Humans
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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Psychology
‘Gorilla man’ goes unheard
Paying attention to what others say can make listeners totally unaware of unexpected sounds.
By Bruce Bower - Health & Medicine
First brain image of a dream created
Feat opens the door to probing the stuff of nocturnal dramas.
- Chemistry
Headache tree is a pain in the brain
Following a gardener’s lead, researchers discover an ingredient in bay laurel that causes uncomfortable swelling of cranial blood vessels.
- Life
Axing molecular zombies may slow aging
Killing off dormant cells slows the decline of mice genetically engineered to grow old fast.
By Nick Bascom - Humans
Humans’ entry into Europe pushed earlier
Homo sapiens fossils from Italy and England point to an early arrival and a longer time living alongside Neandertals.
By Bruce Bower - Physics
The sound of screech
Auditory experts decipher the blood-curdling nature of fingernails on a chalkboard.
By Devin Powell -
- Health & Medicine
Brain gene activity changes through life
Studies track biochemical patterns from just after conception to old age.
- Humans
Facebook value overstated, study finds
Some estimates of the social networking site's worth appear to make impossible assumptions.
- Psychology
Digital bounty hunters unleashed
Internet technique shows promise as fast way to mobilize huge problem-solving teams.
By Bruce Bower - Humans
Infected bats can recover . . . with lots of help
Researchers reported new data today confirming that with enough coddling, many heavily infected bats can recover. The rub: These scientists also pointed out that there really aren’t sufficient resources to save more than a handful this way.
By Janet Raloff - Health & Medicine
HPV vaccine recommended for boys
A federal panel expands the reach of shots as a separate new study shows the immunizations prevent precancerous anal lesions.
By Nathan Seppa