Humans

Sign up for our newsletter

We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

  1. Archaeology

    British tin might have fueled the rise of some Bronze Age civilizations

    Chemical evidence of tin from coastal British sites reaching Bronze Age Mediterranean societies highlights a supply chain dispute.

    By
  2. Health & Medicine

    Lining medical stents with hairlike fuzz could fend off infections

    Implanted tubes that transport bodily fluids can get gross. A lab prototype suggests a new vibration-based way to keep them clean and prevent infection.

    By
  3. Health & Medicine

    A man let snakes bite him 202 times. His blood helped create a new antivenom

    A new antivenom relies on antibodies from the blood of Tim Friede, who immunized himself against snakebites by injecting increasing doses of venom into his body.

    By
  4. Psychology

    Playing this Minecraft game hints at how we learn in real life

    A tailor-made version of Minecraft let researchers look at the success of learning individually or taking cues from others while foraging for fruit.

    By
  5. Psychology

    Chess players rely on familiar moves even when the game changes

    In chess as in life, people use memory as a shortcut for decision-making. That strategy can backfire when the present doesn’t resemblance the past.

    By
  6. Health & Medicine

    Ozempic and Wegovy ingredient may reverse signs of liver disease

    The diabetes and weight loss drug semaglutide reversed liver scarring and inflammation. It’s among several drugs in the works for the condition MASH.

    By
  7. Archaeology

    A Pueblo tribe recruited scientists to reclaim its ancient American history

    DNA supports modern Picuris Pueblo accounts of ancestry going back more than 1,000 years to Chaco Canyon society.

    By
  8. Health & Medicine

    Two cities stopped adding fluoride to water. Science reveals what happened

    As calls to end fluoride in water get louder, changes to the dental health of children in Calgary, Canada, and Juneau, Alaska, may provide a cautionary tale.

    By
  9. Health & Medicine

    Bird flu in cows shows no signs of adapting to humans — yet

    Easy replication in cattle mammary glands means H5N1 bird flu is under no evolutionary pressure to adapt to spread easily in humans.

    By
  10. Anthropology

    A lion’s bite marks a fatal fight with a possible Roman-era gladiator

    The first skeletal evidence of a gladiator show or execution involving an exotic animal comes from a Roman British man with bite marks from a lion.

    By
  11. Psychology

    Uncertainty is on the rise. Here’s how people can cope

    Societal upheaval can trigger uncertainty, which makes people susceptible to cognitive traps. Experts suggest some simple tools can help.

    By
  12. Psychology

    Loneliness is higher among middle-aged Americans than older ones

    Across much of the world, loneliness increases from middle age to later years. That trend is reversed in the United States, a new study shows.

    By