Science Times: What the Future May Hold for the Coronavirus and Us

Plus: Flu Vaccines, Medieval Cannonballs and Night-Blooming Flowers —

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story October 12, 2021 Bianca Bagnarelli What the Future May Hold for the Coronavirus and Us Viral evolution is a long game. Here's where scientists think we could be headed. By Emily Anthes Shannon Stapleton/Reuters If You've Had Covid, Do You Need the Vaccine? So-called natural immunity varies from patient to patient, scientists say. Immunization is still the best choice after recovering from the disease. By Apoorva Mandavilli Sanofi First, Impressive Vaccines for Covid. Next Up: The Flu. Vaccine makers are betting that the mRNA technology powering two successful Covid vaccines will help curb the tragic global death toll from the flu. By Carl Zimmer Historical Images Archive/Alamy Past Pandemics Remind Us Covid Will Be an Era, Not a Crisis That Fades History repeatedly demonstrates how difficult it is to decisively declare that a pandemic is over. By Gina Kolata Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Email us Let us know how we're doing at sciencenewsletter@nytimes.com. Cologny, Fondation Martin Bodmer Trilobites This Chemist's Pandemic Hobby? Firing Medieval Cannonballs. Gunpowder used in cannons helped change the nature of warfare, but it took a while to get the recipe just right. By William J. Broad Photograph by Linny Morris. Styled by Ren MacDonald-Balasia The Ephemeral Beauty of Night-Blooming Flowers Plants that unfurl their petals only in darkness often condense the drama and poetry of their blossoming into one supercharged — and unpredictable — evening. By Ligaya Mishan Jack Treist Trilobites How Maori Arrival in New Zealand Was Frozen in Antarctic Ice Ice cores drilled from the southern continent preserved a signal of the peopling of islands thousands of miles away. By Katherine Kornei Leejiah Dorward Trilobites When You Go to the Loo, a Bat Might Go Boo Among roosting bats in parts of Africa, the inside of a drop toilet can be a lovely place to hang. By Sabrina Imbler Jonathan Nackstrand/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Nobel Prize in Chemistry Awarded to Scientists for Tool That Builds Better Catalysts Benjamin List and David W.C. MacMillan were honored for work that spurred research into new drugs and reduced the effect of chemistry on the environment. By Sabrina Imbler, Marc Santora and Cora Engelbrecht Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT CLIMATE CHANGE Matthew Brown/Associated Press More Than 30 Countries Join U.S. Pledge to Slash Methane Emissions Methane is the second-largest driver of global warming after carbon dioxide emissions. Scientists say the promised cuts could help avert the worst consequences of climate change. By Lisa Friedman Doug Mills/The New York Times Major Climate Action at Stake in Fight Over Twin Bills Pending in Congress Legislation aimed at infrastructure and social programs also includes big changes in energy, transportation and disaster preparation. They would amount to the most significant climate action ever taken by the United States. By Brad Plumer and Winston Choi-Schagrin Stefani Reynolds for The New York Times Kyrsten Sinema Wants to Cut $100 Billion in Proposed Climate Funds, Sources Say The Arizona senator, who started in politics as an environmentalist, is one of two centrist Democrats who could make or break a spending bill at the center of President Biden's legislative agenda. By Coral Davenport Tim Gruber for The New York Times Biden Administration to Restore Climate Criteria to Landmark Environmental Law A proposed rule would require agencies to study the climate impacts of new highways, pipelines and other projects, reversing a Trump-era effort to weaken reviews. By Lisa Friedman Subscribe Today We hope you've enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times with this special offer. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT HEALTH Gracia Lam Personal Health Cutting Out Even a Little Salt Can Have Big Health Benefits For many, reducing sodium in the diet even modestly can have an outsize impact on lowering blood pressure. By Jane E. Brody Colleen Long/Associated Press After Years of Sexual Abuse Allegations, How Did This Doctor Keep Working? Hospital staff members looked the other way while Ricardo Cruciani addicted vulnerable women to pain medications and assaulted them, according to a new lawsuit. By Roni Caryn Rabin Brian Ongoro/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Africans Welcome New Malaria Vaccine. But Is It a 'Game Changer'? The arsenal of weapons to use against malaria, which kills hundreds of thousands of people annually, just grew bigger. By Abdi Latif Dahir Getty Images Phys Ed Exercise May Help to Ease 'Chemo Brain' Women undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer who stayed physically active had fewer problems with memory and thinking. By Gretchen Reynolds Mikel Roberts/Sygma via Getty Images In Candid Photos, Shannen Doherty Shows the Ravages of Breast Cancer The actress, 50, who has Stage 4 cancer, said she posted the photos to help raise awareness about breast cancer prevention. By Maria Cramer Ask Well Do I Still Need a Pulse Oximeter? A new study shows just how lifesaving home monitoring of oxygen levels can be. By Tara Parker-Pope Francis Collins, Who Guided N.I.H. Through Covid-19 Crisis, Is Exiting The agency's director under three presidents said he was planning to shift his focus back to the lab, and that he hoped his replacement would be a woman. By Noah Weiland and Gina Kolata Biden Officials End Ban on Abortion Referrals at Federally Funded Clinics The change reversed a policy meant to deter abortions under the Trump administration. By Noah Weiland THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK Alisha Jucevic for The New York Times Boosters Are Complicating Efforts to Persuade the Unvaccinated to Get Shots The number of eligible people still weighing whether to get a Covid vaccine has sharply dwindled, leaving an unvaccinated population that is mostly hard-core refusers. By Jan Hoffman Patrick Semansky/Associated Press Should Passengers Be Vaccinated or Tested to Fly Within the U.S.? Numerous airline executives say no, but a growing number of politicians and medical experts say it is worth following Canada's lead before holiday travel commences. By Heather Murphy Rachel Wisniewski for The New York Times The Hot New Back-to-School Accessory? An Air Quality Monitor. Parents are sneaking carbon dioxide monitors into their children's schools to determine whether the buildings are safe. By Emily Anthes Shawn Rocco/Duke Health, via Reuters Pfizer Asks F.D.A. to Authorize Its Covid-19 Vaccine for Children 5 to 11 The agency has promised to move quickly on the request and tentatively plans to meet on Oct. 26 to consider it. A decision could come soon after Halloween. By Sharon LaFraniere and Noah Weiland Aaron Nesheim for The New York Times A New Vaccine Strategy for Children: Just One Dose, for Now Myocarditis, a rare side effect, occurs mostly after the second dose. So in some countries, officials are trying out single doses for children. By Apoorva Mandavilli 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. 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