Science Times: Organoids Are Not Brains. How Are They Making Brain Waves?

Plus: Humans Dominated Earth Earlier Than Previously Thought —

View in browser|nytimes.com SEPTEMBER 3, 2019

Jenna Schoenefeld for The New York Times   Matter Organoids Are Not Brains. How Are They Making Brain Waves? Clusters of living brain cells are teaching scientists about diseases like autism. With a new finding, some experts wonder if these organoids may become too much like the real thing.

Alex Eben Meyer Is It Time to Upend the Periodic Table? The iconic chart of elements has served chemistry well for 150 years. But it's not the only option out there, and scientists are pushing its limits. by siobhan roberts Tyson V. Rininger/Monterey Bay Aquarium., via Associated Press What's Killing California's Sea Otters? House Cats The state's beloved sea mammals have been plagued by the deadly Toxoplasma parasite. They're catching it from feral and pet cats. by francie diep Lauren Lancaster for The New York Times out there What I Didn't Do This Summer Our reporter missed the solar eclipse. But he did handle a cosmic affair in Hudson Valley. by dennis overbye Cassidy Araiza for The New York Times The Hospital Treated These Patients. Then It Sued Them. Most hospitals do not frequently take patients to court over medical debt. But since 2015, Carlsbad Medical Center, in New Mexico, has filed lawsuits by the thousands. by laura beil

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Andrea Kay trilobites Humans Dominated Earth Earlier Than Previously Thought Archaeologists worldwide pooled their knowledge of past land use — and pushed back the date when human farming and other practices began altering the planet. by james gorman Anand Varma trilobites A Robot With Noodle-like Fingers Helps Handle Soft Jellyfish Metal claws and suction samplers can be rough on delicate deep sea creatures. So scientists have designed a gentle robot to scoop up the organisms they want to study. by knvul sheikh Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group, via Getty Images The H.M.S. Terror Sank in the 1840s. See What It Looks Like Now. An underwater exploration this month revealed the wreckage, much of it well preserved by cold water, lack of light and layers of silt, that likely contains documents with information about an ill-fated expedition that set sail in 1845. by niraj chokshi Sail Surf ROAM A Raft of Floating Rock Stuns Sailors. But Can It Save the Reef? Researchers are curious about whether marine life, hitching a ride on a raft of floating volcanic rock, could replenish the dying reef. by livia albeck-ripka Marie Lochman/NPL/Minden Pictures trilobites These Marsupials Drop Dead After Mating This extreme reproductive strategy has been observed in the wild for the first time among male kalutas, mouselike mammals native to Northwestern Australia. by annie roth Hans Pettersson Archive/Gothenburg University Library Overlooked No More: Elizabeth Rona, Pioneering Scientist Amid Dangers of War Rona moved from lab to lab — and country to country — and in the process made important findings about the behavior of atoms and radioactivity.

trilobites White Barn Owls Thrive When Hunting in Bright Moonlight Something about the light from a full moon shining on the frightening face of a barn owl makes voles freeze a bit too long. by james gorman trilobites A Rare Greenshank Is Spotted in Russia It is the first time in more than four decades that researchers have had an opportunity to study the endangered shorebirds. by karen weintraub trilobites Hanging Out With Humans Makes This Bird Bad at Its Job The weka, a flightless bird in New Zealand, brings plants to new areas by eating their fruit and excreting the seeds. But some choose to stick close to humans and their food, limiting their range. by cara giaimo Scientists Fertilize Eggs From the Last Two Northern White Rhinos A mother and daughter are the only two northern white rhinoceroses left in the world. Their eggs were fertilized using sperm from males who have died. by jacey fortin

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CLIMATE CHANGE Victor Moriyama for The New York Times the interpreter 'It's Really Close': How the Amazon Rainforest Could Self-Destruct Climate change and man-made fires could set off a cycle of self-perpetuating deforestation, scientists warn. by max fisher Reuters; The New York Times; USFWS Major Climate Change Rules the Trump Administration Is Reversing The Trump administration is trying to roll back more than 80 environmental rules; half involve climate change. Here are some of the biggest climate-related ones. by john schwartz

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HEALTH Intermountain Healthcare The Mysterious Vaping Illness That's 'Becoming an Epidemic' A surge of severe lung ailments has baffled doctors and public health experts. by sheila kaplan and matt richtel Bruno Boissonnet/Science Source Weight-Loss Surgery May Reduce Heart Risks in People With Type 2 Diabetes A review of patient records finds startling differences, but critics say a clinical trial must be done. by roni caryn rabin Gracia Lam personal health Interventions to Prevent Psychosis An impending psychotic break can be identified and prevented if it is recognized early and appropriate steps are taken to head it off. by jane e. brody Kayana Szymczak for The New York Times Many Genes Influence Same-Sex Sexuality, Not a Single 'Gay Gene' The largest study of same-sex sexual behavior finds the genetics are complicated, and social and environmental factors are also key. by pam belluck Mark Makela for The New York Times the new old age Think Your Aging Parents Are Stubborn? Blame 'Mismatched Goals' Researchers are learning more about the causes of what may seem intransigent behavior. There's no easy fix. by paula span Pablo Rochat Peloton Is a Phenomenon. Can It Last? Exercise manias like the Thighmaster and Tae Bo have all come and gone. Peloton is trying to defy that trend. by erin griffith

trilobites Can Genetics Explain Why Some People Thrive on Less Sleep? Several members of the same family get by on less than six hours of sleep a night. Their genetics could illuminate how sleep works for the rest of us. by francie diep wirecutter Wide-Awake at 3 A.M.? Don't Just Look at Your Phone Try these six simple tactics to help you fall back to sleep and stay there. by joanne chen Babies Display 'Werewolf Syndrome' After Getting Anti-Baldness Drug by Mistake At least 17 children, including babies, began growing hair all over their bodies after a hair loss treatment was mislabeled as heartburn medicine. by raphael minder phys ed For a Longer Life, Get Moving. Even a Little. Some of the greatest gains are seen when people shift from being sedentary toward ambling for even one extra hour each day. by gretchen reynolds

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