Science Times: Bringing the Ocean’s Midnight Zone Into the Light

Plus: Meet a Bee With a Very Big Brain —

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story September 22, 2020 Tyler Schiffman Bringing the Ocean’s Midnight Zone Into the Light The Monterey Bay Aquarium has learned how to raise the deepest sea life to the surface and keep it alive for display. By Annie Roth Andy Mann   A New Ship’s Mission: Let the Deep Sea Be Seen A giant new vessel, OceanXplorer, seeks to unveil the secrets of the abyss for a global audience. By William J. Broad H. Bellmann/F. Hecker/blickweinkel, via Alamy   Trilobites Meet a Bee With a Very Big Brain New research suggests there is a relationship between the diversity of a bee’s diet and the size of its croissant-shaped brain. By Elizabeth Preston Chronicle/Alamy   Trilobites The Vikings Were More Complicated Than You Might Think One of the biggest surveys ever of ancient DNA offers new evidence of who the Vikings were and where they went raiding and trading. By James Gorman Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Email us Let us know how we’re doing at sciencenewsletter@nytimes.com. THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK Audra Melton for The New York Times   Advice on Virus Transmission Vanishes From C.D.C. Website The new guidance, published only on Friday, had acknowledged that fine particles floating in air may spread the virus. By Apoorva Mandavilli David J. Phillip/Associated Press   C.D.C. Reverses Testing Guidelines for People Without Covid-19 Symptoms The agency now says anyone exposed to an infected person for more than 15 minutes needs a test. An earlier guideline saying it might not be necessary had shocked public health experts. By Apoorva Mandavilli Chandan Khanna/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images   When Will You Be Able to Get a Coronavirus Vaccine? Despite the president’s repeated claims that a vaccine will be available in October, scientists, companies and federal officials all say that most people won’t get one until well into next year. By Katie Thomas and Jesse Drucker Vincenzo Pinto/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images   AstraZeneca, Under Fire for Vaccine Safety, Releases Trial Blueprints Experts are concerned that the company has not been more forthcoming about two participants who became seriously ill after getting its experimental vaccine. By Denise Grady, Katherine J. Wu and Sharon LaFraniere Tony Luong for The New York Times   Moderna and Pfizer Reveal Secret Blueprints for Coronavirus Vaccine Trials The companies hope to earn the trust of the public and of scientists who have clamored for details of the studies. By Denise Grady and Katie Thomas John Moore/Getty Images   Coronavirus May Increase Premature Births, Studies Suggest New studies provide more evidence that pregnant women may get severe Covid-19 symptoms and have an increased risk of pregnancy loss. By Roni Caryn Rabin Erin Schaff/The New York Times   An Experimental Drug Protects Covid-19 Patients, Eli Lilly Claims A so-called monoclonal antibody lowered levels of the coronavirus and prevented hospitalizations. The research has not yet been vetted by independent experts. By Gina Kolata Getty Images   Does Wearing Glasses Protect You From Coronavirus? After researchers noticed fewer nearsighted patients in a hospital ward in China, they speculated that wearing glasses might offer some protection against Covid-19. By Tara Parker-Pope Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT MORE SCIENCE NEWS JPL/NASA   Out There On Venus, Cloudy With a Chance of Microbial Life Astrobiologists shift their gaze, and speculations, to Earth’s broiling sister planet. By Dennis Overbye Kieran Fanning/Rocket Lab   The Search for Life on Venus Could Start With This Private Company Rocket Lab may be able to send a small spacecraft to probe the clouds of Venus long before NASA or other space agencies are able to do so. By Jonathan O’Callaghan Milan Pallmann   In a Desert’s Burning Sands, Shrimp When it rains in Iran’s Dasht-e Lut desert, the ground comes alive with tiny, upside-down crustaceans. By Sabrina Imbler Dania Albini   Trilobites Sometimes Food Fights Back When a species of microalgae gets inside a zooplankton that feeds on it, it smothers the grazer’s eggs and disrupts reproduction. By Priyanka Runwal Dimitris Tosidis/EPA, via Shutterstock   Trilobites Aromatherapy in the Apiary Is What Bees Need Honeybees were better at pollinating crops after scent training. By Matt Kaplan out there Mount Wilson Observatory Survives a Trial by Fire The birthplace of modern cosmology “has been declared safe” from the wildfires that have ravaged the surrounding area in Southern California. By Dennis Overbye trilobites The Pros and Cons of Swimming With a Hammer Head A new study suggests that the ocean’s strangest-looking headgear is difficult to tote around. By Cara Giaimo A Solar Forecast With Good News for Civilization as We Know It Space weather experts believe the sun has entered a new sunspot cycle, and expect it to be a relatively quiet one. By Kenneth Chang trilobites This Tree’s Leaves Look Soft and Inviting. Please Don’t Touch Them. Scientists have found a potent chemical that might give Australian giant stinging trees their extraordinarily painful punch. By Katherine J. Wu trilobites That Mushroom Motorcycle Jacket Will Never Go Out of Style Leather goods made of fungi are versatile and sustainable, a new study finds. By Asher Elbein Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT CLIMATE CHANGE Eric Thayer for The New York Times   How California Became Ground Zero for Climate Disasters The engineering and land management that enabled the state’s tremendous growth have left it more vulnerable to climate shocks — and those shocks are getting worse. By Christopher Flavelle     What Trump’s Environmental Rollbacks Mean for Global Warming A handful of major climate rules reversed or weakened under Mr. Trump will have a big effect on future emissions. By Nadja Popovich and Brad Plumer Gerald Herbert/Associated Press   Hurricane Sally’s Fierce Rain Shows How Climate Change Raises Storm Risks Staggering rain totals, fueled by a warming atmosphere that can hold more moisture, are being recorded from the storm. By Henry Fountain and John Schwartz Maria Magdalena Arrellaga for The New York Times   It’s Not Just the West. These Places Are Also on Fire. Extreme temperatures and more severe droughts, the result of human-caused climate change, have created a world that’s ready to burn. By Veronica Penney HEALTH Gracia Lam   Personal Health For Older People, Reassuring News in the Statin Debate There is accumulating evidence that the benefits of statins far outweigh possible risks, and nearly all statins on the market are now available as inexpensive generics. By Jane E. Brody Brendan Smialowski/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images   If the Supreme Court Ends Obamacare, Here’s What It Would Mean The Affordable Care Act touches the lives of most Americans, and its abolition could have a significant effect on many millions more people than those who get their health coverage through it. By Reed Abelson and Abby Goodnough Many Hospitals Charge More Than Twice What Medicare Pays for the Same Care The gap between rates set for private insurers and employers vs. those by the federal government stirs the debate over a government-run health plan. By Reed Abelson Celeste Noche for The New York Times   ‘This Does Not Look Good for Children’: Fires Pose Risk to Young Lungs The wildfires blazing in the West could hinder developing lungs, worsen asthma and even lead to the condition in those who don’t have it but are genetically disposed to it. By Matt Richtel tech fix The New Apple Watch Measures Your Blood Oxygen. Now What? Blood oxygen readings can be a useful indicator of wellness, but context is important — and so is medical advice from a doctor. By Brian X. Chen the checkup For Young People’s Sexual Health, the Pandemic Changes the Game The pandemic may offer opportunities to help adolescents and young adults make good decisions regarding sexual and social behavior. By Perri Klass, M.D. In ‘Power Grab,’ Health Secretary Azar Asserts Authority Over F.D.A. Experts said the memo would make it more difficult for the F.D.A. to issue new rules, but it’s unclear how it would affect the vetting of coronavirus vaccines. By Sheila Kaplan John Najarian, Pioneering Transplant Surgeon, Dies at 92 He was known for taking on difficult cases, many involving children. An anti-rejection drug he developed led to a scandal, but he was vindicated. By Neil Genzlinger 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. 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