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.”

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.

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.

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.

July 4: The Vera C. Rubin Observatory might capture its first views of the night sky.

June 20: Summer solstice.

May 3-4: The Eta Aquarids meteor shower will reach its peak.

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

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

March: 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.

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.

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

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.

Vast Oceans of Water May Be Hiding Within Uranus and Neptune

A scientist simulated the contents of the ice giant worlds, and found that a fluid layer may explain each planet’s strange magnetic field.

‘DNA Typewriters’ Can Record a Cell’s History

Labs around the world are trying to turn cells into autobiographers, tracking their own development from embryos to adults.

Hundreds More Nazca Lines Emerge in Peru’s Desert

With drones and A.I., researchers managed to double the number of mysterious geoglyphs in a matter of months.

An Asteroid’s Destruction May Have Given Mars Rings, Then Moons

Scientists simulated a situation that may offer an improved explanation for how the Red Planet ended up with small Phobos and tiny Deimos.

From Chimpan-A to Chimpanzee, These Apes May Have Humanlike Culture

Researchers describe a link between genetic relatedness and sophisticated tool use in primates in East and Central Africa, suggesting their culture is cumulative.

First Close-Up of Star Outside Our Galaxy Shows a Giant About to Blow

Astronomers zoomed in on a stellar behemoth in the Larger Magellanic Cloud, a galaxy that orbits about 160,000 light-years from the Milky Way.

What Trump’s Return to Office Could Mean for Animals

A second Trump administration could alter the lives of all sorts of animals, whether they live in laboratories, zoos, fields or forests.

SpaceX Unable to Recover Booster Stage During Sixth Test Flight

President-elect Donald Trump joined Elon Musk in Texas and watched the launch from a nearby location on Tuesday. While the Starship’s giant booster stage was unable to repeat a “chopsticks” landing, the vehicle’s upper stage successfully splashed down in the Indian Ocean.

Physicist Who Made Superconductor Claims Exits University of Rochester

Journals had retracted papers on superconductors that worked at room temperature and materials science that involved Ranga Dias.

SpaceX Starship Launch Ends With a Dramatic Water Landing

President-elect Donald J. Trump joined Elon Musk, as his company’s prototype moon and Mars rocket carried out a sixth test flight that showed a mix of progress and setbacks.

Where Glaciers Melt, the Rivers Run Red

As the glaciers of South America retreat, the supply of freshwater is dwindling and its quality is getting worse.

A Mummified Saber-Toothed Kitten Emerges in Siberia

The Homotherium cub was preserved in Siberian permafrost with its dark fur and flesh intact.

Biden Pledges New Funding to Protect the Amazon

President Biden pledged financial help to protect the Amazon during a visit to Brazil, making one final push to combat climate change before the end of his term.

Barnard’s Star Finally Has a Planet, and Possibly More

For a century, exoplanet hunters have “discovered” planets around a nearby star, only to retract the claims. But the latest find is for real.

How to Watch the Leonids Meteor Shower Peak This Weekend

The event produces some of the year’s fastest meteors, although the nearly full moon may make them challenging to spot.

Can These Ex-Hollywood Chimps Find a Place Among the Apes?

Behind the scenes at a Chicago zoo, chimpanzees who spent years entertaining humans are learning to befriend their own kind.

NASA Says Space Station Astronaut Is in ‘Incredible Health’

The agency’s top medical official was responding to rumors that Suni Williams had lost an unusual amount of weight during an extended stay in orbit.

The Surprising Social Lives of Pythons

Ball pythons were long assumed to be solitary, but scientists discovered the snakes in captivity prefer each others’ company when given the chance to live socially.

‘Devious’ New Deep Sea Creature Hid Its Identity From Scientists

It took nearly 25 years for biologists to discover that a swimming and glowing organism in the ocean’s midnight zone was actually a sea slug.

This ‘Ghost’ Fish Seemed Extinct, Until It Turned Up in Unexpected Places

No one saw a Mekong giant salmon carp for 15 years, but then the species was spotted in areas of Cambodia that suggest it may be found in more locations.

Uranus Might Have Experienced a Freak Event When Voyager 2 Visited

Much of the understanding of the seventh planet comes from a brief flyby nearly 40 years ago, which researchers now say overlapped with an exceptional solar event.

This Elephant Uses a Hose to Give Herself a Shower Every Day

In the Berlin Zoo, Mary demonstrated another example of clever elephantine tool use while another animal exhibited a form of mischief with a hose that resembled a prank.

Church in Egyptian Desert Reveals Early Christian Burial Practices

A basilica from the 4th century held a surprising number of tombs with women and children, researchers found.

Last N.I.H. Chimps to Move From New Mexico Facility

The retired research chimpanzees, which had previously been deemed too frail to move, will be relocated to a Louisiana sanctuary.

A Door Is Unlocked, and 43 Monkeys Make a Bid for Freedom

Dozens of rhesus macaques escaped a research facility in South Carolina. They’re still on the lam.

With DNA, Pompeii Narratives Take a Twist

In 79 A.D., a volcanic eruption engulfed a town’s residents. They weren’t all who scientists thought, newly extracted genetic material suggests.

You May Not Be Able to Outrun a Vampire Bat

Scientists put the bloodsucking mammals on a treadmill to understand how they get the energy to chase down their next meal.

Japanese Scientists Bet on an Ancient Material for Their New Satellite: Wood

Scientists in Japan constructed the first satellite made of wood by blending age-old woodworking techniques with rocket science.

The Science That Makes Baseball Mud ‘Magical’

Scientists dug up the real dirt on the substance applied to all the baseballs used in the major leagues.

Where There’s Joy in a Terror Bird

In Colombia, a fossil-collecting rancher has found a giant, flightless killer from 13 million years ago — and a missing link to the region’s evolutionary history.

Richard A. Cash, Who Saved Millions From Dehydration, Dies at 83

He worked alongside another doctor to show that a simple rehydration therapy could check the ravages of cholera and other diarrhea-inducing diseases.

Exhale Through the Gift Shop

Museums are adding scents as another tool for communicating information about science and other subjects in their exhibits.

Diving to Drink a 19th-Century Shipwreck’s Treasure

A team recently dived deep beneath Lake Huron hoping to harvest grain that may one day be distilled into whiskey with a flavor forgotten to history.

Can Axions Save the Universe?

The hunt for dark matter is shifting from particles to waves named after a laundry detergent.

Two Black Holes Are Giving the Cosmos a Fright

The ghosts of stars are up to their usual mischief.

Fossil Reveals Oldest Known Tadpole That Grew to the Size of a Hot Dog

A 161 million-year-old fossil, linked to a line of extinct frog-like amphibians, is the oldest tadpole ever found.

Instead of Going Boldly on Space, Harris Has Taken a Steady Approach

As chair of the White House’s National Space Council, the vice president largely emphasized continuity with policies set by the Trump administration.

How Many Continents Are There? You May Not Like the Answers.

Recent earth science developments suggest that how we count our planet’s largest land masses is less clear than we learned in school.

Was Stone Age Scandinavia Struck by Plague?

New research by geneticists hints at the deadly work of Yersinia pestis 5,000 years ago.

Can John Green Make You Care About Tuberculosis?

With a forthcoming nonfiction book and an online army of Nerdfighters, the young-adult author aims to eliminate an entirely curable global scourge.

This Toad Is So Tiny That They Call It a Flea

A “toadlet” in Brazil is the second-smallest vertebrate known to exist on the planet.

What Ants and Orcas Can Teach Us About Death

A philosopher journeys into the world of comparative thanatology, which explores how animals of all kinds respond to death and dying.

The Rebellious Scientist Who Made Kamala Harris

The presidential candidate’s mother, Shyamala Gopalan Harris, was a breast cancer researcher whose egalitarian politics often bucked a patriarchal lab culture.

If You Think You Can Hold a Grudge, Consider the Crow

The brainy birds carry big chips on their shoulders, scientists say. And some people who become subjects of their ire may be victims of mistaken identity.

First Images of the Sun’s Flares Released From a New Space Telescope

Forecasters will soon be able to use the instrument, a coronagraph, to better monitor the effects of solar storms.

A Skeleton Bank of Understudied Species

With a new database of medical images, zoo and wildlife vets can finally see what healthy uncommon animals, from rhinos and tamarins to pangolins and sea stars, should look like on the inside.

Leon Cooper Dies at 94; Nobelist Unlocked Secrets of Superconductivity

He shared the 1972 physics prize for showing how some materials could convey electricity without resistance. He also did pioneering research in neuroscience.

NASA Astronaut Leaves Hospital After ‘Medical Issue’ That Followed Return From Space

Three NASA astronauts and a fourth from the Russian space agency returned to Earth from the International Space Station on Friday morning in a SpaceX capsule.

The Early Bird Got the Cicada, Then an Evolutionary Air War Started

Fossils reveal that prehistoric cicadas’ wings evolved to help them evade hungry predators with feathers and beaks, scientists say.

That 800-Year-Old Corpse in the Well? Early Biological Warfare.

Archaeologists in Norway have confirmed that an ancient set of human remains known as the Well Man were intended to make the locals unwell.

Philip Zimbardo, 91, Whose Stanford Prison Experiment Studied Evil, Dies

His provocative research made him a popular figure on campus. But his exploration of how good people can turn evil raised ethical questions.

Grizzly Bear 399, Mother of 18 Cubs, Is Killed by Driver

She lived to 28, roaming the Yellowstone area with her many offspring while becoming a favorite among both residents and visitors.

Unexplained Enigmas in the Orion Nebula May Be Victims of Stellar Bullying

Astronomers offered a new hypothesis for what created pairs of objects nicknamed JuMBOs, while other scientists argue they may not really exist.

Why Democracy Lives and Dies by Math

A documentary filmmaker and a mathematician discuss our fear of numbers and its civic costs.

82 American Nobel Prize Winners Endorse Kamala Harris

The group of scientists and economists said they feared a Trump presidency would impede progress in science and technology and in fighting climate change.

A Feathered Murder Mystery at 10,000 Feet

Scientists say they have observed one of the highest-altitude acts of bird predation ever recorded.

Ancient Cities Unearthed in Mountains of Central Asia

The discovery suggests that trade routes along the Silk Road were far more complex than previously understood.

U.S. Study on Puberty Blockers Goes Unpublished Because of Politics, Doctor Says

The leader of the long-running study said that the drugs did not improve mental health in children with gender distress and that the finding might be weaponized by opponents of the care.

Brazilian Fossil Hints at Older Origin for All Dinosaurs

The discovery may push back the emergence of the reptiles that once ruled the Earth, and clarify how dinosaurs like the Triceratops and Stegosaurus emerged.

Andrew V. Schally, 97, Dies; Scientist Shared Nobel Glory With Rival

His two-decade quest to find elusive brain hormones became a race against Roger Guillemin, a onetime colleague and an eventual fellow prizewinner.

Reinventing Concrete, the Ancient Roman Way

By learning the secrets of 2,000-year-old cement, researchers are trying to devise greener, more durable modern options.

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

This event is linked to Halley’s comet, and occurs as another comet, Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, remains visible. But a nearly full moon could interfere with some views.

How Early Humans Evolved to Eat Starch

Two new studies found that ancient human ancestors carried a surprising diversity of genes for amylase, an enzyme that breaks down starch.

These Tiny Worms Account for at Least 4 Nobel Prizes

A staple in laboratories worldwide, C. elegans is “an experimental dream,” said one scientist.

Sperm Can’t Unlock an Egg Without This Ancient Molecular Key

Using Google’s AlphaFold, researchers identified the bundle of three sperm proteins that seem to make sexual reproduction possible.

Parachutes Made of Mucus Change How Some Scientists See the Ocean

With a new kind of microscope, researchers got a different view of how marine snow falls to the seafloor.

Bumblebee Queens Prefer to Live in a Toxic Home

In an elaborate experiment, scientists discovered that the insects chose to hibernate in soil full of pesticides and other poisons.

A Distant Planet May Host a Moon That’s Spewing a Volcanic Cloud

Astronomers have yet to confirm the existence of exomoons, but a molecular signal around a far away star offers some of the best evidence yet.

Hairballs Shed Light on Man-Eating Lions’ Menu

The Tsavo man-eaters terrorized railroad workers in British East Africa in the 19th century, but their tastes went well beyond human flesh.

Jupiter’s Great Red Spot Moves Like the Solar System’s Biggest Kickball

A sequence of images captured by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope showed how much the giant storm changed shape as it traveled within the planet’s atmosphere.

An Old Clash Heats Up Over Oppenheimer’s Red Ties

As a group of historians and a top biographer square off, proponents of a middle path see a tangled life in which the superstar of science was, and was not, a true Communist at the same time.

European Space Mission Launches to Investigate an Asteroid Crash Site

The Hera spacecraft, which took flight late Monday morning, is part of a broader effort to bolster humanity’s planetary defense readiness.

Scientists Found a Surprising Way to Make Fungus Happy

The discovery that sound improves the growth rate of beneficial fungus suggests that dirges in the dirt may help restore forests.

How Did the First Cells Arise? With a Little Rain, Study Finds.

Researchers stumbled upon an ingredient that can stabilize droplets of genetic material: water.

Can Parrots Converse? Polly Says That’s the Wrong Question.

In a cautious new paper, scientists tried to determine whether an interactive speech board might enrich the life of a parrot named Ellie.

Honeybees Invaded My House, and No One Would Help

Responding to fears of a “honeybee collapse,” 30 states have passed laws to protect the pollinators. But when they invaded my house, I learned that the honeybees didn’t need saving.

Our Reporter on the April 8 Total Solar Eclipse

These are answers to common questions about the April 8 eclipse.

Prehistoric Amphibian Ancestor Is Named for Kermit the Frog

The species seemed to have bug eyes and a smile, so a team of researchers named it Kermitops gratus in honor of the banjo-playing Muppet.

A Columbia Surgeon’s Study Was Pulled. He Kept Publishing Flawed Data.

The quiet withdrawal of a 2021 cancer study by Dr. Sam Yoon highlights scientific publishers’ lack of transparency around data problems.

Richard Truly, 86, Dies; Shuttle Astronaut Who Went On to Lead NASA

In 1983, he commanded a Challenger shuttle flight. After the 1986 disaster, he was charged with leading NASA’s return to space.

Behind the Scenes of a Manatee Rescue

When a seagrass shortage caused a mass manatee die-off, scientists rushed to save the orphaned young. After three years at a zoo, the manatees are now grown up and going back to the wild. The photographer Jason Gulley explains how ZooTampa rescues manatees, cares for them and eventually releases them back into the wild.

SpaceX Launches Robotic Lunar Lander

The Odysseus spacecraft is from the Houston company Intuitive Machines and weighs about 4,200 pounds with a full load of propellant.

Vulcan Rocket Lifts Off for the Moon

The rocket launched from Cape Canaveral, Fla., early Monday morning, sending a robotic spacecraft toward the surface of the moon.

The Mystery of the Coin That Shouldn’t Exist

Scientists recently analyzed a Peruvian 10-cent piece with an unexplained origin.

Watch the First Meteor Shower of 2024 Reach Its Peak

The Quadrantids are forecast to be one of the year’s strongest showers, but they can be difficult to actually spot.

Dec. 30: Rocket Lab may launch a small probe to Venus.

Dec. 13-14: The Geminid meteor shower will reach its peak.

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

Oct. 20-21: The Orionid meteor shower will reach its peak.

December: Blue Origin may attempt the first launch and landing of its New Glenn orbital rocket.

Jan. 3-4: The Quadrantid meteor shower will reach its peak.

Jan. 2: Earth will be at its closest point to the sun.

How to use this calendar.

March 19: Spring is here.

Dec. 21: The winter solstice.

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

How to watch a meteor shower.

Watch the Geminids Meteor Shower Reach Its Peak Tonight

One of the most reliable meteor events on the calendar will occur during a new moon this year, which could make for excellent viewing opportunities.

Watch the Leonids Meteor Shower Reach Its Peak This Weekend

Fireballs that come from the wake of comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle may be visible while the moon is a quarter full.

Watch the Orionids Meteor Shower Reach Its Peak Tonight

The latest potential supply of fireballs in the night sky comes from the trail left by Halley’s comet.

NASA Launches Mission to Explore a Metal Asteroid

A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket launched the probe from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, beginning a six-year journey to explore an asteroid named Psyche.

NASA Unveils First Glimpse of ‘Scientific Treasure’ Collected From Asteroid

Scientists said they got more material than expected from the Osiris-Rex mission during its seven-year journey to the asteroid Bennu.

Amazon Launches First Project Kuiper Satellites to Orbit

The two prototype spacecraft will test systems to be used in a planned megaconstellation to provide internet service from orbit that will eventually compete with SpaceX’s Starlink service.

Watch How Animals React to the Scariest Sound on the Savanna

When confronted with recordings of human voices, 19 species fled instantly, while they were less frightened by lion sounds and other potentially threatening recordings.

Wildlife Find Human Voices Scarier Than Lion Roars, Researchers Say

A new study observed the reactions of various wild animals in response to human voices, lion snarls and other noises in South Africa’s Kruger National Park.

Bizarre Cancer Has Been Spreading Among Shellfish for Centuries, Studies Find

The cancer likely started off as an immune cell that mutated, multiplied and adapted to survive in the water.

Northern Lights Shine Over U.S. and Canada

Colorful displays from the aurora borealis were visible in parts of the U.S. and Canada on Monday night.

A pod of long-finned pilot whales formed a heart shape before some were found stranded on Cheynes Beach. Scientists said this was highly unusual behavior.

How Solar Wind Flows From the Sun Like Water From a Shower Head

The Parker Solar Probe is providing NASA researchers with insights into how the sun accelerates particles to a million miles per hour.

Scientists Create Detailed Digital Replica of the Titanic Shipwreck

A team of scientists scanned the historic Titanic shipwreck off the coast of Canada and created a 3-D model of the site.

SpaceX Starship Launch Causes Cloud of Dust and Debris

The SpaceX rocket launch kicked up debris that damaged an unoccupied car near the blast site and produced a dust cloud that covered Port Isabel, Texas, in grime about six miles away.

Space Debris Spotted Over Northern California

Observers in Sacramento were mesmerized by streaks of light that brightened the night sky on Friday. The flaming debris was retired communications equipment that the International Space Station discarded in February 2020.

Dec. 13-14: The Geminids meteor shower may peak

Nov. 17-18: The Leonids meteor shower will peak

Oct. 20-21: The Orionids meteor shower will peak.

How to watch meteor showers

2023 should be a good year for meteor lovers.

Jan. 3-4: The Quadrantid meteor shower will peak

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

Mauna Loa Volcano in Hawaii Continues Its Eruption

Lava flowed from Mauna Loa, the world’s largest active volcano, a week after it erupted for the first time since 1984.

EarthCam Video Shows Meteor Flying Over Toronto

A fireball spotted zooming across Toronto’s skyline was also seen by observers in the northeastern United States.

Watch NASA’s Test of a Flying Saucer-Like Device

On Thursday morning, NASA tested a giant inflatable device, which launched to orbit and then splashed down in the ocean near Hawaii.

Video Shows Total Lunar Eclipse

Video from Philadelphia showed the sun, the Earth and the moon in a line, which caused the moon to pass through Earth’s shadow in the last total lunar eclipse until 2025.

Webb Telescope Sees a Carbon Dioxide Atmosphere Way Out There

WASP-39b, a distant world with a mass equivalent to Saturn’s, is the first exoplanet known to harbor the gas.

Watch NASA’s Moon Rocket Roll to the Launchpad

NASA’s Space Launch System moon rocket began its slow crawl toward the launchpad, ahead of schedule. The target date for its uncrewed maiden flight is Aug. 29.

Watch the Southern Delta Aquariid Meteor Shower Peak in Night Skies

Fireballs may light up the sky for those willing to stay up late and take in the show.

James Webb Space Telescope Captures New Images of the Cosmos

Photos sent back by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, the most powerful and largest space observatory ever built, revealed nebulas, a galactic cluster and possible water vapor on an exoplanet.

Biden Reveals First Image From James Webb Space Telescope

The image was hailed by NASA and astronomers as the deepest view yet into our universe’s past.

It’s Not a Bird or a Plane. It’s a Skydiving Salamander.

With the greatest of ease it twists and turns from the tops of redwood trees.

Total Lunar Eclipse Turns Moon Red

Eclipse watchers gazed up as the Earth shadow fell over the moon, causing it to appear copper-red in a phenomenon some call a blood moon.

Worried Sick: A Journey Into the Anxious Teenage Mind

Why are so many American teenagers feeling anxious, depressed and even suicidal? Our video looks at the science behind the teen mental health crisis.

“NOVA Dinosaur Apocalypse” premieres Wed., May 11 at 9 p.m. Eastern time on PBS. The two-hour special will also be available for streaming online and via the PBS Video app.

U.S. Allows Hunters to Import Some Elephant Trophies From African Countries

After settling a lawsuit filed during the Trump administration, the Fish and Wildlife Service granted six permits to bring elephant parts into the country. It may approve more in the coming months.

Mass Bleaching Event Hits Australia’s Great Barrier Reef

This year’s mass bleaching marked a disturbing first as it occurred during a La Niña climate pattern, when more rain and cooler temperatures typically provide a moment of respite for sensitive corals to recover.

Astra Rocket Launch Fails to Reach Orbit

Minutes after the rocket’s launch, as its second stage booster was supposed to break off for its trip deeper into orbit, onboard cameras showed the booster tumbling out of control.

Lunar Eclipse Seen Around the World

The partial eclipse on Thursday night and early Friday morning lasted more than six hours. The last partial eclipse of this duration was in the 1440s.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-2 Departs International Space Station

Four astronauts from the mission undocked from the International Space Station in the Crew Dragon capsule and headed back to Earth after spending about half a year in space.

Object Streaks Across Midwestern Skies

During pre-dawn hours on Wednesday, the object — possibly a Russian military satellite — flew over Ohio, Michigan and Indiana, leaving a fiery trail and breaking apart into smaller pieces during its descent.

Russia Launches a Film Crew Into Space

The Russian crew — an actress, a director and their professional astronaut guide — arrived at the International Space Station with a mission to shoot scenes for the first feature-length film in space.

Russian Actress and Director to Start Making First Movie on Space Station

The pair arrived at the International Space Station on Tuesday, aiming to shoot scenes for the first feature film made in orbit.

Inspiration4 Civilian Crew Returns to Earth After 3 Days in Orbit

The SpaceX capsule, carrying the first crew ever to go into orbit without a professional astronaut aboard, splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean off Florida’s coast on Saturday.

Richard Branson Launches Into Space on Virgin Galactic Flight

The 70-year-old British billionaire and crew members of Virgin Galactic launched the commercial space plane Unity from New Mexico, reached the edge of space and landed safely back at the spaceport on Sunday.

Chinese Astronauts Arrive at Space Station

Three astronauts docked with the country’s partly built space station Thursday, beginning what China plans as at least a decade of continuous presence in Earth’s orbit.

SpaceX Successfully Lands Starship Prototype

The SN15 Starship prototype touched down in one piece after a brief test flight over Texas in May 2021. Several previous landings had ended in fiery explosions.

NASA Extends Ingenuity Helicopter’s Mission on Mars

NASA said on Friday that it would continue tests of the Ingenuity helicopter by another 30 Martian days, moving from a technology demonstration to studies of how it can support the Perseverance rover.

NASA’s Mars Ingenuity Helicopter Completes Second Flight

Ingenuity, Nasa’s experimental helicopter on Mars, soared higher and longer during its second test flight, on Thursday, than it did during its first flight, on Monday.

Video of NASA’s Mars Helicopter in Flight

NASA’s Ingenuity, a small robotic helicopter, took its initial flight over Mars on Monday making history as the first powered aircraft from Earth to fly on another planet.

NASA Tests Engines of Giant New Moon Rocket

Firing its engines for more than eight minutes, the Space Launch System ran a successful stationary test of its rocket stage on March 18, 2021, at the Stennis Space Center in Mississippi.

Can This New Map Fix Our Distorted Views of the World?

You’re going to need some double-sided tape.

NASA Lands Perseverance on Mars

NASA successfully landed its new robotic rover on Mars Thursday, a mission to directly study if there was ever life on the planet.

Earth to Voyager 2: After a Year in the Darkness, We Can Talk to You Again

NASA’s sole means of sending commands to the distant space probe, launched 44 years ago, is being restored on Friday.

SpaceX’s Starship Crashes Again During Prototype Launch

A test flight of SpaceX’s Starship, Elon Musk’s next-generation spacecraft which is intended to one day land on Mars, was launched on Feb. 2 for a brief flight, but came to an explosive end.

A new window that forever changed our view of Earth.

Many of the greatest images you’ve seen from the space station were made in the cupola.

Rocket Launches, Trips to Mars and More 2020 Space and Astronomy Events

A year full of highs and lows in space just ended, and the 12 months to come will be full of new highlights in orbit and beyond.

Ursids Meteor Shower 2019: Watch It Peak in Night Skies

Meteor showers can light up night skies from dusk to dawn, and if you’re lucky you might be able to catch a glimpse.

Search for Habitable Worlds Joined by New European Space Telescope

The Cheops orbiter will give a closer examination to stars already known to host exoplanets.

Is Earth Getting Bigger Over Time?

The planet is a magnet for stuff: space dust, dead leaves, old refrigerators. Is all that mass adding up?

In Praise of Lumpy Gravy From the Cosmic Kitchen

Without that texture, there’d be none of us.

A Black Hole Threw a Star Out of the Milky Way Galaxy

So long, S5-HVS1, we hardly knew you.

Behold Mortichnia, the Death Trail of an Ancient Worm

A 500-million-year-old fossil offered a rare treasure: the imprint of an animal that literally died in its tracks.

Got Impossible Milk? The Quest for Lab-Made Dairy

With advances in synthetic biology, researchers and entrepreneurs strive to create cows’ milk without cows.

The Eta Aquariids Meteor Shower Will Peak in Night Skies

It can light up night skies from dusk to dawn, and if you’re lucky you might be able to see it.

How Genetic Sleuthing Helped a Kidnapped Girl Recover Her Identity

This is the case that revealed to law enforcement that it’s possible to figure out just about anyone’s identify through their cousins’ DNA.

Plan Bee: The Rise of Alternative Pollinators

Honeybees are under siege, straining the business of farming. Now growers are turning to other bee species to help their crops.

Genealogists Turn to Cousins’ DNA and Family Trees to Crack Five More Cold Cases

Police arrested a D.J. in Pennsylvania and a nurse in Washington State this week, the latest examples of the use of an open-source ancestry site since the break in the Golden State killer case.

Give Thanks for the Winter Solstice. You Might Not Be Here Without It.

The scientific start of winter offers a moment to reflect on how we might not be here to witness the changing seasons without Earth’s particular tilt toward the sun.

For Neanderthals, Growing Big Brains Took More Time

New research suggests that the brain of a juvenile Neanderthal developed more slowly than that of a similarly aged Homo sapiens child, but scientists don’t yet know why.

The New Threat to Wolves in and Around Yellowstone

Packs of the animals, once endangered, have flourished, but biologists worry about the effects of renewed hunting outside the national park.

Looking at Your Home Planet from Mars

The camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter needed to be calibrated, so it made this image of the moon and Earth, which NASA released on Friday.

Letters to the Editor

Readers respond to articles in Science Times.

Review: ‘The Last Beach’ and ‘The Narrow Edge’ Share Tales of Harm and Hope Along Our Coasts

Two recent books take a grim look at what may happen to coastlines and their animal inhabitants in a warming world.

My Very Educated Readers Just Served Us Some New Planet Mnemonics

We asked our readers to submit their own mnemonics, including the dwarf planets. Here are some of our favorites:

Human Viruses Cause Respiratory Outbreaks in Ivory Coast Chimps

In the past decade, human viruses spread to chimpanzee populations in the Ivory Coast, causing outbreaks that were sometimes fatal.