Science Times: One of pediatric medicine’s greatest mysteries

Plus: A tipped-over moon lander, medical waste and dirty ice

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story February 27, 2024 Ariana Drehsler for The New York Times A Doctor's Lifelong Quest to Solve One of Pediatric Medicine's Greatest Mysteries For 40 years, Dr. Jane Burns has been working to find the cause of Kawasaki disease, an illness that can lead to aneurysms and heart attacks. Her work has brought together a most unlikely team. By Emily Baumgaertner and Ariana Drehsler Raducan et al., Nature NASA's Crash Into an Asteroid May Have Altered Its Shape A new study using simulations suggests the impact in 2022 transformed the space rock into an M&M-like flat-top oval. By Robin George Andrews When Eyes in the Sky Start Looking Right at You New satellites that orbit the Earth at very low altitudes may result in a world where nothing is really off limits. By William J. Broad Andrew Spear for The New York Times Your Inhalers and EpiPens Aren't Very Healthy for the Environment For eco-conscious consumers of personal medical devices, recycling options are limited. Some companies are trying to change that. By Ted Alcorn Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT BACK TO THE MOON Intuitive Machines Odysseus Sends Moon Landing Photos Home With Time Running Out The privately built American spacecraft's ability to send home images and other data has been limited by its sideways landing. On another part of the moon, a Japanese spacecraft woke up. By Kenneth Chang Intuitive Machines A U.S.-Built Spacecraft Lands on the Moon for the First Time Since 1972 Odysseus was the first privately built vehicle to make it to the moon, and points to a future in which NASA, companies and others rely on commercial lunar delivery services. By Kenneth Chang Test your lunar learning with this quiz. Email us Let us know how we're doing at sciencenewsletter@nytimes.com. M. Kornmesser/European Southern Observatory, via Associated Press Out There A Voracious Black Hole at the Dawn of Time? Scientists debate whether this object is the brightest in the visible universe, as a new study suggests. By Dennis Overbye Chris Hildreth/DukeMag Duke Shuts Down Huge Plant Collection, Causing Scientific Uproar University officials say they cannot afford to maintain one of the largest herbariums in the United States. Researchers are urging Duke to reconsider. By Carl Zimmer Anand Lab/University of Illinois, Chicago Trilobites Dirty Ice May Be Ugly, but It Has One Advantage Freezing water with salt or other impurities yields ice that is easier to loosen from a surface, according to a new study. By Katrina Miller Blue Origin Jeff Bezos' Big Rocket Moves Into View and Closer to Launch Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket rolled to the launchpad for a series of tests in preparation for its flight debut later this year. By Kenneth Chang Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Can Humans Endure the Psychological Torment of Mars? NASA is conducting tests on what might be the greatest challenge of a Mars mission: the trauma of isolation. By Nathaniel Rich 6 Great Space Images From February Orbital ballet, a quarter pound of pristine space rock and other visual highlights from around the solar system this month. By Katrina Miller Trilobites A Fern's 'Zombie' Fronds Sprout Unusual Roots In the Panamanian rainforest, scientists found the first known plant species to transform decaying tissue into a new source of nutrients. By Douglas Main Trilobites These Whales Still Use Their Vocal Cords. But How? Unusual experiments on organs recovered from three carcasses suggest how baleen whales call out at sea. By Kate Golembiewski We hope you've enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times. HEALTH FDA, via Associated Press What to Know about Lead Exposure in Children Hundreds of children sickened from high levels of lead in applesauce pouches last year put a spotlight on lapses in the food-safety system. By Christina Jewett Nathan Weyland for The New York Times Drug Drastically Reduces Children's Reactions to Traces of Food Allergens Xolair cuts the risk of dangerous reactions after exposure to minute amounts of allergens, researchers reported. But people taking it still must avoid risky foods. By Roni Caryn Rabin Desiree Rios for The New York Times As Medicaid Shrinks, Clinics for the Poor Are Trying to Survive The end of a pandemic-era policy that barred states from pushing people off Medicaid is threatening the financial stability of the U.S. safety net. By Noah Weiland and Desiree Rios Carolyn Van Houten for The Washington Post, via Getty Images Accidents, Lax Rules and Abortion Laws Now Imperil Fertility Industry Fertility clinics are routinely sued by patients for errors that destroy embryos, as happened in Alabama. An effort to define them legally as "unborn children" has raised the stakes. By Azeen Ghorayshi and Sarah Kliff Medicimage/Science Source Alabama Says Embryos in a Lab Are Children. What Are the Implications? A ruling by the state's Supreme Court could change common practices at fertility clinics in the state and possibly nationwide. By Jan Hoffman Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Abortion Shield Laws: A New War Between the States Doctors in six states where abortion is legal are using new laws to send abortion pills to tens of thousands of women in states where it is illegal. By Pam Belluck Study of Patients With a Chronic Fatigue Condition May Offer Clues to Long Covid N.I.H. researchers found notable differences between the immune systems and other physiological functions of patients with ME/CFS and those of healthy patients. By Pam Belluck Severe Frostbite Gets a Treatment That May Prevent Amputation The F.D.A. recently approved the first therapy for patients in danger of losing their toes, fingers and other exposed parts of the body. By Matt Richtel Roger Guillemin, 100, Nobel-Winning Scientist Stirred by Rivalries, Dies In the race to identify the hormones used to control bodily functions, he battled with his former partner. They later shared the glory. By Nicholas Wade 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. 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