Science Times: Johnson & Johnson’s Hunt for a Coronavirus Vaccine

Plus: How to See Comet NEOWISE in the Night Skies —

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story July 21, 2020 Tony Luong for The New York Times   Inside Johnson & Johnson’s Nonstop Hunt for a Coronavirus Vaccine In Boston and in the Netherlands, scientists are racing to build a vaccine against the virus strangling the world. By Carl Zimmer Karen Osborn, Smithsonian   Trilobites How Ultra-Black Fish Disappear in the Deepest Seas Researchers have found fish that absorb more than 99.9 percent of the light that hits their skin. By Katherine J. Wu Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard, via Associated Press   Comet NEOWISE: How to See It in Night Skies Enjoy it while you can. The frozen ball of ice won’t return to the inner solar system for 6,800 years. By Adam Mann Solar Orbiter/EUI Team (ESA & NASA)   Closest Pictures Ever Taken of Sun Show Tiny Campfire Flares Images of the new phenomenon were captured by Solar Orbiter, a joint European-NASA mission to study the sun. By Kenneth Chang Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Email us Let us know how we’re doing at sciencenewsletter@nytimes.com. THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK     Coronavirus Drug and Treatment Tracker An updated list of potential treatments for Covid-19. By Jonathan Corum, Katherine J. Wu and Carl Zimmer Christopher Lee for The New York Times   Testing Backlogs May Cloud the True Spread of the Coronavirus Public health experts say delays in testing continue to hinder attempts to track and contain the spread of disease. By Katherine J. Wu Yonhap, via EPA, via Shutterstock   Older Children Spread the Coronavirus Just as Much as Adults, Large Study Finds The study of nearly 65,000 people in South Korea suggests that school reopenings will trigger more outbreaks. By Apoorva Mandavilli Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images   How a Struggling Company Won $1.6 Billion to Make a Coronavirus Vaccine Novavax just received the Trump administration’s largest vaccine contract. In the Maryland company’s 33-year history, it has never brought a vaccine to market. By Katie Thomas and Megan Twohey Shawn Thew/EPA, via Shutterstock   2 Stylists Had Coronavirus, but Wore Masks. 139 Clients Didn’t Fall Sick. A new study looks at what might have been a dangerous outbreak — had it not been for vigilant mask wearing. By Katherine J. Wu Gustoimages/Science Source   Baby Was Infected With Coronavirus in Womb, Study Reports Researchers said the case strongly suggests that Covid-19 can be transmitted in utero. Both the mother and baby have recovered. By Pam Belluck     A Detailed Map of Who Is Wearing Masks in the U.S. The patterns from hundreds of thousands of survey respondents reflect partisanship, peer pressure and the footprint of the coronavirus itself. By Josh Katz, Margot Sanger-Katz and Kevin Quealy Andrew Mangum for The New York Times   The New Old Age You’re a Senior. How Do You Calculate Coronavirus Risk Right Now? Early in the pandemic, older adults were told to stay at home. With different states reopening or re-closing, weighing the risks is more complicated. By Paula Span Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT MORE SCIENCE NEWS Paul Hobson/Nature Picture Library/Alamy   There Are Wasps in the Yard. You’d Better Get to Know Them. They buzz. They hover. Sometimes they sting. But how much do you really know about these insects that can menace our summers? By Cara Giaimo John Taggart for The New York Times   Scientists Have Finally Calculated How Many Hot Dogs a Person Can Eat at Once The world’s best hot dog eaters could outeat a grizzly bear or a coyote, but would fall far behind a wolf or a Burmese python, a new study finds. By Christie Aschwanden Akasha Rabut for The New York Times   He Kept a Community’s Bears in Check, but He Won’t Anymore Steve Searles, known as the ‘bear whisperer’ of Mammoth Lakes, Calif., quit his post after the coronavirus epidemic led to cuts in the town’s budget. By Jason Nark and Akasha Rabut Jeff Barnard/Associated Press   Cave’s Clues Show It’s More Than Just Oldest Outhouse in the Americas Preserved dung in Oregon’s Paisley Caves is helping to fill in some mysteries about some of the earliest people on our continent. By Asher Elbein NASA Delays James Webb Telescope Launch Date, Again The universe will have to wait a little longer. By Dennis Overbye trilobites How a Velvet Ant (Which Is a Wasp) Got Its White Fluff The thistledown velvet ant, which is actually a wasp, resembles creosote fuzz. But mimicry isn’t the reason, a new study suggests. By Sabrina Imbler trilobites Scientists Accidentally Bred the Fish Version of a Liger American paddlefish and Russian sturgeon were not supposed to be able to create hybrid offspring. Surprise! By Annie Roth Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT CLIMATE CHANGE Yevgeny Sofroneyev\TASS, via Getty Images   That Siberian Heat Wave? Yes, Climate Change Was a Big Factor An analysis of recent record temperatures found that climate change made this year’s long hot spell 600 times more likely. By John Schwartz Peter Barritt/Superstock, via Alamy   Global Warming Is Driving Polar Bears Toward Extinction, Researchers Say By century’s end, polar bears worldwide could become nearly extinct as a result of shrinking sea ice in the Arctic if climate change continues unabated, scientists said. By Henry Fountain HEALTH Trump Says He ‘Aced’ a Cognitive Test. What Does That Really Mean? Experts say one popular test that the president might have taken is by no means definitive, or even diagnostic. By Gina Kolata The New York Times   In Shadow of Pandemic, U.S. Drug Overdose Deaths Resurge to Record After the first decrease in a quarter-century, in 2018, the number of deaths is again on the rise. By Josh Katz, Abby Goodnough and Margot Sanger-Katz Gracia Lam   Personal Health The Link Between Parkinson’s Disease and Toxic Chemicals A new book calls the increasing prominence of Parkinson’s “a man-made pandemic.” By Jane E. Brody Gary S. Settles/Science Source   The Flu May Linger in the Air, Just Like the Coronavirus As scientists race to understand how coronavirus aerosols may spread indoors, a new study on influenza offers some clues. By Katherine J. Wu Jeenah Moon for The New York Times   Phys Ed How Exercise May Bolster the Brain Exercise prompts the liver to pump out a little-known protein that appears to rejuvenate the brain, a new study found. By Gretchen Reynolds Black Children Are More Likely to Die After Surgery Than White Peers, Study Shows A large study, published in the journal Pediatrics, suggests that disparities exist in surgery outcomes, even among healthy children. By Jenny Gross During Coronavirus Lockdowns, Some Doctors Wondered: Where Are the Preemies? Hospitals in several countries saw dips in premature births, which could be a starting point for future research. By Elizabeth Preston Not Everyone Hates School at Home Despite the challenges of at-home learning, some parents are considering teaching kids at home this fall. By Melody Warnick 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. Subscribe to The TimesGet The New York Times app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018