Science Times: Have Americans ever really been healthy?

Plus: Pluto, ancient tattoos and a quasi-moon —

View in browser|nytimes.com January 14, 2025 FPG/Hulton Archive, via Getty Images Have Americans Ever Really Been Healthy? Medical historians say that the phrase "Make America Healthy Again" obscures a past during which this country's people ate, smoked and drank things that mostly left them unwell. By Gina Kolata NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute Pluto May Have Captured Its Biggest Moon After an Ancient Dance and Kiss Charon is large in size relative to Pluto, and is locked in a tight orbit with the dwarf planet. A new simulation suggests how it ended up there. By Jonathan O'Callaghan Michael Pittman and Thomas G. Kaye Trilobites Mummies' Ancient Tattoos Come Under Laser Focus With a tool often used in the study of dinosaur fossils, scientists uncovered new details in ornate tattoos on the skin of members of the Chancay culture of Peru. By Becky Ferreira Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope After a Naming Contest, Cardea Joins the Celestial Ranks as a Quasi-Moon The W.N.Y.C. science program "Radiolab" partnered with the International Astronomical Union to solicit nearly 3,000 submissions. The Roman goddess of doorways and transitions won out. By Remy Tumin Email us Let us know how we're doing at sciencenewsletter@nytimes.com. Blue Origin The Very Long Wait for Jeff Bezos' Big Rocket Is Coming to an End If New Glenn lifts off on Monday as planned, the Amazon founder's rocket company will be on track to give Elon Musk's SpaceX some genuine competition. By Kenneth Chang iStock/Getty Images Trilobites On Meds? You May Be Able to Eat Grapefruit Again Someday. Scientists have identified a gene that causes production of a substance in some citrus that interferes with many medications. By Veronique Greenwood Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard University Martin Karplus, Chemist Who Made Early Computers a Tool, Dies at 94 Proving skeptics wrong, he shared a Nobel Prize in 2013 for using computers to better understand chemical reactions and biological processes. By Dylan Loeb McClain Jim Prisching/Northwestern University J. Fraser Stoddart, Who Developed Microscopic Machines, Dies at 82 He grew up playing with model construction sets. As an adult, he tinkered with molecules instead, creating nanomachines and winning a Nobel Prize. By Dylan Loeb McClain CLIMATE CHANGE The New York Times 2024 Brought the World to a Dangerous Warming Threshold. Now What? Global temperatures last year crept past a key goal, raising questions about how much nations can stop the planet from heating up further. By Raymond Zhong, Brad Plumer and Mira Rojanasakul Ariana Drehsler for The New York Times 'We're in a New Era': How Climate Change Is Supercharging Disasters Extreme weather events — deadly heat waves, floods, fires and hurricanes — are the consequences of a warming planet, scientists say. By David Gelles and Austyn Gaffney Mark Abramson for The New York Times Far From the Fires, the Deadly Risks of Smoke Are Intensifying Researchers see a growing health danger from the vast plumes of pollution spawned by wildfires like the ones devastating Los Angeles. By Hiroko Tabuchi We hope you've enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times. HEALTH Maansi Srivastava/The New York Times Dementia Cases in the U.S. Will Surge in the Coming Decades, Researchers Say By 2060, new dementia cases per year could double to one million because of the growing population of older Americans, a study predicts. By Pam Belluck Matthew Ryan Williams for The New York Times Even Adults May Soon Be Vulnerable to 'Childhood' Diseases Outbreaks among the unvaccinated are a predictable consequence of falling immunization rates. But even vaccinated adults may be vulnerable to some illnesses. By Apoorva Mandavilli Everett Collection Historical, via Alamy How Lagging Vaccination Could Lead to a Polio Resurgence In its original form, the virus survives in just two countries. But a type linked to an oral vaccine used in other nations has already turned up in the West. By Apoorva Mandavilli The New York Times Childhood Vaccination Rates Were Falling Even Before the Rise of R.F.K. Jr. The declines began with the pandemic, well before routine vaccines became part of the national political conversation. By Francesca Paris Chronic Pain Is a Hidden Epidemic. It's Time for a Revolution. As many as two billion people suffer from it — including me. Can science finally bring us relief? By Jennifer Kahn Some Raw Truths About Raw Milk Despite the serious risks of drinking it, a growing movement — including the potential health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — claims it has benefits. Should we take them more seriously? By Moises Velasquez-Manoff Study Links High Fluoride Exposure to Lower I.Q. in Children The results of a new federal analysis were drawn from studies conducted in other countries, where drinking water contains more fluoride than in the United States. By Roni Caryn Rabin Abortion Pills Prescribed by Pharmacists Are Newest Effort in Abortion Fight Washington State's program is the first, but other states are expected to try allowing pharmacists to prescribe the pills to counter growing efforts to curtail abortion access. 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? 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. Subscribe to The TimesGet The New York Times app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018