NYT > Science

1. Humans Had Dogs Before They Had Farming, Ancient DNA Confirms
   New research pushes the first genetic evidence of dogs back by 5,000 years and suggests that hunter-gatherer groups may have acquired dogs from one another.
2. Ancient Grapes Reveal Long History of Modern Wines
   Genetic material preserved in ancient grape seeds reveals when, and how, humans meddled with wine grapes.
3. NASA Sets Out New Plans and Timelines for Moon Base and Nuclear Mars Mission
   The agency’s leader said new plans and timelines for the coming decade aim to create a permanent foothold by humans on another world and inspire Americans.
4. We’ve Been Underestimating Flying Foxes
   Australia used to incinerate the large fruit bats, but research suggests they bring hundreds of millions of dollars in benefits to the country’s economy.
5. Wicked Stepmother No Longer, a Female Pharoah Gets a Reputational Makeover
   A reassessment of damaged 3,500-year-old statuary adds to evidence that Queen Hatshepsut wasn’t the villain that scholars long took her to be.
6. New Spider Mimics ‘The Last of Us’ Zombie Fungus Cordyceps
   A newly discovered species of spider in the Ecuadorean Amazon mimics a pathogen, known as a zombie fungus, to protect itself.
7. Andy Weir on the Science That Inspired His Novel ‘Project Hail Mary’
   Andy Weir discusses his science-fueled novel “Project Hail Mary,” which has been adapted into a film that opens in theaters on Friday.
8. Gerd Faltings of Germany Wins 2026 Abel Prize in Mathematics
   Gerd Faltings proved a conjecture that had been unsolved for six decades, using connections between numbers and geometry.
9. A Meteor Exploded Over Ohio. Then the Hunt for Meteorites Began.
   After a seven-ton fireball exploded above the Cleveland area, a group of meteorite hunters descended too, in the name of science — and possibly cash.
10. Schumer Pledges Democrats Will Restore Clean Energy Tax Credits
    Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the minority leader, said Democrats would pursue an agenda to reduce energy costs if they win back control of Congress.
11. Trump to Delay Nominating New C.D.C. Director
    The administration has yet to find a candidate who aligns with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s agenda while avoiding his unpopular stance on vaccines.
12. Heisuke Hironaka, Groundbreaking Mathematician, Is Dead at 94
    A recipient of his profession’s prestigious Fields Medal, he devised an algorithm that helps solve mathematical “singularities.” It now permeates the field.
13. E.P.A. Waives Smog Rules on Summer Gasoline in Bid to Ease Prices
    The moves will allow expanded sales of a higher-ethanol blend known as E15, which is often restricted in the summer.
14. Maryland Supreme Court Strikes Down Local Climate Suit Against Big Oil
    The decision represents a setback to other local governments around the country that have sued oil companies to recoup the mounting costs of climate change.
15. How Do You Measure Snow From Space? First, Climb a Mountain.
    A new satellite could transform how water is studied worldwide. But to help unlock its capabilities, scientists first needed to take critical measurements on a mountaintop.
16. Tango Therapy: How the Dance of Passion Is Helping Parkinson’s Patients
    Once a week, patients in an Argentine hospital with Parkinson’s disease use the movements of tango to help address issues of balance, stiffness and coordination.
17. MDMA Therapy in Australia Shows Results for PTSD Patients, but the Cost Is Limiting Access
    The country’s experiment with psychedelic medicine has led to positive outcomes, psychiatrists say, but also highlights the limitations of the nascent field.
18. Carbon Capture Technology Is Helping This Pub Make Beer
    A pub in California is pulling carbon dioxide from the air to carbonate pints. If the business model works, it could give the broader carbon-capture industry a boost.
19. Takeaways From The Times’s Inside Look at the C.D.C.
    Many current and former employees say the actions of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are undermining the agency’s role in safeguarding public health.
20. Diabetes, Overlooked and Unchecked, Poses New Risks in Africa
    As deaths from diabetes start to rival those from infectious threats like malaria, a new form of the condition linked to malnutrition is surfacing in patients who can afford neither screening nor care.
21. J. Michael Bishop, Nobel Prize Winner for Cancer Research, Dies at 90
    He helped discover cancer-causing genes. Later, as chancellor of the University of California, San Francisco, he led a major expansion.
22. David Botstein, Gene-Mapping Pioneer, Dies at 83
    His method of locating genes in human DNA allowed researchers to find disease-causing genes, and later to map the entire, sprawling human genome.
23. Lee Zeldin, E.P.A. Chief, to Headline Heartland Institute Forum
    Lee Zeldin, the agency administrator, will address a Heartland Institute forum in April. The organization says speakers will challenge the climate crisis “narrative.”
24. How New Mexico Became an Obamacare Success Story
    Affordable Care Act enrollment has dropped across the United States since the enhanced federal subsidies expired. But New Mexico has record numbers of people signing up.
25. 24 States Sue E.P.A. Over Climate Change Decision
    The suit accuses the agency of illegally repealing the endangerment finding, the scientific assessment that required it to regulate greenhouse gases.
26. The Weather Is Getting Wilder, and Some See a Dire Signal in the Data
    Several of the Earth’s systems are changing faster than predicted as global temperatures rise, scientists say.
27. Ozempic Is About to Go Generic in India, China and Canada
    In India, China and several other nations, Novo Nordisk is on the verge of losing patent protection for its blockbuster weight loss drug, opening the door for cheaper competing versions.