once thought.

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  8. Health & Medicine

    Clinical trials face uncertain futures amid Trump cuts

    The Trump administration has reportedly disrupted over 100 clinical trials. Science News spoke to researchers about the impacts on four of them.

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  9. Health & Medicine

    A messed-up body clock could be a bigger problem than lack of sleep

    For a good night of sleep, consider getting your circadian rhythm back in sync with the sun. Here’s how to do it.

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  10. Health & Medicine

    A drug for heavy metal poisoning may double as a snakebite treatment

    An initial clinical trial in Kenya found no safety concerns, a first step toward testing unithiol as a treatment for venomous snakebites in people.

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  11. Health & Medicine

    Three U.S tick species may cause a mysterious red meat allergy

    Two cases of alpha-gal syndrome suggest that the lone star tick isn’t the only species in the United States capable of triggering an allergy to red meat.

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  12. Animals

    Snakes are often the villains. A new book gives them a fair shake

    From demon to danger noodle, human ideas about snakes can be as contradictory as the creatures themselves. In Slither, Stephen S. Hall challenges our serpent stereotypes.

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