NYT > Science

1. Brains Turned to Glass? Suffocated in Boathouses? Vesuvius Victims Get New Look
   Two studies examined grim scenes left at a Roman settlement devastated by the 79 A.D. eruption.
2. The Mummy Speaks! Hear Sounds From the Voice of an Ancient Egyptian Priest
   Scientists used a 3-D printer, a loudspeaker and computer software to recreate a part of the voice of a 3,000-year-old mummy.
3. Ancient DNA from West Africa Adds to Picture of Humans’ Rise
   From a burial site in Cameroon, archaeologists recovered human genetic material dating as far back as 8,000 years.
4. Stress Really Does Make Hair Go Gray Faster
   The same nerves involved in the fight-or-flight response can cause permanent damage to the cells responsible for producing hair color in mice, scientists have found.
5. Bumblebee Vomit: Scientists Are No Longer Ignoring It
   Regurgitation is an important consideration when it comes to the process of pollination.
6. Earth’s Oldest Asteroid Impact Found in Australia
   The cataclysm, which occurred roughly 2.2 billion years ago, might have catapulted the planet out of an ice age.
7. How Fast Can a Human Run?
   Two legs are good. Four legs might be better.
8. The Freshwater Giants Are Dying
   Overharvesting and habitat loss endanger most of the world’s freshwater “megafauna.” But many species may yet be saved.
9. SpaceX’s Explosive Test May Launch Year of Renewed Human Spaceflight
   A NASA program could be ready to launch astronauts to orbit once again, and the number of people traveling to space could surge.
10. Chicago Woman Is Second Patient in U.S. With Wuhan Coronavirus
    Federal health officials are monitoring 63 other people in 22 states for signs of infection.
11. E.P.A. Is Letting Cities Dump More Raw Sewage Into Rivers for Years to Come
    The agency is allowing cities to delay or otherwise change federally imposed fixes to their sewer systems. 
12. Toll From Outbreak Climbs in China as Infections Reach Europe and Australia
    Shanghai Disneyland shut down, hospitals pleaded for help, France reported three cases and the youngest victim so far was identified.
13. Insys Founder Gets 5½ Years in Prison in Opioid Kickback Scheme
    The company executive, John Kapoor, was accused of bribing doctors and misleading insurers to increase sales of a highly addictive painkiller.
14. Many in China Wear Them, but Do Masks Block Coronavirus?
    They may help, but experts say it’s more important to wash your hands.
15. Surgeon General Says ‘Shocking’ Portion of People Aren’t Told to Stop Smoking
    In a new report, he cited a number of helpful smoking cessation methods but said that e-cigarettes haven’t yet been proven to be an effective method.
16. China’s Battle With a Deadly Coronavirus, in Photos
    Here are the latest images as the country confronts a major public health crisis.
17. Coronavirus Deaths Are So Far Mostly Older Men, Many With Previous Health Issues
    As China released details about the first 17 people who have died in the outbreak, a well-known SARS expert raised an alarm about the virus’s spread, saying he felt “powerless.”
18. Coronavirus Death Toll Climbs in China, and a Lockdown Widens
    At least 25 people have died and more than 800 have been sickened by the mysterious illness, health officials said. The travel restrictions imposed on Wuhan were extended to at least four more cities.
19. Major Insurers Pledge $55 Million to Try to Lower Generic Drug Prices
    The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and others say they have agreed to invest in a nonprofit’s effort to develop and sell cheaper drugs.
20. Scale of China’s Wuhan Shutdown Is Believed to Be Without Precedent
    In sealing off a city of 11 million people, China is trying to halt a coronavirus outbreak using a tactic with a complicated history of ethical concerns.
21. Trump Removes Pollution Controls on Streams and Wetlands
    The Trump administration has finished a new rule that rolls back environmental controls on many wetlands and intermittent streams, delivering a win to rural landowners.
22. Smokers Should Quit at Least 4 Weeks Before Surgery, W.H.O. says
    In a new study, the health agency urges hospitals and surgeons to play a bigger role to help the world’s 1 billion smokers kick the habit.
23. China Silences Critics Over Coronavirus Outbreak
    Beijing has responded faster to the new threat than it did with SARS, but it still silences and punishes those who veer from the official line, with potentially damaging consequences.
24. As Coronavirus Spreads from China, Scientists See Grim Reminders
    Epidemics of related viruses, like SARS, killed hundreds. But the W.H.O. has postponed a decision on whether the new outbreak is a global emergency.
25. American Journalist Is Arrested in Indonesia Over Visa Issue
    The editor, Philip Jacobson, who works for the environmental website Mongabay, was detained last month after attending a public meeting on Borneo island. He was traveling on a business visa.
26. Wuhan, Center of Coronavirus Outbreak, Is Being Cut Off by Chinese Authorities
    The sudden restrictions — announced after the official death toll nearly doubled — could upend the travel plans of millions of Chinese citizens, who travel in huge numbers during the Lunar New Year holiday.
27. What Is the Coronavirus? Symptoms, Treatment and Risks
    A respiratory virus has spread from China to a half-dozen other countries, including the U.S. Here’s what you need to know.
28. Trump and the Teenager: A Climate Showdown at Davos
    President Trump and Greta Thunberg dominated the first full day of the annual gathering of the rich and powerful in the Swiss Alps.
29. Wuhan Coronavirus: C.D.C. Identifies First U.S. Case in Washington State
    A man in Washington State is infected with a new respiratory virus. Federal officials plan to expand screenings for the infection at major airports.
30. Greta Thunberg’s Remarks at the Davos Economic Forum
    The Swedish climate activist spoke Tuesday afternoon at an event hosted by The New York Times and the World Economic Forum.
31. Greta Thunberg’s Message at Davos Forum: ‘Our House Is Still on Fire’
    The activist punched a hole in the promises emerging from a forum of the global political and business elite at Davos, telling the leaders to stop investing in fossil fuels immediately.
32. Deadly Coronavirus Outbreak Poses a Test to China's Leadership
    The new virus has killed at least nine and infected more than 400 people in China, with confirmed cases in the United States, Taiwan, Thailand, Japan and South Korea.
33. Alone on a Mountaintop, Awaiting a Very Hard Rain
    Decades ago, Armenian scientists built a high-elevation trap to catch and study cosmic rays. Physics has mostly moved on, but the station persists — a ghost observatory with a skeleton crew.
34. I Quit Chewing Gum
    It’s costly. It’s unsightly. And my jaws are tired.
35. Conservative States Seek Billions to Brace for Disaster. (Just Don’t Call It Climate Change.)
    A Trump administration program to help states prepare for natural disasters has become a window into the tortured political language of talking about climate change.
36. China Confirms New Coronavirus Spreads From Humans to Humans
    A top Chinese government-appointed expert says a mysterious respiratory illness that has killed at least four people can be transmitted by humans, heightening concern about the outbreak.
37. Childhood Obesity Is a Major Problem. Research Isn’t Helping.
    Something is missing with many study methods.
38. It’s Fish vs. Dams, and the Dams Are Winning
    Thousands of dams across New York, many abandoned, are blocking fish migrations. A movement to remove them is growing.
39. A Small Step for Space Force Is Not a Giant Leap for Uniform Design
    The unveiling of the new military branch’s name tape — “U.S. Space Force,” embroidered in blue — was overshadowed by reactions to its familiar camouflage uniform.