livescience--2020-08-11--Coronavirus outbreak: Live updates

Coronavirus outbreak: Live updates

Refresh
90-year-old woman in the UK receives first dose of Pfizer vaccine, FDA review confirms vaccine is safe and effective A 90-year-old woman (who will turn 91 next week) became the first in the world to be given Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine outside of clinical trials, according to the BBC. Margaret Keenan, who is originally from Northern Ireland, was given the vaccine at the University Hospital in Coventry, England. She received the first of 800,000 doses expected to be administered in the U.K. in the coming weeks, according to the BBC. "I feel so privileged to be the first person vaccinated against Covid-19," Keenan said, according to the BBC."It's the best early birthday present I could wish for because it means I can finally look forward to spending time with my family and friends in the new year after being on my own for most of the year." "My advice to anyone offered the vaccine is to take it. If I can have it at 90, then you can have it too," she added. Up to four million doses of Pfizer's vaccine is expected to be given to people in the U.K. by the end of the month. Meanwhile, a 53-page Food and Drug Administration (FDA) review published Tuesday (Dec. 8) confirmed that Pfizer's vaccine is safe and effective, according to The Washington Post.
Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine starts to work just 10 days after 1st dose Pfizer's new COVID-19 vaccine starts to protect people from the novel coronavirus just 10 days after the first dose, according to new documents from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The documents were released on Tuesday (Dec. 8), two days before a meeting of the FDA's vaccine advisory panel, which will vote on whether to recommend authorization of the vaccine in the U.S, Live Science reported . The FDA analyzed data from Pfizer's phase 3 clinical trial, which included some 44,000 people in the United States, Brazil, Argentina, Germany and Turkey, about half of whom received the vaccine while the other half received a placebo. Both groups received two shots, 21 days apart. About 10 days after the first dose, there was a noticeable drop-off in new COVID-19 cases in the vaccine group compared with the placebo group, indicating that even one dose provides some protection, the report said. However, scientists don't know how long the protection from a single dose will last, so it will still be important for people to receive two shots, according to The New York Times . Overall, the vaccine was 52% effective after the first dose and 95% effective after the second dose, the report said.
People with significant allergies should avoid Pfizer vaccine, UK warns The U.K.'s Regulatory Agency is advising people with a history of "significant" allergic reactions to avoid Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine, after two National Health Service members developed severe allergic reactions to it on Tuesday (Dec. 8), Live Science reported. "As is common with new vaccines the MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) have advised on a precautionary basis that people with a significant history of allergic reactions do not receive this vaccination after two people with a history of significant allergic reactions responded adversely yesterday," Stephen Powis, the national medical director for England's National Health Service said in a statement on Wednesday (Dec. 9). Both workers have a history of severe allergies and carry adrenaline auto injectors (such as EpiPens) around with them, according to The Guardian. Shortly after receiving the vaccine, both NHS workers developed anaphylaxis-like symptoms, or severe allergic reactions, but have recovered after receiving treatment. The MHRA will investigate further and Pfizer and BioNTech will support their investigation, according to Reuters. "Allergic reaction occurs with quite a number of vaccines, and perhaps even more frequently with drugs. So it is not unexpected," Stephen Evans, a professor of pharmacoepidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine said in remarks to journalists published by Britain's Science Media Center. “What would be wise, as the MHRA have already advised, would be for anyone who has known severe allergic reaction such that they need to carry an EpiPen, to delay having a vaccination until the reason for the allergic reaction has been clarified," he said. For the general population this does not mean that they would need to be anxious about receiving the vaccination, he added. "One has to remember that even things like marmite [a quintessential British food spread] can cause unexpected severe allergic reactions.”
Canada approves Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine Canada has authorized Pfizer's new COVID-19 vaccine, with the first doses expected to be administered there as early as next week. Health Canada, the country's health regulatory agency, said in a statement on Wednesday (Dec. 9) that it had determined that the vaccine "meets the Department's stringent safety, efficacy and quality requirements for use in Canada," according to CTV News . "We expect vaccines to arrive maybe as early as Monday [Dec. 14]. It takes time to prepare the vaccine," said Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin, the top military general leading the vaccine rollout for the Public Health Agency of Canada, according to CTV News. The first doses could be administered by the middle of next week, he said. Canada is the third country in the world to authorize the Pfizer vaccine, following the United Kingdom and Bahrain. The country should receive up to 249,000 doses of the vaccine by the end of December, and has purchased 20 million doses total, with the option to purchase more, CTV News reported.
Daily COVID-19 death toll in the U.S. reaches record-high, surpassed 9/11 On Wednesday (Dec. 9), the U.S. recorded 3,124 new COVID-19 deaths, the highest daily death toll to date, according to CNN . In comparison, 2,977 people were killed in the 9/11 attacks. The U.S. has now recorded 280,488 deaths related to the virus, according to The COVID Tracking Project . A forecast from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predicts that the total death toll can increase to between 332,000 and 362,000 by January 2, according to CNN. There are currently 106,671 people hospitalized with the virus in the U.S.; 20,903 of them are currently in the ICU and 7,621 are currently on a ventilator, according to the COVID Tracking Project. On Thursday (Dec. 10), the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee is set to meet to discuss an emergency use authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine.
FDA panel recommends authorization of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine A panel of experts for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recommended that the agency authorize Pfizer's new COVID-19 vaccine in the United States. On Thursday (Dec. 10), the panel voted 17 to 4 to recommend that the vaccine receive emergency use authorization (EUA) for people ages 16 and older, according to The New York Times . The FDA typically follows the advice of its panels, and so today's vote is an important step towards the vaccine's authorization. It is anticipated that the agency will officially authorize the vaccine on Saturday (Dec. 12), the Times reported. Several countries have already authorized Pfizer's vaccine, including Canada, the United Kingdom and Bahrain.
Vaccine approval could come this weekend, as U.S. continues to record high daily death tolls On Thursday (Dec. 10), the U.S. recorded another 2,902 COVID-19 deaths, a day after the country set a record of 3,253 deaths, according to Reuters . “Probably for the next 60 to 90 days, we’re going to have more deaths per day than we had on 9/11 or we had at Pearl Harbor,” Dr. Robert Redfield, the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told the Council on Foreign Relations on Thursday, according to Reuters. "The reality is the vaccine approval this week is not going to really impact that, I think, to any degree for the next 60 days." On Thursday, the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee discussed, voted and recommended that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) should grant an emergency use authorization for Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine. The Pfizer vaccine has already been approved in the U.K. and in Canada, and FDA approval for use in the U.S. could come this weekend.
Australia abandons local COVID-19 vaccine after it caused false-positive HIV tests An Australian COVID-19 vaccine that had shown promising results in early trials is being abandoned after researchers found that the shot caused false-positive results on HIV tests. On Friday (Dec. 11), Australian officials said they had canceled an order for some 51 million doses of the vaccine, which was being developed by The University of Queensland and CSL Ltd., a local biotech company, according to The New York Times . In an early trial with 216 participants, the vaccine appeared to be safe and to produce a robust immune response against COVID-19, according to a statement from CSL . But some volunteers falsely tested positive for HIV, which officials feared would undermine trust in the vaccine, the Times reported. The vaccine contained small fragments of an HIV protein, which helped stabilize the vaccine. Some of the participants developed antibodies against these fragments, and these antibodies triggered false positive results on some HIV tests. It's important to note that there is no way for the vaccine to cause an HIV infection, because it contains harmless fragments of the virus.
ICU nurse in New York becomes first person in the US to receive a coronavirus vaccine outside of clinical trials New York, the worst-hit state at the start of the pandemic, just became the first to administer a coronavirus vaccine outside of clinical trials, kicking off a long, massive effort to vaccinate the American people, Live Science reported. Around 9 a.m. E.T. on Monday (Dec. 14), the very first dose of Pfizer and BioNTech's coronavirus vaccine was given to Sandra Lindsay, an intensive care nurse in Long Island Jewish Medical Center in Queens, New York, according to The New York Times. This comes as the U.S. continues to battle a massive wave of the virus that has more than 109,000 people currently hospitalized, according to The COVID Tracking Project. Since the start of the pandemic, New York has recorded more than 780,000 cases of COVID-19 and more than 35,100 deaths, according to The Times. "This vaccine is exciting because I believe this is the weapon that will end the war," Gov. Andrew Cuomo said during a live broadcast of the first vaccination. "It's the beginning of the last chapter of the book, but now we just have to do it."
FDA analysis confirms Moderna's vaccine is safe and effective, emergency authorization is likely to come Friday A new briefing document from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released on Tuesday (Dec. 15) confirmed that Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective, according to NPR . Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine is 94% effective and has "a favorable safety profile," according to the document. A panel of experts is set to meet on Thursday (Dec. 17) to discuss the effectiveness and safety of the vaccine and vote on whether or not the FDA should grant emergency approval to the vaccine. Last week, the same panel voted that the FDA should grant emergency approval to Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine; the authorization came a day late and the first doses were given on Monday (Dec. 15). The FDA will likely approve Moderna's vaccine for emergency use on Friday (Dec. 18), according to The New York Times .
FDA authorizes first over-the-counter COVID-19 test The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized the first over-the-counter COVID-19 test, which can be done at home and does not need a prescription. The test, made by the Australia-based company Ellume, provides results in as little as 20 minutes, according to a statement from the FDA . It is a "lateral flow antigen test," meaning it works in a similar way to a home pregnancy test, by running a "liquid sample along a surface with reactive molecules," the FDA said. The test works in conjunction with a smartphone app. Users take a nasal swab and place their sample in an analyzer, which communicates to the smartphone app via Bluetooth. The results are delivered through the app, and also reported to public health authorities (based on a user's zip code) through a secure cloud connection, the company said . Ellume is ramping up production of its test, and expects to produce three million tests in January 2021, and 20 million within the first half of 2021.
A wild mink tested positive for the coronavirus, it may be the first wild animal to have a confirmed case A wild mink in Utah may be the first "free-ranging, native wild animal" confirmed to be infected with SARS-CoV-2, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Live Science reported. The mink was found near a mink farm and likely picked up the infection from the farmed mink. There's no evidence that the virus spread to other minks or wild animals; but if the virus does begin circulating in wild animals, it could pick up mutations that COVID-19 vaccines may not protect well against if it spreads back to humans, according to the report. "If it does [establish a reservoir], then we've got a long-term issue here, where this virus has the potential to be with us for millennia," Sarah Olson, associate director of the health program at the Wildlife Conservation Society, told Vox. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has screened other animal species for the virus near mink farms in Utah, Michigan and Wisconsin, but all of them have tested negative so far, according to a statement.
An FDA advisory panel will meet today to vote on whether to recommend Moderna's coronavirus vaccine for emergency approval On Thursday (Dec. 17), a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory committee will meet to determine whether to recommend that Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine for emergency approval, according to The New York Times . This panel, composed of independent experts, will vote on whether to recommend the vaccine after hearing from the company, FDA scientists and the public, according to The Times. Last week, the same panel of experts met to discuss Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine and voted to recommend emergency authorization; the authorization came the next day. There have now been more than 16.9 million cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. and more than 307,000 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins dashboard . There are currently 113,090 people hospitalized across the country with more than 21,900 of them in the ICU and 7,778 on a ventilator, according to The COVID Tracking Project .
California becomes new epicenter of COVID-19 in U.S. California, once praised for its early pandemic response, is now the new U.S. hotspot for COVID-19 infections. The state has reported an alarming surge in cases, breaking previous records for daily cases. On Thursday (Dec. 17), the state reported some 50,000 COVID-19 infections in 24 hours, and nearly 100,000 in 48 hours, according to The Washington Post . That's more than the daily cases reported in many countries, including India, Germany and Britain, the Post reported. The state also set a record for daily deaths on Thursday, with 379 fatalities reported, up from the previous high of 293. Capacity in intensive care units has also dropped dramatically, with hospitals in Southern California reporting zero percent capacity on Thursday. "I want to be very clear: Our hospitals are under siege, and our model shows no end in sight," said Christina Ghaly, director of Los Angeles County's Department of Health Services, the Post reported.
FDA expected to authorize Moderna's vaccine on Friday The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected to authorize Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine on Friday (Dec. 18). Once authorized, it will be the second coronavirus vaccine to get the green light from the agency in just a week, with Pfizer's vaccine gaining authorization on Dec. 11. Moderna is expected to begin shipping 5.9 million doses of its vaccine on Sunday (Dec. 20), with the first deliveries arriving Monday (Dec. 21), according to The New York Times . Unlike the Pfizer vaccine, Moderna's vaccine does not require storage in extremely cold temperatures, and states are hoping to distribute the vaccine to rural hospitals and community health centers, the Times reported.
COVID-19 cases continue to surge across the U.S. There have now been more than 17 million cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. and more than 300,000 deaths, according to The COVID Tracking Project . There are currently 114,237 people hospitalized across the country and 21,900 people in the ICU. California is facing a massive surge in cases; the state reported 41,012 new COVID-19 cases and 300 new deaths on Thursday (Dec. 17), according to the state's COVID-19 dashboard . By comparison, at the start of November, California was reporting a seven-day average of 4,183 cases, compared to an average of 38,774 on Thursday, according to CNN . "We're experiencing an explosive and very deadly surge," Dr. Barbara Ferrer, Los Angeles County Public Health Director said, according to CNN. Intensive care unit beds are rapidly filling up across the state; there are only 1,234 ICU beds left available in California, according to the dashboard. Current closures across California are impacting around 98% of the state's population, according to CNN.
London and southeast England are under an emergency lockdown Following concerns of a new version of the coronavirus that might be more transmissible, London and most of southeast England are now under an emergency lockdown, according to The New York Times . Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the lockdown on Saturday (Dec. 19) citing concerns that the mutated virus — which was detected a couple of weeks ago in southeast England — may be as much as 70% more transmissible than previous versions, according to the Times. The new version of the coronavirus is detected in more than 60% of new infections in London and have also been detected in several other countries, according to the Times. But it's not yet clear if this coronavirus version is any more infectious than the last and thorough analyses will need to be conducted before conclusions are made, scientists cautioned. In South Africa, a similar version of the virus has been found in up to 90% of new cases detected since mid-November, according to The Times . It's common for viruses to mutate, and this particular coronavirus has mutated many times since the start of the pandemic. But experts told The Times that it would take years for the virus to mutate enough such that it would make the current vaccines developed to fight COVID-19 ineffective.
Biden gets Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine President-elect Joe Biden received a dose of Pfizer's new COVID-19 vaccine on Monday (Dec. 21), according to The New York Times . He received the shot on camera at the Christiana Hospital in Newark, Delaware. "I'm doing this to demonstrate that people should be prepared when it's available to take the vaccine. There's nothing to worry about," Biden said.
Antarctica has its 1st COVID-19 outbreak The first COVID-19 cases have been reported in Antarctica , meaning the disease has now spread to every continent in the world. On Tuesday (Dec. 22), Chilean officials reported an outbreak of 36 COVID-19 cases at the Chilean research base General Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme on the Antarctic Peninsula, according to the BBC . Of these, 26 cases were military personnel and 10 were maintenance workers, the BBC reported. All of these cases have been evacuated from Antarctica to Punta Arenas, Chile, according to The Guardian . Antarctica had been COVID-19 free up until the current outbreak. The continent has no permanent residents, but about 1,000 people, including scientists and other workers, stayed there this past winter, The Guardian reported.
Live updates will continue in 2021!


livescience--2020-08-11--Russia approves 'Sputnik V' COVID-19 vaccine with little human testing

Russia just approved a coronavirus vaccine for use in tens of thousands of people , though it has not been thoroughly tested for effectiveness , according to news reports .
Russia named the newly approved vaccine `` Sputnik V , '' in reference to the world 's first artificial satellite , launched during the , .
Russian state television has framed the worldwide effort to develop a coronavirus vaccine as a similar `` race , '' and in announcing the approval of Sputnik V , President Vladimir Putin essentially proclaimed Russia the frontrunner , according to The New York Times @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those who made that first step very important for our country and the entire world , '' Putin said in a Tuesday morning ( Aug. 11 ) in reference to the vaccine developers , according to The Associated Press .
`` I know [ the vaccine ] has proven efficient and forms a stable immunity , '' Putin noted , despite there being no published data from early human tests of the and no late-stage human trials currently underway .
The rush to approve the vaccine has raised concerns from scientists within Russia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ carefully designed human trials , which include thousands of people , can clearly demonstrate that a vaccine is safe and effective enough for public use .
Related : Here are the most promising coronavirus vaccine candidates out there '' Fast-tracked approval will not make Russia the leader in the [ vaccine ] race , it will just expose consumers of the vaccine to unnecessary danger , '' Russia 's Association of Clinical Trials Organizations said in a statement on Monday ( Aug. 10 ) , The Associated Press reported .
`` It is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vaccine has been shown to be effective without submission of scientific papers for analysis and then there may be problems on data quality , '' Keith Neal , emeritus professor of the epidemiology of infectious diseases at the University of Nottingham in England , said in a , an organization that provides expert commentary on scientific studies and news coverage .
Early human tests of the Russian vaccine began in mid-June and included 76 participants , but no data from those trials has been released , according to The Associated Press .
Beyond @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that there was no `` phase 3 '' clinical trial — the final stage of testing required for a vaccine to be approved .
Phase 1 and 2 trials usually include a few hundred participants , and test whether a vaccine provokes an immune response without triggering dangerous short-term side effects , .
While these early trials provide hints about how well a vaccine works , only phase 3 trials , which include thousands to tens of thousands of volunteers , can compare rates of infection between vaccinated and unvaccinated people .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can demonstrate that a vaccine prevents COVID-19 infection .
To approve a vaccine in the U.S. , the that a COVID-19 vaccine should at least halve the chances of a person getting infected with the virus when compared with a placebo , or inert injection .
Russia plans to begin such tests of its already approved vaccine on Aug. 12 , Kirill Dmitriev , chief executive of the Russian Direct Investment Fund ( RDIF ) , told reporters , according to The Associated Press .
( The RDIF funded development of the vaccine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ include `` several thousand '' participants from the United Arab Emirates , Saudi Arabia , the Philippines and possibly Brazil , Dmitriev said .
But before any data from that trial becomes available , Russia will offer the vaccine to tens of thousands of people , he added .
`` People outside of clinical trials will have access to the vaccine in August , and some , already on the massive scale , in October , '' Dmitriev said .
Specifically , Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said that doctors can begin to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Associated Press .
Russian minister of health Mikhail Murashko said that the country will soon begin a mass campaign to distribute the vaccine , and that both medical workers and teachers will be prioritized to receive it first , The New York Times reported .
Without phase 3 data , however , there 's no way to know the vaccine will protect most people who receive it ; in addition , rare side effects associated with the vaccine may only emerge as more and more individuals get the injection .
Due to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of only a few months , phase 1 and 2 trials are most useful for studying common , short-term side effects , such as skin redness , mild fever and swelling or soreness at the injection site , Live Science previously reported .
One of Putin 's daughters participated in an early trial of the Sputnik V and experienced a transient fever after the injection , according to The Associated Press .
Related : 20 of the worst epidemics and pandemics in history Short-term effects like fever occur as a vaccine jumpstarts the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only emerge once a vaccinated person encounters the coronavirus in real life .
One such side effect is known as antibody dependent enhancement ( ADE ) , a phenomenon that paradoxically leaves the body more vulnerable to infection after vaccination , .
Vaccine candidates for animal coronaviruses and SARS-CoV , which caused outbreaks of severe acute respiratory syndrome in the 2000s , caused ADE-like effects in animals , making it possible a COVID-19 vaccine might do the same .
Evidence of ADE could emerge in animal studies , before a vaccine ever reaches @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up in phase 3 trials as more participants are likely to be exposed to the virus in such large trials as compared with earlier ones .
`` A sign of ADE , or a similar problem , would be if the people who got the vaccine in the trials actually had higher attack rates of COVID-19 than the people who got placebo , '' meaning the virus was more likely to infect the vaccinated group , Dr. Sarah George , an associate professor of infectious diseases and immunology at Saint Louis University , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trends would not be evident within only two months of human testing , as was conducted in Russia .
Despite not sharing solid proof that its vaccine is both safe and effective , Russia has reportedly received requests from more than 20 countries for access to Sputnik V , Dmitriev said , according to Reuters .
The contentious vaccine , developed by the Gamaleya Institute in Moscow , uses two strains of adenovirus as its base , according to The Associated Press .
Adenoviruses typically cause symptoms of the common cold in humans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been modified so as not to cause illness .
After tweaking the viruses , the developers then added genes that code for the coronavirus 's `` spike '' protein — a structure that plugs into cells to trigger infection — which the immune system should recognize and use to target the pathogen should the body ever become exposed .
The vaccines developed by CanSino Biologics in China and Oxford University and AstraZeneca in Britain also use adenoviruses as their base , Live Science previously reported .
These vaccines are now in phase @ @ @

Editor's note: According to a report by Science Magazine, the Sputnik V vaccine has actually only been approved for use in a small group of people, including health care workers. Live Science posted a new article on Aug. 13 reflecting this information.
Russia just approved a coronavirus vaccine for use in tens of thousands of people, though it has not been thoroughly tested for effectiveness, according to news reports.
Russia named the newly approved vaccine "Sputnik V," in reference to the world's first artificial satellite, launched during the space race , Reuters reported . Russian state television has framed the worldwide effort to develop a coronavirus vaccine as a similar "race," and in announcing the approval of Sputnik V, President Vladimir Putin essentially proclaimed Russia the frontrunner, according to The New York Times .
"We must be grateful to those who made that first step very important for our country and the entire world," Putin said in a cabinet meeting Tuesday morning (Aug. 11) in reference to the vaccine developers, according to The Associated Press .
"I know [the vaccine] has proven efficient and forms a stable immunity," Putin noted, despite there being no published data from early human tests of the vaccine and no late-stage human trials currently underway. The rush to approve the vaccine has raised concerns from scientists within Russia and abroad, who say that only carefully designed human trials, which include thousands of people, can clearly demonstrate that a vaccine is safe and effective enough for public use.
Related: Here are the most promising coronavirus vaccine candidates out there
"Fast-tracked approval will not make Russia the leader in the [vaccine] race, it will just expose consumers of the vaccine to unnecessary danger," Russia's Association of Clinical Trials Organizations said in a statement on Monday (Aug. 10), The Associated Press reported.
"It is not possible to know if the Russian vaccine has been shown to be effective without submission of scientific papers for analysis and then there may be problems on data quality," Keith Neal, emeritus professor of the epidemiology of infectious diseases at the University of Nottingham in England, said in a statement posted to the Science Media Centre , an organization that provides expert commentary on scientific studies and news coverage. Early human tests of the Russian vaccine began in mid-June and included 76 participants, but no data from those trials has been released, according to The Associated Press.
Beyond this lack of transparency, scientists worry that there was no "phase 3" clinical trial — the final stage of testing required for a vaccine to be approved.
Phase 1 and 2 trials usually include a few hundred participants, and test whether a vaccine provokes an immune response without triggering dangerous short-term side effects, Live Science previously reported . While these early trials provide hints about how well a vaccine works, only phase 3 trials, which include thousands to tens of thousands of volunteers, can compare rates of infection between vaccinated and unvaccinated people.
In other words, only phase 3 trials can demonstrate that a vaccine prevents COVID-19 infection. To approve a vaccine in the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires that a COVID-19 vaccine should at least halve the chances of a person getting infected with the virus when compared with a placebo, or inert injection.
Related: 5 dangerous myths about vaccines
Russia plans to begin such tests of its already approved vaccine on Aug. 12, Kirill Dmitriev, chief executive of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), told reporters, according to The Associated Press. (The RDIF funded development of the vaccine.) The phase 3 trial will include "several thousand" participants from the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, the Philippines and possibly Brazil, Dmitriev said. But before any data from that trial becomes available, Russia will offer the vaccine to tens of thousands of people, he added.
"People outside of clinical trials will have access to the vaccine in August, and some, already on the massive scale, in October," Dmitriev said. Specifically, Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said that doctors can begin to be vaccinated this month, according to The Associated Press. Russian minister of health Mikhail Murashko said that the country will soon begin a mass campaign to distribute the vaccine, and that both medical workers and teachers will be prioritized to receive it first, The New York Times reported.
Without phase 3 data, however, there's no way to know the vaccine will protect most people who receive it; in addition, rare side effects associated with the vaccine may only emerge as more and more individuals get the injection.
Due to their small size, and short length of only a few months, phase 1 and 2 trials are most useful for studying common, short-term side effects, such as skin redness, mild fever and swelling or soreness at the injection site, Live Science previously reported. One of Putin's daughters participated in an early trial of the Sputnik V and experienced a transient fever after the injection, according to The Associated Press.
Related: 20 of the worst epidemics and pandemics in history
Short-term effects like fever occur as a vaccine jumpstarts the immune system — however, some side effects may only emerge once a vaccinated person encounters the coronavirus in real life.
One such side effect is known as antibody dependent enhancement (ADE), a phenomenon that paradoxically leaves the body more vulnerable to infection after vaccination, Live Science previously reported . Vaccine candidates for animal coronaviruses and SARS-CoV, which caused outbreaks of severe acute respiratory syndrome in the 2000s, caused ADE-like effects in animals, making it possible a COVID-19 vaccine might do the same. Evidence of ADE could emerge in animal studies, before a vaccine ever reaches humans, but it could also crop up in phase 3 trials as more participants are likely to be exposed to the virus in such large trials as compared with earlier ones.
"A sign of ADE, or a similar problem, would be if the people who got the vaccine in the trials actually had higher attack rates of COVID-19 than the people who got placebo," meaning the virus was more likely to infect the vaccinated group, Dr. Sarah George, an associate professor of infectious diseases and immunology at Saint Louis University, told Live Science in July. Such trends would not be evident within only two months of human testing, as was conducted in Russia.
Despite not sharing solid proof that its vaccine is both safe and effective, Russia has reportedly received requests from more than 20 countries for access to Sputnik V, Dmitriev said, according to Reuters.
The contentious vaccine, developed by the Gamaleya Institute in Moscow, uses two strains of adenovirus as its base, according to The Associated Press. Adenoviruses typically cause symptoms of the common cold in humans, but those used in the vaccine have been modified so as not to cause illness. After tweaking the viruses, the developers then added genes that code for the coronavirus's "spike" protein — a structure that plugs into cells to trigger infection — which the immune system should recognize and use to target the pathogen should the body ever become exposed.
The vaccines developed by CanSino Biologics in China and Oxford University and AstraZeneca in Britain also use adenoviruses as their base, Live Science previously reported. These vaccines are now in phase 3 trials.
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-08-11--COVID-19 has fueled more than 2,000 rumors and conspiracy theories

From the idea that drinking bleach can kill the coronavirs to a theory that the virus was created in a lab as a bioweapon , the COVID-19 pandemic has generated a flurry of misinformation , hatching more than 2,000 rumors , conspiracy theories and reports of discrimination , according to a new study .
Such false information can have serious consequences — the researchers of the new study found that were linked to thousands of hospitalizations and hundreds of deaths .
For example , a myth that consumption of highly-concentrated alcohol could kill the coronavirus has been linked with more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 60 cases of blindness due to ( which can occur when people drink home-brewed or illegally manufactured alcohol ) , the report said .
Many of these cases were in Iran where alcoholic beverages are illegal .
In India , 12 people , including five children , got sick after drinking liquor made from the toxic seed Datura , believing it to be a cure for COVID-19 , according to the new report .
`` Misinformation fueled by rumors , stigma and conspiracy theories can have potentially serious implications on the individual and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' the authors wrote in their study , published Monday ( Aug. 10 ) in the .
`` Health agencies must track misinformation associated with ... COVID-19 in real time , and engage local communities and government stakeholders to debunk misinformation . ''
For the study , an international team of social scientists , doctors and epidemiologists reviewed content on social media , including posts on Twitter and Facebook , as well as newspaper and TV reports , from December 2019 to April 2020 .
They identified more than 2,300 separate reports of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to COVID-19 in 25 languages from 87 countries .
Of these , most ( 89 % ) were classified as rumors , or unverified claims surrounding COVID-19 ; about 8 % were classified as conspiracy theories , or beliefs about people working in secret with malicious goals ; and 3.5 % were classified as stigma , or reports of people experiencing discrimination due to illness , travel history , exposure to infected people or ethnic descent .
( For example , the study identified 26 episodes of violence related to stigma , such @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people hurled stones at buses that carried persons evacuated from Wuhan , China . )
Just like the COVID-19 pandemic , this `` infodemic '' of misinformation has come in waves , with the first wave between Jan. 21 and Feb. 13 , the second between Feb. 14 and March 7 and the third between March 8 and March 31 .
The third wave was the largest in terms of number of reports , with reports peaking in mid-March , the authors said .
About a quarter of the claims were related to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and an additional 19 % were related to treatments and cures for the disease .
For example , there were rumors that drinking bleach , eating garlic , keeping the throat moist , avoiding spicy foods , and even drinking cow 's urine could prevent or cure the disease .
Clorox , on its website , has a pop-up message warning consumers of the dangers of drinking or ingesting bleach .
About 15 % of the infodemic was related to causes or .
For example , some conspiracy theories suggested that COVID-19 had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Governments and other agencies must understand the patterns of COVID-19–related rumors , stigma and conspiracy theories circulating the globe '' so that they can better communicate COVID-19 information and debunk false information , the authors said .
The authors recommend that governments and health agencies continue to publish accurate scientific information about COVID-19 on their websites .
In addition , agencies should not only identify and debunk COVID-19 rumors , but also engage with social media companies to `` spread correct information , '' they concluded .

From the idea that drinking bleach can kill the coronavirus to a theory that the virus was created in a lab as a bioweapon, the COVID-19 pandemic has generated a flurry of misinformation, hatching more than 2,000 rumors, conspiracy theories and reports of discrimination, according to a new study.
Such false information can have serious consequences — the researchers of the new study found that COVID-19 related rumors were linked to thousands of hospitalizations and hundreds of deaths. For example, a myth that consumption of highly-concentrated alcohol could kill the coronavirus has been linked with more than 5,900 hospitalizations, 800 deaths and 60 cases of blindness due to methanol poisoning (which can occur when people drink home-brewed or illegally manufactured alcohol), the report said. Many of these cases were in Iran where alcoholic beverages are illegal. In India, 12 people, including five children, got sick after drinking liquor made from the toxic seed Datura, believing it to be a cure for COVID-19, according to the new report.
"Misinformation fueled by rumors, stigma and conspiracy theories can have potentially serious implications on the individual and community if prioritized over evidence-based guidelines," the authors wrote in their study, published Monday (Aug. 10) in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene . "Health agencies must track misinformation associated with ... COVID-19 in real time, and engage local communities and government stakeholders to debunk misinformation."
Related: 14 coronavirus myths busted by science
For the study, an international team of social scientists, doctors and epidemiologists reviewed content on social media, including posts on Twitter and Facebook, as well as newspaper and TV reports, from December 2019 to April 2020.
They identified more than 2,300 separate reports of rumors, conspiracy theories and stigma related to COVID-19 in 25 languages from 87 countries. Of these, most (89%) were classified as rumors, or unverified claims surrounding COVID-19; about 8% were classified as conspiracy theories, or beliefs about people working in secret with malicious goals; and 3.5% were classified as stigma, or reports of people experiencing discrimination due to illness, travel history, exposure to infected people or ethnic descent. (For example, the study identified 26 episodes of violence related to stigma, such as a case in Ukraine in which people hurled stones at buses that carried persons evacuated from Wuhan, China.)
Just like the COVID-19 pandemic, this "infodemic" of misinformation has come in waves, with the first wave between Jan. 21 and Feb. 13, the second between Feb. 14 and March 7 and the third between March 8 and March 31. The third wave was the largest in terms of number of reports, with reports peaking in mid-March, the authors said.
About a quarter of the claims were related to COVID-19 illness, transmission or mortality, and an additional 19% were related to treatments and cures for the disease. For example, there were rumors that drinking bleach, eating garlic, keeping the throat moist, avoiding spicy foods, taking vitamin C and even drinking cow's urine could prevent or cure the disease. Clorox, on its website, has a pop-up message warning consumers of the dangers of drinking or ingesting bleach.
About 15% of the infodemic was related to causes or origins of the disease . For example, some conspiracy theories suggested that COVID-19 had been engineered as a bioweapon.
"Governments and other agencies must understand the patterns of COVID-19–related rumors, stigma and conspiracy theories circulating the globe" so that they can better communicate COVID-19 information and debunk false information, the authors said.
The authors recommend that governments and health agencies continue to publish accurate scientific information about COVID-19 on their websites. In addition, agencies should not only identify and debunk COVID-19 rumors, but also engage with social media companies to "spread correct information," they concluded.
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-08-11--If you've never gazed upon the bald butt of a baby tarantula, now's your chance

, like all things hairy , sometimes go bald .
And for the Brazilian whiteknee tarantula ( Acanthoscurria geniculata ) , baldness starts with the butt .
On Thursday ( Aug. 6 ) , entomologist Gwen Pearson of what that looks like .
Pearson and her colleagues at the Purdue Insect Zoo at Purdue University in Indiana recently adopted the butt-nekkid arachnid from the U.S .
Fish and Wildlife Service , which seized the spider and from a black market pet importer .
The pink-rumped spider ( which zoo officials named `` Lil ' Kim '' after the rapper who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ owe its bare badonkadonk to age ; according to Pearson , the specimen is less than 2 years old and may not reach adulthood until she 's 5 .
Rather , Kim 's bald butt is the result of a natural tarantula defense mechanism — and proof of the physical stress that illegal animal trafficking incurs .
`` Itchy butt hair is the primary defense for South American tarantulas , not biting , '' Pearson told Live Science in an email .
`` And it 's SUPER itchy — — worse than fiberglass @ @ @ @ @ @ @ very serious for small mice or other predators attempting to eat a tarantula . ''
Though the eight-legged Lil ' Kim arrived at the zoo in a Tupperware container amply padded with paper towel to protect her fragile exoskeleton , the journey was anything but comfortable , Pearson said .
Kim kicked off nearly all of her butt hair in transit , proving the was under tremendous stress .
Removing spiders from the wild also stresses the environment , Pearson added , and has been linked to species decline — partly because it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Despite this , tarantulas are one of the most trafficked animals in the world , Kelli Walker , senior keeper at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden in Ohio .
( That zoo recently adopted eight spiders from the same smuggled shipment for their collection . )
Back at Purdue , Kim will be part of an effort to breed captive tarantulas to help reduce the strain on wild populations .
And luckily , Lil ' Kim can count on her butt hairs to grow back soon — however , she 'll @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of in the process , Pearson said .
`` The only way [ tarantulas ] can replace the 'hair ' is to completely replace their entire exoskeleton , '' Pearson explained .
`` It 's not hair like ours ; each hair is a thin extension of their hard outer shell . ''
Immature tarantulas like Lil ' Kim molt their exoskeletons every few months .
It might take the arachnid a little extra time to settle into her new habitat at the zoo before she can start molting , Pearson said , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hirsute again by Thanksgiving .
And for that , we can all be thankful .

Tarantulas , like all things hairy, sometimes go bald. And for the Brazilian whiteknee tarantula (Acanthoscurria geniculata), baldness starts with the butt.
On Thursday (Aug. 6), entomologist Gwen Pearson tweeted a photo of what that looks like. Pearson and her colleagues at the Purdue Insect Zoo at Purdue University in Indiana recently adopted the butt-nekkid arachnid from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which seized the spider and hundreds of others from a black market pet importer.
The pink-rumped spider (which zoo officials named "Lil' Kim" after the rapper who has sported pink hair) does not owe its bare badonkadonk to age; according to Pearson, the specimen is less than 2 years old and may not reach adulthood until she's 5. Rather, Kim's bald butt is the result of a natural tarantula defense mechanism — and proof of the physical stress that illegal animal trafficking incurs.
Related: ‘Unicorn’ tarantula wears a weird horn on its back
"Itchy butt hair is the primary defense for South American tarantulas, not biting," Pearson told Live Science in an email. "And it's SUPER itchy — — worse than fiberglass. An annoyance to humans, but very serious for small mice or other predators attempting to eat a tarantula."
Though the eight-legged Lil' Kim arrived at the zoo in a Tupperware container amply padded with paper towel to protect her fragile exoskeleton, the journey was anything but comfortable, Pearson said. Kim kicked off nearly all of her butt hair in transit, proving the spider was under tremendous stress.
Removing spiders from the wild also stresses the environment, Pearson added, and has been linked to species decline — partly because it takes the arachnids so long to mature. Despite this, tarantulas are one of the most trafficked animals in the world, Kelli Walker, senior keeper at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden in Ohio told the Cincinnati Enquirer . (That zoo recently adopted eight spiders from the same smuggled shipment for their collection.)
Kim, in all her bald-butted glory. (Image credit: Gwen Pearson)
Back at Purdue, Kim will be part of an effort to breed captive tarantulas to help reduce the strain on wild populations. And luckily, Lil' Kim can count on her butt hairs to grow back soon — however, she'll have to grow a whole new layer of skin in the process, Pearson said.
"The only way [tarantulas] can replace the 'hair' is to completely replace their entire exoskeleton," Pearson explained. "It's not hair like ours; each hair is a thin extension of their hard outer shell."
Immature tarantulas like Lil' Kim molt their exoskeletons every few months. It might take the arachnid a little extra time to settle into her new habitat at the zoo before she can start molting, Pearson said, but Kim's butt may be gloriously hirsute again by Thanksgiving. And for that, we can all be thankful.
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-08-11--New Zealand reports first local COVID-19 transmission in 102 days

New Zealand 's streak of no coronavirus transmission has come to an end : The country has announced its first cases of local transmission in 102 days , according to news reports .
On Tuesday ( Aug. 11 ) , New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the country had confirmed four new cases of COVID-19 among people who had not traveled recently or had contact with a known case , .
The news comes just 48 hours after New Zealand marked the milestone of going .
( COVID-19 is the disease caused by the novel coronavirus . )
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ household , .
The cases were found after a person in their 50s went to the doctor with symptoms and tested positive for COVID-19 , ABC news reported .
Six of the patient 's household members were also tested for the virus , with three testing positive .
As a result , New Zealand will reinstate temporary COVID-19 restrictions in parts of the country , according to CNN .
The strictest measures will be in Auckland , where the local cases were found .
The restrictions mean that restaurants , bars and non-essential @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; gatherings will be limited to 10 or fewer people , and residents will be allowed to leave their homes only for essential activities like grocery shopping , CNN reported .
The measures will be in place for three days , from Wednesday through Friday .
`` These three days will give us time to assess the situation , gather information , make sure we have widespread contact tracing so we can find out more about how this case arose and make decisions about how to respond to it once we have further @ @ @ @ @ @ @ news conference on Tuesday , according to ABC .
`` I know that this information will be very difficult to receive , '' Ardern said .
`` We had all hoped not to find ourselves in this position again .
But we had also prepared for it . ''
New Zealand had previously implemented a strict in late March , when the virus first appeared in the country .
The stringent measures worked to make the country virtually coronavirus-free , with only a few dozen travel-related cases reported since May .
As a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nearly returned to normal , with residents going to sporting events and dining at restaurants without routinely wearing face masks , ABC news reported .

New Zealand's streak of no coronavirus transmission has come to an end: The country has announced its first cases of local transmission in 102 days, according to news reports.
On Tuesday (Aug. 11), New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the country had confirmed four new cases of COVID-19 among people who had not traveled recently or had contact with a known case, according to CNN . The news comes just 48 hours after New Zealand marked the milestone of going 100 days without COVID-19 transmission . (COVID-19 is the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.)
The new cases were all within the same household, according to ABC . The cases were found after a person in their 50s went to the doctor with symptoms and tested positive for COVID-19, ABC news reported. Six of the patient's household members were also tested for the virus, with three testing positive.
As a result, New Zealand will reinstate temporary COVID-19 restrictions in parts of the country, according to CNN. The strictest measures will be in Auckland, where the local cases were found. The restrictions mean that restaurants, bars and non-essential shops will close, as will schools; gatherings will be limited to 10 or fewer people, and residents will be allowed to leave their homes only for essential activities like grocery shopping, CNN reported. The measures will be in place for three days, from Wednesday through Friday.
"These three days will give us time to assess the situation, gather information, make sure we have widespread contact tracing so we can find out more about how this case arose and make decisions about how to respond to it once we have further information," Ardern said at a news conference on Tuesday, according to ABC.
"I know that this information will be very difficult to receive," Ardern said. "We had all hoped not to find ourselves in this position again. But we had also prepared for it."
New Zealand had previously implemented a strict lockdown in late March, when the virus first appeared in the country. The stringent measures worked to make the country virtually coronavirus-free, with only a few dozen travel-related cases reported since May. As a result, life in the country had nearly returned to normal, with residents going to sporting events and dining at restaurants without routinely wearing face masks, ABC news reported.
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-08-11--Woolly mammoth with preserved poop, wool and ligaments dredged from Siberian lake

A man following a reindeer herd in northwestern Siberia made the discovery of a lifetime when he passed by a lake on July 20 ; poking out of the water was the enormous skull of a woolly mammoth dating back at least 10,000 years .
When scientists came to investigate the skull , they made an even larger discovery — recovery efforts unearthed most of the woolly mammoth 's ( Mammuthus primigenius ) remaining skeleton , some of its soft tissues and wool , and even a piece of fossilized poop ( called a coprolite ) that the mammoth may @ @ @ @ @ @ @ end of the last ice age .
The accidental finding was made possible by low water levels in Lake Pechenelava-To , in the Yamal peninsula of the Yamalo-Nenets region , said Pavel Kosintsev , a senior researcher at the Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology in Russia at the Urals Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences , who supervised the mammoth 's excavation .
`` If the water level had n't fallen , the mammoth would n't have been found , '' Kosintsev told Live Science in an email .
During the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fort around the mammoth 's remains , and then they used a sump pump to remove water from the enclosure .
After wading through the muck , the researchers were able to unearth about 90 % of the mammoth 's bones , two large pieces of skin , parts of the mammoth 's woolly coat and one coprolite , Kosintsev said .
To honor Konstantin `` Kostya '' Tadibe , the man who found the mammoth , the researchers named it the Tadibe mammoth .
The skeletal remains indicate that the Tadibe mammoth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 8.2 feet ( 2 to 2.5 meters ) tall and was about 15 years old when it died , Kosintsev said .
The coprolite , however , was small , just 2 inches ( 5 centimeters ) in diameter .
It 's uncommon to find soft tissue on mammoth remains , but `` coprolites are even rarer , '' Kosintsev said .
`` Scientists know no more than 10 [ mammoth ] coprolites . ''
Studying coprolites can reveal information about mammoth diets and intestinal parasites , he added .
Meanwhile , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to learn how mammoths adapted to the cold climate of the ice age , '' Kosintsev said .
According to the Associated Press , the preserved soft tissues included the Tadibe mammoth 's ligaments , the band of tough tissue that connects bones or cartilage together at a joint .
The ligaments , which are largely made of collagen — the same material that 's found in skin , cartilage and bone — likely survived in Siberia 's normally cold temperatures where they would be slow to decay , said Daniel Fisher , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the University of Michigan , who was n't involved with the Tadibe mammoth discovery .
`` Ligaments are one of the last soft tissues to break down under bacterial activity , '' Fisher told Live Science .
After looking at a photo of the Tadibe mammoth 's skeletal remains , Fisher noted that one of the pachyderm 's ribs looks like it had been broken or fractured , but had later healed .
`` It sometimes happens that animals get in a fight or there 's an injury and they break a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a bit of an offset , ” he said .
“ And it looks to me like that could be a bit of a broken healed fracture on that rib . ''
However , Fisher said he or another paleontologist would have to take a closer look at the rib to be sure .
Even with this injury , it remains a mystery as to why the mammoth died , although Kosintsev noted that `` there is no indication that this mammoth was killed by a human . ''
That was n't the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Poland that had a javelin embedded in its rib , .
However , other research offers a clue about this mammoth 's demise : were more likely than females to die in natural traps , such as falling through thin ice , tumbling into holes or getting stuck in mudflows , according to a 2017 study published in the journal Current Biology .
These deaths likely came to pass because inexperienced male mammoths tended to travel alone , the researchers of that study said .
Mammoths went extinct in mainland Russia about 10,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 4,000 years ago on Wrangel 's Island , north of Russia ) , and now their remains are disappearing fast .
In fact , there may be more mammoth findings as Siberia 's temperatures rise and its permafrost melts .
When permafrost melts , mud at lakes `` slumps and slides and goes into deeper portions of lake basins , so things like this are exposed , maybe around [ the ] edges of lakes , '' Fisher said .
Once exposed , previously frozen specimens resume their decay .
`` As you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Russia ] put a lot of work into recovering this .
But they 're not going to be able to recover every specimen , '' Fisher said .
`` For every one that they do recover , there are 10 if not 20 lost . ''
Fisher added that mammoth remains face another threat : people looking to make a profit by selling the ivory from their tusks .
`` There is a growing commercial market for these kinds of specimens , '' he said .
So far , Tadibe is the third @ @ @ @ @ @ @ according to The Siberian Times .
The other two are younger mammoths : the , a calf discovered in 2007 , who died just a month after birth ; and the youngster Masha , a female found in 1988 , who died between 1 and 3 months of age .

Here are some of the "Tadibe" woolly mammoth's recovered bones. Notice the ribs, both halves of the pelvis and one of the hind limbs.
A man following a reindeer herd in northwestern Siberia made the discovery of a lifetime when he passed by a lake on July 20; poking out of the water was the enormous skull of a woolly mammoth dating back at least 10,000 years.
When scientists came to investigate the mammoth skull, they made an even larger discovery — recovery efforts unearthed most of the woolly mammoth's (Mammuthus primigenius) remaining skeleton, some of its soft tissues and wool, and even a piece of fossilized poop (called a coprolite) that the mammoth may have passed before its death at the end of the last ice age.
The accidental finding was made possible by low water levels in Lake Pechenelava-To, in the Yamal peninsula of the Yamalo-Nenets region, said Pavel Kosintsev, a senior researcher at the Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology in Russia at the Urals Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, who supervised the mammoth's excavation.
"If the water level hadn't fallen, the mammoth wouldn't have been found," Kosintsev told Live Science in an email.
Related: Mammoth resurrection: 11 hurdles to bringing back an ice age beast
During the excavation, the researchers built a wooden fort around the mammoth's remains, and then they used a sump pump to remove water from the enclosure. After wading through the muck, the researchers were able to unearth about 90% of the mammoth's bones, two large pieces of skin, parts of the mammoth's woolly coat and one coprolite, Kosintsev said.
To honor Konstantin "Kostya" Tadibe, the man who found the mammoth, the researchers named it the Tadibe mammoth. The skeletal remains indicate that the Tadibe mammoth was male, stood about 6.5 to 8.2 feet (2 to 2.5 meters) tall and was about 15 years old when it died, Kosintsev said. The coprolite, however, was small, just 2 inches (5 centimeters) in diameter.
It's uncommon to find soft tissue on mammoth remains, but "coprolites are even rarer," Kosintsev said. "Scientists know no more than 10 [mammoth] coprolites." Studying coprolites can reveal information about mammoth diets and intestinal parasites, he added.
Image 1 of 12 The excavation team dug out the area holding the mammoth's remains by the lake's shore. Then, they used a sump pump to remove the water. (Image credit: The Shemanovsky Museum-Exhibition Complex, Salekhard) The sump pump allowed the excavation team to clear out the water. (Image credit: The Shemanovsky Museum-Exhibition Complex, Salekhard) The team built a wooden fort around the excavation area. (Image credit: Scientific Center of Arctic Studies, Iamal-Nenets Autonomous District, Salekhard, Russian Federation) The team excavates the woolly mammoth's (Mammuthus primigenius) remains. (Image credit: The Shemanovsky Museum-Exhibition Complex, Salekhard) The team suctions water out of the fort surrounding the excavation area. Notice the piece of mammoth bone poking up on the left. (Image credit: Scientific Center of Arctic Studies, Iamal-Nenets Autonomous District, Salekhard, Russian Federation) A piece of the woolly mammoth's still-articulated (connected) vertebral column. (Image credit: Scientific Center of Arctic Studies, Iamal-Nenets Autonomous District, Salekhard, Russian Federation) A close-up of the Tadibe mammoth's vertebrae from its lower back, which sat close to the hips. These bones are at least 10,000 years old. (Image credit: Scientific Center of Arctic Studies, Iamal-Nenets Autonomous District, Salekhard, Russian Federation) The excavation team (Image credit: Scientific Center of Arctic Studies, Iamal-Nenets Autonomous District, Salekhard, Russian Federation) The excavation took place on the the Yamal peninsula of the Yamalo-Nenets region of Siberia. (Image credit: Scientific Center of Arctic Studies, Iamal-Nenets Autonomous District, Salekhard, Russian Federation) Here are some of the woolly mammoth's recovered bones. (Image credit: The Shemanovsky Museum-Exhibition Complex, Salekhard) Two men carry a piece of the excavated woolly mammoth remains from Lake Pechenelava-To. (Image credit: The Shemanovsky Museum-Exhibition Complex, Salekhard) After the excavation, the team laid out the mammoth's bones. (Image credit: Scientific Center of Arctic Studies, Iamal-Nenets Autonomous District, Salekhard, Russian Federation)
Meanwhile, the study of soft tissues "allows scientists to learn how mammoths adapted to the cold climate of the ice age," Kosintsev said. According to the Associated Press , the preserved soft tissues included the Tadibe mammoth's ligaments, the band of tough tissue that connects bones or cartilage together at a joint.
The ligaments, which are largely made of collagen — the same material that's found in skin, cartilage and bone — likely survived in Siberia's normally cold temperatures where they would be slow to decay, said Daniel Fisher, a curator at the Museum of Paleontology at the University of Michigan, who wasn't involved with the Tadibe mammoth discovery. "Ligaments are one of the last soft tissues to break down under bacterial activity," Fisher told Live Science.
After looking at a photo of the Tadibe mammoth's skeletal remains, Fisher noted that one of the pachyderm's ribs looks like it had been broken or fractured, but had later healed.
"It sometimes happens that animals get in a fight or there's an injury and they break a rib, but then it heals with a bit of an offset,” he said. “And it looks to me like that could be a bit of a broken healed fracture on that rib."
However, Fisher said he or another paleontologist would have to take a closer look at the rib to be sure.
Related: Photos: Ice age mammoth unearthed in Idaho
Even with this injury, it remains a mystery as to why the mammoth died, although Kosintsev noted that "there is no indication that this mammoth was killed by a human." That wasn't the case for a 25,000-year-old mammoth found in Poland that had a javelin embedded in its rib, Live Science previously reported . However, other research offers a clue about this mammoth's demise: Woolly mammoth bachelors were more likely than females to die in natural traps, such as falling through thin ice, tumbling into holes or getting stuck in mudflows, according to a 2017 study published in the journal Current Biology. These deaths likely came to pass because inexperienced male mammoths tended to travel alone, the researchers of that study said.
Disappearing mammoths
Mammoths went extinct in mainland Russia about 10,000 years ago (although dwarf woolly mammoths survived until about 4,000 years ago on Wrangel's Island, north of Russia), and now their remains are disappearing fast.
In fact, there may be more mammoth findings as Siberia's temperatures rise and its permafrost melts.
When permafrost melts, mud at lakes "slumps and slides and goes into deeper portions of lake basins, so things like this are exposed, maybe around [the] edges of lakes," Fisher said. Once exposed, previously frozen specimens resume their decay.
"As you can see, [the team in Russia] put a lot of work into recovering this. But they're not going to be able to recover every specimen," Fisher said. "For every one that they do recover, there are 10 if not 20 lost."
Fisher added that mammoth remains face another threat: people looking to make a profit by selling the ivory from their tusks. "There is a growing commercial market for these kinds of specimens," he said.
So far, Tadibe is the third mammoth uncovered on the Yamal peninsula, according to The Siberian Times . The other two are younger mammoths: the baby Lyuba , a calf discovered in 2007, who died just a month after birth; and the youngster Masha, a female found in 1988, who died between 1 and 3 months of age.
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-08-11--4,500-year-old 'timber circles' discovered in Portugal

The remains of several timber circles constructed over 4,500 years ago have been discovered at the Perdigões complex archaeological site in Portugal .
Though some news outlets have described the circles as a `` woodhenge , '' akin to the famous Neolithic monument of , archaeologists prefer not to call it that - instead referring to them a `` Timber Circles . ''
While the archaeologists prefer a different name the design is similar with wooden posts encircling an area .
`` We interpret it as a ceremonial place and prefer to refer to it as timber circles , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Era Arqueologia company , who is leading excavations at the site .
Only about a third of the timber circles have been excavated so far , and only post holes and ditches from the circles remain .
There is an opening in the Timer Circles that appears to be aligned to the summer solstice — the — Valera told Live Science .
The ceremonial complex was likely constructed between 2800 B.C .
and 2600 B.C.
, about the same time period Stonehenge was being built and used in England , Valera said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ circles would have enclosed an area that was about 66 feet ( 20 meters ) in diameter , he estimates .
Excavations are ongoing and most of the artifacts found so far at the timber circles consist of pottery fragments and animal remains , Valera said .
The Perdigões complex archaeological site , in the Evora district in southern Portugal , where the timber circles were found , covers about 40 acres ( 16 hectares ) of land and includes burial grounds and standing stones like those used at Stonehenge .
People would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ B.C .
and 2000 B.C .
for burial and ceremonial activities — it may have had other uses also .
Archaeologists have been excavating the complex for more than 20 years and research is ongoing .

Only one-third of the circle has been excavated so far, so archaeologists created this projection to give a better sense of its size. The portion that has been excavated is shown at far left. Archaeologists estimate the circle to be about 66 feet (20 meters) in diameter. (Image credit: Era Arqueologia SA. company)
The remains of several timber circles constructed over 4,500 years ago have been discovered at the Perdigões complex archaeological site in Portugal.
Though some news outlets have described the circles as a "woodhenge," akin to the famous Neolithic monument of Stonehenge , archaeologists prefer not to call it that - instead referring to them a "Timber Circles." While the archaeologists prefer a different name the design is similar with wooden posts encircling an area.
"We interpret it as a ceremonial place and prefer to refer to it as timber circles," said António Valera, an archaeologist with the Era Arqueologia company, who is leading excavations at the site.
Related: In photos: A walk through Stonehenge
Only about a third of the timber circles have been excavated so far, and only post holes and ditches from the circles remain. There is an opening in the Timber Circles that appears to be aligned to the summer solstice — the longest day of the year — Valera told Live Science.
The ceremonial complex was likely constructed between 2800 B.C. and 2600 B.C., about the same time period Stonehenge was being built and used in England, Valera said. At the time, the timber circles would have enclosed an area that was about 66 feet (20 meters) in diameter, he estimates. Excavations are ongoing and most of the artifacts found so far at the timber circles consist of pottery fragments and animal remains, Valera said.
The timber circles date back 4,500 years. (Image credit: Era Arqueologia SA. company)
The Perdigões complex archaeological site, in the Evora district in southern Portugal, where the timber circles were found, covers about 40 acres (16 hectares) of land and includes burial grounds and standing stones like those used at Stonehenge. People would have used the complex between roughly 3500 B.C. and 2000 B.C. for burial and ceremonial activities — it may have had other uses also.
Archaeologists have been excavating the complex for more than 20 years and research is ongoing.
Originally published on Live Science.


livescience--2020-08-11--NASA spacecraft gets a look at one of the strangest places in the solar system

For a few months in 2018 , as NASA 's used up its last drops of fuel , it gave scientists an incredibly detailed look at one of the strangest places in the solar system : Occator Crater .
That 's the name of a massive impact site on the dwarf planet , tucked away in the asteroid belt .
In the mission 's last months , Dawn flew just 22 miles ( 35 kilometers ) above the dwarf planet 's surface and focused its energies on Occator Crater .
Earlier observations from the mission had suggested that some sort @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the surface , and scientists wanted a closer look .
Now , initial analysis of those final months of science suggest that Ceres may have been active much more recently than scientists had dared to imagine , according to an article summarizing published Monday ( Aug. 10 ) in the journals Nature Communications , Nature Geoscience and Nature Astronomy .
`` Dawn accomplished far more than we hoped when it embarked on its extraordinary extraterrestrial expedition , '' Mission Director Marc Rayman of NASA 's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California .
`` These @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its long and productive mission are a wonderful tribute to this remarkable interplanetary explorer . ''
The new research papers focus on a host of different intriguing findings about , which is about 22 million years old and about 57 miles across ( 92 km ) , as well as about Ceres more generally .
One of the new papers , for example , constructs a detailed timeline of geological events at the crater , hypothesizing that cryovolcanism began just 9 million years ago and continued for several million years .
A series @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from brine seeping out from Ceres ' mantle through the upper layer of rock , with activity continuing as recently as a million years ago .
And this volcanism , the authors argue , is unlike any other in the solar system , since it occurs on a relatively small object that is n't subject to the gravitational tugs experienced by places like .
Another paper identifies a specific form of salt found so far only on Earth and now on Ceres that is particularly short-lived , on the scale of centuries , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that deposited them on the surface must have done so very recently and perhaps continue to move through the asteroid today .
These salts could also solve the puzzle of what 's keeping Ceres relatively warm without gravitational tugging and could be responsible for maintaining pockets of liquid within the asteroid .
And the impact that created Occator Crater itself may have brought enough heat to the dwarf planet to trigger the brine seepage that left bright deposits at the surface by forcing the brine through older cracks in the rock .
Another @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in different patches of the crater came from , suggesting that certain areas come from water in the melted subsurface pool created by the impact itself and some from an older and deeper , more global reservoir on Ceres .
Other papers in the new batch of research analyze how Ceres ' crust differs in different locations , how the mounds and hills inside the crater may have formed and how the salty deposits compare to activity on the moon and on Mars .
Although Dawn 's final months revolutionized scientists ' view @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crater , the new research does n't satisfy curiosity about this and may lay the groundwork for a new mission to Ceres , according to an overview paper released with the new findings .
Email Meghan Bartels at mbartels @ space.com or follow her on Twitter @ meghanbartels .
Follow us on Twitter @ Spacedotcom and on Facebook .

An animation stitches together images showing briny deposits, colored in reddish, splaying across Occator Crater on Ceres, as seen by NASA's Dawn mission.
For a few months in 2018, as NASA's Dawn spacecraft used up its last drops of fuel, it gave scientists an incredibly detailed look at one of the strangest places in the solar system: Occator Crater.
That's the name of a massive impact site on the dwarf planet Ceres , tucked away in the asteroid belt. In the mission's last months, Dawn flew just 22 miles (35 kilometers) above the dwarf planet's surface and focused its energies on Occator Crater. Earlier observations from the mission had suggested that some sort of geological activity was bringing saltwater to the surface , and scientists wanted a closer look.
Now, initial analysis of those final months of science suggest that Ceres may have been active much more recently than scientists had dared to imagine, according to an article summarizing seven different research papers published Monday (Aug. 10) in the journals Nature Communications, Nature Geoscience and Nature Astronomy.
In Photos: The changing bright spots of dwarf planet Ceres
Ceres: A strange dwarf planet
"Dawn accomplished far more than we hoped when it embarked on its extraordinary extraterrestrial expedition," Mission Director Marc Rayman of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California said in a NASA statement . "These exciting new discoveries from the end of its long and productive mission are a wonderful tribute to this remarkable interplanetary explorer."
The new research papers focus on a host of different intriguing findings about Occator Crater , which is about 22 million years old and about 57 miles across (92 km), as well as about Ceres more generally.
One of the new papers, for example, constructs a detailed timeline of geological events at the crater, hypothesizing that cryovolcanism began just 9 million years ago and continued for several million years. A series of bright deposits formed over that time from brine seeping out from Ceres' mantle through the upper layer of rock, with activity continuing as recently as a million years ago.
An image built on data gathered by NASA's Dawn spacecraft shows briny deposits colored reddish against Occator Crater on Ceres. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA)
And this volcanism, the authors argue, is unlike any other in the solar system, since it occurs on a relatively small object that isn't subject to the gravitational tugs experienced by places like Jupiter's ultra-volcanic moon Io .
Another paper identifies a specific form of salt found so far only on Earth and now on Ceres that is particularly short-lived, on the scale of centuries, according to a statement . The combination suggests that the brines that deposited them on the surface must have done so very recently and perhaps continue to move through the asteroid today. These salts could also solve the puzzle of what's keeping Ceres relatively warm without gravitational tugging and could be responsible for maintaining pockets of liquid within the asteroid.
And the impact that created Occator Crater itself may have brought enough heat to the dwarf planet to trigger the brine seepage that left bright deposits at the surface by forcing the brine through older cracks in the rock.
Hills and mounds on the floor of Occator Crater on Ceres as seen by NASA's Dawn mission. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA/USRA/LPI)
Another paper attempts to identify where the brine in different patches of the crater came from, suggesting that certain areas come from water in the melted subsurface pool created by the impact itself and some from an older and deeper, more global reservoir on Ceres.
Other papers in the new batch of research analyze how Ceres' crust differs in different locations, how the mounds and hills inside the crater may have formed and how the salty deposits compare to activity on the moon and on Mars.
Although Dawn's final months revolutionized scientists' view of the dwarf planet and its large crater, the new research doesn't satisfy curiosity about this ocean world asteroid and may lay the groundwork for a new mission to Ceres, according to an overview paper released with the new findings.
Email Meghan Bartels at mbartels@space.com or follow her on Twitter @meghanbartels. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.


livescience--2020-08-11--Landmark transplant in 1960s Virginia performed with heart stolen from a Black man

On May 25 , 1968 , surgeons in Richmond , Virginia , performed a successful transplant , one of the world 's first , on a white businessman .
The heart that they used was taken from a Black patient named Bruce Tucker who had been brought to the hospital the day before , unconscious and with a fractured skull and .
He was pronounced brain dead less than 24 hours later .
Tucker 's still-beating heart was then removed without his family 's knowledge or prior permission ; their horrified discovery — from the local funeral director — that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ devastating blow .
The surgeons ' actions , which led to America 's first civil suit for wrongful death , are brought to light in the new book `` The Organ Thieves : The Shocking Story of the First Heart Transplant in the Segregated South `` ( Simon and Schuster , 2020 ) by Pulitzer Prize-nominated journalist Charles `` Chip '' Jones .
Jones raises troubling questions about the ethics of this pioneering transplant , revealing its deep roots in racism and discrimination toward Black people in health care .
The first human @ @ @ @ @ @ @ place in 1954 , and by the late 1960s , `` superstar '' surgeons were vying to be the first to successfully transplant a human heart , Jones told Live Science .
`` In terms of science , it was the medical parallel to the space race , '' Jones said .
Dr. Richard Lower and Dr. David Hume , surgeons at the Medical College of Virginia ( MCV ) in Richmond , were at the forefront of that race , but it was South African surgeon Dr. Christiaan Barnard who performed the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1967 .
In May of 1968 , MCV admitted to its hospital a patient with severe who was a promising candidate for a heart transplant .
But Lower and Hume had yet to find a viable heart donor .
And with time running out for their sick patient , they needed one fast .
Tucker , a Richmond factory worker who had sustained a serious head injury in a fall , was brought to the MCV Hospital on May 24 , 1968 .
Though Tucker 's personal effects included one of his brother @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to locate a family member on behalf of the unconscious man .
And because the hospital claimed Tucker had no family and had liquor on his breath ( he had been drinking prior to his accident ) , he was profiled as a `` charity patient '' and marked as a potential heart donor .
`` He was in the wrong place at the wrong time , '' Jones said .
Tucker was connected to a ventilator , unable to breathe on his own .
A junior medical examiner performed an electroencephalogram ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tucker 's ; the examiner declared that there was none .
The surgeons pronounced this to be sufficient evidence of ; Tucker was removed from the ventilator , and Hume and Lower removed Tucker 's heart for the transplant , Jones wrote .
Related : What happens to your body when you 're an organ donor ?
Decades later , in 1981 , the provided a legal definition of death : `` irreversible cessation of circulatory and pulmonary functions '' and `` irreversible cessation of all functions of the whole brain , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including the brain stem — has ceased to function , .
But in 1968 , the legal concept of death was not as clearly defined , Jones said .
`` There was no statutory framework that would let doctors know how to proceed in a situation like this , where they had a patient that they legitimately thought had no chance of recovery , '' Jones explained .
`` And time was of the essence , in their view , to save a very sick man . ''
However , the doctors were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ indigent and without family — a racially motivated judgment , according to Jones .
Tucker 's family learned that his heart was missing from the funeral director ; they pieced together what had happened from news reports ( Tucker 's identity was not initially released to the public , Jones wrote ) .
Eventually , Tucker 's family would file a civil lawsuit for wrongful death , which went to trial in 1972 .
Representing them was attorney L. Douglas Wilder , who later became the first elected Black governor in the U.S @ @ @ @ @ @ @ willfully , wrongfully , wantonly and intentionally pronounced Bruce O. Tucker dead ahead of his actual death , in violation of the law , well knowing that he was not legally qualified to do so . ''
State law required family notification and waiting for 24 hours before performing surgery .
`` They skirted the process that was in place in Virginia because they were so eager to finally do the operation , '' Jones said .
The famous case of presents a similar collision between medical ethics and racism .
Lacks , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) , was diagnosed in 1951 with .
A doctor collected cells from one of her tumors and then reproduced them indefinitely in the lab ; after Lacks ' death , those cells were then distributed widely among scientists for years without her family 's knowledge or permission .
Known as the HeLa cell line , they were used in research that led to cancer treatments and to the discovery of , but decades passed before Lacks ' family learned of her medical `` immortality . ''
In 2013 , the National Institutes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agreement with the family for permitting future research involving data from HeLa cells ; the new process requires application through a panel that includes descendants and relatives of Lacks , Live Science .
The injustices experienced by Lacks , Tucker and their families stemmed from racism that is deeply embedded in America 's medical infrastructure , Jones noted .
In fact , when medical colleges in America adopted a more hands-on approach to anatomical studies during the 19th century , instructors frequently trained their students in human anatomy using cadavers of Black people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Jones wrote .
Grave robbing was technically illegal , but when Black people were the victims , authorities tended to look the other way , according to Jones .
Medical schools would hire a `` body man '' ( also known as a `` resurrectionist '' ) to procure bodies ; at MCV , the designated grave robber was a Black man named Chris Baker , a janitor at the school who lived in the basement of the college 's Egyptian Building .
Most of the country 's medical schools abandoned this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mid-1800s , but records suggest that it continued in Virginia until at least 1900 , Jones said .
`` There were news reports of bodies being 'snatched ' from the Virginia state pen , which is about five blocks from the medical college , '' he said .
Jones unexpectedly discovered a reminder of this crime while researching his book , in a mural displayed in MCV 's McGlothlin Medical Education Center .
Painted between 1937 and 1947 by Richmond artist George Murrill , the mural celebrates the medical college 's history .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ corpse being furtively carried away from a grave in a wheelbarrow .
`` It shows how the legacy of racism is literally right under people 's noses , '' Jones said .
`` The Organ Thieves '' is on Aug. 18 ; read an excerpt here .

Bruce Tucker was brought to the Medical College of Virginia Hospital on May 24, 1968, after falling and suffering a skull fracture.
On May 25, 1968, surgeons in Richmond, Virginia, performed a successful heart transplant, one of the world's first, on a white businessman. The heart that they used was taken from a Black patient named Bruce Tucker who had been brought to the hospital the day before, unconscious and with a fractured skull and traumatic brain injury . He was pronounced brain dead less than 24 hours later.
Tucker's still-beating heart was then removed without his family's knowledge or prior permission; their horrified discovery — from the local funeral director — that Tucker's heart was missing was a devastating blow.
The surgeons' actions, which led to America's first civil suit for wrongful death, are brought to light in the new book " The Organ Thieves: The Shocking Story of the First Heart Transplant in the Segregated South " (Simon and Schuster, 2020) by Pulitzer Prize-nominated journalist Charles "Chip" Jones. Jones raises troubling questions about the ethics of this pioneering transplant, revealing its deep roots in racism and discrimination toward Black people in health care.
Related: 7 Reasons America still needs civil rights movements
The first human organ transplant, a kidney, took place in 1954, and by the late 1960s, "superstar" surgeons were vying to be the first to successfully transplant a human heart, Jones told Live Science.
"In terms of science, it was the medical parallel to the space race," Jones said.
Dr. Richard Lower and Dr. David Hume, surgeons at the Medical College of Virginia (MCV) in Richmond, were at the forefront of that race, but it was South African surgeon Dr. Christiaan Barnard who performed the first heart transplant on Dec. 3, 1967. In May of 1968, MCV admitted to its hospital a patient with severe coronary disease who was a promising candidate for a heart transplant. But Lower and Hume had yet to find a viable heart donor.
And with time running out for their sick patient, they needed one fast.
The "charity patient"
Tucker, a Richmond factory worker who had sustained a serious head injury in a fall, was brought to the MCV Hospital on May 24, 1968. Though Tucker's personal effects included one of his brother's business cards, officials were unable to locate a family member on behalf of the unconscious man. And because the hospital claimed Tucker had no family and had liquor on his breath (he had been drinking prior to his accident), he was profiled as a "charity patient" and marked as a potential heart donor.
"He was in the wrong place at the wrong time," Jones said.
Tucker was connected to a ventilator, unable to breathe on his own. A junior medical examiner performed an electroencephalogram (EEG) to determine electrical activity in Tucker's brain ; the examiner declared that there was none. The surgeons pronounced this to be sufficient evidence of brain death ; Tucker was removed from the ventilator, and Hume and Lower removed Tucker's heart for the transplant, Jones wrote.
Related: What happens to your body when you're an organ donor?
MCV recruited transplant surgeon David Hume from Harvard, in the mid-1950s. (Image credit: Richmond Times-Dispatch)
Decades later, in 1981, the Uniform Determination of Death Act provided a legal definition of death: "irreversible cessation of circulatory and pulmonary functions" and "irreversible cessation of all functions of the whole brain," which means that the entire brain — including the brain stem — has ceased to function, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine .
But in 1968, the legal concept of death was not as clearly defined, Jones said.
"There was no statutory framework that would let doctors know how to proceed in a situation like this, where they had a patient that they legitimately thought had no chance of recovery," Jones explained. "And time was of the essence, in their view, to save a very sick man." However, the doctors were also quick to presume that Tucker was indigent and without family — a racially motivated judgment, according to Jones.
Related: The 9 most interesting transplants
Tucker's family learned that his heart was missing from the funeral director; they pieced together what had happened from news reports (Tucker's identity was not initially released to the public, Jones wrote). Eventually, Tucker's family would file a civil lawsuit for wrongful death, which went to trial in 1972. Representing them was attorney L. Douglas Wilder, who later became the first elected Black governor in the U.S.
According to Wilder, Lower "willfully, wrongfully, wantonly and intentionally pronounced Bruce O. Tucker dead ahead of his actual death, in violation of the law, well knowing that he was not legally qualified to do so." State law required family notification and waiting for 24 hours before performing surgery.
"They skirted the process that was in place in Virginia because they were so eager to finally do the operation," Jones said.
The famous case of Henrietta Lacks presents a similar collision between medical ethics and racism. Lacks, a Black woman (also from Virginia), was diagnosed in 1951 with cervical cancer . A doctor collected cells from one of her tumors and then reproduced them indefinitely in the lab; after Lacks' death, those cells were then distributed widely among scientists for years without her family's knowledge or permission. Known as the HeLa cell line, they were used in research that led to cancer treatments and to the discovery of the polio vaccine , but decades passed before Lacks' family learned of her medical "immortality."
In 2013, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) reached an agreement with the family for permitting future research involving data from HeLa cells; the new process requires application through a panel that includes descendants and relatives of Lacks, Live Science previously reported .
"The body man"
The injustices experienced by Lacks, Tucker and their families stemmed from racism that is deeply embedded in America's medical infrastructure, Jones noted. In fact, when medical colleges in America adopted a more hands-on approach to anatomical studies during the 19th century, instructors frequently trained their students in human anatomy using cadavers of Black people that were stolen from African American cemeteries, Jones wrote.
Grave robbing was technically illegal, but when Black people were the victims, authorities tended to look the other way, according to Jones. Medical schools would hire a "body man" (also known as a "resurrectionist") to procure bodies; at MCV, the designated grave robber was a Black man named Chris Baker, a janitor at the school who lived in the basement of the college's Egyptian Building.
Most of the country's medical schools abandoned this racist method of procuring cadavers by the mid-1800s, but records suggest that it continued in Virginia until at least 1900, Jones said.
"There were news reports of bodies being 'snatched' from the Virginia state pen, which is about five blocks from the medical college," he said.
Jones unexpectedly discovered a reminder of this crime while researching his book, in a mural displayed in MCV's McGlothlin Medical Education Center. Painted between 1937 and 1947 by Richmond artist George Murrill, the mural celebrates the medical college's history. And it includes the image of a corpse being furtively carried away from a grave in a wheelbarrow.
"It shows how the legacy of racism is literally right under people's noses," Jones said.
"The Organ Thieves" is available to buy on Aug. 18; read an excerpt here .
(Image credit: Author photo by Jay Paul)
Originally published on Live Science.