Science Times: Oregon’s drug decriminalization experiment

Plus: Women were hunters, too —

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story August 1, 2023 Jordan Gale for The New York Times Scenes From a City That Only Hands Out Tickets for Using Fentanyl Oregon's experiment to curb overdoses by decriminalizing small amounts of illicit drugs is in its third year, and life has changed for most everyone in the city of Portland. By Jordan Gale and Jan Hoffman Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times PROFILES IN SCIENCE Mauricio Diazgranados Is a Botanist in a Hurry For the first time, the New York Botanical Garden has a chief scientist who hails from the same region as so much of its collections. By Jennie Erin Smith Haas, et al., Science Advances 2020 Move Over, Men: Women Were Hunters, Too Anthropologists are finding that women in modern foraging societies have played a major role in catching game. By Katrina Miller Nicole Rifkin ORIGINS A Theory of Childbirth's Evolution May Not Be What You're Expecting Scientists are revisiting an influential theory that the evolution of big brains made human childbirth risky. By Carl Zimmer Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Email us Let us know how we're doing at sciencenewsletter@nytimes.com. Andrew Medichini/Associated Press Excavations Uncover Hints of Nero's Theater in Rome, and Much More A dig at a palace set to become a hotel has unearthed traces of a theater that archaeologists hypothesize was built by Nero, the emperor with a disputed reputation for tyranny and debauchery. By Elisabetta Povoledo The New York Times Elon Musk's Unmatched Power in the Stars The tech billionaire has become the dominant power in satellite internet technology. The ways he is wielding that influence are raising global alarms. By Adam Satariano, Scott Reinhard, Cade Metz, Sheera Frenkel and Malika Khurana Estate of Alex Colville; via Mira Godard Gallery A Time Capsule of Human Creativity, Stored in the Sky The Lunar Codex, an archive of contemporary art, poetry and other cultural artifacts of life on Earth, is headed to the moon. By J. D. Biersdorfer Lauren Petracca for The New York Times A Looming Retraction Casts a Shadow Over a Field of Physics Misconduct allegations are leading scientists to question the work of Ranga Dias, including his claimed discovery of a room-temperature superconductor. By Kenneth Chang Alexei V. Tchesunov and Anastasia Shatilovich/Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems in Soil Science RAS, via Reuters Worms Revived After 46,000 Years Frozen in Siberian Permafrost Scientists want to understand how the worms survived in extreme conditions for extraordinarily long periods of time. By Orlando Mayorquin Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Titanium Clouds Engulf This Ultrahot Neptune-like Planet A cosmic mirror of sorts, this planet is the first of its size and location to be discovered with an atmosphere. By Katrina Miller TRILOBITES A Pancaked Turtle Fossil's 150-Million-Year-Old Tale A beautifully preserved shelled reptile recovered from a Bavarian limestone deposit helps tell the story of how turtles first took to the seas. By Asher Elbein TRILOBITES When Ancient Eruptions Pumped Diamonds to Earth's Surface A new study offers clues to the mysteries of kimberlite eruptions, the source of most of the diamonds mined on Earth today. By Maya Wei-Haas NASA Seeks a Nuclear-Powered Rocket to Get to Mars in Half the Time The space agency and DARPA will work with Lockheed Martin to build a vehicle that uses the power of the atom for space propulsion. By Kenneth Chang CLIMATE CHANGE A Desperate Push to Save Florida's Coral: Get It Out of the Sea Teams dedicated to ocean restoration are urgently moving samples to tanks on land as a marine heat wave devastates entire reefs. By Catrin Einhorn and Jason Gulley Bryan Denton for The New York Times A Climate Warning from the Cradle of Civilization How extreme temperatures and dwindling water are pushing the Fertile Crescent toward the brink. By Alissa J. Rubin and Bryan Denton Brett Deering for The New York Times Heat Is Costing the U.S. Economy Billions in Lost Productivity From meatpackers to home health aides, workers are struggling in sweltering temperatures and productivity is taking a hit. By Coral Davenport Johnny Milano for The New York Times A Bottleneck on the Grid Threatens Clean Energy. New Rules Aim to Help. It takes five years to connect a new wind or solar farm to the electric grid. New federal rules would only partly resolve the issue, experts say. By Brad Plumer Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Enjoy all of The New York Times in one subscription — the original reporting and analysis, plus puzzles from Games, recipes from Cooking, product reviews from Wirecutter and sports journalism from The Athletic. Experience it all with a New York Times All Access subscription. HEALTH Steve Gschmeissner/Science Source Flipping a Switch and Making Cancers Self-Destruct Researchers at Stanford devised a strange new molecule that could lead to drugs that arm genes and make cancers work against themselves. By Gina Kolata James Gathany, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention A Half-Million Americans May Have Tick-Linked Meat Allergy, C.D.C. Says Many doctors said that they were unfamiliar with the condition, known as alpha-gal syndrome, the agency found. By Emily Anthes Ariana Drehsler for The New York Times 'A Dangerous Combination': Teenagers' Accidents Expose E-Bike Risks The e-bike industry is booming, but many vehicles are not legal for teenagers, and accidents are on the rise. By Matt Richtel Illustration by Jules Julien The Ongoing Mystery of Covid's Origin We still don't know how the pandemic started. Here's what we do know — and why it matters. By David Quammen Blood of Young Mice Extends Life in the Old Infusions of youthful blood led older mice to live 6 to 9 percent longer, a new study found. By Carl Zimmer For Adults With No Heart Attack or Stroke History, Evidence Says Not to Start Baby Aspirin A new analysis of older people who have never had a heart attack or stroke suggests limited protective power of daily low-dose aspirin, and worrisome side effects. By Emily Baumgaertner Wastewater Data Mirrored Covid Case Counts During First Omicron Wave As Covid testing increasingly moved to the home, the wastewater data fell out of sync with case and hospitalization rates, a new study found. By Emily Anthes A Simple 14-Minute Workout That Could Lower Your Blood Pressure A new study points to the humble wall squat as the most effective tool to fight hypertension. By Dani Blum 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. To stop receiving Science Times, unsubscribe. 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