Science Times: Swimming with killer whales
Plus: How the G.O.P. came to embrace psychedelic drugs —
Science Times
May 5, 2026
An illustrated collage showing a circular microscopic image of viruses and an overhead view of people walking in a plaza, overlaid with vertical lines of code.

Vanessa Saba

A.I. Bots Told Scientists How to Make Biological Weapons

Scientists shared transcripts with The Times in which chatbots described how to assemble deadly pathogens and unleash them in public spaces.

By Gabriel J.X. Dance

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. gestures with his left hand as he speaks during a committee hearing, with a small microphone near his face rising from a table.

Tierney L. Cross/The New York Times

Kennedy Starts a Push to Help Americans Quit Antidepressants

The health secretary has long complained that Americans overuse psychiatric medications. New policies he is introducing aim to change that.

By Ellen Barry

President Trump sits at the desk of the Oval Office takes the hand of W. Bryan Hubbell, who wears a suit and bends as Joe Rogan smiles and stands between them.

Pete Marovich for The New York Times

News Analysis

A Long, Strange Trip: How the G.O.P. Came to Embrace Psychedelic Drugs

For decades, conservatives were adamantly opposed to the use of drugs like psilocybin and LSD. Now, the Trump administration has made a sharp pivot.

By Andrew Jacobs

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A starry night-sky view of Halley's comet and its long tail passing overhead.

W. Liller/NASA

How to Catch a Meteor Shower From Halley’s Comet

Known for their speed, the Eta Aquarids will reach their peak on Tuesday night into Wednesday morning.

By Katrina Miller

Article Image

Datta Lab

Scientists Unveil ‘Long Lost’ Map for Smell

The odor receptors in the nose are not distributed at random but organized in a precise spatial pattern, two new studies reveal.

By Emily Anthes

A white cockatoo with a yellow crest standing on a branch holds a colored almond up to its beak with its foot.

Julia Penndorf

trilobites

What’s Safe to Eat? Birds of a Feather Learn Together

In a study, Australian cockatoos figured out that a new food was OK to consume by observing one another, a vivid example of “social learning” in animals.

By Kate Golembiewski

A large and lengthy steam ship, in a sepia-toned photo, docked along a stretch of water.

Brendon Baillod, via Associated Press

Shipwreck Reveals Fate of Vanished World War I Coast Guard Cutter

The Tampa disappeared in 1918 with 131 British and American personnel and civilians aboard. It was the largest single American naval combat loss of life in World War I

By Christine Hauser

J. Craig Venter stands in front of rows of large hanging plastic bags filled with green liquid.

Sandy Huffaker for The New York Times

J. Craig Venter, Scientist Who Decoded the Human Genome, Dies at 79

A risk-taking outsider, he brought speed, competition and controversy to one of science’s biggest races.

By Nicholas Wade

CLIMATE CHANGE

Article Image

The New York Times

A Strong El Niño May Be Coming. Global Warming Is Changing Its Effects.

As the planet warms, past episodes of the natural weather phenomenon may no longer be a reliable guide of how the next one plays out.

By Raymond Zhong and Harry Stevens

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John Stember for The New York Times

As Wildfire Risks Rise, Forest Service Shutters Labs That Study Them

A research lab in Washington State tracks ecological changes in a warming climate and provides scientific guidance for forest managers. It is one of 57 such facilities being shuttered.

By Eric Niiler and John Stember

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Femke Sleegers/Fossil Free Advertising

In Permissive Amsterdam, Ads for Fossil Fuels or Meat Are Now Verboden

The Dutch city has outlawed advertising that promotes lifestyles linked to high carbon emissions, which is a driver of climate change. It’s a first for a world capital.

By Cara Buckley

Eight or nine visibly uncomfortable people on a sidewalk, walking into direct sunlight. Most are wearing sunglasses and one is shielding her eyes.

Ilvy Njiokiktjien for The New York Times

Almost All of Europe Was Abnormally Hot in 2025, Report Finds

The continent, which is warming faster than the global average, saw wildfires, floods and a sub-Arctic heat wave, the European State of the Climate report said.

By Lynsey Chutel

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HEALTH

Boxes of Mifepristone, Misoprostol, Ondansetron, and Ibuprofen sit on a shelf.

Hannah Yoon for The New York Times

What to Know About the New Abortion Pill Case Before the Supreme Court

The Louisiana lawsuit, which seeks to block telehealth prescribing and mailing of the abortion pill mifepristone, has major implications for abortion access nationwide.

By Pam Belluck

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Brett Carlsen for The New York Times

The New Drug War

A Medical Examiner Chases Down an Elusive Killer

Unusual opioids are infiltrating street drugs. Knoxville’s top forensic doctor is on the front lines, pressing to quickly identify the most lethal.

By Jan Hoffman and Brett Carlsen

A view through a door in a home as a police officer holds a small flashlight with a gloved hand while inspecting pill bottles on a shelf.

Brett Carlsen for The New York Times

What to Know About Orphines, a New Class of Deadly Opioids

The drugs are 10 times more dangerous than fentanyl. They are showing up in street drugs in the South and the Midwest, and will most likely spread to other regions.

By Jan Hoffman

An illustration of a woman in a white coat holding a scale with pills and a syringe on one side and multicolored leaves on the other, with the leaf side heavier.

Dóra Kisteleki

the new old age

3 Medical Routines That Older People May Not Need

Some screenings and treatments no longer make sense for patients as they age. Researchers have just added a few more to the list.

By Paula Span

A man with thinning gray hair stands in front of a sofa and a table with a lamp. He is wearing a blue quarter-zip shirt and blue pants.

Sophie Park for The New York Times

F.D.A. Grants Early Access to Promising Drug for Pancreatic Cancer

Patients with one of the deadliest cancers have been pleading for an unapproved treatment that may prolong their lives.

By Rebecca Robbins and Gina Kolata