Humans
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Health & Medicine
Your most pressing questions about the new coronavirus, answered
As the new coronavirus outbreak unfolds, we are updating this FAQ with the latest on the race to understand the virus and stop the growing global health crisis. Our most recent update was posted February 18.
- Health & Medicine
Can the coronavirus outbreak be contained?
More than 50 million people are quarantined in China, but whether the strategy will stem the epidemic’s spread is unclear.
- Archaeology
A Siberian cave contains clues about two epic Neandertal treks
Stone tools and DNA illuminate an earlier and a later journey eastward across Asia.
- Health & Medicine
How one woman became the exception to her family’s Alzheimer’s history
A single mutation in a woman who evaded Alzheimer’s may point to new ways to treat the disease.
- Health & Medicine
How the new coronavirus stacks up against SARS and MERS
Coronaviruses are a diverse family that may be becoming more threatening to people.
- Health & Medicine
Levels of certain proteins in the blood may act as concussion biomarkers
College athletes who suffered concussions had elevated blood levels of three proteins, a potential chemical sign that one day may aid diagnosis.
- Health & Medicine
No, snakes probably aren’t the source of that new coronavirus in China
Scientists are skeptical about a new study that pinpoints snakes as the animal reservoir for the ongoing coronavirus outbreak in China.
- Health & Medicine
WHO says China’s coronavirus outbreak isn’t a global emergency yet
While the WHO says the coronavirus outbreak isn’t a global emergency, China has locked down several large cities to stop the virus from spreading.
- Archaeology
A 3-D printed vocal tract lets an ancient mummy speak from beyond the grave
A re-created version of a mummy’s vocal tract reveals what this ancient Egyptian might have sounded like.
- Archaeology
Mount Vesuvius may have suffocated, not vaporized, some victims
A new study suggests people living near Pompeii who hid in stone boathouses died a slower death when the volcano erupted in A.D. 79.
- Humans
Stress turns hair gray by triggering the body’s fight-or-flight response
A study in mice finds stress responses deplete cells that give hair its pigment, making the strand white.
- Genetics
Ancient kids’ DNA reveals new insights into how Africa was populated
Four long-dead youngsters from west-central Africa have opened a window on humankind’s far-flung African origins.
