NYT > Science

1. NASA’s Asteroid-Smashing DART Mission Sped Up Space Rock’s Orbit Around the Sun
   New data about the DART spacecraft’s effects adds evidence that Earth could be defended from future deadly asteroids by diverting their orbits.
2. You’ve Never Seen Ants Like This Before
   The Antscan database captures the tiny insects’ diversity and shows how the world’s living things could be rendered in three dimensions.
3. Tree Rings Reveal Origins of Some of the World’s Best Violins
   A study of over 275 violins suggests that Antonio Stradivari used wood from high-altitude forests in northern Italy to craft some of his most renowned instruments.
4. Chimpanzees Are Really Into Crystals
   In an attempt to understand our own fascination with the shiny minerals, researchers gave some to chimps.
5. From Endangered Plants Come Whiffs of Inspiration
   How scientists, conservationists and the fragrance industry are working to revive extinct scents and perpetuate threatened ones.
6. Superfood Fuels Mating Frenzy for Critically Endangered Kakapo
   Kakapos, which are reclusive and flightless and can live as long as humans, are found only in New Zealand. They feed on the fruit of the rimu tree.
7. Experiment Shows Possibility of Martian Microbes Hitching a Ride to Earth
   Hardy bacteria in a lab survived pressures comparable to an asteroid strike on the red planet, suggesting a hypothetical scenario in which our planet was seeded with life.
8. Your Closest Forest Gets Lit Up by a Hidden Purple Glow
   Research shows that a phenomenon called St. Elmo’s Fire, which occurs during thunderstorms, may be much more common than previously understood.
9. NASA Shakes Up Artemis Schedule, Aiming for 2 Moon Landings in 2028
   A “back to basics” approach resembles the Apollo program of the 1960s, with more missions launching more often. NASA officials said that it would be safer and faster.
10. Lemurs Love This Fruit That Is Choking Madagascar’s Forests
    The strawberry guava, one of the world’s worst invasive species, hinders forest restoration on the island while feeding its famous endangered primates.
11. For These Design Materials, It’s Goodbye and Good Riddance
    Not all acts of extinction are to be regretted.
12. Divisive F.D.A. Vaccine Regulator Is Resigning
    Dr. Vinay Prasad drew criticism for overriding career scientists and rejecting drugs by companies seeking agency approval.
13. From 1983: Lise Meitner, Physicist, Is Dead at 89; Paved Way for Splitting of Atom
    She laid much of the theoretical groundwork for the atomic bomb, although she did not participate directly in its production.
14. From 2000: Hedy Lamarr, Sultry Star Who Reigned in Hollywood
    A temptress on the silver screen in the 1930s and ’40s, she later became an inventor.
15. Fewer Pregnant Women Received Acetaminophen in E.R.s After White House Warnings
    A new analysis of prescription data found that emergency room orders for acetaminophen for pregnant women fell for weeks after the federal warning.
16. Feeling the Effects of 260,000 Federal Jobs Lost
    One year in, assessing budget cuts to federal climate and science jobs.
17. Nature Report, Killed by Trump, Is Released Independently
    A draft assessment of the health of nature in the United States is grim but shot through with bright spots and possibility.
18. Should New York City Burn Its Parks? This Scientist Thinks So.
    An unusual outbreak of wildfires in city parks gave scientists a chance to study these rare events. Now they’re coming to different conclusions.
19. F.D.A. Faces Upset Over Denials of New Drugs
    Agency officials promise fast reviews of new treatments while vowing they will not be a “rubber stamp” for the industry. But patients with rare diseases view recent decisions as signs that the doors are closing on their options.
20. Trump’s High-Profile Oil and Gas Lease Sale in Alaska Has No Takers
    No companies bid for the chance to drill in more than 1 million acres of water off Alaska’s Cook Inlet, the Interior Department said Wednesday.
21. Most Patients Keep Weight Off With Fewer GLP-1 Shots, Study Finds
    In a recent review, a small group of patients received the injections less frequently but still maintained weight loss and health benefits.
22. Why Data Center Firms Are Working With Trump on Energy Costs
    The White House has floated a new plan to try to ease voter concerns over the A.I. boom’s effect on electric bills. But it won’t be easy to put into practice.
23. TerraPower Nuclear Reactor in Wyoming Gets Federal Permit
    TerraPower’s project in Wyoming, which uses novel technology, is the first new commercial reactor to receive federal approval in nearly a decade.
24. Sea Levels Are Already Higher Than Many Scientists Think, New Study Shows
    Researchers found that a majority of studies on coastal sea levels underestimated how high water levels are, and hundreds of millions of people are closer to peril than previously thought.
25. Kristi Noem Review Delayed FEMA Aid by Weeks, Senate Finds
    A report by Senate Democrats found that scrutiny of large FEMA expenditures slowed housing and employment assistance for victims of fires and storms.
26. A Critical Nuclear Site in Iran Is Spared During U.S.-Israeli Airstrikes, for Now
    The Isfahan facility, suspected of storing a cache of enriched uranium, was smashed during the 12-day campaign last June.
27. Potomac River Reopens for Some Uses After Sewer Collapse
    Contamination levels in the waterway have declined, but health advisories remain in place for boaters downstream.
28. A Danish Program Takes On the Stigma of Mental Illness
    One of Us, run by Denmark’s health ministry, works with people with mental health conditions to share their stories in schools, hospitals and police stations, helping turn fear into understanding.
29. As Kennedy Turns From Vaccines, MAHA Allies See a ‘Betrayal’
    As the midterm elections approach, the health secretary is focusing on “real food.” Anger is rising among some of his supporters.
30. Scientists Decry ‘Political Attack’ on the Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence
    More than two dozen contributors to the manual criticized the deletion of a chapter on climate science by the Federal Judicial Center.
31. Photos: Blood Moon Total Lunar Eclipse 2026
    Earth’s shadow temporarily draped the moon in a copper hue before sunrise on Tuesday.
32. How the Psychedelic Drug Ibogaine Changed Me Forever
    Veterans and others who have suffered trauma and injuries are flocking to clinics around the world to take ibogaine. My own reason was deeply personal.