A Nazi Version of DDT Was Forgotten. Could It Help Fight Malaria?
Science, Today
Scientists have rediscovered a compound developed by German researchers during World War II. It appears to be more effective and perhaps safer than DDT.
Trilobite Fossils Show Conga Line Frozen for 480 Million Years
Science, Today
The orderly collection of ancient arthropods suggests that complex social behavior goes way back in the history of life on Earth.
This Is the Free Jumpsuit You’ll Get With a $250,000 Ticket to Space
Science, Yesterday
Virgin Galactic’s space tourists will wear the outfits, which would look at home on the bridge of the starship Enterprise.
Are There Benefits to Drinking Kombucha?
Style, Yesterday
If by “benefits” you mean being wildly popular and sometimes unpredictably alcoholic, then yes.
NASA’s New Spacesuits Unveiled, for Trips to the Moon and Beyond
Science, October 15
The agency is racing to meet President Trump’s timeline for putting American astronauts on the lunar surface by 2024.
Your Body Is a Wonderland
Books, October 15
No really, it is. In his new book, “The Body,” Bill Bryson explains why — and how we can take better care of the skin we’re in.
This Fungus Mutates. That’s Good News if You Like Cheese.
Science, October 15
American scientists set out to simulate a fungus’s evolution into the edible mold that makes French cheeses like Camembert.
CBD or THC? Common Drug Test Can’t Tell the Difference
Science, October 15
Those cannabidiol-laced gummy bears may be entirely legal, but they could still get you arrested on marijuana possession charges.
It Had the Biggest Antlers Ever Found. Were They Weapons?
Science, October 15
Scientists devised “virtual crash testing” to see if an extinct deer’s colossal headgear was just for show.
The Mystery of the Melanistic Manta Rays
Science, October 14
Scientists are trying to work out why some manta rays have black blotches on their skin, which is uncommon in the oceans.
The Amelia Earhart Mystery Stays Down in the Deep
Science, October 14
Robert Ballard’s expedition to a remote island in the South Pacific found no evidence of the vanished aviator’s plane. But the explorer and his crew haven’t given up.
In the Sea, Not All Plastic Lasts Forever
Science, October 11
Polystyrene, a common ocean pollutant, decomposes in sunlight much faster than thought, a new study finds.
The Twitch That Helps Your Intestines Grow
Science, October 11
Pulsing movements in an embryo are crucial to helping intestines grow into the wonder tube that it is, a study finds.
Aleksei Leonov, First to Walk in Space, Dies at 85
Science, October 11
The Russian cosmonaut’s thrilling feat in 1965 nearly cost him his life, but raised Soviet prestige during the Cold War space race against the United States.
A Virus in Koala DNA Shows Evolution in Action
Science, October 10
Many animals, including humans, have DNA left over from ancient viral infections. In koalas, researchers are studying the process in real time.
After Sparring, NASA and SpaceX Declare a Shared Mission
Science, October 10
The space agency’s administrator, Jim Bridenstine, met Elon Musk at SpaceX headquarters on Thursday to review progress toward launching NASA astronauts.
What Was Kept in This Stone Age Meat Locker? Bone Marrow
Science, October 9
In an Israeli cave, paleontologists unearthed what may be the earliest example of humans storing food for later consumption.
Lithium-Ion Batteries Work Earns Nobel Prize in Chemistry for 3 Scientists
Science, October 9
John B. Goodenough, M. Stanley Whittingham and Akira Yoshino were recognized for research that has “laid the foundation of a wireless, fossil fuel-free society.”
Sexually Transmitted Disease Cases Rise to Record High, C.D.C. Says
Science, October 8
Cases of syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia in the United States jumped last year, and an alarming number of newborn deaths were linked to congenital syphilis.
Was Heidi the Octopus Really Dreaming?
Science, October 8
They’re far from us on the tree of life, and their brains are very different, and some scientists say we should take care before we assume that cephalopods sleep like we do.
Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded for Studies of Earth’s Place in the Universe
Science, October 8
The cosmologist James Peebles split the prize with the astrophysicists Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz, for work the Nobel judges said “transformed our ideas about the cosmos.”
Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded for Studies of Earth’s Place in the Universe
Science, October 8
The cosmologist James Peebles split the prize with two astronomers, Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz, for work the Nobel judges said “transformed our ideas about the cosmos.”
Online Map Leads Archaeologist to Maya Discovery
Science, October 8
Lidar has transformed the study of ancient civilizations, but maps made with the technology are expensive. Takeshi Inomata found a great one for free.
Stephen Lukasik, 88, Who Pushed Tech in National Defense, Is Dead
Science, October 7
He oversaw the Defense Department’s research division in the 1960s and ’70s, when it made great early strides in nuclear-device detection, artificial intelligence and computer networking.
When Biking and Bears Don’t Mix
Science, October 7
Conservationists worry that the popularity of recreational mountain biking and e-bikes in public lands leads to unsafe conditions for humans, as well as for bears and other wildlife.
First All-Female Spacewalk Is Back On, NASA Says
Science, October 5
The mission was canceled in March after the agency said it did not have two properly fitted spacesuits readily available.
The Veterinarian Will See Your Dinosaur Now
Science, October 4
We asked a pet doctor how he’d treat the fossilized injuries found to have affected some of prehistory’s most fearsome reptiles.
Natalie Portman Shoots for the Stars and Loses Her Mind
Movies, October 4
The actor finally fulfills a childhood dream, sort of, by climbing into a spacesuit to play a tormented astronaut in “Lucy in the Sky.” And soon she’ll wield the hammer as female Thor.
What Rolls Like an Armadillo but Lives in the Sea?
Science, October 3
A scientist studying the defenses of mollusks called chitons thinks these sea creatures might be less primitive than expected.
In the Pancreas, Common Fungi May Drive Cancer
Health, October 3
A new study found that certain fungi can settle in the pancreas, where they spur the growth of tumors.
These Butterflies Evolved to Eat Poison. How Could That Have Happened?
Science, October 2
Scientists have unraveled the sequence of gene mutations that enabled the monarch butterfly to thrive on toxic milkweed.
An Astronaut Who Built Paths to Space for Other Women
Science, October 2
Janet Kavandi, who recently retired from a senior NASA post, went to space three times and added fairness to the astronaut selection process.
An Interstellar Comet, in Time for the Holidays
Science, October 1
On Dec. 7, the extrasolar comet now known as 2I/Borisov will make its closest approach to the sun.
Napoleon Chagnon, 81, Controversial Anthropologist, Is Dead
Science, September 30
His studies of an Amazon people made them famous, and put him at the center of a scholarly storm.
SpaceX Unveils Silvery Vision to Mars: ‘It’s Basically an I.C.B.M. That Lands’
Science, September 29
Elon Musk delivered an update on his company’s Starship prototype, which faces business challenges and neighbors not happy to live so close to its test site.
Elon Musk Sets Out SpaceX Starship’s Ambitious Launch Timeline
Science, September 28
The founder of the private launch company presented new details about its next major rocket.
Congratulations, You Survived Black Hole Week
Science, September 27
Here are three cosmic events you may have missed and that fortunately missed you.
There Are Parasitic Wasps, and Then There’s the Crypt-Keeper
Science, September 27
Popping out of the heads of its hosts seemed strange enough. Then scientists discovered something even stranger.
Joachim Messing, 73, Who Charted the DNA of Viruses and Plants, Dies
Science, September 27
His “shotgun sequencing” helped decode genetic information faster, transforming agriculture, medicine and the basic sciences. One result: engineered corn.
These Ants Use Germ-Killers, and They’re Better Than Ours
Science, September 26
Parasitic fungi do not seem to develop resistance to the chemicals, suggesting new ways to prevent antibiotic resistance.
How to Develop an Appetite for Insects
Science, September 26
Scientists who study bugs are thinking harder about how to turn them into good food.
What Whales and Dolphins Left Behind for Life in the Ocean
Science, September 26
The ancestors of dolphins and whales survived in the seas by shedding genes involved in sleep, DNA repair and other seemingly critical activities.
How Blink-182’s Tom DeLonge Became a U.F.O. Researcher
Science, September 26
Two years after Mr. DeLonge left the band, he found a new life trying to make sense of outer space.
Prehistoric Parents Used Baby Bottles Made of Pottery
Science, September 25
With the advent of agriculture, parents began feeding animal milk to children, a change in how babies were weaned.
Giant Glacier on Mont Blanc Is in Danger of Collapse, Experts Warn
World, September 25
The Italian authorities have closed two roads and evacuated mountain huts after researchers found a gaping crack in an ice mass on the Mont Blanc massif.
Hazzaa al-Mansoori, First U.A.E. Astronaut, Launches to Space Station
Science, September 25
The Persian Gulf country has an ambitious, budding space program.
Sigmund Jähn, First German in Space and a Hero Back Home, Dies at 82
World, September 24
He spent almost eight days aboard a space station in 1978 and was hailed by East Germans as a symbol of socialist achievement.
Cats Like People! (Some People, Anyway)
Science, September 24
Despite apparent aloofness, cats are social creatures capable of relationships with people, a new study suggests.
Where Theory Meets Chalk, Dust Flies
Science, September 23
A photo survey of the blackboards of mathematicians.
India’s Chandrayaan-2 Marks 60 Years of Moon Crashes and Hard Landings
Interactive, September 20
The solar system is littered with the remains of crushed spacecraft.
Scientists Identify Neurons That Help the Brain Forget
Science, September 19
In mice, cells in the hypothalamus clear out old memories while the animals sleep.
Birds Are Vanishing From North America
Science, September 19
The number of birds in the United States and Canada has declined by 3 billion, or 29 percent, over the past half-century, scientists find.
It’s a Dirty Job, but Someone Has to Do It and Not Get Eaten
Science, September 19
Cleaner shrimp appear to have developed a strategy that protects them from predators they get very close to.
How to Cool a Planet With Extraterrestrial Dust
Science, September 18
A study of fossil meteorites suggests that a distant asteroid collision once sent Earth into an ice age.
The Most Powerful Lightning Strikes in Unexpected Places
Science, September 17
Superbolts are extremely rare, and thousands of times more powerful than the tendrils in the typical electrical storm.