NYT > Science

1. Scientists React to the Lab-Made, Yet Lifelike, SpudCell
   This cell-like structure can grow, feed, divide and compete. Researchers ponder what it means for the future of synthetic biology and our definition of “life.”
2. How to Make a Time Capsule That Will Last 250 Years
   The America250 time capsule will hold dozens of historical treasures. Avoiding dampness and other dangers requires lots of engineering.
3. Cheating Chickadees Are Seduced by Smarts
   Female mountain chickadees are loyal to their mates, unless a smarter suitor comes along.
4. Curiosity, Perseverance and Now Promise? NASA May Send a Mars Rover to the Moon.
   As part of plans to establish a lunar base, the space agency may send to the moon a spare test version of the rover — as well as a soccer ball.
5. The Vera Rubin Telescope Begins Surveying Our Cosmos
   The Vera C. Rubin Observatory is beginning the widest, deepest survey yet of the southern sky.
6. NASA Aims to Catch a Falling Space Telescope and Push It Back Up
   Without a rescue mission, NASA’s Swift Observatory, which studies some of the most powerful explosions in the universe, will burn up in the atmosphere within a few months.
7. Turtles Are Really Weird Animals. Where Did They Come From?
   The origin of turtles has puzzled scientists. A new study provides more evidence that these shelled reptiles share a common ancestor with crocodiles and birds.
8. This Trap Wants Ants to Take a Bite
   Named for an ancient Roman crossbow-like weapon, the newly found “ballista” spider uses a springy snare to catch prey.
9. Deadly MV Hondius Hantavirus Outbreak Is Over, W.H.O. Says
   The rodent-borne virus, which sickened passengers on the MV Hondius, killed three people, led to a race to find its origin and a global health alert.
10. See How Europe’s Heat Waves Melted the Alps’ Glaciers
    The snowfall from last winter disappeared a month sooner than usual, after two early hot spells. Huge volumes of exposed ice are now starting to vanish.
11. Trump Administration Delivers Lucrative Win for Its Kratom Allies
    In moving to ban a potent synthetic version of kratom, the president’s team paved the way for more sales for makers of rival botanic supplements, who had aggressively lobbied for the change.
12. U.S. to Overhaul Radiation Safety Rules to Spur Nuclear Expansion
    The Nuclear Regulatory Commission plans to end longstanding guidance that radiation exposure be “as low as reasonably achievable.”
13. SpudCell: Scientists Made a Cell With Most of the Hallmarks of Life. Here’s What to Know.
    From why it was created to whether it’s alive, here’s what to know about SpudCell, the latest advance in synthetic biology.
14. States Sue Trump Administration Over Medicaid Work Requirements
    The lawsuit argues that new federal rules went beyond what Congress enacted and broke from guidance that the federal government previewed to states.
15. N.I.H. Announces World’s Largest Integrated Health Database
    It contains more than half a million people’s genomes, paired with clinical records and wearable tech data. That gives researchers unmatched power to study both diseases and treatments.
16. Another Trump Administration Payment to Stop Offshore Wind Farm
    It was the fourth such deal struck by the administration to get companies to forfeit their offshore wind leases.
17. Richard Scolyer, Cancer Expert Who ‘Became His Own Subject,’ Dies at 59
    His lifesaving melanoma research in Australia illuminated the treatment he underwent for his own brain tumor, an ordeal he courageously shared with the public.
18. Gregg Phillips Leaving FEMA
    Gregg Phillips was in charge of the emergency response agency’s largest division and had come under scrutiny for a series of bizarre claims.
19. Oil Industry Lawyers Fight a $50 Billion Climate Case in Oregon
    The lawsuit aims to hold fossil fuel companies responsible for a heat wave in Portland five years ago. The industry says the case should be thrown out.
20. How a Bird’s Habitat Can Change Its Song
    For the Bachman’s sparrow, whether a song is passed to the next generation could depend, in part, on the wind and trees.