NYT > Science

1. Fossilized Fish Reveal Earliest Known Prequel of ‘Jaws’
   In two deposits in China, paleontologists dug up remains that suggest jawed fish are tens of millions of years older than previously known.
2. Photos Show NASA’s DART Spacecraft Crashing Into Asteroid
   Astronomers on Earth — and a shoebox-size Italian spacecraft called LICIACube — captured the DART mission’s successful strike on Dimorphos.
3. How About Them Apples? Research Orchards Chart a Fruit’s Future.
   Scientists working in research groves, like one in Nova Scotia, are developing your favorite new apple variety.
4. NASA Smashes Into an Asteroid, Completing a Mission to Save a Future Day
   The DART spacecraft completed its 10-month journey to demonstrate a technique that could defend the planet from deadly space rocks in the future.
5. 3 Chimpanzees Kidnapped for Ransom From Congo Sanctuary
   In a country where wildlife trafficking already runs rampant, conservationists fear that ransoming of animals may become a common tactic used by criminals.
6. Shy Raccoons Are Better Learners Than Bold Ones, Study Finds
   Wildlife management strategies focused on aggressive raccoons may be inadvertently boosting the proportion of more clever ones in cities.
7. See Images of Neptune Come Into Focus With Webb Telescope
   New images from the space-based observatory offer a novel view of the planet in infrared.
8. The Number of Ants Worldwide Reaches Into the Quadrillions
   There are 20 quadrillion ants worldwide, according to a new census, or 2.5 million for every living human. There are probably even more than that.
9. Saving Whales From Ship Collisions With Warnings and Letter Grades
   Four whales have died near San Francisco this year after ships crashed into them, and scientists hope to drive that number to zero with new technology.
10. Lasker Award Honors Development of Noninvasive Prenatal DNA Test
    The prestigious medical prizes also recognized the creator of a global Covid dashboard and discoveries of proteins and cell bindings to fight disease.
11. The Long Road to Driverless Trucks
    Self-driving eighteen-wheelers are now on highways in states like California and Texas. But there are still human “safety drivers” behind the wheel. What will it take to get them out?
12. Alzheimer’s Drug Slows Cognitive Decline in Key Study
    Biogen and Eisai reported the finding from a large late-stage clinical trial of lecanemab, a drug they are developing.
13. A New Shot Guards Against H.I.V., but Access for Africans Is Uncertain
    An injection every two months rather than a daily pill could shield many more women from the virus, but it is unavailable in places that need it most.
14. Hurricane Ian Could Gain Strength Rapidly. Here’s Why.
    Storms that intensify quickly and unpredictably present a big problem for public safety officials, who have less time to assess threats.
15. Monkeypox Appears to Recede, but Risks and Uncertainties Linger
    Scientists do not yet know how well the vaccine and the drug used to treat the infection are working. Two new trials will provide answers.
16. More Trans Teens Are Choosing ‘Top Surgery’
    Small studies suggest that breast removal surgery improves transgender teenagers’ well-being, but data is sparse. Some state leaders oppose such procedures for minors.
17. NASA Is About to Crash Into an Asteroid. Here’s How to Watch.
    The DART mission has been flying to its target since launching last year. On Monday night, it will connect.
18. E.P.A. Will Make Racial Equality a Bigger Factor in Environmental Rules
    The agency is creating an office of environmental justice to address the disproportionate harm that climate change has caused in low-income areas and communities of color.
19. How a Hospital Chain Used a Poor Neighborhood to Turn Huge Profits
    Bon Secours Mercy Health, a major nonprofit health system, used the poverty of Richmond Community Hospital’s patients to tap into a lucrative federal drug program.
20. Arbitration Has Come to Senior Living. You Don’t Have to Sign Up.
    In the blizzard of paperwork needed to get into a nursing home or assisted living, some residents unwittingly surrender the right to a day in court.
21. More Than 700 Children Have Died in a Measles Outbreak in Zimbabwe
    It is driven by a decline in child immunization during the pandemic and the influence of an anti-vaccination evangelical church.
22. ‘Sobering’ Study Shows Challenges of Egg Freezing
    Data from a fertility center showed many women did not get pregnant because of the age at which they froze their eggs and because they did not preserve enough of them.
23. Maarten Schmidt, First Astronomer to Identify a Quasar, Dies at 92
    His 1963 breakthrough revealed one of the furthest objects from Earth and opened new questions about the evolution of the universe.
24. Why Omicron Might Stick Around
    Omicron, the 13th named variant of the coronavirus, seems to have a remarkable capacity to evolve new tricks.