December 3, 2024
Patients often are in the dark about which organs remain and which were removed — particularly the ovaries, which profoundly influence lifelong health.
By Rachel E. Gross
Schendel et al., Nature Ecology and Evolution 2024
Trilobites
The arthropods can tailor their toxins depending on whether they are hunting prey or defending themselves from predators, according to a new study.
By Andrew Chapman
Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press, via Associated Press
This is your captain speaking: When thunderstorms are in the forecast, you may need to buckle those seatbelts a lot sooner than you’re used to.
By Katherine Kornei
Hailey Sadler for The New York Times
The agency long benefited from broad bipartisan support. But Republican criticism has intensified, and new choices for top health posts hope to upend the organization.
By Teddy Rosenbluth and Emily Anthes
Let us know how we’re doing at sciencenewsletter@nytimes.com.
Meridith Kohut for The New York Times
Criminals turn college campuses into recruitment hubs, recruiting chemistry students in Mexico with big paydays.
By Natalie Kitroeff and Paulina Villegas
James Moskito
Whale sharks are gentle, filter-feeding giants, but orcas in Mexican waters were documented attacking the animals and devouring their livers.
By Jason Bittel
Kevin G. Hatala
A discovery in northern Kenya hints that two extinct species that were our ancient relatives shared the same habitat and possibly interacted.
By Katrina Miller
So et al., Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 2024
After scientists found an extinct burrowing amphibian on Eastern Shoshone land, members of the tribe gave it a name in their language.
By Jeanne Timmons
Egyptians may have used hallucinogenic substances as part of a fertility rite, researchers said.
By Alexander Nazaryan
A video of a dog on a pyramid took off on social media — but only after it was appropriated and doctored.
By Franz Lidz
Studying bromalites helped paleontologists piece together how the reptiles came to rule a part of the prehistoric world.
By Jack Tamisiea
An extreme heat wave off California’s coast seemed like an anomaly 10 years ago. But as the ocean warms, the catastrophe may be a glimpse of the future.
By Delger Erdenesanaa and Ian C. Bates
Tatsiana Chypsanava for The New York Times
Buying Time
Balloon launches from around the world are part of a new kind of global alarm system: One that can detect if another country tries to dim the sun.
By Christopher Flavelle
Renaud Philippe for The New York Times
Canada is losing its permafrost to climate change. The Indigenous residents of Tuktoyaktuk know they’ll have to move but don’t agree on when.
By Norimitsu Onishi and Renaud Philippe
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Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, via Getty Images
President-elect Donald J. Trump’s selections to run the nation’s health agencies are alarming infectious disease experts.
By Sheryl Gay Stolberg
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
But over the years, the former congressman’s views have often aligned with those of his potential boss, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — particularly on vaccine safety.
By Apoorva Mandavilli and Benjamin Mueller
Uli Seit for The New York Times
The health secretary pick and his organization have worked around the world to undermine longstanding policies on measles, AIDS and more.
By Selam Gebrekidan, Justin Scheck, Sarah Hurtes and Pete McKenzie
George Frey/Getty Images
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other candidates for top health posts are at odds with the drug industry, setting the stage for tense battles over regulatory changes.
By Rebecca Robbins, Christina Jewett and Kate Kelly
A Biden administration rule that imposed minimum rules on nursing levels may not survive, even though many homes lack enough workers to maintain residents’ care.
By Jordan Rau
As international talks continue this week, a dozen U.N. officials reveal scientists tracked their exposure to many chemicals found in plastics.
By Hiroko Tabuchi
A fitness routine can be key to a good night’s rest. But too much exercise at the wrong time could can aggravate insomnia.
By Hannah Singleton
Talking about your advance care directive with your loved ones will make life — and death — easier later on.
By Dana G. Smith
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