NYT > Science

1. Creating a Kill Switch to Shut Down a Rogue A.I. Is Harder Than It Sounds
   A bipartisan group in Congress and Gov. Gavin Newsom of California have floated ideas for building a mechanism that would instantly power down an A.I. system. Only no one really knows how.
2. Two Centuries On, Smithsonian Connects Jefferson’s Hair to Hemings’s Children
   A new book describes how cutting-edge genomics techniques yielded “extraordinary proof” that Thomas Jefferson fathered children with Sally Hemings.
3. New Species of Cat Discovered for First Time in a Century
   The species, called a tilcayo, is smaller than a house cat and lives in the cloud forests of the Andes Mountains in Bolivia.
4. Will A.I. Kill Us? Can It Hack My Bank Account? Your A.I. Questions Answered
   Nearly 1,000 readers sent us their questions about artificial intelligence, its potential and its potential risks.
5. NASA Telescope Helps Scientists Find a New Type of X-ray Object
   The discovery of “hypersoft” X-ray beacons could help solve some mysteries about the universe.
6. This Rare Gene Drastically Raises Lung Cancer Risk in People Who Never Smoked
   The gene is found predominantly in Southern Appalachia and may be one of the most powerful cancer-risk mutations ever found.
7. What Happens When A.I. Stops Doing What Humans Want?
   “Alignment” is the science of teaching A.I. to do what is in line with human preferences, ethics and judgment. But, at times, the systems have gone rogue.
8. The Next Gene-Editing Technology May Also Be the Oldest
   Scientists have discovered a powerful gene-targeting system in viruses. Billions of years old, VIPR seems to predate CRISPR and may be even more effective.
9. A Feather Found in Dinosaur Poop Might Explain How Birds Beat Extinction
   It’s the only example of a dinosaur-era feather found within rock that wasn’t completely flattened through the centuries.
10. How Trump Has Disrupted National Parks
    Maintenance projects have been put off around the country and resources diverted to the president’s favored projects in Washington.
11. Video Shows a San Diego Dog Seeming to Greet an Intruder. Why Didn’t He Bark?
    Dog behavior experts offered a variety of explanations for why Nash the golden retriever wagged his tail and carried a toy near a man who broke into his owner’s home.
12. Toxic Fracking Waste Becoming a Political Issue in Ohio
    The Democratic candidate for governor backed restrictions on disposal of fracking wastewater around a hard-hit town, and called for a “thorough investigation” of the dangers.
13. Scientists Overhaul Giant Particle Collider in Search of Universe’s Hidden Building Blocks
    The European Organization for Nuclear Research, or CERN, will dismantle the Large Hadron Collider, which helped discover the so-called God Particle, in order to build a more powerful particle accelerator.
14. Human-Caused Warming Played ‘Very Strong’ Role in Himalayan Floods, Report Finds
    Rising temperatures contributed to the disaster by destabilizing the permafrost and ice around the collapsed rock, scientists concluded.
15. Trump Administration Moves to Gut a Core Endangered Species Protection
    An internal memo reinterprets the law so that only the intentional killing of animals, not collateral harm, is illegal.
16. Fiji Declares a National Emergency as H.I.V. Cases Skyrocket
    Surging drug use has contributed to an epidemic in the Pacific island nation, where one in 60 adults is estimated to be living with the virus.
17. Microscopic Videos That Show the Invisible Wonders Around Us
    The winners of this year’s Nikon Small World in Motion competition showcase the wiggly, feathery, undulating beauty of invisible life.
18. T. Rex, King of the Dinosaurs, Had a Body Temperature of 97 Degrees
    Hotter than a crocodile, cooler than a chicken, T. Rex was definitely warm-blooded, according to a new study.
19. Massive Black Holes May Have Started as Little Red Dots
    A new simulation suggests little red dots, unusually compact objects seen in photos from space, might be one stage in the evolution of black holes.
20. Rising Seas Are Gobbling Up Beaches Around the World. A.I. Might Restore Them.
    An experiment with roots at M.I.T. used A.I. and satellite images to grow a coastline in the Maldives. More projects are planned for Boston and Miami.
21. These Mice Have Partly Human Brains
    The animals may help reveal the causes of brain disease in people and point the way to treatments. But researchers already are calling for new ethical guidelines.
22. The Liftoff Scenario That Terrifies A.I. Doomsayers
    “Recursive self-improvement” is the idea that artificial intelligence could learn to build and train itself, creating exponential new progress — and risk.
23. Mothers’ Intrusive Thoughts Are Mostly Benign. Lindsay Clancy’s Case Is an Exception.
    Experts say that after childbirth, intrusive thoughts are common and mostly benign. Lindsay Clancy’s story provides a disturbing exception.
24. Does This Bird’s Return to Britain Restore History or Rewrite It?
    Conservationists set up a colony of white storks in southern England, touching off a debate over whether they truly belong there.
25. Is There Anything Google’s Fruit Fly Brain Can’t Do?
    Models of the insect’s nervous system have been trained to solve a Rubik’s Cube, play video games and even parallel park a car.
26. A T. Rex Walked Here: Teacher Finds Rare Footprints in North Dakota
    Kent Hups, a high school science teacher in Colorado, discovered a 23-foot trackway of fossilized dinosaur footprints, which offer a glimpse of how the apex predator moved 66 million years ago.
27. Disaster Survivors Sticking Together
    We found grace, humanity and friendship in the stories of disparate Americans hit by climate chaos.
28. Harold Freeman, Who Helped Remove Barriers to Cancer Treatment, Dies at 93
    He developed a program that became a model for hospitals around the world, making it easier for poor Black patients to navigate an onerous bureaucratic system.
29. FEMA Could Still Lose More Jobs Despite Court Ruling
    A plan to halve the agency’s sprawling work force was illegal, a judge ruled. But the court is not blocking other FEMA cuts.
30. Exoplanets Offer Clues to What Lies Beyond Our Solar System
    Thousands of planets have been discovered beyond our solar system, offering clues to where life might thrive and whether Earth is truly unique.
31. U.S. Has Deployed Weapons in Space, Air Force Secretary Says
    Troy E. Meink’s comments were the first public acknowledgment of American weapons in orbit. The Pentagon has been preparing for potential conflict in space with Russia or China.
32. Whether Chemistry or the Cosmos, Always Looking at the Bigger Picture
    The Times’s Science section is introducing new columns, projects and more as part of its online relaunch.
33. Do You Have Questions About A.I.? We Want to Answer Them.
    The New York Times is soliciting readers’ questions about the dangers — and benefits — posed by artificial intelligence.
34. An Armadillo Arrives in … Ohio?
    Traditionally found in warm climates, like the American Southwest, armadillos have been migrating farther and farther north, researchers say.
35. Trump Administration Moves to Integrate A.I. Into Medical Care Despite Concerns
    Federal projects are rolling out A.I. agents that offer therapy and prescribe medicine, raising concerns about safety and the influence of venture capital investors.
36. A.I. Queries From Abroad Raise Fears of a Biological Weapons Race
    Today’s chatbots aren’t likely to help lone actors invent a deadly pathogen, experts say. But newer models, trained in biology, may need stronger safeguards.
37. Global Warming Will Breach the 1.5 Degree Celsius Limit. Now What?
    As global temperature increase shoots past 1.5 degrees Celsius, the vulnerable countries that fought for that Paris Agreement target face a brutal new reality.
38. A Teen Autopsy Marks the Arrival of a Deadly Drug in San Francisco
    City officials — and one determined mother — are working to stop the spread of cychlorphine, which is far more potent than fentanyl.
39. Most People Don’t Think About Culverts. Their Failure Can Be Deadly.
    Scientists simulated what happens when the pipes and tunnels that divert rainwater fail. In one scenario, 30 percent of local residents couldn’t reach an E.R.