Science Times: The Amazing Digestive Powers of Pythons

Plus: How Pandemics End —

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story May 12, 2020 Wes Frazer for The New York Times   Matter Eat Rat, Make New Body: Easy Stuff for Pythons The extreme metabolism of some snakes could provide leads on how to regenerate human tissue. By Carl Zimmer and Wes Frazer NASA, ESA and D. Lin/University of New Hampshire   Out There Deep in the Cosmic Forest, a Black Hole Goldilocks Might Like Astronomers found an intermediate black hole — not too big, not too small — that sheds light on how the universe was assembled in the dark. By Dennis Overbye Damian Peach, Chilescope   Out There How to See Comet SWAN in Night Skies Fresh from the outer solar system, the cosmos offers us a show that’s trailing a 10 million-mile tail. By Dennis Overbye Peter Komka/EPA, via Shutterstock   SpaceX Plans Sunshades to Save Night Skies From Starlink Satellites Some astronomers who have criticized the company’s orbital internet constellation were encouraged by the measures it announced. By Shannon Hall Werner Forman/Universal Images Group/Getty Images   How Pandemics End An infectious outbreak can conclude in more ways than one, historians say. But for whom does it end, and who gets to decide? By Gina Kolata Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Digital Event: The Wild West of Coronavirus Testing and the State Scramble to Reopen Tuesday, May 12 at 4 p.m. ET In the face of enormous pressure to reopen, many states are struggling to implement adequate testing and contact tracing programs — measures that public health experts say are necessary to prevent the coronavirus from spreading rapidly and claiming more lives. Why is this so hard? And what can states do today — even without the testing they need? Special guest Dr. Thomas Frieden, former director of the Centers for Disease Control and president and C.E.O. of Resolve to Save Lives, an initiative of Vital Strategies. Hosted by Sheryl Gay Stolberg, Washington correspondent for The Times. R.S.V.P. here. Podcast: YouTube vs. Misinformation YouTube is aggressively removing videos of misinformation and conspiracy theories about the coronavirus. Tech columnist Kevin Roose speaks with Susan Wojcicki, the chief executive of YouTube. Listen to “Rabbit Hole,” a New York Times audio series that explores what happens when our lives move online. THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK     Is It Safer to Visit a Coffee Shop or a Gym? Some businesses, like some people, are “super-spreaders.” By Katherine Baicker, Oeindrila Dube, Sendhil Mullainathan, Devin Pope and Gus Wezerek Misha Friedman for The New York Times   As States Rush to Reopen, Scientists Fear a Coronavirus Comeback Officials are under pressure to restart the economy, but many states are moving too quickly, researchers say. The costs may be measured in lost lives. By Donald G. McNeil Jr. Zoe Global   App Shows Promise in Tracking New Coronavirus Cases, Study Finds The app, which allows people to record their symptoms, was remarkably effective in predicting infections. The most reliable indicators, researchers found, were loss of smell and taste. By Andrew Jacobs Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images   Summer Is Coming, but the Virus Won’t Be Going Whatever effect warm weather has on the coronavirus, it won’t be enough to safely drop social restrictions. By James Gorman Lucas Jackson/Reuters   After Recovery From the Coronavirus, Most People Carry Antibodies A new study adds to evidence of immunity among those who have already been exposed to the pathogen. By Apoorva Mandavilli National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, via Reuters   Did a Mutation Turbocharge the Coronavirus? Not Likely, Scientists Say A preliminary report posted online claimed that a mutation had made the virus more transmissible. Geneticists say the evidence isn’t there. By Carl Zimmer     In the Fight to Treat Coronavirus, Your Lungs Are a Battlefield Both the human lung and a critical care ventilator are complicated pieces of machinery. We opened them up to show you how the coronavirus has changed what we thought we knew. By Mika Gröndahl, Andrew Jacobs and Larry Buchanan Tim Coppens   Hoping Llamas Will Become Coronavirus Heroes Antibodies from Winter, a 4-year-old llama with great eyelashes, have neutralized coronavirus and other infections in lab experiments. By Jillian Kramer Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT California’s Plan to Trace Travelers for Virus Faltered When Overwhelmed, Study Finds Identifying and tracing air passengers from high-risks countries is useful when begun early, a C.D.C. study found, but California’s effort came too late. By David Waldstein One-Third of All U.S. Coronavirus Deaths Are Nursing Home Residents or Workers In at least 14 states, more than half of coronavirus deaths are tied to long-term care facilities for older adults, according to a New York Times database. By Karen Yourish, K.K. Rebecca Lai, Danielle Ivory and Mitch Smith Scientists Consider Indoor Ultraviolet Light to Zap Coronavirus in the Air Some researchers hope a decades-old technology might get its moment and be deployed in stores, restaurants and schools. By Kenneth Chang Mysterious Coronavirus Illness Claims 3 Children in New York A baffling ailment linked to Covid-19 has killed three young children and sickened 73 others across the state. By Andrew Jacobs and Edgar Sandoval Hospitals Struggle to Restart Lucrative Elective Care After Coronavirus Shutdowns The nation’s medical centers were forced to stop offering many surgeries, and sustained severe financial losses. Reopening is a daunting task amid the threat of more infection. By Reed Abelson Email us Let us know how we’re doing at sciencenewsletter@nytimes.com. MORE SCIENCE NEWS     Good Question What’s the Sweetest, Crispiest Way to Stay Safe in a Car Crash? It’s made with marshmallows, too. By Randall Munroe Marcus Westberg   The World Through A Lens Madagascar: A Cornucopia of Beauty Join us for a visual tour of the island nation of Madagascar, about 90 percent of whose flora and fauna is found nowhere else on Earth. By Marcus Westberg Catherine Hoggins/Alamy   No Yeast at the Store? No Problem. It’s Everywhere in Your Home. You just need to corral and nurture the stuff, which should be easy for anyone with some time and patience. By Henry Fountain     The Trump Administration Is Reversing Nearly 100 Environmental Rules. Here’s the Full List. A New York Times analysis found more than 60 environmental policies officially rolled back under Mr. Trump and another 34 rollbacks still in progress. By Nadja Popovich, Livia Albeck-Ripka and Kendra Pierre-Louis Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Risky Business? NASA and Tom Cruise Talk Movie Shoot in Space The head of NASA said the agency is working with the “Mission: Impossible” star on a new film aboard the International Space Station. By Kenneth Chang trilobites The Ghost Dogs of the Amazon Get a Bit Less Mysterious Scientists have produced data that shows the range of an enigmatic short-eared canid species that has yet to be widely studied. By Cara Giaimo Virus Delays Orangutans’ Long Awaited Return Home If one ape in the forest is infected, a whole population could be wiped out, experts say. So orangutans in Indonesia’s rehabilitation centers are staying where they are. By Richard C. Paddock HEALTH iStock   Ask Well Have I Been Cleaning All Wrong? Many household disinfectants promise to kill 99.9 percent of germs, but some of us might be cleaning too swiftly to let them do their job. By Tara Parker-Pope Marianna Gefen   The New Old Age With Red Tape Lifted, Dr. Zoom Will See You Now The pandemic pushed Medicare to make telemedicine more financially attractive. Now doctors, patients and regulators will see if they want to stick with it. By Paula Span Melinda Beck   How Coronavirus Is Changing the Dating Game for the Better Video chats are in. Small talk is out. You don’t have to fret about who picks up the check. And maybe the biggest plus: You’re forced to take things slow. By Helen Fisher Gracia Lam   Personal Health A Pandemic Benefit: The Expansion of Telemedicine Medical practice over the internet can result in faster diagnoses and treatments, increase the efficiency of care and reduce patient stress. By Jane E. Brody Lee Jae Won/Reuters   The New Health Care Putting a Dollar Value on Life? Governments Already Do Trade-offs are routine in health policy, and the math and analysis underlying them have been around for decades. 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