Humans
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Health & Medicine
A critically ill COVID-19 patient just got a double lung transplant
A young woman whose lungs could not recover from the coronavirus infection is doing well after a double lung transplant.
- Life
Scientists want to build a Noah’s Ark for the human microbiome
Just as the Svalbard Global Seed Vault protects global crop diversity, the Microbiota Vault may one day protect the microbes on and in our bodies.
- Health & Medicine
No, you can’t hear the difference between sick and healthy coughs
A study shows humans can’t distinguish between the sound of a cough from someone with an infectious disease and someone with a tickle in the throat.
- Health & Medicine
How often do asymptomatic people spread the coronavirus? It’s unclear
A WHO official said people without COVID-19 symptoms rarely spread the virus, but there’s a lot that researchers don’t yet understand.
- Health & Medicine
Lockdowns may have averted 531 million coronavirus infections
Policies that kept residents at home and closed businesses were largely effective at slowing the pandemic’s spread, two studies suggest.
- Health & Medicine
Taking hydroxychloroquine may not prevent COVID-19 after exposure
Hydroxychloroquine didn’t protect health-care workers from getting sick after being exposed to someone with COVID-19, a new study shows.
- Humans
Lidar reveals the oldest and biggest Maya structure yet found
A previously unknown Maya site in Mexico, called Aguada Fénix, adds to evidence that massive public works may have preceded kings in the civilization.
- Health & Medicine
What parents need to know about kids in the summer of COVID-19
So far, evidence suggests children don’t often get severely ill from COVID-19, but there’s more to learn about their role in its spread.
- Humans
The Dead Sea Scrolls contain genetic clues to their origins
Animal DNA is providing researchers with hints on how to assemble what amounts to a giant jigsaw puzzle of ancient manuscript fragments.
- Genetics
Genetic risk factors for Alzheimer’s also raise the risk of getting COVID-19
People who have the APOE4 genetic variant appear to be more vulnerable to the disease, but it’s unclear why.
- Archaeology
A biblical-era Israeli shrine shows signs of the earliest ritual use of marijuana
Chemical analyses reveal a residue of cannabis and animal dung on an altar from a biblical-era fortress in use more than 2,700 years ago.
- Health & Medicine
Wastewater could provide up to a week of warning for a COVID-19 spike
A new study adds to evidence that sewage may serve as an early warning signal that the coronavirus has hit a community.
