Science Times: Life on Venus?

Plus: Is There a Black Hole in Our Backyard? —

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story September 15, 2020 PLANET-C Project Team/JAXA   Life on Venus? Astronomers See a Signal in Its Clouds The detection of a gas in the planet’s atmosphere could turn scientists’ gaze to a planet long overlooked in the search for extraterrestrial life. By Shannon Stirone, Kenneth Chang and Dennis Overbye Paul Hudson/NASA   Missions to Venus: Highlights From History, and When We May Go Back Much visited in an earlier era of space exploration, the planet has been overlooked in recent decades. By Shannon Stirone R. Hurt/Caltech/IPAC, via Reuters   Out There Is There a Black Hole in Our Backyard? Astrophysicists have recently begun hatching plans to find out just how weird Planet Nine might be. By Dennis Overbye Jemal Countess/WireImage, via Getty Images   A Global Health Star Under Fire Former and current employees accuse Dr. Lucica Ditiu, leader of Stop TB, of harassment and bullying. The complaints threaten to slow prevention efforts worldwide. By Apoorva Mandavilli Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Email us Let us know how we’re doing at sciencenewsletter@nytimes.com. THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK Gracia Lam   Personal Health How Flu Shots Can Help in the Fight Against Covid-19 Experts worry that the two diseases could overwhelm the health care system and create a new shortage of hospital beds and personal protective equipment. By Jane E. Brody Ross W. Paterson, Rachel L. Brown, et al./Brain, Oxford University Press   How the Coronavirus Attacks the Brain It’s not just the lungs — the pathogen may enter brain cells, causing symptoms like delirium and confusion, scientists reported. By Apoorva Mandavilli Erin Schaff/The New York Times   Vaccine Makers Keep Safety Details Quiet, Alarming Scientists Researchers say drug companies need to be more open about how vaccine trials are run to reassure Americans who are skittish about getting a coronavirus vaccine. By Katie Thomas William DeShazer for The New York Times   Fever Checks Are No Safeguard Against Covid-19 The practice of taking temperatures is becoming de rigueur in many workplaces and restaurants, even though federal health officials say they are of limited value. By Roni Caryn Rabin Alastair Grant/Associated Press   AstraZeneca Partly Resumes Coronavirus Vaccine Trial After Halting It for Safety The company said tests of its vaccine would start up again in Britain while remaining suspended in the U.S. and other countries. Pfizer, a competitor, announced an expansion of its trials. By Carl Zimmer, Katie Thomas and Benjamin Mueller Oliver Contreras for The New York Times   Trump Pressed for Plasma Therapy. Officials Worry, Is an Unvetted Vaccine Next? New details of how the president has demanded faster action from health agencies help explain the intensifying concern that he could demand pre-Election Day approval of a vaccine. By Sharon LaFraniere, Noah Weiland and Michael D. Shear Elizabeth Given/Alamy   A University Had a Great Coronavirus Plan, but Students Partied On An unexpected upswing in positive tests at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign showed how even the most comprehensive approaches to limiting the virus’s spread can break down. By Kenneth Chang Daniel Acker for The New York Times   A New Theory Asks: Could a Mask Be a Crude ‘Vaccine’? Scientists float a provocative — and unproven — idea: that masks expose the wearer to just enough of the virus to spark a protective immune response. By Katherine J. Wu Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT MORE SCIENCE NEWS Hildegard Burri-Bayer   Trilobites How Old Is This Ancient Vision of the Stars? It’s a tale of bronze, iron, looting and archaeological conflict. By Becky Ferreira Jillian Swift   Trilobites The Hidden History Baked Into a Cooking Pot An experiment with unglazed clay pots hinted at how much archaeologists can learn about ancient cultures from cooking vessels. By Katherine Kornei Bruce Lyon   Trilobites In This Woodpecker Kingdom, War Is a Spectator Sport When prime habitat is up for grabs, acorn woodpeckers travel from all around to see who will win. By Priyanka Runwal Ron Niebrugge/Alamy   When the Otters Vanished, Everything Else Started to Crumble Against the backdrop of climate change, the delicate underwater ecology of Alaska’s Aleutian Islands is hurting from declines in otters. By Katherine J. Wu trilobites These Hummingbirds Take Extreme Naps. Some May Even Hibernate. To adapt to life in the Andes Mountains, some South American species go into exceptionally deep torpor to save energy. By Veronique Greenwood trilobites Extinction Is Not Inevitable. These Species Were Saved. Conservation efforts have saved up to 48 mammal and bird species since 1993, but scientists say much more is needed to stem biodiversity loss. By Rachel Nuwer CLIMATE CHANGE Jessica Lutz for The New York Times   A Secret Recording Reveals Oil Executives’ Private Views on Climate Change At a meeting last year, industry leaders contradicted public claims that emissions of climate-warming methane are under control By Hiroko Tabuchi Steffen Graupner/MOSAiC   The Arctic Is Shifting to a New Climate Because of Global Warming Open water and rain, rather than ice and snow, are becoming typical of the region, a new study has found. By Henry Fountain In Oregon, a New Climate Menace: Fires Raging Where They Don’t Usually Burn The northwest part of the state, usually much wetter, has dried out this year, enabling flames driven by powerful winds to “just explode down these canyons.” By Christopher Flavelle and Henry Fountain Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Digital Event: Climate, GenZ and Voting Can young voters get excited about the election if they aren’t excited about the candidates? Which issues really motivate them? Today, 9/15 at 6 p.m. ET, join deputy politics editor Rachel Dry as we explore strategies for combating voter apathy, with comedian Ilana Glazer; Vic Barrett, a young climate activist; and Tara McGowan, chief executive of ACRONYM, a progressive nonprofit. Then we’ll sit down with Rhiana Gunn-Wright, the policy mind behind the Green New Deal, and Times climate reporter Lisa Friedman to discuss how climate change issues can become a powerful motivation to vote. R.S.V.P. HEALTH Scott Menchin   Mind The Good, the Bad and the ‘Radically Dishonest’ Lying and cheating behavior comes in several distinct flavors, a recent study found. By Benedict Carey Jemal Countess/WireImage, via Getty Images   A Global Health Star Under Fire Former and current employees accuse Dr. Lucica Ditiu, leader of Stop TB, of harassment and bullying. The complaints threaten to slow prevention efforts worldwide. By Apoorva Mandavilli Nicolò Campo/LightRocket via Getty Images   The Checkup Do Masks Impede Children’s Development? Scientists who have studied the ways children process and use the information hidden by masks say that children will find ways to communicate, and that parents and teachers can help. By Perri Klass, M.D. Desiree Rios for The New York Times   The New Old Age Getting Wise to Fake News Older adults are particularly vulnerable to misinformation on social media. But resources have emerged to help them learn to discern true from false. By Paula Span Gates Offers Grim Global Health Report, and Some Optimism The Covid-19 pandemic has set back public health efforts by years. But in an interview, the tech philanthropist expressed hope about new avenues for foreign aid By Donald G. McNeil Jr. A Dentist Sees More Cracked Teeth. What’s Going On? When I reopened my dental practice in early June, the tooth fractures started coming in: at least one a day, every single day that I’ve been in the office. By Tammy Chen, D.D.S. phys ed Exercise May Make It Easier to Bounce Back From Stress Regular exercise helped lab mice remain psychologically resilient even when their lives seemed filled with threats. 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. 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