Science News
Elon Musk and SpaceX Face Federal Reviews After Violations of Security Reporting Rules
Federal agencies have opened at least three reviews into whether the company and its leader complied with disclosure protocols intended to protect state secrets, people with knowledge of the matter said.
This Brazilian Velvet Ant Is So Dark That It’s Super-Black
Scientists found that the dark markings on a species of fluffy wasp reflected less than 1 percent of light.
Gas Exports Pose Some Risks to U.S. Economy and Environment, Study Says
The long-awaited study was criticized by the oil and gas industry and could help environmental groups that want to stop new export terminals.
Commonwealth Fusion Systems to Build Power Plant in Virginia
Commonwealth Fusion Systems, an M.I.T. spinoff, aims to generate carbon-free electricity in an industrial park near Richmond in the early 2030s.
Alabama Woman Receives Nation’s Third Pig Kidney Transplant
The patient, Towana Looney, was in better health than previous recipients, and her case could signal progress toward solving the organ-supply shortage.
A Biodiversity Solution Might Be Hiding in Plain Sight.
We tend to look at environmental problems in isolation. A holistic approach would be more effective, a new report says.
A Grisly Discovery at a Bronze Age Mass Grave: The Victims Were Eaten, Too
“It’s taken us all aback,” said a professor who led a study revealing that 37 people in a prehistoric site in England were likely consumed by their attackers.
What RFK Jr. Has Said About the Polio Vaccine in Recent Years
President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for health secretary has suggested that the polio vaccine cost more lives than it saved and that the vaccine did not wipe out the disease in the U.S.
Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin Ramps Up Competition with Elon Musk and SpaceX
A new rocket from Mr. Bezos’ company Blue Origin and a satellite system from Amazon could heat up competition with SpaceX, owned by Mr. Musk.
Drugmakers Paid PBMs Not to Restrict Opioid Prescriptions
Drugmakers including Purdue Pharma paid pharmacy benefit managers not to restrict painkiller prescriptions, a New York Times investigation found.
‘LIfe-Changing’ Psychedelic, for When Life Is Ending
People are turning to psilocybin, ketamine and other treatments for palliative care.
Review: In ‘Eureka Day,’ Holding Space for Those You Hate
A hilarious new Broadway production asks: Can the superwoke vaxxers and anti-vaxxers at an elite private school learn to get along?
Orrin H. Pilkey, Geologist Who Fought to Save Beaches, Dies at 90
He argued against putting condos, hotels and other heavy infrastructure on vulnerable coastal landscapes. Environmentalists applauded; many others didn’t.
Are Childhood Vaccines ‘Overloading’ the Immune System? No.
Vaccines today are more efficient and contain far fewer stimulants to the immune system than some used decades ago.
Where It Isn’t Christmas Until the City Shoots Lasers at 20,000 Crows
In Rochester, N.Y., every year in early December thousands of crows descend on the city, which tries to shoo them away with loud noises and bright lights.
What the Polio Vaccine Has Meant for Public Health
A lawyer working with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has asked the F.D.A. to withdraw approval of the current shot because it hasn’t been tested against a placebo. Scientists say such a test would be unethical.
A New Frontier in Paleontology for Profit: Selling Shares in a Stegosaurus
As academics fear being priced out of the fossil market, a private company announced that it aims to raise $13.75 million by selling shares in a stegosaurus fossil.
RFK Jr.’s Lawyer Has Asked the FDA to Revoke Polio Vaccine Approval
Aaron Siri, who specializes in vaccine lawsuits, has been at Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s side reviewing candidates for top jobs at the Department of Health and Human Services.
Canada’s Gas Brings Indigenous People New Money, and Old Worries
New export terminals on Indigenous land have reignited a generations-old debate over identity and environmental stewardship.
For Wild Animals, the Bird Flu Disaster Is Already Here
Scientists are concerned that the H5N1 virus could set off another human pandemic. But it is already putting species under pressure in the wild.