How Astronomers Revolutionized Our View of the Cosmos

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September 01, 2020

Dear Reader, Earlier this month, there was some confusion around a study that purportedly showed wearing a neck gaiter might be worse at stemming the spread of COVID-19 than not wearing a mask at all. The reports were quickly debunked, but how did the overblown and misleading claims even get started? Our lead story explains. Up next, read about an emergent and potentially fatal inflammatory condition that occurs in children about four weeks after they are exposed to the new coronavirus. And in space news, discover how astronomers revealed a much bigger and stranger cosmos than anyone suspected.

Sunya Bhutta, Senior Editor, Audience Engagement @sunyaaa

Space How Astronomers Revolutionized Our View of the Cosmos The universe turns out to be much bigger and weirder than anyone thought By Martin Rees

Public Health Doctors Chase Treatment for Kids Threatened by Dangerous COVID-19 Syndrome Physicians are comparing ad hoc solutions for reducing massive inflammation that can cripple organs By Robin Lloyd

Computing Quantum Computing May Be Closer Than You Think Five new quantum information science centers will marry the R&D strengths of academia, industry and U.S. national laboratories By Dario Gil

Policy & Ethics How Those Bogus Reports on 'Ineffective' Neck Gaiters Got Started The study they were based on was misrepresented by the press—but the scientists were partly at fault as well By Shane M. Hanlon

Climate What Climate Change Does to the Human Body An ENT physician sees the effects in her patients all the time By Neelu Tummala

Evolution Red Stalagmites Reveal Glimpses of the Past In a cave in northern Spain, stalagmites rich in organic matter are environmental record keepers By Katherine Kornei

Chemistry Science Briefs from around the World Here are some brief reports about science and technology from all over, including one from Antarctica about how there's something funny about penguin poop. By Sarah Lewin Frasier | 02:02

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QUOTE OF THE DAY "Training scientists to effectively communicate to, or at least think about, diverse audiences is a necessary part of science." Shane M. Hanlon, Ph.D., science communication trainer, American Geophysical Union

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