NYT > Science

1. A Ton of Space Junk Tumbles Unpredictably to Earth Every Week
   Flaming chunks of metal crash into homes, farms and parking lots. Who’s to blame? And who pays for the damage?
2. Military Testosterone Policy Raises Questions About Its Links to Aggression
   A new policy raises questions about testosterone’s effect on aggression in some men.
3. Mission to Save Falling NASA Space Telescope Suffers Setback
   A spacecraft meant to push NASA’s Swift Observatory to a higher orbit malfunctioned and started tumbling several days ago. Engineers think it can still succeed.
4. ‘This Is Very Strange’: Ancient Smallpox May Have Been Less Deadly
   Scientists have found smallpox viruses in the remains of people in Chile from around 500 years ago, revealing how the virus may have evolved into a global killer.
5. How to Watch Two Summer Meteor Showers Peak On the Same Night
   The end of July brings the Alpha Capricornids and the Southern Delta Aquarids, both of which will be most active on Thursday night into Friday morning.
6. A.I. Data Centers in Space? A System to Cool Chips Could Help.
   Researchers at Caltech and Sophia Space, a start-up, have developed a technology using solar power to prevent computer equipment from overheating in orbit.
7. In This Costa Rican Forest, Monkeys Come Face-to-Face With A.I.
   CapuchinAI, a portable testing station equipped with a touch screen and facial recognition software, could help scientists study primate intelligence in the wild.
8. How to Tell if a Giant Manta Is Pregnant? Give Her an Ultrasound.
   Scientists managed to confirm pregnancies in three giant mantas with underwater ultrasound scans, offering clues to the animals’ elusive reproductive habits.
9. Should We Make Daylight Saving Time Permanent?
   More light at the day’s end comes at a price: much later winter sunrises across much of the U.S. Scientists have documented consequences for public health and the economy.
10. U.S. Raises Threat of Steep Water Cuts in Lower Colorado River Basin
    A federal plan would impose drastic water cuts on Arizona, California and Nevada in dry years over the next decade. A legal battle could follow.
11. A City With a Plan
    Cincinnati wants to take in people fleeing climate disasters. Plus, the latest on fires in Europe.
12. Bipartisan Anger Grows at Pentagon’s Delayed ‘Forever Chemicals’ Cleanups
    Hundreds of bases are contaminated with PFAS, which are linked to low birth weight and other risks. Politicians from both parties are demanding explanations.
13. Trump Administration Is Repurposing Federal Land for A.I. Data Centers
    In the latest example, the Energy Department will convert a shuttered Cold War-era uranium enrichment facility into a data center campus and gas plants.
14. Fauci Pleads the Fifth, Refusing to Answer Questions on Covid Origins at Senate Hearing
    Senator Rand Paul said the committee he leads would vote next week on whether to hold Dr. Fauci in contempt of Congress.
15. In Ohio, Toxic Wastewater Is Bubbling Up Out of the Ground
    The state is a major importer of fracking wastewater, which gets pumped underground but doesn’t always stay there. The city of Marietta is fighting back.
16. Gunther von Hagens, Creator of Polarizing ‘Body Worlds’ Exhibits, Dies at 81
    A German scientist, he developed a process for turning corpses into posable figures. His shows drew millions of visitors, and many detractors.
17. An Anthropic Claude AI Model Finds Flaws in Tough-to-Crack Encryption Algorithms
    Claude Mythos Preview discovered new attacks in testing against weakened cryptographic algorithms, which protect online financial transactions, private communications and more.
18. How to Predict the Weather in Our Era of Freakish Storms
    I didn’t want to have to depend on a weather app to know when the storms are coming.
19. Paul Andrews, Founder of the Woodstock of U.F.O.s, Dies at 77
    An annual convention in the California desert offered a safe space for believers to discuss extraterrestrial encounters, crop circles and other paranormal phenomena.
20. Guy Tudor, Whose Art Brought Obscure Birds to Life, Dies at 91
    A self-taught ornithologist, he won a MacArthur fellowship for his precise, resplendent illustrations that appeared in definitive field guides to tropical songbirds.
21. ‘OnlyMarms’: Marmots Are on OnlyFans to Raise Money for Research
    A team of scientists uploaded videos of the squirrel-like rodents in the wild on the adult-content site OnlyFans to raise money amid government budget cuts.
22. On Second Test of Its Newest Starship Design, SpaceX Sticks the Landing
    It was the 13th test overall of Starship. The success is a boon to NASA’s moon plans and SpaceX’s hopes to deploy a million data centers in orbit.