Science

5 years after COVID-19 became a pandemic, are we ready for what’s next?

Meghan Rosen is a staff writer who reports on the life sciences for Science News. She earned a Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular biology with an emphasis in biotechnology from the University of California, Davis, and later graduated from the science communication program at UC Santa Cruz.

Artificial intelligence algorithms are being built into almost all aspects of health care. They’re integrated into breast cancer screenings, clinical note-taking, health insurance management and even phone and computer apps to create virtual nurses and transcribe doctor-patient conversations. Companies say that these tools will make medicine more efficient and reduce the burden on doctors and…

Many hands make light work. Or, in the case of cooperative interspecies foraging in southern Brazil, flippers and hands catch more fish together. Dolphins and humans have hunted mullet together in Laguna, Brazil, for generations, increasing the catch for both species. Drone-based video shows that the dolphins coordinate with each other during these hunts, researchers…

Green sea turtles are adjusting their nesting habits in response to rising global temperatures. Individual females are laying their eggs earlier in the season to cope with warmer conditions, researchers report in the February Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Scientists have long known that the sex of most turtle species is determined by incubation…

This is a developing story and will be updated as we learn more. This year’s hot destination is the moon. Two landers built by private companies have just touched down on the moon within a week of each other. One landed softly and safely — a first for any private spacecraft — while the other…