News
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Health & MedicineHere’s what you need to know about the COVID-19 vaccines
There are still important unknowns about how Pfizer’s vaccine and others will work once they get injected in people around the world.
By Tina Hesman Saey and Jonathan Lambert -
SpaceHayabusa2’s asteroid dirt may hold clues to the early solar system
“We collected the treasure box,” a Japanese space scientist announced after a capsule holding samples from asteroid Ryugu safely landed on Earth.
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AnimalsGiant pandas may roll in horse poop to feel warm
By coating themselves in fresh horse manure, wild giant pandas may be seeking a chemical in the poop that inhibits a cold-sensing protein.
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EarthAn enormous supervolcano may be hiding under Alaskan islands
A geologic game of connect the dots reveals hints that Mount Cleveland, the Aleutians’ most active volcano, may sit on a giant undersea crater.
By Beth Geiger -
SpaceHere are 10 of Arecibo’s coolest achievements
The now-defunct Arecibo radio telescope in Puerto Rico made myriad discoveries over its 57-year run, including of pulsar planets and ice on Mercury.
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SpaceWhy losing Arecibo is a big deal for astronomy
The radio telescope at the Arecibo Observatory has collapsed, robbing scientists of a special tool for studying everything from asteroids to galaxies.
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ArchaeologyTwo stones fuel debate over when America’s first settlers arrived
Stones possibly used to break mastodon bones 130,000 years ago in what is now California get fresh scrutiny.
By Bruce Bower -
Quantum PhysicsThe new light-based quantum computer Jiuzhang has achieved quantum supremacy
A second type of quantum computer has now performed a calculation impossible for a traditional computer.
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HumansAncient humans may have deliberately voyaged to Japan’s Ryukyu Islands
Satellite-tracked buoys suggest that long ago, a remote Japanese archipelago was reached by explorers on purpose, not accidentally.
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Health & MedicineThe ‘last mile’ for COVID-19 vaccines could be the biggest challenge yet
The need for cold storage and booster shots could create problems for distributing coronavirus vaccines to nearly everyone in the world.
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Health & MedicineThe U.K. is the first country to authorize a fully tested COVID-19 vaccine
Pfizer will deliver the first of 40 million doses of its coronavirus vaccine promised to the United Kingdom in the coming days.
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Health & MedicineHealth care workers and long-term care residents should get COVID-19 vaccines first
With an initial 40 million doses of the vaccines, enough for 20 million people, anticipated by year-end, health officials are setting priorities.