William J. Rutter, Biotech Pioneer of Gene-Based Medicine, Dies at 97

His company, the Chiron Corporation, contributed important scientific discoveries toward treatments for H.I.V., hepatitis B, diabetes and more.

The Parrot, Its Parasites and a Shared Struggle to Escape Extinction

The endangered kakapo is a flightless bird native to New Zealand. Its population is growing, but its parasites have dwindled. Could that spell trouble?

Claim of Microbe That Survives on Arsenic Is Retracted After 15 Years

Science, a top research journal, said there was no evidence of misconduct by researchers whose finding attracted heavy attention and scrutiny in social media’s early days.

Hints of Life on Exoplanet Recede Even Further

New observations fail to confirm signs of life in the atmosphere of the distant planet K2-18b. They also raise questions about what it will take to detect biology light-years away.

Grand Canyon Fossils Offer Glimpse Into When Complex Life Appeared

Rocks gathered along the Colorado River contained evidence of a bustling community of animals in an ancient sea.

A.I. May Be the Future, but First It Has to Study Ancient Roman History

A software model from Google DeepMind put a more precise date on an important Latin text credited to a Roman emperor as a demonstration of its capabilities.

Meta Unveils Wristband for Controlling Computers With Hand Gestures

When you write your name in the air, you can see the letters appear on your smartphone.

Something Like Feathers Grew on a 247-Million-Year-Old Reptile

The discovery, in a bizarre animal not closely related to birds, could change how scientists think about the origin of feathers.

There’s Fungus Among Us. But Where Exactly?

A new global atlas of underground fungi suggests that some surprising biodiversity hot spots lie hidden beneath our feet.

Zelig Eshhar, Who Engineered Immune Cells to Fight Cancer, Dies at 84

He made a conceptual leap in immunotherapy by creating a hybrid T-cell, known as CAR-T, that was genetically modified to destroy cancer cells.

What’s That Splatter on Your Windshield?

Can you identify what insects are pelting your vehicle during your summer road trip? Take this quiz and see what you can learn from these close encounters.

Amid Fear of Retaliation, N.S.F. Workers Sign Letter of Dissent

In a public letter, employees of the National Science Foundation accused the administration of politicizing the agency and impeding scientific innovation.

Sarah Morlok Cotton, Quadruplet Who Knew Fame and Suffering, Dies at 95

She was the last of four sisters who became a Depression-era sensation, performing onstage. Offstage, they endured abuse and were studied for their schizophrenia.

From Roman London, a Jigsaw Puzzle for the Ages

Archaeologists are piecing together vivid 1,800-year-old frescoes from “thousands upon thousands upon thousands” of plaster fragments, with no picture on the box to guide them.

When Betelgeuse Explodes, It’s Going to Take Out Another Star

The tempestuous star in Orion’s shoulder has a buddy, and neither of their futures look bright.

Hundreds of NASA Employees, Past and Present, Sign Letter of Formal Dissent

The signatories of the “Voyager Declaration” warned the space agency’s leadership about the consequences of major budget cuts that would halt many science missions.

Read the NASA ‘Voyager Declaration’ Letter of Dissent

Hundreds of current and ex-employees of NASA signed a formal dissent letter protesting the Trump administration’s proposed cuts to the agency.

This Dinosaur Probably Tweeted More Than It Roared

The anatomy of a Chinese fossil offers a hint that birdsong may be as old as the dinosaurs themselves.

Ceratosaur Fossil Auctioned for $30.5 Million by Sotheby’s

The price paid for the juvenile specimen of the 150-million-year old predatory dinosaur is the third-highest on record.

This Golden Fungus Is Spreading Wildly in North America’s Forests

The golden oyster mushroom, a tasty species native to Asia, has proliferated in states around the Great Lakes and may crowd out native species, a new study shows.

New Clue to How Matter Outlasted Antimatter at the Big Bang Is Found

Physicists working at the CERN particle physics lab said they detected a slight but significant difference in how particles of matter and antimatter decay.

Videos From the Amazon Reveal an Unexpected Animal Friendship

Scientists are trying to understand footage that showed ocelots and opossums, usually predator and prey, hanging out together.

After Devastating Winter Losses, Another Threat Looms for U.S. Beekeepers

The parasitic Tropilaelaps mite, which threatens honeybees and the food supply, isn’t in North America. Yet.

Snakes Use Smelly Musk to Keep Ants Out of Their Pants

Forget fangs full of venom — the backsides of serpents pack secretions volatile enough to kill insect invaders.

A Handshake in Orbit 50 Years Ago Transformed the Space Race

The Apollo-Soyuz Test Project brought Soviet cosmonauts and NASA astronauts together in the first international human spaceflight.

Daniel Kleppner, Physicist Who Brought Precision to GPS, Dies at 92

He worked to develop an atomic clock that is essential to global positioning systems and helped confirm a rare state of matter predicted based on work by Albert Einstein.

Denver Museum Finds a Dinosaur Fossil Under Its Parking Lot

The fossil, estimated to be about 70 million years old, was found during a drilling project.

Earth Is Spinning Faster and Days Are Getting Shorter, for Now

The planet’s rotation fluctuates as it travels around the sun, and measurements suggest we’re losing more than a millisecond during the long days of summer.

How Much of Our Math Series Did You Retain? Try This Quiz.

Test your knowledge of taxicab geometry, triangular numbers, the golden ratio and more.

This Jungle Plant Is a Good Landlord to Its Tenant Ants

While plants often have mutually beneficial relationships with insects, a tuber in Fiji grows separate compartments for multiple ant species.

James B. Maas, Guru of Slumber and the ‘Power Nap,’ Dies at 86

An author, public speaker and professor, he taught a hugely popular and entertaining psychology course at Cornell that focused on the essential importance of sleep.

Trump Seeks to Cut Basic Scientific Research by Roughly One-Third, Report Shows

An analysis by the American Association for the Advancement of Science shows the impact of the administration’s budget plan on the kind of studies that produce the most breakthroughs.

How Elephants Say They Like Them Apples

Researchers found that the animals are capable of using their trunks to make a range of gestures that express their intentions and wants.

A 37,000-Year Chronicle of What Once Ailed Us

In a new genetic study, scientists have charted the rise of 214 human diseases across ancient Europe and Asia.

Ivar Giaever, Nobel Winner in Quantum Physics, Dies at 96

A former “D” student from Norway, he made his mark at G.E.’s Research Lab in the U.S., in part by confirming a pivotal theory about superconductivity.

Trump’s Budget Would Clip Bird Banding. Hunters Are Not Happy.

The Bird Banding Laboratory has turned duck hunters into citizen scientists. What happens if it is defunded?

Franklin W. Stahl, 95, Dies; Helped Create a ‘Beautiful’ DNA Experiment

He and a colleague proved a theory advanced by the Nobel Prize winners James Watson and Francis Crick, who discovered DNA’s helical structure.

Increasingly Acidic Seas Threaten Oyster Farming

Researchers and hatcheries are exploring new ways to protect shellfish in the Pacific Northwest, although Trump budget cuts may thwart their efforts.

Fiona the Pregnant Sea Reptile’s Fossil Hints at the Birth of a New Ocean

An ichthyosaur preserved beneath a Chilean glacier is helping scientists understand the extinct animals and the world around them as a supercontinent broke up.

Antarctica Faces Tense Future as U.S. Science Budget Shrinks

The continent is dedicated to research and cooperation, but proposed funding cuts in the Trump administration and actions by other world powers may alter the environment.

How a Parasitic Bird With No Parents Learns What Species It Is

Cowbird mothers abandon their eggs in the nests of other bird species, but the chicks somehow manage to find their flock and learn what they really are.

Don’t Like Eating Insects? Your Pet Might.

Could insect meal and lab-grown meat be a more sustainable, ethical way to feed our cats and dogs?

It Came From Outside Our Solar System, and It Looks Like a Comet

3I/ATLAS, earlier known as A11pI3Z, is only the third interstellar visitor to be discovered passing through our corner of the galaxy.

Scientists Use A.I. to Mimic the Mind, Warts and All

To better understand human cognition, scientists trained a large language model on 10 million psychology experiment questions. It now answers questions much like we do.

Sea Spiders Lack a Key Body Part and a Missing Gene Could Explain Why

Scientists have long sought to understand why sea spiders keep some of their most important organs in their legs.

How a Puzzle About Fractions Got Brain Scans Rolling

A story of bowling pins, patterns and medical miracles.

Israel and U.S. Smashed Iran Nuclear Site That Grew After Trump Quit 2015 Accord

Nuclear experts say the president’s rejection of the restrictive deal forced him to neutralize an Iranian threat of his own making.

This Is Not the Way We Usually Imagine the World Will End

Stars passing close to the sun could cause planets to collide, including with Earth, or even be ejected as rogue planets, new simulations show.

Max Fink, Champion of Electroconvulsive Therapy, Dies at 102

As a psychiatry resident, he became convinced of the benefits of ECT. But he spent years battling detractors and a misleading pop-culture depiction of the procedure.

Honey, We Shrunk the Cod

Two new studies add to the evidence that human activity, from fishing to urban development, is driving the evolution of wild animals.

Orcas Use Kelp as a Possible Grooming Tool

In a new sign of toolmaking in marine mammals, orcas in the Pacific Northwest were recorded rubbing stalks of kelp against each other’s bodies, a study shows.

Here’s Another Use for Ice: Creating Secret Codes

Scientists have devised a way of writing and storing messages by creating patterns of air bubbles in sheets of ice.

How Two Neuroscientists View Optical Illusions

The Best Illusion of the Year contest offers researchers, and participants, an opportunity to explore the gaps and limits of human perception.

Grand Jury Indicts Russian Scientist on Smuggling Charges

Kseniia Petrova, a Harvard researcher, was detained in February after failing to declare scientific samples she was carrying into the country.

N.I.H. Memo Pauses Cancellations of Medical Research Grants

The directive, in a memo issued Tuesday, came after two court rulings that questioned the Trump administration’s swift cuts to funding.

Fred Espenak, Astrophysicist Known as Mr. Eclipse, Dies at 73

He chased eclipses for five decades, wrote several books about them and worked with NASA to make data accessible to nonscientist sky gazers.

Scientists Retrace 30,000-Year-Old Sea Voyage, in a Hollowed-Out Log

Japanese researchers turned to “experimental archaeology” to study how ancient humans navigated powerful ocean currents and migrated offshore.

Did Baby Talk Give Rise to Language?

The way that human adults talk to young children is unique among primates, a new study found. That might be one secret to our species’ grasp of language.

Four Astronauts Lift Off on Axiom Mission to the I.S.S.

Sponsored by governments but ferried by a private company, astronauts from Hungary, India and Poland are going to the space station for the first time.

This Powerful Telescope Quickly Found 2,100 New Asteroids

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory is expected to find millions of unknown objects in our solar system, and perhaps even a mysterious Planet Nine.

How Bees, Beer Cans and Data Solve the Same Packing Problem

Trying to fit it all in? There’s a trick to it, even in 24 dimensions.

Vera Rubin Scientists Reveal Telescope’s First Images

Scenes of nebulas in the Milky Way, a cluster of galaxies and thousands of new asteroids are a teaser of how the U.S.-funded observatory on a mountain in Chile will transform astronomy.

Vera Rubin’s Legacy Lives On in a Troubled Scientific Landscape

A powerful new telescope will usher in a new era of cosmic discovery, but in a political climate vastly different from when it was named for a once overlooked female astronomer.

Fifty Years After ‘Jaws,’ Shark Science Is Still Surfacing

The film’s release in 1975 haunted the reputation of sharks worldwide. But a generation of scientists helped to turn the tide.

How Astronomers Will Deal With 60 Million Billion Bytes of Imagery

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory will make the study of stars and galaxies more like the big data-sorting exercises of contemporary genetics and particle physics.

Edward Anders, Who Duped Nazis and Illuminated the Cosmos, Dies at 98

His research unraveled mysteries about the solar system and the demise of the dinosaurs. In retirement, he turned his attention to the Holocaust.

Earth’s Largest Camera Takes 3 Billion-Pixel Images of the Night Sky

At the heart of the new Vera C. Rubin Observatory is a digital camera that will create an unparalleled map of the cosmos.

The Universe’s Darkest Mysteries Are Coming Into Focus

As the Vera C. Rubin Observatory surveys the night sky, astrophysicists expect to unlock the secrets of dark matter, dark energy and cosmic phenomena that go “bang!”

Can A.I. Quicken the Pace of Math Discovery?

Breakthroughs in pure mathematics can take decades. A new Defense Department initiative aims to speed things up using artificial intelligence.

Mysterious Ancient Humans Now Have a Face

Fifteen years after the discovery of a new type of human, the Denisovan, scientists discovered its DNA in a fossilized skull. The key? Tooth plaque.

When Humans Learned to Live Everywhere

About 70,000 years ago in Africa, humans expanded into more extreme environments, a new study finds, setting the stage for our global migration.

Starry Skies May Guide Bogong Moths Home

A new study suggests that these Australian insects may be the first invertebrates to use the night sky as a compass during migration.

Eight Arms to Taste Your Microbiome

Scientists discovered that octopuses use their limbs to sample the microbiomes on the surfaces they touch.

A Traveler Waits in the Stars for Those Willing to Learn How to Look

A new book shows that the Northern Dene people of Alaska and Canada have known far more about the stars than an earlier generation of scientists were willing to acknowledge.

Bat Cave Footage Offers Clues to How Viruses Leap Between Species

Video from a national park in Uganda depicted a parade of predatory species feeding on and dispersing fruit bats that are known natural reservoirs of infectious diseases.

To Protest Budget Cuts, Young Scientists Try Letters to the Editor

Hundreds of graduate students are writing to their hometown newspapers to defend their research, as the Trump administration drastically reduces science funding.

This Fossil Is Valued at Millions of Dollars and Brings Some Dinosaur Experts Dread

The 150-million-year-old specimen is valued at up to $6 million by Sotheby’s. Some paleontologists worry this auction and earlier ones are driving fossil market speculators.

What the Golden Ratio Says About Your Belly Button

The secret beauty in apples, stars and the center of you.

Radiation Risk From Israel’s Strikes on Iran Nuclear Sites Is Low, for Now

The radiological threat from the targets of the earliest attacks are relatively minor.

Traveling the Cosmos With Carter Emmart, One Last Time

For nearly three decades he has created mesmerizing planetarium shows at the American Museum of Natural History. But other galaxies await.

Amanda Feilding, Eccentric Countess Who Backed Psychedelic Meds, Dies at 82

She was ridiculed for drilling a hole in her skull to increase blood flow. But her foundation’s research into the therapeutic use of counterculture drugs proved visionary.

Shining a Light on the World of Tiny Proteins

From viruses to humans, life makes microproteins that have evaded discovery until now.

Russian Scientist Released After Four Months in Federal Custody

Kseniia Petrova, a Harvard researcher, still faces criminal charges for failing to declare scientific samples she was carrying in her suitcase.

Each Person Has a Unique ‘Breath Print,’ Scientists Find

Every breath you take, they really may be watching you.

Google and U.S. Experts Join on A.I. Hurricane Forecasts

The National Hurricane Center will experiment with the company’s DeepMind program to enhance the work of its expert meteorologists.

Early Humans Settled in Cities. Bedbugs Followed Them.

A new study suggests that bedbugs were the first urban pest, and their population thrived in that environment. For the bloodsucking insects, it’s been the perfect 13,000-year-long marriage.

A Near-Full ‘Strawberry Moon’ Will Shine Again on Wednesday Night

June’s full moon, known as a “strawberry moon,” may appear reddish because of its low position on the Southern Horizon.

This Elusive Antarctic Squid Was Seen for the First Time

An expedition in the Southern Ocean captured video of a rare species of deep-sea cephalopod. Until now, it had been found only in fishing nets and in the bellies of seabirds.

First-Ever Images of Sun’s South Pole Released by European Mission

Visuals from the European Space Agency’s Solar Orbiter reveal chaotic solar magnetism in the solar polar region. Even better images are expected in the years ahead.

Niede Guidon, 92, Archaeologist Who Preserved Prehistoric Rock Art, Dies

Her work in Brazil challenged the prevailing theory of when humans first arrived in the Americas and led to the development of a forgotten corner of the country.

First Fossil Proof Found That Long-Necked Dinosaurs Were Vegetarians

“It’s the smoking gun, or the steaming guts,” said a paleontologist from a team that also found that the sauropods didn’t chew their food.

Where Pi Equals 4 and Circles Aren’t Round

In the world of taxicab geometry, even the Pythagorean theorem takes a back seat.

Farming Was Extensive in Ancient North America, Study Finds

A millenniums-old settlement in Michigan has archaeologists rethinking the rise of agriculture on the continent.

NASA and the Defense Department Rely on SpaceX in So Many Ways

If President Trump cancels the contracts for Elon Musk’s private spaceflight company, the federal government would struggle to achieve many goals in orbit and beyond.

Japanese Company’s Moon Lander Has Crashed

The loss of the Resilience spacecraft by Ispace repeated a crash into the moon in 2023 of the company’s first robotic lunar landing mission.

A How-To for the Self-Sacrificing Samurai, Now in English

A gory set of manuals, one dating to the 17th century, advised Japanese warriors in the secret ways of seppuku.

Do You See Craters or Bumps on the Moon’s Surface?

A picture taken recently by a Japanese company’s spacecraft shows how your interpretation of objective reality can be tested by the power of illusion.

Frank Graham Jr., Nature Writer Who Updated ‘Silent Spring,’ Dies at 100

He worked for the Brooklyn Dodgers and wrote about sports but mostly focused on conservation, publishing a sequel to Rachel Carson’s exposé on the dangers of pesticides.

Ancient Trees, Dwindling in the Wild, Thrive on Sacred Ground

Buddhist temples in China are home to trees from dozens of endangered species, a new study shows. Some of them are almost 2,000 years old.

Clever Cockatoos Have Figured Out How to Drink From Water Fountains

They had also learned how to flip open garbage lids in the suburbs of Sydney, Australia. Scientists wonder what they’ll work out next.

Sharp Hike in Nuclear Arms Budget Sought as Science Funding Is Slashed

The Trump administration asked Congress for $5.5 billion more in annual spending for the weapon activities of the federal agency that oversees the nation’s nuclear arsenal.

Muon Experiment Was ‘Hugely Successful’ but Clarified Little

The deviant behavior of a subatomic particle might point to undiscovered forms of matter and energy in the universe. Or it might not.

Scientific Discoveries, and Dreams, in the Balance

Research breakthroughs are often sagas of passion, curiosity and sacrifice. If Trump’s proposed budget cuts for 2026 are enacted, many such journeys may never get started.

George E. Smith, Nobel Winner Who Created a Digital Eye, Dies at 95

Together with Willard S. Boyle, he invented an imaging device that is an essential part of nearly every telescope, photocopier and digital camera used today.

Robert Jarvik, 79, Dies; a Designer of the First Permanent Artificial Heart

He worked with a team at the University of Utah to create a mechanical heart. It was later used in patients awaiting an organ transplant.

Scientists Say They’ve Found a Dwarf Planet Very Far From the Sun

The small world was found during a search for the hypothetical Planet Nine, and astronomers say the next time it will reach its closest point to the sun is in the year 26186.

Judge Says Government Should Release Russian Scientist

The judge ordered ICE to release Kseniia Petrova, a researcher at Harvard Medical School, who also faces criminal charges.

Your Cat May or May Not Love You, but It Knows Your Scent

Scientists found a way to get 30 kitties to cooperate with a study exploring the power of the feline sense of smell.

China Launches Mission to Capture Pieces of an Unusual Asteroid

The robotic Tianwen-2 spacecraft will collect samples from Kamoʻoalewa, which some scientists suspect is a fragment of the moon.

A Fungus Devastated North American Bats. A New Species Could Deliver a Killer Blow.

Scientists have learned that another species of fungus found in Europe and Asia causes white-nose disease, which has ravaged bat populations in the United States and Canada.

Manhattanhenge Is Back Again: When, Where and How to Watch

It’s your last chance this year to catch New York City’s best sunset, if the weather cooperates.

SpaceX Loses Control of Starship, Adding to Spacecraft’s Mixed Record

Much was riding on Flight 9 for Elon Musk’s giant moon and Mars rocket after debris from January and March flights fell into the Atlantic Ocean, disrupting air travel.

Sonic Detectives Want to Help SpaceX Listen Up

Physicists who record rocket launches and landings are learning important facts about the acoustics of spaceflight.

In the U.S., Archaeology Stares Down an Uncertain Future

Federal layoffs and grant terminations threaten efforts to understand and preserve the nation’s past. “We are getting cut off at the knees,” said one archaeologist.

These Plants Protect Larvae From Wildfires

Growths on plants formed by parasitic weevils help their offspring hunker down on a Brazilian savanna and outlast the flames.

Historic Shipwrecks Come to Light in the Great Lakes

With an underwater drone named Rhody, archaeologists are mapping some of the dozens of sunken vessels in Lake Ontario.

New Studies Dismiss Signs of Life on Distant Planet

In April, astronomers said they had detected a possible signature of life on the exoplanet K2-18b. Now, three independent analyses discount the evidence.

Funding Cuts Are a ‘Gut Punch’ for STEM Education Researchers

More than half of the National Science Foundation grants terminated since April fund programs that would help students train in science, engineering and math.

Did Soccer Originate in Scotland? New Claim Draws Jeers in England.

The discovery of a 17th-century “foot-ball” pitch in Scotland would relocate the birthplace of the modern game.

Humpback Whales May Not See Their Most Dangerous Threats

These gentle giants have poor eyesight and may not be able to see fishnets and boats with which they have fatal encounters.

This Was Odd: These Monkeys Kidnapped Babies From Another Species.

Male capuchin monkeys on a Panamanian island were documented carrying around infant howler monkeys for no clearly discernible reason.

A Scientist Fighting Nuclear Armageddon Hid a 50-Year Secret

Richard Garwin’s role in designing the hydrogen bomb was obscured from the public, even his family, as he advised presidents and devoted his life to undoing the danger he created.

Peter Lax, Pre-eminent Cold War Mathematician, Dies at 99

As the computer age dawned, he saw how the new technology could be harnessed to mathematics to solve problems in everything from designing weapons to predicting the weather.

Ed Smylie, Who Saved the Apollo 13 Crew With Duct Tape, Dies at 95

He and his team of NASA engineers jumped into action to help three astronauts bound for the moon. His quick thinking earned him a shout-out from Richard Nixon.

9 Federally Funded Scientific Breakthroughs That Changed Everything

The U.S. is slashing funding for scientific research, after decades of deep investment. Here’s some of what those taxpayer dollars created.

How a Two-Story Boulder Ended Up on a 120-Foot-High Cliff

The rock called Maka Lahi is important in the mythology of the people of Tonga, and scientists have worked out part of its origin story.

U.S. Moves Russian Scientist’s Case to Criminal Court in Boston

For months, the Harvard researcher Kseniia Petrova has challenged efforts to deport her to her native Russia for a customs violation. This week, the government charged her with a criminal felony.

Malcolm Potts, Irreverent Evangelist for Contraception, Dies at 90

He helped develop the device most often used for surgical abortions. He also spent more than half a century promoting women’s reproductive health in developing countries.

First Visible Aurora Spotted Over Mars by NASA Rover

A serendipitous solar outburst let scientists point the robot’s cameras toward the Red Planet’s sky to spot a feature shared with our Blue Marble.

Richard L. Garwin, a Creator of the Hydrogen Bomb, Dies at 97

Many scientists contributed to the final result, but he was the one who, as a young physicist, designed the world’s most powerful weapon. He went on to advise a dozen presidents.

This Dinosaur Had Feathers and Probably Flew Like a Chicken

New insights into the flying capabilities of a nonbird dinosaur were drawn from an unusually well-preserved specimen known as the Chicago Archaeopteryx.

This Fossil’s 3 Eyes Are Not Its Most Surprising Feature

Cambrian Period creatures known as sea moths seemed alien because of their additional eye, but a study finds anatomical features more in line with modern animals.

Interior Department Weighs Less Conservation, More Extraction

A leaked version of the department’s five-year strategic planning document favors privatization and economic returns from the nation’s public lands.

A Toxic Pit Could Be a Gold Mine for Rare-Earth Elements

At the Berkeley Pit, researchers hope to extract valuable metals to increase U.S. production of rare earths used in electric cars, medical advances and national defense.

Flamingos Make Underwater Vortexes to Suck Up Prey

Three cooperative birds and a model bird head helped scientists figure out what flamingos are actually doing when they stick their heads upside down underwater.

1 Astronaut, Many Cameras and 220 Days of Amazing Images From Space

Don Pettit brought a photographer’s eye to orbit, capturing the artistry of the cosmos and our planet.

In Their Final Moments, a Pompeii Family Fought to Survive

Archaeologists unearthed skeletal remains of four people in a well-appointed Roman home, along with signs of their efforts to outlast the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.

Soviet Spacecraft Crash Lands on Earth After a Journey of Half a Century

Kosmos-482, a spacecraft bound for Venus in 1972, was a time capsule from the Cold War when superpowers had broad ambitions for exploring the solar system.

The Best Way to Drop an Egg

How the shell cracks in an exercise known as the egg drop challenge turned out to be more complicated than science teachers have been telling students for many years.

Who Is Dr. Casey Means?

Dr. Means, President Trump’s new pick for surgeon general, has focused on the prevalence of chronic diseases and called on the government to scale back on childhood vaccines.

These Beautiful Birds Form Something Like Lasting Friendships

Superb starlings help care for the offspring of birds they are not related to. “To me, that sounds like friendship,” one scientist said.

Genetic Study Retraces the Origins of Coronaviruses in Bats

As China and the United States trade charges of a lab leak, researchers contend in a new paper that the Covid pandemic got its start, like a previous one, in the wildlife trade.

A Half-Ton Spacecraft Lost by the Soviets in 1972 Is Coming Home

Kosmos-482, which was headed to Venus, is expected to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere by the end of this weekend. Experts don’t yet know where it may come down.

Philip Sunshine, 94, Dies; Pioneer in Treatment of Premature Babies

A founder of neonatology, he helped revolutionize the care of preterm and critically ill newborns. “We were able to keep babies alive that would not have survived,” he said.

Watch a Meteor Shower Made by Halley’s Comet

The Eta Aquarids will reach their peak Monday night into Tuesday morning.

How Trump’s Cuts Are Stifling L.G.B.T.Q. Health Research

The Trump administration has systematically stripped funding from research into the health of L.G.B.T.Q. people. Benjamin Mueller, a reporter covering health and medicine for The New York Times, describes how hundreds of such projects were abruptly halted, stranding participants in experiments, and leading to lawsuits that argue that the administration had not offered a legal justification for the cuts.

Science backers say proposed federal research cuts pose dire risks.

One expert said the consequences would be “catastrophic” if Congress enacts the White House agenda of sweeping budget cuts.

Volcanic Eruption in Deep Ocean Ridge Is Witnessed by Scientists for First Time

Researchers diving in a submersible in the eastern Pacific realized that the landscape they had studied the day before had been glassed over by fresh lava.

Ronan the Sea Lion Is Probably Better Than You at Keeping a Beat

As she has aged, the pinniped’s rhythmic abilities have only improved.

A Diver Visited a Fallen Whale. When He Returned, It Was Gone.

A sunken calf’s disappearance created a mystery in murky waters near San Diego.

Two Theories of Consciousness Faced Off. The Ref Took a Beating.

What makes humans conscious? Scientists disagree, strongly, as one group of peacemakers discovered the hard way.

Citing N.I.H. Cuts, a Top Science Journal Stops Accepting Submissions

With federal support, Environmental Health Perspectives has long published peer-reviewed studies without fees to readers or scientists.

Humans’ Wounds Heal Much More Slowly Than Other Mammals’

We naked apes need Band-Aids, but shedding the fur that speeds healing in other mammals may have helped us evolve other abilities.

A Massive, Glow-in-the-Dark Cloud Lurking in Our Cosmic Backyard

The cloud, named Eos, is chock-full of molecular hydrogen and possibly rife with star-forming potential in the future.

Lab Animals Face Being Euthanized as Trump Cuts Research

Animal testing remains a fundamental part of biomedical research. But as funding evaporates, mice, rats and even monkeys may be euthanized.

Amazon Launches First 27 Project Kuiper Internet Satellites

The spacecraft are the online giant’s entry into beaming wireless service from space, but the company has much to do before it can compete with SpaceX’s Starlink.

David Paton, Creator of the Flying Eye Hospital, Dies at 94

An idealistic ophthalmologist, he came up with an ingenious way to treat blindness in far-flung places: by outfitting an airplane with an operating room.

The ‘Bone Collector’ Doesn’t Play With Its Food. It Wears It.

Carnivorous caterpillars discovered on the Hawaiian island of Oahu have a freaky fashion sense.

Who’s a Carthaginian? Genetic Study Revises Ancestry of Rome’s Ancient Nemesis

The inhabitants of Carthage were long thought to have derived from Levantine Phoenicians. But an eight-year study suggests they were more closely related to Greeks.

These Apes Are Matriarchal, but It Doesn’t Mean They’re Peaceful

Females reign supreme in bonobo society by working together to keep males in their place.

A Roman Gladiator and a Lion Met in Combat. Only One Walked Away.

A discovery in an English garden led to the first direct evidence that man fought beast to entertain the subjects of the Roman Empire.

The Physics of the Perfect Pour Over

Scientists used fluid dynamics to learn how to get the most flavor from pour-over coffee.

How Bats Enjoy an In-Flight Beverage Service

Bats are not only masters of aerodynamic flight — they’re skillful at multitasking while flying, too.

National Science Foundation Terminates Hundreds of Active Research Awards

The agency targeted grants focused on diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as research on misinformation.

The Lyrids Meteor Shower Is Peaking. Here’s How to Watch.

Active since last week, the shower is formed from a comet’s debris and is forecast to produce the most fireballs overnight.

Hidden Above a Trap Door, 17th-Century Frescoes Come to Light

While inspecting a sumptuous villa in Rome, an electrician stumbled across long lost works by the Baroque painter Carlo Maratta.

It’s Springtime on Polaris-9b, and the Exoflowers Are Blooming

An artist imagines the flora of distant, nonexistent worlds.

A Fireball Near Mexico City Lit Up the Sky and the Internet

The glowing object was a bolide, fireballs that explode in a bright flash, according to experts. It streaked across Mexico’s predawn skies on Wednesday.

Joe Nickell, Paranormal Investigator and ‘Real-Life Scully,’ Dies at 80

A professional skeptic, he took on hundreds of mysteries, offering rational explanations for the Loch Ness monster, the Shroud of Turin and countless hauntings.

On New Website, Trump Declares Lab Leak as ‘True Origins’ of Covid

The White House has thrown its weight behind the lab leak theory, an idea that has divided intelligence agencies.

Astronomers Detect a Possible Signature of Life on a Distant Planet

Further studies are needed to determine whether K2-18b, which orbits a star 120 light-years away, is inhabited, or even habitable.

It Took a Century to Find This Colossal Squid

An expedition spotted a baby of the species in the South Sandwich Islands. This cephalopod can grow to more than 20 feet and has proved elusive in its deep-sea environs.

DOGE Cuts Hobble Office That Would Aid NASA and SpaceX Mars Landings

The Astrogeology Science Center, which has helped astronauts and robots reach other worlds safely, is facing a substantial number of job reductions.

How to Evade Taxes in Ancient Rome? A 1,900-Year-Old Papyrus Offers a Guide.

A manuscript discovered in the Judean desert contains trial notes on an intricate tax-evasion scheme that involved forgery, fiscal fraud and the false sale of slaves.

Blue Origin Crew Including Gayle King and Katy Perry Returns Safely After Space Launch

They were among the six women who made a 10-minute trip on Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket, as the first all-female space crew in more than 60 years.

A Cautionary Tale of 408 Tentacles

One pet octopus suddenly became more than four dozen. They went viral. Then it all went south.

There’s a Lot of History to Unpack for This Space Expert

Jonathan McDowell is retiring from studying the universe. But he’s ramping up efforts to chronicle humanity’s exploration of space.

She Worked in a Harvard Lab to Reverse Aging, Until ICE Jailed Her

President Trump’s immigration crackdown ensnared Kseniia Petrova, a scientist who fled Russia after protesting its invasion of Ukraine. She fears arrest if she is deported there.

Neutrinos Are Shrinking, and That’s a Good Thing for Physics

A new estimate of the ghostly particle’s maximum possible mass brings physicists a tad closer to understanding the universe.

With a Jawbone, Scientists Expand the Ancient Range of a Mysterious Human Relative

A bone discovered in Taiwan turns out to have belonged to a Denisovan, a lineage previously identified only thousands of miles away.

Launch of First Amazon Project Kuiper Internet Satellites Is Scrubbed

The spacecraft are the online giant’s entry into beaming wireless service from space, but the company has much to do before it can compete with SpaceX’s Starlink.

Xavier Le Pichon, Who Modeled Movement of Earth’s Crust, Dies at 87

With a computer rendering, he helped scientists understand that the earth, with its shifting tectonic plates, is “an extraordinary living being” that is “continuously changing.”

Chinese Lunar Rocks Suggest a Thirsty Far Side of the Moon

Using samples gathered from the Chang’e-6 mission, scientists found that the interior of the moon on the half we never see from Earth might be drier than the near side.

An Advance in Brain Research That Was Once Considered Impossible

Scientists achieved “a milestone” by charting the activity and structure of 200,000 cells in a mouse brain and their 523 million connections.

Trump’s NASA Nominee Questioned Over Moon Plans and Elon Musk

Jared Isaacman, a billionaire entrepreneur who has twice launched to orbit in a SpaceX vehicle, faced pointed questions from senators of both parties before the Senate on Wednesday.

The Skin on Mysterious Medieval Books Concealed a Shaggy Surprise

The material on the covers of books from a French abbey was too hairy to have come from calves or other local mammals. Researchers identified its more distant origin.

Nuclear Testing Not Advised, Trump’s Nominee Says in Senate Hearing

Brandon Williams, the nominee to lead the National Nuclear Security Administration, said he would recommend reliance on “scientific information” rather than a restart of explosive testing.

King K. Holmes, 87, Dies; Researcher Destigmatized Study of S.T.I.s

He took a down-to-earth approach to sexually transmitted infections, a subject no one wanted to discuss, arriving at novel methods of treatment and prevention.

Ideology May Not Be What You Think but How You’re Wired

In her new book, “The Ideological Brain,” the neuroscientist Leor Zmigrod outlines what makes some people prone to rigid thinking.

Jeremiah Ostriker, Who Plumbed Dark Forces That Shape Universe, Dies at 87

There’s more to the universe than meets the eye, he found. His studies led astronomy to the dark side, changing our view of what’s out there.

Scientists Revive the Dire Wolf, or Something Close

Dire wolves, made famous by “Game of Thrones,” went extinct some 13,000 years ago. Now, researchers have bred gray-wolf pups that carry genes of their ancient cousins.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as he left the funeral of an 8-year-old girl in Texas who died of measles amid a growing outbreak in the region.

An Endangered Galápagos Tortoise Is a First-Time Mother at 100

Mommy, a Western Santa Cruz tortoise, recently welcomed four hatchlings at the Philadelphia Zoo, where she has lived since 1932.

Philadelphia Zoo Welcomes Four Endangered Tortoise Hatchlings

Four endangered Western Santa Cruz Galápagos tortoises hatched at the Philadelphia Zoo.

SpaceX Astronauts Splash Down Off California Coast for the First Time

After years of NASA and private crews returning to Earth near Florida, the company shifted its landing zone to the West Coast for the private Fram2 mission.

The Very Territorial Caterpillar

As they cling to leaf tips, newborn warty birch caterpillars produce vibrations that can ward off invaders approaching their millimeter-size domain.

One Bird Nest, 30 Years of Human Trash

A coot’s nest reveals that what humans throw away doesn’t really go away.

In the Calls of Bonobos, Scientists Hear Hints of Language

Hundreds of hours of recordings suggest that the apes can generate meaning by stringing sounds together in pairs. But some scholars are skeptical.

Scientists Reveal the Hairy Truth About Giant Ground Sloths

New research painted a more accurate picture of the megafauna that spread widely around the Americas before they went extinct.

Ralph Holloway, Anthropologist Who Studied Brain’s Evolution, Dies at 90

It wasn’t the size of human brains that distinguished people from apes, he theorized, but the way they were organized. He found a creative way to prove it.

A love letter to the Division of Violence Prevention

Read the letter

This Tree Wants to Be Struck by Lightning

Before a discovery in a Panamanian rainforest, “it seemed impossible that lightning could be a good thing for the trees,” a scientist said.

How the Myanmar Earthquake Shook Skyscrapers in Bangkok

Large quakes produce shaking at a variety of frequencies. Some waves can travel hundreds of miles, and are amplified by local geological conditions.

Astronauts Emphasize Gratitude as NASA Contends With Uncertainty

Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore spoke in their first news conference since returning to Earth two weeks ago from an unexpectedly long I.S.S. stay that lasted more than nine months.

Eating ‘Family Style’ May Have Set the Stage for Life as We Know It

Under microscopes, scientists found that giant single-cell organisms were able to vacuum up more food when they are stuck together.

Trump Administration Has Begun a War on Science, Researchers Say

Nearly 2,000 scientists urged that Congress restore funding to federal agencies decimated by recent cuts.

A New Dinosaur Museum Rises From a Hole in the Ground in New Jersey

The museum hopes that after learning about the planet’s prehistoric past, people will do more to preserve Earth’s future.

Partial Eclipse Captivates Much of the Northern Hemisphere

The moon slipped between the Earth and the sun on Saturday, casting a shadow on our planet in parts of the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, Europe, Russia and Africa.

The 2025 Partial Solar Eclipse: When, Where and How to Watch

If you’re on the East Coast, wake up early to try and catch the moon take a bite out of the sun on Saturday.

A Shark Breaks Its Silence With Some Clicking Sounds

Researchers in New Zealand have made what they believe is the first recording of a shark actively making noise.

Audio of a rig shark recorded by scientists at the Leigh Marine Laboratory at the University of Auckland.

Farewell to Gaia, the Milky Way’s Cartographer

After more than a decade of mapping the stars, the European spacecraft was shut down on Thursday. But its legacy lives on.

Auroras Are Spotted on Neptune for the First Time, and Lead to a New Mystery

The James Webb Space Telescope identified the lights in the distant planet’s atmosphere, which could not be seen by earlier telescopes or spacecraft.

Abel Prize Awarded to Japanese Mathematician Who Abstracted Abstractions

Masaki Kashiwara received the honor, often regarded as the Nobel Prize in mathematics, for work that combined different mathematical fields to solve challenging problems.

Foie Gras That Skips the Force-Feeding Is Developed by Physicists

While not sparing the lives of ducks and geese, the technique lets the birds eat and grow normally.

SpaceX Rocket Leaves a Glowing Spiral in the Sky, Visible Across Europe

Frozen fuel from the Falcon 9 rocket launched Monday created a luminous display for several minutes, and was seen by people from England to Eastern Europe.

A Fungi Pioneer’s Lifelong Work on Exhibit

Mushrooms in 19th-century watercolors: The paintings of a self-taught female mycologist are featured at the New York State Museum.

You Can Make Amber Fossils in 24 Hours, Instead of Millions of Years

Paleontologists hope that an amber-like material, made with living tree resin, will shed light on the prehistoric fossilization of the real stuff.

Lessons From a Lost-Pet Detective Named Kat

Recovering missing animals requires understanding both animal and human behavior.

‘Don’t Think, Just Solve’

Max Park is a longtime speedcubing world record holder — for the 3x3x3 cube, his best official time is 3.13 seconds. Let's show you how he does it.

Everyone in the City Needs Soundproofing, Even Spiders

Researchers have found evidence that a common North American spider species alters its webs to deal with urban noise pollution.

After Lunar Disappointments, NASA Hits the Jackpot With Blue Ghost

Firefly Aerospace’s successful moon lander has yielded a trove of data that scientists will pore over for years.

Kilmer McCully, 91, Dies; Pathologist Vindicated on Heart Disease Theory

His studies showed that a B vitamin deficiency could cause hardened arteries. It took the medical profession more than a decade to catch up.

A Lunar Lander’s Busy Day: Eclipse Photos and Rock Collecting

The sun has set on the Blue Ghost spacecraft, ending a successful mission to the moon.

This Octopus’s Other Car Is a Shark

Researchers in New Zealand saw a colorful blob on top of a shark’s head. When they looked closer, they realized it had eight arms.

‘More Than a Hint’ That Dark Energy Isn’t What Astronomers Thought

New data further challenge the best scientific theory of the history and the structure of the universe. But a separate recent result reinforces it.

Pod of Dolphins Greets NASA Astronauts

The marine mammals swarmed around the recovery team and capsule, welcoming home the astronauts shortly after they splashed down off Florida’s Gulf Coast.

NASA Astronauts Finally Return to Earth, Almost 9 Months Delayed

A SpaceX capsule carrying two NASA astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, splashed down off Florida’s Gulf Coast on Tuesday, concluding their unexpectedly long stay in space.

What happens to the astronauts right after they return to Earth.

The astronauts will return to Earth enveloped in hot plasma.

What bringing the astronauts home will cost NASA.

With nowhere else to go, Williams and Wilmore got to work on the space station.

What does 9 months in space do to an astronaut’s health?

NASA’s ex-chief says he never discussed a rescue mission with SpaceX, contradicting Musk.

Williams and Wilmore Are Not the First Astronauts to Be Delayed in Space

From a spacecraft’s coolant leak to the disintegration of the Soviet Union, astronauts have gotten stuck in space for a variety of reasons over the decades of human spaceflight.

Were the astronauts stranded or abandoned? It’s best to ask them.

How Williams and Wilmore endured 9 extra months in orbit.

A Lifeboat to London for Darwin’s Frogs

Males of the South American species incubate their young in their vocal sacs. The London Zoo recently established a breeding colony to save the frog from extinction.

Why the astronauts had to wait an extra month in orbit.

NASA Astronauts Depart I.S.S.

Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore are on their way home after an unexpected nine months in space.

Wilmore and Williams’s stay in space, by the numbers.

What happens when the astronauts leave?

Williams and Wilmore were not initially supposed to be on this flight.

Watch Live: NASA Astronauts Begin Journey Back to Earth

Who Are Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams? What to Know About the NASA Astronauts.

This was the third time in orbit for both NASA astronauts.

NASA Astronauts’ Nine-Month Orbital Odyssey Ends in a Splashdown

Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore finally made it home to Earth after a 17-hour trip aboard a SpaceX capsule.

These Iguanas Got Carried Away and Ended Up 5,000 Miles From Home

Genetic evidence suggests that the reptiles somehow managed millions of years ago to make an ocean crossing from North America to Fiji.

Digital Therapists Get Stressed Too, Study Finds

Chatbots should be built with enough resilience to deal with difficult emotional situations, researchers said.

At a Penguin ‘Retirement Home,’ a Slower Pace and Plenty of Fish

Six African Penguins at the New England Aquarium in Boston have made a new home on an island designed to address the aches and pains of aging.

SpaceX Launches NASA’s Crew-10 Mission

The mission would allow Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, two NASA astronauts, to return to Earth. Their brief scheduled visit to the space station last June was unexpectedly stretched to more than nine months.

The Blood Moon Rises: A Total Lunar Eclipse

The first total lunar eclipse in more than two years lit up the sky last night as humanity, forever fascinated with the Earth’s only natural satellite, watched.

Who’s Afraid of Lab-Grown Meat?

Mississippi became the third state to ban cell-derived meat, a product not for sale in the United States. But not all livestock producers are opposed to cultivated protein.

SpaceX Launches NASA’s Crew-10 Mission to the I.S.S.

After their flight was scrubbed on Wednesday, four astronauts successfully lifted off, which will allow two NASA astronauts to return to Earth after an unexpected extended stay in orbit.

A Tiny Moon Photo Bombs Mars as Europe’s Hera Mission Swoops Past

The Red Planet and its tiny moon Deimos were recorded at a very near distance as the asteroid-chasing spacecraft completed a flyby on Wednesday.

A Mathematical ‘Fever Dream’ Hits the Road

Meet “Mathemalchemy,” a traveling math-meets-art installation coming eventually to a dimension near you.

James Reason, Who Used Swiss Cheese to Explain Human Error, Dies at 86

Mistakes happen, he theorized, because multiple vulnerabilities in a system align — like the holes in cheese — to create a recipe for disaster.

Watch the Moon Blush Blood Red During a Total Lunar Eclipse

Earth’s shadow will block most of the light that illuminates the lunar surface, creating what is known as a blood moon.

SpaceX Scrubs Launch of Crew-10 Astronauts for NASA to the I.S.S.

An issue with a ground system that supports the Falcon 9 rocket led to a postponement of at least one day of the latest rotation of space station crews.

Videos Show Narwhals Using Their Tusks to Play With Their Food

Researchers observed a number of surprising behaviors by the ivory-sporting whales during an expedition with drones in the Canadian High Arctic.

NASA Launches Powerful Space Telescope

A SpaceX Falcon 9 lifted off from California carrying the telescope, named SPHEREx, along with a suite of satellites called PUNCH.

NASA Launches New Space Telescope and Suite of Solar Satellites

The SPHEREx telescope will create the most colorful map of the cosmos, while the four satellites of the PUNCH mission track the evolution of the solar wind in three dimensions.

Saturn Gains 128 New Moons, Bringing Its Total to 274

The objects around the ringed planet are tiny, but some of them may have formed relatively recently in the solar system’s history.

Orange Alert: What Caused the Colors on This Snowy Owl?

Bird watchers along Lake Huron photographed the bird, which has been nicknamed Rusty and Creamsicle. But there is no consensus about what caused its unusual tint.

Why Are Cats Such a Medical Black Box?

Many aspects of feline health remain a mystery, even to experts. Our cat-owning reporter learned this the hard way.

SpaceX Again Scrubs Launch of NASA’s SPHEREx and PUNCH Missions

The postponement, driven primarily by thick clouds, was the second scrub of the flight since an issue with the rocket on Saturday night.

NASA Eliminates Chief Scientist and Other Jobs at Its Headquarters

About 19 positions will be cut, including those in offices focused on technology policy and diversity, equity and inclusion.

Think You Understand Your Dog? Think Again.

People interpret a dog’s emotions based on its situation and have “a big blind spot” for the actual animal, a new study found.

Are Genetically Modified Pigs The Future of Organ Transplantation?

How have the first patients fared after receiving organ transplants from genetically modified pigs? Roni Caryn Rabin, a health reporter on the Science desk of The New York Times, looks at the results so far.

SpaceX Scrubs Launch of 2 NASA Satellite Missions

The spacecraft, SPHEREx and PUNCH, had been expected to launch on a SpaceX rocket on Saturday.

Joan Dye Gussow, Pioneer of Eating Locally, Is Dead at 96

An indefatigable gardener, she was one of the first nutritionists to emphasize the connections between farming practices and consumers’ health.

Science, Politics and Anxiety Mix at Rally Under Lincoln Memorial

Thousands of protesters gathered in Washington for Stand Up for Science, a rally in response to President Trump’s federal-funding and job cuts.

Twin Test Flight Explosions Show SpaceX Is No Longer Defying Gravity

Consecutive losses of the Starship rocket suggest that the company’s engineers are not as infallible as its fans may think.

Atomic Detectives Who Inspect Iran Sites Are Affected by Trump’s Aid Freeze

The president’s halt of foreign aid upended two U.S. programs that help the International Atomic Energy Agency find clues about Iran’s drive to build atomic bombs.

Texas Company’s Lander Dies on Moon the Day After Toppled Landing

The Athena lander from Intuitive Machines could not charge its batteries after ending up on its side. It largely failed to accomplish science and technology tasks for NASA and other customers.

Humans Have Been Perfecting Avocados for 7,500 Years

Ancient peoples of Latin America saved the fleshy fruits from extinction and gradually made them tastier.

Debris Rains Down After SpaceX Starship Test Flight

While the Starship’s booster successfully returned to the launchpad, the upper-stage spacecraft failed in space and lost several engines and attitude control on March 6, tumbling in space.

Breakup of SpaceX’s Starship Rocket Disrupts Florida Airports

Video showed the upper stage of the most powerful rocket ever built spinning out of control in space, a repeat of an unsuccessful test flight in January that led to debris falling over the Caribbean.

An eclipse is coming on both Earth and the moon.

Expect more moon landings later this year.

The struggles of other spacecraft that shared Athena’s launch to space.

Why it’s easier to fall down on the moon.

Why NASA Is Trying to Go Back to the Moon

President Trump set the U.S. on a path to sending astronauts back to the lunar surface during his first term. Lately he has expressed more interest in Mars.

Athena is bringing wheels and deals to the moon’s surface.

A robot will make a hop, a skip and a jump on the moon’s surface.

This is what will happen when Athena tries to land on the moon.

A drill is the Athena lander’s key cargo.

As Fentanyl Deaths Slow, Meth Comes For Maine

A powerful stimulant that keeps users sleepless for days and triggers psychosis and violence, rattles Portland and its safety networks.

Where Athena is landing.

Hit by ‘Gut Punches,’ Scientists Band Together to Protest Trump

Stand Up for Science aims to revive a movement that started in 2017, but with an all-new team and a more focused vision.

Déjà moon? Another spacecraft just landed on the moon on Sunday.

Intuitive Machines landed on the moon and then tipped over.

Intuitive Machines’ Athena Lander Is on the Moon, but Its Fate Is Unclear

After hours of uncertainty, officials from the Houston company said there are clues that the spacecraft is on its side, which could limit the mission’s scientific accomplishments.

Trove of Ancient Axes Shows Early Humans Made Tools From Bones

Deep in a trench in Tanzania, researchers found dozens of tools crafted from animal bones some 1.5 million years old.

SpaceX Scrubs 8th Starship Rocket Test Flight

The company has made changes to the vehicle, part of which blew up over the Caribbean in January during the seventh test flight. An issue during the countdown halted Monday’s launch.

What a Crab Sees Before It Gets Eaten by a Cuttlefish

Cuttlefish use visual tricks to avoid being eaten. New research shows how they deploy similar camouflage to bamboozle their prey.

Vesuvius Turned One Victim’s Brain to Glass

Heat from the eruption in A.D. 79 was so intense that it vitrified the brain tissue of one unfortunate Herculaneum resident, a new study confirms.

Vesuvius Erupted, but When Exactly?

Two thousand years on, scholars still don’t agree on the day the destruction of Pompeii began. Two new studies only fan the fire.

‘Moon Dust on Our Boots’: Texas Company’s Blue Ghost Lands on Lunar Surface

Firefly Aerospace’s robotic vehicle became the second privately built spacecraft to make a soft landing on the moon. It could soon be joined by two more private lunar landers.

How Fungi Move Among Us

Underground fungal networks are “living algorithms” that quietly help regulate Earth’s climate. Now scientists know what makes them so efficient.

It’s Like Virtual Reality Goggles for Your Mouth

Scientists tested a device that helped volunteers taste flavors meant to represent distant samples of coffee, lemonade, fried eggs, cake and fish soup.

Tea Leaves Can Steep Away Lead, Study Finds

Researchers found that compounds in black and green tea leaves acted like “little Velcro” hooks on lead molecules.

As the E.P.A. Withers, Will Its Museum Follow?

Tucked away near the White House is a tribute to the environmental agency and its history — for the time being, anyway.

NASA Hitches a Ride to the Moon to Map Water for Astronauts

Lunar Trailblazer, an orbiter that shared a launch on Wednesday with the commercial Athena lander, will help scientists understand where the moon’s water is, and what form it takes.

SpaceX Launches Intuitive Machines’ Moon Lander

Onboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is Athena, Intuitive Machine’s second moon lander, with instruments designed to dig up lunar soil and search for compounds like frozen water.

Super Pod of Dolphins Plays Off California Coast

A rare superpod of thousands of dolphins was spotted swimming off the coast of Monterey Bay, Calif.

Intuitive Machines’ Athena Lander Launches on Journey to the Moon

The company reached the lunar surface in 2024, and now its second lander aims to improve on the feat. Three other spacecraft also hitched a ride on the SpaceX rocket.

Early Humans Thrived in Rainforests

The discovery clashes with the traditional image of humans evolving on the savannas of East Africa.

Mass Federal Firings May Imperil Crops, Cattle and Pets

The terminations, which hit agencies involved in protecting the nation’s food supply and agricultural products, could have long-lasting consequences, experts said.

NASA Gives ‘All Clear’ for Asteroid That Seemed to Threaten Earth

The odds that the space rock, 2024 YR4, will smash into our planet in 2032 have dropped to nearly zero, leading astronomers to conclude that we are no longer in danger.

F.D.A. Reinstates Fired Medical Device, Food and Legal Staffers

The agency changed course just days after firing employees who oversee the safety of food and life-sustaining medical devices. Dozens of workers said they and others were back at work Monday.

A Parade of Planets Is Marching Through the Night Sky

With Mercury joining the show, all seven of Earth’s celestial neighbors will be present at dusk this week.

Take a Look: A Dark Scottish Isle Where Starlight Reigns Supreme

On Rum, Europe’s newest dark-sky sanctuary, the island’s 40 residents have learned to embrace darkness.

Earth’s 1st Asteroid Mining Prospector Heads to the Launchpad

The dream of mining metals in deep space crashed and burned in the 2010s. AstroForge’s Odin mission to survey a potentially metallic asteroid is packed and ready to lift off.

Accessibility Initiatives Are Taking a Hit Across the Sciences

Confusion has ensued about the future of programs and research supporting people with disabilities as a result of President Trump’s executive order.

Trump Administration Stalls Scientific Research Despite Court Ruling

Using an arcane law, officials have effectively delayed funding from the National Institutes of Health, leaving medical studies in jeopardy.

A Boneyard Along the Thames River Reveals London’s Ancient Burials

Researchers have found dozens of human bones on the banks of the iconic river, many of them thousands of years old.

Dickson Despommier Dies at 84; Championed Farming in Skyscrapers

A Columbia microbiologist, he popularized “vertical farming” — raising crops in tall buildings — to remediate climate change and feed more people.

Will That Asteroid Strike Earth? Risk Level Rises to Highest Ever Recorded.

The threat from space rock 2024 YR4 has surpassed that of Apophis, an asteroid feared by scientists 20 years ago. The danger remains low, but experts are estimating the damage that could be done.

The Gene That Made Mice Squeak Strangely

A new study suggests that the NOVA1 gene may have been a key player in the evolution of human language.

Louis Pasteur’s Relentless Hunt for Germs Floating in the Air

In 19th-century France, the young chemist challenged the theory of spontaneous generation and discovered an invisible world of airborne microbes.

On a Mission to Heal Gila Monsters

After years in Big Pharma, a chemist pivoted to help save the species that made Ozempic possible.

Eleanor Maguire, Memory Expert Who Studied London Cabbies, Dies at 54

By watching the brain process information, she discovered that a specific region plays a key role in spatial navigation — and that it can be strengthened like a muscle.

Meet the Champion Who Memorized 80 Numbers in 13.5 Seconds

This month, Vishvaa Rajakumar won the Memory League World Championship, which tests memorization skills. He shared some of his techniques with The Times.

Hummingbirds Living in a Hive Found for the First Time

In a remote mountain cave in Ecuador, hummingbirds were discovered sleeping and nesting together.

Lasers, Waffle Fries and the Secrets in Pterosaurs’ Tails

Scientists identified new structures in the tail vanes of the prehistoric flying reptiles.

A Mathematician Who Makes the Best of Things

Alessio Figalli studies optimal transport, a field of math that ranges from the movements of clouds to the workings of chatbots.

This City’s Sewer System Is Full of Alligators, but It’s Not New York

Researchers found crocodilians, bats, raccoons and other creatures prowling a Florida town’s storm drains, “like something out of ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,’” one said.

C.D.C. Study Finds Silent Bird Flu Infections in Dairy Veterinarians

The vets had no symptoms, and one worked only in states where no dairy infections had been reported.

Measles Outbreak Hits Town in Texas

As of Tuesday, 22 children and two adults had been infected, all of whom were unvaccinated, local officials said.

A Deep-Sea Fish of Nightmares Strays Into Shallow Waters

A scary-looking creature with “devil” in its name was spotted close to the surface off Tenerife, a Spanish island.

‘Ultrahigh Energy’ Neutrino Found With a Telescope Under the Sea

It’s the most energetic particle of its kind ever discovered, and scientists have no idea where it came from.

Birds of Paradise Glow on Mating Parade

The always colorful males light up with biofluorescence, sending off signals.

Helen Hays, Who Helped Bring Terns Back to Long Island Sound, Dies at 94

Beginning in 1969, she spent five months a year on Great Gull Island, leading teams of young volunteers devoted to preserving the seabirds.

Her Discovery Wasn’t Alien Life, but Science Has Never Been the Same

The internet erupted in controversy over Felisa Wolfe-Simon and colleagues’ claim of a microbe thriving on arsenic. Nearly 15 years later, she’s pursuing new research on the boundaries of life.

Scientists Detect Shape-Shifting Along Earth’s Solid Inner Core

The new research adds to the mysteries of the planet’s deepest interior region.

Ban on D.E.I. Language Sweeps Through the Sciences

President Trump’s executive order is altering scientific exploration across a broad swath of fields, even beyond government agencies, researchers say.

But how much does breed shape a dog’s health and behavior?

Here’s what scientists have learned about how a dog’s breed affects its health and behavior.

Why the Odds of an Asteroid Striking Earth in 2032 Keep Going Up (and Down)

NASA and European scientists explain how they calculate the probability of the space rock 2024 YR4 impacting our planet, and why it’s not yet time to worry.

Curses! A Swearing Expert Mulls the State of Profanity.

Timothy Jay, a scholar in the science of swearing, has a few choice words about why we curse and how to cut back (if you want to).

Scared of Spiders? Also Scared of Zombies? We Have Some Bad News.

A BBC documentary crew in Northern Ireland stumbled upon a fungus that hijacks spiders in an arachnid version of “The Last of Us.”

Humpback Whales Sing the Way Humans Speak

The animals’ complex songs share structural patterns with human language that may make them easier for whales to learn, a new study suggests.

What Lurks in This Flower’s Bizarrely Large Y Chromosome?

Scientists published a full genetic sequence of the genes that make some white campions male, and hope their work could unlock how the flower got that way.

How to Boil an Egg? Scientists Claim to Have Cracked the Recipe.

Their new method takes 32 minutes.

Fossils Preserve Both Skin and Scales From an Ancient Sea Monster

The mix of features offers new clues to how plesiosaurs navigated prehistoric oceans.

Ancient DNA Points to Origins of Indo-European Language

A new study claims to have identified the first speakers of Indo-European language, which gave rise to English, Sanskrit and hundreds of others.

The Physics That Keeps a Crowd From Becoming a Stampede

A group of scientists studying the San Fermín festival in Pamplona, Spain, believe there’s a way to predict the motions of a large crowd.

The Search for the Original Silly Goose in the Fossil Record

Some paleontologists think that fossils recovered from Antarctica are evidence of birds similar to modern geese and ducks that lived alongside the dinosaurs.

NASA Gave Up a Ride to the Moon. This Startup’s Rover Took It.

After the space agency canceled its VIPER rover, an empty space was available on a private spacecraft that will still head to the lunar surface.

Grand Canyons on the Moon Were Made in a Matter of Minutes

Scientists proposed an explanation for the formation of Vallis Schrödinger and Vallis Planck near the lunar south pole, which are each about the size of Earth’s Grand Canyon.

It’s 89 Seconds Until Doomsday and Her First Day on the Job

Alexandra Bell is bringing more than a decade of experience in nuclear policy to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, the organization that sets the Doomsday Clock.

NASA Astronaut Recruitment Faces Trump’s Moves Against D.E.I.

The government space agency has vocally promoted diversity and inclusion for decades, even during the first Trump administration.

Eerie Light Haunts a Southern Town. It May Come From Under the Earth.

A seismologist thinks natural phenomena could explain the Summerville Light and other mysteries around a South Carolina locale.

Something Small Is Killing Great White Sharks

Faced with a rash of shark deaths marked by brain swelling, Canadian and American scientists are trying to solve a marine mystery.

This Carnivore Turned Up in Egypt After Vanishing 5,000 Years Ago

When a scientist received a video of a spotted hyena in the southern part of his country, he thought someone was playing a trick on him.

See Lucy Run, 3.2 Million Years Ago

Our early human ancestor was capable of running, if slowly, a new study finds.

A Flag on Mars? Maybe Not So Soon.

Orbital dynamics show that President Trump’s pledge to land astronauts on Mars couldn’t happen until 2029 at the earliest.

Kennedy startles senators with his lack of knowledge on health agencies.

Eeny Meeny Miny Mo, Catch a Pterosaur by Its Neck

A puncture in the fossilized neck of a winged reptile that flew with the dinosaurs suggests the creature became a feast for a crocodile ancestor.

Astronomers Are Keeping an Eye on This Asteroid’s Odds of Hitting Earth

Researchers say there’s a 1.3 percent chance that the space rock 2024 YR4 could strike our planet — but not until December 2032.

Lurking Inside an Asteroid: Life’s Ingredients

Scientists studying samples that NASA collected from the asteroid Bennu found a wide assortment of organic molecules that shed light on how life arose.

Why Trump Picked a Science Adviser Who Isn’t a Scientist

Michael Kratsios, who served in the White House and Defense Department in the first Trump administration, is a policy specialist on artificial intelligence.

Elon Musk Suggests SpaceX Will Accelerate Return of NASA Astronauts

The founder of SpaceX said President Trump had asked his company to return two astronauts aboard the space station to Earth “as soon as possible.” NASA said it would do that “as soon as practical.”

66-Million-Year-Old Fossilized Vomit Is Found in Denmark

In the Cretaceous period, a shark or another kind of fish found sea lilies less than digestible. What you might expect followed.

Mozambique

Mozambique

In Seattle, a Convergence of 5,444 Mathematical Minds

Participants at this year’s Joint Mathematics Meetings explored everything from the role of A.I. to the hyperbolic design of a patchwork denim skirt.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Hummingbird

Tiny mites seem capable of relying on the power of static cling to hop into hummingbird nostrils and move between flowers.

What We Know About Bird Flu

In recent months, bird flu has started raising red flags among scientists and public health officials. Apoorva Mandavilli, a New York Times reporter who covers infectious diseases, explains why we need to start taking bird flu seriously.

Snakeskin Isn’t Just a Fashion Statement for Birds

A museum curator with a ladder showed that birds that build cavity-style nests are able to protect their eggs with the skin shed by snakes.

UnitedHealthcare Announces New C.E.O.

The health insurer named Tim Noel, a longtime employee of its parent company, for the job. The previous chief executive, Brian Thompson, was killed in Manhattan.

The Perfect Cacio e Pepe Recipe, According to Science

Italian scientists have drawn from thermodynamic principles to prevent a famous pasta from turning into a gooey mess.

Earth’s Mini-Moon Was Probably a Piece of Its Real Moon

Scientists think a small rock discovered near Earth last August was hurled into space by an ancient impact on the lunar surface.

These Corals Are Made for Walking

With time-lapse video, scientists show how tiny mushroom corals can move themselves to influence their fate.

Scientists Finally Make Heads of Giant Stingray Tails

The long structures seen in manta rays and their relatives function as an early warning system, rather than a defensive weapon.

What Trump’s Pledge to Plant the U.S. Flag on Mars Really Means

The president’s Inaugural Address linked landing on the Red Planet with Manifest Destiny, but left many of the specifics unclear.

Mother Chimp and Daughter Share a Special Sign

Humans are known to invent private hand gestures. Chimps in the wild do, too, a new study suggests.

Do Chimps Who Urinate Together Stay Together?

Scientists suspect that contagious urination, a behavior they observed among a troop of apes in Japan, may play an important role in primate social life.

Trump Picks Ex-Congressman to Manage U.S. Nuclear Arsenal

Brandon Williams served aboard a nuclear submarine and represented a New York congressional district for one term, but has said little about his experience in the management of atomic weapons.

Readers Share Their Near-Death Experiences

After the death of Peter Fenwick, a neuropsychiatrist who studied near-death experiences, readers shared stories of their own.

Rain-Collecting Rattlesnakes Give New Meaning to ‘Thirst Trap’

A new study reveals the surprising ways rattlesnakes have evolved to collect water in the desert.

Witness video appeared to show trails of flaming debris falling from the sky over the Caribbean.

A Meteorite Is Caught on Camera as It Crashes Outside a Front Door

Home security-camera footage shows a puff of smoke, with the sound of an explosion included, as the space rock lands in Canada. A geologist said it was a rare recording.

Sound of a Meteorite Hitting Earth Is Captured for the First Time

A couple returned home to a burst of debris on their walkway. Their home security camera revealed it was a meteorite hitting Earth.

Debris Rains From Space After SpaceX’s Starship Is Lost in Flight

While Elon Musk’s spaceflight company repeated a spectacular catch of its powerful booster stage, the upper stage experienced a catastrophic malfunction.

Roar of New Glenn’s Engines Silences Skeptics of Bezos’ Blue Origin

The successful flight to orbit of the Amazon founder’s powerful rocket suggests it could grow into a credible competitor with Elon Musk’s SpaceX.

Extinct Human Species Lived in a Brutal Desert, Study Finds

A million years ago, a species known as Homo erectus most likely survived in an arid desert with no trees.

Why is Jeff Bezos’ space company so far behind Elon Musk and SpaceX?

How Blue Origin could beat SpaceX to the moon.

What are Blue Origin’s plans for the future?

Here’s what New Glenn is carrying to space.

Will it be fair to call New Glenn’s launch a success or failure? Here are some scenarios.

What Blue Origin has done so far.

For Jeff Bezos, New Glenn’s success is personal.

What is the New Glenn rocket?

This is what will happen during New Glenn’s flight.

New Glenn’s journey to space.

She Made Things Better Down Where It’s Wetter

Julie Packard discusses highlights of her four decades with the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which she has led since it opened. She’s now stepping back from the role.

Celtic Women Held Sway in ‘Matrilocal’ Societies

An ancient cemetery reveals a Celtic tribe that lived in England 2,000 years ago and that was organized around maternal lineages, according to a DNA analysis.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying two lunar landers lifted off on Wednesday.

Two Private Moon Landers Have Launched at Once: What to Know

Robotic vehicles from Firefly Aerospace of Texas and Ispace of Japan parted ways early Wednesday after being launched on the same SpaceX rocket. Both are aiming for the lunar surface.

After a Naming Contest, Cardea Joins the Celestial Ranks as a Quasi-Moon

The WNYC science program “Radiolab” partnered with the International Astronomical Union to solicit nearly 3,000 submissions. The Roman goddess of doorways and transitions won out.

Mummies’ Ancient Tattoos Come Under Laser Focus

With a tool often used in the study of dinosaur fossils, scientists uncovered new details in ornate tattoos on the skin of members of the Chancay culture of Peru.

Martin Karplus, Chemist Who Made Early Computers a Tool, Dies at 94

Proving skeptics wrong, he shared a Nobel Prize in 2013 for using computers to better understand chemical reactions and biological processes.

What Blue Origin has done so far.

Will it be fair to call New Glenn’s launch a success or failure? Here are some scenarios.

A Full Moon, a Bold Mars and a New Comet Brighten January’s Skies

On Monday night you may have a chance to witness the moon obscuring the Red Planet at its brightest, as well as a comet’s closest approach to the sun.

This is what will happen during New Glenn’s flight.

For Jeff Bezos, New Glenn’s success is personal.

What is the New Glenn rocket?

Here’s what did and didn’t happen on the launchpad.

J. Fraser Stoddart, Who Developed Microscopic Machines, Dies at 82

He grew up playing with model construction sets. As an adult, he tinkered with molecules instead, creating nanomachines and winning a Nobel Prize.

The Very Long Wait for Jeff Bezos’ Big Rocket Is Coming to an End

If New Glenn lifts off on Monday as planned, the Amazon founder’s rocket company will be on track to give Elon Musk’s SpaceX some genuine competition.

On Meds? You May Be Able to Eat Grapefruit Again Someday.

Scientists have identified a gene that causes production of a substance in some citrus that interferes with many medications.

‘Approaching the Light’: Peter Fenwick and Stories of Near-Death Experiences

Dr. Fenwick, a neuropsychiatrist, assembled anecdotes from more than 300 people in his book “The Truth in the Light.” Here are some of them.

Peter Fenwick, Leading Expert on Near-Death Experiences, Dies at 89

He was a neuropsychiatrist who was studying consciousness when a patient explained what had happened to him. He came to believe the phenomenon was real.

Pluto May Have Captured Its Biggest Moon After an Ancient Dance and Kiss

Charon is large in size relative to Pluto, and is locked in a tight orbit with the dwarf planet. A new simulation suggests how it ended up there.

Punk and Emo Fossils Are a Hot Topic in Paleontology

It’s not causing panic! in the fossil record, but a 430-million-year-old mollusk discovery in Britain is a source of excitement for some scientists.

NASA Will Let Trump Decide How to Bring Mars Rocks to Earth

The Mars Sample Return effort was billions of dollars over budget and not expected to return to Earth with its samples until 2040.

Jan. 12: Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket could attempt its debut launch.

This Tiny Fish’s Mistaken Identity Halted a Dam’s Construction

Scientists say the snail darter, whose endangered species status delayed the building of a dam in Tennessee in the 1970s, is a genetic match of a different fish.

Could Monkeys Really Type All of Shakespeare?

Not in this universe, a new study concludes.

Watch the First Meteor Shower of 2025 Reach Its Peak

The Quadrantids might be one of the strongest showers this year, but poor weather could make them difficult to see.

Dec. 12-13: The Geminids meteor shower will reach its peak.

Nov. 16-17: The Leonids meteor shower will reach its peak.

Oct. 22-23: The Orionids meteor shower will reach its peak.

Sept. 22: Autumn is here.

Aug. 12-13: The Perseids meteor shower will reach its peak.

June 23: The Vera C. Rubin Observatory will release its first views of the night sky.

June 20: Summer solstice.

May 5-6: The Eta Aquarids meteor shower will reach its peak.

April 21-22: The Lyrids meteor shower will reach its peak.

June: The Axiom-4 mission may carry Indian, Polish and Hungarian astronauts to the International Space Station.

July 30: NASA and India’s space agency could launch the NISAR spacecraft to map Earth’s surface.

March 29: The sun will be partly eclipsed in areas of the United States, Canada and Europe.

March 20: Spring is here.

March 13-14: The moon will be totally eclipsed in much of the Western Hemisphere.

March 2: NASA may launch the SPHEREx mission to survey the sky in 102 colors.

Week of Feb. 24: Seven planets will be visible in the sky at the same time.

Feb. 26: A private lander and a NASA orbiter could launch to the moon on the same SpaceX rocket.

Jan. 15: Two privately built moon landers could launch on the same SpaceX rocket.

Jan. 13-14: A bright Mars will pass behind the moon in night skies.

Jan. 13-14: Comet ATLAS could become visible to the naked eye.

Jan. 4: Earth will be at its closest point to the sun.

Jan. 2-3: The Quadrantid meteor shower will reach its peak.

July 3: Earth will be at its greatest distance from the sun.

Dec. 21: Winter solstice.

July 29-30: Two meteor showers will reach their peaks.

Sept. 7-8: The moon will be totally eclipsed in much of Asia, Australia, Africa and Europe.

Dec. 21-22: The Ursids meteor shower will reach its peak.

How to use this calendar.

Big Rockets, a Big Telescope and Big Changes in Space Await in 2025

Here are some key events to look forward to in space and astronomy in the year ahead.

Blue Origin Is Ready to Launch New Glenn Rocket After Critical Test

The company, owned by the Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, also received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to launch the vehicle to orbit.

After Days of Silence, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe Phones Home

The probe sent a signal to Earth indicating that it had survived the closest solar encounter ever attempted by a spacecraft.

A Century of Human Detritus, Visualized

“Technostuff” built in the last 100 years outweighs all the living matter on Earth.

How They Celebrated the Holidays 250 Miles Above Earth

The astronauts on the I.S.S. — including two who were scheduled to return months ago — held a zero-gravity cookie-decorating contest and built a reindeer from storage bags.

The Speed of Human Thought Lags Far Behind Your Internet Connection, Study Finds

A new study is “a bit of a counterweight to the endless hyperbole about how incredibly complex and powerful the human brain is,” one researcher said.

The Deadliest Tsunami Set Off Work to Be Ready for the Next Big Wave

Experts said they were “blind” to the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004. Twenty years later, working toward a world without tsunami deaths is a challenge.

The Animal Celebrities Who Surprised, Soothed and Screamed at Us in 2024

Moo Deng the pygmy hippo, Flaco the escaped eagle-owl, Charlotte the maybe-pregnant stingray — they distracted us from the messy human world but were also clear reflections of it.

Bird Flu Kills 20 Big Cats at Washington Sanctuary

Archival footage shows Tabbi, a half-Bengal tiger, and Thumper, a Eurasian lynx, playing at the Wild Felid Advocacy Center of Washington. They were among 20 big cats that died from bird flu at the sanctuary.

The 12,000-Year-Old Wolves That Ate Like Dogs

Animal remains unearthed in Alaska give clues to how wolves were domesticated.

The Fastest Spacecraft Ever Heads for Its Close-Up With the Sun

The Parker Solar Probe is attempting the closest ever pass of the sun’s surface on Christmas Eve.

Dec. 24: The Parker Solar Probe will make the closest ever approach to the sun.

Kilauea Volcano Erupts on Hawaii’s Big Island

Scientists said that the main hazard from the eruption on Monday was increased levels of volcanic gas.

How Hallucinatory A.I. Helps Science Dream Up Big Breakthroughs

Hallucinations, a bane of popular A.I. programs, turn out to be a boon for venturesome scientists eager to push back the frontiers of human knowledge.

A 1,000-Year-Old Seed Grows in Israel

For 14 years, scientists have been growing a tree akin to the Judean balsam — the source of the balm of Gilead — but with no modern counterpart.

One of 2024’s Last Meteor Showers Is About to Reach Its Peak

The astronomical event, which overlaps with the Winter Solstice, is often overlooked because of the winter chill.

A Solstice of the Soul

For his next trick, your cosmic correspondent for the past quarter-century will (try to) retire.

A Mouse That Swims and Dozens More Species Are Discovered in a Peruvian Jungle

A 38-day expedition in the remote Alto Mayo region, where development threatens wild habitats, turned up one previously unknown animal after another.

Popular Arthritis Drug for Dogs May Have Severe Side Effects, F.D.A. Says

The agency recommended that the maker of Librela update its label to reflect the possibility of more serious adverse reactions.

This Brazilian Velvet Ant Is So Dark That It’s Ultrablack

Scientists found that the dark markings on a species of fluffy wasp reflected less than 1 percent of light.

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.

Orrin H. Pilkey, Warrior in a Fight to Save Imperiled Beaches, Dies at 90

An eminent geologist, he argued against putting condos and hotels on vulnerable coastal landscapes. Environmentalists applauded; many others didn’t.

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.

Oldest Human Genomes Reveal How a Small Group Burst Out of Africa

DNA from European fossils dating back 45,000 years offers new clues to how our species spread across the world.

Superflares Erupt From Stars Like Our Sun Once Every 100 Years

New findings suggest that an extraordinarily powerful and dangerous burst of radiation might flare from our sun in the future.

A ‘Second Tree of Life’ Could Wreak Havoc, Scientists Warn

Research on so-called mirror cells, which defy fundamental properties of living organisms, should be prohibited as too dangerous, biologists said.

The Geminids Meteor Shower Is Peaking. Here’s How to Watch.

The shower forms from the debris of an asteroid and peaks this weekend. But a nearly full moon could interfere with viewing.

It’s Time to Talk About Pornography, Scholars Say

More adolescents than ever are watching it. What’s needed, researchers say, are frank conversations and “porn literacy.”

120 Miles of Russian Forest Couldn’t Keep These Two Tigers Apart

Boris and Svetlaya were raised together as orphaned cubs, and then reintroduced to the wild separately. But Boris went on a trek that surprised the researchers who were monitoring him.

The Plight of the Palestinian Scientist

Four Palestinian researchers describe how conflict in Gaza and the West Bank has hindered their careers in science and medicine.

World’s Oldest Known Wild Bird Lays an Egg at 74

Wisdom, a Laysan albatross, has outlived at least three mates and the researcher who outfitted her with a tracking band in 1956.

When They Hear Plants Crying, Moths Make a Decision

A new study suggests that the insects rely on the sounds made by distressed vegetation to guide important reproductive choices.

Motherhood at 74: World’s Oldest Known Wild Bird Lays Egg

Wisdom, a 74-year-old Laysan albatross, laid an egg at Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge at the northwestern edge of the Hawaiian Archipelago.

NASA Artemis Moon Missions Delayed Until 2026 and 2027

It is unclear where the program to go back to the lunar surface will head after President-elect Donald J. Trump returns to the White House in January.

How the Messy Process of Milking Cows Can Spread Bird Flu

On America’s large dairy farms, milking is a vast operation, and the potential for disease transmission is worrying, health experts say.

Richard Hamilton, Who Helped Solve a Mathematical Mystery, Dies at 81

He came up with an innovative equation called the Ricci flow that helped mathematicians explore fundamental questions that were once out of reach.

Mammoth: It’s What Was for Dinner

A study of a 12,800-year-old skull of a toddler offers a glimpse at how early Americans found food, and how their hunts may have led to a mass extinction.

Trump Picks Jared Isaacman, an Entrepreneur and Private Astronaut, to Lead NASA

Mr. Isaacman’s company Shift4 Payments made him a billionaire, and he has financed two trips to orbit on SpaceX vehicles, including a daring spacewalk in September.

Google Introduces A.I. Agent That Aces 15-Day Weather Forecasts

GenCast, from the company’s DeepMind division, outperformed the world’s best predictions of deadly storms as well as everyday weather.

Giant Redheaded Centipedes Are Venom Mixologists

The arthropods can tailor their toxins depending on whether they are hunting prey or defending themselves from predators, according to a new study.

Airplane Turbulence Can Start Earlier Than You Expect

This is your captain speaking: When thunderstorms are in the forecast, you may need to buckle those seatbelts a lot sooner than you’re used to.

Killer Whales Hunt and Feast on the Largest Fish on Earth

Whale sharks are gentle, filter-feeding giants, but orcas in Mexican waters were documented attacking the animals and devouring their livers.

Footprints Suggest Different Human Relatives Lived Alongside One Another

A discovery in northern Kenya hints that two extinct species that were our ancient relatives shared the same habitat and possibly interacted.

A Fossil Gets Its Name From a Revived Indigenous Language

After scientists found an extinct burrowing amphibian on Eastern Shoshone land, members of the tribe gave it a name in their language.

Psychedelic Traces Found on Mug From Ancient Egypt

Egyptians may have used hallucinogenic substances as part of a fertility rite, researchers said.

Dinosaur Domination Is Marked in a Timeline of Vomit and Feces Fossils

Studying bromalites helped paleontologists piece together how the reptiles came to rule a part of the prehistoric world.

A Stray Dog Climbed an Egyptian Pyramid. Along Came a Paraglider.

A video of a dog on a pyramid took off on social media — but only after it was appropriated and doctored.

These Wolves Like a Little Treat: Flower Nectar

After Ethiopian wolves feed on their favorite rodents, they may be enjoying a bit of dessert and in the process helping pollinate plants known as torch lilies.

On the Wings of War

Scientists study the flight of hummingbirds to design robots for drone warfare.

Squirting Cucumbers Shoot Their Seeds Like Botanical Bombardiers

Scientists say they’ve worked out how the plant can fire its seeds up to almost 40 feet.