NYT > Science

1. These Mathematicians Are Trying to Educate A.I.
   Large language models struggle to solve research-level math questions. It takes a human to assess just how poorly they perform.
2. Rebuilding the Lighthouse of Alexandria, Block by Virtual Block
   An ancient skyscraper considered the seventh wonder of the world crumbled to ruin centuries ago. Now an ambitious archaeological project aims to reassemble it in 3-D.
3. At a Bonobo’s ‘Tea Party,’ Scientists Find Hints of Imagination
   In a playtime experiment, researchers found that our closest living relatives have the capacity for make-believe, too.
4. Rare Deep-Sea Giant Phantom Jellyfish Sighting Is Recorded on Video
   During a dive off Argentina, scientists documented a rare jellyfish discovered a little over a century ago and seldom seen since, as well as the fish that keep it company.
5. He Built a Server to Protect Indigenous Health Data
   Joseph Yracheta was in charge of a repository that compiled and protected tribal health data. Then its funding was cut.
6. NASA Eyes March Artemis II Launch After Hydrogen Leaks Delay Moon Mission
   The agency did not complete a practice countdown for a flight that would be the first to send people around the moon in more than 50 years.
7. Dozens of Earthquakes Have Rattled San Ramon, California
   San Ramon, Calif., has been rattled by dozens of small earthquakes in recent months. Even in a region used to regular shaking, it’s been a lot.
8. What Do You Get When You Put a Mummy Through a CT Scan?
   Experts are using high-res scanners and 3-D printers to illuminate ancient ailments and injuries.
9. Snow Drought in the West Reaches Record Levels
   Warm temperatures and extremely low snowfall threaten water resources for the year.
10. Hims & Hers Withdraws Knockoff Weight-Loss Pill After Regulatory Scrutiny
    Federal officials had warned that the new product from the online provider of weight loss drugs might be illegal.
11. 6 Fishermen Reel In a 244-Pound Atlantic Halibut, Setting a Local Record
    The fish, hooked as part of a study on the halibut population around the Ha! Ha! Bay in the Canadian province of Quebec, measured more than 6.5 feet long, researchers said.
12. Michael Pollan Says Humanity Is About to Undergo a Revolutionary Change
    The best-selling author grapples with big questions about A.I., consciousness and the distractions polluting our minds.
13. TrumpRx: What to Know About Insurance Benefits, Pricing and Savings
    People may be able to pay less for prescriptions with their insurance rather than via the new government website. The Trump drugstore is meant to help people buy medications using their own money.
14. Studying Antarctica’s Ice From the Side of a Helicopter
    The fastest way into the gaps between gigantic blocks of a broken-up glacier is by lowering instruments from above, through the door of a helicopter.
15. Climate ‘Superfund’ Bills Spread Nationwide, Despite Legal Battles
    The laws aim to force oil companies to help pay for damage from global warming. Industry is gearing up for state-by-state battles.
16. Federal Vaccine Advisers Take Aim at Covid Shots
    One panelist accused the F.D.A. of withholding data on potential harms. The advisers also are reviewing research on vaccines given to pregnant women.
17. TrumpRx, the President’s Online Drugstore, Opens for Business
    TrumpRx is aimed at helping patients use their own money to buy medicines. But researchers who study drug pricing warned that many patients could pay too much if they use the site.
18. Federal Judge Blocks Texas Law Targeting Critics of Fossil Fuels
    The court ruled that it was unconstitutional to bar state agencies from investing with firms that the state had accused of boycotting the oil industry.
19. F.D.A. Relaxes Rules on ‘Naturally Derived’ Dyes
    Food makers will now be able to claim that their products have “no artificial colors,” so long as they use dyes that are not petroleum-based.
20. Nuclear Arms Control Era Comes to End Amid Global Rush for New Weapons
    Beijing, Moscow and shaken American allies are seeking new warheads as President Trump ends more than a half century of nuclear arms control with Russia.
21. Senators Accuse Equifax of ‘Price-Gouging’ Medicaid Programs
    The company’s data will be essential for many states to comply with new work requirements for the health insurance program that take effect next year.
22. Doctors’ Group Endorses Restrictions on Gender-Related Surgery for Minors
    The A.M.A.’s announcement followed a similar recommendation from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Other medical groups argued for a more personalized approach.
23. F.T.C. Settles With Express Scripts Over High Insulin Prices
    The Trump administration announced that the company, a pharmacy benefit manager, had agreed to make significant changes to its practices.
24. Trump Administration Is Delaying Hundreds of Wind and Solar Projects
    Federal agencies are delaying approvals for renewable energy projects on both federal land and private property at a time when electricity demand is going up.
25. A Chevron Refinery May Take in More Venezuelan Oil. Its Neighbors Are Concerned.
    The American claim on Venezuela’s oil means even more of it could come to a huge Chevron refinery in Mississippi. Neighbors worried about pollution want the company to move them out.
26. Congress Reins In Drug Middlemen in Effort to Lower Prescription Prices
    The legislation will impose new restrictions on pharmacy benefit managers, giant companies like CVS Caremark, Optum Rx and Express Scripts that oversee prescription drug benefits.
27. Plastic Surgeons’ Group Advises Delaying Gender-Affirming Procedures Until Age 19
    The organization’s latest guidance is a departure from the prevailing views of several other major medical organizations.
28. Woman Wins Malpractice Suit Over Gender Surgery as a Minor
    In a legal first, a jury in New York awarded $2 million to a patient who said that doctors had deviated from accepted medical standards.
29. The Questionable Science Behind the Odd-Looking Football Helmets
    The N.F.L. claims Guardian Caps reduce the risk of concussions. The company that makes them says, “It has nothing to do with concussions.”
30. ‘Biblical Diseases’ Could Resurge in Africa, Health Officials Fear
    Parasites and infections that cause blindness and other disabilities were nearly eliminated in some countries, but drug distribution to prevent and treat them was derailed in many places in 2025 after the U.S. cut aid.
31. Research Finds Interaction With Father, Not Mother, Affects Child Health
    A long-term study of 292 families linked fathers’ parenting style to their children’s heart health years later. To researchers’ surprise, no such link was found with mothers.
32. H.H.S. to Expand Faith-Based Addiction Programs for Homeless
    Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said addiction is a “spiritual disease” that calls out for the involvement of religious organizations.
33. N.I.H. Worker Who Criticized Trump Seeks Whistle-Blower Protection
    Jenna Norton, a National Institutes of Health employee, has been an outspoken critic of the administration’s research cuts and has been on paid leave.
34. Attempt to Drill Through Thwaites Glacier Is Foiled
    Scientists lost their instruments within Antarctica’s most dangerously unstable glacier, though not before getting a glimpse at the warming waters underneath.
35. Judge Hands Trump a Fifth Loss in His Effort to Halt Offshore Wind Projects
    The court ruled that construction can restart on a wind farm off the coast of New York State. The Trump administration had ordered work to stop in December.
36. Psychosis Diagnoses Have Risen Among Young Canadians, Data Shows
    Researchers believe increasing use of cannabis may be contributing to a rise in new cases of schizophrenia and related disorders at younger ages.
37. The Wonder Drug That’s Plaguing Sports
    Ostarine held the promise of profound medical treatments. Something unexpected happened on the way to F.D.A. approval.
38. Rare Albatross Coasts Above California Waters Far From Home
    The unexpected sighting of a waved albatross, which was thousands of miles from its typical range, earned it a label ornithologists reserve for the unexpected: an avian “vagrant.”