Years of testing, emergency systems and sensors have gone into protecting the Artemis II astronauts heading to the moon. (NASA via The New York Times) By KATRINA MILLER Rocket failures, oxygen leaks, space debris and scorching heat: These are just a few of the risks that NASA’s Artemis II astronauts face as the first humans to return to the moon in more than half a century. Since NASA first attempted to send people beyond the safety of Earth, spaceflight has been a death-defy

The tests could help to improve dementia care, but scientists say there are still some caveats and unknowns. (Ricardo Tomás/The New York Times) By DANA G. SMITH Could a simple blood test predict your risk of getting dementia years, or even decades, before you experience memory loss? That’s the potential promise of a new class of biomarker tests. Two were approved last year by the Food and Drug Administration to help diagnose people with Alzheimer’s disease if they have sympto

Manuel Firmani and Liliana Garay dance at a milonga event outside of the tango program. (Magalí Druscovich via The New York Times) By PAM BELLUCK Tango is the national dance of Argentina, known for its passion, precision and heart. At a hospital in Buenos Aires, it has another purpose: as a therapy for patients with Parkinson’s disease. Once a week, about a dozen patients come to Ramos Mejía Hospital to dance — a session that uses the movements of tango to help address issue

In an image provided by NASA, an artist’s concept of Phase 3 of the proposed moon base. After years of talking about lunar outposts in vague terms for sometime in the indefinite future, leaders of the space agency on Tuesday put a continuing American presence at the moon solidly on their road map for the coming decade, setting out specific plans and timelines. (NASA via The New York Times) By KENNETH CHANG NASA is getting serious about building a base on the moon. After year

In the United States, nearly half of adults have high blood pressure. Known as a “silent killer,” hypertension can contribute to heart attack, stroke and heart failure without ever causing symptoms. (Jordan Bohannon/The New York Times) By NINA AGRAWAL In the United States, nearly half of adults have high blood pressure. Known as a “silent killer,” hypertension can contribute to heart attack, stroke and heart failure without ever causing symptoms. Where hypertension was once t

Studies in recent years have shown colorectal cancer rates on the rise among adults younger than 50. The new paper showed that rates among adults ages 50 to 64 also increased between 2013 and 2022 and that rates of rectal cancer in particular climbed among all ages combined after years of decline. (Freepik) By NINA AGRAWAL Nearly half of all new colorectal cancer cases now occur in adults younger than 65, signaling a major shift in the demographics of the disease, according t

A photo provided by the Field Museum shows Matt von Konrat, the head of the botanical collections at the Field Museum, in his laboratory in Chicago, Feb. 26, 2026, examining tiny bits of dirt and moss collected in Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip, Ill., in 2009. A group of scientists and law enforcement officials are pointing to the role moss can play to help solve crimes. (Field Museum via The New York Times) By SAMANTHA DRAKE A remote forest in south central Pennsylvania seems to

An image provided by Joschua Knüppe shows a life reconstruction of the forearm of Manipulonyx reshetovi, a bird-like dinosaur. A fossil of the dinosaur was discovered in Mongolia in 1979. (Joschua Knüppe via The New York Times) By JACK TAMISIEA Under the cover of darkness 67 million years ago, a dog-size dinosaur crept up to the nest of a bigger, unsuspecting contemporary. Its goal: to snatch a large egg. The tiny thief had a handy hack to get to that meal: a multitooled fore

Weight-loss drugs like Wegovy and Zepbound have been hailed as miracle treatments, but one in 10 people are what scientists call “non-responders.” (Fortunate Joaquin/The New York Times) By SIMAR BAJAJ and DANI BLUM When Jessica Layeux, a cybersecurity expert from Monticello, Minnesota, started taking the weight-loss drug Zepbound last year, she didn’t have any of the side effects she had heard about. She didn’t feel much of a change in her hunger or cravings either. At first,

The number doctors use to demarcate hypertension keeps going down, a trend applauded by many experts, who point to studies linking high blood pressure and dementia. (John P. Dessereau/The New York Times) By PAULA SPAN The patient initially came to see Dr. Mark Supiano in 2017 because her family was concerned about her short-term memory loss. While taking her history and vital signs, Supiano, a geriatrician at the University of Utah, saw one disturbing signal: Her blood pressu