Humans
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Archaeology
The oldest known grass beds from 200,000 years ago included insect repellents
Found in South Africa, 200,000-year-old bedding remnants included fossilized grass, bug-repelling ash and once aromatic camphor leaves.
- Health & Medicine
4 reasons you shouldn’t trash your neck gaiter based on the new mask study
Despite news coverage to the contrary, the study was meant to figure out how to evaluate masks, not actually do the comparison.
- Health & Medicine
Here’s what we know about Russia’s unverified coronavirus vaccine
Despite incomplete testing, Sputnik V may be the first COVID-19 vaccine given to the general public, rolling out initially to teachers and doctors.
- Health & Medicine
How two coronavirus drugs for cats might help humans fight COVID-19
Scientists are exploring if drugs for a disease caused by a coronavirus that infects only cats might help also people infected with the coronavirus.
- Anthropology
Better playground design could help kids get more exercise
Playgrounds designed for imaginative play can make a difference in how much kids move
- Climate
Emissions dropped during the COVID-19 pandemic. The climate impact won’t last
New estimates suggest coronavirus shutdowns cut global carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels by nearly 30 percent, on average.
- Health & Medicine
Rogue immune system reactions hint at an early treatment for COVID-19
A comprehensive look at the immune system shows multiple ways it misfires in COVID-19. Treating with interferon early might prevent trouble later.
- Health & Medicine
Five big questions about when and how to open schools amid COVID-19
Researchers weigh in on how to get children back into classrooms in a low-risk way.
- Archaeology
A submerged Inca offering hints at Lake Titicaca’s sacred role
Divers found a stone box holding a figurine and a gold item, highlighting Lake Titicaca’s sacred status to the Inca.
- Health & Medicine
Heavy drinking drove hundreds of thousands of Americans to early graves
From 2011 to 2015, more than 93,000 U.S. deaths per year could be tied to excessive alcohol use, researchers say.
- Health & Medicine
Hydroxychloroquine can’t stop COVID-19. It’s time to move on, scientists say
Hydroxychloroquine doesn’t work as antiviral or a treatment for COVID-19, an abundance of scientific data suggest.
- Health & Medicine
Coronavirus outbreak at a Georgia overnight camp infected over 200 kids and staff
A report documenting a COVID-19 outbreak in Georgia hints that children might play a key role in spreading the virus.
