Science Times: Scientists edit human embryo genes

June 9, 2026

A colorized light micrograph of a one-cell human embryo just after fertilization.

Claude Cortier/Science Source

Scientists Edit Human Embryo Genes With Startling Precision

Researchers relied on a newer gene-editing technique that may make it possible to engineer embryos, a prospect that has long alarmed bioethicists.

By Carl Zimmer

A view of a large rocket section being delivered to an enormous vehicle assembly building at the Kennedy Space Center.

NASA

NASA Will Unveil New 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?

By Katrina Miller

A close-up view of a small red-eyed fly on a leaf.

Daniel Becerril/Reuters

This Flesh-Eating Fly is Making an Unwanted Comeback

Here’s why farmers and scientists are concerned over the New World screwworm’s unwelcome return to the United States.

By Emily Anthes

Health workers standing outside wearing protective equipment including full suits, masks, gloves and goggles.

Arlette Bashizi for The New York Times

Global Health

Only the Right Tests Can Stop This Ebola Outbreak. Congo Has Hardly Any.

A chronic lack of investment in development of better tests has left clinicians blind and allows deadly viruses to spread unchecked.

By Stephanie Nolen

They Spent Years on a Math Problem. Then They Were Scooped by A.I.

Artificial intelligence is mastering the kinds of projects that have long helped to build the careers of young mathematicians. What does that mean for their future?

By Gregory Barber

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Gwynne Shotwell raises both index fingers while speaking from a white seat on a stage.

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

The Steady Hand at SpaceX Is Not Elon Musk

Gwynne Shotwell, the president and chief operating officer, is the adult-in-the-room foil to Mr. Musk as SpaceX prepares for a blockbuster initial public offering.

By Ryan Mac

Caitlin Evans

Trilobites

Looking for Love in the Big City? It’s Tough for Bowerbirds, Too.

For millions of years, male great bowerbirds have wooed their mates with flowers and seeds. But in today’s urban world, such humble fare may not cut it.

By Annie Roth

An illustration of Mars with a small silvery spacecraft in the foreground.

NASA

NASA Says Goodbye to Its Longtime Mars Orbiter

The space agency announced that the MAVEN spacecraft, which has circled Mars for more than a decade, is being decommissioned.

By Katrina Miller

The New York Times

Inside the Quest to Mine the Bottom of the Sea

A mining company sent an advanced ship to try to vacuum up valuable minerals from the deep ocean. Here’s how it worked.

By Harry Stevens, Sachi Kitajima Mulkey and Junho Lee

A view from a window of the International Space Station, looking down on a Crew Dragon spacecraft docked with the space station, and the blue Earth below.

Leaks on Space Station Lead Astronauts Briefly to Seek Shelter in Spacecraft

Russian astronauts prepared to make repairs on Friday morning, but after an hour and a half, officials decided no urgent action was needed.

By Kenneth Chang

A red crane aboard a ship lowers a cylindrical device into deep blue water.

E.U. Steps Up Ocean Monitoring as Trump Administration Backs Away

Days after the U.S. said it would kill a network of ocean monitors, European officials pledged to invest more in their version, calling it a “necessity.”

By Chico Harlan

A close-up view of a fly with red eyes and blue colored thorax resting on a green leaf.

As Screwworm Cases Mount, U.S. Officials Ramp Up Response

The parasitic, flesh-eating fly has now been confirmed in cows, goats and dogs.

By K. R. Callaway and Emily Anthes

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HEALTH

A collage illustration featuring images of GLP-1 injection pens, a woman lifting weights, a tape measurer graphic, blood platelets and a scan of a human brain.

Alvvino

What We Know About Weight-Loss Drugs Is Rapidly Changing

The widespread use of drugs like Ozempic is giving scientists a clearer picture than ever of their effects.

By Dani Blum

Mr. Kennedy sits in front of a microphone.

Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times

Kennedy Shows Minimal Engagement With Vast Health Portfolio

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has demonstrated little interest in managing his sprawling department as he focuses on food and vaccine policies, according to colleagues.

By Sheryl Gay Stolberg

Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaking with his hands raised in a congressional hearing.