NYT > Science

1. A Future for People With Disabilities in Outer Space Takes Flight
   People with different types of disabilities tested their skills and technologies on a zero-gravity research flight with the goal of proving that they can safely go to space.
2. NASA Planning Moon Launch in 2022
   A flight of the Space Launch System and Orion capsule without astronauts aboard is planned for early next year, a first, long-delayed step toward returning astronauts to the moon’s surface.
3. Dinosaurs May Have Been Socializing Nearly 200 Million Years Ago
   A trove of fossilized eggs and skeletons in Argentina revealed that some dinosaurs likely traveled in herds and socialized by age.
4. Dying Satellite, Not U.F.O. or Meteor, Likely Caused Midwest Fireball
   The fiery trail astonished viewers in Ohio, Michigan and Indiana, but a Russian military spacecraft was the probable source.
5. Tuskless Elephants Escape Poachers, but May Evolve New Problems
   Scientists identified the genes that played a role in many female elephants of Mozambique’s Gorongosa National Park being born without tusks.
6. N.I.H. Says Bat Research Group Failed to Submit Prompt Virus Findings
   The federal agency told a G.O.P. House member that it had notified EcoHealth Alliance, a group criticized for its U.S.-funded work with Wuhan scientists, to file data within five days.
7. The Webb Telescope’s Latest Stumbling Block: Its Name
   The long-awaited successor to the Hubble Space Telescope is scheduled to launch in December. But the NASA official for whom it is named has been accused of homophobia.
8. Vikings Were in the Americas Exactly 1,000 Years Ago
   By studying tree rings and using a dash of astrophysics, researchers have pinned down a precise year that settlers from Europe were on land that would come to be known as Newfoundland.
9. Ancient-DNA Researchers Set Ethics Guidelines for Their Work
   New, international standards for handling ancient genetic material draw support from many scientists, criticism from others.
10. Are Vaccine Boosters Widely Needed? Some Federal Advisers Have Misgivings
    “In our hearts, I think people don’t quite agree with this notion of a booster dose,” said one leading vaccine expert.
11. Please Don’t Feed the Whale Sharks? Fishing Town Says It Must, to Prosper.
    The chance to swim with the world’s biggest fish drew tourists to a Philippines town, but conservation groups denounce the hand-feeding that keeps the gentle creatures around.
12. She Is Breaking Glass Ceilings in Space, but Facing Sexism on Earth
    Sanitary pads and makeup: A Chinese astronaut’s six-month stay aboard the country’s space station has revealed conflicted cultural values toward gender.
13. Limited C.D.C. Study Finds Delta Wave Didn't Alter Hospitalization Outcomes
    Other larger, more specific studies, however, have found greater risks when people are infected with the highly infectious variant.
14. F.D.A. Says Pfizer Vaccine’s Benefits Outweigh Key Risks in Children 5 to 11
    The findings could add momentum for F.D.A. authorization of the pediatric dose, perhaps as early as next week, a long-awaited development that would affect 28 million children.
15. El Niño and La Niña, Explained
    If you’re wondering why scientists and weather forecasters are talking about these phenomena, we have some answers, including how they got their names.
16. Biden Crafts a Climate Plan B: Tax Credits, Regulation and State Action
    The new strategy could deeply cut greenhouse gases that are heating the planet but it will still face considerable political, logistical and legal hurdles.
17. U.S. Warns of Efforts by China to Collect Genetic Data
    The National Counterintelligence and Security Center said American companies needed to better secure critical technologies as Beijing seeks to dominate the so-called bioeconomy.
18. C.D.C. Recommends Covid Booster Shots for Millions of Americans
    Recipients of the Moderna and the J.&J. vaccines may receive extra doses. The agency also embraced a “mix-and-match” strategy.
19. La Niña Weather Pattern Likely to Prolong Western Drought, NOAA Says
    The climate pattern may also bring some relief to Northern California and the Pacific Northwest this winter.
20. Parents, Will You Vaccinate Your Children for Covid?
    Tell us whether you plan to have your children immunized and what factors led to your decision.
21. Climate Change Poses a Widening Threat to National Security
    Intelligence and defense agencies issued reports warning that the warming planet will increase strife between countries and spur migration.
22. The Triassic's Fearsome Dinosaur Was a Timid Plant Eater
    A new analysis of fossilized footprints corrects what earlier scientists mistook for a very early carnivore in the dinosaur era.
23. South Korea’s First Homemade Rocket Lifts Off but Is ‘One Step Short’
    The country aspires to be a leader in space technology, with plans to land an uncrewed craft on the moon by 2030. President Moon Jae-in said the initial launch was excellent “for a first try.”
24. F.D.A. Authorizes Moderna and Johnson & Johnson Booster Shots
    The agency will also allow vaccine recipients to pick which vaccine they want as a booster, endorsing a mix-and-match approach.
25. Pain Doctor Accused of Sexually Assaulting Patients Faces New Federal Charges
    Ricardo Cruciani, a former pain management physician, already faces state charges. Each of the federal charges carries a maximum sentence of 20 years.
26. How Southern Russia Exported All the World's Modern Horses
    A comprehensive new paper tested 273 ancient horse genomes to pinpoint when and where modern horses were domesticated.
27. How to Watch the Orionids Meteor Shower
    The celestial event caused by debris from Halley’s comet will be most active overnight, but a nearly full moon could interfere with your view.
28. When M.I.T. Asked Dorian Abbot to Speak, It Invited Criticism
    Dorian Abbot is a scientist who has opposed aspects of affirmative action. He is now at the center of an argument over free speech and acceptable discourse.
29. Fossil Fuel Drilling Plans Undermine Climate Pledges, U.N. Report Warns
    Countries are planning to produce more than twice as much oil, gas and coal through 2030 as would be needed if governments want to limit global warming to Paris Agreement goals.
30. How Chemours and DuPont Avoid Paying for PFAS Pollution
    DuPont factories pumped dangerous substances into the environment. The company and its offspring have gone to great lengths to dodge responsibility.
31. Gates Foundation Pledges $120 Million to Help Get Merck Covid Pills to Poor Countries
    Regulatory hurdles and supply chain issues could slow efforts to produce generic versions of Merck’s antiviral molnupiravir for developing nations, despite licensing agreements.
32. Waiting on U.S. Mandate, Some Nursing Homes Are Slow to Vaccinate Staff
    At facilities in several states, many workers are still not immunized. “I just feel like a sitting duck,” one resident said.
33. Biden’s Plan to Vaccinate Young Children 5 to 11
    White House officials, anticipating the approval of coronavirus shots for 5- to 11-year-olds within weeks, will rely on doctors, clinics and pharmacies instead of mass inoculation sites.
34. In a First, Surgeons Attached a Pig Kidney to a Human
    A kidney grown in a genetically altered pig functions normally, scientists reported. The procedure may open the door to a renewable source of desperately needed organs.
35. Boeing Deepens NASA Starliner Probe, Prompting More Delays
    The Starliner capsule for NASA crews is now unlikely to have another orbital flight test until the middle of next year.
36. FDA Moves to Make Some Hearing Aids Available Without a Prescription
    The proposed rule could make it easier for Americans with mild to moderate hearing impairments to get the devices.
37. If China Tested a New Orbital Weapon, It’s Not Much of a Surprise
    Experts report that similar technologies were developed by Russia and the United States starting more than a half century ago.
38. Pfizer Vaccine Is Highly Effective Against Hospitalization in Teenagers, Study Shows
    The C.D.C. looked at children hospitalized with Covid-19 or other illnesses, and found those who were immunized to be far more protected.
39. Mix-and-Match Covid Boosters: Why They Just Might Work
    The F.D.A. may authorize booster shots of vaccines different from the ones that Americans originally received. The science behind the move is promising.
40. N.H.L. Suspends Evander Kane for Violating Covid Rules
    The San Jose Sharks forward, who was reported to be under investigation for using a fake Covid-19 vaccination card, said he had “made a mistake.”
41. Sirens: Loud, Ineffective and Risky, Experts Say
    The overuse of lights and sirens, combined with speeding, pose heightened risks to emergency responders and civilians. One expert called it a “public health dilemma.”
42. Tuberculosis, Like Covid, Spreads by Breathing, Scientists Report
    The finding upends conventional wisdom regarding coughing, long thought to be the main route of transmission.
43. Can Skeletons Have a Racial Identity?
    A growing number of forensic researchers are questioning how the field interprets the geographic ancestry of human remains.
44. F.D.A. to Allow ‘Mix and Match’ Approach for Covid Booster Shots
    The agency may act this week, when it is expected to authorize booster shots for recipients of the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines.
45. What Scientists Know About the Risk of Breakthrough Covid Deaths
    Deaths among people who have been fully vaccinated remain rare, but older adults and those with compromised immune systems are at much higher risk.
46. A Taste for Pangolin Meat and the Fall of an African Wildlife Cartel
    Yunhua Lin and associates had turned Malawi into an ivory, rhino horn and pangolin scale trafficking hub. His prison sentence could aid the fight against poaching.
47. A Move to Rein In Cancer-Causing ‘Forever Chemicals’
    Michael Regan, the E.P.A. administrator, wants to limit a class of chemicals that has been linked to cancer and is found in everything from drinking water to furniture.