Why Telling People They Don't Need Masks Backfired
To help manage the shortage, the authorities sent a message that made them untrustworthy.

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To help manage the shortage, the authorities sent a message that made them untrustworthy.
In an ambitious international collaboration, researchers have "mapped" proteins in the coronavirus and identified 50 drugs to test against it.
The explosive spread of coronavirus can be turned to our advantage, two infectious disease experts argue: "But only if we intervene early. That means now."
Ruthless labor exploitation? Generational betrayal? Understanding the job crisis in academia requires a look at recent history.
Science and scientists face crushing opposition. In addition to silent-spreading disease and a burning planet, they must take on the moneyed, the godly, the dictatorial and Mike Pence.
The 2020 election is off to a complicated start. Maybe we can draw some comparative political lessons from the animal kingdom.
The White House's attempt to impose a more disciplined approach to communications about the virus was undermined by President Trump, who complained the news media was overstating the threat.
Women mount stronger immune responses to infection, scientists say. And in China, men smoke in much greater numbers.
Up-to-the-minute reports and statistics can unintentionally distort the facts.
A survey of New Zealand scientists found that recipients of a randomized funding program favored random allocations of some kinds of grant money.
The Iowa caucus debacle proved that a 21st-century election requires 19th-century technology.
They are considered the probable source of the coronavirus outbreak spreading from China. It turns out that they may have an immune system that lets them coexist with many disease-causing viruses.
Prosecutors say Charles M. Lieber, the chair of Harvard's chemistry department, lied about contacts with a Chinese state-run initiative that seeks to draw foreign-educated talent.
Mr. Greenwald is accused of being part of a "criminal investigation" that hacked into the cellphones of prosecutors and public officials.
Childhood obesity is a major public health problem, and has been for some time - but something is missing with many study methods.
"A Frankenstein material" is teeming with - and ultimately made by - photosynthetic microbes. And it can reproduce.
Twin disasters marked the end of the Cretaceous period, and scientists are presenting new evidence of which drove one of Earth's great extinctions.
A new genetic engineering technology could help eliminate malaria and stave off extinctions - if humanity decides to unleash it.
What we learned from the spy in your pocket.
An analysis of submissions to two top journals showed that scientists in the U.S. were highly likely to be working during holidays.
The findings mark a step forward in using space technology to detect leaks of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, from oil and gas sites worldwide.
American pigs are raised on a liberal diet of antibiotics, fueling the rise of resistant germs. Danish pork producers are proving there's a better way.
Racial discrimination by algorithms or by people is harmful - but that's where the similarities end.