Humans

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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

  1. Archaeology

    After 2,000 years, Ptolemy’s war elephants are revealed

    A genetic study sheds light on world’s only known battle between Asian and African elephants.

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  2. Health & Medicine

    Vaccine vindication

    At least 103 million cases of childhood disease have been prevented by vaccines since 1924.

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  3. Health & Medicine

    How to read a book to your baby

    To help your baby get the most out of story time, turn the story into a conversation, not a monologue.

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  4. Anthropology

    Skulls from ancient London suggest ritual decapitations

    The city’s Roman rulers had special watery places to keep the heads of military enemies or vanquished gladiators.

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  5. Psychology

    The most (and least) realistic movie psychopaths ever

    A forensic psychologist spent three years watching 400 movies to trace portrayals of psychopaths.

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  6. Health & Medicine

    ‘Good bacterium’ prevents colic symptoms in newborns

    Crying time was nearly halved in babies receiving the beneficial microbe.

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  7. Health & Medicine

    Baby-cam captures an infant’s world

    What do babies see all day? Faces. Lots of faces.

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  8. Health & Medicine

    Green tea may sabotage blood pressure medication

    Antioxidants in drink may keep intestinal cells from taking up drug.

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  9. Life

    Feedback

    Readers respond to microbe counts, engineered organs and how to map the universe.

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  10. Health & Medicine

    Pacemaker treats sleep apnea

    Experimental device works for many patients who can’t use breathing machines.

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  11. Psychology

    Migraines respond to great expectations

    Patients get more pain relief from drug and placebo labeled as headache busters than from those labeled as dummy pills.

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  12. Health & Medicine

    Babies tune in to happy sounds

    High pitched, cutesy voices prove irresistible to infants.

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