Science Times: Under a L.A. freeway, a psychiatric rescue mission

Plus: Starch, concrete and C. elegans —

View in browser|nytimes.com October 22, 2024 Rachel Bujalski for The New York Times Under a L.A. Freeway, a Psychiatric Rescue Mission The crisis of homelessness is pushing American psychiatry to places it has not gone before — like sidewalk injections of antipsychotics. By Ellen Barry and Rachel Bujalski Javier Trueba/MSF/Science Source Origins How Early Humans Evolved to Eat Starch Two new studies found that ancient human ancestors carried a surprising diversity of genes for amylase, an enzyme that breaks down starch. By Carl Zimmer Riccardo Antimiani/EPA, via Shutterstock Reinventing Concrete, the Ancient Roman Way By learning the secrets of 2,000-year-old cement, researchers are trying to devise greener, more durable modern options. By Amos Zeeberg Luisa Cochella Lab These Tiny Worms Account for at Least 4 Nobel Prizes A staple in laboratories worldwide, C. elegans is "an experimental dream," said one scientist. By Teddy Rosenbluth Email us Let us know how we're doing at sciencenewsletter@nytimes.com. Matheus Fernandes Gadelha Trilobites Brazilian Fossil Hints at Older Origin for All Dinosaurs The discovery may push back the emergence of the reptiles that once ruled the Earth, and clarify how dinosaurs like the Triceratops and Stegosaurus emerged. By Asher Elbein Yonggang Lu/Osaka University Trilobites Sperm Can't Unlock an Egg Without This Ancient Molecular Key Using Google's AlphaFold, researchers identified the bundle of three sperm proteins that seem to make sexual reproduction possible. By Elizabeth Preston Lisa Trever/Archaeological Landscapes of Pañamarca Archaeologists Find Throne and 'Hall of the Braided Serpents' in Peru Archaeologists have unearthed a richly decorated throne room and a "Hall of the Braided Serpents" from the Moche culture, with clues that a woman may have ruled there more than 1,300 years ago. By Alan Yuhas Haiyun Jiang for The New York Times U.S. Agencies Fund, and Fight With, Elon Musk. A Trump Presidency Could Give Him Power Over Them. Mr. Musk, who holds billions in federal contracts, wants to be in charge of the regulators that oversee him if Donald Trump wins. By Eric Lipton, David A. Fahrenthold, Aaron Krolik and Kirsten Grind Trilobites Parachutes Made of Mucus Change How Some Scientists See the Ocean With a new kind of microscope, researchers got a different view of how marine snow falls to the seafloor. By Veronique Greenwood Space: The Final Fashion Frontier Prada and Axiom Space unveiled their NASA spacesuits, in the most far-out collaboration yet. By Vanessa Friedman These Scientists Tested Dolphin Breath. They Found Plastic. Researchers studying bottlenose dolphins found polyester and other plastics in every animal they tested. By Hiroko Tabuchi A Distant Planet May Host a Moon That's Spewing a Volcanic Cloud Astronomers have yet to confirm the existence of exomoons, but a molecular signal around a far away star offers some of the best evidence yet. By Robin George Andrews Bruce Ames, 95, Dies; Biochemist Discovered Test for Toxic Chemicals The Ames Test offered a fast and inexpensive way to identify carcinogens, leading to the banning of chemicals linked to cancer and birth defects. By Teddy Rosenbluth CLIMATE CHANGE Luis Acosta/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images An Alarming Glimpse Into a Future of Historic Droughts Record dry conditions in South America have led to wildfires, power cuts and water rationing. The world's largest river system, the Amazon, which sustains some 30 million people across eight countries, is drying up. By Julie Turkewitz, Ana Ionova and José María León Cabrera Kayle Neis/The Canadian Press, via Associated Press The World's Carbon Sinks Are on Fire Carbon emissions from forest fires increased more than 60 percent globally over the past two decades, according to a new study. By Austyn Gaffney Jacob Judah Russia's Warming Arctic Is a Climate Threat. War Has Shut Scientists Out of It. Climate science has been stymied as Russia continues its war in Ukraine. The stalled work threatens to leave the West without a clear picture of how fast the Earth is heating up. By Jacob Judah 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 Life Without Sickle Cell Beckons Boy Who Completed Gene Therapy After 44 days, Kendric Cromer, 12, left the hospital. While his family feels fortunate that he was the first to receive a treatment, their difficult experiences hint at what others will be up against. By Gina Kolata and Kenny Holston Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters States Revive Lawsuit to Sharply Curb Access to Abortion Pill The Supreme Court ruled in June that the original plaintiffs, anti-abortion doctors and groups, did not have standing to sue. Now three states are trying to continue the legal fight. By Pam Belluck Jens Mortensen for The New York Times the middlemen The Powerful Companies Driving Local Drugstores Out of Business The biggest pharmacy benefit managers are profiting by systematically underpaying independent drugstores, creating "pharmacy deserts" across the country. By Reed Abelson and Rebecca Robbins Ruth Fremson/The New York Times Biden to Propose That Insurers Cover Over-the-Counter Birth Control The new rules under the Affordable Care Act would include emergency contraception, a newly approved nonprescription birth control pill, spermicides and condoms. By Sheryl Gay Stolberg Columbia Cancer Surgeon Notches 5 More Retractions for Suspicious Data Dr. Sam Yoon and a collaborator duplicated images across their research studies over many years. The collaborator has left Columbia. By Benjamin Mueller Getting Older? It Might Be Time to Hire a Trainer. Personal training isn't just for the young — or the wealthy. Here's how to make it work for you. By Alyssa Ages Ask Well Is Bone Broth Really Brimming With Health Benefits? It's called "liquid gold" on TikTok. We asked experts if there's any science behind the health claims. By Alice Callahan Andrew V. Schally, 97, Dies; Scientist Shared Nobel Glory With Rival His two-decade quest to find elusive brain hormones became a race against Roger Guillemin, a onetime colleague and an eventual fellow prizewinner. By Denise Gellene 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? 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. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request. 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