Humans

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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

  1. Health & Medicine

    Studies shed light on Ebola’s M.O.

    New findings reveal a key step in how the deadly virus infects cells — and identify compounds that may thwart it.

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  2. Humans

    The world’s oldest profession: chef

    The invention of cooking almost 2 million years ago was a central event in human evolution, a new study suggests.

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  3. Humans

    Stress spears deployed service personnel

    Supply officers draw as much or more emotional fire as combat soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.

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  4. Life

    Antidepressants show signs of countering Alzheimer’s

    Human brain scans and mice data link serotonin-boosting drugs with reduced plaque density.

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  5. Anthropology

    The Iceman’s last meal: goat

    Two decades after he was discovered sticking out of an Alpine glacier, a famous 5,300-year-old mummy’s diet details and hiking habits are revealed.

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  6. Humans

    Humans

    Prehistoric assembly lines, a trigger for riots and more in this week's news

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  7. Psychology

    Spoilers freshen up stories

    Giving away the plot may aid, not ruin, story enjoyment.

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  8. Health & Medicine

    Body & Brain

    Leukemia gene therapy, the brain tickle of beautiful voices and more in this week's news.

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  9. Health & Medicine

    Blacks far less likely than whites to land NIH grants

    Among minority scientists applying for National Institutes of Health research grants, blacks alone face a substantially lower likelihood of being successful than whites, a new study finds. This investigation, which was prompted by the research agency itself, will catalyze further probes and a host of changes, promises NIH director Francis Collins.

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  10. Health & Medicine

    Lost in the periphery

    The human visual system discards information along the edges, a new study shows.

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  11. Humans

    Ancient Saharan head cases

    Skulls from a North African civilization provide glimpses of what may be early cranial surgery.

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  12. Health & Medicine

    Cigarettes cause half of bladder cancers in women

    People who smoke are four times as likely to develop the malignancy as people who never smoked, a study finds.

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