The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration yesterday released a report warning that the pace of sea level rise is accelerating and that the U.S. can expect another 10 to 12 inches of water on average by 2050. Geoscientist Jianjun Yin from the University of Arizona breaks down the different ways global warming is causing rising seas, and he notes that the effects will not be uniform: “The U.S. East Coast and Gulf Coast, for example, face risks above the average, according to the new report, while the West Coast and Hawaii are projected to be lower than average.”

Another major science story over the past week was a discovery that could rewrite the history of when modern humans – Homo sapiens – made their way to Europe. A team of researchers describes an archaeological dig in a cave in France that Neanderthals inhabited before and after Homo sapiens. Among the findings the group made is evidence of a modern human presence in Europe 54,000 years ago, some 10,000 years earlier than previously believed.

One of the promises of gene therapy, which involves altering the genes in a patient’s cells, is to treat very rare genetic diseases. Miguel Sena-Esteves, a neuroscientist from UMass Chan Medical School, reports on the success his research team has had in treating Tay-Sachs disease in two children using gene therapy, part of a 14-year research project. Although the clinical results are promising, he notes the cost of such treatments for ultrarare diseases remains a barrier to broader use.

Also in this week’s science and research news:

• Torrent of COVID-19 research sheds light on autoimmune diseases
• The tech enabling the cryptocurrency buzz
• How fear-based health messaging has gone wrong during the pandemic

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