Science Times: For these snails, a change in name could endanger their future

April 21, 2026

A close-up view of a hand holding multicolored threads, many of them a deep purple, with the bumpy shell of a snail in the center.

What’s in a Name? For These Snails, Legal Protection

Scientists are debating the classification of threatened mollusks that an Indigenous community relies on for their way of life.

By Zoë Lescaze and María José Zavala Balcázar

An illustration of a dog wearing glasses and laying on a couch, while reading a book labeled “War and Peace.” Another dog is on the floor, on its back, with its tongue hanging outside its mouth and is surrounded by torn sheets of paper from a book.

Peter Arkle

Pet Theory

In Defense of Dumb Dogs

Your pet is (probably) not a genius, and that’s OK.

By Emily Anthes

Ximena Nelson

How Bruce the Parrot Landed Atop the Pecking Order, Without a Beak

The kea gained fame for learning to use a pebble to groom himself. Scientists were astounded by his next innovation.

By Carl Zimmer

A view over the shoulder of a technician, clad head-to-toe in protective gear, working with a piece of ancient skull in a workstation in a laboratory.

Kayana Szymczak for The New York Times

Nature Is Still Molding Human Genes, Study Finds

Some researchers hold that evolution hasn’t much altered humans in the past 10,000 years. A new analysis of ancient DNA indicates that natural selection continued to shape hundreds of genes.

By Carl Zimmer

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Jörgen Wiklund

Trilobites

These Salmon Got High on Cocaine. That Wasn’t the Craziest Part.

Scientists in Sweden made an unexpected discovery when they exposed the fish to the illegal drug as well as another substance.

By Annie Roth

A bright-red 5-foot-5 humanoid robot strides on a road in Beijing.

Kevin Frayer/Getty Images

Humanoid Robot Wins Half-Marathon and Smashes Humans’ Record

The android won a race featuring robots and humans on Sunday in Beijing, achieving a technological milestone while finishing faster than any person in history.

By Adeel Hassan

A close-up view of an anglerfish with large, fearsome jaws and a lure sticking out of its forehead, against a black background.

A.J. Maile

Trilobites

How Female Anglerfish Evolved to Have It All

The deep-sea fish ended up with glowing lures not just to snag meals, but also to attract mates, a new study finds.

By Kate Golembiewski

A very distant view of a rocket with a plume of exhaust behind in the Earth's atmosphere on its way to orbit.

Joe Skipper/Reuters

Blue Origin’s Failure May Hamstring NASA’s Moon Plans

The space agency is counting on Jeff Bezos’ company to deliver equipment essential to the next moon landing, only two years away.

By Kenneth Chang

‘Earthset’ Is Captured on Video for First Time

The Earth slips behind the moon in an iPhone video taken by Reid Wiseman during NASA’s Artemis II mission, a sequel to the iconic Earthrise photo taken by Apollo 8.

By Adeel Hassan

After Artemis II, Astronauts and NASA Look Toward Moon Landing

The four astronauts spoke at a news conference Thursday afternoon at Johnson Space Center in Houston about their journey around the moon and back to Earth.

By Kenneth Chang and Adeel Hassan

A black-and-white photo of a man with a closed smile sitting behind and between two chimps.

Desmond Morris, 98, Dies; Explored Humans’ Animal Instincts in ‘The Naked Ape’

An English zoologist, he wrote an immensely popular 1967 book arguing that ancient genes, shared with apes, shape our lives. Objections in the scientific world ensued.

By Douglas Martin

CLIMATE CHANGE

A person sits on a bench looking up at a canopy of pink cherry blossoms.

Yuichi Yamazaki/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Japan’s Cherry Blossom Database, 1,200 Years Old, Has a New Keeper

The remarkable catalog of dates is one of the longest-running records of climate change. Its creator died, setting off a search for a successor.

By Hiroko Tabuchi

A group of workers in yellow emergency vests walk toward a construction site in a desert.

Ariana Gomez for The New York Times

Carbon Removal Industry Reels as Microsoft Retreats

Once held up as a key solution to climate change, a field that aims to remove carbon from the atmosphere is struggling to catch on.

By David Gelles

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HEALTH

Ms. Guzman, wearing glasses, sits at a dinner table with several documents in front of her and gestures with a pen.

Michael Hanson for The New York Times

the new old age

The Help That Many Older Americans Need Most

With shortages of medical professionals and an aging population, thousands of community health care workers prevent older adults from falling through the cracks.

By Paula Span

Pieces of dried psilocybin mushrooms are contained in a small dish.

Ruth Fremson/The New York Times

Trump Loosens Restrictions on Psychedelic Drugs

The president’s executive order is intended to accelerate research into the compounds’ efficacy in treating mental health disorders like severe depression and PTSD.

By Andrew Jacobs and Noah Daly

A woman in a pink dress holding white bottles of medication.

Aaron Ufumeli/Associated Press

New PEPFAR Data Show Worrying Declines in Testing and Treatment for H.I.V.

The numbers are the first to quantify the effect of the Trump administration’s shutdown and restarting of a program that has saved millions of lives worldwide.

By Apoorva Mandavilli

Aaron Blum for The New York Times