Humans
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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Humans
A Cancer Patient’s Best Friend
Similarities between tumors in people and dogs mean canine studies can inform human disease.
By Laura Beil - Humans
Radial routes ran outside Mesopotamia
Cold War–era imagery reveals transportation networks extended throughout Middle East.
By Bruce Bower - Health & Medicine
Surgery shows promise in treating persistent heartburn
Ring-shaped device around esophagus prevents acid reflux so that patients can stop taking drugs.
By Nathan Seppa - Health & Medicine
Smoking damages mouse brains
Signs of Alzheimer’s disease appear after the rodents breathe cigarette smoke.
- Humans
Origins of alcohol consumption traced to ape ancestor
Eating fermented fruit off the ground may have paved way for ability to digest ethanol.
By Erin Wayman - Health & Medicine
A surprise makes memories wobbly
Drug that interferes with recollection works only when people face the unexpected.
- Health & Medicine
Smoking ban cuts preterm births
Belgium sees drop in preterm births after initiating no-smoking policies.
By Nathan Seppa - Humans
Newborn babies walk the walk
Infants strut a runway wearing electrodes to show how the walking reflex works.
- Health & Medicine
To develop male behavior, rats need immune cells
Research reveals unexpected role for cells called microglia in shaping the brain.
- Health & Medicine
Compound linked to IVF success
Women with high blood concentrations of anti-Müllerian hormone were more likely to conceive and give birth after in vitro fertilization.
By Nathan Seppa - Health & Medicine
U.S. breast-feeding rates up
Between 2000 and 2008, the fraction of women breast-feeding babies increased, as did the fraction breast-feeding for a year.
By Nathan Seppa - Humans
In research, it matters whether you’re a man or a mouse
A study that compares trauma responses of mice with those in people questions the relevance of mouse research to human disease.