Humans

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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

  1. Health & Medicine

    Frog skin cells turned themselves into living machines

    The “xenobots” can swim, navigate tubes, move particles into piles and even heal themselves after injury, a new study reports.

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  2. Archaeology

    Stone Age culture bloomed inland, not just along Africa’s coasts

    Homo sapiens living more than 600 kilometers from the coast around 105,000 years ago collected crystals that may have had ritual meaning.

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  3. Health & Medicine

    Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines may block infection as well as disease

    The mRNA vaccines are about 90 percent effective at blocking coronavirus infection, which could lead to reduced transmission, real-world data suggest.

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  4. Astronomy

    Here’s why humans chose particular groups of stars as constellations

    Distances between stars, their brightnesses and patterns of human eye movement explain why particular sets of stars tend to be grouped together.

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  5. Science & Society

    Parents in Western countries report the highest levels of burnout

    The first survey comparing parental exhaustion across 42 countries links it to a culture of self-reliance.

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  6. Health & Medicine

    AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine holds up in an updated analysis of trial data

    The redo dropped the overall efficacy of AstraZeneca’s vaccine from 79 percent to 76 percent. But a slight fluctuation is not unexpected, experts say.

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  7. Anthropology

    How using sheepskin for legal papers may have prevented fraud

    Removing fat is key to turning animal skin into parchment. With sheepskin, the process creates a writing surface easily marred by scratched-out words.

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  8. Animals

    Dim lighting may raise the risk of a West Nile virus exposure

    Dimly lit nights increased risk of West Nile virus exposure in chickens. Artificial light proved a better predictor of risk than population or paving.

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  9. Health & Medicine

    Here’s what makes 4 promising COVID-19 vaccines unique — and potentially useful

    More vaccines still in the works are exploring a variety of approaches, including pills and electrical zaps.

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  10. Health & Medicine

    AstraZeneca says its COVID-19 vaccine is 79 percent effective in a U.S. trial

    The shot was 80 percent effective at preventing illness in people 65 and older and prevented severe disease and hospitalization.

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  11. Health & Medicine

    New drugs that block a brain chemical are game changers for some migraine sufferers

    Drugs that block a brain chemical called CGRP are helping some patients who suffer from migraine pain.

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  12. Health & Medicine

    AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine isn’t tied to blood clots, experts say

    Multiple countries suspended use of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine because of concerns about blood clots, but health authorities say the shot is safe.

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