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Science & Health

News and updates from the health and science team. Topics include genetics, infectious disease, psychology, and more.

Study: 40 percent are likely to attend a gathering of more than 10 this holiday season

As Covid-19 infections surge, experts are concerned the holidays could make things worse.

By Zeeshan Aleem

The Earth itself could provide carbon-free heat for buildings

The world needs clean heat, and geothermal energy has it.

By David Roberts

The disturbing surge in Covid-19 hospitalizations, in one chart

By Eliza Barclay and Dylan Scott November 13

How risky is air travel in the pandemic? Here’s what the science says.

By Julia Belluz and Brian Resnick November 12

How bad is your state’s Covid-19 outbreak?

By German Lopez November 11

How to have a safer — but not safe — pandemic Thanksgiving

By Brian Resnick November 11

America’s war on drugs has failed. Oregon is showing a way out.

By German Lopez November 11

Why the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine is a cause for optimism — and skepticism

By Julia Belluz November 10

Why North and South Dakota are suffering the worst Covid-19 epidemics in the US

By German Lopez November 10

It’s official: 2020 is the busiest Atlantic Hurricane Season on record

By Umair Irfan November 10

50 million world Covid-19 cases: The biggest outbreaks, explained

By Benjamin Rosenberg, Tim Ryan Williams, and 1 more November 9

Why every state should adopt a mask mandate, in 4 charts

By Lois Parshley and Youyou Zhou November 9

Pfizer claims its Covid-19 vaccine is 90 percent effective so far. Here’s what we actually know.

By Umair Irfan November 9

America’s third Covid-19 surge, explained

By German Lopez November 9

Trump abandoned the WHO. Biden will rejoin the agency on day one in office.

By Julia Belluz November 9

The Biden transition team announced 13 coronavirus advisers

By Brian Resnick November 9

What Biden could still do to fight Covid-19 if there’s a Republican Senate

By German Lopez November 6

Joe Biden will be president, but there will be no Green New Deal

By David Roberts November 6

The US Covid-19 epidemic hit a deadly new milestone, and help isn’t on the way

By Umair Irfan, Julia Belluz, and 1 more November 6

Exit polls suggest significant polarization about the pandemic and its economic fallout

By Julia Belluz November 4

Oregon just voted to decriminalize all drugs

By German Lopez November 3

Trump’s closing message on Covid-19: My only mistake was mishandling public relations

By German Lopez November 3

A Trump second term

A second Trump term would mean severe and irreversible changes in the climate

By David Roberts November 3

Death toll from 7.0-magnitude earthquake near Greece and Turkey rises to over 80

By Jariel Arvin November 2

Daylight saving time ends Sunday: 8 things to know about “falling back”

By Brian Resnick November 1

98,000 new Covid-19 cases. And the worst may be yet to come.

By Umair Irfan, Julia Belluz, and 1 more October 31

Trump’s “Sharpiegate” grudge may have cost NOAA’s acting chief scientist his job

By Umair Irfan October 31

We have to accelerate clean energy innovation to curb the climate crisis. Here’s how.

By David Roberts October 31

Why many Americans refuse to participate in contact tracing

By Katherine Harmon Courage October 30

Europe’s second wave of Covid-19 doesn’t excuse Trump’s failures

By German Lopez October 30

Polls show Trump is losing ground where the coronavirus is surging

By Julia Belluz October 29

Big Oil’s hopes are pinned on plastics. It won’t end well.

By David Roberts October 28

Why the record low Arctic sea ice this October is so alarming

By Lili Pike October 28

States need billions to prepare for Covid-19 vaccines. The federal government isn’t helping.

By Katherine Harmon Courage October 27

The absurd controversy over Joe Biden’s “transition away from the oil industry”

By David Roberts October 27

System Failure

Trump’s pullback of pollution controls is even more hazardous than you think

By Joe Wertz October 27

US hospitals are preparing for the worst-case scenario as Covid-19 surges again

By Dylan Scott October 26

European countries with spiraling Covid-19 outbreaks are shutting back down

By Julia Belluz October 26

What it’s like to be enrolled in a Covid-19 vaccine trial with your entire family

By Jackie Hajdenberg October 26

How racism amplifies Covid-19 risk for everyone

By Phillip Atiba Goff, Amelia M. Haviland, and 3 more October 26

Colorado is fighting its largest wildfire in history. Other massive blazes are close behind.

By Umair Irfan October 26

The US broke its record for the highest number of new coronavirus cases in a day

By Zeeshan Aleem October 24