How Inventors Find Inspiration in Evolution

Soft batteries and water-walking robots are among the many creations made possible by studying animals and plants.

By Carl Zimmer

The Harvard Scientist, Kim Kardashian and the Comet That Probably Isn’t an Alien Spaceship

Scientists who study comets are struggling to keep up with popular speculation that the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS was sent to our solar system by an alien intelligence.

By Kenneth Chang

The Young Women Grappling With an ‘Old Man’s Disease’

Diagnosed with A.L.S., they traded stories, drank tequila and made grim jokes at a unique annual gathering on Cape Cod.

By Roni Caryn Rabin and Lucy Lu

James D. Watson, Co-Discoverer of the Structure of DNA, Is Dead at 97

His decoding of the blueprint for life with Francis H.C. Crick made him one of the most important scientists of the 20th century. He wrote a celebrated memoir and later ignited an uproar with racist views.

By Cornelia Dean

News Analysis

The DNA Helix Changed How We Thought About Ourselves

“The laws of inheritance are quite unknown,” Charles Darwin acknowledged in 1859. The discovery of DNA’s shape altered how we conceived of life itself.

By Carl Zimmer

Trilobites

How a Sea Creature’s Fossils Show All the Colors of the Rainbow

The brilliant iridescent hues found in ammolite come from tiny air gaps in the fossils’ layers, a new study finds.

By Alexa Robles-Gil

Why Everyone Wants to Meet the ‘World’s Most Boring Man’

Politicians, oil giants and climate activists hang on his every word. The Trump administration has blasted him. How did Fatih Birol get so big?

By Max Bearak

10 Years After a Breakthrough Climate Pact, Here’s Where We Are

Has anything really changed in the decade since the Paris Agreement was reached? Actually, quite a lot.

By Somini Sengupta, Max Bearak, Harry Stevens, Mira Rojanasakul and Catrin Einhorn

Tackling Climate Change Without the U.S.

This year’s U.N. climate talks are being held in Brazil. So far, they’ve been noteworthy for who isn’t attending.

By Katrin Bennhold

F.D.A. Will Remove Black Box Warnings From Hormone Treatments for Menopause

The benefits of hormone replacement have been underappreciated, Dr. Marty Makary, the agency’s commissioner, said on Monday. Critics described evidence for the change as insufficient.

By Roni Caryn Rabin

Big Food’s Fight Against Kennedy Is Heating Up

A new industry group wants to set aside the piecemeal state-by-state approach imposing food dye and labeling laws in favor of federal control. The opposition has roiled the MAHA coalition.

By Christina Jewett and Julie Creswell

Radiation May Be Unnecessary for Many Breast Cancer Patients

Doctors have already begun reducing radiation treatment for women at low risk of recurrence or spread of the disease. A new study finds that some women at greater risk can safely avoid radiation.

By Roni Caryn Rabin

Are A.I. Therapy Chatbots Safe to Use?

Psychologists and technologists see them as the future of therapy. The Food and Drug Administration is exploring whether to regulate them as medical devices.

By Cade Metz

The ‘Worst Test in Medicine’ is Driving America’s High C-Section Rate

Round-the-clock fetal monitoring leads to unnecessary C-sections. But it’s used in nearly every birth because of business and legal concerns, The Times found.

By Sarah Kliff