Don't Bogart My Blog: Science Times: Science Times at 40

Plus: 11 Things We'd Really Like to Know (And a Few We'd Rather Not) —

View in Browser | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book.

Tuesday, November 20, 2018

NYTimes.com/Science »

Happy Anniversary to Us

On Nov. 14, 1978, The New York Times began publishing a new weekly section about health and science. For forty years now, Science Times has offered reporting on everything from climate change to genetics to gravitational waves.

In 2003, on the 25th anniversary of the section, reporters offered up their thoughts on the most pressing questions in science. Fifteen years later, the questions have changed. But we're still curious.

Michael Mason

Science Times Editor

Marchers for Science in Washington on Earth Day, 2017. Hilary Swift for The New York Times

Science Times at 40

Some Good News, and a Hard Truth, About Science

By ALAN BURDICK

Lost in the swirl of alternative truths is the fact that science is a verb, not a noun.

France Córdova, director of the National Science Foundation, has implemented a policy requiring that academic institutions notify the foundation if grantees are found guilty of gender harassment.

Saul Loeb/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

'Enough Is Enough': Science, Too, Has a Problem With Harassment

By AMY HARMON

Many women in science thought that meritocracy was the antidote to sexism. Now some have decided on a more direct approach.

Replication is important to scientists, because it means the finding might just be real. But scientists are wary of a replication crisis and fear its corrosive effects on public trust in science.

via Library of Congress

Essay: The Experiments Are Fascinating. But Nobody Can Repeat Them.

By ANDREW GELMAN

Science is mired in a "replication" crisis. Fixing it will not be easy.

Steven Pinker, a cognitive psychologist at Harvard University, maintains that by objective measures the world is heading in the right direction.

Kayana Szymczak for The New York Times

A Conversation With

Steven Pinker Thinks the Future Is Looking Bright

By KAREN WEINTRAUB

The Harvard psychologist says he is no starry-eyed optimist. It's just that the data don't lie.

A 10-month-old mountain gorilla in Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda.

Suzi Eszterhas/Minden Pictures

Hope for the Great Apes, and Maybe for Us

By JAMES GORMAN

Mountain gorillas are faring better. So what's wrong with a little optimism?

A child poses with a Siberian tiger cub at a park in Harbin, China. The park is part of a government effort to create a haven for Siberian tigers, but lately the country has sent mixed signals about its commitment to conservation.

Kevin Frayer/Getty Images

The Key to Stopping the Illegal Wildlife Trade: China

By RACHEL NUWER

The country is a critical market for animal contraband. Some scientists fear the official commitment to conservation may be wavering.

Survivor

By GOLDEN COSMOS

A story of mass extinctions.

11 Things We'd Really Like to Know (And a Few We'd Rather Not)

Does the Universe Still Need Einstein?

By DENNIS OVERBYE

LET US KNOW

We love to hear from you. What do you think about getting two Science Times newsletters in one week? Too much? Not enough? Email us at sciencenewsletter@nytimes.com.

We've got more newsletters! You might like Climate Fwd:.

What on Earth is going on? Sign up for the Climate Fwd: newsletter to get our latest stories and insights about climate change — along with answers to your questions and tips on how to help.