Western US states fail to negotiate crucial Colorado River deal: ‘Mother nature isn’t going to bail us out’

13 February 2026 at 18:01

Negotiators disbanded on Friday without a plan for the basin supplying water to 40m people, thrusting the region into uncertainty

The future of the American west hung in the balance after seven states remained at a stalemate over who should bear the brunt of the enormous water cuts needed to pull the imperiled Colorado River back from the brink.

Negotiators, who have spent years trying to iron out thorny disagreements, ended their talks on Friday without a deal – one day before a critical deadline to form a plan that had been set for Saturday.

Four States Sue Administration Over Loss of Public Health Funds

NYT: Science

By:Apoorva Mandavilli

11 February 2026 at 19:45

The states, all led by Democrats, claim the cuts were intended as retribution and will harm efforts to control H.I.V. and other sexually transmitted infections.

The headquarters of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. The agency administered block grants for H.I.V. prevention that were allocated to public health departments in California, Colorado, Illinois and Minnesota.

Psilocybin Leads in Psychedelic Medicine, but Rollout Is Bumpy

NYT: Science

By:Andrew Jacobs

13 January 2026 at 17:01

Psilocybin-assisted therapy is legal in three states, but access has so far been limited and expensive.

Dr. Bonny Koeber prepared a therapy room with sage before a patient arrived from New York for psilocybin therapy at Satya Therapeutics in Ashland, Ore.

Some of the World’s Atomic Clocks Were Off Last Week (by 5-Millionths of a Second)

NYT: Technology

By:Mike Ives and Adeel Hassan

22 December 2025 at 18:14

How some of the world’s most precise clocks missed a very small beat.

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