suggests

Covid-19 news: Falling cases in UK suggests omicron wave has peaked

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By Michael Le Page, Clare Wilson, Jessica Hamzelou, Sam Wong, Graham Lawton, Adam Vaughan, Conrad Quilty-Harper, Jason Arunn Murugesu and Layal Liverpool Stewards check covid-19 passes at a football match in Manchester, England AFP via Getty Images Latest coronavirus news as of 12pm on 17 January A fall in coronavirus cases and plateau in hospital … Read more

Fossil Analysis Reveals This Well-Armored Dinosaur Was Probably Sluggish And Deaf

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Reanalyzing fossils can often lead to new discoveries, as has been the case with a study of an 80 million-year-old Late Cretaceous Struthiosaurus austriacus skull. A new analysis reveals the dinosaur was likely sluggish in its movements and was probably largely deaf as well.   Researchers used a high-resolution 3D scan of a partial braincase section … Read more

This Ancient Peruvian Empire Put Hallucinogenics in Beer For Political Reasons

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The ancient Wari empire of Peru might have used hallucinogenic beer to rally support in new territories. The remnants of a large feast, found at a Wari outpost from the ninth century CE, strongly suggest the seeds of a psychoactive plant called vilca (Anadenanthera colubrina) were once mixed with chicha, a beer made from the fruit … Read more

Mapping where HIV hides its genes suggests cure strategy | Science

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An HIV infection remains maddeningly difficult to cure because the virus is so good at hiding out. Yes, antiretroviral (ARV) drugs can control an infection, but HIV integrates its genes into human chromosomes, evading both drugs and the immune system. Now, a research group studying a handful of HIV-infected people who have been on treatment … Read more

Stars might be forming much faster than expected, new study suggests

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Stars might be born much faster than previously expected, a new study by scientists using China’s huge radio super telescope has found.  Chinese astronomers used the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST), the largest radio-telescope in the world, to probe the magnetic field inside a molecular cloud called Lynds 1544. Located in the Taurus constellation, some … Read more

Ancient Toilet Reveals Dangerous Parasites Once Plagued Jerusalem’s Elite

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A 2,700-year-old drop toilet, found at an ancient royal estate in southern Jerusalem, still shows traces of what could have been an epidemic of parasitic infection long ago. The findings suggest even the wealthiest inhabitants of ancient Jerusalem, elite enough to use an outhouse, commonly suffered from intestinal worms.   While latrines and toilets are … Read more

Small study suggests pandemic may slow babies’ development | Science

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Babies born at two New York City hospitals in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic scored slightly lower on developmental tests at 6 months of age than did babies born before the pandemic, according to a new study. There were no significant differences between the groups in communication and problem-solving skills. The study, published in JAMA … Read more

Adorned 10,000-Year-Old Burial Suggests Even Infant Females Were Mourned as ‘People’

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The remains of an ancient female child, no more than two months of age, have been found lavishly decorated with pendants and beads in northwest Italy. The precious skeleton was discovered in the Arma Veirana cave in 2017 and has now been dated to about 10,000 old. This time is known as the early Holocene, … Read more

Nasal spray: Physics suggests a better way to use medicines

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By Bas den Hond A woman using a nasal spray Image Point Fr/Shutterstock Close one nostril, stick nozzle up the other, squeeze. The usual way to spray medicine into the nose is the obvious one, but it may not be the most effective, says Saikat Basu at South Dakota State University. That’s according to his … Read more