T/science

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.

Want to Get Sucked Into a Black Hole? Try This Book.

Marcus Chown’s “A Crack in Everything” is a journey through space and time with the people studying one of the most enigmatic objects in the universe.

Aún no sé por qué dije que sí

Fuimos lo que la física llama un entrelazamiento cuántico.

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.

Llueven escombros espaciales tras fallo del vuelo de la nave estelar de SpaceX

El séptimo vuelo de prueba del cohete Starship de la empresa de vuelos espaciales de Elon Musk fracasó el jueves cuando la etapa superior del vehículo experimentó un fallo catastrófico camino al espacio.

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.

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.

El cohete New Glenn de Jeff Bezos despega en su primer vuelo

Blue Origin lanzó con éxito el cohete después de cancelar un intento esta semana. El vuelo es una prueba crucial de la capacidad de la empresa para competir con SpaceX de Elon Musk.

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.

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.

Ramaswamy Has a High-Profile Perch and a Raft of Potential Conflicts

Vivek Ramaswamy, Elon Musk’s partner in an effort to cut government costs, could make decisions that ultimately make him and his investors richer.

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.

Dos módulos privados se lanzan a la Luna: lo que hay que saber

Los vehículos Blue Ghost de la empresa Firefly y Resilience de Ispace saldrán en la misma nave, el cohete Falcon 9 de SpaceX, y llevan consigo experimentos y herramientas.

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.

Una luna llena, un Marte atrevido y un nuevo cometa iluminan los cielos de enero

El lunes por la noche tendrás la oportunidad de presenciar cómo la Luna oscurece al planeta rojo en su máximo esplendor, así como la mayor aproximación de un cometa al Sol.

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.

Some Raw Truths About Raw Milk

Despite the serious risks of drinking it, a growing movement — including the potential health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — claims it has benefits. Should we take them more seriously?

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.

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

What is the New Glenn rocket?

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.

Plutón podría haber capturado su luna más grande tras una antigua danza y un beso

Los astrónomos se han preguntado durante mucho tiempo cómo Caronte, una luna tan grande, llegó a orbitar Plutón. Una nueva simulación sugiere cómo acabó allí.

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.

Firefighters Protect Historic Mt. Wilson Observatory From Eaton Fire

The blaze threatened the observatory and communications infrastructure at the peak. Later, an observatory official said it appeared to be under control.

‘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.

Jan. 10: Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket could attempt its debut launch.

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.

I Still Don’t Know Why I Said Yes

In the language of physics, we were a quantum entanglement event.

Aquí viene la primera lluvia de meteoros de 2025

Las cuadrántidas podrían ser una de las lluvias más intensas de este año, pero las temperaturas gélidas y los cielos nublados podrían dificultar su observación.

At Lorna Simpson’s Show, a Constellation of Galactic and Human History

In celestial hues the artist’s turn to the cosmos, and abstraction, bring us back to vital matters on earth.

Grandes cohetes, telescopios y cambios: lo que viene para el espacio en 2025

2024 nos trajo increíbles acontecimientos astronómicos y avances en aeronáutica espacial. ¿Qué podemos esperar este año?

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.

Late February: NASA may launch the SPHEREx mission to survey the sky in 102 colors.

Feb. 28: Seven planets will be visible in the sky at the same time.

February: 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.

Mid-January: 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: A bright Mars will pass behind the moon in night skies.

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

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.

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

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

Dec. 21: Winter solstice.

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

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

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

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.

The 2024 Good Tech Awards

In a year of continued A.I. progress, “founder mode” drama and a Trump election win, a few tech projects stood out for their clear benefits to humanity.

Probablemente es momento de limpiar tu botella de agua

Los expertos nos dicen qué ocurre si no limpias bien tu botella de agua y cómo y cada cuánto hacerlo.

¿Qué harías si planearas ir al espacio por 8 días y te quedaras 6 meses?

El perfecto astronauta comprende que, cuando las cosas salen mal en el espacio, puede y debe pedir ayuda.

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.

Berrien Moore III, Pioneering Scholar of Earth Science, Dies at 83

As a researcher at several universities and an adviser at NASA, he used data analysis to show how the planet’s different systems are interrelated.

A Century of Human Detritus, Visualized

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

How Would You Do if You Went to Space for Eight Days and Were Gone Six Months?

Astronauts are made of different stuff from you and me.

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.

El tsunami más mortífero permitió estar preparados para la próxima gran ola

Los expertos dijeron que estaban “ciegos” ante el tsunami del océano Índico de 2004. Veinte años después, trabajar para conseguir un mundo sin muertes por tsunami es todo un reto.

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.

Jacques Roubaud, Poetic Master of Form and Whimsy, Dies at 92

He was trained as a mathematician, but he gained fame in France, and won major prizes, for his modern verse.

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.

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.

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.