NYT > Science

1. How Does One Brain Speak Two Languages?
   A new study of bilingual speakers suggests that a single “grammatical engine” in the brain can power multiple languages at once.
2. The Secrets of a Soccer-Turf Master
   John Sorochan, a turf scientist at the University of Tennessee, has led the yearslong, multimillion-dollar effort to develop perfect playing fields for the 2026 World Cup.
3. The Scientific Quest for Perfect World Cup Pitch
   Every match must be played on natural grass that gives players as consistent a surface as possible, no matter the venue. Cue the years of sod studies.
4. What NASA Needs to Stay on Track for the Moon
   The agency gave a rosy update on Artemis III, a test flight for its goal to return humans to the moon, but experts say the timeline is ambitious.
5. They Bought a Famous Puzzle in Cryptography. Now They’re Opening It Up.
   A San Francisco company paid nearly $1 million for the solution to an unsolved code in Kryptos, a sculpture on the C.I.A. grounds. Soon it will become an online challenge.
6. NASA Leader Responds to Criticism Over All-Male Artemis III Crew
   NASA’s missions these days rarely feature all-male crews. Jared Isaacman, its administrator, said women play prominent roles throughout the space agency.
7. SpaceX’s Unlikely Journey From Far-Out Idea to $2 Trillion Juggernaut
   Elon Musk said he had initially given SpaceX less than a 10 percent chance of succeeding. His rocket company has come a long way.
8. Neil Shubin on Trusted Science in a ‘Deeply Partisan Age’
   An eminent fossil hunter takes the reins at the National Academy of Sciences in a turbulent moment for American researchers.
9. Scientists Measure Earth’s Vast Underground Fungal Webs
   With machine learning and a high-resolution imaging robot, scientists measured and mapped the extent of Earth’s carbon circulatory system.
10. How Kratom, an Addictive Gas Station Drug, Found Allies in Trump’s Cabinet
    With support from Markwayne Mullin and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the kratom industry is pursuing a potentially lucrative policy. Mr. Mullin owns equity in a company that could benefit.
11. Algae Is Turning the Reflecting Pool Green. Again.
    Algal blooms have hit the site, between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument, after a $14.2 million repair project.
12. Kennedy Seeks to Expedite Appeal of Ruling That Blocked His Vaccine Policies
    The health secretary is trying to restart the work of a panel that advises the government on vaccines, after a judge froze its decisions and prevented it from meeting.
13. Tensions Are Rising Between States That Rely on the Colorado River
    A prolonged drought means the nation’s largest reservoirs are dwindling, and litigation over access to water could lie ahead.
14. Can the Artemis III Mission Go on as Planned?
    NASA has chosen four astronauts for the Artemis III mission, but there has been a major setback: the destruction of a Blue Origin rocket and its only launchpad. Our science reporter Katrina Miller describes what this event might mean for the U.S. goal of landing on the moon by 2028.
15. 26-Year Mystery of a Skeleton in a Tent Ends With DNA Identification
    Remains of the man, Joseph Louis Serrao Jr., discovered in a remote area in Olympic National Park in 2000, were identified using forensic genealogy.
16. Scientists Race to Test Treatments as Ebola Outbreak Widens
    Trials are beginning on several drugs that have shown promise in preliminary studies against the virus that is causing the current outbreak.
17. Renewable Groups Ask Courts to End Pentagon’s ‘Total Halt’ of Wind Power
    More than 100 planned wind farms in 21 states are now stalled indefinitely as the Pentagon delays military reviews once seen as routine.
18. She Used A.I. to Create Better Forecasts for Extreme Weather. Then Her Funding Was Cut.
    Amy McGovern was the director of an A.I. institute dedicated to weather forecasting — until the National Science Foundation ended its funding.
19. Alan Hale, Sky Watcher Who Created a Comet Sensation, Dies at 68
    In 1995, he and Thomas Bopp spotted, from different states, the same mysterious object in the sky. What turned out to be a comet was named after them: Hale-Bopp.
20. Cleve Moler, Who Unlocked the Power of Computing for Millions, Dies at 86
    He built interfaces that allowed engineers, scientists and everyday people to solve difficult problems without having to write the underlying code.
21. NOAA Issues El Nino Advisory
    The global weather pattern threatens to worsen floods and heat waves already intensifying due to climate change. But it may also mean fewer hurricanes.
22. The Researcher Who Didn’t Want to Know
    Her decades of work on Huntington’s disease helped lead to the creation of a genetic test for the devastating condition. Why didn’t she take it herself?
23. A Newer Approach to Editing Embryos Ignites Debate
    Fertility specialists, biotech companies and ethicists are divided over whether progress in early gene editing would wipe out diseases or trigger a rush toward enhancement.
24. What Does ‘Triggered’ Really Mean?
    This popular term is often misused, experts say, which may cause more harm than good.
25. Democrats Once Vowed to Stop Oil and Gas. Now They’re Not So Sure.
    As the midterm elections approach, many leading Democrats are rethinking their approach to climate change.
26. Nearly Everyone, Everywhere, Veers Left When Walking
    Researchers are at a loss for why people across cultures and ages, regardless of their dominant hand, have a natural bias toward wandering in a counterclockwise direction.
27. NASA Crew-12 Commander Captures Snaky Southern Lights From Space Station
    The footage of the southern lights was shared on Sunday by Jessica Meir, commander of NASA’s Crew-12 mission.
28. Indonesia Landslides Devastated Endangered Orangutans, Study Finds
    More than 5 percent of the species is estimated to have been lost when a climate-fueled storm unleashed torrents of water, mud and debris.
29. Bees Are Swarming Earlier: What to Do if You’re Attacked
    Experts discuss the threat and how to escape aggressive bees. Hint: Don’t jump in water.
30. Meet the NASA Astronauts in the Artemis III 4-Person Crew
    NASA’s next mission in its effort to return humans to the moon will be led by an all-male crew. Three of them have extensive experience in space, while the other was a backup on Artemis II.
31. Can NASA Really Land Astronauts on the Moon by 2028?
    Experts have been hopeful, but say the agency’s lunar aspirations are largely at the whims of two billionaires, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos.
32. A Scientific Achievement That’s Totally Random
    Encryption systems rely on “random” numbers, but conventional computers can’t generate them perfectly. New research shows that quantum physics can.
33. NASA’s moon-base plans are off to a slow start.
    
34. How Will the Artemis III Astronauts Train?
    The Artemis III astronauts who were announced today will have had less mission training time than their Artemis II counterparts.
35. The Artemis II mission transfixed the nation.
    
36. Artemis Astronauts to Wear Prada Spacesuits
    Prada and Axiom Space unveiled the bodysuit that will go to the moon.
37. A Surprising Find in Ancient Squirrel Poop: Woolly Mammoth Meat
    In a new study, fossilized droppings suggested that ancient ground squirrels ate the meat of much larger animals, including mammoths, bison and saber-toothed cats.
38. Why is NASA going back to the moon?
    
39. Remember Apollo 9? No? Have a Look at Artemis III.
    Almost forgotten now, the mission circled the Earth for 10 days, performing a series of tests with the lunar lander. What it lacked in glory it made up for in technological contributions.
40. Who gets to be a NASA astronaut?
    
41. What Is Artemis III? What to Know About NASA’s Latest Space Mission.
    Artemis III is the third in a series of missions that gets humans closer to returning to the surface of the moon.
42. How Does the Blue Origin Rocket Explosion affect NASA’s Moon Plans?
    NASA’s Artemis program has little room for error if it is to land astronauts on the moon by the end of 2028, but Blue Origin could be out of commission for at least a year.
43. What is the Orion spacecraft?
    
44. NASA Will Announce New Artemis III Astronauts and an Update on Its Moon Program
    The agency will announce the crew of Artemis III on Tuesday. But will the mission be ready to fly in 2027?
45. As Screwworm Cases Mount, U.S. Officials Ramp Up Response
    The parasitic, flesh-eating fly has now been confirmed in cows, goats and dogs.