T/science

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.

El eclipse solar parcial de 2025: cuándo, dónde y cómo verlo

En algunas partes de Norteamérica, el acontecimiento comienza por la mañana temprano, alrededor del amanecer, y para cuando salga el Sol, este ya estará parcialmente eclipsado.

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.

As Military Spending Soars, Demand for Spy-Proof Real Estate Booms

Leasing for defense and aerospace start-ups is up as global tensions and conflicts buoy investments in manufacturing.

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.

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.

F.D.A. Approved Lab-Grown Blood Vessel Despite Warnings

The agency OK’d an artificial vessel to restore blood flow in patients, even though its own scientists flagged questionable study results and potentially fatal ruptures of the product.

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.

What if We Select Ourselves Out of Existence?

Parents looking to promote health and intelligence in their children can pick and choose their embryos now. There could be more downsides than we think.

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.

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.

White House says test scores haven’t improved since 1979. That’s not true.

Recent sharp declines, including during the pandemic, flattened scores. But for much of the last half-century, student achievement was climbing.

Quedarse varados en el espacio por 9 meses no cuenta como horas extras

Suni Williams y Butch Wilmore no cobrarán horas extras por su inesperada estancia prolongada en la Estación Espacial Internacional, según las normas de la NASA. Pero sí reciben 5 dólares al día por “imprevistos”.

Elon Musk’s Dreams of Mars Meet Reality

Recent launch failures point to challenges facing Elon Musk's space venture.

Overtime Pay for 9 Extra Months in Space? Nope.

Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore do not get overtime for their unexpectedly long stay on the International Space Station, according to NASA rules. But they do get $5 a day for “incidentals.”

Hay ‘más que un indicio’ de que la energía oscura no es lo que pensaban los astrónomos

Nuevos datos cuestionan aún más la mejor teoría científica sobre la historia y la estructura del universo. Sin embargo, otro resultado reciente la refuerza.

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.

Tras 9 meses en el espacio, los astronautas de la NASA vienen camino a la Tierra

Suni Williams y Butch Wilmore abordaron la noche del lunes una cápsula de SpaceX, luego de una estancia prolongada en la Estación Espacial Internacional causada por problemas con un vehículo de Boeing.

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

¿Varados en el espacio? La respuesta de los dos astronautas a la pregunta que todos se hicieron

Permanecer más tiempo en la estación espacial era una contingencia para la que Suni Williams y Butch Wilmore se habían preparado.

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.

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.

Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are veteran 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.

Deportations Threaten Constitutional Showdown, and DOGE Cuts Hit Nuclear Agency

Plus, a retirement home for penguins.

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.

NASA Schedules Quick Return of Astronauts in SpaceX Capsule

Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, the astronauts who had an unexpectedly long stay in orbit, are set to head back to Earth just two days after a replacement crew docked at the space station.

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.

Luna de sangre 2025: así fue el eclipse lunar total

La humanidad atestiguó el fenómeno, fascinada por el cambio temporal en el único satélite natural de la Tierra.

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.

Bringing Astronauts Home

We explain why two astronauts were stuck in orbit for so long.

Two Astronauts on an 8-Day Mission That Turned Into a 9-Month Odyssey

An interview with Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, whose planned short mission to space turned into an adventure lasting much, much longer.

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.

La Luna se teñirá de rojo en un eclipse lunar total

El fenómeno, también conocido como luna de sangre, será visible sobre todo en el continente americano, zonas de África y Europa, Nueva Zelanda y parte de Rusia.

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.

Elon Musk’s Starlink Pushes Its Way Into India

By signing deals with India’s two biggest telecom players, the tech tycoon and Trump adviser has improved his odds of breaking into an enormous market.

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.

Eric Schmidt Joins Relativity Space, a Rocket Start-Up, as C.E.O.

The former Google chief executive is taking a controlling interest in Relativity Space, which aims to build low-cost, reusable rockets to compete against Elon Musk’s SpaceX and to reach Mars.

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.

El cohete de SpaceX falla en su vuelo de prueba y altera los aeropuertos de Florida

Un video mostró la etapa superior de la nave Starship girando fuera de control en el espacio, lo que provocó la caída de escombros sobre el Caribe.

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.

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.

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.

Las hojas de té pueden eliminar el plomo del agua, según un estudio

Los investigadores descubrieron que los compuestos de las hojas de té negro y verde actuaban como “velcro” en las moléculas de plomo.

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.

150 Years of Change: How Old Photos, Recaptured, Reveal a Shifting Climate

In the heart of Utah’s Uinta Mountains, a team of scientists is re-creating historical pictures to study how much, and how quickly, ecosystems are changing.

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.