Science Times: Bats vs. fungus

Plus: How does pregnancy change the brain? —

View in browser|nytimes.com September 17, 2024 SUPPORTED BY SELC Graham Dickie/The New York Times A Fungus Decimated American Bats. Now Scientists Are Fighting Back. Researchers have found several promising ways to thwart the fungus, which causes the deadly white-nose syndrome in bats. By Carl Zimmer and Graham Dickie David Swanson/Reuters A $5 Billion NASA Mission Looked Doomed. Could Engineers Save It? Weeks before Europa Clipper was to be shipped for launch, scientists discovered a potentially fatal flaw that might endanger the spacecraft's ability to study an ocean moon of Jupiter. By David W. Brown JSC/NASA This Chatbot Pulls People Away From Conspiracy Theories In a new study, many people doubted or abandoned false beliefs after a short conversation with the DebunkBot. By Teddy Rosenbluth Daniela Cossio How Does Pregnancy Change the Brain? Clues Are Emerging. As hormones surge, some brain areas shrink in what scientists say may be a fine-tuning that helps mothers bond with and care for their babies. By Pam Belluck A MESSAGE FROM SELC New Season of the Broken Ground Podcast Don't miss the new season of the Southern Environmental Law Center's podcast, Broken Ground. When you picture the rural South, country stores, blue skies and fields of farmland may come to mind. But what environmental stories lay just down the road? Meet the small-town neighbors coming together to fight for a better future as this season of Broken Ground digs into the environmental injustices playing out in the rural South. New episodes are available wherever you listen to podcasts. LISTEN NOW Email us Let us know how we're doing at sciencenewsletter@nytimes.com. Yahya Arhab/EPA, via Shutterstock A Supermoon and Lunar Eclipse Will Light Up and Darken Tuesday's Night Sky Earth's shadow will partially cover one of the biggest and brightest full moons this year. By Katrina Miller ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NSF NRAO), J. Speedie/University of Victoria There Might Be More Than One Way to Make a Planet Astronomers have found evidence of a process that supports an alternative, more rapid approach to planetary formation, more top down than bottom up. By Katrina Miller Camille Coye, Kai Caspar, and Pritty Patel-Grosz Trilobites These Apes Dance Like Someone Is Watching Gibbons move with rhythm and intention. Dare we say style? By Elizabeth Preston Caroline Isaksson The Big City Is Vibrant. Birds There Might Be Getting Less So. Recent studies show that certain feather pigments can help neutralize toxic pollution. It means darker, duller birds could have a survival advantage. By Marta Zaraska A New Mini-Moon Is Being Captured by Planet Earth It's just a little guy, and not everyone agrees that it's actually a mini-moon. By Robin George Andrews Polaris Dawn Astronauts Return to Earth After First Private Spacewalk The SpaceX capsule, whose crew was led by the billionaire Jared Isaacman, splashed down near the Gulf of Mexico early Sunday. By Yan Zhuang Starliner Astronauts Say What They'll Miss During Extended Stay in Space Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore of NASA spoke from the International Space Station for the first time since their Boeing orbital transport returned to Earth uncrewed. By Katrina Miller and Kenneth Chang Europeans Used Cocaine Much Earlier Than Previously Thought, Study Finds In human remains buried in an Italian crypt, researchers found evidence of cocaine use from the 17th century. By Alexander Nazaryan Lloyd Kaufman, Who Saw Answers Behind the 'Moon Illusion,' Dies at 97 He advanced the study of a millenniums-old mystery: why the moon appears larger on the horizon than it does high in the night sky. By Alex Traub CLIMATE CHANGE Tristan Spinski for The New York Times Mapping the Decline of Eelgrass Along Maine's Coast Researchers are studying the role of eelgrass beds for carbon capture and the health of the habitat for a variety of species. By Murray Carpenter Ian C. Bates for The New York Times U.K. to Fund 'Small-Scale' Outdoor Geoengineering Tests As climate change continues unabated, the goal is to examine technologies that could artificially cool the Earth "responsibly and ethically." By Christopher Flavelle and David Gelles Randi Baird for The New York Times Broken Blades, Angry Fishermen and Rising Costs Slow Offshore Wind Accidents involving blades made by GE Vernova have delayed projects off the coasts of Massachusetts and England and could imperil climate goals. By Stanley Reed and Ivan Penn We hope you've enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times. HEALTH Kenny Holston/The New York Times First Day of a 'New Life' for a Boy With Sickle Cell Kendric Cromer, 12, is among the first patients to be treated with gene therapy just approved by the F.D.A. that many other patients face obstacles to receiving. By Gina Kolata and Kenny Holston John P. Dessereau the new old age Three Medical Practices That Older Patients Should Question Some treatments and procedures become routine despite lacking strong evidence to show that they're beneficial. Recent studies have called a few into question. By Paula Span Jackie Katz Cynthia Goldsmith/C.D.C., via Associated Press Missouri Bird Flu Case Raises Prospect of Human Transmission A close contact of someone with bird flu became ill on the same day, the C.D.C. reported. But the second person was not tested, and the cause of the illness is unknown. By Apoorva Mandavilli and Emily Anthes Joao Silva/The New York Times Global Health Cholera Deaths Soar Worldwide Despite Being Easily Preventable Fatalities spiked 71 percent last year, far outpacing the 13 percent rise in cases, the World Health Organization said. By Stephanie Nolen Getty Images Doctors Give Black Women Unneeded C-Sections to Fill Operating Rooms, Study Suggests Healthy Black women with low risk factors were far more likely to get C-sections than white women with similar medical histories, a large new study found. By Sarah Kliff W.H.O. Authorizes Mpox Vaccine, Clearing Way for Use in Africa The decision is a crucial step in getting shots to the Democratic Republic of Congo, the center of the outbreak. By Stephanie Nolen Elevated Lead Levels Found in One-Third of Cinnamon Samples Consumer Reports found lead in a variety of products, at a time when federal regulators are seeking authority from Congress to combat the problem of heavy metals in foods. By Christina Jewett Scam or Not Can Drinking Alcohol Prevent Food Poisoning? Claims on social media suggest it can. We asked experts for the sober truth. By Alice Callahan Dr. George Berci, Whose Innovations Changed Surgery, Dies at 103 He conceived many of the techniques and tools that have revolutionized minimally invasive operations and procedures. By Richard Sandomir Francisco Lopera, Pioneer in Alzheimer's Research, Dies at 73 A neurologist in Colombia, he worked with the world's largest extended family with Alzheimer's and helped fuel research to prevent or delay dementia symptoms. By Pam Belluck 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. Need help? 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