Humans
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Humans
Lucy’s feet were made for walking
A 3.2-million-year-old toe fossil suggests a humanlike gait for an ancient hominid.
- Health & Medicine
Prenatal surgery may be preferable for spina bifida
Performing an operation preterm shows better results against the neural tube defect than waiting until the baby is born, but there are trade-offs, a new study shows.
- Life
Small part of brain itching for a fight
A cluster of cells compels aggressive behavior in mice.
- Humans
Adaptive no more
A potential benefit in prehistoric lean times, genetic variant may increase risk of gestational diabetes today.
- Health & Medicine
Allergic to cancer
Having an overactive immune system may protect against certain types of brain tumor, a study suggests.
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- Life
Running a cancer roadblock
A new study shows how cells escaping from a breast tumor overcome a piece of RNA that usually stops them.
- Humans
Running past Neandertals
Stone Age humans’ heel bones, more so than those of Neandertals, aided long-distance running.
- Health & Medicine
No flu vaccine link to Guillain-Barré syndrome found
A massive study of millions of people in China finds no association between receiving the 2009 H1N1 immunization and developing the rare nervous system disorder.
- Health & Medicine
Bioengineering better blood vessels
Durable conduits made with a tough protein produced by living cells might improve options for some patients who need heart bypass surgery or kidney dialysis, a new study finds.
- Psychology
Sometimes, happiness is for bozos
Despite its benefits, happiness and its pursuit has risks, as writer Bruce Bower describes in a humorous report from the recent meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology.
