Science Times: Did It Go Extinct? Check the DNA Test

Plus: Katherine Johnson, Mathematician Who Broke NASA Barriers, Dies at 101 —

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story February 25, 2020

Adam McCauley   This Tiny Creature Seemed Extinct. DNA Technology Helped Prove It Wasn’t. The rediscovery of a fly species in Wales hints at environmental DNA sampling’s potential to change endangered species protection. By Marion Renault

Helge O. Svela   Trilobites Whisky Knows Her Toys A Border collie in Norway learned the names and categories of her many, many toys, just by playing a game with her owners. By James Gorman NASA/Donaldson Collection, via Getty Images   Katherine Johnson Dies at 101; Mathematician Broke Barriers at NASA She was one of a group of black women mathematicians at NASA and its predecessor who were celebrated in the 2016 movie “Hidden Figures.” By Margalit Fox James Tensuan for The New York Times   New Genomic Tests Aim to Diagnose Deadly Infections Faster Rapid genomic tests are poised to change the way doctors diagnose and treat infections, but their cost may limit widespread use. By Andrew Jacobs

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Alamy   Trilobites Reading the Past in Old, Urine-Caked Rat’s Nests Scientists worked out what lived in part of the Western United States tens of thousands of years ago by studying DNA found in pack rat middens. By Marion Renault Deep Sea Systems International's Global Explorer ROV and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.   Microbes Point the Way to Shipwrecks Distinct microbiomes flourish around sunken ships as they become artificial reefs, new research in the Gulf of Mexico reveals. By Katherine Kornei Apolinar Basor   Trilobites White-Lipped Peccary Species May Be in Steep Decline With forests depleted by development, the pig-like animals are disappearing rapidly, scientists have found in a new study. By Karen Weintraub

kenya dispatch ‘Like an Umbrella Had Covered the Sky’: Locust Swarms Despoil Kenya At first, villagers thought the dark, dense blot in the sky was a harmless cloud. Then came the terrifying realization that the locusts had arrived. by abdi latif dahir Lawrence Tesler, Who Made Personal Computing Easier, Dies at 74 When you’re cutting and pasting, dragging the cursor over selected text and performing other common computer tasks, you can thank him. by john markoff

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THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK Agence France-Presse — Getty Images   Why the Coronavirus Seems to Hit Men Harder Than Women Women mount stronger immune responses to infection, scientists say. And in China, men smoke in much greater numbers. By Roni Caryn Rabin Anthony Wallace/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images   To Prevent Next Coronavirus, Stop the Wildlife Trade, Conservationists Say Conservationists see a persistent threat of epidemics so long as tens of millions of animals are traded in Southeast Asia. By Rachel Nuwer Lam Yik Fei for The New York Times   Inside The Outbreak ‘No More Hugging, No More Kissing.’ At Home in Hong Kong With 2 Frontline Doctors. Drs. Eunice and Pierre Chan have taken extraordinary measures to treat patients and protect their family amid the coronavirus outbreak. By Tiffany May Tony Luong for The New York Times   ‘All Hands on Deck’: Health Workers Race to Track Thousands of Americans Amid Coronavirus Local health departments around the United States are scrambling to monitor thousands of people returning from travel in China and elsewhere. Among the tasks: daily calls, emails, texts. By Amy Harmon and Farah Stockman

HEALTH Gracia Lam   Personal Health Debating the Value of PSA Prostate Screening In many men identified as having prostate cancer following PSA screening, the disease is neither aggressive nor likely to kill them before something else does. By Jane E. Brody iStock   Stalked by the Fear That Dementia Is Stalking You Testing for Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia is hardly foolproof, and could even backfire. By Judith Graham, Kaiser Health News Daniel Zender   Mind Mental-Health Researchers Ask: What Is ‘Recovery’? There are many ways to measure mental distress. But it’s far harder to predict, or even describe, the improvement that often follows. By Benedict Carey Clue   The Checkup When a Teenager’s Irregular Periods Are Cause for Concern One common cause is polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS, which is difficult to diagnose in adolescents. By Perri Klass, M.D. iStock by Getty Images   How to Raise Siblings Who Get Along Playing together is part of it, but so is having chores kids can complete as a team (especially if they can sneak in some fun while they work). By Kate Lewis iStock   How Common Mental Shortcuts Can Cause Major Physician Errors Tendencies like left-digit bias can have life-altering consequences for patients. By Anupam B. Jena and Andrew R. Olenski

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ask well Is There Such a Thing as a ‘Sugar High’? Many parents blame sugar for their children’s hyperactive behavior. But the myth has been debunked. by richard klasco, m.d. studies show Can Hearing Aids Help Prevent Dementia? Research suggests that paying more attention to the “invisible disability” of hearing loss might improve our brains. by kim tingley phys ed Super Cushioned Running Shoes Are All the Rage, but Aren’t Foolproof Runners wearing maximalist running shoes pound harder and pronate more than in standard shoes. by gretchen reynolds

CLIMATE CHANGE Steven Senne/Associated Press   Warmest January Ever Puts 2020 on Track to Be One of Top 10 Hottest Years Global average temperatures for the month were 2.05 degrees Fahrenheit above average and slightly higher than in January 2016, the previous record-holder. By Henry Fountain Matthew Abbott for The New York Times   The Fires Are Out, but Australia’s Climate Disasters Aren’t Over Devastating floods came soon after the bush fires. Scientists call it “compound extremes,” as one catastrophe intensifies the next. By Damien Cave and Matthew Abbott Michael Spear for The New York Times   Knitters Chronicle Climate Change One Stitch at a Time Volunteers use different colors of yarn to make “temperature scarves” that serve as fashionable records of a warming world. By Laura M. Holson Jes Aznar for The New York Times   Philippines Dispatch Adapting to Rising Seas, Schools Move to the Rafters and Cats Swim On an island in the Philippines, waterlogged for one-third of every year, residents adjust to their sodden existence instead of fleeing. By Hannah Beech and Jes Aznar

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