More than 100 million years ago, scientists say, warming seas and reduced oxygen may have sent some sharks higher into the water column, where they evolved to be fierce and hungry.
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An ancient aquatic predator resembling a giant salamander turned up in an African fossil deposit, suggesting unwritten chapters of how animals moved onto land.
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Scientists used techniques from the field of gravitational wave astronomy to argue that the Antikythera mechanism contained a lunar calendar.
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A former national security adviser says Washington “must test new nuclear weapons for reliability and safety in the real world,” while critics say the move could incite a global arms race that heightens the risk of war.
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Wildlife Protections Take a Back Seat to SpaceX’s Ambitions
A New York Times investigation found that Elon Musk exploited federal agencies’ competing missions to achieve his goals for space travel.
By Eric Lipton and
Earth Just Reached Its Greatest Distance From the Sun
Our planet whirls around the sun in an ellipse, rather than a circle. On Friday the planet reached its farthest point from its star, known as aphelion.
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Melodies of Popular Songs Have Gotten Simpler Over Time
A new study that reviewed Billboard hits from the past 73 years found a steady simplification of rhythm and pitch.
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How the Denisovans Survived the Ice Age
A trove of animal bone fragments from a cave on the Tibetan plateau reveals how Denisovans thrived in a harsh climate for over 100,000 years.
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Videos Show Ants Amputating Nest Mates’ Legs to Save Their Lives
The insects seem to know which injuries to treat as they engage in a behavior that seems almost human.
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How Science Went to the Dogs (and Cats)
Pets were once dismissed as trivial scientific subjects. Today, companion animal science is hot.
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Their Job Is to Help You Grieve Your Pet
Though still rare, social workers in animal hospitals are growing in their ranks.
By Katie Thomas and
The Pet ‘Superheroes’ Who Donate Their Blood
Transfusions have become an important part of veterinary medicine, but cat and dog blood is not always easy to come by.
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Why You’re Paying Your Veterinarian So Much
People have grown more attached to their pets — and more willing to spend money on them — turning animal medicine into a high-tech industry worth billions.
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Are We Loving Our Pets to Death?
Pet owners are treating their animal charges ever more like humans. But that isn’t good for pets, or for us, many experts argue.
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A Trilobite Pompeii Preserves Exquisite Fossils in Volcanic Ash
A fossil bed in the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco is allowing new insights into the anatomies of arthropods that lived a half-billion years ago.
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If You Give a Frog a Sauna, It Might Fight Off a Deadly Fungus
A fatal fungal disease has devastated the world’s amphibians. But the fungus has a vulnerability: It cannot tolerate heat.
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Scientists Find First Evidence That Butterflies Crossed an Ocean
Researchers discovered painted ladies on a South American beach and then built a case that they started their journey in Europe or Africa.
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Videos Show That Leeches Can Jump in Pursuit of Blood
There has long been anecdotal evidence of the wormy creatures taking to the air, but videos recorded in Madagascar at last prove the animals’ acrobatics.
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Lokiceratops, a Horned Dinosaur, May Be a New Species
Researchers analyzed a skull found in Montana of a plant-eating member of the ceratops family, finding distinct traits.
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How Flounder Wound Up With an Epic Side-Eye
Flatfish offer an evolutionary puzzle: How did one eye gradually migrate to the other side?
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A group of neuroscientists argue that our words are primarily for communicating, not for reasoning.
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Was This Sea Creature Our Ancestor? Scientists Turn a Famous Fossil on Its Head.
Researchers have long assumed that a tube in the famous Pikaia fossil ran along the animal’s back. But a new study turned the fossil upside down.
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Scientists Find the Largest Known Genome Inside a Small Plant
A fern from a Pacific island carries 50 times as much DNA as humans do.
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Scientists Calculated the Energy Needed to Carry a Baby. Shocker: It’s a Lot.
In humans, the energetic cost of pregnancy is about 50,000 dietary calories — far higher than previously believed, a new study found.
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What Do Bagged Chickens Have to Do With Sliced Cheese?
Both have gotten caught up in fights over plastic packaging. When Costco recently tried to trim its plastic use by selling rotisserie chickens in bags, some shoppers disapproved.
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Can the Labour Party Bring Back Britain’s Green Groove?
The new government, to be led by Labour, has pledged to fast-track a green energy transition. It will face big challenges.
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How Future Hurricanes Could Stress Power Grids of U.S. Cities
A new analysis shows increasing frequency and intensity of hurricanes could cause more devastating interruptions to the power grid.
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A Ban on Elephant Hunting Has Collapsed. Or Maybe It Never Existed.
Five bulls from the area around a Kenyan wildlife reserve have been shot and killed in Tanzania in recent months. The countries have very different conservation strategies.
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As Solar Power Surges, U.S. Wind Is in Trouble
A 2022 climate law was expected to set off a boom in renewable energy. So far, that’s only come partly true.
By Brad Plumer and
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The research, which builds on previous work, eventually may lead to a more objective diagnostic tool, scientists said.
By Teddy Rosenbluth
Climate change and contaminated water have combined to create an epidemic of kidney disease.
By Kang-Chun Cheng and Apoorva Mandavilli
On at least 19 occasions since 2019, SpaceX’s operations have caused fires, leaks and explosions near its launch site in Boca Chica, Texas. These incidents reflect a broader debate over how to balance technological and economic progress against protections of delicate ecosystems and local communities. The New York Times investigative reporter Eric Lipton explains.
By Eric Lipton, Christina Shaman, Gabriel Blanco, James Surdam and Dave Horn
Many Americans plan to donate their organs for transplants or their bodies for medical science. Few realize that there’s a growing need for their brains, too.
By Paula Span
After years of delay, millions of malaria vaccines are being supplied to children in Africa. Tens of thousands died waiting.
By Stephanie Nolen
Gathering data from directly inside the storm can help emergency managers prepare for what’s to come.
By Austyn Gaffney
He found that a failed contraceptive, tamoxifen, could block the growth of cancer cells, opening up a whole new class of treatment.
By Clay Risen
Satellite signals run the modern world. See just how vulnerable they are.
By Selam Gebrekidan, K.K. Rebecca Lai, Pablo Robles and Jeremy White
The drug, Kisunla, made by Eli Lilly, is the latest in a new class of treatments that could modestly slow cognitive decline in initial stages of the disease but also carry safety risks.
By Pam Belluck
The speed of decline in the Juneau Ice Field, an expanse of 1,050 interconnected glaciers, has doubled in recent decades, scientists discovered.
By Raymond Zhong
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