The Wayback Machine - https://web.archive.org/web/20210308171751/https://www.nytimes.com/section/science
Skip to contentSkip to site index

Science

Highlights

  1. PhotoIn a sense, creases happen when a thin sheet of material gets claustrophobia. “The sheet is stressed, so something needs to happen to relieve that stress,” said Jovana Andrejević, a Ph.D. student in applied physics at Harvard.
    CreditJens Mortensen for The New York Times

    The Latest Wrinkle in Crumple Theory

    From studies of “geometric frustration,” scientists learn how paper folds under pressure.

    By Siobhan Roberts

    1. PhotoAn antlion larva, not actually dead.
      CreditNigel R. Franks

      Trilobites

      The Power of Playing Dead

      A study shows that pretending to be immobile — sometimes for an hour or more — helps larvae of an insects called antlions outlast hungry predators.

      By Cara Giaimo

    2. PhotoDr. Sarah Hart, professor of geometry at Gresham College in London, holds the oldest mathematical chair in England, established in 1597.
      CreditJane Stockdale for The New York Times

      profiles in science

      Triangulating Math, Mozart and ‘Moby-Dick’

      Sarah Hart, the first woman to hold England’s distinguished Gresham professorship of geometry, explores the intersections of music, literature and mathematics.

      By Siobhan Roberts

  3. Photo
    Credit

    10 Women Changing the Landscape of Leadership

    In critical fields like agriculture, science, finance and technology, they have staked a claim with their pioneering work and are building a path for the next generation.

  5. PhotoThe computer-generated unfolding sequence of a sealed letter.
    CreditUnlocking History Research Group

    New Technique Reveals Centuries of Secrets in Locked Letters

    M.I.T. researchers have devised a virtual-reality technique that lets them read old letters that were mailed not in envelopes but in the writing paper itself after being folded into elaborate enclosures.

    By William J. Broad

Trilobites

More in Trilobites ›
  1. PhotoIn an experiment, the blind roundworm C. elegans did not try to wriggle away from a beige version of the P. aeruginosa bacterium, which can kill it and is usually colored bright blue.
    CreditEugene L. Q. Lee

    How Do Blind Worms See the Color Blue?

    Eyeless roundworms may have hacked other cellular warning systems to give themselves a form of color vision.

    By Veronique Greenwood

Climate and Environment

More in Climate and Environment ›
  2. PhotoA farmer in Peukan Biluy village in Aceh, Indonesia, part of the region that could become uninhabitable if global temperatures rise too much. 
    CreditHotli Simanjuntak/EPA, via Shutterstock

    Global Warming’s Deadly Combination: Heat and Humidity

    A new study suggests that large swaths of the tropics will experience dangerous living and working conditions if global warming isn’t limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

    By Henry Fountain

  5. Photo
    CreditThe New York Times

    How Green Are Electric Vehicles?

    In short: Very green. But plug-in cars still have environmental effects. Here’s a guide to the main issues and how they might be addressed.

    By Hiroko Tabuchi and Brad Plumer

  1. Women Report Worse Side Effects After a Covid Vaccine

    Men and women tend to respond differently to many kinds of vaccines. That’s probably because of a mix of factors, including hormones, genes and the dosing of the shots.

    By Melinda Wenner Moyer

  2. A Year Without Travel

    For Planet Earth, No Tourism is a Curse and a Blessing

    From the rise in poaching to the waning of noise pollution, travel’s shutdown is having profound effects. Which will remain, and which will vanish?

    By Lisa W. Foderaro

  3. Start Your Seeds in Yesterday’s News

    A simple roll of newspaper creates a biodegradable pot to get your spring planting season off the ground.

    By Jodi Levine

  4. Add Color and Whimsy to Your Outdoor Landscape

    Ice ornaments reflect winter’s light, like momentary, sun-catching crystals.

    By Hannah Selinger

  5. Have Fun With Fungi and Say Goodbye With Kafka

    This week, attend an art lecture, listen to a conversation with the novelist Viet Thanh Nguyen or celebrate Deaf History Month.

    By Emma Grillo and Danya Issawi

  6. The Virus Spread Where Restaurants Reopened or Mask Mandates Were Absent

    C.D.C. researchers found that coronavirus infections and death rates rose in U.S. counties permitting in-person dining or not requiring masks.

    By Roni Caryn Rabin

  7. L.G.B.T.Q. People Face Increased Risks From Covid, but Many Don’t Want the Vaccine

    Evidence suggests that some sexual and gender minorities — especially people of color — are hesitant to get vaccinated due to mistrust of the medical establishment.

    By Christina Caron

  8. In Oregon, Scientists Find a Virus Variant With a Worrying Mutation

    In a single sample, geneticists discovered a version of the coronavirus first identified in Britain with a mutation originally reported in South Africa.

    By Apoorva Mandavilli

  9. Wisdom, the World’s Oldest Known Wild Bird, Has Another Chick

    An albatross named Wisdom has astounded researchers by hatching a chick at more than 70 years old, securing her title as the world’s oldest known breeding bird.

    By Anna Schaverien

  10. How Rhode Island Fell to the Coronavirus

    A dense population of vulnerable citizens set the stage for a frightening epidemic.

    By Apoorva Mandavilli