Science News
The Underappreciated Benefits of Leaving Fallen Leaves Alone
To homeowners, fallen leaves look like work. To nature, they’re an investment, with tremendous value on the secondary market as invertebrate real estate.
Big Controversy Upends a Contest About Microscopic Videos
Nikon announced that it had disqualified the winner of its Small World in Motion competition over how A.I. was used in his submission.
Cancer Vaccines Are the N.I.H’s Next ‘Big Bet’
New details have emerged about an initiative that starts in December to fast-track the vaccines, similar to the successful push for the Covid-19 vaccine.
21 Birds Are Found at Miami Airport Stuffed in Underwear and Hidden in a Belt
Two men, who arrived separately from Cuba days apart, each carried clutches of live birds concealed in their clothes, the authorities said.
What Are the Remaining Millennium Prize Problems?
OpenAI’s trove of new math results doesn’t fully solve any of these highly prestigious open questions, but it seems to make progress on some.
‘Breathtaking,’ ‘Devastating’: Mathematics Reels After New OpenAI Release
Hundreds of new A.I.-generated findings moved the frontiers of higher math in a single day — dispelling any doubt that the field is forever changed.
U.N. Warns Against Technology Used to Read Citizens’ Minds
A report by the secretary-general warned that new technologies could be used to access and criminalize people’s innermost thoughts.
The National Hurricane Center’s Boss Keeps an Eye on the Storms
The director, Michael Brennan, oversees 45 federal workers, including hurricane specialists and meteorologists.
Before Computer Science Became a Boys’ Club, Margaret Hamilton Wrote the Code
The woman who helped put astronauts on the moon was a software engineer when the field was not prestigious or lucrative.
For Two Sisters, a “Biological Age Test” Measured More Than Their DNA
They thought it might explain why their health had diverged. Instead, it stirred up feelings that weren’t so easily quantified.
As Flood Risk Increases in Himalayas, Nepal Builds More in Vulnerable Areas
The total footprint of buildings along flood-prone riverbanks in the Himalayas grew by half in recent years, a study found.
Margaret Hamilton, Whose Software Guided the Apollo Missions, Has Died
Margaret Hamilton, the first female programmer hired to work on the space project at M.I.T., was 90.
RFK Jr. Plans Vaccine Injury Initiative, Drawing Wary Eye From Experts
Vaccine safety experts say more research into the side effects would be welcome yet question whether the health secretary’s effort will be grounded in science.
What Experts Want to Know About the Russia Plague Scare
Missing details about the death of a lab worker, including the cause, are worrying scientists.
A Public Health-Minded Senator Asks: What Comes After Trump and Kennedy?
Senator Patty Murray, a former chair of the Senate health committee, is forming a group of experts to examine how to insulate the C.D.C. from political interference.
Jonathan the Giant Tortoise Is 194 Years Old. He Just Had His Genome Sequenced.
Scientists have sequenced his genome for the first time, hoping the world’s oldest land animal can offer clues into the genetics of longevity.
Trump Administration Delays Threaten Funding for HIV Research
The networks also develop treatments and preventions for other infectious diseases and were instrumental in testing the Covid vaccine.
Was the Human Gut Healthier in Ancient Times?
The microbiome isn’t what it used to be in many parts of the world. The shift may be affecting the well-being of people in industrialized countries.
In Vienna and Beijing, the First Nuclear Clocks Begin to Tick
By measuring the squishing and unsquishing of thorium-229 nuclei, two teams created a new type of clock that could someday beat the precision of atomic clocks.
U.S. Formally Seeks Information From Russia About Possible Plague Death
The lack of details from the Russian authorities has unnerved U.S. officials and others around the world.