Science News Roundup: The risks of swiftly spreading coronavirus; Iraq cave yields new clues and more

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

Speed science: The risks of swiftly spreading coronavirus research

One scientific post suggests links between the new coronavirus and AIDS, a second says it may have passed to people via snakes, while a third claim it is a pathogen from outer space. The emergence in China of a new human coronavirus that is causing an epidemic of flu-like disease has sparked a parallel viral spread: science – ranging from robust to rogue - is being conducted, posted and shared at an unprecedented rate.

Did Neanderthals bury their dead with flowers? Iraq cave yields new clues

A Neanderthal skeleton unearthed in an Iraqi cave already famous for fossils of these extinct cousins of our species is providing fresh evidence that they buried their dead - and intriguing clues that flowers may have been used in such rituals. Scientists said on Tuesday they had discovered in Shanidar Cave in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region of northern Iraq the well-preserved upper body skeleton of an adult Neanderthal who lived about 70,000 years ago. The individual - dubbed Shanidar Z - was perhaps in his or her 40s or 50s. The sex was undetermined.

Japanese data on cruise ship coronavirus infections back quarantine strategy

Newly released data from a Japanese research institute appears to back the government's case that its quarantine strategy for the Diamond Princess cruise ship was successful in stemming contagion of the coronavirus among passengers. Japan has been criticized for its handling of the quarantine, as more than 620 people on board have been infected with the virus and two elderly passengers have died.