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Why Scientists Aim To Make A Drone Nearly As Small As A Mosquito

10:12am March 04, 2021

Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are trying to match the flexibility and resilience of an insect with a more muscular generation of mini-drones.

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Utahraptor skull reconstruction by Rob Gaston of Gaston Design incorporating some material from the Utahraptor megablock.

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Utah Considers State Park Named For Utahraptor Dinosaur

6:25pm March 02, 2021

by Jan Johnson

Utah is considering naming a new park in honor of dinosaurs discovered there. Researchers expect to uncover more Utahraptor bones — provided they can get them out of a massive block of rock.

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A computer-generated unfolding sequence of sealed letter DB-1538. New research describes how "virtual unfolding" was used to read the contents of sealed letter packets from 17th century Europe without physically opening them.

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Reading A Letter That's Been Sealed For More Than 300 Years — Without Opening It

4:30pm March 02, 2021

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

A signed, sealed but not delivered letter from 1697 has finally been read with the help of a high-tech scan that looked inside without breaking its seal.

If you've been putting off routine medical care over the past year, now's the time to catch up, doctors say. The consequences of missing some key screenings and health follow-ups can be lethal.

5 Medical Appointments You Should Stop Putting Off

5:00am March 02, 2021

by Kristen Kendrick

If you've been delaying routine medical care in the past year, now's the time to catch up, doctors say. The consequences of missing some key screenings and health checkups can be lethal.

Before conducting the nasal swab test for COVID-19 at the Rantoul, Ill., clinic, researchers go out to greet each visitor and ask for basic identification and health information.

To Help Farmworkers Get COVID-19 Tests And Vaccine, Build Trust And A Safety Net

5:31am March 01, 2021

Getting COVID-19 tests and vaccine to essential workers on commercial farms and in meatpacking plants requires more than a pop-up clinic miles away. A positive test can be financially devastating.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted 12-0, with one recusal, to recommend the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine for people aged 18 and older.

CDC Panel Endorses Johnson & Johnson's One-Dose COVID-19 Vaccine

5:40pm February 28, 2021

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

Advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention voted to endorse the emergency use of a single dose of a vaccine made by Johnson & Johnson. A study showed it was 66% effective in the U.S.

Science

Scientists Talked To People In Their Dreams. They Answered

12:05pm February 27, 2021

by James Doubek

Scientists have found that two-way communication is possible with someone who is asleep and dreaming. Specifically, lucid dreaming — dreaming while being aware you're dreaming.

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Top left: An officer asks people to observe lockdown rules in Brighton, England. Bottom left: A protester at a lockdown demonstration in Brussels, Belgium last month. Top right: Malaysian health officers screen passengers with a thermal scanner at Kuala L

Do 'Tight' Cultures Fare Better In The Pandemic Than 'Loose' Cultures?

9:48pm February 23, 2021

by Fran Kritz

That's the question posted by a study in The Lancet Planetary Health. In case you're wondering, the United States is characterized as "loose." And Singapore is "tight."

A giant kauri tree grows in Waipoua Forest in Northland, New Zealand. Trees like this one that fell long ago and were preserved for thousands of years are helping researchers discern fluctuations in the Earth's magnetic poles.

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Ancient Trees Show When The Earth's Magnetic Field Last Flipped Out

7:10pm February 18, 2021

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

A precise record of the last major reversal of the Earth's magnetic poles can be found in ancient trees. Researchers say this event 42,000 years ago had a huge impact on the planet and ancient humans.

Patrice Howard writes on white flags before planting them to remember her recently deceased father and close friends in November at "IN AMERICA How Could This Happen...," a public art installation in Washington, D.C. Led by artist Suzanne Firstenberg, vol

American Life Expectancy Dropped By A Full Year In 1st Half Of 2020

12:38pm February 18, 2021

by Laurel Wamsley

The group that suffered the largest drop in life expectancy was Black males — a decline of three years. Hispanic males also saw a large decrease, with a decline of 2.4 years.