NYT > Science

1. Spread of Seafloor Directly Observed for the First Time
   The spread of the ocean floor, as tectonic plates spread apart, is known but hard to observe. Scientists have now documented the process in action.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Our Bacteria Are Talking. We’ve Just Begun to Understand What They’re Saying.
   The human microbiome is essential to our health, but scientists still know very little about it. Two researchers set out to map this largely uncharted terrain.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. Western Europe Had Its Hottest June on Record
    An unusually early heat wave smashed records across France, Britain and Spain. Temperatures in some areas are starting to soar again.
11. 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.
12. 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.
13. 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.
14. I Wanted an Ecologically Responsible Garden. It Was Harder Than I Thought.
    The native plant movement gets a lot right, but there’s so much more to consider.
15. 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.
16. 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.
17. 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.
18. 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.
19. 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.
20. 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.
21. 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.
22. 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.
23. See How Europe’s Heat Waves Melted the Alps’ Glaciers
    The snowfall from last winter disappeared a month sooner than usual, after two early hot spells. Huge volumes of exposed ice are now starting to vanish.
24. Scientists React to the Lab-Made, Yet Lifelike, SpudCell
    This cell-like structure can grow, feed, divide and compete. Researchers ponder what it means for the future of synthetic biology and our definition of “life.”
25. How to Make a Time Capsule That Will Last 250 Years
    The America250 time capsule will hold dozens of historical treasures. Avoiding dampness and other dangers requires lots of engineering.