The New York Times, May 4, 2024 (with Aaron Byrd and Karen Hanley)
Two periodical cicada broods are appearing in a 16-state area in the Midwest and Southeast for the first time in centuries.
Author: Lori Jia
The New York Times, May 1, 2024
From the Roman Empire to the Maya civilization, history is filled with social collapses. Traditionally, historians have studied these downturns qualitatively, by diving into the twists and turns of individual societies.
But scientists like Philip Riris have taken a broader approach, looking for enduring patterns of human behavior on a vaster scale of time and space. In a study published Wednesday, these methods allowed Dr. Riris and his colleagues to answer a profound question: Why are some societies more resilient than others?
Continue reading “What Makes a Society More Resilient? Frequent Hardship.”
The New York Times, April 24, 2024
Earlier this month, millions of Americans looked up at the sky to witness a total eclipse. Now, another cyclical marvel has arrived, this time at our feet. Trillions of noisy, red-eyed insects called cicadas are emerging from the earth after more than a decade of feeding on tree roots.
The United States is home to 15 cicada broods, and in most years at least one of them emerges. This spring, Brood XIX, known as the Great Southern Brood, and Brood XIII, or the Northern Illinois Brood, are emerging simultaneously.
Continue reading “Cicadas Are Emerging Now. How Do They Know When to Come Out?”
The New York Times, April 18, 2024
In the early days of the Covid pandemic, a team of scientists called on the World Health Organization to acknowledge that the disease could spread through the air.
Initially, the agency rebuffed them, despite growing evidence that coronavirus-laden droplets stuck around in the air, making indoor spaces hotbeds of infection. The researchers responded with a public campaign, which helped persuade the World Health Organization to finally acknowledge, in late 2021, that Covid was airborne.
Continue reading “W.H.O. Broadens Definition of Airborne Diseases”
The New York Times, April 12, 2024
To introduce her children to the hidden marvels of the animal kingdom a few years ago, Anne De Cian stepped into her garden in Paris. Dr. De Cian, a molecular biologist, gathered bits of moss, then came back inside to soak them in water and place them under a microscope. Her children gazed into the eyepiece at strange, eight-legged creatures clambering over the moss.
“They were impressed,” Dr. De Cian said.
Continue reading “What Makes Tiny Tardigrades Nearly Radiation Proof”