News
- Humans
Southern Africa may have hosted a hominid transition 2 million years ago
Braincases excavated from the Drimolen caves suggest Homo erectus and Paranthropus robustus may have coexisted in southern Africa.
- Math
How large a gathering is too large during the coronavirus pandemic?
Mathematical models explain why large gatherings are especially dangerous in an epidemic, and identify how large is too large.
- Earth
Roughly 90 million years ago, a rainforest grew near the South Pole
A forest flourished within 1,000 kilometers of the South Pole, probably because of high atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and an ice-free Antarctica.
- Health & Medicine
How coronavirus control measures could affect its global death toll
Slowing the virus’ spread will save millions of lives, but differences among countries could vary the pandemic’s toll in different places.
- Anthropology
Lucy’s species heralded the rise of long childhoods in hominids
Australopithecus afarensis had prolonged brain growth before the Homo genus appeared, but it still resulted in brains with chimplike neural structure.
- Physics
A mysterious superconductor’s wave could reveal the physics behind the materials
Scientists finally spotted a pair-density wave in a high-temperature superconductor.
- Anthropology
This 300,000-year-old skull may be from an African ‘ghost’ population
The age of the mysterious Broken Hill fossil suggests it came from a hominid that lived around the same time as both Homo sapiens and H. naledi.
- Animals
A cat appears to have caught the coronavirus, but it’s complicated
While a cat in Belgium seems to be the first feline infected with SARS-CoV-2, it’s still unclear how susceptible pets are to the disease.
- Space
Quasar winds with record energy levels were seen fleeing a distant galaxy
The Hubble Space Telescope has seen the most energetic quasar winds yet, showing these active black holes can blow star-forming gas out of galaxies.
- Animals
Parasitic worm populations are skyrocketing in some fish species used in sushi
Fishes worldwide harbor 283 times the number of Anisakis worms as fishes in the 1970s. Whether that’s a sign of environmental decline or recovery is unclear.
- Health & Medicine
Social distancing comes with psychological fallout
Keeping people apart can help slow the new coronavirus’ spread. But such social distancing may cause or worsen mental health problems.
- Health & Medicine
How antibody tests work and could help fight the coronavirus
Coronavirus antibody tests look for signs in the blood that someone has had an infection and recovered, and could take only a finger prick.
