News
New study challenges a long-held assumption about human childbirth
2+ hour, 15+ min ago (862+ words) New research finds some small primates face birth canal constraints as severe as, or greater than, those seen in humans. (CREDIT: Shutterstock) For decades, one idea has shaped discussions about human evolution and birth: humans endure unusually difficult childbirth because…...
Wearable polygraph tracks hidden stress signals without wires
1+ mon, 1+ week ago (999+ words) A wireless chest sensor from Northwestern University can track stress signals in real time, offering hope for infants and vulnerable patients. (CREDIT: Northwestern) Stress can live in your body before your mind has words for it. Your heart shifts. Your…...
Human childbirth is not uniquely difficult relative to other mammals
1+ mon, 4+ week ago (915+ words) Human childbirth may not be unique, a new review finds similar birth risks across many mammals. (CREDIT: Shutterstock) Human birth has a reputation for danger. The usual explanation is simple enough: walking upright narrowed the pelvis, while evolution also favored…...
Why humans are helpless at birth and what it tells us about human nature
3+ mon, 2+ week ago (678+ words) A human baby arrives in the world in a strange state, eyes open, ears working, brain growing fast, yet unable to move through the world in any meaningful way. Human newborns do not fit neatly into the usual animal categories....
Humans are born musical, study finds
3+ mon, 4+ week ago (791+ words) Research suggests humans may be biologically wired for music, with musical abilities appearing in infancy and across cultures. (CREDIT: Shutterstock) A newborn cannot speak, read, or walk. Yet moments after entering the world, the infant brain already responds to rhythm…...
Infant brains begin visual awareness as early as 2 months of age
5+ mon, 1+ week ago (590+ words) New brain scans show infants can recognize object categories by 2 months, earlier than scientists once believed. (CREDIT: Shutterstock) Recent neuroscience research shows that our brain's organization of the visual world occurs much earlier than previously thought by scientists. As early…...
Taking acetaminophen during pregnancy not linked to autism or ADHD, study finds
5+ mon, 3+ week ago (889+ words) A major review finds no link between prenatal acetaminophen use and autism, ADHD, or intellectual disability in children. (CREDIT: Shutterstock) Now, researchers at City St George's, University of London say the strongest available evidence does not support those worries. Their…...
Doctors Stunned as Baby Survives Full-Term Pregnancy Beating 1-in-a Million Odds
5+ mon, 4+ week ago (773+ words) A joyful surprise unfolded in Los Angeles when a baby boy was born under circumstances so rare that even veteran physicians paused in disbelief. The child, named Ryu, developed entirely outside his mother’s uterus, a medical situation that rarely leads…...
Gestational diabetes linked to lower IQ in children and lasting cognitive declines in mothers
9+ mon, 3+ week ago (611+ words) A sweeping international review has revealed that gestational diabetes may leave a lasting mark on both mothers and their children. (CREDIT: Shutterstock) A sweeping international review has revealed that gestational diabetes may leave a lasting mark on both mothers and…...
Male embryos grow faster: Breakthrough study reveals genetic reasons why
10+ mon, 1+ week ago (1193+ words) Male and female embryos begin developing differently just 7 days after fertilization, Cornell scientists find. The discovery could transform IVF and drug testing. (CREDIT: Shutterstock) In a quiet lab at Cornell University, scientists have made a discovery that could reshape how…...