Science Times: Their Mothers Chose Donor Sperm. The Doctors Used Their Own.

Plus: In Defense of Sea Gulls—

View in browser|nytimes.com AUGUST 27, 2019

Allison V. Smith for The New York Times Mothers Chose Donor Sperm. The Doctors Used Their Own. Scores of people born through artificial insemination learned from DNA tests that their biological fathers were the doctors who performed the procedure. by jacqueline mroz

Armando Franca/Associated Press In Defense of Sea Gulls: They're Smart, and They Co-Parent Besides, if people weren't such slobs, gulls would never have learned about French fries. by james gorman Atlantic Productions Where the Titanic Rests, Decay Races On A recent visit to the world's most famous shipwreck found it "being consumed by the ocean and returned to its elemental state." by william j. broad Agence France-Presse — Getty Images global health A Pill Cut Heart Attacks by Half. Why Isn't Everyone Getting It? Multidrug cocktails of generic drugs may reduce heart attacks and strokes in poor countries, a new study suggests. Some experts still aren't enthusiastic. by donald g. mcneil jr. Sue Ogrocki/Associated Press Johnson & Johnson Ordered to Pay $572 Million in Landmark Opioid Trial A judge in Oklahoma ruled against the corporate giant in the first case against a drug manufacturer, holding it responsible for the state's drug crisis. by jan hoffman

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M. Novak/Institute for Anthropological Research, Zagreb trilobites Deformed Skulls Mark a Historic Migration Into Europe Human remains found in Croatia with signs of artificial cranial deformation provide the earliest genetic evidence of the presence of people from East Asia in Europe. by joanna klein Po-Shen Loh essay How Many Triangles Are There? Here's How to Solve the Puzzle Counting will get you nowhere. Try a little combinatorics instead. by kenneth chang Goran Tomasevic/Reuters Giraffes Get New Protections, but Will It Be Enough? International trade of giraffes will now be regulated, but habitat loss and bush meat poaching remain the predominant threats to the species. by rachel nuwer Maxim Babenko for The New York Times A Bitter Divorce Battle on Earth Led to Claims of a Crime in Space NASA is examining a claim that an astronaut improperly accessed the bank account of her estranged spouse from the International Space Station. by mike baker George Etheredge for The New York Times Do Plants Have Something to Say? One scientist believes they are intelligent to some extent, and she's listening. by ellie shechet Arjen v'ant Hof trilobites These Caterpillars Can 'See' Colors With Their Skin Peppered-moth caterpillars can change their hue to match their surroundings without looking, a study has found. But how they do it remains a mystery. by cara giaimo

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trilobites Soap, Detergent and Even Laxatives Could Turbocharge a Battery Alternative Researchers are trying to develop options to lithium-ion and other batteries in a quest for quick bursts of power and extended energy storage. by xiaozhi lim The Mysterious Disorder Crippling Panthers in Florida State wildlife officials are sharing videos of disabled animals in an effort to identify the ailment and save the endangered cats. by joshua sokol trilobites The Mystery of the Himalayas' Skeleton Lake Just Got Weirder Every summer, hundreds of ancient bones emerge from the ice. A genetic study helps explain how they got there. by robin george andrews trilobites Some Migratory Birds Sleep Better Than Others The weariest warblers are more likely to sleep with their heads tucked in — saving energy, but making them more vulnerable to predators. by emily anthes

CLIMATE CHANGE Leo Correa/Associated Press Amazon Fires Prompt Action From Europe, and Silence From U.S. With the Trump administration nearly silent, European leaders have stepped in, pressuring Brazil to head off an ecological disaster. by norimitsu onishi Karsten Moran for The New York Times How to Rebound After a Disaster: Move, Don't Rebuild, Research Suggests A paper in the journal Science makes a case that, sometimes, retreating from nature instead of fighting it can open up new opportunities for communities. by kendra pierre-louis

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HEALTH Maddie McGarvey for The New York Times A $6 Million Drug Claim Employers are getting hit with higher drug bills, but not every union or company has adequate cushion to absorb them. by katie thomas and reed abelson Gracia Lam personal health Alternatives to Surgery for an Enlarged Prostate Up to 90 percent of men in their 70s have benign prostatic hyperplasia, or B.P.H., a nonmalignant growth of the prostate gland. by jane e. brody iStock by Getty Images the checkup Helping Children Learn to Eat Well We have a childhood obesity problem, but there are also problems with encouraging children to lose weight. by perri klass, m.d. Jason Henry for The New York Times First Death in a Spate of Vaping Sicknesses Is Reported Doctors and hospitals have been stumped by what is causing an increase in vaping-related respiratory illnesses this summer. by matt richtel and sheila kaplan Yamil Lage/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images matter In Cuba, a 'Hidden' Zika Outbreak The mosquito-borne virus spread through the island in 2017, but global health officials failed to sound the alarm. by carl zimmer Tess Mayer for The New York Times Can a Play About Vaccines Be a Laughing Matter? At the privileged private school in "Eureka Day," some parents refuse to give shots to their children. Then the mumps hits. by elizabeth a. harris

Babies Can Be Raised Vegan With Proper Guidance, Experts Say A judge in Australia said a couple had left their baby "severely malnourished" on a strict vegan diet. The case stirred debate about raising the very young solely on plant-based foods. by jacey fortin Overcoming Fear of Flying in the Bumpy Skies Turbulence is a natural occurrence and should be expected — not dreaded. The trick is to learn to go with the flow. by nancy stearns bercaw the new health care Why Doctors Still Offer Treatments That May Not Help Evidence-based medicine has made progress since doctors' infamous bloodletting of George Washington, but less than you might think. by austin frakt your money Your Long-Term Care Insurance Rate Spiked. Now What? Long-ago miscalculations by insurers have led to policyholders' facing steep premium increases. But there are ways to keep costs down. by tara siegel bernard

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