NYT > Science

1. This Ancient Sea Creature Builds Its Body With a Whisper, not a Scream
   Unlike vertebrate embryo cells, which signal to each other over long distances, sea squirt embryo cells talk only to those they’re closest to.
2. How a Saber-Tooth Marsupial Blinded Us With Its Bite
   The extinct South American animal made us believe it was as fierce as a saber-tooth cat, but a new study suggests it was a mere scavenger.
3. Some Polynesians Carry Native American DNA, Study Finds
   A new genetic study suggests that Polynesians made an epic voyage to South America 800 years ago.
4. Scrutinizing SpaceX, NASA Overlooked Some Boeing Software Problems
   The agency identified the causes of mishaps in orbit during an uncrewed test flight of its Starliner spacecraft in December.
5. Could You Make a Snowball of Neutrinos?
   You’ll need more than a few — say, 300 decillion. And good luck trying to throw it.
6. New Red Algae Are Threatening Hawaii’s Coral Reefs, Scientists Say
   The recently discovered species covers coral in a thick layer and suffocates it. Scientists don’t know where it came from.
7. Spirit Bears' Hair Helps Reveal New Genetic Secrets
   First Nations peoples along British Columbia’s Central Coast led research to help preserve the area’s white-furred Spirit bears.
8. 365 Elephants Died in Botswana. The Cause Is a Mystery
   Some conservationists say the recent die-off in Botswana could be natural, but others expressed more concern.
9. DNA Linked to Covid-19 Was Inherited From Neanderthals, Study Finds
   The stretch of six genes seems to increase the risk of severe illness from the coronavirus.
10. The Coronavirus Can Be Airborne Indoors, W.H.O. Concedes
    The agency also said that people without symptoms may spread the virus. The acknowledgments should have come sooner, some experts said.
11. Northern Right Whales Are on the Brink, and Trump Could Be Their Last Hope
    The species was declared critically endangered on Thursday, with fewer than 450 left.
12. A Missed Warning About Silent Coronavirus Infections
    Why an early scientific report of symptom-free cases went unheeded.
13. Japan’s Deadly Combination: Climate Change and an Aging Society
    Record-breaking rains this week in the country’s southernmost main island, which have killed 62, have shown the vulnerability of people living in nursing homes.
14. Coronavirus Live Updates: Global Tracker
    As President Trump pushes for schools to reopen, the country has set its fifth record in nine days. India’s caseload is soaring, weeks after lockdowns were lifted.
15. Who Gets a Vaccine First? U.S. Considers Race in Coronavirus Plans
    When a vaccine hits the market, it will be a key tool in putting an end to the pandemic. A federal committee is debating giving early access to groups that face a high risk.
16. Study of 17 Million Identifies Crucial Risk Factors for Coronavirus Deaths
    The largest study yet confirms that race, ethnicity, age and sex can raise a person’s chances of dying from Covid-19.
17. In Parched Southwest, Warm Spring Renews Threat of ‘Megadrought’
    Rapid melting this year showed that good snowpack doesn’t necessarily translate into full reservoirs.
18. Counting the Infected
    How The Times got access to a federal database of 1.5 million coronavirus cases — and what it revealed.
19. At Least 5 States Set Single-Day Coronavirus Case Records
    Tulsa’s top health official said the Trump rally last month may have contributed to a local surge in cases. A study in England provided more evidence of crucial risk factors for Covid-19 deaths.
20. Is This the End of Oil and Gas Pipelines?
    Defeats at three projects reflect increasingly sophisticated legal challenges, shifting economics and growing demands by states to fight climate change.
21. W.H.O. to Review Evidence of Airborne Transmission of Coronavirus
    The World Health Organization plans to update its advice after hundreds of experts urged the agency to reconsider the risk of aerosol transmission.
22. Intense Arctic Wildfires Set a Pollution Record
    High temperatures and dry soil mean ideal conditions for fires. Blazes in June produced more carbon emissions than any other fires in almost two decades of monitoring.
23. Patient Is Reported Free of H.I.V., but Scientists Urge Caution
    Brazilian scientists say the man no longer shows signs of the infection after taking a powerful drug cocktail. But the preliminary results require confirmation.
24. As Coronavirus Cases Top 3 Million, Fauci Warns Against Misreading a Falling Death Rate
    President Trump made it official: The U.S. is pulling out of the World Health Organization. President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil has tested positive. Hong Kong faces a “third wave” of infections.
25. ‘It Will Consume Your Life’: 4 Families Take On Rare Diseases
    Confronted by illnesses that most scientists overlook, these families had to work out their own approaches to find treatments.
26. Airborne Coronavirus: What You Should Do Now
    How to protect yourself from a virus that may be floating indoors? Better ventilation, for starters. And keep wearing those masks.
27. Live Coronavirus Updates: Miami Reverses Course on Reopening
    Texas and Idaho set daily records for new cases. Two Texas sheriffs say they won’t enforce the governor’s order requiring residents to wear masks in public. Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms of Atlanta said that she tested positive for the coronavirus.
28. Bubonic Plague Found in a Herder in Inner Mongolia, China Says
    A city put control measures in place after one confirmed case of the disease, which caused the Black Death in the Middle Ages.
29. Trump Falsely Claims ‘99 Percent’ of Virus Cases Are ‘Totally Harmless’
    The president dismissed the severity of the pandemic, downplaying the effect of the disease even as infections surge across the Sunbelt and rebound in California.
30. Assessing the Real Coronavirus Death Rate: Live Updates
    Assessing the virus’s real death rate could offer clues on what to expect next. Data shows how much harder the pandemic is hitting Black and Latino Americans.
31. 239 Experts With One Big Claim: The Coronavirus Is Airborne
    The W.H.O. has resisted mounting evidence that viral particles floating indoors are infectious, some scientists say. The agency maintains the research is still inconclusive.
32. The Pandemic’s Big Mystery: How Deadly Is the Coronavirus?
    Even with more than 500,000 dead worldwide, scientists are struggling to learn how often the virus kills. Here’s why.
33. Trump Hosts July 4 Event at White House as U.S. Coronavirus Cases Soar
    Hospitals in Houston near capacity. Iraq’s health care system is on the verge of breakdown. The Supreme Court rejected Illinois Republicans’ request to hold big political gatherings.
34. How to Make the Best Paper Planes
    Make this newspaper into a paper airplane. The sky’s the limit.
35. U.S. Coronavirus Cases Are Rising Sharply, but Deaths Are Still Down
    This seemingly counterintuitive trend might not last, experts said. But the nation can still learn from the decline.
36. Coronavirus Cases in U.S. Are Rising, Even as Death Rates Trend Down
    At least five U.S. states set single-day records on Friday as the country’s daily infection report passed 50,000 again. President Trump, in a speech at Mount Rushmore, barely mentioned the pandemic.
37. Can an Algorithm Predict the Pandemic’s Next Moves?
    Researchers have developed a model that uses social-media and search data to forecast outbreaks of Covid-19 well before they occur.