Science Times: A SpaceX rocket will soon crash into the moon
Plus: Meet a bee vet and watch a giant manta get an ultrasound —
Science Times
August 4, 2026
A design of a square inside another carved into the ground alongside a forest.

Martti Pärssinen

Archaeologists Find Hundreds of Ancient Glyphs in the Amazon

The geometric earthwork structures, carved into the ground with embankments and ditches, are in some cases more than 2,500 years old, researchers said.

By Alan Yuhas

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Will Crooks for The New York Times

Honey, Call the Bee Vet!

Veterinarians are gingerly embracing the honeybee, a vital pollinator for agriculture but one that’s in increasing danger.

By Emily Anthes and Will Crooks

Rows of U.S. Army soldiers, seen from behind, raise their hands to take an oath.

Kenny Holston/The New York Times

Hegseth Wants a ‘High-T’ Military. Could That Pose Risks to Soldiers, or Society?

A new policy raises questions about testosterone’s effect on aggression in some men.

By Azeen Ghorayshi

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Bryant Turffs

How to Tell if a Giant Manta Is Pregnant? Give Her an Ultrasound.

Scientists managed to confirm pregnancies in three giant mantas with underwater ultrasound scans, offering clues to the animals’ elusive reproductive habits.

By Alexa Robles-Gil

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Dean Olson, via Storyful

A Ton of Space Junk Tumbles Unpredictably to Earth Every Week

Flaming chunks of metal crash into homes, farms and parking lots. Who’s to blame? And who pays for the damage?

By Selam Gebrekidan

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Pingnan Lu

Should You Be Able to Bet on Drug Trials?

Prediction markets on Kalshi and Polymarket now let people wager money on drug approvals. Kalshi also plans to allow bets on clinical trial results.

By Rebecca Robbins

A man in a suit and black fedora poses between two halves of a skinless human corpse.

Sion Touhig/Getty Images

Gunther von Hagens, Creator of Polarizing ‘Body Worlds’ Exhibits, Dies at 81

A German scientist, he developed a process for turning corpses into posable figures. His shows drew millions of visitors, and many detractors.

By Clay Risen

A view from a spacecraft over Earth and the bright sun in space.

Katalyst Space Technologies

Mission to Save Falling NASA Space Telescope Suffers Setback

A spacecraft meant to push NASA’s Swift Observatory to a higher orbit malfunctioned and started tumbling several days ago. Engineers think it can still succeed.

By Kenneth Chang

CLIMATE CHANGE

President Trump gestures at Chris Wright in front of a blue backdrop that reads “ratepayer protection.” Two other men in suits sit beside Wright.

Kenny Holston/The New York Times

Trump Administration Is Repurposing Federal Land for A.I. Data Centers

In the latest example, the Energy Department will convert a shuttered Cold War-era uranium enrichment facility into a data center campus and gas plants.

By Brad Plumer

A brown, burned aircraft fuselage rests in a field near two ruck and a few small outbuildings.

Nina Riggio for The New York Times

Bipartisan Anger Grows at Pentagon’s Delayed ‘Forever Chemicals’ Cleanups

Hundreds of bases are contaminated with PFAS, which are linked to low birth weight and other risks. Politicians from both parties are demanding explanations.

By Hiroko Tabuchi

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HEALTH

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MediaPunch/Associated Press

Two Deaths Linked to Cyclosporiasis in Michigan

The patients had “significant underlying health conditions,” health officials said.

By Caroline Hopkins Legaspi

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Finbarr O'Reilly for The New York Times

With a Series of Big Donations, State Department Restores Some Global Health Aid

The amount is still far below what the U.S. spent previously on humanitarian and health aid, but resumes the flow of money for key efforts to fight malnutrition and disease.

By Stephanie Nolen

A transmission electron micrograph tinted dark pink of a small pox virus.

CDC/Phanie/Sipa Press, via Alamy

‘This Is Very Strange’: Ancient Smallpox May Have Been Less Deadly

Scientists have found smallpox viruses in the remains of people in Chile from around 500 years ago, revealing how the virus may have evolved into a global killer.

By Carl Zimmer

An ambulance sits under a structure with a sign saying Eric Muñoz Trauma Center, Ambulance Entrance. It’s located in Newark, N.J.

Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times

Uninsured Patients Rise Sharply, Hospitals Report, Citing Obamacare Cuts

More people who lost coverage after congressional Republicans ended enhanced federal subsidies are now seeking care in emergency rooms and unable to pay bills.

By Reed Abelson

Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, wearing a blue suit, sits before a microphone at a table.

Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times

Fauci, Assailed by Republicans, Took the Fifth. Here’s What We Know.

In a three-hour Senate hearing this week, Dr. Fauci invoked his constitutional right to stay silent, leaving people confused about many of the issues raised.

By Sheryl Gay Stolberg and Benjamin Mueller

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