Some Neandertal genes in people today may protect against severe COVID-19
Some genetic variants inherited from Neandertals may protect against developing severe COVID-19. A new study looked at a stretch of DNA on chromosome 12...
SCIENTIFIC NEWS
The oldest animal DNA ever recovered reveals mammoths’ evolution
The oldest DNA ever recovered from an animal is adding new chapters to mammoth life history, going back more than 1 million years. Genetic...
Here’s how to watch NASA’s Perseverance lander touch down on Mars
All eyes are on Mars — and all ears, too. When NASA’s Perseverance rover touches down on the Red Planet on February 18, the...
A rare bird sighting doesn’t lead to seeing more kinds of rare birds
It was a cold, overcast Saturday morning in Salem, Ore., when Jesse Laney set out to catch a glimpse of a painted bunting. He’d...
A body burned inside a hut 20,000 years ago signaled shifting views of death
Middle Eastern hunter-gatherers changed their relationship with the dead nearly 20,000 years ago. Clues to that spiritual shift come from the discovery of an...
Modified genes can distort wild cotton’s interactions with insects
Cotton plants native to Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula may all look the same — unkempt and untamed bushes with flowers that shift from pale yellow...
In the social distancing era, boredom may pose a public health threat
In recent months, journalists and public health experts have bandied about the term “pandemic fatigue.” Though not clearly defined, the general gist is that...
Pfizer’s vaccine appears to reduce coronavirus transmission
Researchers are getting the first real-world hints that a vaccine can curb the coronavirus’s spread, not just prevent people from getting seriously ill. People...
Tiny, sunlight-powered aircraft could soar beyond airplanes’ reach
Flight isn’t easy at the edge of space. But tiny “microfliers” could soar high in Earth’s atmosphere fueled only by sunlight, experiments suggest. At...
Making masks fit better can reduce coronavirus exposure by 96 percent
By now, most people have gotten the message that wearing a face mask is one way to help stop the spread of COVID-19. But...
A new treatment could restore some mobility in people paralyzed by strokes 
What has Perseverance found in two years on Mars? 
This robot automatically tucks its limbs to squeeze through spaces 
Greta Thunberg’s new book urges the world to take climate action now