Science Times: In Mexico, Childbirth in Covid’s Shadow

Plus: This Solstice, Solace for the Darkness —

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story December 22, 2020   In Mexico, Childbirth in Covid’s Shadow Midwives and doctors struggle to help women give birth safely during the grim days of the pandemic. By Janet Jarman Ian Willms for The New York Times ‘The Pandemic Is a Prisoner’s Dilemma Game’ Using game theory, researchers modeled two ways of prioritizing vaccinations, to see which saved more lives. By Siobhan Roberts Alberto Valdes/EPA, via Shutterstock Out There This Solstice, Solace for the Darkness A rare conjunction of planets serves as a reminder that there is more to the universe than just ourselves. By Dennis Overbye China Global Television Network China Brings Moon Rocks to Earth, and a New Era of Competition to Space The Chang’e-5 mission’s success highlights the progress of China’s space program, and growing rivalry with the United States. By Steven Lee Myers and Kenneth Chang NASA, ESA, STScI, M.H. Wong, L.A. Sromovsky and P.M. Fry Neptune’s Weird Dark Spot Just Got Weirder While observing the planet’s large inky storm, astronomers spotted a smaller vortex they named Dark Spot Jr. By Shannon Stirone Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Email us Let us know how we’re doing at sciencenewsletter@nytimes.com. THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK   The U.K. Coronavirus Variant: What We Know A newly identified variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus appears to be more contagious than established ones. Here’s what scientists know. By Carl Zimmer and Benedict Carey Niklas Halle'n/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images What You Can Do Post-Vaccine, and When Particularly in the early months of vaccination, many activities should wait, experts say — and plan to keep your masks. By Claire Cain Miller, Margot Sanger-Katz and Katherine J. Wu Joe Raedle/Getty Images Now That Grandma Has Been Vaccinated, May I Visit Her? The start of a mass coronavirus vaccination campaign at U.S. nursing homes has brought hope to many families. But it may be a while before restrictions loosen. Here are answers to common questions. By Matt Richtel Hilary Swift for The New York Times Health Care Workers Still Face Daunting Shortages of Masks and Other P.P.E. Frontline medical personnel in hospitals and nursing homes are urging the incoming Biden administration to use the Defense Production Act to increase manufacturing of personal protective equipment. By Andrew Jacobs Hannah Yoon for The New York Times Frontline Workers and People Over 74 Should Get Shots Next, C.D.C. Panel Says The recommendation was a compromise aimed at getting the coronavirus vaccine to the most vulnerable of two high-risk groups. By Abby Goodnough and Jan Hoffman Jenna Schoenefeld for The New York Times Here’s What People With Allergies Should Know About Covid Vaccines Four people so far have had allergic reactions after getting the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Experts say that shouldn’t deter most people from getting a jab. By Katherine J. Wu Go Nakamura for The New York Times How Effective Is the Mask You’re Wearing? You May Know Soon A C.D.C. division is working with an industry standards group to develop filtration standards — and products that meet them will be able to carry labels saying so. By Sheila Kaplan Ellume, via Associated Press New At-Home Covid Test Gets Green Light From F.D.A. Unlike similar at-home tests, Ellume’s does not require a prescription. By Katherine J. Wu Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT MORE SCIENCE NEWS Government of Yukon Trilobites A Wolf Pup Mummy From the Ancient Arctic Melting permafrost yields secrets of how a 6-week-old wolf puppy lived and died. By James Gorman Matthew Abbott for The New York Times ‘A Social Species’: How Kangaroos Communicate With People Researchers say that kangaroos are the first wild animals to exhibit interspecies communication that is more commonly seen in animals that have evolved alongside humans. By Yan Zhuang Western Australia Museum Trilobites More Mammals Are Hiding Their Secret Glow First it was platypuses. Now we may be dealing with glowing Tasmanian devils, echidnas and wombats. By Cara Giaimo Nicholas Georgiadis Ivory From Shipwreck Reveals Elephant Slaughter During Spice Trade A trove from a Portuguese trading ship that sank in 1533 preserved genetic traces of whole lineages that have vanished from West Africa. By Rachel Nuwer Trilobites He’s Too Quiet for His Mate to Hear Him. So He Makes a Megaphone. Some tree crickets amplify their calls with leaves, giving them an opportunity to mate that they otherwise might miss. By Katherine J. Wu Trilobites To Study Blinking, a Scientist Needed a Literal Bird’s Eye View It took a customized headpiece to monitor when and how much a grackle blinked in flight. By Elizabeth Preston Trilobites Will Ghost Sharks Vanish Before Scientists Can Study Them? Much remains to be learned about the cartilaginous, little understood fishes that inhabit the deep-sea. By Annie Roth Trilobites Pythons Slithered Through Europe Before Coiling Around the World The oldest known fossils of the predatory snakes were found at a German site, changing the snake family tree. By Katherine Kornei Jack Steinberger, Nobel Winner in Physics, Dies at 99 Dr. Steinberger shared the prize in 1988 for expanding understanding of the neutrino, a staggeringly ubiquitous subatomic particle. By Douglas Martin Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT HEALTH Gracia Lam Personal Health Should I Have Elective Surgery in the Pandemic? Patients must balance the chance of a life-threatening Covid-19 exposure against the opportunity for relief from a condition that may be painful but is not considered urgent. By Jane E. Brody Getty Images The Checkup What Pediatricians Say Can’t Wait As we celebrate the rollout of the new Covid-19 vaccines, don’t forget the standard immunizations and other steps to keep children safe. By Perri Klass, M.D. Max Whittaker for The New York Times New Scan Finds Prostate Cancer Cells Hiding in the Body The test seems likely to improve the diagnosis and treatment of a disease that kills 33,000 American men each year. By Gina Kolata Jun Cen Should You Bank Your Baby’s Cord Blood? The stem cells in this vital fluid could save someone’s life, but it probably won’t be your child’s. By Dana Najjar Getty Images Phys Ed 2020: A Year in Fitness Like No Other The novel coronavirus crept into and transformed every aspect of our lives, including the way we work out. By Gretchen Reynolds Make a friend’s day: Forward this email. Got this from a friend? Subscribe to the Science Times newsletter. 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