For an animal with an ivory appendage half the length of its body protruding from the top of its head, a narwhal moves in the water with surprising grace. “It’s almost mesmerizing,” said Greg O’Corry-Crowe, a research professor at Florida Atlantic University who studies marine mammals. “The precision with which they wielded their tusks, it wasn’t like a broadsword. It …
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Orange Alert: What Caused the Colors on This Snowy Owl?
Bill Diller, a photographer living in Huron County, Mich., had never seen a snowy owl quite like this. In January, Mr. Diller’s neighbor told him about a “red-spotted snowy owl” in the area. It’s a part of Michigan known as “the Thumb,” which becomes home to many snowy owls in the winter. People were calling the bird “Rusty.” “I had …
Read More »Why Are Cats Such a Medical Black Box?
Maybe that was a true reflection of reality. Our dogs regularly romped through Prospect Park in Brooklyn, swapped germs with playmates and scarfed down rogue chicken bones, while our cats lived cosseted, indoor lives. Now I suspect that we may have missed signs of illness in our cats. I had worried that we were overreacting when we took Olive to …
Read More »Without Offering Proof, Kennedy Links Measles Outbreak to Poor Diet and Health
In a sweeping interview, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health and human services secretary, outlined a strategy for containing the measles outbreak in West Texas that strayed far from mainstream science, relying heavily on fringe theories about prevention and treatments. He issued a muffled call for vaccinations in the affected community, but said the choice was a personal one. He …
Read More »Think You Understand Your Dog? Think Again.
Dogs can’t talk, but their body language speaks volumes. Many dogs will bow when they want to play, for instance, or lick their lips and avert their gaze when nervous or afraid. But people aren’t always good at interpreting such cues — or even noticing them, a new study suggests. In the study, the researchers presented people with videos of …
Read More »For Patients Needing Transplants, Hope Arrives on Tiny Hooves
More than 100,000 Americans are on waiting lists for donor organs, most needing a kidney. Only 25,000 human donor kidneys become available each year. Twelve Americans on the kidney list die every day on average. Scientists first transplanted genetically engineered pig organs into other animals and then to brain-dead human patients. In 2022, researchers received permission to transplant the organs …
Read More »Trump Freeze on Aid to Nuclear Inspectors Undercuts His Iran Policy
Starting in late January, President Trump suspended two programs that provide American aid to international nuclear inspectors, potentially undermining his own goal of preventing Iran from developing a nuclear arsenal. Though one of the programs has since been restored, the outcome of the actions has been to weaken confidence in an effort that for decades has exposed Iran’s strides toward …
Read More »How Foreign Aid Cuts Are Setting the Stage for Disease Outbreaks
Dangerous pathogens left unsecured at labs across Africa. Halted inspections for mpox, Ebola and other infections at airports and other checkpoints. Millions of unscreened animals shipped across borders. The Trump administration’s pause on foreign aid has hobbled programs that prevent and snuff out outbreaks around the world, scientists say, leaving people everywhere more vulnerable to dangerous pathogens. That includes Americans. …
Read More »As Measles Continues to Spread in Texas, Cases Jump in New Mexico
A raging measles outbreak in West Texas, which has so far killed one child, has not abated and may have taken root in New Mexico, state health officials reported on Friday. The outbreak has sickened nearly 200 people — roughly 40 more cases than were reported on Tuesday — and has left 23 hospitalized in West Texas. Local health officials …
Read More »Humans Have Been Perfecting Avocados for 7,500 Years
Avocados are true superfoods: dense, buttery scoops of vitamins, fat and fiber, all in a hand-size package. We worked for a long time to make them this way. According to a paper published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, people in what we today call Honduras made avocados a part of their diets at least 10,000 …
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