Scientists Relieved as Joe Biden Wins Tight U.S. Presidential Election

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November 09, 2020

Dear Reader, Joe Biden is president-elect of the United States, and scientists all over the world are breathing a collective sigh of relief. But concerns remain: more than 71 million people voted for President Trump, whose actions have repeatedly undermined science and scientific institutions. Our lead story covers the priorities and challenges facing the Biden-Harris administrations. Also featured in today's roundup, Pfizer and BioNTech announced today that their experimental vaccine is more than 90 percent effective in preventing COVID-19. And, we take a close look at the record-breaking 2020 Atlantic hurricane season.

Sunya Bhutta, Senior Editor, Audience Engagement @sunyaaa

Policy & Ethics Scientists Relieved as Joe Biden Wins Tight U.S. Presidential Election The new president has the opportunity to reverse four years of anti-science policies—but he has a hard road ahead as he inherits a nation divided By Jeff Tollefson,Nature magazine

Policy & Ethics An Open Letter to Joe Biden You must rebuild public trust in the scientific impartiality of the EPA, the DOE and other agencies By Ben Santer

Public Health Coronavirus Vaccine Is 90 Percent Effective in Large Trial, Pfizer Says Genetic engineering could allow for speedy production as well By Mark Fischetti,Jen Christiansen

Weather In 2020, Record-Breaking Hurricanes Arrived Early--and Often So far this season, 25 of 28 storms have been the earliest on record By Andrea Thompson,Amanda Montañez

Public Health Biden's Health Agenda Dims With GOP Likely to Hold Senate Joe Biden won the election, but Senate Republicans could block his attempts to expand the Affordable Care Act By Julie Rovner,Kaiser Health News

EARTH Repairing Earth once the Pandemic Is Over COVID-19 has highlighted how we've damaged the planet—and also harmed poor and marginalized people By THE EDITORS

Computing How to Preserve the Privacy of Your Genomic Data A technology called "fully homomorphic encryption" is so secure that even future quantum computers won't be able to crack it By Dario Gil

Policy & Ethics The Denialist Playbook On vaccines, evolution, and more, rejection of science has followed a familiar pattern By Sean B. Carroll

Physics Black Holes Are Finally Trending A Nobel Prize is just the latest proof that a concept rejected by Einstein in 1939 has become one of the hottest topics in physics By Avi Loeb

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QUOTE OF THE DAY "Now that the campaign is over -- what is the people's will? What is our mandate? I believe it is this: Americans have called on us to marshal the forces of decency and the forces of fairness. To marshal the forces of science and the forces of hope in the great battles of our time. The battle to control the virus. The battle to build prosperity. The battle to secure your family's health care. The battle to achieve racial justice and root out systemic racism in this country. The battle to save the climate. The battle to restore decency, defend democracy, and give everybody in this country a fair shot. Our work begins with getting COVID under control." Joe Biden, President-elect of the United States

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