Science

Céline Vidal uncovering the ash layer above Omo 1 remains at Omo-Kibish.

Science

A prehistoric eruption has helped recalibrate our timeline of human origins in Africa

5:00am January 22, 2022

Some of the oldest human remains ever unearthed are the Omo 1 bones found in Ethiopia. For decades, their precise age has been debated, but a new study may have the answer.

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07 January 2021, Bavaria, Munich: The snowman "Claude", who was built on a hill in the Olympic complex, wears a mouth-nose protection over his nose, which is made of a banana.

Coronavirus FAQ: What's the risk of catching omicron outdoors?

7:28pm January 21, 2022

by Sheila Mulrooney Eldred

Previous versions of the coronavirus didn't transmit as easily outdoors thanks to airflow that dispersed viral particles. But what about the highly transmissible omicron variant?

Rosie Brennan of the United States competes in a Tour de Ski, women's 10-kilometer freestyle, interval start cross-country ski event, in Dobbiaco (Toblach), Italy, on Jan. 5, 2021. She is planning to compete at the Beijing Winter Olympics next month.

Could the world become too warm to hold Winter Olympics?

7:16pm January 21, 2022

by Jaclyn Diaz

If nations don't address high greenhouse gas emissions, by the 2080s, all but one of the 21 cities that previously hosted the Winter Games would be able to do so again, a new study has found.

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The Tonga volcano on December 24 2021 as seen from a satellite. The eruption turned explosive, in what nuclear monitors say was the biggest bang they've ever recorded.

A nuclear-test monitor calls Tonga volcano blast 'biggest thing that we've ever seen'

11:39am January 21, 2022

by Geoff Brumfiel

A station to detect nuclear weapons tests picked up the volcanic eruption in Tonga from Antarctica. Some experts say the blast could be more than 50 megatons, while NASA estimates 6-10 megatons.

Japan is ramping up COVID-19 restrictions as omicron cases surge

1:16am January 21, 2022

by The Associated Press

While many Japanese adults are fully vaccinated, few have gotten a booster shot, which has been a vital protection from the highly contagious omicron variant.

This stock image shows a baby and father playing at home. New research finds that babies judge the relationship between two people by whether or not they willingly share saliva.

Science

Even babies and toddlers know that swapping saliva is a sure sign of love

6:07pm January 20, 2022

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

For infants, toddlers, and children, one sign of an especially close relationship is if two people do something that involves exchanging saliva, like taking bites from the same piece of food.

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This beetle larvae's flips are ready for the Olympics

5:09pm January 20, 2022

The larvae of a type of bark beetle can perform acrobatic flips, somersaulting their bodies through the air. They join maggots and other larvae in their athletic abilities.

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"By bringing archaeological perspectives to an active space domain, we're the first to show how people adapt their behavior to a completely new environment," Associate Professor Justin Walsh of Chapman University said of the experiment.

Archaeologists launch first-ever 'dig' into life on the International Space Station

11:42am January 20, 2022

by Vanessa Romo

The project, a first of its kind, aims to study the social and cultural dimensions of living in space and how people adapt their behavior when they're living in a completely new environment.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern addresses a post-Cabinet press conference at Parliament in Wellington, New Zealand, Monday, Oct. 4, 2021.

New Zealand will not impose lockdown when omicron hits

1:30am January 20, 2022

by The Associated Press

"This stage of the pandemic is different to what we have dealt with before. Omicron is more transmissible," Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said.

A resident receives a dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at a health center in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Jan. 13. This week, Indonesia started a program to give booster shots to the elderly and people at risk of severe disease.

Booster longevity: Data reveals how long a third shot protects

8:50pm January 19, 2022

by Michaeleen Doucleff

Now researchers in the U.K. have the first estimates for how long a third shot of the Pfizer vaccine will last. The findings are mixed.

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