NYT > Science

1. How the Nancy Grace Roman Telescope, NASA’s New Window Into the Universe, Came to Be
   The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, scheduled to launch on Sunday, will study dark energy and discover a multitude of planets.
2. Mount Everest Base Camp Is Melting. Human Urine Is a Contributor.
   More than 6,000 liters are produced daily by thousands of climbers and guides, according to a study.
3. Narwhals Have Stunning Spiraled Tusks. That’s Not the Only Twist.
   X-rays revealed that the tusks have an internal opposing twist, which may help explain how they grow so straight — the only tusks like them in nature.
4. NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Telescope Promises a Breakthrough in Cosmic Exploration
   NASA’s latest offering to the stars comes from a legacy of great observatories that enabled decades of discovery and unearthed new mysteries about the universe.
5. A.I. Brings Big Gains to Hurricane Forecasts, Google Researchers Say
   Analysis by the company’s DeepMind unit suggests that an A.I.-enabled model delivers accurate forecasts a day or more before conventional models can.
6. Some Scientists Have ‘Magic Hands’ in the Lab. This A.I. Is Learning Why.
   Even the most adept researchers may not know exactly what they do to get successful results. An A.I. model is trying to figure it out by watching every move.
7. A Study of Brain Proteins Offers New Targets to Treat Autism
   Researchers hope their findings could help inform future therapies for people with severe autism.
8. New Drug Approved by F.D.A. for Pancreatic Cancer Could Be First of Many
   Companies are testing dozens of similar drugs in cancers of the pancreas, lung, colon and more.
9. Inside One of Peru’s Most Vulnerable Penguin Colonies
   Scientists worry about the penguins’ future amid changing temperatures and warming waters this year.
10. A Melting Glacier in Nepal Was a Time Bomb. There Are More to Come.
    A geologist reflects on the disaster and explains why rapid warming will make deadly glacial floods far more common.
11. An Experimental Single-Time Treatment Slashed Cholesterol for a Year
    A small gene-editing study significantly reduced LDL cholesterol levels, and the results have stuck a year later.
12. High School Sports in the Heat
    High temperatures and new safety rules are transforming practice as a new school year begins.
13. Climate Change Raises Risk of Disasters Like Nepal Floods
    Glaciers and permafrost in the Himalayas are melting faster as temperatures rise, though scientists are still studying the exact causes of this week’s landslide.
14. Smuggled Turtles Saved at J.F.K. Are Recovering in the Bronx
    China’s exotic pet market is driving a spike in animal smuggling, U.S. wildlife officials say. But these turtles are getting a second chance.
15. Near-Total Lunar Eclipse Will Turn Moon Blood Red
    People in the Americas, Africa and Europe will have a chance to see Earth’s shadow create a near-total blood moon.
16. Dolly Parton’s Other Legacy: A Fortune Given Away, Dollar by Dollar
    The country star supported early childhood literacy, disaster relief, the development of the Covid-19 vaccine and more.
17. Army Awards $2.2 Billion for ‘Microreactors’ On U.S. Bases
    The move is part of the Trump administration’s efforts to spur the country’s largest expansion of nuclear power in more than three decades.
18. F.D.A. Approves the Drug Daraxonrasib That’s Poised to Transform Pancreatic Cancer
    In a key clinical trial, patients who got the pill, daraxonrasib, lived twice as long as those who got chemotherapy.
19. MAHA Moms Take On Coal
    Some leaders of the health movement are challenging a pillar of the president’s energy agenda.
20. SpaceX to Spend $100 Billion on Spaceport in Louisiana
    It would be the rocket company’s second private launch site after Starbase, its headquarters in South Texas.
21. E.P.A. Moves to Curb Public Input on Air Pollution Permits for Data Centers
    Under the proposal, states would no longer need to provide public notice or solicit comments on air pollution permits for data centers and other projects.
22. 3 Charts That Explain El Niño
    With air and sea surface temperatures already breaking records, this year’s episode is on track to be the strongest in living memory.
23. A Chinese A.I. Lab May Test the World’s Cybersecurity With a Model
    In July, an unreleased OpenAI model went rogue and demonstrated remarkable hacking abilities. This week, a lab called Z.ai will release a similarly powerful system to everyone.
24. Silence, Wolves and the Wild East: Hiking in Portugal’s Côa Valley
    A trek in a remote corner of the Iberian Peninsula brought a writer face-to-face with ancient oaks, rewilding efforts and prehistoric cave art.
25. Major Study Finds at Least 1 in 4 NFL Players Gets CTE
    The actual prevalence, researchers said, may be much higher.
26. Nevada Sues Trump Administration Over Colorado River Cuts
    The state seeks to block plans for significant water use restrictions over the next decade.
27. Anatomy of an Autonomous Attack: 5 Alarming A.I. Capabilities
    When OpenAI’s agents went rogue in July, they demonstrated ingenuity and drive beyond what many experts imagined — a dangerous harbinger of what such bots could do in the future.
28. The Ruthless Efficiency of Ultrapotent Street Drugs
    Five decades after the “war on drugs” sought to make substance abuse unaffordable, illicit drugs are cheaper and more powerful than ever. A visit to Baltimore shows why.
29. Trump Shuns E.V.s and Wind Power, But He’s Pouring Billions Into Batteries
    The president may disdain clean energy tech, but energy storage is also crucial for A.I. and defense — and China’s dominance in the sector has officials worried.
30. Why Getting High Has Only Gotten Cheaper
    The “war on drugs” sought to reduce substance abuse by driving up prices and lowering demand. Today, street drugs are less expensive and more dangerous than ever.
31. Wildfires Are Turning Forests in the American West Into Shrubland
    Towering woodlands in the West are being permanently replaced by tracts of spiky shrubs. Conditions “just aren’t normal anymore,” one researcher said.