NYT > Science

1. NASA’s Hubble Telescope Spots Comet K1 Exploding Into Fragments
   In a stroke of luck, astronomers saw the comet C/2025 K1 (ATLAS) break into four or five fragments in November after it passed close to the sun.
2. Why Some Birds Seem to Be Developing a Cigarette Habit
   Research from Poland adds to evidence from Latin American countries that compounds in used cigarette butts ward off parasites in bird nests.
3. 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.
4. How To Bring a Bird’s Song Back from the Edge of Extinction
   In a new study, wild regent honeyeaters became vocal tutors, teaching their disappearing song to birds in a captive breeding program.
5. Spaceflight Started 100 Years Ago in a Massachusetts Cabbage Patch
   Before humanity sent satellites, telescopes, humans and weapons into space, Robert Goddard experimented with the first liquid-fueled rocket on his aunt’s farm.
6. NASA Says Artemis II Moon Launch Is On Track for April 1
   After postponing launch opportunities in February and March, the agency determined that four astronauts could proceed toward the first crewed lunar journey in more than 50 years.
7. A Meteor Streaks Across the U.S. and Rattles Ohio With an Explosive Boom
   NASA confirmed that the loud boom heard and felt by people in northern Ohio was indeed caused by a meteor.
8. Space Jam: NASA’s MADCAP Team Directs Traffic at the Moon
   A “red alert” involving the private Blue Ghost mission in lunar orbit a year ago highlights a growing number of incidents above Earth’s neighbor.
9. In Criminal Cases, Moss Is Often Underfoot and Overlooked
   A group of scientists and law enforcement officials are pointing to the role moss can play to help solve crimes.
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. 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.
13. FEMA Will Relaunch Climate Resiliency Grants
    A judge ruled in December that the agency could not cancel a program that had helped states invest billions of dollars in disaster readiness.
14. James Barnard, a Global Force in Wastewater Treatment, Dies at 90
    An environmental engineer, he invented a biological method to remove nitrogen and phosphorous from wastewater, an advance that transformed the industry worldwide.
15. As a Meningitis Outbreak Spreads in Kent, UK, Here’s What to Know
    At least 20 young adults are believed to be infected, and two have died, in an outbreak of meningococcal disease in the county of Kent, in southeast England.
16. Women Who Undergo Menopause Before 40 Face Higher Heart Attack Risk
    A new study found that women who went through so-called premature menopause had 40 percent more fatal and nonfatal heart attacks over the course of their lives.
17. Democrats Hammer Trump on ‘Energy Affordability’
    A new Senate report argues the Trump administration has also pushed costs up by stifling clean energy.
18. An ‘Unprecedented’ Outbreak of Meningitis Raises Alarm in Britain
    Two people have died in an outbreak of meningococcal disease. Many cases were traced to a nightclub in Canterbury that is popular with students at the University of Kent.
19. Judge Strikes Down RFK Jr.’s Vaccine Policies in Blow to Trump’s Health Agenda
    Ruling on a lawsuit brought by several prominent medical organizations, a district court said the federal government had not based its decisions on science in limiting Covid shots and revising the childhood immunization schedule.
20. Administration to Convene ‘God Squad’ With Power to Override Environmental Law
    The meeting, planned for this month, will focus on oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.
21. No H.I.V. Aid Without More Access to Minerals: U.S. Ponders ‘Sticks’ Against Zambia
    A draft State Department memo outlines ways the Trump administration may ratchet up pressure on the African country by ending health support “on a massive scale.”
22. What Displays Get Scrapped at America’s Parks? It Looks Like Anyone’s Guess.
    President Trump ordered officials to remove information deemed disparaging to the United States. A review of government documents shows little guidance and striking inconsistencies.
23. In Ski Towns, a Bad Snow Year Is Worsening Wildfire Fears
    A record-breaking snow drought has residents worried about much more than slushy slopes.
24. Iceland’s Chief ‘Lava Cooler’ Is Bracing for the Next Volcanic Eruption
    Helgi Hjorleifsson, a firefighter, is a leader in a national experiment to steer rivers of lava away from important sites. Some called it crazy, but it worked.
25. ‘How Low Can You Go?’ The Shifting Guidelines for Blood Pressure Control
    The number doctors use to demarcate hypertension keeps going down, a trend applauded by many experts, who point to studies linking high blood pressure and dementia.
26. How My Trip to Antarctica Unlocked a Family Discovery
    An eight-week voyage to the bottom of the Earth helped the photojournalist Chang W. Lee better understand his late father.
27. Earlier Cholesterol Testing Can Reduce Heart Attacks and Strokes, New Guideline Says
    Eleven medical organizations advised changes to preventive cardiac care that it says could markedly reduce heart attacks and strokes.
28. E.P.A. Moves to Weaken Limits on Ethylene Oxide
    The gas, ethylene oxide, plays a crucial role in sterilizing medical devices. But long-term exposure is linked to several types of cancer and other ailments.
29. Trump Administration Readies Plans to Dismantle NCAR Research Lab
    Proposals include transferring a supercomputer to the University of Wyoming and shifting a space weather lab to a private company.
30. A New Lifeline Helps Inmates Transition to Life Outside the Bars
    Medicaid is now paying for health care in jails and prisons, helping smooth inmates’ return to the community. Corrections and law enforcement officials say they’re all for it.
31. Palisades Fire Recovery Tests L.A.’s Ability to Invest in Resilience
    Palisades fire victims want to raise money for disaster hardening. Their idea could be a model — if it can get past L.A.’s most vexing housing problems.
32. His Harvard Lab Was Thriving. Then Came the Cuts.
    Will Mair, who studies aging, lost almost all his research funds when the White House cracked down on Harvard. He was wholly unprepared for the upheaval that followed.
33. Flowers Are Blooming in California’s Death Valley
    Visitors are flocking to see a bonanza of wildflowers that has transformed this barren desert.
34. Trump Administration Sues California Over Tailpipe Emissions Limits
    A lawsuit argues that the state’s regulations would illegally force a rapid transition to electric vehicles.