NYT > Science

1. Artemis II Moon Mission: NASA Completes Giant Rocket’s Slow Ride to Launchpad
   The Space Launch System and Orion capsule were transported to the launchpad before an astronaut mission that could launch as soon as Feb. 6.
2. If the Volcanic Eruption Doesn’t Scare You, the Mudflow Should
   Studying tree rings helped scientists pinpoint when Mount Rainier last sent a lahar down its steep slopes, which could help planners anticipate future mudflows.
3. NASA Astronauts Return to Earth After Medical Evacuation From International Space Station
   The members of Crew-11 — two American, one Russian and one Japanese — splashed down after one became ill, prompting an early return.
4. For the World’s Food Supply, Federal Funding Cuts Have Long-Term Impacts
   The U.S. Agency for International Development has been a major supporter of global agriculture research. Now many studies are being scuttled or scaled back.
5. Toby Kiers, World Champion of Mycorrhizal Fungus
   This year’s recipient of the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement talks about “punk science,” microbial economics and thinking like a mycorrhizal fungus.
6. What a Wolf Pup’s Stomach Revealed About the Woolly Rhino’s Extinction
   Scientists prepared a high-quality sequence of the giant mammal’s genome based on a specimen preserved in Siberian permafrost.
7. The Sea Lions of the Galápagos Are Not Ready to Give Up Mother’s Milk
   Animals that researchers call “supersucklers” come back to nurse even after they can hunt, mate and fend for themselves.
8. Why This Fish Actually Needs a Hole in the Head
   A cavity in the middle of the rockhead poacher’s skull might be used like a maraca to produce sound, new research suggests.
9. This Dinosaur Really Knew How to Get a Grip
   A fossil of Manipulonyx reshetovi, found in a Mongolian desert, shows how the dinosaur used its specialized claw to snatch eggs.
10. Cows Use Tools, Too, New Study Finds
    A pet cow named Veronika can scratch her own back with a broom — the first scientifically documented case of tool use in cows, researchers say.
11. A Look Through a Century of Times Reporting From Antarctica
    Generations of Times journalists have journeyed there with scientists. Their coverage traces humankind’s changing relationship with the most mysterious continent.
12. Joel Primack, Physicist Who Helped Explain the Cosmos, Dies at 80
    A professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz, he was a key contributor to a landmark paper that laid out how the universe came to look like it does today.
13. 3 Policy Moves Likely to Change Health Care for Older People
    Two regulatory rollbacks, along with a new A.I. experiment in Medicare, raise some worrisome questions.
14. World’s First Treaty to Protect the High Seas Becomes Law
    Over two decades after negotiations began, the High Seas Treaty is designed to protect biodiversity in international waters by enabling conservation zones.
15. No Link Between Acetaminophen in Pregnancy and Autism, a Study Finds
    The review looked at more than three dozen studies and found no evidence that acetaminophen increased the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders in children.
16. Supreme Court to Decide if the Pesticide Roundup Is Shielded From Lawsuits
    The case could affect thousands of claims that the widely used weedkiller causes cancer.
17. Virginia Coastal Offshore Wind Project Can Continue, Judge Rules
    Construction can continue on an $11.2 billion project off the coast of Virginia, said to be 70 percent complete.
18. For Men, How Much Alcohol Is Too Much?
    Federal officials working on the new dietary guidelines had considered limiting men to one drink daily. The final advice was only that everyone should drink less.
19. Empire Wind Project Can Resume Construction, Judge Rules
    A federal judge said the Empire Wind project off Long Island would suffer “irreparable harm” if the Trump administration continued to hold up work.
20. U.S. Cuts Health Aid and Ties It to Funding Pledges by African Governments
    The Trump administration has signed $11 billion in agreements with African nations, in deals tied to foreign policy goals.
21. Who is left on the International Space Station?
    
22. How NASA deals with astronauts’ medical needs on the I.S.S.
    
23. What happens during the astronauts’ return to Earth?
    
24. Is it risky to fly a sick astronaut home to Earth?
    
25. Kaiser Permanente Agrees to Pay $556 Million to Settle Medicare Overbilling Claims
    The Justice Department and whistle-blowers accused the major health insurer of overbilling the government for about $1 billion under the private plans.
26. NASA Begins Astronaut Space Station Medical Evacuation: What to Know
    Four astronauts departed from the I.S.S. about a month earlier than scheduled because a crew member, who was not identified, has an undisclosed medical issue.
27. Weather Detours a Scientific Expedition to Antarctica’s Thwaites Glacier
    Bad weather has postponed attempts to set up camp on the Thwaites Glacier. So researchers got onto the sea ice and met a local.
28. Extreme Weather Events Hit Around the World in 2025
    Last year was Earth’s third hottest globally, but temperature is just one measure of climate change’s influence.
29. E.P.A. Moves to Limit States’ Ability to Block Pipelines
    The agency wants to curtail a section of the Clean Water Act that Democratic governors have used to restrict fossil fuel development.
30. Initial Obamacare Enrollment Drops by 1.4 Million as Expiring ACA Subsidies Drive Up Premiums
    That number could increase significantly as more consumers are faced with higher bills brought on by expiring premium subsidies.
31. Medical Groups Will Try to Block Childhood Vaccine Recommendations
    The groups, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, say the C.D.C.’s revised vaccine schedule is not based on scientific evidence and will harm the public.
32. A Scientific Expedition to Antarctica’s Thwaites Glacier Deals With Weather Hiccups
    The clock is ticking. But low clouds have prevented helicopters from moving scientists and gear onto the continent’s fastest-melting glacier.
33. U.S. Emissions Jumped in 2025 as Coal Power Rebounded
    The increase in planet-warming emissions came after two years of decline as demand for electricity has been surging.
34. Psilocybin Leads in Psychedelic Medicine, but Rollout Is Bumpy
    Psilocybin-assisted therapy is legal in three states, but access has so far been limited and expensive.
35. China’s ‘Dr. Frankenstein’ Thinks Time Is on His Side
    He Jiankui spent three years in prison after creating gene-edited babies. Now back at work, he sees a greater opening for researchers who push boundaries.
36. Trump Cuts to Energy Projects in Blue States Were Unlawful, Judge Rules
    The Energy Department canceled $7.5 billion in Biden-era energy spending, largely in Democratic-led states, during last year’s government shutdown.
37. Judge Blocks Trump Effort to Stop Rhode Island’s Revolution Wind Project
    The ruling means that construction can continue on Revolution Wind, a $6.2 billion project off the coast of Rhode Island, at least for now.