Science Times: You Don’t Need a Spaceship to Grow ‘Weird Little’ Martian Radishes

Plus: The Flu Makes an Unwelcome Comeback —

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story December 28, 2021 Thomas Peter/Reuters You Don't Need a Spaceship to Grow 'Weird Little' Martian Radishes Scientists on this planet have worked out a variety of techniques to simulate the conditions of other worlds that are near and very far. By Sarah Scoles Kayana Szymczak for The New York Times E.O. Wilson, a Pioneer of Evolutionary Biology, Dies at 92 A Harvard professor for 46 years, he was an expert on insects and explored how natural selection and other forces could influence animal behavior. He then applied his research to humans. By Carl Zimmer Morgan Hornsby for The New York Times Sickle Cell Math Is Brutally Simple, but Not Widely Taught An inexpensive blood test can warn couples if they face one in four odds of having a baby with the disease. No one ever told Lametra Scott and Rickey Buggs about it. By Gina Kolata The Flu Makes an Unwelcome Comeback as Omicron Surges ​​The number of recent influenza cases is typical for this time of year, but the last time flu cases reached this level was before the coronavirus pandemic began. By Keith Collins Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF THE UNIVERSE How far did you travel in the past year? 7 million miles 584 million miles 4 billion miles 11 billion milesClick on what you think is the correct answer. Maisie Cousins for The New York Times How Disgust Explains Everything For psychologists who study it, disgust is one of the primal emotions that define — and explain — humanity. By Molly Young Pool photo by Shamil Zhumatov NASA-Russia Alliance in Space Is Shaken by Events on Planet Earth The relationship between the nations' space agencies is facing a series of difficult tests, including an antisatellite weapon and friction over Ukraine. By Joey Roulette Anna Filipova for The New York Times How to Catch a Polar Bear First, spot the bear. By Anna Filipova and Emily Anthes Martin Sander Trilobites This Sea Lizard Had a Grand Piano-Size Head and a Big Appetite Scientists have described a giant new species of ichthyosaur that evolved its 55-foot-long body size only a few million years after the lizards returned to the seas. By Sabrina Imbler James Webb Space Telescope Launches on Journey to See the Dawn of Starlight Astronomers were jubilant as the spacecraft made it off the launchpad following decades of delays and cost overruns. The Webb is set to offer a new keyhole into the earliest moments of our universe. By Dennis Overbye and Joey Roulette Last Known Slave Ship Is Remarkably Well Preserved, Researchers Say DNA may be extracted from the Clotilda, which was sunk in the Mobile River in Alabama in 1860 after it arrived from West Africa carrying 110 enslaved people, researchers said. By Michael Levenson 3,000 Years Ago, Britain Got Half Its Genes From … France? An extensive study of ancient DNA suggests that a wave of newcomers — and perhaps the first Celtic languages — crossed the English Channel three millenniums ago. By Franz Lidz Trilobites Why These Mexican Fish Do the Wave Soccer fans aren't the only ones on Earth who make waves. By Veronique Greenwood Robert H. Grubbs, 79, Dies; His Chemistry Breakthrough Led to a Nobel He helped perfect the manufacturing of compounds that are now used to make everything from plastics to pharmaceuticals, marking an advance in "green chemistry." By Dylan Loeb McClain Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT CLIMATE CHANGE What the Stalled Build Back Better Bill Means for Climate, in One Chart If the bill dies, it could prove extremely difficult, if not impossible, for the United States to meet its climate targets. By Brad Plumer and Nadja Popovich Andrew Testa for The New York Times Cities FOR Tomorrow Using a City's Excess Heat to Reduce Emissions A district in London has developed an innovative way to divert subway heat for buildings to lower carbon emissions. Other cities are getting creative, as well. By Tatiana Schlossberg Email us Let us know how we're doing at sciencenewsletter@nytimes.com. 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 Rachel Levit Ruiz Personal Health Many Common Medications Can Raise Your Blood Pressure Popular pain relievers and antidepressants, as well as alcohol and herbal supplements, are among the many substances that can contribute to hypertension. By Jane E. Brody M. Scott Brauer for The New York Times An Overlooked Cure for Loneliness Science tells us the solution may lie in what we do for others, not ourselves. By Christina Caron Tim Gruber for The New York Times National Guard Empties Bedpans and Clips Toenails at Nursing Homes In Minnesota, an ambitious initiative is training hundreds of Guard members to become certified nursing assistants and relieve burned-out nursing home workers. By Andrew Jacobs Yehyun Kim for The New York Times The New Old Age Why Older Women Face Greater Financial Hardship Than Older Men In a troubling picture, American women are looking at a rockier road to secure retirement than their male counterparts. By Paula Span Mark Elzey for The New York Times Ask Well Why Is My Eyelid Twitching? And how do I get it to stop? By Christina Caron THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK Janice Chung for The New York Times As Omicron Surges, Officials Shorten Isolation Times for Many Americans Hoping to prevent further disruptions to daily life, the C.D.C. reduced the period that certain infected Americans must sequester. By Benjamin Mueller and Isabella Grullón Paz Why Covid Death Rates Are Rising for Some Groups Since vaccines became widely available in April, nearly 250,000 people have died from Covid-19 in the United States. Their demographics are different from earlier in the pandemic. By Denise Lu and Albert Sun Brian Inganga/Associated Press Many African Countries Toughen Covid Restrictions as Fourth Wave Spreads Infections have more than doubled or tripled in many countries, prompting the authorities to reimpose curfews and quarantines and introduce vaccine mandates as the holiday season gets underway. By Abdi Latif Dahir and Jeffrey Moyo Merck Merck's Covid Pill Is Authorized for High-Risk Adults The F.D.A. said the drug should be prescribed mainly when other treatments were "not accessible or clinically appropriate." By Rebecca Robbins and Carl Zimmer Jon Han What Are the Symptoms of Omicron? While there are subtle differences between the latest coronavirus strain and previous ones, so far the signs of infection look pretty similar. By Melinda Wenner Moyer John Taggart for The New York Times Omicron Infections Seem to Be Milder, Three Research Teams Report The data offer a rare bit of good news. Still, hospitalizations are likely to increase simply because the variant is so contagious. By Carl Zimmer and Emily Anthes Danielle St. Laurent for The New York Times Which Covid Test Should I Get? When Should I Test? What If I Can't Find One? Answers About Testing and Omicron. Facing long lines and shortages of home test kits during the latest surge, people are searching for answers about Covid tests. By Tara Parker-Pope, Dani Blum and Nicole Stock Bing Guan/Bloomberg Beneath a Covid Vaccine Debacle, 30 Years of Government Culpability Washington has rejected plans to revamp vaccine preparedness for decades and repeatedly paid a price. The Biden administration is at a similar crossroads. By Chris Hamby and Sheryl Gay Stolberg 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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