Humans
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Health & Medicine
Politics aside, hydroxychloroquine could (maybe) help fight COVID-19
Hydroxychloroquine may help prevent COVID-19, or it may not. Studies are under way to find out. Meanwhile, here’s what we know.
- Health & Medicine
There are two versions of the coronavirus. One’s not more dangerous than the other
Factors such as a person’s age and white blood cell counts matter more for disease severity when it comes to COVID-19, a study finds.
- Health & Medicine
As we wait for a vaccine, here’s a snapshot of potential COVID-19 treatments
Though a vaccine remains the ultimate goal, researchers are on the hunt for new ways to treat COVID-19.
- Genetics
The oldest genetic link between Asians and Native Americans was found in Siberia
DNA from a fragment of a 14,000-year-old tooth suggests that Native Americans have widespread Asian ancestry.
- Humans
Births in the United States have dropped to a 34-year low
Recessions can influence the birth rate, but births haven’t rebounded yet since the country’s last economic downturn in the late 2000s.
- Health & Medicine
New data suggest people aren’t getting reinfected with the coronavirus
People who recover from COVID-19 but later test positive again for the coronavirus don’t carry infectious virus, a study finds.
- Health & Medicine
Indoor, high-intensity fitness classes may help spread the coronavirus
As more U.S. states reopen and people return to public life, dance fitness classes in South Korea tell a cautionary tale.
- Health & Medicine
Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine stimulates an immune response in people
An mRNA vaccine triggers the immune system to make as many virus-blocking antibodies as in people who have recovered from COVID-19, early data show.
- Science & Society
Past plagues offer lessons for society after the coronavirus pandemic
Starting with the Roman Empire, societies have often dealt resiliently with deadly pandemics.
- Health & Medicine
T cells may help COVID-19 patients — and people never exposed to the virus
Researchers found certain immune cells that help the body fight off an infection in the blood of people who recovered from a coronavirus infection.
- Archaeology
50 years ago, explorer Thor Heyerdahl’s Atlantic crossing hit a snag
Explorer Thor Heyerdahl followed an aborted Atlantic voyage with a second trip that indicated ancient Egyptians could have traveled over long distances by sea.
- Humans
Malaria parasites may have their own circadian rhythms
Plasmodium parasites don’t depend on a host for an internal clock, studies suggest.
