Science

More data needed on Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for kids under 5, FDA says

By Lauran Neergaard, Matthew Perrone, Associated Press

The Food and Drug Administration had urged Pfizer and its partner BioNTech to apply for authorization of extra-low doses of its vaccine for the youngest children before clinical studies were finished. On Friday, the FDA reversed course.

How heat waves, exacerbated by climate change, will be worst for the world’s poorest nations

By Mojtaba Sadegh, John Abatzoglou, Mohammad Reza Alizadeh, The Conversation

The risk from heat waves is about more than intensity – being able to cool off is essential, and that’s hard to find in many low-income areas of the world.

NASA’s new space telescope sees 1st starlight, takes selfie

By Marcia Dunn, Associated Press

Officials for the James Webb Space Telescope said Friday that all 18 segments of the primary mirror seem to be working properly 1 1/2 months into the mission.

Egg producers shift as public demand for cage-free hens grows

By Scott McFetridge, Associated Press

The nation's egg producers are in the midst of a multibillion-dollar shift to cage-free eggs that is dramatically changing the lives of millions of hens in response to new laws and demands from restaurant chains.

How Olympic ski jumpers toe the line between falling and flying

By Amy Pope, The Conversation

Ski jumpers do everything they can to counteract the effects of gravity and fly as far as they can down hills.

Why Lyme and other tick-borne diseases are on the rise

By Ula Chrobak, Knowable Magazine

The complex interplay of ticks, their habitats and hosts — along with changes in land use and climate — may be enabling the spread of the pathogens they carry.

How competing on fake snow affects the performance of Olympic skiers and snowboarders

By Peter Veals, The Conversation

Snowmaking machines can produce enough snow to cover a run, but artificial snow is very different from natural flakes that fall from the sky.

White House review finds top science adviser mistreated staff

By Zeke Miller, Associated Press

An internal review last year, prompted by a workplace complaint, found evidence that Lander bullied staffers and treated them disrespectfully.

The high-speed physics of bobsled, luge and skeleton

By John Eric Goff, The Conversation

It may look like athletes in bobsled, luge and skeleton simply grab a sled and hang on until the bottom, but high-speed physics and tiny motions mean the difference between gold and a crash.