Humans
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Animals
A rare bird sighting doesn’t lead to seeing more kinds of rare birds
The idea that more kinds of rare birds are seen when birders flock to where one has been seen, the so-called Patagonia Picnic Table Effect, is a myth.
- Anthropology
A body burned inside a hut 20,000 years ago signaled shifting views of death
Ancient hunter-gatherers burned a hut in which they had placed a dead woman, suggesting a change in how death was viewed.
- Psychology
In the social distancing era, boredom may pose a public health threat
Boredom contributes to pandemic fatigue and may account for why some people don’t follow social distancing rules.
- Health & Medicine
Pfizer’s vaccine appears to reduce coronavirus transmission
People who carry low amounts of the coronavirus in their bodies are less likely to spread COVID-19. Pfizer’s shot appears to help reduce viral loads.
- Health & Medicine
Making masks fit better can reduce coronavirus exposure by 96 percent
Double masking, rubber bands and other hacks can produce a tighter fit and prevent aerosol particles that can carry coronavirus from getting through.
- Archaeology
Stonehenge may have had roots in a Welsh stone circle
Ancient migrants to southern England brought the makings of the iconic monument with them, researchers suspect.
- Archaeology
Humans made a horn out of a conch shell about 18,000 years ago
Ancient find may have sounded off during rituals in a cave adorned with wall art.
- Health & Medicine
How coronavirus variants may drive reinfection and shape vaccination efforts
New coronavirus variants could infect people who have already recovered from COVID-19 or been vaccinated, but there are still many unknowns.
- 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.
