Variety: Acrostic
Crosswords & Games, December 7
Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon, sing, heavenly muses!
The Interstellar Comet Has Arrived in Time for the Holidays
Science, December 7
This weekend an ice cube from beyond our solar system will make its closest approach to the sun, trailing mystery and dust.
Tracking Comet Borisov
Interactive, December 7
The second known interstellar object is now passing through our solar system.
Can Biology Class Reduce Racism?
U.S., December 7
When it comes to race, “It’s always like ‘O.K., but now we’re going to start the lesson on peas,’’’ a biology teacher said. A study will test a new approach.
A Billion Pixels and the Search for India’s Crashed Moon Lander
Science, December 6
The Indian space agency has been tight-lipped about the fate of Vikram, but crowdsourcing and NASA’s openness led to its discovery.
Cannibalistic Dinosaurs Went Through a Lot of Teeth
Science, December 6
The only known cannibal among dinosaurs replaced its pearly whites more often than scientists expected, and so did some other carnivores.
Fractured Forests Are Endangering Wildlife, Scientists Find
Science, December 5
The world’s forests are being carved into pieces. In tropical regions, animals are likely to pay a heavy price.
22 Things That Happened for the First Time in 2019
Opinion, December 5
Surprising, serious and sometimes silly events and trends noted for the first time ever in 2019.
NASA’s Parker Solar Probe Is Unlocking the Sun’s Mysteries
Science, December 4
Scientists working with the solar diving mission have released the spacecraft’s first batch of findings.
NASA’s Parker Solar Probe Is Unlocking the Sun’s Mysteries
Science, December 4
Scientists working with the solar diving mission have released the spacecraft’s first batch of findings.
Why the Great Auk Is Gone for Good
Science, December 4
New research finds that the extinction of this flightless bird was completely our fault.
They’re Smelly and Spiky, and They Need Bats to Pollinate Them
Science, December 4
Researchers wanted to improve the fruit yields for small farmers in Indonesia, and hope their findings will encourage protections for bats.
Why Are These Foxes Tame? Maybe They Weren’t So Wild to Begin With
Science, December 3
In a famous experiment, scientists bred Russian foxes without a fear of people. But the foxes’ ancestry raises new questions about when they became tame and what counts as domestication.
Go Ahead, Take a Spin on Titan
Science, December 3
Saturn’s biggest moon has gasoline for rain, soot for snow and a subsurface ocean of ammonia. Now there’s a map to help guide the search for possible life there.
‘It Just Isn’t Working’: PISA Test Scores Cast Doubt on U.S. Education Efforts
U.S., December 3
An international exam shows that American 15-year-olds are stagnant in reading and math even though the country has spent billions to close gaps with the rest of the world.
A Deep-Sea Magma Monster Gets a Body Scan
Science, December 3
Scientists set sail on a perilous expedition to create the first internal 3D images of Axial Seamount, an underwater volcano deep in the Pacific Ocean.
NASA Finds India’s Vikram Moon Lander Crash Site, With Amateur’s Help
Science, December 2
Since India lost contact with the spacecraft in September, the precise location of its crash has been a mystery.
Was This 18,000-Year-Old Siberian Puppy a Dog or a Wolf?
Science, December 2
The animal was buried in a lump of frozen mud in Russia, its fur, whiskers and body fully intact. Scientists are studying its DNA to understand whether it is a dog or a wolf.
How Life on Our Planet Made It Through Snowball Earth
Science, December 2
Rusty rocks left over from some of our planet’s most extreme ice ages hint at oases for survival beneath the freeze.
Fire Blight Spreads Northward, Threatening Apple Orchards
Science, December 2
Growers in northern states are combating virulent outbreaks of a disease as seasons grow warmer, orchards have been reconfigured for higher yields and new varieties may be more vulnerable.
How a Poisonous Mammal Evolved Its Venom
Science, December 1
Solenodons are highly unusual, and very difficult to study.
Studying Sea Snakes? Time to Call the ‘Fantastic Grandmothers’
Science, November 30
A group of snorkeling seniors has helped scientists collect data about greater sea snakes in New Caledonia.
When Does the New Decade Begin: In a Month, or a Year From Now?
U.S., November 28
In recent years there has been debate about when a decade begins and ends. We break it down for you.
Blue Whale Hearts May Beat Only Twice a Minute During a Dive
Science, November 27
Nature’s most extreme animal has an equally extreme circulatory system, researchers found.
Is This the First Fossil of an Embryo?
Science, November 27
Mysterious 609-million-year-old balls of cells may be the oldest animal embryos — or something else entirely.
How Stalagmites Get Their Shapes
Science, November 27
Researchers developed a physics-based model to explain how the structures on cave floors take so many different forms.
This Is What It Looks Like When an Asteroid Gets Destroyed
Science, November 26
At first astronomers thought they had spotted a comet, but it was really an asteroid in the belt between Mars and Jupiter being struck by another object.
Seeking a New Lens to Study Same-Sex Behavior in Animals
Science, November 26
A team of researchers say that science has relied on a human heterosexual baseline and made faulty assumptions about sexual activity in the animal kingdom.
In Praise of Lumpy Gravy From the Cosmic Kitchen
Science, November 26
Without that texture, there’d be none of us.
Jupiter’s Great Red Spot Isn’t Dead Yet
Science, November 25
Pieces of the gas giant’s greatest storm had seemed to be slipping away, but scientists say the underlying vortex is unchanged.
Scientists Created Fake Rhino Horn. But Should We Use It?
Science, November 25
Experts are divided over whether flooding the Asian market with convincing artificial rhino horn would help or hurt rhinos’ survival.
Historians Find Another Spy in the U.S. Atomic Bomb Project
Science, November 23
His Soviet code name was Godsend, and he came to Los Alamos from a family of secret agents.
Dogs Can’t Help Falling in Love
Science, November 22
One researcher argues that a dog’s ability to bond has more to do with forming emotional attachments than being smart about what humans want.
First the Worm Gets in the Bug’s Head. Then the Bug Drowns Itself.
Science, November 22
The mind-controlling parasites are “like a back-seat driver, but a bit more sinister.”
A Dance That Stops 2 of Neptune’s Moons From Colliding
Science, November 21
Astronomers detected an orbital resonance between the two innermost satellites of the mysterious ice giant planet.
Oxygen on Mars Adds to Atmospheric Mysteries
Science, November 20
After a perplexing methane burst was measured by NASA’s Curiosity rover earlier this year, scientists were surprised again by variations in atmospheric oxygen.
When Snakes Had Use for a Pair of Legs
Science, November 20
The fossil discovery in Argentina will help to resolve mysteries over when snakes began their transition to their modern form.
Scientists Are Just Beginning to Understand Mysterious DNA Circles Common in Cancer Cells
Science, November 20
For years, researchers weren’t exactly sure what to make of these extra loops of genetic material . That’s quickly changing.
In the Race to Live on Land, Lichens Didn’t Beat Plants
Science, November 19
A study’s findings add to the case that lichens, which dominate about 7 percent of the planet’s surface, most likely made their way to land some 100 million years after ferns and other vascular plants.
Watch Bees Surf to Safety on Waves They Create
Science, November 18
When honeybees fall into water, they generate their own ripples then glide to dry land, a study found.
Our Poets Need Pythagoras!
Opinion, November 18
Even though STEM job prospects are slim in the 2050s, science education shouldn’t be reduced to an elective.
Bubble Subs Arise, Opening Eyes to the Deep Sea
Science, November 18
Giant plastic spheres, with walls six inches thick or more, are making the ocean’s depths and its strange denizens more accessible than ever.
2 Arkansas Chemistry Professors Face Charges of Making Meth
U.S., November 17
The arrests called to mind the wildly popular television series “Breaking Bad.”
Millions of Ibises Were Mummified. But Where Did Ancient Egypt Get Them?
Science, November 16
DNA analysis of the preserved birds found in many catacombs undercuts the explanation that there were large-scale ibis breeding farms.
Leonids Meteor Shower Will Peak in Night Skies
Science, November 16
Meteor showers can light up night skies from dusk to dawn, and if you’re lucky you might be able to catch a glimpse.
How Narwhal the ‘Unicorn’ Puppy May Have Grown a Tail on His Head
Science, November 15
The likeliest explanation is not all that cute, some scientists say. But Narwhal is still very cute.
Hibernation Works for Bears. Could It Work for Us, Too?
Science, November 15
A grizzly’s body can slow down for months without damage. Researchers wonder if the ability can be harnessed to aid human health.
Infants and Toddlers Eat Too Much Sugar, Researchers Say
Science, November 14
Using C.D.C. data, researchers found that 98 percent of toddlers and 60 percent of infants consumed added sugar in sweetened drinks, baked goods and snacks.
Dr. Wayne Bardin, 85, Innovative Researcher on Birth Control, Dies
Science, November 14
He helped develop long-acting implanted contraceptive devices — like Norplant, Jadelle and Mirena — used by millions of women around the world.
A Black Hole Threw a Star Out of the Milky Way Galaxy
Science, November 14
So long, S5-HVS1, we hardly knew you.
This Volcano Destroyed an Island, Then Created a New One
Science, November 14
After the October blast at Lateiki in the Kingdom of Tonga, a larger island formed over a connected vent in the ocean.
El ultranegro es el nuevo negro
en Español, November 13
Los científicos están creando trampas de luz cada vez más eficientes y han llegado a fabricar materiales cada vez más oscuros. Sin embargo, en la naturaleza ya hay ejemplos de ultranegros.
Still the Undisputed Champs of Mammalian Migrations
Science, November 13
Scientists measured distances covered to compile a Top 5 list of ultramarathon runners of land mammals.
How to Peer Through a Wormhole
Science, November 13
Theoretically, the universe may be riddled with tunnels through space and time. Two scientists have now proposed a way to detect the existence of a cosmic escape hatch.
NASA Renames Object After Uproar Over Old Name’s Nazi Connotations
Science, November 13
Scientists said an object four billion miles from Earth would be given a Native American name: Arrokoth. Its previous, informal name, Ultima Thule, had links to the Third Reich.
NASA Renames Object After Uproar Over Old Name’s Nazi Connotations
U.S., November 13
Scientists said an object four billion miles from Earth would be given a Native American name: Arrokoth. Its previous, informal name, Ultima Thule, had links to the Third Reich.
Looking to Scientists to Expand Eco-Tourism Efforts
Travel, November 13
Hotels, lodges and resorts are bringing in scientists to conduct serious academic inquiries while also offering nature tours, workshops and classes for guests.
A Silicon Valley Disruption for Birds That Gorge on Endangered Fish
Science, November 12
To persuade some migrating Caspian terns to stop short of the Columbia River, scientists planted plastic decoys and patio speakers in San Francisco Bay.
If I Touched the Moon, What Would It Feel Like?
Science, November 12
If you like handling tiny glass shards, sure, go ahead and touch the lunar surface. But avoid the rocks.
This Elusive Creature Wasn’t Seen for Nearly 30 Years. Then It Appeared on Camera.
Science, November 11
By interviewing people who live around a forest in Vietnam, scientists captured visual evidence that silver-backed chevrotains still exist.
Ultra-Black Is the New Black
Science, November 11
Scientists are setting dark traps from which light cannot escape. But nature already has built a few of her own.
As SpaceX Launches 60 Starlink Satellites, Scientists See Threat to ‘Astronomy Itself’
Science, November 11
Various companies are pressing ahead with plans for internet service from space, which has prompted astronomers to voice concerns about the impact on research from telescopes on Earth.
How to Watch Mercury’s 2019 Transit of the Sun
Science, November 11
Viewers on the East and West Coasts of the U.S. can see part or all of the eclipse-like event, but not with the naked eye.
The Bacterial Surprise in This Bird’s Smell
Science, November 10
The bacteria in a bird's microbiome seems to play an important role in the odoriferous messages it sends to other birds.
How Did a Virus From the Atlantic Infect Mammals in the Pacific?
Science, November 9
Thawing sea ice may have opened the door, allowing the infection to cross oceans, a new study suggests.