Humans

  1. Anthropology

    16th century skeletons suggest the slave trade brought some diseases to Mexico

    Slaves buried in a 16th century grave in Mexico had hepatitis B and yaws, suggesting the slave trade helped spread some versions of those diseases.

    By Bruce Bower
  2. Health & Medicine

    Remdesivir is the first drug found to block the coronavirus

    Preliminary results suggest that an antiviral treatment speeds recovery from COVID-19.

    By Tina Hesman Saey
  3. Health & Medicine

    To end social distancing, the U.S. must dramatically ramp up contact tracing

    Life after social distancing may involve apps that ask you to self-isolate after you’ve been near someone who tests positive for COVID-19.

    By Jonathan Lambert
  4. Health & Medicine

    Vaping may damage the heart just as smoking does

    Vapers and smokers showed similar signs of blood vessel damage, compared with people who didn’t smoke or vape.

    By Aimee Cunningham
  5. Health & Medicine

    What coronavirus antibody tests tell us — and what they don’t

    Antibody tests can give a clearer picture of who has been infected but don’t guarantee immunity for those who test positive.

    By Erin Garcia de Jesús
  6. Health & Medicine

    Some patients who survive COVID-19 may suffer lasting lung damage

    Results from a study in China suggest that some COVID-19 patients will be left with long-term lung problems.

    By David Cox
  7. Anthropology

    Skeletal damage hints some hunter-gatherer women fought in battles

    Contrary to traditional views, women in North American hunter-gatherer societies and Mongolian herding groups likely weren’t all stay-at-home types.

    By Bruce Bower
  8. Humans

    It’s time to stop debating how to teach kids to read and follow the evidence

    Most children need help learning to read, but there’s long-standing disagreement on how best to help them. Decades of research have identified the most effective approaches.

    By Emily Sohn
  9. Health & Medicine

    Drugs for high blood pressure don’t appear to make COVID-19 worse

    Drugs commonly used to treat hypertension did not lead to more severe cases of the coronavirus infection or higher mortality in hospitalized patients.

    By Aimee Cunningham
  10. Health & Medicine

    COVID-19 kills more men than women. The immune system may be why

    Countries with sex-specific data report more men than women are dying of the coronavirus. Women’s stronger immune response may give them a leg up.

    By Aimee Cunningham
  11. Health & Medicine

    COVID-19 is hitting some patients with obesity particularly hard

    Doctors say some of their sickest COVID-19 patients are young and obese. One study shows they have higher rates of hospital admission and death.

    By Dawn Fallik
  12. Health & Medicine

    More evidence hints that hydroxychloroquine doesn’t help treat COVID-19

    A malaria drug showed no benefit over standard care in two preliminary studies examining how well hydroxychloroquine works against the coronavirus.

    By Tina Hesman Saey