Antiviral pill cuts COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths by 89%, Pfizer says

240,000-year-old 'Child of Darkness' human ancestor discovered in narrow cave passageway | Antiviral pill cuts COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths by 89%, Pfizer says | Chinese railroad worker house unearthed in Utah ghost town Created for {EMAIL} | [Web Version]( November 5, 2021 CONNECT WITH LIVESCIENCE  [Facebook]( [Twitter](  [LIVESCIENCE]( [LIVESCIENCE]( Amazing science every day [SIGN UP]( ⋅ [WEBSITE](  [] Top Science News [] [240,000-year-old 'Child of Darkness' human ancestor discovered in narrow cave passageway]( [240,000-year-old 'Child of Darkness' human ancestor discovered in narrow cave passageway]( (Wits University) Deep within South Africa's Rising Star cave system, in a dark passageway barely 6 inches (15 centimeters) wide, scientists have discovered the fragmented skull of a Homo naledi child they're calling "Leti." How the little skull ended up in such a remote part of the cave is a mystery, though the discoverers suspect it could be evidence of an intentional burial. "Leti," short for "Letimela," or "Lost One" in the Setswana language of South Africa, probably lived between 335,000 and 241,000 years ago, based on the ages of other remains found in the enigmatic cave. Fossil fragments belonging to about 24 Homo naledi individuals have been found in the cave system since 2013, when the first fossils from this human ancestor were discovered in what's now known as the Dinaledi Chamber. Full Story: [Live Science]( (11/5) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] COVID-19 [] [Antiviral pill cuts COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths by 89%, Pfizer says]( [Antiviral pill cuts COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths by 89%, Pfizer says]( (Shutterstock) A new COVID-19 pill cuts the risk of hospitalization or death by 89% when taken within three days of symptom onset, Pfizer recently announced. The antiviral pill, PAXLOVID, was given in a placebo-controlled clinical trial to people with COVID-19 who were at high risk of developing severe disease. The pill works by inhibiting an enzyme called a protease, which the virus SARS-CoV-2 needs to keep replicating. The drug was so clearly effective that an independent data monitoring committee recommended the trial be stopped so that people in the placebo-arm of the trial could receive the drug. Pfizer plans to submit the data to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for emergency use authorization "as soon as possible," according to a statemen Full Story: [Live Science]( (11/5) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] History & Archaeology [] [Chinese railroad worker house unearthed in Utah ghost town]( [Chinese railroad worker house unearthed in Utah ghost town]( (Christopher Merritt) Archaeologists excavating in a Utah ghost town have turned up a rare find: a house belonging to 19th-century Chinese workers on the transcontinental railroad. The house — now just a layer of floorboards scattered with artifacts such as Chinese coins and stoneware — is the first-ever completely excavated Chinese home on the transcontinental railroad. More than 11,000 immigrants from China helped build the railroad, which connected the Eastern lines in Iowa to the San Francisco Bay. But these workers are often left out of historical documents from the late 1800s, said Christopher Merritt, the state historic preservation officer with the Utah Division of State History. The presence of a Chinatown wasn't on any map of Terrace, for example. Full Story: [Live Science]( (11/5) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [Ancient 'hangover prevention' ring found in Israel]( [Ancient 'hangover prevention' ring found in Israel]( (Daphna Gazit/Israel Antiquities Authority) A gold ring found in the ruins of an ancient wine factory may have been worn more than 1,000 years ago for its beauty — or to ward off a hangover. Archaeologists recently discovered the ring in Yavne, Israel, during the excavation of a site dating to Byzantine times (around A.D. 330 to 1453), where a massive wine factory once dominated the landscape. The factory is thought to have been the biggest producer of commercial wine during this period, exporting a high-quality vintage across ancient Israel and beyond, representatives of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) wrote on Facebook. Full Story: [Live Science]( (11/5) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Amazing Earth [] [Solar storm brings the Northern Lights to the northern US]( [Solar storm brings the Northern Lights to the northern US]( (NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center) A strong solar storm is creating aurora-friendly conditions as far south as Pennsylvania, Iowa and Oregon this week. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center, the sun released two coronal mass ejections (CME) on Nov. 1 and Nov. 2. CMEs are eruptions in the sun's atmosphere that blast a magnetic field into space — and in this case, toward Earth. When these magnetic disruptions hit Earth's upper atmosphere, they can cause geomagnetic storms. These storms are capable of disrupting satellite communications and other electronics. They also cause particles in the magnetic field surrounding Earth to emit light, creating the ethereal show known as the aurora. Full Story: [Live Science]( (11/4) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Math & Physics [] [China's hypersonic weapon test no cause for panic, experts say]( [China's hypersonic weapon test no cause for panic, experts say]( (China Manned Space Engineering Office) China's mysterious space-tech test is not a sign that the sky is falling, experts say. Last month, The Financial Times reported that China launched a nuclear-capable hypersonic weapon atop a rocket during an August test. The hypersonic vehicle ended up missing its target by just 24 miles (39 kilometers) or so, demonstrating capabilities that surprised and alarmed U.S. officials, the newspaper wrote. Chinese officials have disputed that report, claiming that the launch merely tested technologies for reusable spacecraft. But even if that's just a cover story, there's no reason to panic, according to a new policy analysis. Full Story: [Live Science]( (11/5) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Your Health [] [HPV vaccine slashes cervical cancer rates by 87% among women in the UK]( [HPV vaccine slashes cervical cancer rates by 87% among women in the UK]( (Shutterstock) The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine reduced cervical cancer cases by 87% among women in the U.K. who received the vaccine when they were 12 or 13 years old, according to a new study. These new findings are based on follow-up data from a vaccination program that began in the U.K. in 2008. The strains of human papillomavirus that are transmitted through sexual contact are extremely common around the world, and most people are infected at some point in their lives, typically soon after becoming sexually active, according to The World Health Organization (WHO). Full Story: [Live Science]( (11/4) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Curious Creatures [] [Giant, invasive spiders have taken over Georgia. Will they spread across the US?]( [Giant, invasive spiders have taken over Georgia. Will they spread across the US?]( (University of Georgia) Millions of giant spiders have invaded North Georgia, terrifying residents and spinning webs as thick as 10 feet (3 meters) deep. Porches, power lines, mailboxes and vegetable patches across more than 25 counties in the state have been draped with the dense, wheel-shaped webs of the bright-yellow Joro spider (Trichonephila clavata), an invasive species originating in East Asia. Full Story: [Live Science]( (11/5) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Daily Quiz [] POLL QUESTION: ______ is a process that involves splitting a single, generally heavy, atomic nucleus. ______ is a process that involves combining two or more light atoms. (Learn the answer [here]() [Vote]( [Fission; Fusion]( [Vote]( [Fusion; Fission](   [Sign Up]( | [Update Profile]( | [Unsubscribe]( [Privacy Policy]( | [Cookies Policy]( | [Terms and Conditions]( CONTACT US: [FEEDBACK](mailto:livescience@smartbrief.com) | [ADVERTISE]( © Future US, Inc. 555 11th ST NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20004