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Science
Monday
Observations of the GOODS-North field are used to try to understand dark energy. P. Oesch/University of Geneva; M. Montes/University of New South Wales/ESA/NASA hide caption
Saturday
'Disease tolerance' is the ability of an individual, due to a genetic predisposition or some aspect of behavior or lifestyle, to thrive despite being infected with an amount of pathogen that sickens others. It might play a role in asymptomatic coronavirus infections. Alexander Spatari/Getty Images hide caption
Friday
Hurricane Laura caused a fire at a chemical plant owned by BioLab in Westlake, La. The plant manufactures chemicals for swimming pools. Gerald Herbert/AP hide caption
Teacher Alisha Morris created an interactive tracker of coronavirus in schools, current through Aug. 23, including this map, created by another volunteer. The National Education Association will now take on updates to the database. US schools tracker/Screenshot by NPR hide caption
How Many Coronavirus Cases Are Happening In Schools? This Tracker Keeps Count
The five largest fires in California history have occurred since 2003, a sign that climate change is making extreme wildfires more frequent. Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
Frances Acuña drives through southeast Austin with a sensor attached to her driver's side door. It's part of a federal study to measure rising urban heat. Gabriel C. Pérez/KUT News hide caption
Several influenza vaccines have been made in the form of a nasal spray, instead of an injection. The sprays confer two kinds of immunity to the recipient but can be difficult technologically to make. Tim Sloan/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
What A Nasal Spray Vaccine Against COVID-19 Might Do Even Better Than A Shot
Since its completion in 1963, the Arecibo Observatory has played a key role in discoveries ranging from new insights into pulsars to detecting planets outside our solar system. Universal Images Group via Getty Images hide caption
Thursday
Parnell McKay, the civil defense director of Pass Christian, Miss., looks over the town's main business district on Aug. 23, 1969 after Hurricane Camille passed through. Jack Thornell/AP hide caption
The Pacific Ocean from space. In both liquid and frozen form, water covers most of the Earth's surface, and there's been a debate among scientists about where all the water originated. Stocktrek Images/Getty Images hide caption
Hurricane Laura approaches the Gulf Coast of the U.S. on Wednesday. The storm rapidly intensified before it made landfall. NOAA via AP hide caption