Axios

Smaller indoor events are more likely to spread COVID than much bigger, outdoor ones, per a new report by University of Texas researchers.

Driving the news: With COVID deaths and hospitalizations way down from pandemic highs, Americans are convening once more, indoors and out.

Coral bleaching affected 91% of reefs surveyed along the Great Barrier Reef this year, according to a new report by Australian government scientists.

Why it matters: The report confirms a sixth mass bleaching event since 1998 occurred at the world's largest coral reef ecosystem in March due to a heat wave driven by climate change. It's the fourth such event since 2016, notes the report, which warns climate change "remains the greatest threat" to the ecosystem.