NYT > Science

1. Brazilian Fossil Hints at Older Origin for All Dinosaurs
   The discovery may push back the emergence of the reptiles that once ruled the Earth, and clarify how dinosaurs like the Triceratops and Stegosaurus emerged.
2. Reinventing Concrete, the Ancient Roman Way
   By learning the secrets of 2,000-year-old cement, researchers are trying to devise greener, more durable modern options.
3. How Neanderthals and Other Early Humans Evolved to Eat Starch
   Two new studies found that ancient human ancestors carried a surprising diversity of genes for amylase, an enzyme that breaks down starch.
4. These Tiny Worms Account for at Least 4 Nobel Prizes
   A staple in laboratories worldwide, C. elegans is “an experimental dream,” said one scientist.
5. Parachutes Made of Mucus Change How Some Scientists See the Ocean
   With a new kind of microscope, researchers got a different view of how marine snow falls to the seafloor.
6. Sperm Can’t Unlock an Egg Without This Ancient Molecular Key
   Using Google’s AlphaFold, researchers identified the bundle of three sperm proteins that seem to make sexual reproduction possible.
7. Peru Pañamarca Archaeological Site Finds ‘Hall of the Braided Serpents’
   Archaeologists have unearthed a richly decorated throne room and a “Hall of the Braided Serpents” from the Moche culture, with clues that a woman may have ruled there more than 1,300 years ago.
8. Elon Musk’s Big Business and Conflicts of Interest With the U.S. Government
   Mr. Musk, who holds billions in federal contracts, wants to be in charge of the regulators that oversee him if Donald Trump wins.
9. Columbia Cancer Surgeon Notches 5 More Retractions for Suspicious Data
   Dr. Sam Yoon and a collaborator duplicated images across their research studies over many years. The collaborator has left Columbia.
10. Russia’s Warming Arctic Is a Climate Threat. War Has Shut Scientists Out of It.
    Climate science has been stymied as Russia continues its war in Ukraine. The stalled work threatens to leave the West without a clear picture of how fast the Earth is heating up.
11. Bruce Ames, 95, Dies; Biochemist Discovered Test for Toxic Chemicals
    The Ames Test offered a fast and inexpensive way to identify carcinogens, leading to the banning of chemicals linked to cancer and birth defects.
12. Andrew V. Schally, 97, Dies; Scientist Shared Nobel Glory With Rival
    His two-decade quest to find elusive brain hormones became a race against Roger Guillemin, a onetime colleague and an eventual fellow prizewinner.
13. First Sickle Cell Gene Therapy Patient, 12, Leaves Hospital
    After 44 days, Kendric Cromer, 12, left the hospital. While his family feels fortunate that he was the first to receive a treatment, their difficult experiences hint at what others will be up against.
14. States Revive Lawsuit to Sharply Curb Access to Abortion Pill
    The Supreme Court ruled in June that the original plaintiffs, anti-abortion doctors and groups, did not have standing to sue. Now three states are trying to continue the legal fight.
15. A Major Push to Protect Nature Is Happening Now
    Delegates from around the world are meeting in Colombia in what is expected to be the biggest U.N. biodiversity conference in history.
16. Tips to Reduce Halloween Waste
    We’ve got tips to make the holiday more sustainable, and maybe more fun, too.
17. In L.A., Street Psychiatrists Offer the Homeless a Radical Step Forward
    The crisis of homelessness is pushing American psychiatry to places it has not gone before — like sidewalk injections of antipsychotics.
18. Sammy Basso, Advocate for Progeria Research, Is Dead at 28
    One of about 150 people known to have a rare condition that causes rapid aging, he sought to raise awareness and participated in the search for a cure.
19. The Powerful Companies Driving Local Drugstores Out of Business
    The biggest pharmacy benefit managers are profiting by systematically underpaying independent drugstores, creating “pharmacy deserts” across the country.
20. Veterans Dept. Investigating Acadia Healthcare for Insurance Fraud
    Several federal agencies are investigating whether the large chain of psychiatric hospitals held patients without medical justification.
21. A ‘New Day’? Justices Step Back, Slightly, From an Aggressive Climate Stance.
    The Supreme Court’s decision to not temporarily block an E.P.A. rule this week signals ‘rising influence’ of Justice Barrett, one analyst said.
22. Orionids Meteor Shower: When and How to Watch Its Peak
    This event is linked to Halley’s comet, and occurs as another comet, Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, remains visible. But a nearly full moon could interfere with some views.
23. More Forests Are on Fire, a Big Risk in Climate Change Fight
    Carbon emissions from forest fires increased more than 60 percent globally over the past two decades, according to a new study.
24. Water Crises Threaten the World’s Food Supply, Studies Show
    Food production is concentrated in too few countries, many of which face water shortages, the researchers said.
25. Bumblebee Queens Prefer to Live in a Toxic Home
    In an elaborate experiment, scientists discovered that the insects chose to hibernate in soil full of pesticides and other poisons.
26. Plastics Are Turning Up in Dolphin Breath
    Researchers studying bottlenose dolphins found polyester and other plastics in every animal they tested.
27. Flying Into Storms Improves Forecasts, but It Is Rare in Asia’s Typhoon Alley
    While observational flights have improved forecasts for many storms in the Americas, such flights have been far fewer for storms that have hit Asia.
28. A Beloved Maple Tree Had to Come Down, But It Lives On
    A beloved sugar maple slowly succumbed to disease. Today, it lives on in a new form.
29. Prada and Axiom Space Unveil NASA Spacesuits in Unusual Partnership
    Prada and Axiom Space unveiled their NASA spacesuits, in the most far-out collaboration yet.
30. Global Electricity Demand Is Rising Faster Than Expected, I.E.A. Says
    A surge in power use worldwide could make it harder for nations to slash emissions and keep global warming in check.
31. Astronomers Find Evidence of an Exomoon Spewing a Volcanic Cloud
    Astronomers have yet to confirm the existence of exomoons, but a molecular signal around a far away star offers some of the best evidence yet.
32. Babcock Ranch in Florida Offered Shelter During Hurricane Milton
    On the west coast of Florida, a town built to weather hurricanes hosted more than 2,000 people during Hurricane Milton. Could communities like this help shape Florida’s future?