NYT > Science

1. Arsenic Preserved the Animals, But Killed the Museum
   A popular taxidermy exhibit in Sioux Falls, S.D., was closed after the toxin was discovered laced throughout the specimens. Many lament the loss of the “works of art.”
2. India’s Moon Lander Misses Wake-Up Call After Successful Mission
   The Chandrayaan-3 mission did what it set out to do, but its lander and rover could not be roused after entering the cold lunar darkness two weeks ago.
3. Brainless Jellyfish Demonstrate Learning Ability
   Because box jellyfish are so distantly related to other animals, the research findings could hint at how the ability to learn first evolved.
4. This Tiny Parasitic Wasp Can Drill Through Plastic
   In experiments under his microscope at home, a teenage researcher discovered a very unusual talent in a species of tiny insect that usually lays eggs on the inside of a tough plant growth.
5. Ancient Logs Offer Earliest Example of Human Woodworking
   Scientists have unearthed logs in Africa that are nearly a half-million years old, the remnants of large wooden structures crafted by our early ancestors.
6. What James Cameron Wants to Bring Up From the Titanic
   Preservationists such as Robert D. Ballard have long clashed with salvors such as Paul-Henri Nargeolet, who died in June on the Titan submersible. Is a third way possible?
7. Astronaut Ready for Silence After Record-Setting Full Year in Space
   Last week, Frank Rubio broke the record for the longest continuous spaceflight by a U.S. astronaut. He was supposed to be away for only six months.
8. Pink Diamonds Emerged Out of One of Earth’s Most Ancient Breakups
   Australian researchers said the colorful gems of the Argyle mine, which produced more than 90 percent of the world’s pink stones, may have erupted when a supercontinent split.
9. A Vanishing Nomadic Clan, With a Songlike Language All Their Own
   New genetic research confirms the oral history of a small group of nomadic people living in Indonesia’s rainforest.
10. In Hospitals, Viruses Are Everywhere. Masks Are Not.
    Amid an uptick in Covid infections, administrators, staff and patients are divided over the need for masks in health care settings.
11. Ancient Arrow Is Among Artifacts to Emerge From Norway’s Melting Ice
    As the earth warms, glacial archaeologists are in a race against time to preserve objects before they are destroyed by the elements. Recent field work yielded a surprisingly intact 3,000-year-old arrow.
12. Genetically Modified Pig’s Heart Is Transplanted Into a Second Patient
    The first patient to receive such an organ died after two months. “At least now I have hope,” the second recipient said before the surgery.
13. Arctic Sea Ice Hits Its Annual Low
    Each September, the ice at the top of the world hits its lowest extent of the year. Researchers are studying how a warming climate is affecting a not-so-frozen ocean.
14. Nearly 500,000 in U.S. Will Regain Medicaid Coverage After State Errors
    Low-income people who wrongly lost Medicaid or Children’s Health Insurance Program coverage will keep their insurance, federal officials said.
15. Advances in Eye Scans and Protein Structure Win 2023 Lasker Awards
    This year’s awards were given to scientists who helped doctors see the retina and used artificial intelligence to predict the shapes of cellular proteins.
16. ‘Only God Can Thank You’: Female Health Workers Fight to Be Paid
    Community health workers put in long hours to protect people in developing countries from diseases such as malaria, Covid-19 and H.I.V. But most are compensated minimally, or not paid at all.
17. We Asked Readers to Spend the Summer Watching Birds. Here’s What Happened.
    Thousands of people from around the world responded to the invitation, sharing their sightings with scientists at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
18. The Reach of Wildfire Smoke Is Going Global and Undoing Progress on Clean Air
    In the United States, smoke from wildfires is undoing progress from the Clean Air Act. In poorer countries, the situation is even worse.
19. Warming Oceans May Raise Risk of Bacterial Infections
    As oceans warm, pathogenic bacteria are turning up more frequently in northern regions, scientists say.
20. The Animals Are Talking. What Does It Mean?
    Language was long understood as a human-only affair. New research suggests that isn’t so.
21. Block Island’s Nature Preserves Offer Solitude and Wildlife
    On Block Island, a tiny dot off the New England coast, birders and other nature lovers can find beauty and solitude in 2,500 acres of ponds, dunes and marshes.
22. A Top New York Hospital, an Unapproved Treatment and an F.D.A. Warning
    A product made from umbilical cord blood was used in spine surgeries at a Manhattan hospital. After a federal warning came an internal complaint: Patients should have been told.
23. You May Have This Blobby Animal to Thank for Your Nervous System
    Researchers propose that placozoans, one of the simplest kinds of animals, may contain the blueprint for the neurons of more complex creatures.
24. Why Miró’s Yellows Have Lost Their Brilliance
    Researchers discovered that a particular brand of paint favored by the Spanish artist had an atomic structure that predisposed it to degradation.
25. How to Tell if Your A.I. is Conscious
    In a new report, scientists offer a list of measurable qualities that might indicate the presence of some presence in a machine.
26. Climate Protesters March on New York, Calling for End to Fossil Fuels
    Ahead of U.N. meetings this week, thousands gathered in Midtown to demand that President Biden and other world leaders stop new oil and gas drilling.