Science News
How a Logging Industry Downturn Fuels Wildfires
Loggers are finding it impossible to profitably harvest some federal forests. That leaves more fuel for fires to accumulate.
What Can Four-Winged Dinosaurs Teach Us About Birds?
Flight was probably more widespread in dinosaurs than previously thought. A newly identified species sheds light on how some achieved liftoff.
There’s Worlds Out There More Habitable Than Earth
Scientists believe there are planets outside our solar system where life is even more abundant and sustainable.
NASA’s Perseverance Rover Sets a Mars Driving Record
Advances in self-driving technology have made it easier to traverse distant worlds.
He Helped Discover Ebola 50 Years Ago. He’s Still Worried.
In an interview, Dr. Peter Piot recalled when he first saw the spindly virus under a microscope and reflected on a five-decade career spent fighting two deadly pathogens.
How Do Cuttlefish Hide? Scientists Search for the Secret to Camouflage.
Cephalopods are masters of camouflage. Scientists want to decipher how the process works in the brain.
The Times’s New Space Editor Has Her Eye on the Cosmos
On the Science desk, Victoria Jaggard spends her days pondering the universe’s most pressing mysteries.
Who Were the Vikings? 21 Graves Weave a Tale of Hunters, Nomads and Sorceresses.
“The Sea-King and the Sorceress” examines the lives and deaths of the diverse people who called themselves Vikings.
New York City’s Latest Famous Family Is a Hoot. Yes, They’re Barn Owls.
The city’s latest feathered extraordinaires are captivating the Upper West Side with their screeches.
Why Ketamine Immobilizes Some Users
Potent powders can produce a nearly catatonic state, particularly in those who have not tried the drug before.
Mathematician Who Waited 50 Years for Proper Credit for Her Work Has Died
At the Los Alamos National Laboratory, Mary Tsingou Menzel’s computer programming helped set the stage for chaos theory and other fields.
Will We Ever Understand Dementia?
Since the days of Dr. Alzheimer himself, there has been a dream that severe senility might have an explanation — and a cure. The search for both has never been more urgent.
The Underappreciated Benefits of Leaving Fallen Leaves Alone
To homeowners, fallen leaves look like work. To nature, they’re an investment, with tremendous value on the secondary market as invertebrate real estate.
Big Controversy Upends a Contest About Microscopic Videos
Nikon announced that it had disqualified the winner of its Small World in Motion competition over how A.I. was used in his submission.
Cancer Vaccines Are the N.I.H’s Next ‘Big Bet’
New details have emerged about an initiative that starts in December to fast-track the vaccines, similar to the successful push for the Covid-19 vaccine.
21 Birds Are Found at Miami Airport Stuffed in Underwear and Hidden in a Belt
Two men, who arrived separately from Cuba days apart, each carried clutches of live birds concealed in their clothes, the authorities said.
What Are the Remaining Millennium Prize Problems?
OpenAI’s trove of new math results doesn’t fully solve any of these highly prestigious open questions, but it seems to make progress on some.
‘Breathtaking,’ ‘Devastating’: Mathematics Reels After New OpenAI Release
Hundreds of new A.I.-generated findings moved the frontiers of higher math in a single day — dispelling any doubt that the field is forever changed.
U.N. Warns Against Technology Used to Read Citizens’ Minds
A report by the secretary-general warned that new technologies could be used to access and criminalize people’s innermost thoughts.
The National Hurricane Center’s Boss Keeps an Eye on the Storms
The director, Michael Brennan, oversees 45 federal workers, including hurricane specialists and meteorologists.