NYT > Science

1. NASA's SLS Rocket to the Moon Faces Setback After Test
   A test firing of the engines of the Space Launch System was halted after only about a minute, meaning NASA astronauts may have to wait longer before setting foot on the moon again.
2. Biden to Elevate Science Adviser to His Cabinet
   The president-elect will nominate Eric S. Lander to head the Office of Science and Technology Policy, a post left vacant by President Trump for 18 months.
3. Hypersonic Superweapons Are a Mirage, New Analysis Says
   Two scientists find revolutionary claims about the evasion of detection and defenses to be “nonsense.”
4. Electric Eels Hunt in Packs, Shocking Prey and Scientists
   The behavior, used by wolves and orcas to run down fast prey, is rarely seen in fish.
5. Pig Painting May Be World’s Oldest Cave Art Yet, Archaeologists Say
   The depiction of the animal on an Indonesian island is at least 45,500 years old, the researchers say.
6. The Real Dire Wolf Ran Into an Evolutionary Dead End
   The species’ remarkable genetic isolation from other wolves may have contributed to its demise.
7. New Bat Species With Orangutan Hue Discovered in West Africa
   Scientists hope the rare discovery could be a catalyst for conserving the region’s biodiversity.
8. Millipede Swarms Once Stopped Japanese Trains in Their Tracks
   A team of scientists say they have figured out the cicada-like life cycles of the many-legged arthropods.
9. Caligula’s Garden of Delights, Unearthed and Restored
   Relics from the favorite hideaway of ancient Rome’s most infamous tyrant have been recovered and put on display by archaeologists.
10. Twins with Covid Help Scientists Untangle the Disease’s Genetic Roots
    “I want to know,” one twin said, “why did she have Covid worse than me?”
11. Egypt Denied an Oxygen Failure Killed Covid Patients. We Found That It Did.
    For many Egyptians, a video offered a rare and uncensored view of the coronavirus’s real toll at the peak of Egypt’s second wave of the pandemic.
12. Businesses Aim to Pull Greenhouse Gases From the Air. It’s a Gamble.
    A surge of corporate money could soon transform carbon removal from science fiction to reality. But there are risks: The very idea could offer industry an excuse to maintain dangerous habits.
13. What could go wrong during the test?
    
14. How to (Literally) Drive the Coronavirus Away
    What’s the transmission risk inside a car? An airflow study offers some insight for passengers and drivers alike.
15. C.D.C. Warns the New Virus Variant Could Fuel Huge Spikes in Covid-19 Cases
    The more contagious version, first identified in Britain, is expected to spread widely and lead to further strains on an already overburdened health care system.
16. Climate Change Survey: Majority of Voters Support Initiatives
    A survey carried out after the November election found that 66 percent of respondents said that developing sources of clean energy should be a high or very high priority.
17. Mary Catherine Bateson Dies at 81; Anthropologist on Lives of Women
    After a well-documented childhood as the daughter of Margaret Mead, she earned her own renown with a book on women’s lives that became a touchstone to feminists.
18. Toyota to Pay a Record Fine for a Decade of Clean Air Act Violations
    Toyota’s $180 million settlement with the federal government follows a series of emissions-related scandals in the auto industry.
19. What Does a More Contagious Virus Mean for Schools?
    The coronavirus variant discovered in Britain is more easily spread among children, as it is among adults. Current safeguards should protect schools, experts said, but only if strictly enforced.
20. Some Medical Students Wait in Line for Covid Vaccine, While Others Share Selfies of Shots
    Across states and schools, medical students’ access to the coronavirus vaccine has varied widely, creating some confusion and stress.
21. Negative Coronavirus Test Required For Travelers Entering U.S.
    Beginning Jan. 26, international travelers bound for the United States must show negative coronavirus test results before boarding their flights. Here’s what you need to know.
22. Swimming With the Sharks in Facebook’s World
    Our columnist is searching for his own niche in a universe dominated by giants.
23. China Bars Entry to 2 Members of W.H.O. Team Investigating Covid in Wuhan
    Beijing has repeatedly impeded the global inquiry into the emergence of the coronavirus. Two scientists on the team remained in Singapore after testing positive for antibodies.
24. Trump Opens Habitat of a Threatened Owl to Timber Harvesting
    Going far beyond expectations, the Trump administration eliminated protection from more than three million acres of northern spotted owl habitat in the Pacific Northwest.
25. China Places Over 22 Million on Lockdown Amid New Covid Wave
    The country is experiencing its worst coronavirus flare-up since last summer, testing the government’s success in subduing the disease.
26. Johnson & Johnson Expects Covid Vaccine Results Soon but Lags in Production
    The U.S. needs J.&J.’s one-shot vaccine more than ever. But the company is behind on manufacturing promises made in its Operation Warp Speed contract.
27. U.S. to Require Negative Virus Tests From International Air Passengers
    Before they board planes to the U.S., passengers will have to produce proof that they are not infected or have recently recovered.
28. Doctor's Death After Getting the Covid-19 Vaccine Is Investigated
    A Florida physician developed an unusual blood disorder shortly after he received the Pfizer vaccine. It is not yet known if the shot is linked to the illness.
29. Does Double-Masking Help Slow the Spread of Covid?
    Health experts double down on their advice for slowing the spread of the coronavirus.
30. A Late Burst of Climate Denial Extends the Era of Trump Disinformation
    Two Trump administration officials have been reassigned over the posting of debunked papers, with the imprimatur of the White House, that questioned the scientific consensus on climate change.
31. Coronavirus Will Resemble the Common Cold, Scientists Predict
    Once immunity is widespread in adults, the virus rampaging across the world will come to resemble the common cold, scientists predict.
32. Covid Took a Bite From U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions in 2020
    Emissions plunged more than 10 percent. If the trend can be sustained, it would put the United States within striking distance of one of its major goals under the Paris climate agreement.
33. The History Behind 'Mob' Mentality
    Why do some mass gatherings turn violent? Experts in crowd behavior say there’s still much to learn.
34. A Colonoscopy Alternative Comes Home
    An at-home test for colon cancer is as reliable as the traditional screening, health experts say, and more agreeable.
35. These Snakes Found a New Way to Slither
    The novel technique is great news for Guam’s brown tree snakes, bad news for the island’s nesting birds.
36. Eli Lilly's Alzheimer's Drug Shows Promise in Small Trial
    Participants with the disease still declined, but much more slowly than those receiving a placebo, investigators say.