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an estimated 12,151 deaths from diseases,
such as stroke, linked to these pollutants,
compared with 4633 deaths attributed to the
virus, Yale University researchers reported
online on 13 May in The Lancet. The findings
suggest substantial health benefits can arise
from aggressive control measures for air pol-
lution, the authors wrote. Other researchers
have reported that air pollution fell during
COVID-19 lockdowns. A preprint study by
a Norwegian-German group, for example,
reported reductions in premature deaths
and pediatric asthma in China and India
because of reduced traffic.Few Spaniards have antibodies
EPIDEMIOLOGY | A study of blood samples
from 70,000 people in Spain suggests only
a small minority have antibodies to the
virus that causes COVID-19, despite the
country having had the fifth most deaths
from the disease. The finding implies
the population is nowhere near a level of
immunity that would slow its spread. At
a 13 May news conference, Spanish health
officials announced preliminary results
from their nationwide study of 36,
randomly selected households, which
aimed to find out how many people have
been infected and already recovered, one
of the largest such studies in the world to
date. They estimated that roughly
2.3 million Spaniards, about 5% of the
population, have antibodies that might pro-
tect against a future infection. The numbers
varied widely in different regions: In hard-
hit Madrid, just over 11% of people tested
positive. In Barcelona it was about 7% but
less than 2% in several southern regions.More child deaths forecast
GLOBAL HEALTH | The COVID-19 pan-
demic is disrupting routine health services
and food supplies in ways that could kill
an additional 1.2 million children under
age 5 and 57,000 mothers worldwide over
the next 6 months, a study estimates. The
toll for children would represent a 45%
increase over the level expected during
normal times. Mortality rates for COVID-
itself appear to be low in children and in
women of reproductive age, but the disrup-
tion caused by the pandemic is hampering
the delivery of vaccines as well as treat-
ments for infectious diseases and obstetrics
care, the authors reported 12 May online
in The Lancet Global Health. That could
reverse a 50% decline since 2000 in death
rates among children under 5.A
major change to U.S. regulation of biotech will exempt some
gene-edited plants from government oversight. The new
policy, published in the Federal Register on 18 May, says that if
researchers use gene editing to design a plant that could have
been bred conventionally, the new plant will be exempt from
regulation. But anything else—such as moving a gene between
species—will still require a regulatory review. In addition, the gov-
ernment will cease regulating new varieties of already approved GM
crops, easing their path to market. Industry groups are welcoming
the new rule, whereas opponents are decrying the reduction of gov-
ernment oversight. Most of the changes go into effect 5 April 2021.AGRICULTUREU.S. eases rules for bioengineered plants
NIH head lauded for faith ties
PRIZES | U.S. National Institutes of
Health (NIH) Director Francis Collins
has won the $1.3 million 2020 Templeton
Prize for his work to reconcile science
and religion. Collins, 70, who embraced
Christianity as a medical student, led the
Human Genome Project to its comple-
tion in 2003 before taking the helm of
NIH 11 years ago. His 2006 book, The
Language of God: A Scientist Presents
Evidence for Belief, became a bestseller,
and he continues to speak publicly
about his faith, despite criticism from
some scientists who find such activities
inappropriate for the leader of a federal
science agency. Collins “has demon-
strated how religious faith can motivate
and inspire rigorous scientific research,”
the John Templeton Foundation said
in a release. The prize’s judges selected
Collins last year, before the COVID-pandemic; since it began, he “has urged
faith communities to trust science” to
fight the disease, the organization added.
The John Templeton Foundation funds
research as well as projects at the inter-
section of science and religion (including
at AAAS, which publishes Science).A boost for geochronology
EARTH SCIENCE | A blue-ribbon panel
this week recommended creating a new
consortium for geochronology, which
dates the age of rocks, to improve coor-
dination and funding. The idea came
in a set of recommendations released
this week by the National Academies
of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
(NASEM) for the National Science
Foundation’s (NSF’s) $180 million annual
budget for earth science this decade.
At a cost of up to $10 million annually,
the geochronology consortium wouldSCIENCEMAG.ORG/TAGS/CORONAVIRUS
Read additional Science coverage of the pandemic.A plant specialist at Monsanto (now Bayer) hand pollinates genetically modified corn plants.22 MAY 2020 • VOL 368 ISSUE 6493 805
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