ANIMAL CROSSING
Biologist David Gruber thinks decoding the language of whales could be just the first step in understanding what other lifeforms are saying—in this world and out of it.
Alexandra Marvar is a freelance journalist and the managing editor of Being Patient, an editorially independent source for brain health science and news. Her writing has been published in The New York Times, The Guardian, Smithsonian Magazine, and The Nation.
FITS AND STARTS
Spaceports are all the rage these days, but many communities that have jumped on the bandwagon are experiencing buyer’s remorse.
Tremors
At the most extreme, researchers aren’t sure what is possible when it comes to permanent brain disorders like Parkinson’s and schizophrenia after COVID-19.
MUTED LAUGHTER
Stand-up comics have turned to social media, Zoom, and drive-in theaters—with serious learning curves.
ROLLING WITH IT
Lockdown means songwriting sessions on Zoom, live shows on YouTube, jam sessions uploaded to SoundCloud—and some odd jobs.
Tech Support
Machine learning is sifting through millions of chemicals in a postmodern hunt for something promising.
Lost in Translation
While Trump’s reported fondness for an unproven plant extract as COVID-19 cure may be just his latest deranged fantasy, some experts say the U.S. is sleeping on plausible options.
Pandemic Puppies
Following an alarming spike in dog bites, animal behaviorists and dog bite researchers say coronavirus-related stress may be driving canines crazy.
ROLL OF THE DICE
Vaccine experts say the science behind Russia’s vaccine may be promising, but their approach demonstrates a terrifying lack of caution.
HEADACHE
Recent studies indicate SARS-CoV-2’s impacts on the brain—from memory lapses and depression to strokes and seizures—could plague survivors for years, decades, even generations.