(CNN)Dr. Anthony Fauci says federal guidance on wearing face coverings indoors may change soon.
Sunday on ABC News, Fauci was asked whether it’s time to start relaxing indoor masks requirements. Fauci replied, “I think so, and I think you’re going to probably be seeing that as we go along, and as more people get vaccinated.”
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will be updating its guidance almost in real time, as more Americans get vaccinated, said Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
The CDC relaxed its guidance last month on wearing masks outdoors, but still advises both vaccinated and unvaccinated people to still wear masks in indoor public spaces, such as a mall, movie theater or museum.
by Riley Black/Smithsonianmag.com
Dinosaurs are adored for their size, their ferocity and their strangeness; nothing sparks the imagination more than daydreaming of strange, ancient creatures traversing lush ancient landscapes millions of years ago. Some of the largest such as
Patagotitan stretched more than 100 feet in length and weighed over 70 tons. The jaws of the fearsome
Tyrannosaurus could crush bone. The armored
Stegosaurus sported a flashy array of plates and three-foot-long spikes at the end of its tail. But, despite the striking appearance of our favorites, not all dinosaurs were fierce, giant, highly decorated, or even all that strange.
by Livia Gershon/Smithsonianmag.com
At nearly a third of a mile long, a newly opened, record-breaking suspension bridge in the town of Arouca, Portugal, demands a bit of a head for heights. As Reuters’ Catarina Demony reports, the bridge, which hangs 570 feet above the Paiva River, consists of a see-through metal grid that wobbles with each step.
“I was a little afraid, but it was so worth it,” Hugo Xavier, a local resident who was allowed to cross the bridge last week ahead of its official opening, tells Reuters. “It was extraordinary, a unique experience, an adrenaline rush.”
Dubbed the “516 Arouca” for its length in meters, the bridge cost $2.8 million and took about two years to complete. Local officials hope it will entice visitors to the region, attracting new investment and encouraging individuals to settle down in the area.
by Alex Fox/Smithsonianmag.com
Wild horses and donkeys are often considered a problem in the American West, but new research suggests their penchant for digging wells with their hooves offers benefits to the ecosystems they inhabit, reports Douglas Main for
The study, published this week in the journal
Science, shows that when wild or feral horses and donkeys dig wells, they increase the availability of water for other species living in the parched desert landscape. These wells can be up to six feet deep and provide access to groundwater to species including badgers, mountain lions, deer and birds.
Donkeys and horses were introduced to North America roughly 500 years ago, and the Bureau of Land Management currently estimates there are more than 95,000 wild donkeys and horses roaming the West. That figure is more than triple what land managers say the landscape can sustain, and the growing population can “trample native vegetation, erode creek beds and outcompete native ani
by Brigit Katz/Smithsonianmag.com
In the early 19th century, the University of Warsaw acquired an Egyptian mummy encased in an elaborate coffin identifying the deceased as a priest named Hor-Djehuty. Nearly 200 years later, in 2016, researchers using X-ray technology were surprised to discover that the mummified remains belonged not to a man, as the inscription indicated, but to an unidentified young woman. Then came another revelation: While examining images of the mummy’s pelvic area, researchers spotted a tiny foot a sure sign that the woman was pregnant at the time of her death, reports Monika Scislowska for the Associated Press (AP).