NYT > Science

1. How Did Birds First Take Off?
   It took 150 million years for feathered dinosaurs to master flight and become the birds we see overhead today.
2. With a New, Improved ‘Einstein,’ Puzzlers Settle a Math Problem
   Earlier this spring, tiling aficionados thought maybe they’d found the shape of their dreams. Now they’re certain.
3. Boeing and NASA Delay Launch of Starliner Over Parachutes and Wiring
   The Starliner capsule was poised to fly people to orbit in July for the first time. But reviews found problems with its parachutes and its wiring.
4. Flattened Ichthyosaur Fossil Gets New Life With X-ray Vision
   Scientists were able to unlock the identity of an ichthyosaur that had been reduced to a two-dimension jumble of bones.
5. Alli Smith, of the Cornell Ornithology Laboratory, offers beginner tips for exploring the wide world of birds.
   Alli Smith, of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, offers beginner tips for exploring the wide world of birds.
6. NASA UFO Panels Says It’s Pushing U.S. To Collect Better Data
   A task force has not found any evidence that unidentified anomalous phenomena represent signs of extraterrestrial visits.
7. Would Large Language Models Be Better If They Weren’t So Large?
   Teaching fewer words to large language models might help them sound more human.
8. MBR Explorer: UAE Plans Space Mission to Explore Asteroid Belt
   After a successful mission to Mars, the Emirati space agency is planning a tour of the debris field between Mars and Jupiter, with a focus on one of its most intriguing objects.
9. Biden Administration Bans Oil and Gas Drilling Around Chaco Canyon
   The Interior Department will withdraw public lands around Chaco Canyon from new oil and gas leasing for 20 years.
10. 2 Dead Humpback Whales Seen Floating Off Coast of New York
    The animals, observed floating off Long Island and Staten Island this week, were the latest casualties of a species that faces many threats.
11. Sparrows Are the Main Suspects in a Bird-Nest Murder
    A nest was assaulted. Was it the cowbird or the sparrow?
12. Biden Is Said to Pick Mandy Cohen to Lead C.D.C.
    The president’s choice for the job, Dr. Mandy Cohen, would replace Dr. Rochelle Walensky, who is stepping down at the end of the month.
13. Arizona Limits Construction Around Phoenix as Its Water Supply Dwindles
    In what could be a glimpse of the future as climate change batters the West, officials ruled there’s not enough groundwater for projects already approved.
14. Allina Health System in Minnesota Cuts Off Patients With Medical Debt
    Doctors at the Allina Health System, a wealthy nonprofit in the Midwest, aren’t allowed to see poor patients or children with too many unpaid medical bills.
15. No One Knows How Many L.G.B.T.Q. Americans Die by Suicide
    Death investigators in Utah are among a handful of groups trying to learn how many gay and transgender people die by suicide in the United States.
16. An Appeals Court Gave the Sacklers Legal Immunity. Here’s What the Ruling Means.
    In return for the shield, the billionaire owners of Purdue Pharma are committed to paying up to $6 billion to help compensate communities and individuals for the ravages of the opioid epidemic.
17. FDA Approves Pfizer’s RSV Vaccine for Adults 60 and Older
    Though agency advisers had some safety concerns, the Pfizer shot is expected to be available before the winter R.S.V. season.
18. Sick Workers Tied to 40% of Food Poisoning Outbreaks, C.D.C. Says
    To combat outbreaks at restaurants and other dining establishments, policies that support sick workers, including paid leave, may be needed, the agency said in a report this week.
19. How to Lower Deaths Among Women? Give Away Cash.
    Mortality rates fell by 20 percent among women in countries that began cash transfer programs to the poor. Children also benefited.
20. Honeybee Swarms Darken U.K. Skies, Sending Beekeepers Scrambling
    It’s swarming season in Britain, with honeybee colonies splitting in half in search of new homes. This year, beekeepers say they are getting an unusually high number of swarm sightings.
21. Honoring the Body Donors Who Are a Medical Student’s ‘First Patient’
    Gratitude ceremonies give students and faculty members a chance to recognize the sacrifice of those who gave their bodies for medical research and education, and the loved ones they left behind.
22. State Farm Stops Offering Insurance in California
    The largest insurer in California said it would stop offering new coverage. It’s part of a broader trend of companies pulling back from dangerous areas.
23. Brian Shul Dies at 75; Fighter Pilot Who Flew World’s Fastest Plane
    He was near death after his plane was shot down in the Vietnam War but survived to fly the world’s fastest and highest-altitude jet.
24. Sacklers Can Be Shielded From Opioid Liability, Appeals Court Rules
    The decision gives the Purdue Pharma owners long-sought protection, but it is a major step toward releasing billions of dollars from their fortune to states and communities to help cope with the costs of addiction.
25. Debt Deal Includes a Green Light for a Contentious Pipeline
    Climate activists are livid over a provision in the debt limit agreement that orders federal agencies to issue permits for the Mountain Valley Pipeline — and says courts can’t review them.
26. How Harmful Are Gas Stove Pollutants, Really?
    Scientists are lugging sophisticated sensors into homes in 10 cities to measure and track the pollution from gas stoves as it drifts from room to room.
27. To Prevent Heart Attacks, Doctors Try a New Genetic Test
    Polygenic risk scores could help patients, including younger ones, understand whether they really need early treatment for heart disease.
28. Ian Hacking, Eminent Philosopher of Science and Much Else, Dies at 87
    Never limited by categories, his free-ranging intellect delved into physics, probability and anthropology, establishing him as a major thinker.
29. Richard Revesz and His Agency Are Remaking the Pollution Fight
    Richard Revesz is changing the way the government calculates the cost and benefits of regulation, with far-reaching implications for climate change.
30. Maternity’s Most Dangerous Time: After New Mothers Come Home
    Recent research shows that most pregnancy-related deaths occur in the year after a baby is born. The discovery is changing how doctors care for new mothers.
31. Complications After Delivery: What Women Need to Know
    New mothers are at risk for up to a year, research has shown. But the first six weeks are the most perilous.