Humans
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Humans
Evolving an arch across the foot’s width helped hominids walk upright
The arch across the foot evolved at least 3.4 million years ago, possibly before the lengthwise arch. Both arches help humans to walk and run.
- Health & Medicine
Coronavirus’ spread in the U.S. may be a question of when, not if
The virus that causes COVID-19 is likely to gain a foothold in U.S. communities, says the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- Health & Medicine
We may be on the brink of a coronavirus pandemic. Here’s what that means
The coronavirus behind COVID-19 has not yet reached pandemic status, according the WHO, but we could be close.
- Archaeology
South Asian toolmaking withstood the biggest volcanic blast in 2 million years
Toolmakers continued to strike sharp-edged flakes as usual after a volcano’s colossal eruption around 74,000 years ago on what’s now Sumatra Island.
- Health & Medicine
To tackle the new coronavirus, scientists are accelerating the vaccine process
Scientists are turning to nontraditional approaches to create vaccines and therapeutics that target the novel coronavirus.
- Health & Medicine
U.S. drug deaths dipped in 2018, but cocaine and meth overdoses rose
In 2018, the rates of drug overdose deaths for methamphetamine and cocaine surpassed that of prescription opioids.
- Humans
The earliest known hominid interbreeding occurred 700,000 years ago
The migration of Neandertal-Denisovan ancestors to Eurasia some 700,000 years ago heralded hookups with a resident hominid population.
- Archaeology
Ancient ‘megasites’ may reshape the history of the first cities
At least two ancient paths to urban development existed, some archaeologists argue.
- Archaeology
New cave fossils have revived the debate over Neandertal burials
Part of a Neandertal’s skeleton was found in a hole dug in the same cave in Iraqi Kurdistan where the “flower burial” was found in 1960.
- Health & Medicine
Very few infants seem to be getting sick with the new coronavirus
Scientists tracking how the outbreak of a novel coronavirus is affecting young children and newborns haven’t seen many cases.
- Health & Medicine
Coronavirus’s genetic fingerprints are used to rapidly map its spread
Fast and widespread scientific data sharing and genetic testing have created a picture of how the new coronavirus spreads.
- Humans
Some West Africans may have genes from an ancient ‘ghost’ hominid
A humanlike population undiscovered in fossils may have passed helpful DNA on to human ancestors in West Africa starting as early as 124,000 years ago.
