NYT > Science

1. A Hacking Competition Shows the Power of China’s Approach to A.I.
   The winner of a cybersecurity contest prevailed by relying on an ‘open weight’ Chinese model — another sign that available A.I. systems could already be too powerful to easily regulate.
2. Scientists Untangle the Biology of an ‘Undruggable’ Cancer Gene
   Found in 70 percent of cancers, the gene is seen as a grand orchestrator but has been surprisingly difficult to stop.
3. How Did Christa Pike Survive Two Lethal Injections of Pentobarbital?
   A catheter carrying the drug may not have delivered the doses to Ms. Pike’s bloodstream, experts said. The drug itself may have been degraded.
4. Clues to Why a Breakthrough Pancreatic Cancer Drug Eventually Stops Working
   Researchers are asking why patients, like former Senator Ben Sasse, inevitably develop resistance to the drug daraxonrasib.
5. Cornell’s Jane Doe Said She Was Given Ketamine. Here’s How the Drug Works.
   Ketamine is a short-acting anesthetic that can have hallucinogenic effects. It is becoming more easily available, and some experts fear misuse is increasing.
6. New Cancer Drugs Are Revolutionary. Why Don’t More Patients Get Them?
   Targeted gene therapies are highly effective at stopping cancers, but the very abundance of the treatments, plus cost and sluggish change, are hindering access.
7. Ukrainian Science Academy, Struck by Drone, Played Key Role in Research
   Over 90 percent of Ukraine’s scientific discoveries have been attributed to Ukraine’s National Academy of Sciences, including advancements in astronomy and military technology.
8. Radio Waves Coming From an Alien Planet May Be a Cosmic First
   Beta Pictoris b appears to have an aurora caused by a powerful magnetic field. If confirmed, it would be the first such field known outside our solar system.
9. What If A.D.H.D. Isn’t About Attention at All?
   Evidence suggests that it really affects what psychiatrists like me call sustained engagement — an important difference in understanding how to think about the condition.
10. The MacArthur ‘Genius’ Studying Sea Ice Secrets
    A climate scientist was one of 20 recipients of a “no-strings-attached” $800,000 stipend.
11. Prosecutors Cannot Revive Reflecting Pool Case Against Ex-Olympian, Judge Rules
    A charge against David Hearn was dismissed “with prejudice” because of President Trump’s attempts to influence the case.
12. States Sue Over Trump’s Repeal of Climate Rules for Power Plants
    The mostly Democratic-led states say that the E.P.A. acted unlawfully when it erased Biden-era limits on carbon dioxide from coal- and gas-fired plants.
13. Viper Image That Caused Alarm in California Was A.I.-Generated
    A Gaboon viper, a venomous snake native to equatorial regions of Africa, was supposedly photographed in a tree in Santa Ana, Calif. How could that be? Well, it turns out it wasn’t.
14. See How El Niño Is Washing Ashore in California
    An enormous pulse of wave energy will soon reach Southern California and continue north, raising sea levels by half a foot and increasing threats from swells and tides.
15. Tennessee Valley Authority Gets Approval to Build Small Nuclear Reactor
    It’s only the second time that American regulators have approved a next-generation commercial reactor for construction. Big hurdles remain.
16. V.A. Institutes New Consent Requirements for Some Psychiatric Drugs
    Veterans under 30 will have to sign forms before being given antidepressants. Medical groups fear the moves may stigmatize mental health treatment.
17. Despite Setbacks, NASA Gives Boeing’s Starliner Spacecraft a Boost
    A previous mission left two astronauts stuck in space for months. Still, the space agency is investing $359 million to keep the craft flying.
18. The Coal Industry Asked for a Rescue. Trump Obliged.
    In a previously unreported letter, a top lobbyist floated the idea of using emergency powers to keep aging coal plants open.
19. Judge Blocks FEMA From Tying Antiterrorism Grants to Election Changes
    The Trump administration had threatened to withhold some Homeland Security money unless states explored paper balloting and citizenship verification.
20. Trump Sharply Scales Back Fuel Economy Rules for New Cars
    The move marked the final step in the administration’s efforts to dismantle policies aimed at speeding the shift to electric vehicles.
21. This Virus Stole a Human Gene and Won’t Let Go of It
    Scientists have found a human gene lurking in a virus that causes skin infections. It may be using our own DNA to infect us.
22. SpaceX’s Starship Makes It to Orbit for the First Time, but Returns to Earth Early
    The 14th test flight marks a crucial milestone toward the company’s ambitions of sending people to the moon and Mars, but it was not a complete success.
23. Did Anthropic’s A.I. Really Make a Scientific Discovery on Its Own?
    An expert at the University of Copenhagen said his team had been sharing its research with the company’s A.I. model, Claude, and that its new finding matched their work.
24. Dogs Will Fight Bears. But Not Because of the Reason You Might Think.
    Scientists analyzed hundreds of encounters between bears and canines. The results raise the suggestion that dogs may not always protect people in the wild.
25. How El Niño Is Shaping Storms on Two Sides of the U.S.
    Hurricanes near Hawaii. A nor’easter on the East Coast. The ocean phenomenon’s influence on storms around the country may just be getting started.
26. California Needs Water. El Niño Might Bring Too Much to Keep.
    The drought-stricken state has improved its ability to collect and store rainwater. But many gallons may still rush into the Pacific.
27. ‘Zombified’ C.D.C., Hobbled by Cuts, Struggles to Fulfill Scientific Mission
    The agency has lost its independence and nearly a third of its staff, as Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and associates have tightened control.
28. In an $80 Motel Room, a Discovery to Shed Light on the Origins of Life
    A scrappy science project led to a significant discovery: two new species of a rare organism that could elucidate a fundamental transition in the history of life on our planet.
29. Four Beluga Whales Die Weeks After Major Rescue Mission
    The belugas were among 30 whales transferred to aquariums in the United States and Spain from a closed marine attraction in Canada.
30. Byron Sher, Early Environmental Warrior in California, Dies at 98
    A congenial legislator with a professorial air, he won battles through charm, not pugilism, passing laws to protect drinking water, redwood forests and clean air.