Science Times: Can Europa, an ocean moon of Jupiter, support life?

Plus: Hairballs, northern lights and the Great Red Spot —

View in browser|nytimes.com October 15, 2024 Kevin M. Gill/NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI, via Associated Press NASA Launches Europa Clipper to Explore an Ocean Moon's Habitability The spacecraft lifted off Monday on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, embarking on a nearly six-year journey to Jupiter. By Kenneth Chang In High Mountain Alaska, a Glacier's Deep Secret Is Revealed at Last A famed explorer was sure the ice hid something profound. Ninety years later, scientists have put forth the strongest evidence yet that he was right. By Raymond Zhong and Jason Gulley Alastair Grant/Associated Press A Shift in the World of Science What this year's Nobels can teach us about science and humanity. By Alan Burdick and Katrina Miller Andrea Verdelli for The New York Times The Panda Factories In the 1990s, China began sending pandas to foreign zoos to be bred, in the hope that future generations could be released into the wild. It hasn't gone as planned. By Mara Hvistendahl and Joy Dong Sergio Flores/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images SpaceX Advances Starship Program With a Launch and a Catch The company completed a successful test flight of the most powerful rocket ever built. Some residents near the Texas site experienced shaking as the landing vehicle was caught by mechanical arms. By Kenneth Chang and Eric Lipton Email us Let us know how we're doing at sciencenewsletter@nytimes.com. Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago Trilobites Hairballs Shed Light on Man-Eating Lions' Menu The Tsavo man-eaters terrorized railroad workers in British East Africa in the 19th century, but their tastes went well beyond human flesh. By Jack Tamisiea Jane Barlow/Press Association, via Associated Press In Photos and Video Northern Lights Animate Night Skies Around the Globe An outburst from elevated solar activity created conditions on Thursday that kept people's eyes glued to evening views all over the Northern Hemisphere. By The New York Times Ian Willms for The New York Times What Flying in a Wind Tunnel Reveals About Birds Some birds migrate thousands of miles every autumn. How exactly do they manage it? Scientists built a flight chamber to find out. By Emily Anthes and Ian Willms NASA, ESA, Amy Simon (NASA-GSFC) Jupiter's Great Red Spot Moves Like the Solar System's Biggest Kickball A sequence of images captured by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope showed how much the giant storm changed shape as it traveled within the planet's atmosphere. By Robin George Andrews In Jordan, a 'Stunning' Discovery Under Petra's Ancient Stone A recent excavation has unearthed 12 human skeletons and a chamber of grave offerings near Petra's Treasury building, a UNESCO World Heritage site. By Ali Watkins Nobel Prize in Chemistry Goes to 3 Scientists for Predicting and Creating Proteins The Nobel, awarded to David Baker of the University of Washington and Demis Hassabis and John M. Jumper of Google DeepMind, is the second this week to involve artificial intelligence. By Claire Moses, Cade Metz and Teddy Rosenbluth How Does It Feel to Win a Nobel Prize? Ask the 'Godfather of A.I.' The computer scientist Geoffrey Hinton spoke with The Times shortly after learning he had won the Nobel Prize for Physics. By Cade Metz European Space Mission Launches to Investigate an Asteroid Crash Site The Hera spacecraft, which took flight late Monday morning, is part of a broader effort to bolster humanity's planetary defense readiness. By Katrina Miller Can Your Electric Vehicle Catch Fire During a Hurricane? E.V. batteries that are submerged in saltwater can catch fire after the floods subside, but experts say it's a rarity. By Austyn Gaffney and Brad Plumer CLIMATE CHANGE Todd Heisler/The New York Times California Tries 'Trump-Proofing' Its Climate Policies A second Trump administration would be expected to shred climate polices. California officials are devising ways to insulate its environmental regulations. By Coral Davenport Paul Ratje for The New York Times How Global Warming Made Hurricane Milton More Intense and Destructive Greenhouse gas emissions added rain, intensified winds and doubled the storm's potential property damage, scientists estimated. By Raymond Zhong We hope you've enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times. HEALTH Ivor Prickett for The New York Times Therapeutic Food Shortage Puts African Children at Risk of Starvation, U.N. Agency Says Supplies of a highly nutritious treatment are running out, according to UNICEF. By Apoorva Mandavilli Eugenia Mello the new old age The Cutting-Edge Hearing Aids That You May Already Own Apple is preparing to turn its AirPods Pro 2 into easy-to-use aids for people with mild to moderate hearing loss. By Paula Span Illustration by Andrei Cojocaru; Photos by Getty Why Controlling Blood Sugar Is Crucial for Your Health How often should you test your glucose and A1C? How do food, sleep and exercise affect blood sugar? Here's what to know. By Nina Agrawal Eric Lee/The New York Times; Maddie McGarvey for The New York Times On Drug Prices, Harris Pushes for Deeper Cuts While Trump Offers Few Specifics Both have campaigned for lower prescription costs. Kamala Harris has promised to expand President Biden's policies. Donald Trump is a wild card. By Reed Abelson and Rebecca Robbins Stephen M. Katz/The Virginian-Pilot/Tribune News Service, via Getty Images 3% of American High Schoolers Identify as Transgender, First National Survey Finds A survey by the C.D.C. found high rates of sadness, bullying and suicide attempts among transgender and gender-questioning teenagers. By Azeen Ghorayshi How Healthy Is Broccoli? The dinnertime standard is a nutritional multitasker. By Caroline Hopkins Legaspi Why 'Unbalanced' Muscles Can Cause You Pain Repeatedly doing the same type of activity — whether it's running, lifting or sitting — can have serious downsides. By Hilary Achauer The 7-Minute Stress Workout Sometimes moving the body can help quiet the mind. By Danielle Friedman and Theodore Tae Frances Conley, Neurosurgeon Who Protested Sexism, Dies at 83 She was the rare woman in her field, and a tenured professor. But when a sexist colleague was promoted, she quit, forcing a reckoning in her profession. By Penelope Green Make a friend's day: Forward this email. Got this from a friend? Subscribe to the Science Times newsletter. Check out other New York Times newsletters (all free!) including: Climate Fwd: for climate coverage and expert analysis. The Upshot for a data-driven look at the news. Well for the latest on health, fitness and nutrition. Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. 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