Science Times: Old Dogs and the Secrets of Aging

Plus: Listening to the Deep Sea —

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story November 10, 2020 via Alamy Old Dogs, New Research and the Secrets of Aging The ways that dogs grow and age may provide potentially useful similarities with people. By James Gorman NOAA Could Listening to the Deep Sea Help Save It? In the abyss, everyone can hear you scream. By Sabrina Imbler T. Pyle/NASA Ames/JPL-Caltech Out There Looking for Another Earth? Here Are 300 Million, Maybe A new analysis of data from NASA’s Kepler spacecraft increases the number of habitable exoplanets thought to exist in this galaxy. By Dennis Overbye Randall Haas Trilobites Ancient Remains in Peru Reveal Young, Female Big-Game Hunter Scientists are divided on broader implications of the find for ancient gender roles. 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 Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, via Associated Press Pfizer’s Early Data Shows Vaccine Is More Than 90% Effective Pfizer announced positive early results from its coronavirus vaccine trial, cementing the lead in a frenzied global race that has unfolded at record-breaking speed. By Katie Thomas, David Gelles and Carl Zimmer Kena Betancur/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Pfizer’s Covid Vaccine: 11 Things You Need to Know What’s the big deal? Was it part of Operation Warp Speed? When can you get one? By Carl Zimmer and Katie Thomas Mads Claus Rasmussen/EPA, via Shutterstock Covid Infections in Animals Prompt Scientific Concern Mink in Denmark are not the only animals that could become reservoirs for the coronavirus to spread new mutations to people. By James Gorman Go Nakamura/Getty Images An Explanation for Some Covid-19 Deaths May Not Be Holding Up Recent studies have created doubts about an agent in cytokine storms, and suggest that treatments for it may not help. By Gina Kolata Peter Kovalev\TASS, via Getty Images Nasal Spray Prevents Covid Infection in Ferrets, Study Finds Scientists at Columbia University have developed a treatment that blocks the virus in the nose and lungs, is inexpensive and needs no refrigeration. By Donald G. McNeil Jr. Kendrick Brinson for The New York Times Children Produce Weaker Coronavirus Antibodies, Study Finds The research suggests that children clear the infection much faster than adults and may help explain why many don’t become seriously ill. By Apoorva Mandavilli Henning Bagger/Ritzau Scanpix, via Reuters Denmark Will Kill All Farmed Mink, Citing Coronavirus Infections Government officials said on Wednesday that a mutation in the virus could interfere with vaccine effectiveness in humans. By James Gorman Jack Cunningham On Masks and Clinical Trials, Rand Paul’s Tweeting Is Just Plain Wrong Scientists know masks limit the coronavirus’s spread, but it’s impossible for randomized trials to prove that. By Zeynep Tufekci Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT MORE SCIENCE NEWS   good question What Makes Sand Soft? Understanding how grains flow is vital for everything from landslide prediction to agricultural processing, and scientists aren’t very good at it. By Randall Munroe Otto Steininger Mind Brain Scientists Explore the How of When A new study offers the strongest evidence yet of “time cells” in the brain. By Benedict Carey Márcio L. Castro and Rodrigo Temp Müller Trilobites We’ve Rarely Seen a Dinosaur Brain Like This Before While later dinosaurs in this lineage were giant herbivores with tiny brains, this small species packed a lot more power in its skull. By Veronique Greenwood Kenji Aoki for The New York Times Feature How Do You Know When Society Is About to Fall Apart? Meet the scholars who study civilizational collapse. By Ben Ehrenreich Spider Silk Is Stronger Than Steel. It Also Assembles Itself. Scientists are figuring out the chemical triggers that turn the liquid stored in silk glands into a solid that’s tougher than Kevlar. By Katherine J. Wu Nonfiction At Home With Our Ancient Cousins, the Neanderthals In “Kindred,” Rebecca Wragg Sykes offers a complete new story about Neanderthals, both how they lived and how they met their end. By Yuval Noah Harari Iceberg Headed for Sub-Antarctic Island Could Threaten Wildlife The iceberg, known as A68a, broke apart from the Antarctic Peninsula in 2017 and has been drifting ever since. By Allyson Waller Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT CLIMATE CHANGE Erin Schaff/The New York Times 9 Things the Biden Administration Could Do Quickly on the Environment The first 100 days of the Biden administration are likely to see a flurry of executive actions on climate change. By Lisa Friedman Doug Mills/The New York Times What Will Trump’s Most Profound Legacy Be? Possibly Climate Damage President-elect Biden can restore many of the 100-plus environmental regulations that President Trump rolled back, but much of the damage to the climate cannot be reversed. By Coral Davenport Stefani Reynolds for The New York Times Trump Administration Removes Scientist in Charge of Assessing Climate Change Michael Kuperberg was told he would no longer oversee the National Climate Assessment. The job is expected to go to a climate-change skeptic, according to people familiar with the changes. By Christopher Flavelle, Lisa Friedman and Coral Davenport George Steinmetz for The New York Times Cutting Greenhouse Gases From Food Production Is Urgent, Scientists Say Efforts to limit global warming often focus on emissions from fossil fuels, but food is crucial, too, according to new research. By Henry Fountain HEALTH Gracia Lam Personal Health After a Broken Bone, the Risk of a Second Fracture Far too few patients are referred for treatment that could stave off another costly, debilitating and sometimes deadly fracture. By Jane E. Brody iStock Phys Ed Weight Training May Help Ease Anxiety A basic program of lunges, lifts, squats and crunches eased anxiety levels in healthy young men and women. By Gretchen Reynolds Brittainy Newman for The New York Times A New Item on Your Medical Bill: The ‘Covid’ Fee A surprise charge that can take advantage of vulnerable people and possibly violate consumer protection laws. By Sarah Kliff and Jessica Silver-Greenberg Melanie Lambrick Check in on Health Insurance Open Enrollment If you’re shopping for health insurance this fall for coverage starting Jan. 1, start early and set aside a full day to learn about your options. By Joseph Burns Zephyr/Science Source F.D.A. Panel Declines to Endorse Controversial Alzheimer’s Drug The drug, aducanumab, made by Biogen, would be the first new Alzheimer’s treatment in nearly two decades. But the advisory panel said there was not enough evidence of its effectiveness in slowing cognitive decline. By Pam Belluck Stephane de Sakutin/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Shot to Prevent H.I.V. Works Better Than Daily Pill in Women Researchers ended a clinical trial of the drug early because the results were so convincing. The more effective drug would be given in six injections a year instead of as 365 daily pills. By Apoorva Mandavilli Make a friend’s day: Forward this email. Got this from a friend? 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