City Issues Rule to Ban Dirtiest Oils at Buildings
By MIREYA NAVARRO
Buildings in New York City will be required to phase out using the most-polluting heating oil under a new regulation that is expected to improve air quality significantly.
BP Agrees to Pay $1 Billion for Start of Gulf Restoration
By JOHN M. BRODER
The payment to five states and the federal government will count toward the company’s final liability.
The Texas Tribune
A City Built on Oil Discovers How Precious Its Water Can Be
By KATE GALBRAITH
Midland and other Permian Basin cities are facing serious water problems as their above-ground reservoirs dry up.
Bacteria Divide People Into 3 Types, Scientists Say
By CARL ZIMMER
Scientists report that the three “enterotypes” may have discrete effects on people’s health.
Wildlife at Risk Face Long Line at U.S. Agency
By TODD WOODY
The Fish and Wildlife Service is struggling with an avalanche of petitions and lawsuits over the endangered species list.
Gas Well Spews Polluted Water
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
The spill occurred at a well in northern Pennsylvania that was being opened in a process called hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.
Science Times: April 19, 2011
To Tug Hearts, Music First Must Tickle the Neurons
By PAM BELLUCK
Milton Glaser
Scientists are trying to understand and quantify what makes music expressive, and the results are contributing to a greater understanding of how the brain works.
Music Perception Quiz
Whales’ Grandeur and Grace, Up Close
By YUDHIJIT BHATTACHARJEE
A photographer has created 25 true-scale pictures, including two full portraits — each composed from dozens of photographs of different sections of the whale’s body.
Books on Science
Eighty Years Along, a Longevity Study Still Has Ground to Cover
By KATHERINE BOUTON
Researchers find conscientiousness might be the key to a long life.
NASA Awards $269 Million for Private Projects
By KENNETH CHANG
The government increases its bet that private companies can take astronauts into orbit quicker and cheaper.
Reptiles Eat With the Bones Humans Hear With, Fossil Proves
By JOHN NOBLE WILFORD
A well-preserved fossil bears the first paleontological evidence showing the close relationship between the lower jaw and the middle ear.
The Gulf of Mexico Spill: One Year Later
Beyond the Oil Spill, the Tragedy of an Ailing Gulf
By CAMPBELL ROBERTSON
There is a huge dead zone off the mouth of the Mississippi, and coastal wetlands have been vanishing rapidly.
A Year Spent Wrestling With Paperwork, Not Nets
By CAMPBELL ROBERTSON
Alton Verdin is not interested in lawsuits; he just wants to get back to fishing.
The Regulator
Answering a Call, Slowly
By JOHN M. BRODER
It took a call from President Obama to convince Michael R. Bromwich to lead the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement.
The Counselor
Foreign Land, Familiar Words
By MIREYA NAVARRO
Tuan Nguyen has helped Vietnamese fishermen in Louisiana get emergency money, mental health counseling and new jobs.
More News
Justices Skeptical on Role of Courts in Setting Emissions Standards
By ADAM LIPTAK
Six states and New York City turn to the courts for help in forcing power companies to reduce emissions.
Drug That Stops Bleeding Shows Off-Label Dangers
By GINA KOLATA
A $10,000-per-dose drug is being used in cases in which it was not rigorously tested 97 percent of the time, new studies show.
More Multimedia
The First Close-Ups of Mercury
NASA’s Messenger spacecraft sent back the first of what is expected to be 75,000 photographs during a yearlong investigation of Mercury.
Up in the Clouds
Some notable selections from “The Cloud Collector’s Handbook” by Gavin Pretor-Pinney, with comments from the author.
Readers’ Photos: A Family’s Best Friend?
Photos and stories of pets that were viewed differently by family members.
Interactive Feature: Rock-Paper-Scissors: You vs. the Computer
Test your strategy against the computer in this rock-paper-scissors game illustrating basic artificial intelligence.
Scientist at Work Blog
Returning to Carbon
By ALYSON SANTORO
Scientists use sediment traps to measure the movement of carbon through the ocean.
For a Few, Focus on Green Products Pays Off
April 21, 2011
Study Finds Solar Panels Increase Home Values
April 21, 2011
Podcast: Science Times
This week: Your brain on music and recipes for health.
Science Columns
Observatory
A Recording Studio Found Under the Pacific
By NICHOLAS BAKALAR
Whales all over the Pacific Ocean pick up the songs of humpbacks, turning them into worldwide hits.
Observatory
Some Dinosaurs Liked the Night Life, Eye Bones Show
By NICHOLAS BAKALAR
The eye structure of the creatures shows that some functioned capably in the dark, contrary to popular belief.
Observatory
Warblers Have Ways to Resist Impostor Eggs
By NICHOLAS BAKALAR
The cuckoo finch’s habit of laying its eggs in other birds’ nests provokes a variety of defense mechanisms in three species of warblers in Zambia, researchers say.
Q & A
Name Your Poison
By C. CLAIBORNE RAY
Taking small doses of arsenic may help someone survive what could be a fatal dose.
The Sea Turtles’ Plight
A year after the BP oil spill, endangered sea turtles still wash up dead on Gulf of Mexico shores in large numbers. A federal investigation suggests that the culprit is likely not oil.
Health Columns
Personal Best
For an Exercise Afterburn, Intensity May Be the Key
By GINA KOLATA
One study finds a hard workout’s calorie-burning benefits continue after the exercise is done.
Personal Health
The Nose May Not Know What It’s Missing
By JANE E. BRODY
Smell and taste disorders can affect more than the ability to “smell the roses” in life and to enjoy food.
Really?
The Claim: To Reduce Snoring, Try Sleeping on Your Side
By ANAHAD O'CONNOR
Advice long given to snorers may not work for everyone.
Opinion
Dot Earth Blog
Indian Point and Earth Day
By ANDREW C. REVKIN
Gazing into the present, and future, of nuclear power, deep within an atom-powered plant.
Wordplay Blog
Numberplay: Car Talk Pet Store Puzzler
By GARY ANTONICK
An animal puzzler from the popular NPR radio show Car Talk.
Letters
Science, Environment and Health Series | Special Sections
MOST POPULAR - SCIENCE
- Bacteria Divide People Into 3 Types, Scientists Say
- Wildlife at Risk Face Long Line at U.S. Agency
- To Tug Hearts, Music First Must Tickle the Neurons
- Books on Science: Eighty Years Along, a Longevity Study Still Has Ground to Cover
- Green: Study Finds Solar Panels Increase Home Values
- Whales’ Grandeur and Grace, Up Close
- What Makes Music Expressive?
- Phonetic Clues Hint Language Is Africa-Born
- Green: Transparent Photovoltaic Cells Turn Windows Into Solar Panels
- How Microbes Defend and Define Us
- Bacteria Divide People Into 3 Types, Scientists Say
- Wildlife at Risk Face Long Line at U.S. Agency
- To Tug Hearts, Music First Must Tickle the Neurons
- Books on Science: Eighty Years Along, a Longevity Study Still Has Ground to Cover
- Whales’ Grandeur and Grace, Up Close
- Study Finds Solar Panels Increase Home Values
- Transparent Photovoltaic Cells Turn Windows Into Solar Panels
- Vegan Promoter Uses Photos of Meat and Dairy Items, and Fury Follows
- Phonetic Clues Hint Language Is Africa-Born
- Everything Returns to Carbon
Times Science Reporters
The Pump Handle
One year after the Deepwater Horizon: Will the next cleanup be better?
April 20, 2011
