Caught in the Crossfire Over Covid’s Origins

Alina Chan suggested last year that the coronavirus was “pre-adapted” to humans. Critical reaction was swift and harsh.

Seeking Early Signals of Dementia in Driving and Credit Scores

The pathologies underlying brain decline can begin years before symptoms emerge. Can everyday behavior provide warning?

‘Totally Surprising and Rather Horrifying’: Giant Tortoises Eat Baby Birds

For the first time, scientists in the Seychelles captured footage of one of the hulking reptiles stalking and killing a helpless chick.

The U.S. Is Getting a Crash Course in Scientific Uncertainty

As the pandemic takes an unexpected direction, Americans again must reckon with twists in scientific understanding of the virus.

The U.S. Is Getting a Crash Course in Scientific Uncertainty

As the pandemic takes an unexpected direction, Americans again must reckon with twists in scientific understanding of the virus.

Taking the Pulse of the Ocean’s Comb Jellies

New kinds of molecular probes are revealing the true extent of ctenophores, a form of ocean life that has long eluded firm reckonings.

Nursing Homes Face Quandary: Vaccinate Staff or Don’t Get Paid.

A new policy from President Biden will require all nursing home workers to be vaccinated against Covid. Facilities that fall short could be penalized or lose federal funding.

Some Bat Pups Babble Just Like Human Babies

Pups of one bat species show a remarkable similarity to infants of our own species in the way they emit complex streams of syllables.

This Rattlesnake Dares You to Call Its Bluff

Scientists designed a virtual reality experiment to understand just how tricky rattlesnakes can be.

Fatal Attraction: Scientists Blame Sea Snake Attacks on Sex Drive

Sea snakes aren’t angry when they aggressively swim at divers, scientists say. They’re just confused and looking to mate.

Richard Sackler Says Family and Purdue Bear No Responsibility for Opioid Crisis

In a rare courtroom appearance, the former Purdue Pharma president and board member was evasive and defiant.

Vaccine Effectiveness Against Infection May Wane, C.D.C. Studies Find

Federal health officials said the new data justified a campaign of booster shots. But some scientists disagreed, saying not every American needs another dose.

This Brain Remained Intact in a 310 Million-Year-Old Fossil

The discovery suggested that horseshoe crab brains haven’t changed much and that there are more ways for soft tissues to be preserved in the fossil record.

In a Handful of States, Early Data Hint at a Rise in Breakthrough Infections

With the arrival of the contagious Delta variant, Covid hospitalizations and deaths among vaccinated Americans also may have increased, according to preliminary figures.

Racial Inequities Persist in Health Care Despite Expanded Insurance

A series of studies in an influential medical journal takes a close look at longstanding gaps in medical care.

How Peppers Proliferated Around the Planet

In the world’s plant gene banks, scientists studied how so many varieties of the humble capsicum worked their way onto our plates.

What If You Could Become Invisible to Mosquitoes?

Using Crispr, scientists have taken the first step toward creating a mosquito that is blind to human hosts.

Saved by a Bucket, but Can the Owens Pupfish Survive?

A new refuge in the California desert offers a long imperiled species its first real chance to thrive.

Meet the Giraffe Weevil. It’s Got a Secret Up Its Long Snout.

The insect, found in New Zealand, has an evolutionary trick that supports its bizarre and elongated head.

What We Think We Know About Metabolism May Be Wrong

A new study challenges assumptions about energy expenditure by people, including the idea that metabolism slows at middle age.