Science Times: The Skull of Pliny the Elder, Maybe

Plus: From Dubai to Mars, With Stops in Colorado and Japan —

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story February 18, 2020

Lucilla Flo   Here Lies the Skull of Pliny the Elder, Maybe The Roman admiral and scholar died during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. Might this really be his cranium? By Franz Lidz

Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center   From Dubai to Mars, With Stops in Colorado and Japan The United Arab Emirates used a novel approach to build the Hope spacecraft, which launches for the red planet this summer. By Kenneth Chang G. Cigolini/De Agostini, via Getty Images   Matter Ghost DNA Hints at Africa’s Missing Ancient Humans Genes in some living West Africans shed light on human genetic diversity, which has been difficult to find in the continent’s fossil record. By Carl Zimmer Lindsay D'Addato for The New York Times   She Didn’t Want a Pelvic Exam. She Received One Anyway. Medical schools and students are grappling with an unsettling practice: Performing pelvic exams on unconscious, non-consenting patients. By Emma Goldberg

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ESO/M. Montargès et al.   Out There The Further Adventures of Betelgeuse, the Fainting Star The red supergiant is no closer to exploding, it seems. It also no longer appears round. By Dennis Overbye     Good Question What’s the World’s Worst Smell? Some odors are more heinous than others. Then there’s Stench Soup. By Randall Munroe Ian MacLellan for The New York Times   Out There Time Is Still a Mystery to ‘Einstein’s Dreams’ Author Why Alan Lightman, astrophysicist turned writer, traded black holes for black ink. By Dennis Overbye Márcio L. Castro   Trilobites This Rodent Was Giant. Its Brain Was Tiny. Reconstruction of a fossil of an extinct South American relative of the capybara shows it didn’t have much space in its skull for a brain. By Veronique Greenwood

trilobites Canada’s Newest Tyrannosaur Is Named for a ‘Reaper of Death’ The specimen is older than T. Rex and other famous members of its family, which could fill in this apex predator’s family tree. by nicholas st. fleur trilobites You Didn’t Touch These Jellyfish, but They Can Sting You With Tiny Grenades The upside-down jellyfish is mostly stationary, so it evolved self-propelling cells that can swim over and sting you on its behalf. by cara giaimo A Growing Presence on the Farm: Robots A new generation of autonomous robots is helping plant breeders shape the crops of tomorrow. by knvul sheikh George Coyne, 87, Vatican Astronomer and Galileo Defender, Dies While seeking to reconcile science and religion, Father Coyne also vigorously supported Darwin and challenged believers in intelligent design. by sam roberts

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CLIMATE CHANGE     A Crisis Right Now: San Francisco and Manila Face Rising Seas The two sprawling metro areas — one rich, one poor — offer a vision of what could be a watery future for 600 million coastal residents worldwide. By Somini Sengupta Matthew Abbott for The New York Times   News Analysis The End of Australia as We Know It What many of us have witnessed this fire season feels alive and monstrous. With climate change forcing a relaxed country to stumble toward new ways of work, leisure and life, will politics follow? By Damien Cave and Matthew Abbott

THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK Courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control   Q. AND A. How to Stop a Disease From Crossing Borders The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Global Health Protection talks about the coronavirus and her organization’s efforts to keep people safe when they travel. By Tariro Mzezewa Franck Robichon/EPA, via Shutterstock   U.S. Passengers Evacuate Quarantined Cruise Ship in Japan Americans boarded two flights chartered by the State Department and headed to the United States after the number of coronavirus cases aboard the Diamond Princess grew to 355. By Motoko Rich and Austin Ramzy Tang Chhin Sothy/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images   Coronavirus Infection Found After Cruise Ship Passengers Disperse Amid assurances that the Westerdam was disease free, hundreds of people disembarked in Cambodia and headed for airports. One was later found to be infected. By Richard C. Paddock, Sui-Lee Wee and Roni Caryn Rabin Kevin Frayer/Getty Images   Rate of New Fatalities Drops in China China’s National Health Commission on Monday reported 2,048 new cases of coronavirus infections and 105 new deaths over the previous 24 hours. Anna Moneymaker/The New York Times   Senator Tom Cotton Repeats Fringe Theory of Coronavirus Origins Scientists have dismissed suggestions that the Chinese government was behind the outbreak, but it’s the kind of tale that gains traction among those who see China as a threat. By Alexandra Stevenson

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Gracia Lam   Personal Health The Benefits of Intermittent Fasting I was skeptical, but it turns out there is something to be said for a daily fast, preferably one lasting at least 16 hours. By Jane E. Brody Getty Images   Adolescence Why Teenagers Reject Parents’ Solutions to Their Problems It’s usually because we’re not giving them what they’re really looking for. By Lisa Damour Amrita Marino   How to Build Healthy Habits It’s not about willpower. Good habits happen when we set ourselves up for success. Our new challenge will show you how. By Tara Parker-Pope Getty Images   Phys Ed Combining Aerobics and Weights Tied to Optimal Weight Control Activities like walking and lifting weights were both tied to a healthier weight, but combining the two may have the most benefits. By Gretchen Reynolds Cornell Tukiri for The New York Times   They Wanted Research Funding, So They Entered the Lottery A survey of New Zealand scientists found that recipients of a randomized funding program favored random allocations of some kinds of grant money. By Dalmeet Singh Chawla

scam or not Is Coffee Good for You? Yes! But it depends on the kind of coffee and the quantity. by dawn mackeen the new old age Some Assisted-Living Residents Don’t Get Promised Care, Suit Charges Court decisions in California may shed light on how large chains make staffing decisions. by paula span Payout From a National Opioids Settlement Won’t Be as Big as Hoped Expectations of a whopping payday set off thousands of lawsuits. But lawyers for the suing cities and states now concede that companies will shell out far less. by jan hoffman

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