Humans
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Health & Medicine
Cancer DNA is detectable in blood years before diagnosis
Tiny, newly formed tumors shed small fragments of DNA that are swept into the bloodstream. Future cancer screening tests could detect them early.
- Health & Medicine
Want to eat healthier? Add to your diet, rather than limit it
Nutrition experts say add more greens and beans to your diet; cooking classes can teach people to make these nutrient-dense foods taste delicious.
- Health & Medicine
Summer is a great time to protect your hearing
Concerts, fireworks and other hallmarks of summer can hurt your hearing long-term. But there are safe ways to enjoy them.
- Anthropology
‘Dragon Man’ skull may be the first from an enigmatic human cousin
Ancient proteins and DNA may peg a 146,000-year-old Chinese skull as the most complete fossil to date from Denisovans, a puzzling line of Asian hominids.
- Science & Society
How attacks on evolution in classrooms have shifted over the last 100 years
Since the Scopes trial in 1925, Science News has reported on legislative attempts to undermine the teaching of evolution.
- Humans
100 years after the Scopes trial, science is still under attack
In 1925, John Scopes was indicted for teaching evolution. Science News looks at the forces that led to the trial and how expertise was the big loser.
- Health & Medicine
A genetic test may predict which weight loss drugs work best for patients
Variants of obesity-related genes influence how much weight patients lose on specific weight loss drugs like liraglutide, two studies report.
- Health & Medicine
How one mom is navigating vaccines’ uncertain future
With CDC upheaval, new limits on who can get some vaccines and an ongoing measles outbreak, parents like me face unfamiliar hurdles to protecting our kids.
- Archaeology
A 43,000-year-old Neandertal fingerprint has been found in Spain
An ochre dot in Spain may hold one of the oldest, most complete Neandertal fingerprints, hinting at symbolic behavior in our ancient relatives.
- Physics
How to get the biggest splash at the pool using science
Move over belly flops and cannonballs. Manu jumps, pioneered by New Zealand’s Māori and Pasifika communities, reign supreme.
- Humans
FDA cuts imperil food safety, but not how you might think
Layoffs at the FDA, USDA and CDC could erode the U.S. food safety system. Experts aren’t so worried about milk or chicken today; they’re concerned about the future.
- Health & Medicine
A cup of chickpeas a day lowers cholesterol
Adding a cup of chickpeas or black beans to people’s daily diets could improve health by lowering cholesterol and inflammation, a new study suggests.
