Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the term “social distancing” was completely unfamiliar to most of us. Now we do our best to stay apart in order to slow the spread of the coronavirus. For those of us who work at zoos, however, it isn’t just humans we’re trying to protect. With a positive coronavirus diagnosis […]
When I was younger, like most kids, I’d always look forward to the days when I could go to work with my dad. He’s an infectious-disease doctor at Elmhurst Hospital, in Queens, so there was always plenty of excitement in the neighborhood that still now remains one of my favorites in all of New York. […]
Americans’ trust in medical scientists has grown since the coronavirus outbreak first upended everyday activities at workplaces, homes and schools across the nation. But there are growing divisions between Republicans and Democrats in the confidence they have in medical scientists. These partisan divides extend to perceptions of the risk posed by the novel coronavirus to […]
As the coronavirus crisis takes a massive toll on global markets, officials are increasingly raising alarms about the food supply. Maximo Torero Cullen, chief economist with the U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), has warned that “a protracted pandemic crisis could quickly put a strain on the food supply chains, a complex web of interactions […]
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Easter Island’s colossal statues loom large—both literally and figuratively—in the popular imagination. The massive heads and torsos dot the landscape like stone sentinels, standing guard over the isle’s treeless, grassy expanse. The statues have inspired widespread speculation, awe, and wonder for centuries. But the island, called Rapa Nui by its Indigenous people, has also captured […]
US President Donald Trump has announced that he is “terminating” the country’s relationship with the World Health Organization (WHO), and that the US will redirect funds intended for the agency to other global health projects. During the announcement at a news briefing 29 May, Trump reiterated accusations that the WHO is too lenient with China. […]
This is Scientific American’s Science Talk, posted on May 29, 2020. I’m Steve Mirsky. On this episode: SAPOLSKY CLIP That’s Robert Sapolsky. He’s a professor of biology, neurology, and neurosurgery at Stanford University. He’s also a research associate at the National Museums of Kenya. In the lab he’s a neurobiologist who studies the effects of […]
The items below are highlights from the newsletter, “Smart, useful, science stuff about COVID-19.” To receive newsletter issues daily in your inbox, sign-up here. Wastewater testing for genetic snippets of the new coronavirus is “gaining traction” as an early warning approach for outbreaks, reports Sharon Begley for STAT (5/28/20). The approach already is being used […]
Antarctic glaciers may be capable of shrinking at much faster rates than scientists previously imagined — raising new concerns about the future of the ice sheet. New evidence suggests that parts of the ice sheet retreated by as much as 6 miles a year at the end of the last ice age, around 11,000 years […]