T/science

How Did Hands Evolve? The Answer Is Behind You.

The evolutionary blueprint for hands was borrowed in part from a much older genetic plan for our nether regions, a new study suggests.

‘Shockingly Beautiful’ Fossil Reveals Oldest Dome-Headed Dinosaur

A specimen discovered in Mongolia is the most complete fossil yet found of a pachycephalosaur, a dinosaur believed to be built for head-butting.

A Forgotten Cosmic Impact Was Hidden in a Museum’s Glass Shards

Scientists thought that an Australian museum’s collection of tektites came from an 800,000-year-old asteroid strike on Earth. Some of them turned out to be much older.

Teach Taxicab Geometry With Steven Strogatz and The New York Times

Welcome students to a world of math where pi equals 4 and circles aren’t round.

¿Escrito en las estrellas?

Quizás es hora de averiguar tu verdadero signo del zodíaco y otros temas para comenzar la semana.

The Siberian Tundra Is Exploding. New Research Helps Explain Why.

Spontaneous gas explosions appear to be increasing in northern Russia because of climate change and some specific local conditions.

The Flavor of Quebec Is Sweet, Savory and Worth the Trip

An agro-tourism route through the Charlevoix region offers a hyperlocal bounty, charming towns and farms that preserve traditional methods of production.

These Ants Found a Loophole for a Fundamental Rule of Life

Researchers discovered that Mediterranean ants are having babies that belong to a different species.

Quiere ver la luz de las estrellas. Por eso defiende la oscuridad

Eduardo Unda-Sanzana, que se dedica a la astronomía, ha luchado contra la contaminación lumínica en el desierto de Atacama para preservar lo que se considera el mejor lugar de la Tierra para estudiar el espacio.

Mark Norell, Who Studied Link Between Dinosaurs and Birds, Dies at 68

His expeditions, including many to the Gobi Desert in Mongolia, yielded rare discoveries and led to exhibitions at the American Museum of Natural History.

What Happened to the High-Tech Space Race?

In “Rocket Dreams,” Christian Davenport revels in the struggle between the billionaire moguls Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos to leave the Earth behind.

Targeting Hims & Hers, F.D.A. Takes on a New Type of Drug Advertiser

Regulators sent about 100 warning letters this week to drug advertisers, including to Hims & Hers, a major online provider of weight-loss drugs.

A Defender of Darkness in the Darkest Place on Earth

A Chilean astronomer has become dedicated to battling light pollution in the Atacama Desert and preserve what is considered the best place on Earth to study space.

En una roca de Marte, la NASA ve ‘la señal más clara de vida’ hasta ahora

Los científicos de la agencia aún no afirman haber encontrado fósiles de microbios marcianos, pero el análisis del espécimen recolectado por el rover Perseverance plantea esa posibilidad.

Tu signo del zodiaco está desfasado por 2000 años

Durante milenios, nuestra vista de las estrellas ha cambiado debido a la oscilación de la Tierra. Quizás es tiempo de averiguar qué signo eres.

Building an Octopus Dictionary, One Arm Movement at a Time

Scientists set out to understand all the ways the animals use their eight appendages. It wasn’t easy.

Major Medical Prizes Given to Cell Biology and Cystic Fibrosis Pioneers

Many winners of the annual Lasker Awards have gone on to win a Nobel Prize in medicine or other fields.

En el aniversario del LIGO, se teme por su futuro

Las celebraciones por el décimo aniversario del Observatorio de Ondas Gravitacionales con Interferometría Láser se han visto ensombrecidas por la muerte de uno de sus fundadores y un posible recorte drástico de presupuesto.

Was There Life on Mars? This Rock Keeps Getting More Interesting.

NASA is still not saying it has found fossils of Martian microbes, but analysis of a rock collected by the Perseverance rover raises that possibility.

Happy Birthday, LIGO. Now Drop Dead.

Ten years ago, astronomers made an epic discovery with the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory. Cosmology hasn’t been the same since, and it might not stay that way much longer.

Trump Weighs Crackdown on Medicines From China

Behind the scenes, major pharmaceutical companies and Trump-tied billionaires are furiously lobbying in opposite directions over proposed anti-China measures.

Scientists Begin Testing Bird Flu Vaccine in Seals

If the results are promising, veterinarians hope to give the shots to wild Hawaiian monk seals, which are endangered.

Las empresas tecnológicas se esfuerzan por integrar el futuro sistema de defensa de Trump

Las empresas tecnológicas están realizando simulacros con IA, láseres y más para demostrar que pueden formar parte de la Cúpula Dorada, el ambicioso plan del presidente de EE. UU. para un escudo antimisiles.

Do You See the Same Colors That I Do?

Scientists cannot say for certain, but new research suggests that different people’s brains respond similarly when looking at a particular hue.

Tech Companies Show Off for Trump’s ‘Golden Dome’

Tech companies are displaying A.I., lasers and more as they compete for a piece of President Trump’s ambitious plan for a missile defense shield.

Hopeful Hint of an Earthlike Atmosphere on a Distant Planet

Scientists are steadily ruling out habitable conditions on the seven planets of the star Trappist-1. On one of the worlds, a nitrogen gas-rich veil remains a possibility.

A New, ‘Adorable’ Deep-Sea Fish Swims Into View

The bumpy snailfish, discovered 10,000 feet down off the coast of California, shows that not all denizens of the abyss are frightening.

We Are Watching a Scientific Superpower Destroy Itself

As China threatens to overtake U.S. leadership in science and technology, America has responded by sabotaging its own engines of progress.

Your Zodiac Sign Is 2,000 Years Out of Date

Over millennia, our view of the stars has shifted, because of Earth’s wobble. It may be time to rethink your sign.

Total Lunar Eclipse Seen Across Eastern Hemisphere

A total lunar eclipse, commonly called a blood moon, crossed the sky in parts of Asia, Australia, Europe and Africa.

David Baltimore, Nobel-Winning Molecular Biologist, Dies at 87

He was only 37 when he made a discovery that challenged the existing tenets of biology and led to an understanding of retroviruses and viruses, including H.I.V.,

Get to Know the Ratfish and the Forehead Teeth It Uses During Sex

Scientists studied how the sea creatures, also known as chimaeras or ghost sharks, ended up with one of evolution’s most bizarre appendages.

Cómo ver el eclipse lunar total y la luna de sangre

Los habitantes del hemisferio oriental podrán ver pasar la sombra de la Tierra sobre la superficie lunar, cubriendo de rojo el satélite natural de nuestro planeta.

How to Watch the Blood Moon and Total Lunar Eclipse

People in the Eastern Hemisphere may see Earth’s shadow pass over the lunar surface, covering our world’s natural satellite in a flush of red.

A. James Hudspeth, Who Unlocked Mysteries Behind Hearing, Dies at 79

He was pivotal in discovering how sound waves are converted into signals that the brain can perceive as a whisper, a symphony or a thunderclap.

A Zap of Blue Light Shows Promise Against Food and Sweat Stains

Researchers hope the technique could offer a more environmentally friendly approach to cleaning up messy clothing.

I Was a D.E.I. Skeptic. Here’s What Changed My Mind.

It’s about more than figuring out the right or wrong answers to questions.

Quakes on Mars Reveal New Features of the Planet’s Interior

Using data from NASA’s retired InSight lander, two separate teams of researchers found evidence of a sluggish Martian mantle and a solid inner core.

Humans Are Altering the Seas. Here’s What the Future Ocean Might Look Like.

Some marine ecosystems could soon be unrecognizable, according to new research. We mapped the possibilities.

3 Psychiatric Tools That Could Boost the Brain’s Natural Healing

They work for depression and P.T.S.D. Could they also help the brain repair itself after a neurologic catastrophe?

Could a Pill Fix the Brain?

Neurologists are exploring medications that would help the brain heal itself after a stroke or traumatic injury.

In Yellowstone, Migratory Bison Reawaken a Landscape

A recent study hints at the potential benefits of restoring bison to an ecosystem.

Reduced Screening May Have Led to Rise in Advanced Prostate Cancer Diagnoses

Changes in screening recommendations over a decade ago may have inadvertently resulted in later diagnosis of the most common cancer in men, a new study has found.

Unas científicas brasileñas cazan meteoritos para la ciencia nacional

Un grupo de investigación formado exclusivamente por mujeres, As Meteoriticas, recorre el interior del país sudamericano con el objetivo de conservar meteoritos para su estudio científico y su exhibición pública.

The Space Rock Stars of Brazil

An all-female research group, As Meteoriticas, scours the South American country’s interior aiming to preserve meteorites for scientific study and public display.

Historians See Autocratic Playbook in Trump’s Attacks on Science

Authoritarians have long feared and suppressed science as a rival for social influence. Experts see President Trump as borrowing some of their tactics.

You Don’t Need to Be Good at Math to Enjoy It

In her latest book, Eugenia Cheng, a mathematician, explores the choices we make to determine if two things — numbers, shapes, words and even people — are equal.

An Environmental Villain, Reconsidered

The award-winning science writer Peter Brannen makes the case for an often vilified compound in “The Story of CO2 Is the Story of Everything.”

Margaret W. Rossiter, 81, Dies; Wrote Women Scientists Into History

In her groundbreaking trilogy, “Women Scientists in America,” she told the stories of numerous accomplished but largely invisible women.

Sept. 23: NASA could launch a mission to map the solar system’s boundaries.

Sept. 29: Blue Origin could launch twin NASA satellites to Mars.

‘El mar todavía tiene cosas que nos van a sorprender’: un tiburón naranja muy inusual fue visto en Costa Rica

Unos científicos publicaron este mes un estudio sobre el tiburón nodriza con un color singular que fue capturado y fotografiado por pescadores deportivos el año pasado.

Fishermen Pulled In an Orange Shark Off Costa Rica: ‘My God, What Is This?’

Scientists published a study this month on the nurse shark, which was caught and photographed by sport fishermen last year.

Es una luz de noche. Es una planta. Es una suculenta que brilla

En una prueba de concepto, los investigadores demostraron que con bioingeniería podían inyectar un par de horas de luz en una planta común.

This Crocodile Relative Was One of Dinosaurs’ Most Fearsome Predators

A fossil found in Argentina shows that up to the very end of the age of dinosaurs, they faced serious competition from other reptile species.

Uncovering the Genes That Let Our Ancestors Walk Upright

A new study reveals some of the crucial molecular steps on the path to bipedalism.

It’s a Night Light. It’s a Plant. It’s a Glowing Succulent.

In a proof of concept, researchers demonstrated that they could bioengineer a couple of hours of light into a common plant.

In Every Tree, a Trillion Tiny Lives

Scientists have found that a single tree can be home to a trillion microbial cells — an invisible ecosystem that is only beginning to be understood.

SpaceX Set to Attempt Critical Test Launch of Mars Rocket Again

After two consecutive scrubs, the Starship vehicle is due for its 10th test flight as Elon Musk’s company aims to overcome earlier setbacks.

Rainer Weiss, Who Gave a Nod to Einstein and the Big Bang, Dies at 92

He shared the Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on gravitational waves, which helped confirm Einstein’s general theory of relativity and how the universe began.

Even on a Rough Construction Site, Honeybees Figure It Out

Honeycomb, a mathematical marvel, is made by worker bees. A new study shows that the insects are very good at adapting to wonky foundations.

This Golden Worm Fights Poison With Poison

To blunt the toxic arsenic in the waters where it lives, a deep-sea worm combines it with another chemical to produce a less toxic compound.

SpaceX Readies for Critical 10th Test Launch of Mars Rocket

Elon Musk’s company is trying again to overcome setbacks faced by its Starship prototype after a Sunday night scrub of a test flight.

How the Pygmy Sea Horse Lost Its Snout

The genome of a small, remarkable sea horse offers a surprising lesson in nature’s creativity.

Scientists Find a Quadruple Star System in Our Cosmic Backyard

Two of the objects in the arrangement are cold brown dwarfs, which will serve as a benchmark for others throughout the Milky Way.

SpaceX Prepares for Critical 10th Test Launch of Mars Rocket

After setbacks in its last three flight attempts, Elon Musk’s company has a lot riding on the latest trip of its Starship prototype.

When the Gilded Age Went Mad for Mars

Life on the red planet? “Bosh and nonsense,” said one astronomer. But according to “The Martians,” plenty of self-appointed experts argued otherwise.

Scientists Split Giraffes Into Four Species. Three Are in Trouble.

A reassessment of the iconic species has “some dramatic implications for how we view giraffe conservation across Africa,” a new study concludes.

Was Head-Binding an Ancient Way to Get a Leg Up?

For some cultures, the practice of cranial deformation may have offered individuals a path to privilege later in their lives.

Una explosión espacial en capas podría ser un nuevo tipo de supernova

La inusual explosión desprendió las capas internas de una estrella moribunda y ofreció pistas sobre cómo se forjaron los elementos que componen la vida en la Tierra.

New Origami Design Could Help With Space Engineering

Researchers discovered a new type of origami called bloom patterns, which are repeating tiles of creased patterns that rotate symmetrically around a center. Engineers are working on real-life applications, like a collapsable space telescope for NASA.

These Bats Like to Give Hugs and Play With Bugs

Rare footage of spectral bats, known also as great false vampire bats, revealed animals with a cuddly, social side.

Onionlike Space Explosion May Be a New Type of Supernova

The rare blast peeled back the inner layers of a dying star, offering clues to how the elements that make up life on Earth were forged.

Uranus Was Hiding a Moon Outside Its Rings

The 29th moon found to be orbiting the solar system’s 7th planet is about six miles wide.

Newly Discovered Origami Patterns Put the Bloom on the Fold

Bloom patterns could be useful, as engineers build folding structures to send to outer space. They’re also very pretty.

Yosemite Biologist Who Hung Trans Pride Flag From El Capitan Is Fired

The National Park Service terminated Shannon Joslin over the May 20 demonstration, which it said took place in a prohibited area and lacked the required permits.

America Is Abandoning One of the Greatest Medical Breakthroughs

Giving up on mRNA is a dangerous decision.

F.D.A. Approves Novavax Covid Vaccine With Stricter New Conditions

The agency narrowed who can get the shot and added new study requirements that could cost the company tens of millions.

Genetic Study Retraces the Origins of Coronaviruses in Bats

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

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

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

Covid Learning Losses

We explain the ways students haven’t recovered.

American Children’s Reading Skills Reach New Lows

With little post-pandemic recovery, experts wonder if screen time and school absence are among the causes.

U.S. Students Posted Dire Math Declines on an International Test

On the test, American fourth and eighth graders posted results similar to scores from 1995. It was a sign of notable stagnation, even as other countries saw improvements.

Hoping for Allies Among Trump’s Health Picks, Pharma Faces Hostility

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other candidates for top health posts are at odds with the drug industry, setting the stage for tense battles over regulatory changes.

The Education Crisis Neither Candidate Will Address

Covid learning loss and chronic absenteeism aren’t going to fix themselves

Fauci Grilled by Lawmakers on Masks, Vaccine Mandates and Lab Leak Theory

Dr. Fauci testified before a House panel investigating Covid’s origins. The panel found emails suggesting that his aides were skirting public records laws.

Supernova or Coronavirus: Can You Tell the Difference?

A scientist finds beauty in the “visual synonyms” that exist in images seen through microscopes and telescopes.

U.S. Tightens Rules on Risky Virus Research

A long-awaited new policy broadens the type of regulated viruses, bacteria, fungi and toxins, including those that could threaten crops and livestock.

Republicans Step Up Attacks on Scientist at Heart of Lab Leak Theory

A heated hearing produced no new evidence that Peter Daszak or his nonprofit, EcoHealth Alliance, were implicated in the Covid outbreak.

Biotech Exec Gets 7 Years in Prison for False Claims About Rapid Covid-19 Test

Prosecutors said Keith Berman falsely claimed he had invented a blood test that could detect Covid-19 in 15 seconds. His lawyer said he had put “genuine effort” into developing such a test.

¿Cuál es la siguiente fase del coronavirus?

Los científicos que estudian la evolución continua del virus y las respuestas inmunitarias del organismo esperan evitar un rebrote y comprender mejor la covid prolongada.

What’s Next for the Coronavirus?

Scientists studying the virus’s continuing evolution, and the body’s immune responses, hope to head off a resurgence and to better understand long Covid.

Where the Wild Things Went During the Pandemic

A new study of camera-trap images complicates the idea that all wildlife thrived during the Covid lockdowns.

A Fern’s ‘Zombie’ Fronds Sprout Unusual Roots

In the Panamanian rainforest, scientists found the first known plant species to transform decaying tissue into a new source of nutrients.

Before the Coronavirus Pandemic, Overlooked Clues From Chinese Scientists

Newly released documents indicate that a U.S. genetic database had received the sequence of the coronavirus two weeks before it was made public by others.

Omicron, Now 2 Years Old, Is Not Done With Us Yet

The dominant variant of the coronavirus has proved to be not only staggeringly infectious, but an evolutionary marvel.

Lab Leak Fight Casts Chill Over Virology Research

Scientists doing “gain-of-function” research said that heightened fears of lab leaks are stalling studies that could thwart the next pandemic virus.

Inside a High-Security Virus Lab

High-security labs, like this one at Penn State, are at the center of a debate over research that alters viruses to make them more dangerous.

The Nation’s Top-Performing Public School System

Schools run by the Defense Department educate 66,000 children of civilian employees and service members.

We Can Fight Learning Loss Only With Accountability and Action

Let’s bring back an era of accountability.

U.S. Students’ Progress Stagnated Last School Year, Study Finds

Despite billions in federal aid, students are not making up ground in reading and math: “We are actually seeing evidence of backsliding.”

What the New, Low Test Scores for 13-Year-Olds Say About U.S. Education Now

The results are the federal government’s last major data release on the academic effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

Wild Mammals Roamed When Covid Kept Humans Home

Strict pandemic lockdowns may have allowed animals to range more widely and spend time closer to roads, a new study suggests.

Schools Received Billions in Stimulus Funds. It May Not Be Doing Enough.

Pandemic aid was supposed to help students recover from learning loss, but results have been mixed.

Many Women Have an Intense Fear of Childbirth, Survey Suggests

Tokophobia, as it’s called, is not often studied in the United States. But a new survey finds that it may be very common, particularly among Black women and in disadvantaged communities.

We Could Easily Make Risky Virological Research Safer

Lab safety doesn’t need to torpedo scientific progress.

It’s Not Just Math and Reading: U.S. History Scores for 8th Graders Plunge

The latest test results continue a nearly decade-long decline. Try a sample quiz to test your knowledge.

Scientist Revisits Data on Raccoon Dogs and Covid, Stressing the Unknowns

After analyzing genetic data swabbed from a Wuhan market in early 2020, a virologist said it was unclear if animals for sale there had been infected.

Can Africa Get Close to Vaccine Independence? Here’s What It Will Take.

Leaders on the continent have vowed that if there is another pandemic, they won’t be shut out of the vaccine market.

China Publishes Data Showing Raccoon Dog DNA at Wuhan Market

Scientists from the Chinese C.D.C. confirmed that DNA from raccoon dogs and other animals susceptible to the coronavirus was found at the market in early 2020.

Wuhan Market Samples Contained Covid and Animal Mixtures, Report Says

In a much-anticipated study, experts described a swab that was positive for the coronavirus and contained loads of genetic material from raccoon dogs.

New Data Links Pandemic’s Origins to Raccoon Dogs at Wuhan Market

Genetic samples from the market were recently uploaded to an international database and then removed after scientists asked China about them.

Biden Proposal Would Ban Online Prescribing of Certain Drugs

Some medications, like Ritalin and Vicodin, would require an in-person doctor’s visit under the new rules, a reaction to the pandemic-era rise of telemedicine.

After Long Delay, Moderna Pays N.I.H. for Covid Vaccine Technique

Moderna has paid $400 million to the government for a chemical technique key to its vaccine. But the parties are still locked in a high-stakes dispute over a different patent.

She Helped Unlock the Science of the Covid Vaccine

Kizzmekia Corbett helped lead a team of scientists contributing to one of the most stunning achievements in the history of immunizations: a highly effective, easily manufactured vaccine against Covid-19.

When Animals Are Used in Research

Readers discuss experimentation on lab animals. Also: Racism in America; preparing for the next pandemic; maternal deaths; Amazon’s donations.

Expert Panel Votes for Stricter Rules on Risky Virus Research

The White House will decide whether to adopt the panel’s recommendations on so-called gain of function experiments.

N.I.H. Did Not Properly Track a Group Studying Coronaviruses, Report Finds

An internal federal watchdog said that the health agency had not given adequate oversight to EcoHealth Alliance, which had been awarded $8 million in grants.

Health Experts Warily Eye XBB.1.5, the Latest Omicron Subvariant

A young version of the coronavirus makes up one-quarter of Covid cases across the United States and over 70 percent of new cases in the Northeast.

Your Tuesday Briefing: China’s Space Push

Plus China’s vaccination pivot and the year’s most stylish “people.”

Your Monday Briefing: The World Cup Semifinals Loom

Plus, China’s sluggish economy and the arrest of the Lockerbie bombing suspect.

Ómicron cumple un año. Así ha evolucionado

Al cumplirse el aniversario del descubrimiento de la variante, los expertos en virología siguen intentando ponerse al día con la rápida transformación de ómicron.

Happy Birthday, Omicron

One year after the variant’s discovery, virologists are still scrambling to keep up with Omicron’s rapid evolution.

The Pandemic Generation Goes to College. It Has Not Been Easy.

Students missed a lot of high school instruction. Now many are behind, especially in math, and getting that degree could be harder.

Pandemic Learning Loss Is Not an Emergency

In a vacuum, test score declines look like bad news. But none of this happened in a vacuum.

G.O.P. Senator’s Report on Covid Origins Suggests Lab Leak, but Offers Little New Evidence

The report, signed by Senator Richard Burr, foreshadows a new wave of political wrangling over Covid’s origins if Republicans gain control of the House or Senate.

Math Scores Fell in Nearly Every State, and Reading Dipped on National Exam

The results, from what is known as the nation’s report card, offer the most definitive picture yet of the pandemic’s devastating impact on students.

Lab Manipulations of Covid Virus Fall Under Murky Government Rules

Mouse experiments at Boston University have spotlighted an ambiguous U.S. policy for research on potentially dangerous pathogens.

How One School Is Beating the Odds in Math, the Pandemic’s Hardest-Hit Subject

Benjamin Franklin Elementary in Connecticut overhauled the way it taught — and the way it ran the classroom. Every minute counted.

Russia’s New Onslaught Against Ukraine

Readers respond to the latest Russian attacks in Ukraine. Also: The wonders of math; pandemic spending; Republicans and crime.

¿Quién tenía la culpa de que los alumnos de la Universidad de Nueva York estuvieran reprobando química orgánica?

Maitland Jones, un profesor respetado, defendió sus estándares. Pero los estudiantes hicieron un reclamo y la universidad lo despidió.

At N.Y.U., Students Were Failing Organic Chemistry. Who Was to Blame?

Maitland Jones Jr., a respected professor, defended his standards. But students started a petition, and the university dismissed him.

N.Y.C. Children Held Ground in Reading, but Lagged in Math, Tests Show

The first standardized test results that capture how most city schoolchildren did during the pandemic offered a mixed picture.

¿La variante ómicron llegó para quedarse?

La decimotercera variante con nombre del coronavirus parece tener una capacidad sorprendente para evolucionar con nuevas particularidades.

Why Omicron Might Stick Around

Omicron, the 13th named variant of the coronavirus, seems to have a remarkable capacity to evolve new tricks.

The Quiet Cost of Family Caregiving

Many employees reduce their hours or stop working to help ailing family members. But it may be years before they fully return to the work force, studies indicate.

The Pandemic Erased Two Decades of Progress in Math and Reading

The results of a national test showed just how devastating the last two years have been for 9-year-old schoolchildren, especially the most vulnerable.

How Bad Is the Teacher Shortage? Depends Where You Live.

Urgently needed: teachers in struggling districts, certified in math or special education. Perks: maybe a pay raise, or how about a four-day week?

Wastewater Disease Tracking: A Photographic Journey From the Sewer to the Lab

Here’s how a scrappy team of scientists, public health experts and plumbers is embracing wastewater surveillance as the future of disease tracking.

El viaje evolutivo de la COVID-19 ha sido funesto e impresionante

El coronavirus, como muchos otros virus, evoluciona deprisa. ¿Los seres humanos y su ingenio podrían adaptarse más rápido a él?

We Are Still in a Race Against the Coronavirus

Human ingenuity must keep up with the coronavirus.

Combined nasal and throat testing swabs would detect more Omicron infections, two papers suggest.

The papers, which have not yet been published in scientific journals, suggest that testing just a single type of sample is likely to miss a large share of infections.

Students Are Learning Well Again. But Full Recovery? That’s a Long Way Off.

A new report estimates that it may take students at least three to five years to recover from the pandemic. Federal relief money will most likely have run out by then.

Did Nature Heal During the Pandemic ‘Anthropause’?

Covid precautions created a global slowdown in human activity — and an opportunity to learn more about the complex ways we affect other species.

Bat Virus Studies Raise Questions About Laboratory Tinkering

Working in a laboratory in Paris, scientists gave a close relative of the Covid virus the chance to evolve to be more like its cousin.

The pandemic kept many children less active around the world, researchers find.

Pandemic shutdowns and restrictions led to a 20 percent drop in average daily physical activity among children and adolescents, a new analysis shows.

The U.S. government will buy 3.2 million doses of Novavax’s Covid vaccine.

The vaccine has not yet been authorized but is expected to be soon.

Think All Viruses Get Milder With Time? Not This Rabbit-Killer.

The myxoma virus, fatal to millions of Australian rabbits, is a textbook example of the unexpected twists in the evolution of viruses and their hosts.

Unexplained hepatitis is not more common in U.S. children than before the pandemic, a C.D.C. study suggests.

Officials have also been trying to determine whether the cases represent a new phenomenon or are simply a new recognition of one that has long existed; there have always been a subset of pediatric hepatitis cases with no clear cause.

Mysteries Linger About Covid’s Origins, W.H.O. Report Says

“The lack of political cooperation from China continues to stifle any meaningful progress,” one expert said.