10 tactics for a safer back-to-school during the pandemic

+ mask up for milder COVID-19 + it's not the heat, it's the humidity‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

As schools across the U.S. choose whether to teach in person or online during the pandemic, researchers have clarified that kids can in fact get sick with the coronavirus and spread it to others. Phyllis Sharps and Lucine Francis from Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing share 10 tips that could help lower the risks of at-school learning for everyone.

Also in this week’s science and research news: mining the ocean floor for valuable minerals, how wearing a mask protects you from big doses of germs and the story of eccentric inventor Nikola Tesla.

Maggie Villiger

Senior Science + Technology Editor

Students and parents at California’s Hollywood High School go through temperature checks before picking up laptops for online learning. Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images

Kids are bigger coronavirus spreaders than many doctors realized – here’s how schools can lower the risk

Phyllis Sharps, Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing; Lucine Francis, Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing

Checking for symptoms is just the beginning. Here are 10 ways schools can help keep children, families and faculty safe.

Manganese nodules on the Atlantic Ocean floor off the southeastern United States, discovered in 2019 during the Deep Sea Ventures pilot test. National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration

A rush is on to mine the deep seabed, with effects on ocean life that aren’t well understood

Elizabeth M. De Santo, Franklin & Marshall College; Elizabeth Mendenhall, University of Rhode Island; Elizabeth Nyman, Texas A&M University

Companies are eager to mine the deep ocean for valuable mineral deposits. But scientists are concerned about impacts on sea life, including creatures that haven't even been discovered yet.

People should be able to recognize dangerous high temperatures to avoid illness or death from heat. AP Photo/Mark Lennihan

How dangerous heat waves can kill

William H. Calvin, University of Washington

Heat waves can kill via dehydration caused by heavy sweating. Breathing or heartbeat may suddenly stop. Prolonged overheating can also create widespread inflammation.

Other good finds
Cloth masks do protect the wearer – breathing in less coronavirus means you get less sick The COVID-19 virus can spread through the air – here’s what it’ll take to detect the airborne particles Nikola Tesla: The extraordinary life of a modern Prometheus

10 tactics for a safer back-to-school during the pandemic

Kids are bigger coronavirus spreaders than many doctors realized – here’s how schools can lower the risk

A rush is on to mine the deep seabed, with effects on ocean life that aren’t well understood

How dangerous heat waves can kill

Other good finds

Cloth masks do protect the wearer – breathing in less coronavirus means you get less sick

The COVID-19 virus can spread through the air – here’s what it’ll take to detect the airborne particles

Nikola Tesla: The extraordinary life of a modern Prometheus

Older messages

Why flu shots help fight coronavirus

A pillar of American life is being eroded

Tips for making the most of online learning

Some good coronavirus news, from Mexico

AI could make Black hires happen

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