Health & Science

While most coronaviruses cause common cold, three have become more dangerous, crossing species to people: the first was SARS CoV in 2003 and the latest to “make the jump” — SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes “Coronavirus Disease 2019” or COVID-19. According to former FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb, there was a large, late-season spike in U.S. “flu-like” illness, raising the unsettling possibility that the novel corona virus may have been here earlier than initially thought.

Alan Alda appeared in the auditorium at Scripps Research in La Jolla on Jan. 16 to announce a partnership that will teach scientists how to communicate more effectively to the public and to other scientists. The Emmy-winning actor is making Scripps the West Coast home of Alda Communication Training, a Long Island-based program that sharpens the communication skills of people who spend much of their days staring at computer screens and microscope slides and speaking in the language of their academic papers.

Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla will celebrate the fifth anniversary of housing this rescued Loggerhead sea turtle with a ‘Turtle-versary,’ including crafts, sea-turtle science and family-friendly activities 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Jan. 11-12, 2020.

Kimberly Prather is a distinguished professor and chair of atmospheric chemistry at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego