Humans

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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

  1. Health & Medicine

    There’s no evidence the coronavirus jumped from pangolins to people

    Pangolins captured in anti-smuggling activities in southern China were found to harbor viruses related to the new coronavirus.

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  2. Archaeology

    Neandertals’ extensive seafood menu rivals that of ancient humans

    Finds from a coastal cave in Portugal reveal repeated ocean foraging for this European hominid.

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  3. Genetics

    No, the coronavirus wasn’t made in a lab. A genetic analysis shows it’s from nature

    Scientists took conspiracy theories seriously and analyzed the coronavirus to reveal its natural origins.

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  4. Archaeology

    New Guinea’s Neolithic period may have started without outside help

    Islanders on New Guinea experienced cultural changes sparked by farming about 1,000 years before Southeast Asians arrived, a study suggests.

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  5. Health & Medicine

    You can help fight the coronavirus. All you need is a computer

    With Folding@home, people can donate computing time on their home computers to the search for a chemical Achilles’ heel in the coronavirus.

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  6. Health & Medicine

    When will the coronavirus pandemic and social distancing end?

    Social distancing may have to continue for months to prevent a resurgence of COVID-19. Wider testing and isolation of cases could ease such measures.

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  7. Health & Medicine

    Here’s where bacteria live on your tongue cells

    Scientists labeled bacteria from tongue scrapings with fluorescent probes to glimpse at how the microbes structure their communities.

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  8. Health & Medicine

    The number of steps per day, not speed, is linked to mortality rate

    Researchers report an association between the total number of steps a person takes each day and the rate of death from any cause.

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  9. Health & Medicine

    A tooth-enamel protein is found in eyes with a common form of macular degeneration

    Researchers linked a tooth-enamel protein with calcium deposits in eyes suffering ‘dry’ AMD, which could lead to treatments for the vision disorder.

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  10. Health & Medicine

    Why some heart patients may be especially vulnerable to COVID-19

    Researchers don’t yet know if the way the coronavirus enters cells may have something to do with the risks to the heart.

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  11. Archaeology

    The Nazareth Inscription’s origins may refute ties to Jesus’ resurrection

    Chemical analysis shows the tablet’s marble came from a Greek island, challenging the idea the decree concerned early Christianity in the Middle East.

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  12. Health & Medicine

    Young adults can face severe cases of COVID-19, too

    While risk of having a severe case of COVID-19 rises with age, younger adults are also landing in the hospital and ICU, new U.S. statistics show.

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