Science Times: Canada’s oil sands wastelands

March 10, 2026

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A wide view of a steam and other emissions emanating off a large sprawling oil facility in a winter landscape.

Pat Kane for The New York Times

Cancer Haunts Neighbors of Canada’s Oil Sands Wastelands

Though high rates of the disease persist among the nearby Indigenous communities, the Canadian government is weighing rules that may allow energy giants to release treated mining waste into the river system.

By Emily Baumgaertner Nunn

MoMath Brings Prime Numbers to a Prime New Location

After outgrowing its original home, the National Museum of Mathematics has added new exhibits and an art gallery space in what was an empty storefront along the Avenue of the Americas in Manhattan.

By Kenneth Chang and Emon Hassan

Rows of solar panels on a farm reflect the setting sun on the horizon.

Tim Gruber for The New York Times

A Big Night Light in the Sky? Start-Up Wants to Launch a Space Mirror.

The company is seeking F.C.C. approval to test an idea to reflect sunlight to Earth at night, possibly powering solar panels. Critics say it could be bad for people and wildlife.

By Kenneth Chang and Hiroko Tabuchi

A person in a medical mask and yellow protective gear handles samples while testing a drive-up patient in a parking lot.

Ruth Fremson/The New York Times

Scientists Get a Glimpse of How New Pandemics Are Made

Researchers have devised a new tool for discerning between naturally occurring viral outbreaks and those resulting from lab accidents.

By Carl Zimmer

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An illustration of the article’s theme, showing flowers and test tubes.

Sergio Baradat

From Endangered Plants Come Whiffs of Inspiration

How scientists, conservationists and the fragrance industry are working to revive extinct scents and perpetuate threatened ones.

By Tammy LaGorce

AllSky7

Meteorite Crashes Through Roof in Germany After Fiery Light Show

The fireball from space was spotted by a network of sky-watching cameras in Belgium, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Germany.

By Robin George Andrews

Close-up view of the rocky surface of the asteroid Dimorphos.

NASA/Johns Hopkins APL

Asteroid-Smashing NASA Mission Sped Up Space Rocks’ Journey Around the Sun

New data about the DART spacecraft’s effects adds evidence that Earth could be defended from future deadly asteroids by diverting their orbits.

By Katrina Miller

Experiment Shows Possibility of Martian Microbes Hitching a Ride to Earth

Hardy bacteria in a lab survived pressures comparable to an asteroid strike on the red planet, suggesting a hypothetical scenario in which our planet was seeded with life.

By Robin George Andrews

Amy Dunham/Rice University

Trilobites

Lemurs Love This Fruit That Is Choking Madagascar’s Forests

The strawberry guava, one of the world’s worst invasive species, hinders forest restoration on the island while feeding its famous endangered primates.

By Rachel Nuwer

Three men in jeans and coats standing in the snow in front of several metal grain bins.

Where Corn and Soybeans Rule, the ‘Oat Mafia’ Fights for Turf

Farmers in the Upper Midwest are investing in homegrown oats. It’s good for the land. But can it work as a cash crop?

By Jacey Fortin and Tim Gruber

Trilobites

Chimpanzees Are Really Into Crystals

In an attempt to understand our own fascination with the shiny minerals, researchers gave some to chimps.

By Cara Giaimo

Trilobites

You’ve Never Seen Ants Like This Before

The Antscan database captures the tiny insects’ diversity and shows how the world’s living things could be rendered in three dimensions.

By Ari Daniel

A bird with green plumage sitting in a nest with three eggs in front of her.

Superfood Fuels Mating Frenzy for a Critically Endangered Parrot

Kakapos, which are reclusive and flightless and can live as long as humans, are found only in New Zealand. They feed on the fruit of the rimu tree.

By Neil Vigdor

CLIMATE CHANGE

A brown, sandy riverbed cuts through flat land that is covered in brown, yellow, green and reddish vegetation.

David Robert Elliott for The New York Times

Nature Report, Killed by Trump, Is Released Independently

A draft assessment of the health of nature in the United States is grim but shot through with bright spots and possibility.

By Catrin Einhorn

An aerial view of a deep green stretch of land ending in a muddy coastline and an expanse of open water to the left.

Juan Barreto/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Sea Levels Are Already Higher Than Many Scientists Think, New Study Shows

Researchers found that a majority of studies on coastal sea levels underestimated how high water levels are, and hundreds of millions of people are closer to peril than previously thought.

By Sachi Kitajima Mulkey and Mira Rojanasakul

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HEALTH

A portrait of a smiling Dr. Vinay Prasad with an American flag behind him.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Divisive F.D.A. Vaccine Regulator Is Resigning

Dr. Vinay Prasad drew criticism for overriding career scientists and rejecting drugs by companies seeking agency approval.

By Christina Jewett

Donald Trump speaks at a lectern with the presidential seal as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stands behind him.

Tierney L. Cross/The New York Times

Fewer Pregnant Women Received Acetaminophen in E.R.s After White House Warnings

A new analysis of prescription data found that emergency room orders for acetaminophen for pregnant women fell for weeks after the federal warning.

By Azeen Ghorayshi

Will Crooks for The New York Times

F.D.A. Faces Upset Over Denials of New Drugs

Agency officials promise fast reviews of new treatments while vowing they will not be a “rubber stamp” for the industry. But patients with rare diseases view recent decisions as signs that the doors are closing on their options.

By Christina Jewett

An open white and orange box of Mounjaro containing three injectable pens rests on a wooden table.

Kristian Thacker for The New York Times

Most Patients Keep Weight Off With Fewer GLP-1 Shots, Study Finds

In a recent review, a small group of patients received the injections less frequently but still maintained weight loss and health benefits.

By Roni Caryn Rabin