Science News Roundup: For deep-diving elephant seals; people with HIV at higher risk for severe COVID-19 and more

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

For deep-diving elephant seals, it takes lots of work to stay fat

For elephant seals - one of the most distinctive of the 33 species that comprise the world's seal family - it is hard work to stay fat. Scientists have conducted the most thorough study to date of the unique feeding behavior of northern elephant seals, focusing on the females of the species during arduous two-month post-breeding migrations in the northeastern Pacific Ocean.

Child's burial site tells of early man's emotional life - Kenyan archaeologist

The discovery of the oldest known human burial site, a child's grave in a Kenyan cave, sheds new light on the emotional life of early Homo sapiens, the head of archaeology for the east African country's museums said on Wednesday. Scientists announced last week that they had found the site, dating to around 78,000 years ago, where a youngster they have nicknamed 'Mtoto' or 'child' in Swahili was buried in a cave called Panga ya Saidi near the Kenyan coast.

mRNA vaccines appear effective vs India variant; people with HIV at higher risk for severe COVID-19

The following is a roundup of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. mRNA vaccines likely effective against India variant

(With inputs from agencies.)