Science News
Global Warming Could Ravage the Amazon’s Useful Plant Species, Study Finds
Hotter temperatures and harsher droughts could cause Indigenous societies to lose many of the species they have used for medicine, rituals and more, scientists found.
The Unknown Universe Inside Your Gut
The human microbiome is essential to our health, but scientists have only begun to understand why. Two researchers set out to map this largely uncharted terrain.
Chernobyl’s Wildlife Cameras Reveal How War Affects Wild Animals
A rare camera-trap study logged the effects of armed conflict on wild animals in real time.
New Rules Require Election Changes for States to Get Terrorism Grants
Federal officials said they would withhold some money unless states pursue paper ballot systems, verify citizenship and conduct costly audits.
Nation’s 250th Celebration Fireworks Sent D.C. Air Pollution Spiking
The president promised a record display of some 850,000 pyrotechnics for the country’s 250th birthday. The Park Service warned it could get dirty.
Cosmic Conjoined Twins, Caught on Camera
A Japanese spacecraft flew by an asteroid and snapped a picture. It turned out to be a “contact binary”: two space rocks that somehow fused together.
As Ice Melts in the Arctic, Some Deep-Sea Creatures Are Thriving
A new study suggests that deep-sea life reaps the benefits of icebergs’ castoffs — a rare silver lining as a warming planet destabilizes glacial ice.
I Wanted an Ecologically Responsible Garden. It Was Harder Than I Thought.
The native plant movement says that we can combat environmental disaster from our own backyards. Is it really so simple?
Mysterious Spheres Found in Australia Are Likely Space Debris
The discovery bemused residents of a small town in northeastern Australia. The objects appear to be junk from a space launch, the country’s space agency said.
Heat Waves Are Taking a Big Toll on Chickens
The birds are particularly vulnerable to high temperatures, and France’s torrid June took a heavy toll.
Bill Frist Wants to Take Politics Out of Climate Change
Bill Frist, a surgeon who also served as Senate majority leader, has emerged as an outspoken advocate for environmental health. “A healthier planet means healthier people,” he said.
Efforts to Help Smokers Quit Stall Under Trump
The C.D.C.’s tobacco control office has been shut for more than a year. After its most prominent antismoking campaign went off the air, calls to 1-800-QUIT-NOW lines have plummeted.
Research Universities Are Admitting Fewer Ph.D.s, a Bad Sign for Science
Some of the nation’s top research universities are shrinking doctoral programs because of uncertain federal funding.
For Families With Nonspeaking Autistic Children, a Fierce Debate Over Assisted Spelling
Popular communication methods for nonspeaking autistic people have ignited a fierce debate over what counts as evidence of hidden cognitive abilities.
A Bird’s Brain Holds Clues to the Sounds of Music
The neurobiologist Erich Jarvis studies the few species capable of speech. He has long hoped to genetically engineer an animal that can make new calls.
Stanley M. Gartler, Pioneer in Cancer Research, Dies at 102
He provided the first convincing evidence that cancerous tumors develop from a single mutated cell and later helped expose contamination by cells taken from Henrietta Lacks.
A Mission to Save NASA’s Swift Telescope Launches to Orbit
A refrigerator-size spacecraft will try to grab onto Swift and nudge it to a higher orbit, enabling it to continue observing powerful cosmic explosions.
E Pluribus Algae: Why Green Pond Scum Is as American as Red, White and Blue
And why the most patriotic approach to the Reflecting Pool may be to let the algae take over.
Has the MAHA Movement Given Up?
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his allies promised public-health libertarianism. The idea couldn’t survive once they took power.
Deadly MV Hondius Hantavirus Outbreak Is Over, W.H.O. Says
The rodent-borne virus, which sickened passengers on the MV Hondius, killed three people, led to a race to find its origin and a global health alert.