The Week in Science: Asteroid samples reveal surprises

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March 29–This week, the Baltimore bridge collapse, asteroid samples, and does Benadryl cause dementia? -Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor

Top Stories

NASA's New Asteroid Sample Is Already Rewriting Solar System History Scientists have scarcely begun studying pristine material from asteroid Bennu brought back to Earth by the OSIRIS-REx mission, but have already found several surprises Robin George Andrews

A Structural Engineer Explains Why the Baltimore Bridge Collapsed A large container ship "totally removed" a critical pier from Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge Ben Guarino

A Dead Star Will Soon Spark a Once-in-a-Lifetime Display in Earth's Skies A nova called T Coronae Borealis spectacularly erupts every 80 years. Your only chance to see it will come any day now Robin George Andrews

Sponsor Content Provided by Bayer Busting menopause myths Many women suffer from untreated menopause symptoms, which have been poorly understood. New science on the biological drivers of hot flashes, disturbed sleep, mood disorders and more could lead to novel therapies that make mid-life easier.

Earth Has More Than One Moon Quirks of orbital mechanics make a cadre of sun-orbiting asteroids appear to be moons of Earth Phil Plait

Banning TikTok Would Do Basically Nothing to Protect Your Data Proposed restrictions on TikTok would be "security theater" in the face of the staggering amounts of data that foreign and domestic tech companies collect Lauren Leffer

Does Long-Term Benadryl Use Increase Dementia Risk? Benadryl, which contains diphenhydramine, is a drugstore mainstay and just one medication out of many that could possibly damage brain health Hannah Seo

Orca Groups with Radically Different Cultures Are Actually Separate Species "Resident" and "transient" killer whales, or orcas, have unique hunting habits and genetics, proving they are in fact separate species Douglas Main

Why Isn't Dental Health Considered Primary Medical Care? Ailments of the mouth can put the body at risk for a slew of other ills. Some practitioners think dentistry should no longer be siloed Lola Butcher; Knowable Magazine

What to Know about Measles Outbreaks in the U.S. A growing number of measles cases in the U.S. has experts worried about how a decline in routine vaccinations could bring back preventable illnesses Riis Williams, intern writer

Wild Birds Gesture 'After You' to Insist Their Mate Go First Like humans, these small Japanese birds communicate abstract concepts with gestures Olivia Ferrari

Global Warming Is Slowing the Earth's Rotation Drastic polar ice melt is slowing Earth's rotation, counteracting a speedup from the planet's liquid outer core. The upshot is that we might need to subtract a leap second for the first time ever within the decade Avery Schuyler Nunn

Can AI Replace Human Research Participants? These Scientists See Risks Several recent proposals for using AI to generate research data could save time and effort but at a cost Chris Stokel-Walker

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