Masks reduce coronavirus exposure + Oleandrin is deadly

+ Byzantine Orthodoxy‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Happy Sunday. Our top five stories of the week are below.

Last Thursday was World Mosquito Day. If you’ve spent any time outdoors lately, you’ve probably been cursing the buzzing bugs. But mosquitoes aren’t all bad, according to University of South Florida biologist Aparna Telang. What’s more, understanding them better can help scientists find better ways of killing them. This article from our archives is worth another read today.

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Emily Costello

Deputy Editor

Experts are confident that there will be a vaccine next year. PenWin /iStock / Getty Images Plus

9 reasons you can be optimistic that a vaccine for COVID-19 will be widely available in 2021

William Petri, University of Virginia

As grim as things are with the pandemic raging in the US and the mounting death toll, there are many reasons to be optimistic there will be a vaccine by early next year.

When people wear masks, they can still get infected, but they’re more likely to have milder symptoms. Wenmei Zhou/Digital Vision Vectors via Getty Images

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

Monica Gandhi, University of California, San Francisco

In places where everyone wears a mask, cases of COVID-19 seem to be less severe. Evidence from labs and outbreaks suggests that masks protect not only others, but the person wearing the mask, too.

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

Suresh Dhaniyala, Clarkson University; Hema Priyamvada Ravindran, Clarkson University; Shantanu Sur, Clarkson University

Miniaturized laboratory equipment is making it easier to identify airborne pathogens in the field, but there's still work ahead to be able to instantly determine if a room is safe or contaminated.
Oleandrin is a deadly plant poison, not a COVID-19 cure

Cassandra Quave, Emory University

Consuming the plant can be lethal to animals and humans.
Hagia Sophia has been converted back into a mosque, but the veiling of its figural icons is not a Muslim tradition

Christiane Gruber, University of Michigan; Paroma Chatterjee, University of Michigan

In reconverting Hagia Sophia to a mosque, Turkish officials have emphasized veiling of Christian icons to create a Muslim prayer space. Experts explain why the veiling is in fact a Byzantine practice.

Masks reduce coronavirus exposure + Oleandrin is deadly

9 reasons you can be optimistic that a vaccine for COVID-19 will be widely available in 2021

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

Oleandrin is a deadly plant poison, not a COVID-19 cure

Hagia Sophia has been converted back into a mosque, but the veiling of its figural icons is not a Muslim tradition

Older messages

Who is Alexei Navalny, the Russian opposition leader and victim of a suspected poisoning?

Biden's foreign policy, explained

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

Why flu shots help fight coronavirus

A pillar of American life is being eroded

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