President Trump last week formally nominated Michael Kratsios, a member of the first Trump administration with no degrees in science or engineering, to be his science adviser. Science policy experts say that Mr. Kratsios’ wide experience in private and public technology policy and management is what makes him an attractive candidate. His expertise includes a central role in early federal …
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State Department Permits Distribution of H.I.V. Medications to Resume — for Now
The Trump administration on Tuesday issued a waiver for lifesaving medicines and medical services, offering a reprieve for a worldwide H.I.V. treatment program that was halted last week. The waiver, announced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, seemed to allow for the distribution of H.I.V. medications, but whether the waiver extended to preventive drugs or other services offered by the …
Read More »When ‘Cancer’ Gets in the Way of Treatment
Calling DCIS “cancer” can signal to patients that they face a medical emergency requiring immediate surgery and, often, radiation. Yet studies suggest that such harsh treatments may be unnecessary and overused. Preliminary results from a trial of nearly 1,000 women with DCIS showed that, two years into the study, patients who were being actively monitored did not experience a higher …
Read More »In Seattle, a Meeting of 5,444 Mathematical Minds
The world’s largest gathering of mathematicians convened in Seattle from Jan. 8 to Jan. 11 — 5,444 mathematicians, 3,272 talks. This year the program diverged somewhat from the its traditional kaleidoscopic panorama. An official theme, “Mathematics in the Age of A.I.,” was set by Bryna Kra, the president of the American Mathematical Society, which hosts the event in collaboration with …
Read More »For Children in Rural Mozambique, the Future Comes Into Focus
Over the past year, Muanema Fakira noticed something odd about the eyes of her 1-year-old daughter Sumaya. Her left eye was cloudy. It did not gleam with curiosity or glint in the sun. When the problem persisted, Ms. Fakira made the rounds to health clinics in their town in central Mozambique. Doctors said they could not help. But they knew …
Read More »Trump Administration Halts H.I.V. Drug Distribution in Poor Countries
The Trump administration has instructed organizations in other countries to stop disbursing H.I.V. medications purchased with U.S. aid, even if the drugs have already been obtained and are sitting in local clinics. The directive is part of a broader freeze on foreign aid initiated last week. It includes the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the global health program started …
Read More »The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Hummingbird
Flower mites spend their lives slurping nectar and nibbling pollen in flowers throughout the tropics. To travel from one blossom to another, these tiny, eight-legged creatures hitch rides on the beaks of hummingbirds, taking shelter in the birds’ nostrils during flight. When a speedy hummingbird arrives at a flower to drink nectar, mites run toward its beak to get onboard …
Read More »‘This Is a Dangerous Virus’
When bird flu first struck dairy cattle a year ago, it seemed possible that it might affect a few isolated herds and disappear as quickly as it had appeared. Instead, the virus has infected more than 900 herds and dozens of people, killing one, and the outbreak shows no signs of abating. A pandemic is not inevitable even now, more …
Read More »Snakeskin: It’s Fashionable, and It Scares Predators Away From Bird Nests
In 1889, the naturalist Allan Octavian Hume wrote that he was puzzled by macabre decorations he observed in many birds’ nests: strips of dried snakeskin. “Are birds superstitious, I wonder? Do they believe in charms?” he wrote in “The Nests and Eggs of Indian Birds.” If not, why were so many birds using pieces of snakeskin to adorn their nests? …
Read More »The Perfect Cacio e Pepe Recipe, According to Science
A group of Italian physicists has dared to tinker with the traditional recipe for cacio e pepe, the challenging Roman dish consisting of pasta, pecorino cheese and black pepper. In a new study, the scientists claim to have “scientifically optimized” the recipe by adding an ingredient: cornstarch. Cacio e pepe, which means cheese and pepper, is a showcase of Italian …
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