NYT > Science

1. This Genetically Engineered Fungus Could Help Fix Your Mosquito Problem
   In experiments, researchers showed that the disease-spreading insects couldn’t resist the sweet smell of a fungus that infected and killed them.
2. NASA Gets Moon Lander Plan B’s From SpaceX and Blue Origin
   As NASA worries that China will win the next moon race, Elon Musk and his company tangled with critics.
3. Riddle Me This, Riddle Me That: Who Can Explain the Glowing Green Bats?
   Six species of North American bats emit a glow at almost identical wavelengths, according to a recent study.
4. Why Spiders Are the Ultimate Interior Decorators
   Scientists offer a new idea for why orb-weaving arachnids add decorations known as stabilimenta to their webs.
5. The Case of the Tiny Tyrannosaurus Might Have Been Cracked
   Did certain small tyrannosaur fossils belong to “teen rex” or another species? New analysis of a recent fossil appears to have settled the debate.
6. What to Know About US Nuclear Weapons as Trump Threatens to Restart Testing
   Though the country’s nuclear arsenal has undergone no explosive testing for decades, federal experts say it can reliably obliterate targets halfway around the globe.
7. He Studied Why Some Female Birds Look Like Males
   Jay Falk explored a fundamental question: How do genes give rise to different bodies? But without funding, “there’s not really a future here.”
8. V-1 Missiles Once Terrorized Britain. Now They’re Home to Starfish.
   Tons of toxic German munitions, dumped in the Baltic and North Seas after World War II, have become an unlikely refuge for marine life, a new study has found.
9. Life Lessons from (Very Old) Bowhead Whales
   A gene that helped bowheads adapt to frigid Arctic waters also granted them extraordinary longevity. Could it help aging humans become more resilient?
10. What the Air You Breathe May Be Doing to Your Brain
    Studies increasingly find links between higher concentrations of certain pollutants and the prevalence of dementia.
11. How to Shop for Obamacare When Subsidies Are in Limbo
    Enrollment for A.C.A. health coverage begins Nov. 1, with some staggering price increases. Here is a guide to help you choose a plan while Congress is at an impasse over tax credits.
12. Air Pollution Could Be Contributing to Your Slower Marathon Time
    Marathon runners consistently finished slower in cities with higher levels of dangerous particles in the air, researchers found.
13. E.P.A. Retreats From Plans to End the Energy Star Program
    The agency has faced blowback from business leaders and Republicans over plans to end the popular energy efficiency program.
14. New York Judge Dismisses Texas Challenge to the State’s Abortion Shield Law
    The lawsuit was filed against an Ulster County clerk who rebuffed an attempt to enforce a Texas judgment against a New York doctor for sending abortion pills to that state.
15. Kim Kardashian Calls 1969 Moon Landing Fake. NASA Sets the Record Straight.
    NASA’s chief, Sean Duffy, set the record straight after Kim Kardashian repeated the conspiracy theory that the 1969 moon landing had been faked.
16. Marthe Gautier, 96, Dies; Had Key Role in Down Syndrome Breakthrough
    She had to fight for recognition after a male colleague took credit for her work in identifying an extra chromosome as the cause of that genetic condition.
17. Trump’s Call to Resume Nuclear Testing After Decades Revives a Cold War Debate
    President Trump explained the order by saying other, unnamed nations were testing their own nuclear weapons, even though no country has tested since 2017.
18. Study Finds Evidence That Text-Based Therapy Eases Depression
    A large-scale randomized trial of texting therapy concluded that its outcomes were as good as video sessions in treating depression.
19. R.F.K. Jr. Adviser Calley Means Has Left the White House
    Mr. Means quietly departed his federal role about a month ago. His sister has been nominated for surgeon general.
20. Candy Companies Are Quietly Cutting Down on Cocoa to Save Money
    As climate change has helped push cocoa prices higher, companies are changing candy recipes in subtle ways.
21. Why the Price of Electricity Is Spiking Around the Country
    Not all states have gotten hit equally hard. The reasons are complex.
22. Judge Cuts Greenpeace Dakota Access Pipeline Award in Half
    A North Dakota judge reduced the jury’s award to the pipeline company Energy Transfer to roughly $345 million, from $667 million.
23. F.D.A. Moves to Speed Approvals for Cheaper Copycat Drugs
    The agency announced moves to cut regulatory obstacles for the makers of biosimilar drugs, which are akin to generics and may help lower drug costs.
24. As China and U.S. Split Over Energy, Korea Is Stuck in the Middle
    It needs the United States for defense and has spent billions building factories in America. But a Trump trade deal this week with China could erase a Korean edge in the U.S. market.
25. U.N. Climate Adaptation Report Shows Declining Money for Climate Disasters
    In 2021, rich countries vowed to spend more to help poor countries adapt to warming. That goal is unlikely to be met, a new report finds.
26. A River Restoration in Oregon Gets Fast Results: The Salmon Swam Right Back
    The fish had been missing from the headwaters of the Klamath River for more than a century. Just a year after the removal of a final dam, they’ve returned.
27. Volunteers Work for NOAA to Ensure Hurricane Data Is Collected
    Staffing cuts and a federal government shutdown are stretching scientists’ ability to make valuable hurricane observations.
28. Small Island Nations Lack Funds to Fight Climate Disasters
    As Hurricane Melissa threatens island nations across the Caribbean, many are already burdened by debt from a string of climate-fueled crises.
29. Texas Sues Tylenol Makers, Claiming They Hid Autism Risks
    The lawsuit follows claims by President Trump that linked acetaminophen taken by pregnant women to autism, a connection that is unproven.
30. In a Looming Nuclear Arms Race, Aging Los Alamos Faces a Major Test
    The lab where Oppenheimer developed the atomic bomb is the linchpin in the United States’ effort to modernize its nuclear weapons. Yet the site has contended with contamination incidents, work disruptions and old infrastructure.
31. Radiation Fears Bring MAHA and MAGA Movements Into Conflict
    The Trump administration is considering tighter safety rules on the weak radiations of cellphones even as it pursues looser regulations on the deadly emanations of the nuclear industry.
32. A 17th-Century Crypt Shines a Light on Milan’s Most Impoverished
    In Milan, bones that piled under a hospital over a half-century shed light on the health and habits of some of the Renaissance era’s most impoverished people.
33. Pig Kidney Removed From Transplant Patient After Nine Months
    Tim Andrews, 67, lived with a genetically modified organ longer than any other recipient.
34. Behind the Dismantling of the C.D.C.: Reform or ‘Humiliation’?
    The agency has lost a third of its work force this year. The Trump administration maintains that the losses are necessary, but critics say that there is no real plan, only animosity.
35. Vaccine Skepticism Comes for Pet Owners, Too
    Anti-vaccine sentiment is spilling over into veterinary medicine, making some owners hesitant to vaccinate their pets, even for fatal diseases like rabies.
36. What To Know About Vaccinating Your Dog or Cat
    Vaccine hesitancy is on the rise among pet owners. Here are answers to some common questions about animal vaccines.
37. In Ancient Spain, a Nail Through the Skull Could Mean Enmity, or Honor
    Skulls displayed in public 2,000 years ago were intended as a warning to enemies and a celebration of comrades, a new paper argues.
38. Diphtheria, a Once Vanquished Killer of Children, Is Resurgent
    A Somali hospital ward packed with gasping children shows how war, climate and mistrust of vaccines is fueling the disease’s return.