Science News
What to Know About Orphines, a New Class of Deadly Opioids
The drugs are 10 times more dangerous than fentanyl. They are showing up in street drugs in the South and the Midwest, and will most likely spread to other regions.
A Medical Examiner Chases Down an Elusive Killer
Unusual opioids are infiltrating street drugs. Knoxville’s top forensic doctor is on the front lines, pressing to quickly identify the most lethal.
A Long, Strange Trip: How the G.O.P. Came to Embrace Psychedelic Drugs
For decades, conservatives were adamantly opposed to the use of drugs like psilocybin and LSD. Now, the Trump administration has made a sharp pivot.
3 Medical Routines That Older People May Not Need
Some screenings and treatments no longer make sense for patients as they age. Researchers have just added a few more to the list.
Shipwreck Reveals Fate of Vanished World War I Coast Guard Cutter
The Tampa disappeared in 1918 with 131 British and American personnel and civilians aboard. It was the largest single American naval combat loss of life in World War I
FEMA Disaster Aid is Flowing Slowly In Trump’s Second Term
During President Trump’s second term, the disaster declarations that unlock money are taking longer than in the past. Blue states wait the longest and they hear ‘no’ more often.
How Running Shoes Have Evolved, From Ancient Greece to a Record-Breaking Marathon Time
The race to near-weightlessness has been a driving force of innovation in running sneakers and helped lead to records shattering at the London Marathon.
What’s Safe to Eat? Birds of a Feather Learn Together
In a study, Australian cockatoos figured out that a new food was OK to consume by observing one another, a vivid example of “social learning” in animals.
In Permissive Amsterdam, Ads for Fossil Fuels or Meat Are Now Verboden
The Dutch city has outlawed advertising that promotes lifestyles linked to high carbon emissions, which is a driver of climate change. It’s a first for a world capital.
Top Psychiatrists Call for a Greater Focus on Ceasing Medication
With Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. aiming to rein in the use of psychiatric drugs, psychiatrists are preemptively addressing how and when patients should quit taking them.
FEMA Is Reversing Job Cuts Made Under Kristi Noem
The agency said staff members who had been let go or placed on administrative leave were now needed to prepare for hurricanes and the World Cup.
Chonkers the ‘Food-Motivated’ Sea Lion Plops Into San Francisco
Wildlife experts have been tracking the Steller sea lion since he appeared last month at a popular tourist spot near the end of Fisherman’s Wharf.
Smog in Phoenix and Salt Lake City? The E.P.A. Is Blaming Asia.
The Trump administration says the cities shouldn’t be penalized for unhealthy air because pollution can blow in from abroad. Some experts say that’s preposterous.
The Vaccine Skeptic in Trump’s New C.D.C. Leadership Team
Dr. Sara Brenner is a physician, an F.D.A. official and a “MAHA mom” who has said people should not reflexively believe in the benefits of vaccines.
Forest Service Research Labs Are Closing
A research lab in Washington State tracks ecological changes in a warming climate and provides scientific guidance for forest managers. It is one of 57 such facilities being shuttered.
J. Craig Venter, Scientist Who Decoded the Human Genome, Dies at 79
A risk-taking outsider, he brought speed, competition and controversy to one of science’s biggest races.
Peter Raven Dies at 89; Botanist Warned of Perils of Climate Change
He transformed the Missouri Botanical Garden into an international research hub and laid out the existential threats posed by deforestation and unchecked development.
How to Build a Better Kind of Nuclear Power? This Side Hustle Might Help.
Zap Energy says its ultimate goal is safe, clean energy from fusion. To help get there, it’s starting to build fission reactors.
Scientists Unveil ‘Long Lost’ Map for Smell
The odor receptors in the nose are not distributed at random but organized in a precise spatial pattern, two new studies reveal.
The Murky Ethics of Swimming With Killer Whales
Only two places in the world allow tourists to enter the water with the ocean’s apex predator. But the safety of both species is a growing concern.