Humans

Health & Medicine

The animals that ticks bite in the U.S. South can impact Lyme disease spread

Ticks in the north primarily attach to mice, which do a good job of infecting them with Lyme bacteria, setting up the spread to people.

Health & Medicine

Nearly half a million U.S. children missed out on lead tests in early 2020

A big drop in routine lead tests, which can identify children with elevated blood levels, is another troubling sign of the pandemic’s toll.

Archaeology

An ancient Egyptian mummy was wrapped in an unusual mud shell

Commoners in ancient Egypt may have used mud in place of expensive resin to imitate royal mummification techniques.

Health & Medicine

COVID-19 precautions may be reducing cases of flu and other respiratory infections

The same efforts to prevent COVID-19’s spread can keep other respiratory infections at bay. But once we go back to normal, outbreaks could be larger.

Health & Medicine

Diabetes during pregnancy is tied to heart trouble later in life

Gestational diabetes may increase a woman’s risk of having hardened arteries later in life, a long-term study finds.

Health & Medicine

The antidepressant fluvoxamine could keep mild COVID-19 from worsening

Newly infected patients who chose to take fluvoxamine quickly recovered, while 12.5 percent who didn’t wound up hospitalized.

Health & Medicine

What do COVID-19 vaccines mean for daily life in the months ahead?

Effective COVID-19 vaccines are a ray of hope. But masks and distancing are still necessary, especially with contagious variants spreading.

Health & Medicine

One-shot COVID-19 vaccine is effective against severe disease

The effectiveness of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine at preventing hospitalization and death holds up against a South Africa variant of the coronavirus.

Health & Medicine

Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine is effective, but less so with some variants

Novavax’s vaccine fends off the original coronavirus and a U.K. variant, but had more trouble with a South Africa variant.

Anthropology

Humanlike thumb dexterity may date back as far as 2 million years ago

A computer analysis suggests early Homo species developed a powerful grip, giving them an evolutionary edge over some other tool-using hominids.

Health & Medicine

How coronavirus variants may pose challenges for COVID-19 vaccines

Some coronavirus mutations may make vaccines less effective, but the immune system is multifaceted and vaccines can be updated.

Psychology

The COVID-19 pandemic made U.S. college students’ mental health even worse

College students struggled with mental health problems before the pandemic. Now, some vulnerable students are even more at risk.