Humans
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Humans
Traumatic events trigger diverse responses
New study compares difficulties faced by survivors of life-threatening events.
- Psychology
Perfectionism works for some diabetics, but not for new moms
Demanding perfection of oneself boosts longevity for diabetic seniors, but it may prompt depression in new mothers.
- Psychology
Kids face up to disgust surprisingly late
A new study suggests that children don’t recognize facial expressions of disgust until age 5, much later than many researchers had assumed.
- Anthropology
Contested evidence pushes Ardi out of the woods
A controversial new investigation suggests that the ancient hominid lived on savannas, not in forests.
- Health & Medicine
Shark cartilage doesn’t appear to help lung cancer
Patients taking an extract show no improvement.
- Health & Medicine
Tiny blood vessels expel clots by force
A study in mice uncovers a new way that capillaries keep the flow going.
- Humans
Chaos makes a scream seem real
Researchers analyze movie sound tracks to identify the acoustic roots of fear.
- Life
Parks not burdening poor neighbors, study says
New research examines controversy over conservation areas by studying poverty in Costa Rica and Thailand.
- Health & Medicine
Immune traits may identify lucky kidney-transplant recipients
Tests find a genetic signature that may delineate people who could drop immune-suppression therapy.
- Humans
Teeth as a forensic clock
Here’s something we’re likely to see that endearing techno whiz kid, Abby Sciuto, whip out of her forensic arsenal next season on NCIS. They’re chemical and nuclear technologies to date teeth. When paired up, new research indicates, they’ll identify not only when people were born but also the age at which they clocked out — thereby pointing to the general date of death.
- Psychology
Gene makes kids more vulnerable to bullying’s effects
Kids who get bullied a lot can develop serious emotional problems, especially if they possess a certain gene.
- Physics
Some ‘ball lightning’ reports may be hallucinations
Magnetic fields generated by real bolts could trigger visual effects in the brain.
