Science Times: Killing of Jaguars, With Chinese Investment

Plus: Who’s a Bot? —

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story June 16, 2020 Sebastian Kennerknecht/Minden Pictures   Where Jaguars Are Killed, New Common Factor Emerges: Chinese Investment Poaching of the big cats is on the rise, and a new study links their slaughter to corruption as well as investment from Chinese companies. By Rachel Nuwer Chris Gash   Who’s a Bot? Who’s Not? It sometimes seems that automated bots are taking over social media and driving human discourse. But some (real) researchers aren’t so sure. By Siobhan Roberts Bailey Bedford/Fermilab   For a Day, Scientists Pause Science to Confront Racism Scholars said they would not hold classes or lectures on Wednesday, and leading journals and scientific associations said they would not announce most breakthroughs. By Dennis Overbye Peter Means   The Scientist, the Air and the Virus Most of us had never heard of aerosol science before the pandemic. Then Virginia Tech’s Linsey Marr showed up and became our tour guide to the invisible world of airborne particles. By Tara Parker-Pope Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Email us Let us know how we’re doing at sciencenewsletter@nytimes.com. THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK George Frey/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images   F.D.A. Revokes Emergency Approval of Malaria Drugs Promoted by Trump The agency said that a review of some studies showed that the drugs’ potential benefits in treating Covid-19 did not outweigh the risks. By Katie Thomas Karsten Moran for The New York Times   Events Like Trump Rally Are ‘Perfect Storm’ for Viral Spread, Experts Say Social gatherings and campaign rallies like those planned by President Trump could spread infections this summer. People should wear masks and continue social distancing, public health researchers say. By Pam Belluck Hereward Holland/Reuters   Slowing the Coronavirus Is Speeding the Spread of Other Diseases Many mass immunization efforts worldwide were halted this spring to prevent spread of the virus at crowded inoculation sites. The consequences have been alarming. By Jan Hoffman and Ruth Maclean Northwestern Medicine   Covid-19 Patient Gets Double Lung Transplant, Offering Hope for Others The operation is believed to be the first of its kind in the U.S. The patient, a woman in her 20s, had been healthy, but the coronavirus devastated her lungs. By Denise Grady National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH   Coronavirus Can Set Off a ‘Cytokine Storm.’ These Drugs May Calm It. At least a dozen treatments are being evaluated for virus patients whose immune systems go on the attack. By Apoorva Mandavilli Photo illustration by Mike McQuade   Can a Vaccine for Covid-19 Be Developed in Record Time? A discussion moderated by Siddhartha Mukherjee.     Coronavirus Vaccine Tracker A look at all the vaccines that have reached trials in humans. By Jonathan Corum and Carl Zimmer .   Mutation Allows Coronavirus to Infect More Cells, Study Finds. Scientists Urge Caution. Geneticists said more evidence is needed to determine if a common genetic variation of the virus spreads more easily between people. By Benedict Carey and James Glanz Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT MORE SCIENCE STORIES     The Return of the Platypuses Rescued from Australia’s fires, a small fleet of wild platypuses is launched back into their wetland home and into an uncertain future. By David Maurice Smith and Brooke Jarvis Bridget Caswell, Alcyon Technical Services/NASA   NASA Needs to Find Ice on the Moon. This Rover Will Lead the Search. Astrobotic, a Pittsburgh company, won a $199.5 million contract to transport NASA’s VIPER rover to the lunar surface. By Kenneth Chang JPL/NASA   Out There Oumuamua: Neither Comet nor Asteroid, but a Cosmic Iceberg A new study suggests the interloper may have arisen in an interstellar cloud, where stars are sometimes born. By Dennis Overbye Beth Coller for The New York Times   Where’s Airborne Plastic? Everywhere, Scientists Find. There’s “no nook or cranny” on the planet where it doesn’t end up, the lead researcher on a new study said. By John Schwartz Migration Numbers Plunge for the Red Knot, a Threatened Shore Bird Every May, these birds stop in the Delaware Bay on their way to Arctic Canada. But a shortage of food this season puts their flight at risk. By Jon Hurdle China Reports Progress in Ultra-Secure Satellite Transmission Researchers enlisted quantum physics to send a “secret key” for encrypting and decrypting messages between two stations 700 miles apart. By William J. Broad Familiar Culprit May Have Caused Mysterious Mass Extinction A planet heated by giant volcanic eruptions drove the earliest known wipeout of life on Earth. By Shannon Hall NOAA Chief Violated Ethics Code in Furor Over Trump Tweet, Agency Says Neil Jacobs violated the agency’s scientific integrity policy with a statement last year backing the president’s inaccurate claim that a hurricane was headed for Alabama, a panel found. By Christopher Flavelle Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT CLIMATE CHANGE Victor J. Blue for The New York Times   A War Against Climate Science, Waged by Washington’s Rank and File Efforts to block research on climate change don’t just come from the Trump political appointees on top. Lower managers in government are taking their cues, and running with them. By Lisa Friedman HEALTH Michael Reynolds/EPA, via Shutterstock   Health Care Advocates Push Back Against Trump’s Erasure of Transgender Rights A new rule narrows the legal definition of sex discrimination in the Affordable Care Act. Major health care providers actively oppose it. By Sheila Kaplan Benjamin Norman for The New York Times   Mind What We’re Learning About Online Learning As virtual classrooms and online learning proliferate, researchers are working to quantify what works and what doesn’t. By Benedict Carey Tony Cenicola/The New York Times   The Pandemic Claims New Victims: Prestigious Medical Journals Two major study retractions in one month have left researchers wondering if the peer review process is broken. By Roni Caryn Rabin Melissa Golden for The New York Times   The New Health Care How to Think About Pregnancy Risks Individual choices matter, but public policies are more important. By Austin Frakt Ricardo B. Brazziell/Austin American-Statesman, via Associated Press   Rubber Bullets and Beanbag Rounds Can Cause Devastating Injuries Common crowd-dispersal methods used on protesters across the country have caused brain damage and other disabilities, prompting growing calls to ban them. By Knvul Sheikh and David Montgomery Make a friend’s day: Forward this email. Got this from a friend? Subscribe to the Science Times newsletter. Check out other New York Times newsletters (all free!) including: Climate Fwd: for climate coverage and expert analysis. The Upshot for a data-driven look at the news. Well for the latest on health, fitness and nutrition. Continue reading the main story Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for Science Times from The New York Times. To stop receiving these emails, unsubscribe or manage your email preferences. 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