Science Times: Rise of the Golden Jackal

Plus: Mysterious Radio Signals from Outer Space —

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A golden jackal in Croatia. Native to the Middle East and Asia, jackals are now spreading rapidly through Europe. Janez Tarman Rise of the Golden Jackal By JAMES GORMAN A species that was barely known in Europe now vastly outnumbers wolves there, and is rapidly spreading north and west.

KCNA, via Reuters North Korea's Less-Known Military Threat: Biological Weapons By EMILY BAUMGAERTNER AND WILLIAM J. BROAD Military analysts are increasingly concerned about the nation's "advanced, underestimated and highly lethal" bioweapons program. Will Ivy/Alamy Stock Photo Broadcasting from Deep Space, a Mysterious Series of Radio Signals By DENNIS OVERBYE Astronomers have identified a second set of odd radio bursts from the distant universe. Aliens probably aren't causing it, but what is? Kenji Aoki for The New York Times How Beauty Is Making Scientists Rethink Evolution By FERRIS JABR The extravagant splendor of the animal kingdom can't be explained by natural selection alone — so how did it come to be? Jurgen Freund/NPL/Minden Pictures Ocean Warming Is Accelerating Faster Than Thought, New Research Finds By KENDRA PIERRE-LOUIS An analysis concluded that Earth's oceans are heating up 40 percent faster on average than a United Nations panel estimated five years ago, a finding with dire implications for climate change.

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Jason Henry for The New York Times With 86% Drop, California's Monarch Butterfly Population Hits Record Low By LAURA M. HOLSON The monarchs' declining wintertime numbers are "potentially catastrophic," according to the nonprofit conservation group that conducted the count. Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources George the Snail, Believed to Be the Last of His Species, Dies at 14 in Hawaii By JULIA JACOBS Scientists say George, an inch-long mollusk about 14 years old, was most likely the last of Achatinella apexfulva, a species of land snail that lived only in Hawaii. Christina Warinner In an Ancient Nun's Teeth, Blue Paint — and Clues to Medieval Publishing By STEPH YIN A rare blue pigment, discovered in the fossilized plaque of a German nun, hints at a broader role for women in the production of religious texts. How Astounding Saw the Future By ALEC NEVALA-LEE Tracing the evolution of the mid-20th-century magazine whose pages gave rise to the genre of science fiction.

More Trouble for the Hubble Telescope as a Primary Camera Malfunctions By DENNIS OVERBYE Giant Fungus Is Older, Bigger and Rarely Mutates By JOANNA KLEIN SpaceX, Elon Musk's Rocket Company, Cuts 10 Percent of Its Work Force By SARAH MERVOSH Q&A Years ago, hydrogen fusion was promised as the answer to all our energy problems. Are we any closer to using it? By C. CLAIBORNE RAY

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Health Joe Raedle/Getty Images The Flu Is Widespread in the U.S., and It's Not Too Late to Get Vaccinated By DENISE GRADY In the last three months, 6 to 7 million people have caught the flu, and the season isn't over yet. London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine/Science Source A Silver Bullet Against the Brain-Eating Amoeba? By EMILY BAUMGAERTNER Minuscule particles coated with anti-seizure drugs seem to halt microbes that feed on brain tissue. Jeenah Moon for The New York Times The Strange Marketplace for Diabetes Test Strips By TED ALCORN It is legal to resell unused test strips for blood glucose, and many patients do, driving an unusual trade online and on the streets. Zhang Peng/LightRocket, via Getty Images How Chummy Are Junk Food Giants and China's Health Officials? They Share Offices By ANDREW JACOBS A life sciences institute funded by Coca-Cola and other multinational beverage and snack companies even has offices inside the government's health ministry. Jeenah Moon for The New York Times Mind May Trump DNA in Exercise and Eating Habits By GRETCHEN REYNOLDS If you tell people they have a genetic predisposition to a low capacity for exercise or a tendency to overeat, their bodies start to respond accordingly. Gracia Lam Personal Health A Device That Gives Parents of Stillborn Babies Time to Say Goodbye By JANE E. BRODY The CuddleCot helps preserve the body of a deceased newborn for days, allowing parents to hold them and take pictures. Children's Minnesota Taking the Pain Out of Children's Shots By PERRI KLASS, M.D. Pediatric pain specialists believe that reducing the pain associated with needles can lead to better health care. Kristoffer Tripplaar/Alamy Facing Legal Action, Insurer Now Will Cover People Taking Truvada, an H.I.V.-Prevention Drug By GINA KOLATA Regulators had accused Mutual of Omaha of denying policies to applicants, mostly gay men, who took medication to protect against the infection.

You're Not Getting Much Taller, America. But You Are Getting Bigger. By NICHOLAS BAKALAR Artificial Sweeteners, Not Good, Not Bad By NICHOLAS BAKALAR F.D.A. Says It Will Resume Inspecting Some High-Risk Foods By SHEILA KAPLAN Traditional Masculinity Can Hurt Boys, Say New A.P.A. Guidelines By JACEY FORTIN

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