Policy
To Control COVID, Biden Needs to Marshal Federal Resources—and Change Attitudes
The incoming U.S. president must help skeptics see benefits in masks and persuade Congress to spend more money on testing and protective gear
Stories by Tanya Lewis
Behavior
The ‘Shared Psychosis’ of Donald Trump and His Loyalists
Forensic psychiatrist Bandy X. Lee explains the outgoing president’s pathological appeal and how to wean people from it
Public Health
Evaluating COVID Risk on Planes, Trains and Automobiles
Stay safer on different forms of transportation
Medicine
Pfizer-BioNTech COVID Vaccine Is First to Win U.S. Authorization
The FDA issued the emergency use authorization for the vaccine late on Friday. And immunizations of health care workers and long-term care facility residents could begin within days...
Medicine
FDA Commissioner Says Vaccine Approval Process Will Be Transparent and Guided by Data
Stephen Hahn describes how the agency will evaluate vaccines for emergency authorization
Fitness
A New Cell Map of the Human Heart
Scientists have created an atlas of cardiac cells in six regions that could help chart what goes awry in heart disease
Public Health
Upcoming Supreme Court Ruling Could Jeopardize Health Insurance for People with COVID
In a case on the Affordable Care Act next month, a conservative court could take away protections for preexisting conditions
Policy
Seven Ways the Election Will Shape the Future of Science, Health and the Environment
Climate change, nuclear arms control, the pandemic and more will be determined by whoever wins the White House and Congress
Public Health
Eight Persistent COVID-19 Myths and Why People Believe Them
From a human-made virus to vaccine conspiracy theories, we rounded up the most insidious false claims about the pandemic
Public Health
Nine COVID-19 Myths That Just Won’t Go Away
From a human-made virus to vaccine conspiracy theories, we rounded up the most persistent false claims about the pandemic
Public Health
How Trump Could Have Exposed Biden and Others to COVID at the Debate
An expert on airborne virus transmission explains the risks of talking loudly without wearing a mask in an indoor environment
Medicine
Discovery of Hepatitis C Snags Nobel Prize in Medicine
Harvey J. Alter, Michael Houghton and Charles M. Rice share the award for identifying the virus behind the blood-borne liver disease
Public Health
How Trump’s COVID Diagnosis Could Affect Public Perceptions
A noted bioethicist says the president’s case could trigger calls for greater transparency about his health—and spawn conspiracy theories
Public Health
Trump’s COVID Infection Puts Him in Multiple High-Risk Categories
The president is age 74, male and heavy—all factors linked to more severe cases of the illness
Public Health
COVID-19 Testing Lab Shows How Colleges Can Reopen Safely
More than 100 colleges in the Northeast have partnered with the Broad Institute of M.I.T. and Harvard to test their students and staff
Public Health
Smoking or Vaping May Increase the Risk of a Severe Coronavirus Infection
Though few studies have investigated the connection specifically, cigarette smoke and vaping aerosol are linked to lung inflammation and lowered immune function
Neuroscience
Elon Musk’s Pig-Brain Implant Is Still a Long Way from ‘Solving Paralysis’
His start-up Neuralink is not the first to develop a wireless brain implant. But the considerable resources behind the effort could help commercialize the technology faster
Medicine
Common Steroid Could Be Cheap and Effective Treatment for Severe COVID-19
The results of a trial that found dexamethasone reduced the risk of death in extremely ill coronavirus patients have yet to be published, but some doctors are already embracing them
Public Health
COVID-19 Spit Tests Used by NBA Are Now Authorized by FDA
A new saliva-based diagnostic does not require a “brain-tickling” swab, and it can be used with a range of chemical reagents
Public Health
Concerns about Waning COVID-19 Immunity Are Likely Overblown
The decline seen in some studies is normal, experts say. But scientists must wait to see whether infection confers long-term protection
