NYT > Science

1. Covid-Sniffing Dogs Are Accurate, But Wide Use Faces Hurdles
   Logistics, cost and official standards are needed for the dogs to fulfill their potential in medical fields.
2. Glacier Blood? Watermelon Snow? Whatever It’s Called, Snow Shouldn’t Be So Red.
   Researchers are starting to investigate the species that drive alpine algal blooms to better understand their causes and effects.
3. Where the Grass is Greener, Except When It’s ‘Nonfunctional Turf’
   Plus, mammoths in Vegas, watermelon snow, Miami’s looming sea wall and more in the Friday edition of the Science Times newsletter.
4. Venus Will Have a Fleet of Spacecraft as Europe Adds Orbiter Mission
   The EnVision spacecraft will complement two NASA missions announced last week, ending the relative loneliness of a planet sometimes thought of as Earth’s twin.
5. Solar Eclipse 2021: Highlights From the 'Ring of Fire'
   Weather and geography made it difficult to see the rare spectacle, but some intrepid people got an exciting view of the eclipse from unique vantage points.
6. NASA's Juno Takes Photos of Ganymede, Jupiter's Biggest Moon
   The Juno spacecraft completed a close flyby of Ganymede, Jupiter’s biggest moon, as it transitions into a new phase of its mission.
7. Can't See Pictures in Your Mind? You're Not Alone.
   Scientists are finding new ways to probe two not-so-rare conditions to better understand the links between vision, perception and memory.
8. This Tiny Creature Survived 24,000 Years Frozen in Siberian Permafrost
   The microscopic animals were frozen when woolly mammoths still roamed the planet, but were restored as though no time had passed.
9. What Has Four Legs, a Trunk and a Behavioral Database?
   From tens of thousands of hours of observation, scientists have compiled a detailed library of African elephant behavior.
10. Outbreak of Poisonous Browntail Moth Caterpillars Plagues Maine
    The caterpillars, known as browntail moths, have tiny hairs that can cause skin rashes and even breathing issues for some people.
11. Humpback Whale Nearly Eats a Lobsterman, Then Thinks Better of It
    Michael Packard, a lobster diver in Provincetown, Mass., found himself inside the mouth of a whale on Friday morning, then was spit out.
12. F.D.A. Still Lacks a Permanent Commissioner
    With the pandemic easing, the federal agency’s long-term agenda for drug approvals or new issues is languishing without a permanent commissioner.
13. What to Know About Testing and Vaccine Requirements for Travel
    Do you need to be vaccinated or have a negative Covid-19 test for your next trip? Check this guide before traveling domestically or abroad.
14. F.D.A. Tells Johnson & Johnson That 60 Million Vaccine Doses Cannot Be Used
    The agency has not decided whether to allow a troubled vaccine factory in Baltimore to reopen.
15. Biden Plans to Restore Protections to Tongass National Forest in Alaska
    The administration says it will “repeal or replace” the rule that opened up more than half of Tongass National Forest to logging.
16. For Lease: Windmill Space in the Atlantic Between Long Island and New Jersey
    The proposed lease sale is part of the Biden administration's push to develop 30,000 megawatts of offshore wind power by 2030.
17. How to Reopen Offices Safely
    Flush the taps, focus on indoor air quality and consider getting creative about staff schedules.
18. E.P.A. to Review Rules on Soot Linked to Deaths, Which Trump Declined to Tighten
    The Biden administration says it will consider tougher limits on a deadly air pollutant that disproportionately affects low-income and minority communities.
19. Something Weird on the Beach Was Staining Their Feet. But What?
    Dozens of people in Maine and New Hampshire complained that the sand had turned the soles of their feet black. Now the mystery is solved.
20. The C.D.C.’s New Leader Follows the Science. Is That Enough?
    By all accounts, Dr. Rochelle Walensky is a fierce advocate and an empathetic scientist. But C.D.C. advice must be better attuned to the real world, critics say.
21. UnitedHealthcare May Deny Emergency Visit Coverage
    Within days of announcing a policy shift aimed at cutting back on reimbursements for emergency room care, the major insurer retreated — for now.
22. Our Response to Climate Change Is Missing Something Big, Scientists Say
    Yes, planting new trees can help. But intact wild areas are much better. The world needs to treat warming and biodiversity loss as two parts of the same problem, a new report warns.
23. Collapse of Infrastructure Talks Risks Biden's Climate Priorities
    The chances of pushing climate legislation through Congress, a long shot from the beginning, now appear even more uncertain.
24. A Multibillion-Dollar Plan to End Polio, and Soon
    A global partnership announced plans to spend more than $5 billion to eradicate poliovirus.
25. Reports of Severe Covid or Death After Vaccination Are Rare, but Not Unexpected
    No vaccine is ever 100 percent effective, experts say, stressing that the shots remain critical in reducing severe disease and death from the coronavirus.
26. AstraZeneca Shots Carry Slightly Higher Risk of Bleeding Problem, New Study Says
    But the research, involving 2.53 million adults in Scotland, found that the vaccine’s benefits outweighed the small risks.
27. Eclipse anular solar 2021: horarios y forma de verlo
    Este eclipse anular solar comenzará en Canadá y terminará en una parte remota de Rusia. En algunas regiones de Estados Unidos las personas solo verán un eclipse parcial.
28. Where to Watch the Ring of Fire Solar Eclipse at Sunrise
    An annular eclipse will start in Canada and end in a remote part of Russia. People in areas of the United States will see a partial eclipse.
29. ¿Las vacunas contra la COVID-19 van a necesitar refuerzos?
    Los científicos están haciendo diversas preguntas sobre las inyecciones de refuerzo, pero aún no tienen tantas respuestas. Esto es lo que saben hasta ahora.
30. Trouble in Los Angeles County: Too Many Peacocks
    Some residents admire their beauty. Others complain about the noise, the aggression and the droppings. Now, officials are considering an ordinance to stop people from feeding peafowl.
31. A U.N. Declaration on Ending AIDS Should Have Been Easy. It Wasn’t.
    Even with U.N.’s previous goals unmet, delegates tried to water down provisions regarding protections for vulnerable populations and patents for essential drugs.
32. Alzheimer’s Drug Is Bonanza for Biogen, Most Likely at Taxpayer Expense
    Despite scant evidence that it works, the drug, Aduhelm, is predicted to generate billions of dollars in revenue, much of it from Medicare.
33. Carbon Dioxide in Atmosphere Hits Record High Despite Pandemic Dip
    Global emissions dropped last year, but the decline wasn’t nearly enough to halt the buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
34. Line 3 Protest Tests 2 of Biden's Campaign Pledges
    Late Monday, the police arrested activists and appeared to use a crowd-dispersing sonic device at the Line 3 pipeline in Minnesota, which would carry oil across sensitive waterways and tribal lands.
35. New Dinosaur Species Is Australia’s Largest, Researchers Say
    Australotitan cooperensis, a long-necked herbivore from the Cretaceous period, is estimated to have weighed 70 tons, measured two stories tall and extended the length of a basketball court.
36. FEMA Disaster Aid Often Widens Racial Disparities
    The federal government often gives less help to Black disaster survivors than their white neighbors. That’s a challenge for President Biden, who has vowed to fight both inequality and climate change.
37. Looking to Tackle Prescription Overload
    Older adults often take more medications than they need, or than is safe. Increasingly, geriatric experts and their patients are exploring the benefits of “deprescribing.”
38. How the ‘Alpha’ Coronavirus Variant Became So Powerful
    A new study suggests how the variant first identified in Britain hides from the human immune system. Its stealth may be part of its success.
39. Jeff Bezos Will Fly Aboard Blue Origin’s First Human Trip to Space
    Mr. Bezos and his brother, Mark, will be on board when his rocket company launches its first human spaceflight next month, shortly after he steps down as chief executive of Amazon.