Nation is poised to enter its worst stretch yet of the pandemic, with hospitalizations rising in 38 states.

False information about the pandemic is rampant, but seasoned defenders of climate science can offer tips for how to fight it.

STAT, October 29, 2020

It is important to note that, to date, none of the vaccines being developed for the U.S. market has been proven to be effective in preventing Covid-19 disease.

Why proposals to largely let the virus run its course - embraced by Donald Trump's administration and others - could bring "untold death and suffering".

Even if people coated the inside of their mouths with a coronations-killing chemical, a substantial amount of the virus would still remain in the body.

GENERAL INTEREST

A blood disorder called porphyria, which has has been with us for millennia, became prevalent among the nobility and royalty of Eastern Europe.

Do you get excited and energized by the possibility of learning something new and complex?

From crumpled paper to termite mounds to three-sided coins, L. Mahadevan has turned the whole world into his laboratory. (Note: Dr Mahadevan appearing for SftP in Dec).

This filtration system is the oldest known example of water purification in the western hemisphere and the oldest known use of zeolite for decontaminating drinking water in the world.

When Lemaitre reviewed Einstein's General Theory of Relativity, he found that not only was the Universe expanding, but that it had originated at a finite point in time. (And Einstein wasn't happy about it).

COSMOS 

The moon, like every other place in the universe, is covered in hydroxyls-highly reactive ions, each made of a hydrogen atom and an oxygen atom bonded together. You can't make a pile of hydroxyl, or use it to fill a swimming pool. Unfortunately, to many infrared telescopes, the light emitted by a hydroxyl group-OH-looks indistinguishable from the light emitted by H2O.

Every 200,000 to 300,000 years Earth's magnetic poles reverse. What was once the north pole becomes the south, and vice versa. It's a time of invisible upheaval.The last reversal was unusual because it was so long ago.

Quanta's new series of articles explores the search for fundamental structure at the edge of science. Parts 1 and 2 are available now (just click).

Massive galaxies were already much more mature in the early universe than previously expected.

Astronomers have tallied how star-making material evolved over cosmic time - and predicted how long stars will keep forming before the universe goes dark.

INNOVATION 

The Veridian at County Farm in Ann Arbor is a great demonstration of how it's done.

A new tool could diagnose a stroke based on abnormalities in a patient's speech ability and facial muscular movements, and with the accuracy of an emergency room physician -- all within minutes from an interaction with a smartphone.

One of the long-standing challenges for artificial intelligence has been to replicate human vision.

The company says it is studying three designs for commercial air travel, but a host of complex problems remain related to producing "clean" hydrogen fuel.

Physicists have long thought the maximum possible coherence of a laser was governed by an iron rule known as the Schawlow-Townes limit. Now, however, two theory papers have appeared that overturn [that] limit by re-imagining the laser.

HEALTH 

To understand why stretching should be part of everyone's routine, physical therapist and yoga teacher Lara Heimann, PT, says you first need to understand what all the toe-touching and  extension actually does for your body.

Nearly 70% of respondents said the elections are a significant source of stress, according to a survey out this month from the American Psychological Association.

On Sept. 23, 2020, it was reported that black licorice was the culprit in the death of a 54-year-old man in Massachusetts. How could this be?

Even levels of blood pressure that are generally considered "normal" may be high enough to foster the development of heart disease, new research shows.

While wind will not change the ambient temperature of the air, it will change the temperature of your body.

Older male chimps follow a pattern that researchers also see in humans, preferring to have positive relationships with a few good friends.

Scientists on a 12-month mission found the structure, detached from the Great Barrier Reef off Cape York, last week.

For much of Earth's four and a half billion years, the planet was barren and inhospitable; it wasn't until the world acquired its blanket of oxygen that multicellular life could really get going. But scientists are still trying to understand exactly how-and why-our planet got this beautifully oxygenated atmosphere.

Health workers see Vibrio as a rare danger, if they've heard of it at all. But it's already causing more cases of flesh-eating disease. And it's poised to get worse.

Two decades of data document a dwindling of mussels, barnacles and snails.

ENVIRONMENT

Though less common than in the past, microbes that contaminate tap water continue to sicken - and sometimes kill - Americans.

The Earth is in the midst of its sixth mass extinction, leaving humanity in a critical time to safeguard global biodiversity.

The accession of Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court will cement a conservative majority that is likely to give polluting industries freer rein, limit the ability of citizens to sue, and call into question the very basis of the EPA to issue and enforce regulations.

More than a hundred species-including Asian swamp eels and zebra mussels-hitched a ride on Hurricane Isaias' floodwaters, scientists say.

From coral farming to 3D printing, scientists are using novel methods to save a vital part of our ecosystem.

CLIMATE 

Despite setting ambitious targets in 2010 to protect endangered ecosystems, we've lost a gut-wrenching 68 percent of species since 1970. This isn't just bad news for wildlife - it's bad for us humans.

The discoveries by General Motors and Ford Motor Co. preceded decades of political lobbying by the two car giants that undermined global attempts to reduce emissions while stalling U.S. efforts to make vehicles cleaner.

The administration is imposing new limits on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that would undercut action against global warming.

Exclusive: expedition discovers new source of greenhouse gas off East Siberian coast has been triggered.

It's not yet clear if a small increase in temperature is the result of climate change.