LoginWhen an Eel Takes a Bite Then an Octopus Might Claim an Eyeball
17 May 2024 at 17:43
Videos filmed by divers show that choking, blinding and sacrificing limbs are all in the cephalopods’ repertoire.
© Arlette Bashizi/Reuters
Normal view
Yesterday — 17 May 2024Main stream
Before yesterdayMain stream
C.D.C. Warns of a Resurgence of Mpox
16 May 2024 at 14:53
A deadlier version of the infectious disease is ravaging the Democratic Republic of Congo, while the type that caused a 2022 outbreak among gay and bisexual men is regaining strength.
A health official investigating and treating a probable case of mpox at the Yalolia health center in Tshopo, Democratic Republic of Congo, in 2022.
Scientists Calculated the Energy Needed to Carry a Baby. Shocker: It’s a Lot.
16 May 2024 at 14:00
In humans, the energetic cost of pregnancy is about 50,000 dietary calories — far higher than previously believed, a new study found.
Researchers estimate that a human pregnancy demands almost 50,000 dietary calories over nine months, the equivalent of about 50 pints of ice cream.
© Dr. G. Moscoso/Science Source
The Itsy Bitsy Spider Inspired a Microphone
16 May 2024 at 10:00
If spiders use their webs like a large external eardrum, researchers reasoned, perhaps spider silk could be the basis for a powerful listening device.
The Itsy Bitsy Spider Inspired a Microphone
16 May 2024 at 10:00
If spiders use their webs like a large external eardrum, researchers reasoned, perhaps spider silk could be the basis for a powerful listening device.
Why Do People Make Music?
15 May 2024 at 14:00
In a new study, researchers found universal features of songs across many cultures, suggesting that music evolved in our distant ancestors.
Overdose Deaths Dropped in U.S. in 2023 for First Time in Five Years
15 May 2024 at 11:40
Preliminary numbers show a nearly 4 percent decrease in deaths from opioids, largely fentanyl, but a rise in deaths from meth and cocaine.
Empty cartridges of Kloxxado, a naloxone nasal spray that is twice as concentrated as Narcan, lay on the street after being used to revive a man in Portland, Ore., last year.
© Erin Schaff/The New York Times
Baobab Trees Had a Strange Evolutionary Journey
15 May 2024 at 11:00
New research shows the “upside-down trees” originated in Madagascar and then caught a ride on ocean currents to reach mainland Africa and Australia.
The “Avenue of the Baobabs,” a natural reserve of Grandidier’s baobabs near Morondava, Madagascar.
© Baz Ratner/Reuters
Emma Seppälä Has Thoughts on How to Avoid Kneejerk Decisions
15 May 2024 at 05:00
The psychologist studies how to recognize emotions and cope with them. She learned the hard way.
© Jillian Freyer for The New York Times
Fossil Catches Starfish Cousin in the Act of Cloning Itself
14 May 2024 at 19:14
The brittle star specimen suggests that the sea creatures have been splitting themselves in two to reproduce for more than 150 million years.
Alarmed by Climate Change, Astronomers Train Their Sights on Earth
14 May 2024 at 03:00
A growing number of researchers in the field are using their expertise to fight the climate crisis.
Penny Sackett, former director of the Australian National University’s Mount Stromlo Observatory, just outside Canberra, in the remains of the observatory, which was destroyed in a 2003 wildfire.
© David Maurice Smith for The New York Times
‘Failure to Thrive,’ or a Failure to Look?
13 May 2024 at 05:02
An outdated medical term often masks treatable illnesses, health experts contend.
© Sol Cotti
Can Parrots Converse? Polly Says That’s the Wrong Question.
12 May 2024 at 05:03
In a cautious new paper, scientists tried to determine whether an interactive speech board might enrich the life of a parrot named Ellie.
A New Evolutionary Tree of Flowers? For Spring? Groundbreaking.
11 May 2024 at 05:03
By sequencing an enormous amount of data, a group of hundreds of researchers has gained new insights into how flowers evolved on Earth.
A new, time-calibrated phylogenetic tree for angiosperms based on 353 nuclear genes.
© Baker et al., Nature 2024
From Ancient Charcoal, Hints of Wildfires to Come
10 May 2024 at 10:52
By digging into the geologic record, scientists are learning how wildfires shaped — and were shaped by — climate change long ago.
Tuna Crabs, Neither Tuna Nor Crabs, Are Swarming Near San Diego
9 May 2024 at 12:44
Divers and marine biologists are getting a window into the lives of a red crustacean most often found in the guts of other species.
Brazil’s National Museum Receives Massive Fossil Donation
9 May 2024 at 15:57
A gift from abroad of more than 1,100 Brazilian fossils aims to step up efforts to rebuild the country’s National Museum, which suffered major fire damage in 2018.
Why You Can Hear the Temperature of Water
9 May 2024 at 07:00
A science video maker in China couldn’t find a good explanation for why hot and cold water sound different, so he did his own research and published it.
Environmental Changes Are Fueling Human, Animal and Plant Diseases, Study Finds
8 May 2024 at 11:31
Biodiversity loss, global warming, pollution and the spread of invasive species are making infectious diseases more dangerous to organisms around the world.
White-footed mice, the primary reservoir for Lyme disease, have become more dominant in the U.S. as other rarer mammals have disappeared, one potential explanation for rising disease rates.
© Bill Draker/Rolf Nussbaumer Photography, via Alamy
A Cicada’s Guide to Periodical Romance
8 May 2024 at 07:23
It may sound like a mosh pit out there. But to the participants, mating is a delicate, sonorous affair, fraught with potential missteps — and fungal zombies.
© Rudy Gutierrez
When These Snakes Play Dead, Soiling Themselves Is Part of the Act
7 May 2024 at 19:01
Dice snakes found on an island in southeastern Europe fully commit themselves to the role of ex-reptile.
U.S. Tightens Rules on Risky Virus Research
7 May 2024 at 11:42
A long-awaited new policy broadens the type of regulated viruses, bacteria, fungi and toxins, including those that could threaten crops and livestock.
Working inside a biosafety Level 3 lab at the University of Washington School of Medicine in 2020.
© Karen Ducey/Getty Images
Scientists Find an ‘Alphabet’ in Whale Songs
7 May 2024 at 11:00
Sperm whales rattle off pulses of clicks while swimming together, raising the possibility that they’re communicating in a complex language.
Study Suggests Genetics as a Cause, Not Just a Risk, for Some Alzheimer’s
6 May 2024 at 12:19
People with two copies of the gene variant APOE4 are almost certain to get Alzheimer’s, say researchers, who proposed a framework under which such patients could be diagnosed years before symptoms.
A C.T. scan of a patient with Alzheimer’s disease.
© Vsevolod Zviryk/Science Source
How To Know When a Good Dog Has Gone Bad
5 May 2024 at 20:15
Gov. Kristi Noem suggested that President Biden should have euthanized the family dog, as she did. Animal experts said that such an option should be a last resort.
President Biden’s dog, Commander, a German shepherd, being walked outside the West Wing of the White House last year.
© Carolyn Kaster/Associated Press
Was the Stone Age Really the Wood Age?
4 May 2024 at 03:00
Neanderthals were even better craftsmen than thought, a new analysis of 300,000-year-old wooden tools has revealed.
New Mutations Identified in Bird Flu Virus
3 May 2024 at 16:31
A genetic analysis sheds light on when the outbreak began, how the virus spread and where it may be going.
A color-enhanced transmission electron microscope image of bird flu viruses.
© Eye of Science/Science Source
Covid Vaccine Side Effects: 4 Takeaways From Our Investigation
3 May 2024 at 05:02
Thousands of Americans believe they experienced rare but serious side effects. But confirming a link is a difficult task.
© Hilary Swift for The New York Times
Thousands Believe Covid Vaccines Harmed Them. Is Anyone Listening?
3 May 2024 at 13:18
All vaccines have at least occasional side effects. But people who say they were injured by Covid vaccines believe their cases have been ignored.
© Hannah Yoon for The New York Times
Orangutan Seen Healing His Facial Wound With Medicinal Plant
2 May 2024 at 11:00
For the first time, scientists observed a primate in the wild treating a wound with a plant that has medicinal properties.
Republicans Step Up Attacks on Scientist at Heart of Covid Lab Leak Theory
1 May 2024 at 18:54
A heated hearing produced no new evidence that Peter Daszak or his nonprofit, EcoHealth Alliance, were implicated in the Covid outbreak.
Peter Daszak, president of EcoHealth Alliance, testifying during a hearing on Capitol Hill on Wednesday.
© Ting Shen for The New York Times
Mountain Goats Are Not Avalanche-Proof
1 May 2024 at 17:42
The scene ends badly, as you might imagine.
What Makes a Society More Resilient? Frequent Hardship.
1 May 2024 at 11:00
Comparing 30,000 years of human history, researchers found that surviving famine, war or climate change helps groups recover more quickly from future shocks.
The city of Caral thrived in Peru between about 5,000 and 3,800 years ago. It was then abandoned for centuries before being briefly reoccupied.
© Wirestock, Inc., via Alamy
New Photo of Australia’s Sand-Swimming Northern Marsupial Mole
1 May 2024 at 00:02
Indigenous rangers in Australia’s Western Desert got a rare close-up with the northern marsupial mole, which is tiny, light-colored and blind, and almost never comes to the surface.
In Reversal, Expert Panel Recommends Breast Cancer Screening at 40
30 April 2024 at 11:32
Some researchers said the advice did not go far enough. The panel also declined to recommend extra scans for women with dense breast tissue.
Breast cancer rates among women in their 40s are on the rise, increasing by 2 percent a year between 2015 and 2019.
© Michael Hanschke/picture alliance, via Getty Images
-
NYT: Science
- Edward Dwight, Once Picked to Be the First Black Astronaut in Space, Aims for Space at Last
Edward Dwight, Once Picked to Be the First Black Astronaut in Space, Aims for Space at Last
30 April 2024 at 07:55
Six decades ago, Mr. Dwight’s shot at becoming the first Black astronaut in space was thwarted by racism and politics. Now, at 90, he’s finally going up.
“My whole life has been about getting things done,” said Edward Dwight, a retired pilot, current sculptor and future crew member on a Blue Origin mission into space. “This is the culmination.”
© Nathan Bajar for The New York Times
From Baby Talk to Baby A.I.
30 April 2024 at 15:09
Could a better understanding of how infants acquire language help us build smarter A.I. models?
For an hour each week for the past 11 months, Brenden Lake, right, a psychologist at New York University, with his wife Tammy Kwan, has been attaching a camera to their daughter Luna and recording things from her point of view.
© Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times
From Baby Talk to Baby A.I.
30 April 2024 at 12:38
Could a better understanding of how infants acquire language help us build smarter A.I. models?
For an hour each week for the past 11 months, Brenden Lake, right, a psychologist at New York University, with his wife Tammy Kwan, has been attaching a camera to their daughter Luna and recording things from her point of view.
© Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times
Honeybees Don’t Need Saving, I Learned When They Invaded My House
30 April 2024 at 03:00
Responding to fears of a “honeybee collapse,” 30 states have passed laws to protect the pollinators. But when they invaded my house, I learned that the honeybees didn’t need saving.
© Yann Guichaoua/Creatas Video+, via Getty Images Plus
Physical Fitness Can Improve Mental Health in Children and Adolescents, Study Suggests
29 April 2024 at 11:21
A new study bolsters existing research suggesting that exercise can protect against anxiety, depression and attention challenges.
In a study, improved performance with activities such as 800-meter runs, curl-ups and standing jumps was linked with lower risk of mental health disorder.
© Michelle Gustafson for The New York Times
They Shoot Owls in California, Don’t They?
29 April 2024 at 05:01
An audacious federal plan to protect the spotted owl would eradicate hundreds of thousands of barred owls in the coming years.
Northern spotted owl populations have declined by up to 80 percent over the last two decades. As few as 3,000 remain on federal lands, compared with 12,000 in the 1990s.
© Gerry Ellis/Minden Pictures
Federal Officials Find No Live Bird Flu Virus in Initial Milk Tests
27 April 2024 at 02:00
The early results suggest that pasteurization is killing the H5N1 virus in milk, something that regulators were not certain of.
© Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
At Least Three Women Were Infected With H.I.V. After ‘Vampire Facials’
26 April 2024 at 09:44
The women underwent the cosmetic procedure at an unlicensed spa in New Mexico.
This is the first time that H.I.V. transmission through cosmetic injection services has been documented, officials said.
© Leonard Ortiz/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register, via Getty Images
Ancient Female Ballplayer from Huasteca Region on Exhibit
26 April 2024 at 05:02
The statue will be part of “Ancient Huasteca Women: Goddesses, Warriors and Governors” at the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago.
The first life-size representation of a ritual ballplayer found to date in the Huasteca, a tropical region spanning parts of several states along the Gulf Coast of Mexico, on view at the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago.
© Sebastian Hidalgo for The New York Times
Beth Linker is Turning Good Posture On its Head
26 April 2024 at 05:01
A historian and sociologist of science re-examines the “posture panic” of the last century. You’ll want to sit down for this.
In her new book, Beth Linker, a historian of science at the University of Pennsylvania, confronts conventional wisdom about good posture. “It’s fake news,” she said.
© Hannah Beier for The New York Times
A Megaraptor Emerges From Footprint Fossils, Study Suggests
24 April 2024 at 17:12
A series of foot tracks in southeastern China points to the discovery of a giant velociraptor relative, paleontologists suggest in a new study.
Grandmother Becomes Second Patient to Receive Kidney From Gene-Edited Pig
24 April 2024 at 14:33
NYU Langone Health surgeons performed the transplant after implanting a mechanical heart pump in the severely ill patient.
Lisa Pisano, the recipient of a genetically modified pig kidney, shared photos on her phone while recovering from her surgeries.
© Shelby Lum/Associated Press
How do Cicadas Know When to Come Out?
25 April 2024 at 11:11
Scientists are making computer models to better understand how the mysterious insects emerge collectively after more than a decade underground.
The United States is home to a dozen cicada broods that have a 17-year cycle, and three with a cycle that takes 13 years.
© Will Dunham/Reuters
Bird Flu Outbreak in Cattle May Have Begun Months Earlier Than Thought
24 April 2024 at 07:35
A single spillover, from a bird to a cow, led to the infections, a review of genetic data has found.
The U.S.D.A. announced last month that dairy cattle in Texas and Kansas had tested positive for the bird flu virus, called H5N1. It has since reported cases in dozens of herds in eight states.
© Jim Vondruska/Reuters
