In the era when people traveled by sailing ship and steamer, illnesses usually burned themselves out before boats reached shore, a new study finds.
Tag: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
How the Cockroach Took Over the World
A genetic analysis of the German cockroach explained its rise in southern Asia millenniums ago, and how it eventually turned up in your kitchen.
Was the Stone Age Really the Wood Age?
Neanderthals were even better craftsmen than thought, a new analysis of 300,000-year-old wooden tools has revealed.
Skeletons of 1918 Flu Victims Reveal Clues About Who Was Likely to Die
While a narrative emerged that the pandemic indiscriminately struck the young and healthy, new evidence suggests that frail young adults were most vulnerable.
Paid to Fight, Even in Ancient Greece
DNA from a 2,500-year-old battlefield in Sicily reveals that mercenary soldiers were common, if not the Homeric ideal.
Before Chickens Were Nuggets, They Were Revered
The origin of the domestic fowl is more recent than previously thought, but it may have taken them thousands of years to become food.
Behold, the Worm Blob and Its Computerized Twin
It wriggles. It pulls. It falls apart and comes back together. It is everything you wish for and everything you fear.
How Peppers Proliferated Around the Planet
In the world’s plant gene banks, scientists studied how so many varieties of the humble capsicum worked their way onto our plates.
What Covid and Clear Skies Meant to Drinking Water for 300 Million
Coronavirus lockdowns in South Asia reduced pollution that makes snow melt faster, which could help water supplies last longer this year.
The Skin-Deep Physics of Sidewinder Snakes
A close-up on snake skin helped scientists work out what might help certain snakes navigate sandy surfaces.