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We summarize the week's science breakthroughs every Thursday.

  1. Science & Society

    Interfaith soccer teams eased Muslim-Christian tensions — to a point

    Soccer bonded Christian and Muslim teammates in Iraq, but that camaraderie didn’t change attitudes.

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  2. Archaeology

    The oldest known grass beds from 200,000 years ago included insect repellents

    Found in South Africa, 200,000-year-old bedding remnants included fossilized grass, bug-repelling ash and once aromatic camphor leaves.

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  3. Health & Medicine

    4 reasons you shouldn’t trash your neck gaiter based on the new mask study

    Despite news coverage to the contrary, the study was meant to figure out how to evaluate masks, not actually do the comparison.

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  4. Health & Medicine

    Here’s what we know about Russia’s unverified coronavirus vaccine

    Despite incomplete testing, Sputnik V may be the first COVID-19 vaccine given to the general public, rolling out initially to teachers and doctors.

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  5. Health & Medicine

    How two coronavirus drugs for cats might help humans fight COVID-19

    Scientists are exploring if drugs for a disease caused by a coronavirus that infects only cats might help also people infected with the coronavirus.

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  6. Anthropology

    Better playground design could help kids get more exercise

    Playgrounds designed for imaginative play can make a difference in how much kids move

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  7. Climate

    Emissions dropped during the COVID-19 pandemic. The climate impact won’t last

    New estimates suggest coronavirus shutdowns cut global carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels by nearly 30 percent, on average.

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  8. Health & Medicine

    Rogue immune system reactions hint at an early treatment for COVID-19

    A comprehensive look at the immune system shows multiple ways it misfires in COVID-19. Treating with interferon early might prevent trouble later.

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  9. Health & Medicine

    Five big questions about when and how to open schools amid COVID-19

    Researchers weigh in on how to get children back into classrooms in a low-risk way.

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  10. Archaeology

    A submerged Inca offering hints at Lake Titicaca’s sacred role

    Divers found a stone box holding a figurine and a gold item, highlighting Lake Titicaca’s sacred status to the Inca.

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  11. Health & Medicine

    Heavy drinking drove hundreds of thousands of Americans to early graves

    From 2011 to 2015, more than 93,000 U.S. deaths per year could be tied to excessive alcohol use, researchers say.

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  12. Health & Medicine

    Hydroxychloroquine can’t stop COVID-19. It’s time to move on, scientists say

    Hydroxychloroquine doesn’t work as antiviral or a treatment for COVID-19, an abundance of scientific data suggest.

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