2020年11月24日 星期二

紐約時報Science 首頁 2020.11.25





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Climate and EnvironmentMore in Climate and Environment ›
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G.M. Drops Its Support for Trump Climate Rollbacks and Aligns With Biden
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With John Kerry Pick, Biden Selects a ‘Climate Envoy’ With Stature
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A Push Emerges for the First Native American Interior Secretary
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Congress Seeks Answers on Alaskan Mine Project
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How One Firm Drove Influence Campaigns Nationwide for Big Oil

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TIMESVIDEO
Monolith Discovered in Utah Desert

A metal monolith, planted firmly in the ground with no clear sign of where it came from or why it was there, was discovered at the base of a barren slot canyon in Utah’s Red Rock Country.


By STORYFUL

Nov. 24, 2020


What We Know About AstraZeneca’s Head-Scratching Vaccine Results

AstraZeneca’s new clinical trial results are positive but confusing, leaving many experts wanting to see more data before passing final judgment on how well the vaccine will work.


By CARL ZIMMER and REBECCA ROBBINS

Nov. 24, 2020


Evidence Builds That an Early Mutation Made the Pandemic Harder to Stop

Scientists were initially skeptical that a mutation made the coronavirus more contagious. But new research has changed many of their minds.


By JAMES GLANZ, BENEDICT CAREY and HANNAH BEECH

Nov. 24, 2020


When A.I. Falls in Love

The Times asked GPT-3 to tell us a little about itself and its romantic life.


By CADE METZ

Nov. 24, 2020


TIMESVIDEO
China Launches Spacecraft to the Moon

China launched a spacecraft to the moon’s surface on Monday. The mission, called Chang’e-5, is China’s aim to be the first country in more than four decades to bring back samples of lunar rocks and soil.


By REUTERS

Nov. 23, 2020


Small Gatherings Spread the Virus, but Are They Causing the Surge?

Yes, the coronavirus can be transmitted over cocktails and dinners. But these get-togethers may not account for the huge rise in cases.


By APOORVA MANDAVILLI

Nov. 23, 2020


The National Zoo’s Panda Cub Has a Name: Xiao Qi Ji

The cub had a live birth and a social media following — everything, it seemed, but a name. Until now.


By CHRISTINE HAUSER

Nov. 23, 2020


The Harmful Chemical Lurking in Your Children’s Toys

A scientist tracks the dangers of flame retardants, meant to protect children, and why manufacturers cannot seem to stop using them.


By LIZA GROSS

Nov. 23, 2020


AstraZeneca’s Coronavirus Vaccine, Easy and Cheap to Produce, Appears Effective

In an early analysis, the drug maker zeroed in on a promising dosing plan for its vaccine.


By REBECCA ROBBINS and BENJAMIN MUELLER

Nov. 23, 2020


Bill Gates, the Virus and the Quest to Vaccinate the World

The billionaire is working with the W.H.O., drugmakers and nonprofits to defeat the coronavirus everywhere, including in the world’s poorest nations. Can they do it?


By MEGAN TWOHEY and NICHOLAS KULISH

Nov. 23, 2020


Pat Quinn, Who Promoted A.L.S. Ice Bucket Challenge, Dies at 37

Mr. Quinn, who learned he had A.L.S. after turning 30, was credited with helping to make the ice-bucket videos a viral sensation that raised $220 million.


By CONCEPCIÓN DE LEÓN

Nov. 22, 2020


Cook an Indigenous Meal or Dance with Dua Lipa

Spend this holiday week experimenting with turkey bones, painting botanical art or running a virtual race.


By ADRIANA BALSAMO and KATHERINE CUSUMANO

Nov. 21, 2020


F.D.A. Grants Emergency Authorization of Antibody Treatment Given to Trump

The treatment, made by the biotech company Regeneron, is a cocktail of two powerful antibodies that have shown promise for people who get it early in the course of the disease.


By KATIE THOMAS and NOAH WEILAND

Nov. 21, 2020


Why Are States Imposing Virus Curfews?

State and city leaders are trying to slow the spread of the coronavirus without full lockdowns. But whether curfews will help remains unclear.


By KWAME OPAM and CONCEPCIÓN DE LEÓN

Nov. 21, 2020


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Antibodies Good. Machine-Made Molecules Better?

With help from computer algorithms, researchers designed proteins from scratch that can trounce the coronavirus in lab animals.


By KATHERINE J. WU

Nov. 21, 2020


Pfizer Applies for Emergency F.D.A. Approval for Covid-19 Vaccine

A large team of regulators at the agency will take about three weeks to review an application spanning thousands of pages.


By NOAH WEILAND and KATIE THOMAS

Nov. 20, 2020


When Sharks Turned Up at Their Beach, They Called in Drones

A goal of the SharkEye project is to one day produce automated “shark reports” for beachgoers to help them gauge levels of risk.


By JACKIE SNOW

Nov. 20, 2020


MATTER
2 Companies Say Their Vaccines Are 95% Effective. What Does That Mean?

You might assume that 95 out of every 100 people vaccinated will be protected from Covid-19. But that’s not how the math works.


By CARL ZIMMER

Nov. 20, 2020


These Algorithms Could Bring an End to the World’s Deadliest Killer

In rural India and other places where tuberculosis is rampant, A.I. that scans lung X-rays might eliminate the scourge.


By APOORVA MANDAVILLI

Nov. 20, 2020


Climate Change Is Making Winter Ice More Dangerous

A new study has found that cold-weather drownings are increasing sharply in warmer parts of the Northern Hemisphere.


By VERONICA PENNEY

Nov. 20, 2020


News Quiz: Election Certification, Boeing, Vaccines

Did you follow the headlines this week?


Compiled by WILL DUDDING, ANNA SCHAVERIEN and JESSICA ANDERSON

Nov. 20, 2020


W.H.O. Rejects Antiviral Drug Remdesivir as a Covid Treatment

In a review of several trials, the World Health Organization found that Gilead’s drug did not improve survival rates for patients nor did it help them recover.


By BENEDICT CAREY

Nov. 19, 2020


C.D.C. Pleads With Americans to Stay Home on Thanksgiving

Even as the White House downplays the coronavirus threat, health officials warned against traditional gatherings with those from outside the immediate household.


By RONI CARYN RABIN

Nov. 19, 2020


H.I.V. Death Rates Fell by Half, C.D.C. Says

From 2010 to 2018, significantly fewer people died of H.I.V.-related causes, although survival rates for women and people of color did not improve as much.


By APOORVA MANDAVILLI

Nov. 19, 2020


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Trump’s E.P.A. Chief Plans 2 Foreign Trips Before Leaving Office

Andrew Wheeler, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, looks to squeeze in two overseas trips in the Trump administration's last days.


By LISA FRIEDMAN

Nov. 19, 2020


OUT THERE
Arecibo Observatory, a Great Eye on the Cosmos, Is Going Dark

The radio telescope in Puerto Rico has to come down before it collapses.


By DENNIS OVERBYE

Leer en español
Nov. 19, 2020


Hospitals and Health Care Workers Issue a Call to Arms for Wearing Masks

With the pandemic raging in the U.S., a new ad campaign features frontline medical personnel pleading for everyone to mask up.


By REED ABELSON

Nov. 19, 2020


These Items in Your Home Are Harming America’s Sea Animals

A new report examines how plastic waste affects marine wildlife.


By CATRIN EINHORN

Nov. 19, 2020


The Coronavirus Is Airborne Indoors. Why Are We Still Scrubbing Surfaces?

Scientists who initially warned about contaminated surfaces now say that the virus spreads primarily through inhaled droplets, and that there is little to no evidence that deep cleaning mitigates the threat indoors.


By MIKE IVES and APOORVA MANDAVILLI

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Nov. 18, 2020


Confused About Masks? Here’s What Scientists Know

The accumulating research may be imperfect, and it’s still evolving, but the takeaway is simple. Right now, masks are necessary to slow the pandemic.


By APOORVA MANDAVILLI

Leer en español
Nov. 18, 2020


What Did Europe Smell Like Centuries Ago? Historians Set Out to Recreate Lost Scents

A project announced this week and funded by the European Union will catalog and recreate the scents of Europe from the 16th century to the early 20th century.


By JENNY GROSS

Leer en español
Nov. 18, 2020


A New Study Questions Whether Masks Protect Wearers. You Need to Wear Them Anyway.

Masks prevent people from transmitting the coronavirus to others, scientists now agree. But a new trial failed to document protection from the virus among the wearers.


By GINA KOLATA

Leer en español
Nov. 18, 2020


New Pfizer Results: Coronavirus Vaccine Is Safe and 95% Effective

The company said it planned to apply for emergency approval from the Food and Drug Administration “within days.”


By KATIE THOMAS

Nov. 18, 2020


Children in U.S. May Miss 9 Million Vaccine Doses in 2020, Report Warns

The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association said vaccinations for measles, polio and other highly contagious diseases had fallen by as much as 26 percent during the coronavirus pandemic.


By NEIL VIGDOR

Nov. 18, 2020


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F.D.A. Authorizes First At-Home Coronavirus Test

The test relies on a nose swab and can be run in just 30 minutes. But it requires a prescription, and has not been evaluated in asymptomatic people.


By KATHERINE J. WU

Nov. 18, 2020


Americans Are More Willing to Take a Coronavirus Vaccine, Poll Suggests

The Gallup survey held promise for an eventual vaccine rollout, but its authors cautioned that confidence remained lower than it was earlier in the pandemic.


By KWAME OPAM

Nov. 17, 2020


Trump Plan to Sell Arctic Oil Leases Will Face Challenges

If lease sales happen in the final days of the Trump administration, they may face disputes in court or could be reversed by the Biden administration.


By HENRY FOUNTAIN and JOHN SCHWARTZ

Nov. 17, 2020


Time Runs Out for a U.S.-Canada Oil Pipeline

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan said the state would shut down a line between her state and Ontario that has been operating since the 1950s.


By VERONICA PENNEY

Nov. 17, 2020


Immunity to the Coronavirus May Last Years, New Data Hint

Blood samples from recovered patients suggest a powerful, long-lasting immune response, researchers reported.


By APOORVA MANDAVILLI

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Nov. 17, 2020


‘I Had to See That Owl’: Central Park’s New Celebrity Bird

New Yorkers are so obsessed with Barry the barred owl that some are concerned he could be scared away. So far, he seems to like the attention.


By LISA M. COLLINS

Nov. 17, 2020


Biden Plans to Move Fast With a ‘Climate Administration.’ Here’s How.

President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. will embed climate policy throughout his government, not only in environmental agencies but in departments like justice, defense, the Treasury and transportation.


By CORAL DAVENPORT and LISA FRIEDMAN

Nov. 17, 2020


‘How Did We Not Know?’ Gun Owners Confront a Suicide Epidemic

The toll of self-inflicted gun deaths has led to an unusual alliance between suicide-prevention advocates and gun-rights proponents.


By RONI CARYN RABIN

Nov. 17, 2020


SpaceX Crew Docks at the International Space Station

“Docking confirmed,” the company founded by Elon Musk announced Monday night.


By AZI PAYBARAH

Nov. 17, 2020


Masatoshi Koshiba, 94, Dies; Nobel Winner Tracked Ghostly Neutrinos

A physics teacher had flunked him, denigrating his abilities. Dr. Koshiba set out to prove the teacher was wrong.


By DENNIS OVERBYE

Nov. 16, 2020


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A CONVERSATION WITH …
Dr. Céline Gounder, Adviser to Biden, on the Next Covid Attack Plan

Schools are essential while restaurants are not, said Dr. Gounder. And manufacturers may soon be ordered to produce protective gear for health workers.


By APOORVA MANDAVILLI

Nov. 16, 2020


Albert R. Jonsen, 89, Dies; Brought Medical Ethics to the Bedside

A former Jesuit priest and leader in bioethics, he believed that an ethicist should be part of a patient’s medical team when hard decisions have to be made.


By GINA KOLATA

Nov. 16, 2020


Trump Administration, in Late Push, Moves to Sell Oil Rights in Arctic Refuge

The lease sales could occur just before Inauguration Day, leaving the administration of Joseph R. Biden Jr. to try to reverse them after the fact.


By HENRY FOUNTAIN

Nov. 16, 2020


Surviving Weed-Out Classes in Science May Be a State of Mind

Social ties to classmates and how students feel could be more important than innate ability when it comes to enduring early STEM courses.


By DALMEET SINGH CHAWLA

Nov. 16, 2020


Leonids Meteor Shower 2020: Watch It Peak in Night Skies

Meteor showers can light up night skies from dusk to dawn, and if you’re lucky you might be able to catch a glimpse.


By NICHOLAS ST. FLEUR

Nov. 16, 2020


States Vow Extra Scrutiny of Coronavirus Vaccine

Special committees, mostly in Democratic-led states, will seek to reassure the public that an F.D.A.-approved vaccine is safe and effective amid doubts about the Trump administration’s virus response.


By ELLEN GABLER and ABBY GOODNOUGH

Nov. 16, 2020


Early Data Show Moderna’s Coronavirus Vaccine Is 94.5% Effective

Moderna is the second company to report preliminary results from a large trial testing a vaccine. But there are still months to go before it will be widely available to the public.


By DENISE GRADY

Leer en español
Nov. 16, 2020


Japanese ‘Monster Wolf’ Aims to Scare Off Wild Bears

After bears kept venturing into the city in search of food, officials installed mechanical wolves with bared teeth, glowing red eyes and a fearsome screech to keep the animals away.


By ELAINE YU and HISAKO UENO

Nov. 15, 2020


SpaceX’s ‘Resilience’ Lifts 4 Astronauts Into New Era of Spaceflight

The crew will spend some 27 hours in a capsule built by the private company before docking with the space station Monday night.


By KENNETH CHANG and ALLYSON WALLER

Nov. 15, 2020


Victor Glover will be the first Black crew member on the space station.

NASA, which has worked to spotlight the “hidden figures” in its history, but has so far sent only 14 Black Americans to space.


By ALLYSON WALLER

Nov. 15, 2020


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The four astronauts are minutes from launching to orbit.


By KENNETH CHANG

Nov. 15, 2020

When is the launch and how can I watch it?


By KENNETH CHANG

Nov. 15, 2020


Doctors Are Calling It Quits Under Stress of the Pandemic

Thousands of medical practices are closing, as doctors and nurses decide to retire early or shift to less intense jobs.


By REED ABELSON

Nov. 15, 2020


Take the Edge Off With Video Games

Unlike loud, stress-inducing shoot-’em-ups, these ones are meant to calm the mind and offer moments of quiet and clarity.


By JULIE MUNCY

Nov. 14, 2020


Missing From State Plans to Distribute the Coronavirus Vaccine: Money to Do It

The government has sent billions to drug companies to develop a coronavirus shot but a tiny fraction of that to localities for training, record-keeping and other costs for vaccinating citizens.


By ABBY GOODNOUGH and SHEILA KAPLAN

Nov. 14, 2020


As the Pandemic Surges, C.D.C. Issues Increasingly Assertive Advice

Agency scientists often contradict the Trump administration now, but critics urge a more public stance.


By APOORVA MANDAVILLI

Nov. 13, 2020


Scientists Destroyed a Nest of Murder Hornets. Here’s What They Learned.

Officials vacuumed the country’s first nest of so-called murder hornets last month in Washington State. The invasive insects could multiply and kill native bee populations, endangering crops and ecosystems.


By CHRISTINA MORALES

Nov. 13, 2020


Send Joy During a Stressful Year With a Holiday Card

You can still connect with loved ones near and far with a holiday card, and referencing the pandemic is OK. Just be mindful of your tone.


By SARAH FIRSHEIN

Nov. 13, 2020


Derrière le vaccin en tête de la course contre la Covid-19, un couple de scientifiques

L’entreprise allemande BioNTech, fondée par deux chercheurs, mari et femme à la ville, s’est associée à Pfizer pour élaborer un vaccin qui vient de se révéler efficace à 90%.


By DAVID GELLES

Read in EnglishLeer en español
Nov. 13, 2020


Biden Wants to Be the Climate President. He’ll Need Some Help From Xi Jinping.

The U.S.-China relationship is at its lowest point in a half century, but there are also converging interests on global warming.


By SOMINI SENGUPTA

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Nov. 13, 2020


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TIMES INSIDER
Until a Vaccine Arrives, a Worrisome Road Ahead

In an interview, the science reporter Donald G. McNeil Jr. says that medical help is coming, but the fight is far from over.


By ADRIANA BALSAMO

Nov. 13, 2020


News Quiz: President-Elect Joe Biden, Vaccines, Alex Trebek

Did you follow the headlines this week?


Compiled by WILL DUDDING, ANNA SCHAVERIEN and JESSICA ANDERSON

Nov. 13, 2020


Newton’s Daunting Masterpiece Had a Surprisingly Wide Audience, Historians Find

The discovery suggests that “Principia” had a stronger impact on Enlightenment science than previous research suggested.


By WILLIAM J. BROAD

Nov. 12, 2020


Teens in Covid Isolation: ‘I Felt Like I Was Suffocating’

Remote learning, lockdowns and pandemic uncertainty have increased anxiety and depression among adolescents, and heightened concerns about their mental health.


By EMMA GOLDBERG

Nov. 12, 2020


Using Wolves as First Responders Against a Deadly Brain Disease

Some scientists say that the predators are essential to curbing the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease because they pick off weak deer.


By JIM ROBBINS

Nov. 12, 2020


These Researchers Tested Positive. But the Virus Wasn’t the Cause.

Several scientists working with harmless genetic material have discovered that their research may have contaminated their coronavirus tests.


By KATHERINE J. WU

Nov. 12, 2020


Navy Research Confirms Need for Strict Coronavirus Testing Protocols

Two new studies clarify how Covid-19 spreads among young adults and expose the limits of quarantine measures.


By BENEDICT CAREY

Nov. 11, 2020


These Microbes May Help Future Martians and Moon People Mine Metals

An experiment aboard the space station showed that bacteria were effective at extracting rare earth elements from rocks.


By KENNETH CHANG

Nov. 11, 2020


Les masques, ça marche. Vraiment. On va vous montrer comment.

Un voyage virtuel à travers le monde microscopique du coronavirus nous montre comment les masques sont un moyen de défense important contre sa transmission.


By OR FLEISHER, GABRIEL GIANORDOLI, YULIYA PARSHINA-KOTTAS, KARTHIK PATANJALI, MILES PEYTON and BEDEL SAGET

Nov. 11, 2020


Les masques, ça marche. Vraiment. On va vous montrer comment.

Un voyage virtuel à travers le monde microscopique du coronavirus nous montre comment les masques sont un moyen de défense important contre sa transmission.


By OR FLEISHER, GABRIEL GIANORDOLI, YULIYA PARSHINA-KOTTAS, KARTHIK PATANJALI, MILES PEYTON and BEDEL SAGET

Nov. 11, 2020


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New Technology Claims to Pinpoint Even Small Methane Leaks From Space

Amid growing alarm about methane’s role in driving global warming, a Canadian firm has begun selling a service to detect even relatively small leaks. At least two rivals are on the way.


By PAUL TULLIS

Nov. 11, 2020


TRILOBITES
Ready to Mate? Take Off Your Mask, One Bat Says

Wrinkle-faced bats incorporate whistles, wing flaps and furry masks into their mating rituals, researchers have found.


By KATHERINE J. WU

Nov. 11, 2020


Training Facial Recognition on Some New Furry Friends: Bears

In their spare time, two Silicon Valley developers aided conservationists in developing artificial intelligence to help keep track of individual bears.


By LESLEY EVANS OGDEN

Nov. 11, 2020


Archaeologists Discover Viking Age Ship Burial in Norway

Using ground-penetrating radar, a team of archaeologists made the discovery in southeastern Norway. Once excavated, the findings could offer insight into Viking settlements.


By JENNY GROSS

Nov. 11, 2020


Warming May Make Hurricanes Weaken More Slowly After Landfall

New research suggests that climate change may be causing storms to retain destructive power for longer after moving inland.


By HENRY FOUNTAIN

Nov. 11, 2020


TRILOBITES
Who Is the Smartest Dog? Let the Competition Begin

Scientists in Hungary are streaming experiments with dogs that know many words, featuring them in a contest of canine intelligence.


By JAMES GORMAN

Nov. 11, 2020


India’s Covid-19 Cases Have Plummeted. Many Fear a New Wave.

While some hope the worst might be over, lapsed vigilance, cold weather and the festival season could spark a resurgence.


By JEFFREY GETTLEMAN, EMILY SCHMALL, SUHASINI RAJ and SAMEER YASIR

Nov. 11, 2020


A Sick Swan Is Saved After a 23-Mile Odyssey by Foot, Car and Subway

A woman with the right training noticed a bird’s odd behavior and made it her mission to undertake a very urban rescue.


By TROY CLOSSON

Leer en español
Nov. 10, 2020


3 Visitors Banned From Yellowstone After Cooking Chickens in Hot Spring

It is illegal to touch or throw objects into hot springs or other hydrothermal features at the park, officials said.


By JOHNNY DIAZ and CONCEPCIÓN DE LEÓN

Nov. 10, 2020


TRILOBITES
How Some Skinks Lost Their Legs and Then Evolved New Ones

The lizards have complicated a rule of thumb that in evolution, once you lose a body part, you don’t regain it.


By VERONIQUE GREENWOOD

Nov. 10, 2020


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Limiting Indoor Capacity Can Reduce Coronavirus Infections, Study Shows

Research using cellphone data in 10 U.S. cities last spring could help influence officials’ decisions on new restrictions as cases resurge around the country.


By BENEDICT CAREY

Nov. 10, 2020


Developmental Disabilities Heighten Risk of Covid Death

People with intellectual disabilities and developmental disorders are three times more likely to die of Covid-19, compared with patients without the conditions, a new analysis found.


By RONI CARYN RABIN

Nov. 10, 2020


The Children Never Had the Coronavirus. So Why Did They Have Antibodies?

A provocative study suggests that certain colds may leave antibodies against the new coronavirus, perhaps explaining why children are more protected than adults.


By GINA KOLATA

Nov. 10, 2020


5 Things We Know About Climate Change and Hurricanes

Scientists can’t say for sure whether global warming is causing more hurricanes, but they are confident that it’s changing the way storms behave. Here’s how.


By VERONICA PENNEY

Nov. 10, 2020


In Brazil’s Halt of Chinese Vaccine Trial, Critics See Politics

The government offered little explanation as to why it had stopped testing a promising coronavirus shot; an institute involved in the trial said a participant’s death was unrelated to the vaccine.


By SUI-LEE WEE and ERNESTO LONDOÑO

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Nov. 10, 2020


Travel and Coronavirus Testing: Your Questions Answered

Taking a test is the best way to assure yourself and others that you aren’t spreading the virus. Here’s what you need to know.


By TARIRO MZEZEWA

Nov. 10, 2020


Who Would Rig This Vote? The Fraud Was Real (and Feathers Were Ruffled)

More than 1,500 fake votes were slipped into New Zealand’s Bird of the Year 2020 contest in favor of the kiwi pukupuku.


By MIKE IVES

Nov. 10, 2020


Could Listening to the Deep Sea Help Save It?

In the abyss, everyone can hear you scream.


By SABRINA IMBLER

Nov. 10, 2020


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

Nov. 10, 2020


Eli Lilly’s Antibody Treatment Gets Emergency F.D.A. Approval

The authorization raised immediate questions about who would get access to the antibody treatments, which are in short supply.


By KATIE THOMAS and NOAH WEILAND

Nov. 9, 2020


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How a Human Cousin Adapted to a Changing Climate

A skull found in a South African cave suggests that the species went through a process of microevolution during a chaotic environmental shift.


By NICHOLAS ST. FLEUR

Nov. 9, 2020


Mink and the Coronavirus: What We Know

Mink are the only animal known to both catch the virus from people and transmit it to them.


By JAMES GORMAN

Nov. 9, 2020


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

Nov. 9, 2020


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

Nov. 9, 2020


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

Leer en español
Nov. 9, 2020


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

Nov. 9, 2020


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

Leer en español
Nov. 9, 2020


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

Nov. 8, 2020


Tropical Storm Eta Makes Landfall in the Florida Keys

The 28th named storm of the Atlantic season brought strong winds and heavy rains late Sunday, the National Hurricane Center said.


By MARIE FAZIO

Nov. 8, 2020


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

Nov. 8, 2020


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Earthquake Rattles Parts of Massachusetts and Rhode Island

The quake, which had a preliminary magnitude of 3.6, was also felt in the Long Island Sound, the United States Geological Survey said.


By MARIE FAZIO

Nov. 8, 2020


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

Nov. 8, 2020


Put Physics to the Test With a D.I.Y. Roller Coaster

Build supports and track from newspaper and then put them together in your own combinations.


By GODWYN MORRIS and PAULA FRISCH

Nov. 7, 2020


Build Mental Endurance Like a Pro

Athletes who have endured the most grueling tests have a lot to tell us about how to thrive in the pandemic.


By TALYA MINSBERG

Nov. 7, 2020


Call It Friendsgiving, Call It Podsgiving, Just Don’t Forget the Green Beans

Thanksgiving is even more of a logistical puzzle this year, and some people are solving it differently.


By COURTNEY RUBIN

Nov. 7, 2020


Solo on the Holiday? Reach Out

Single people make up one third of all American households and finding ways to celebrate this Thanksgiving means taking action ahead of time.


By ANNA GOLDFARB

Nov. 7, 2020
How We’ll Think TomorrowMore in How We’ll Think Tomorrow ›
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Meet GPT-3. It Has Learned to Code (and Blog and Argue).
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Designed to Deceive: Do These People Look Real to You?
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Can an Algorithm Prevent Suicide?
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Can We Make Our Robots Less Biased Than We Are?
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Can a Computer Devise a Theory of Everything?
TrilobitesMore in Trilobites ›
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Don’t Get Between a Caterpillar and Its Milkweed
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Burning Fossil Fuels Helped Drive Earth’s Most Massive Extinction
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These Shrimp Leave the Safety of Water and Walk on Land. But Why?
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Platypuses Glow Under Blacklight. We Have No Idea Why.
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A Record of Horseback Riding, Written in Bone and Teeth









Meet GPT-3. It Has Learned to Code (and Blog and Argue).

The latest natural-language system generates tweets, pens poetry, summarizes emails, answers trivia questions, translates languages and even writes its own computer programs.

13h agoBy CADE METZ




PhotoCREDITTREVOR WALLACE

How Archaeologists Are Using Deep Learning to Dig Deeper

Trawling ancient history with neural nets.

21h agoBy ZACH ZORICH
PhotoCREDITCRISTINA SPANÒ

Need a Hypothesis? This A.I. Has One

Slowly, machine-learning systems are beginning to generate ideas, not just test them.

14h agoBy BENEDICT CAREY
PhotoCREDITALEX EBEN MEYER

OUT THERE
Can a Computer Devise a Theory of Everything?

It might be possible, physicists say, but not anytime soon. And there’s no guarantee that we humans will understand the result.

1d agoBy DENNIS OVERBYE

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