Science Times: Exploring the universe with a world of antennas

May 26, 2026

NSF/AUI/NSF NRAO

Exploring the Universe with a World of Antennas

With 263 antennas spread across the U.S. and Mexico, the Next Generation Very Large Array, would join a new wave of radio astronomy.

By Katrina Miller

A historical engraving of an emaciated man and child beside a dying ox, with the skeleton of another ox visible in the distance.

Dea/Biblioteca Ambrosiana, via Getty Images

A Powerful El Niño Is Forming. If History Is a Guide, It Could Hit Hard.

The biggest episodes of the past have altered the course of human events, according to researchers. An emerging one is drawing historic comparisons.

By Chico Harlan

Erin Schaff/The New York Times

Short Naps, Long Hours: How Autism Clinics Squeeze Medicaid Dollars Out of Preschoolers

The industry has grown rapidly, straining state budgets. A focus on finances has led to overbilling, fraud and even harm.

By Sarah Kliff, Margot Sanger-Katz, Erin Schaff and Asmaa Elkeurti

A micrograph image of small globular particles, colored amber-yellow.

SPL/Science Source

One-and-Done Heart Disease Prevention? Scientists Show It May Be Possible.

A single infusion of an experimental gene-editing drug seemed to reduce LDL long-term in a small trial. The results may point to something “curative,” one expert said.

By Gina Kolata

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A tranquil bay reflecting the sky, surrounded by grassy mountains. Warm sunbeams illuminate distant peaks and a small town along the water.

Nanna Heitmann for The New York Times

Did You Know a Total Solar Eclipse Is Coming? Here’s How to See It.

On Aug. 12, parts of Greenland, Iceland, Spain and Portugal will experience the thrill of daytime darkness. Here’s where you can witness the cosmic spectacle.

By Danielle Dowling

Diana Cervantes for The New York Times

A Very Lonely Caterpillar, Possibly the Last of Its Kind, Has Died

The Sacramento Mountains checkerspot butterfly hasn’t been seen in the wild since 2022. The caterpillar was the last individual in human care.

By Catrin Einhorn

A large-antlered mule deer walks along a path on a mountain with an urban landscape in the valley in the distance below.

Loren Elliott for The New York Times

When Humans Went Away, the Wildlife Strayed

When people disappeared from the landscape, as they did during the pandemic, wild animals changed how they used space and resources, scientists found.

By Emily Anthes

A view out of a window of a pigeon on a sill.

Angelina Katsanis for The New York Times

Pigeons and People Have Been Frenemies for Longer Than You Think

Bones discovered at an archaeological site in Cyprus suggest the birds have been strutting around human settlements since at least 1400 B.C.

By Rachel Nuwer

An orange sky with the sun low and partly obscured by an extremely tall rocket on a launchpad.

SpaceX Completes Mostly Successful Starship Rocket Flight

The 12th test flight of SpaceX’s gargantuan rocket launched on Friday evening and ended its journey in the Indian Ocean just over an hour later.

By Kenneth Chang

A jellyfish floating in richly blue water.

Think Urinating on a Jellyfish Sting Is Helpful? Think Again.

Jellyfish myths and misconceptions abound. Here’s how to stay safe this beach season around these gelatinous wonders.

By Johnny Diaz

A black, spotted insect with long, black, spotted antennas chews a tree branch.

How ‘Sentinel Gardens’ Help Spot Dangerous Bugs Abroad

Scientists have planted American trees in China, Korea and elsewhere to attract hungry insects. Their hope is to identify the most damaging bugs before they cross the ocean.

By Sachi Kitajima Mulkey

A satellite image showing the eye of a large hurricane in the Caribbean.

Forecasters Expect Fewer Hurricanes This Year, but There’s a Catch

El Niño may keep the Atlantic quieter, but it could bring more storms to the Pacific.

By Judson Jones

Jim O’Neill, left, has one hand raised and the other on a book as he faces Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is reading from a card.

Science Group Seeks Public Hearing for N.S.F. Nominee

The American Association for the Advancement of Science questioned the credentials of Jim O’Neill, tapped to lead the National Science Foundation.

By William J. Broad

CLIMATE CHANGE

A person sprays water on trees as a fire burns in the distance.

Apu Gomes/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Why Scientists Retired the Dire Climate Scenario Used for Over a Decade

While global warming is still a threat, the decision to back away from a worst-case outlook raises questions about whether some risks have been overstated.

By Brad Plumer and Eric Niiler

Capital Pictures/Paramount Pictures, via Alamy

Twenty Years After His Film, Al Gore Tweaks the Climate Script

Mr. Gore is still giving the slide show that “An Inconvenient Truth” was built around, but with changes that reflect a shift in the discussion of climate change.

By Chico Harlan

A black-and-white photo of a balding and bespectacled man in a jacket and tie holding a piece of paper before a bank of microphones.

J. Scott Applewhite/Associated Press

Rafe Pomerance, the Paul Revere of Climate Change, Dies at 79

An environmental lobbyist and activist, he was a pivotal figure in drawing public attention and political support to the existential issue.

By Trip Gabriel

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HEALTH

AJ Mast/Bloomberg

Experimental Drug Yields Dramatic Weight Loss

People who got the injection, retatrutide, lost 28 percent of their body weight on average after 80 weeks, Eli Lilly said.

By Gina Kolata and Rebecca Robbins

Two people in white protective suits with red gloves and face shields spray fluid onto wooden structures. They carry backpack sprayers in a dimly lit, open-air building.

In City at Center of Ebola Crisis, ‘the Virus Is Far Ahead of Us’

The deadly virus has spread alarmingly in Congo for months. Only now is the response taking shape.

By Declan Walsh and Arlette Bashizi

Jay Bhattacharya speaking in the Oval Office in front of flags and a large window.

Eric Lee/The New York Times

Health Experts ‘Stunned’ by Trump Officials’ Strict Quarantine Measures

Public health experts say the administration’s quarantine orders go beyond what is needed to prevent the U.S. spread of Ebola and hantavirus.

By Apoorva Mandavilli and Jacey Fortin