Science Times: In Life, She Defied Alzheimer’s. In Death, Her Brain May Show How.

Plus: Outer Space Just Got a Bit Brighter —

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story December 15, 2020 Federico Rios for The New York Times In Life, She Defied Alzheimer’s. In Death, Her Brain May Show How. A woman in Colombia with a rare genetic mutation recently made the ultimate donation to science. By Jennie Erin Smith Kaiti Sullivan for The New York Times Fruit Flies Are Essential to Science. So Are the Workers Who Keep Them Alive. Sustaining the world’s biggest Drosophila collection during the pandemic has been a challenge, but the people in Indiana who supply the insects to labs around the world stay dedicated to the task. By Cara Giaimo Drew Angerer/Getty Images How to Save Phallic Flowers From Being Inbred to Extinction To preserve corpse flowers and other rare plants, botanic gardens are borrowing studbooks, an approach used by zoos and horse breeders. By Samantha Drake Guy Billout Out There Outer Space Just Got a Little Brighter The universe is not as black as astronomers once thought. By Dennis Overbye Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Email us Let us know how we’re doing at sciencenewsletter@nytimes.com. THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK Ted S. Warren/Associated Press Moderna Vaccine Is Highly Protective and Prevents Severe Covid-19, Data Show The positive review likely ensures that the F.D.A. will grant emergency authorization for a second coronavirus vaccine this week for millions of Americans. By Noah Weiland, Denise Grady and Carl Zimmer Cassidy Araiza for The New York Times The Next Vaccine Challenge: Reassuring Older Americans The two leading coronavirus vaccines seemed to work well in elderly trial volunteers. “I just can’t understand why people are afraid,” one 95-year-old said. By Apoorva Mandavilli Seth Herald/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Fears of a ‘Twindemic’ Recede as Flu Lies Low Despite early worries, flu patients are not competing with Covid-19 patients for ventilators, and the threat of dueling outbreaks may be waning. By Donald G. McNeil Jr. Go Nakamura/Getty Images Covid Study Shows an Arthritis Drug May Help Patients Recover Baricitinib had previously attracted some scrutiny from experts, who were unsure when it would most help their patients. By Katherine J. Wu Pool photo by Dan Charity Pfizer’s Covid Vaccine and Allergies: How Concerned Should You Be? British health officials recommended that people with severe allergy reactions not be given the vaccine. Such reactions to vaccines are rare, even in people who have allergies to food or bee stings. By Denise Grady Callaghan O'Hare/Reuters Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women May Opt to Receive the Vaccine Although no coronavirus vaccine has been studied in these women, many scientists believe the benefits will outweigh any potential risks. By Apoorva Mandavilli Illustration by Ori Toor Studies Show We Know How to Curb the Pandemic. How Do We Make People Listen? Could better public health messaging persuade more people to change their behavior? By Kim Tingley Max Whittaker for The New York Times Here’s Why Vaccinated People Still Need to Wear a Mask The new vaccines will probably prevent you from getting sick with Covid. No one knows yet whether they will keep you from spreading the virus to others — but that information is coming. By Apoorva Mandavilli Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT MORE SCIENCE NEWS Louisville Zoo Snow Leopards Are the Latest Cats to Be Infected With the Coronavirus Lions and tigers had already contracted the virus, but have recovered. By James Gorman Jonathan Bartlett Trilobites How Selfish Are Plants? Let’s Do Some Root Analysis A new model further untangles the complex strategy games playing out under our feet. By Cara Giaimo Heather Mattila Trilobites Menaced by Murder Hornets, Bees Decorate Their Hives With Feces Asian honeybees have exhibited what scientists call a form of tool use to deter attacks by giant predatory wasps. By Katherine J. Wu Spacex/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Watch SpaceX’s Starship Launch and Explode in Crash Landing The company described the test of the next-generation spacecraft as “awesome” even though it ended in a fiery blast. By Kenneth Chang Trilobites Why Are Pandas Covering Themselves With Horse Manure? Researchers in China spent a decade studying this question. By Katherine J. Wu They’re Among the World’s Oldest Living Things. The Climate Crisis Is Killing Them. California’s redwoods, sequoias and Joshua trees define the American West and nature’s resilience through the ages. Wildfires this year were their deadliest test. By John Branch, Max Whittaker and Veronica Penney Can Israelis Put Two Landers on the Moon at Once? Although the Beresheet lunar landing ended in a crash last year, SpaceIL wants to try again with a more complex mission by 2024. By Kenneth Chang ‘Heroes of the Future’: NASA Picks 18 Astronauts for Moon Mission Training Among the group are astronauts who could be the first woman on the moon. By Kenneth Chang Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT CLIMATE CHANGE   Shift to a Not-So-Frozen North Is Well Underway, Scientists Warn “There is no reason to think that in 30 years much of anything will be as it is today,” one of the editors of a new report on the Arctic climate said. By Henry Fountain Agence France-Presse — Getty Images China, in Nudge to U.S., Makes a New Promise to Tackle Global Warming Speaking at an online summit on the fifth anniversary of the Paris climate agreement, Xi Jinping said that China would reduce its carbon intensity by over 65 percent by 2030. By Somini Sengupta HEALTH Gracia Lam Personal Health Improving Your Balance to Prevent Falls Balance is something the body learns to do automatically by engaging the postural muscles. By Jane E. Brody Bryan Anselm for The New York Times Amid Pandemic, Scientists Reassess Routine Medical Care All this year, patients stayed away from doctors’ offices in droves, postponing tests and treatments. Maybe there’s a silver lining. By Gina Kolata Cayce Clifford for The New York Times Childhood Without Other Children: A Generation Is Raised in Quarantine Covid-19 has meant the youngest children can’t go to birthday parties or play dates. Parents are keeping them out of day care. What is the long-term effect of the pandemic on our next generation? By Matt Richtel Isabel Seliger the new old age Hearing Aids Could Use Some Help The vital medical devices could be inexpensive and available over the counter. But efforts have stalled under the F.D.A. By Paula Span How Foods May Affect Our Sleep A growing body of research suggests that the foods you eat can affect how well you sleep, and your sleep patterns can affect your dietary choices. By Anahad O’Connor The Checkup After a Covid-19 Semester, College Doctors Reflect on Sports Weighing the risks and benefits of participating in sports against the larger public health factors. By Perri Klass, M.D. It’s Not Just You: Picking a Health Insurance Plan Is Really Hard Most Americans make poor choices. So do most professional insurance brokers, a new study finds. But robots may help. By Margot Sanger-Katz 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. 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