Science Times: Doomsday decision-making

Plus: Russian Moon lander crashes —

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story August 22, 2023 Mirko Ilić Nuclear War Could End the World, but What if It's All in Our Heads? Some experts want to apply recent neuroscience research to the decision making that could lead to doomsday. By Sarah Scoles Roscosmos, via Agence France-Press — Getty Images Russia's Lunar Lander Crashes Into the Moon The robotic Luna-25 spacecraft appeared to have "ceased its existence" after a failed orbital adjustment, the space agency Roscosmos said. By Kenneth Chang, Alina Lobzina and Anton Troianovski NASA, ESA, Erandi Chavez (UC Berkeley), Imke de Pater (UC Berkeley) Neptune's Clouds Have Vanished, and Scientists Think They Know Why A recent study suggests a relationship between solar cycles and the atmosphere of the solar system's eighth planet. By Robin George Andrews Cullen Townsend/Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County Ancient Fires Drove Large Mammals Extinct, Study Suggests Fossils from La Brea Tar Pits in Southern California suggest that sabertooth cats and other large North American mammals disappeared as a result of wildfires spurred by human activity. By Katrina Miller Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Email us Let us know how we're doing at sciencenewsletter@nytimes.com. Federico Bernardini/ICTP TRILOBITES These Bees Have Been Mummified in Their Cocoons for 3,000 Years Insects rarely survive in fossilized form, but a strange series of events somehow killed and preserved these brooding bees for millenniums. By Sarah Derouin Krishna Kumar TRILOBITES The Oldest Plant-Eating Dinosaur Has Been Found in India Researchers say the find highlights how much more there is to learn about Earth's prehistory with fossil digs on the subcontinent. By Meenakshi J NASA, ESA, CSA, Joseph DePasquale (STScI), Anton M. Koekemoer (STScI) OUT THERE The Biggest Question Mark in Astronomy? You're Looking at It. Close scrutiny of a recent image from the Webb Space Telescope revealed some questionable punctuation. By Dennis Overbye Adriana Briscoe TRILOBITES She Can See the World in Colors He Can't Even Imagine Male zebra longwing butterfly vision sticks to a duller pallette, perhaps for mating reasons. The genes that explain this may help unlock how differences between sexes evolve. By Veronique Greenwood TRILOBITES Clue to Pterosaur Origins Found in Fossil of Flightless 'Rabbit Reptile' A Brazilian team's finding helps fill in the fossil record to explain how the flightless reptiles evolved in the dinosaur era. By Kate Golembiewski A Martian Mystery: Why Is the Red Planet Spinning Faster? The discovery, using data from NASA's retired InSight lander, is puzzling to scientists who study the red planet. By Kenneth Chang Superconductor Scientist Faces Investigation as a Paper Is Retracted The University of Rochester will examine the work of Ranga Dias, who was an author of a materials science paper unrelated to his superconductor research that was retracted on Tuesday. By Kenneth Chang Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT CLIMATE CHANGE Bryan Anselm for The New York Times With TikTok and Lawsuits, Gen Z Takes on Climate Change "We're the last resort," one young activist said. By David Gelles Dmitry Kostyukov for The New York Times For a Trendy Night Out in Paris, How About a Climate Change Workshop? More than a million people in France have attended a "Climate Fresk" class to understand the process of global warming. The project is now spreading abroad. By Constant Méheut 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 Kike Calvo/Alamy More Screen Time Linked to Delayed Development in Babies, Study Finds One-year-olds exposed to more than four hours of screen time a day experienced developmental delays in communication and problem-solving skills at ages 2 and 4, according to a new study By Matt Richtel Harriet Lee-Merrion BODY LANGUAGE The Unending Indignities of 'Vaginal Atrophy' Besides causing offense, the phrase may contribute to the underdiagnosing of treatable problems associated with menopause. By Rachel E. Gross Gabriella Angotti-Jones for The New York Times THE NEW OLD AGE How Nursing Homes Failed to Protect Residents From Covid A series of hurdles prevented the facilities from shielding older people, despite the best efforts of staff. Experts are calling for reforms before the next virus arrives. By Paula Span Janice Haney Carr/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Flesh-Eating Bacteria at the Beach? What You Need to Know. Infections with Vibrio vulnificus are rare, especially in the Northeast. But a few recent cases suggest that precautions are wise for some wading into the water. By Roni Caryn Rabin Ryan David Brown for The New York Times We Know Where New Weight Loss Drugs Came From, but Not Why They Work The empty auditoriums, Gila monsters, resistant pharmaceutical executives and enigmas that led to Ozempic and other drugs that may change how society thinks about obesity. By Gina Kolata Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Appeals Court Upholds Legality of Abortion Pill but With Significant Restrictions The restrictions, which would prevent mifepristone from being mailed to patients and would require in-person doctor visits, are on hold until the Supreme Court weighs in. By Pam Belluck and Adam Liptak Pig Kidneys Performing Effectively in Two Brain-Dead Patients In two experiments, researchers implanted the organs into brain-dead patients for extended periods, raising hopes for a new supply of donor organs. By Roni Caryn Rabin Addiction Treatment Eludes More Than Half of Americans in Need About 30 percent of Americans have been addicted to opioids or have a relative who has been, researchers also reported. By Noah Weiland What to Know About the New R.S.V. Immunizations New vaccines for older adults and an antibody therapy for infants provide options for preventing severe infection. By Dana G. Smith Make a friend's day: Forward this email. 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