Humans

Sign up for our newsletter

We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

  1. Earth

    ‘Science fraud’ alleged in urban lead incident

    Virginia engineer charges data were buried or manipulated to hide the lead-poisoning implications to children of water contamination in the nation's capital.

    By
  2. Health & Medicine

    Donating a kidney doesn’t hurt long-term health

    A survey of donors since the 1960s finds survival rates on par with the general population.

    By
  3. Humans

    Young scientists clear hurdle in national competition

    Intel Science Talent Search finalists announced.

    By
  4. Health & Medicine

    I feel your pain, even though I can’t feel mine

    A new imaging study looks at how people are able to empathize with others, even when they haven’t experienced something firsthand.

    By
  5. Earth

    Toxic Lead: Watch Out for Schools

    Schools may present the "worst case" for encountering lead-tainted water, an engineer reports finding.

    By
  6. Earth

    Water-cleanup experiment caused lead poisoning

    Featured blog: Lead concentrations spiked in many children living in the nation's capital after the local water authority altered the treatment used to disinfect drinking water.

    By
  7. Health & Medicine

    Newborns pick up the beat

    Electrical measurements of sleeping newborn babies’ brains indicate that the 2- to 3-day-olds automatically detect a regular beat in rhythmic sequences, possibly reflecting an early capacity for learning music.

    By
  8. Health & Medicine

    Possible anticancer power in fasting every other day

    When mice ate as important as what they ate in reducing cell division linked to cancer, new study reports.

    By
  9. Health & Medicine

    Overly Hungry for Frogs

    Frogs are shipped half-way round the world to sate human appetites for this lean white meat.

    By
  10. Health & Medicine

    Darkness, melatonin may stall breast and prostate cancers

    New studies suggest strong links between melatonin and breast and prostate cancers.

    By
  11. Earth

    EPA: Music to My Ears

    Obama's pick for EPA administrator pledges to put science first.

    By
  12. Life

    As cells age, the nucleus lets the bad guys in

    A study tracks a growing 'leakiness' in the membrane of the cell nucleus that could contribute to aging and even to diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

    By