Science Times: An A.L.S. Treatment by Two College Students

Plus: These Black Holes Shouldn’t Exist, but There They Are —

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story September 8, 2020 Aileen Perilla for The New York Times   2 College Students Dreamed Up an A.L.S. Treatment. The Results Are In. A study of their therapy and clinical trials of other experimental treatments are offering glimmers of hope that paralysis from the disorder can be slowed. By Pam Belluck Deborah Ferguson, Karan Jani, Deirdre Shoemaker, Pablo Laguna, Georgia Tech, MAYA Collaboration   Out There These Black Holes Shouldn’t Exist, but There They Are On the far side of the universe, a collision of dark giants sheds light on an invisible process of cosmic growth. By Dennis Overbye Fort et al.   Trilobites Up Is Down in This Fun Physics Experiment The liquid levitates, and a boat floats along its bottom side. By Kenneth Chang State Archives of North Carolina   Roanoke’s ‘Lost Colony’ Was Never Lost, New Book Says A new book aims to settle a centuries-old question of what happened to a group of English colonists. Archaeologists said that its theory was plausible but that more evidence was needed. By Alan Yuhas Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Email us Let us know how we’re doing at sciencenewsletter@nytimes.com. THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK Sergio Flores for The New York Times   For Long-Haulers, Covid-19 Takes a Toll on Mind as Well as Body “It makes you depressed, anxious that it’s never going to go away.” By Emma Goldberg Dibyangshu Sarkar/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images   Daily Coronavirus Testing at Home? Many Experts Are Skeptical The buzzy idea is impractical, critics said. And there isn’t yet real-world data to show it will work. By Katherine J. Wu Mike Blake/Reuters   Face Shields and Valved Masks Offer More Comfort but Less Protection While any face covering is better than nothing, clear plastic shields and masks with exhale valves allow large plumes of particles to escape and may also expose the wearer to more germs. By Tara Parker-Pope David Ramos/Getty Images   How the Aging Immune System Makes Older People Vulnerable to Covid-19 As we age, the immune system begins to shift into a heightened state of alert, dialing up inflammation and running out of certain immune cells. By Veronique Greenwood Christopher Smith for The New York Times   Backed by Federal Funds, New Virus Tests Are Hitting the Market Six months into the pandemic and with no coherent national testing strategy, the Trump administration is encouraging private development of an array of faster and cheaper techniques. By Sharon LaFraniere and Katherine J. Wu Hans Pennink/Associated Press   What We Know About the C.D.C.’s Covid-19 Vaccine Plans The agency told public health agencies that two unidentified vaccines might be ready by October or November. We explain how vaccine trials work, when one might be ready, and who may get them first. By Carl Zimmer and Katie Thomas Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times   New York Will Test the Dead More Often for Coronavirus and Flu New regulations require a ramp-up in testing for patients with symptoms, as well as people who weren’t tested before they died. By Katherine J. Wu Hector Retamal/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images   How a Bus Ride Turned Into a Coronavirus Superspreader Event One-third of passengers aboard a bus were infected by a fellow passenger, scientists reported. By Roni Caryn Rabin Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT MORE SCIENCE NEWS Dan Balilty for The New York Times   Israel Dispatch Aided by Modern Ingenuity, a Taste of Ancient Judean Dates The harvest of the much-extolled but long-lost Judean dates was something of a scientific miracle. The fruit sprouted from seeds 2,000 years old. By Isabel Kershner Myo Min Win/WCS Myanmar   A Turtle With a Permanent Smile Was Brought Back From Near Extinction Scientists have rebuilt the population of Burmese roofed turtles to nearly 1,000 individuals and counting. By Rachel Nuwer Connie Allen   Trilobites Old Male Elephants: Don’t Count Them Out New research challenges the assumption that bulls become redundant in elephant society after breeding. By Rachel Nuwer Dave Hunt/Alamy   Trilobites How a Praying Mantis Says ‘Boo!’ A study of startle displays hints at why provoked creatures have such a wide range of reactions. By Cara Giaimo trilobites Melting Glaciers Are Filling Unstable Lakes. And They’re Growing. A census of the world’s glacial lakes shows there are more than there used to be, and their water volume is growing. By Katherine Kornei Land in Russia’s Arctic Blows ‘Like a Bottle of Champagne’ Since finding the first crater in 2014, Russian scientists have documented 16 more explosions in the Arctic caused by gas trapped in thawing permafrost. By Andrew E. Kramer trilobites When These Sea Anemones Eat, It Goes Straight to Their Arms They’re the first animals known to turn food into extra limbs. By Cara Giaimo First You Clean the Dinosaur’s Teeth. Then You Open the Museum. The American Museum of Natural History is going for an intimate experience — allowing hundreds, not thousands, of visitors in per hour — when it reopens on Sept. 9. By Melena Ryzik and Amy Lombard Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT HEALTH Gracia Lam   Personal Health The Risks of the Prescribing Cascade The problem occurs when drug-induced side effects are viewed as a new ailment and treated with yet another drug that can cause still other side effects. By Jane E. Brody Christina Simons for The New York Times   ‘Dwarf Pride’ Was Hard Won. Will a Growth Drug Undermine It? An experimental medication that increases height in children with the most common form of dwarfism has raised hope that it can help them lead easier lives. But some say the condition is not a problem in need of a cure. By Serena Solomon Etienne Laurent/EPA, via Shutterstock   A Parent’s Toughest Call: In-Person Schooling or Not? Parents are wrestling with difficult choices over sending their children to school. Here’s how one science reporter made the decision. By Apoorva Mandavilli Monika Aichele   Resilience To Build Emotional Strength, Expand Your Brain The quest to understand something new is a key factor to building the resilience necessary to weather setbacks and navigate life’s volatility. By Kerry Hannon Getty Images   Phys Ed For Successful Aging, Pick Up the Pace or Mix It Up Older people who cycled for exercise walked more efficiently than people whose primary exercise is placid walking. By Gretchen Reynolds 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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