Humans

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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

  1. Health & Medicine

    The weight-loss drug Wegovy lowered heart attack risk in a large trial

    Among 17,000 adults, those on semaglutide were less likely to experience nonfatal heart attacks and strokes or death due to cardiovascular disease.

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  2. Health & Medicine

    Why Huntington’s disease may take so long to develop

    Repeated bits of the disease-causing gene pile up in some brain cells. New treatments could involve stopping the additions.

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  3. Microbes

    Evolutionary virologist Daniel Blanco-Melo seeks out ancient pathogens

    Daniel Blanco-Melo has reconstructed two viral strains brought to the Americas with European colonizers in the 16th century.

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  4. Psychology

    Why scientists are expanding the definition of loneliness

    Feeling detached from animals, places and routines can cause loneliness, researchers are learning, which may expand the list of interventions.

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  5. Health & Medicine

    The CDC is expanding its disease surveillance of international travelers

    Passengers at four major U.S. airports will now be tested for over 30 pathogens through a mix of wastewater testing and voluntary nasal swabs.

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  6. Physics

    How neutron imaging uncovers hidden secrets of fossils and artifacts

    The technique can complement X-ray scanning and other tools to uncover details of dinosaur fossils, mummies and more.

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  7. Health & Medicine

    Brain tissue may be fuel for marathon runners

    Myelin, fatty tissue that insulates nerve cells in the brain, may be a renewable energy source for marathon runners and other endurance athletes.

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  8. Anthropology

    Surprisingly long-lived wild female chimps go through menopause

    Chimpanzees in Uganda are the first known example of wild, nonhuman primates experiencing the hormonal changes, raising questions about how menopause evolved.

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  9. Genetics

    Most of today’s gene therapies rely on viruses — and that’s a problem

    The next big strides in gene therapy for rare diseases may come from CRISPR and new approaches to delivery.

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  10. Health & Medicine

    Blocking an aging-related enzyme may restore muscle strength

    Treating old mice with a drug that inhibits a “gerozyme” restored muscle strength, which can diminish with aging.

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  11. Health & Medicine

    Newly identified stem cells can lure breast cancer to the spine

    A new type of stem cell discovered in mice and humans might explain why cancer that spreads to other body parts preferentially targets the spine.

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  12. Neuroscience

    What a look at more than 3,000 kinds of cells in the human brain tells us

    A wide-reaching look at the cells that build the brain, detailed in 21 studies, showcases the brain’s cellular diversity and clues about how it works.

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