Humans
We summarize the week's science breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Anthropology
How environmental changes may have helped make ancient humans more adaptable
An East African sediment core unveils ecological changes underlying a key Stone Age transition.
- Humans
We still don’t know what COVID-19 immunity means or how long it lasts
Without knowing how long immunity lasts, it may be impossible to reach herd immunity without a vaccine or an extremely high death toll.
- Chemistry
Heating deltamethrin may help it kill pesticide-resistant mosquitoes
A simple chemical trick creates a much faster-acting form of a common insecticide, which could help fight malaria and other mosquito-borne illnesses.
- Health & Medicine
Remdesivir doesn’t reduce COVID-19 deaths, a large WHO trial finds
An international study of more than 11,000 people finds that remdesivir doesn’t prevent deaths from COVID-19, but the drug may still be useful.
- Health & Medicine
Can supplements really help fight COVID-19? Here’s what we know and don’t know
Unless you’re deficient, there’s little evidence yet for taking Vitamin D and other supplements to treat or prevent a coronavirus infection.
- Health & Medicine
The FDA has approved the first treatment for Ebola
Lab-made antibodies developed by Regeneron marshal an immune response and curb the Ebola virus’s ability to infect cells.
- Science & Society
Easy interventions like revamping forms help people show up to court
A new study shows that simple behavioral interventions called nudges can help people avoid a missed court appearance and resulting arrest warrant.
- Anthropology
Neandertal babies had stocky chests like their parents
Our evolutionary relatives may have inherited short, deep rib cages from their ancient ancestors.
- Archaeology
Bones from an Iron Age massacre paint a violent picture of prehistoric Europe
Bones left unburied, and in one case still wearing jewelry, after a massacre add to evidence that prehistoric Europe was a violent place.
- Health & Medicine
How will Trump’s COVID-19 treatments work together?
Remdesivir, dexamethasone and monoclonal antibodies have individually shown success in clinical trials, but combining them is untested.
- Health & Medicine
Hepatitis C discoveries win 2020 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine
The 2020 medicine Nobel recognizes work that found that a novel virus was to blame for chronic hepatitis and led to a test to screen blood donations.
- Health & Medicine
What does COVID-19 vaccine efficacy mean?
The initial goal for a vaccine against COVID-19 is to reduce cases of the disease by at least 50 percent in those vaccinated versus those not.
