Science News
What’s Safe to Eat? Birds of a Feather Learn Together
In a study, Australian cockatoos figured out that a new food was OK to consume by observing one another, a vivid example of “social learning” in animals.
In Permissive Amsterdam, Ads for Fossil Fuels or Meat Are Now Verboden
The Dutch city has outlawed advertising that promotes lifestyles linked to high carbon emissions, which is a driver of climate change. It’s a first for a world capital.
Top Psychiatrists Call for a Greater Focus on Ceasing Medication
With Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. aiming to rein in the use of psychiatric drugs, psychiatrists are preemptively addressing how and when patients should quit taking them.
FEMA Is Reversing Job Cuts Made Under Kristi Noem
The agency said staff members who had been let go or placed on administrative leave were now needed to prepare for hurricanes and the World Cup.
Chonkers the ‘Food-Motivated’ Sea Lion Plops Into San Francisco
Wildlife experts have been tracking the Steller sea lion since he appeared last month at a popular tourist spot near the end of Fisherman’s Wharf.
Smog in Phoenix and Salt Lake City? The E.P.A. Is Blaming Asia.
The Trump administration says the cities shouldn’t be penalized for unhealthy air because pollution can blow in from abroad. Some experts say that’s preposterous.
The Vaccine Skeptic in Trump’s New C.D.C. Leadership Team
Dr. Sara Brenner is a physician, an F.D.A. official and a “MAHA mom” who has said people should not reflexively believe in the benefits of vaccines.
Forest Service Research Labs Are Closing
A research lab in Washington State tracks ecological changes in a warming climate and provides scientific guidance for forest managers. It is one of 57 such facilities being shuttered.
J. Craig Venter, Scientist Who Decoded the Human Genome, Dies at 79
A risk-taking outsider, he brought speed, competition and controversy to one of science’s biggest races.
Peter Raven Dies at 89; Botanist Warned of Perils of Climate Change
He transformed the Missouri Botanical Garden into an international research hub and laid out the existential threats posed by deforestation and unchecked development.
How to Build a Better Kind of Nuclear Power? This Side Hustle Might Help.
Zap Energy says its ultimate goal is safe, clean energy from fusion. To help get there, it’s starting to build fission reactors.
Scientists Unveil ‘Long Lost’ Map for Smell
The odor receptors in the nose are not distributed at random but organized in a precise spatial pattern, two new studies reveal.
The Murky Ethics of Swimming With Killer Whales
Only two places in the world allow tourists to enter the water with the ocean’s apex predator. But the safety of both species is a growing concern.
A.I. Bots Told Scientists How to Make Biological Weapons
Scientists shared transcripts with The Times in which chatbots described how to assemble deadly pathogens and unleash them in public spaces.
Global Deforestation Slows, W.R.I. Report Finds. But Wildfires Are Taking a Toll.
In 2025, the world razed less forest than any other year in the last decade. The bad news: global warming is making wildfires more frequent and intense.
Could At-Home Brain Stimulation Reduce Psychiatry’s Reliance on S.S.R.I.s?
A headset recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration uses a weak electric current to shock the brain. Some researchers hope it could challenge the current pill-centric paradigm.
Grand Jury Indicts Former N.I.H. Official
Prosecutors accused Dr. David Morens, a former adviser to Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, of hiding records related to the onset of the pandemic.
Nick Pope, U.F.O. Sleuth Who Chased the Truth, Dies at 60
Often likened to Agent Mulder from “The X-Files,” he worked for Britain’s defense ministry and became a leading commentator on extraterrestrial matters.
Thanks to GLP-1s, Obesity Experts Are Trying to Understand ‘Food Noise’
Before the rise of GLP-1s, obesity experts didn’t study the internal buzz that compels people to eat. Now that food noise is being switched off, they want to understand it.
Pregnancy With Lupus Is Risky. Would She Be Able to Carry Her Baby to Term?
Fatimah Shepherd’s kidneys were compromised, and pregnancy could send her into kidney failure.