Week in Science: Why Does COVID Spread So Well in the Summer?

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July 19—This week, COVID rates are rising again, prompting questions about why the virus spreads so effectively during the summer. A defective Crowdstrike update to Microsoft Windows caused a worldwide tech outage. Plus, a professional storm chaser shares his experience advising on the new film Twisters. —Sunya Bhutta, Chief Audience Engagement Editor

Top Stories

COVID Rates Are Rising Again. Why Does It Spread So Well in the Summer? A combination of human behavior and immunity, the environment, and SARS-CoV-2 itself explains why the virus surges during both hotter and colder months Tanya Lewis

Worldwide Tech Outage Started with Defective Crowdstrike Update to Microsoft Windows An issue with a commonly used security software called Crowdstrike shuttered large technology systems around the globe, including airlines, transit systems and stock exchanges Alan Woodward; The Conversation US

Meet the Real-Life Storm Chaser behind Twisters Sean Waugh, a professional storm chaser and meteorologist, talks about his role in advising Hollywood on tornado science and the awe-inspiring experience of chasing twisters Max Springer, intern writer

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See Why Everyone Gets the Monty Hall Puzzle Wrong How to finally wrap your mind around the uniquely counterintuitive Monty Hall dilemma Allison Parshall

Professional Poker Players Know the Optimal Strategy but Don't Always Use It Poker players can now employ AI to find the optimal playing strategy, but they often don't use it. Here's why Jack Murtagh

Europe Announces New Mission to Infamous Asteroid Apophis ESA's Ramses spacecraft will scout out Apophis before and after the asteroid's super-close flyby of Earth in 2029 Meghan Bartels

Why We Can't Rule Out Alien Spaceships in Earth's Atmosphere (Yet) We can and should look harder for evidence of alien visitors to our solar system Jacob Wilde, expert writer

How Does the World's Largest Library Decide What Becomes History? From ancient clay tablets to TV shows to video games, the U.S. Library of Congress preserves far more than just books Sarah Wild

ChatGPT Isn't 'Hallucinating'—It's Bullshitting! It's important that we use accurate terminology when discussing how AI chatbots make up information Joe Slater, expert writer; James Humphries, expert writer; Michael Townsen Hicks, expert writer

These Animals are Physics Whizzes How falling cats, slithering snakes, burrowing prairie dogs and more exploit the laws of physics Tom Siegfried; Knowable Magazine

What to Know about Project 2025's Dangers to Science Project 2025 would jeopardize federal scientists' independence and undermine their influence Ben Guarino; Andrea Thompson; Tanya Lewis; Lauren J. Young

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