Kate Zernike's Blog

James D. Watson, Co-Discoverer of the Structure of DNA, Is Dead at 97

His decoding of the blueprint for life with Francis H.C. Crick made him one of the most important scientists of the 20th century. He wrote a celebrated memoir and later ignited an uproar with racist views.

Trump���s D.E.I. Cuts Are Hurting Rural, White Americans, Too

The N.I.H. has terminated hundreds of diversity grants awarded to young researchers, many of whom come from the very places that supported Trump.

Wisconsin Supreme Court Strikes Down 1849 Abortion Ban

After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, Republican prosecutors in Wisconsin said they intended to enforce the old law.

Israel Opens Fire Near Gaza Aid Site, Trump���s False Claims on Policy Bill, Coffee���s Health Perk

Plus, The Times���s summer book picks.

As the Trump Administration Slashes Federal Spending, Scientists Consider Leaving the U.S.

As the United States cuts budgets and restricts immigration, China and Europe are offering researchers money and stability.

Missouri Lawmakers to Put Abortion on Ballot Again, Seeking Another Ban

The state���s Republicans are putting abortion on a ballot question again, seeking to buck the trend of voters siding with abortion rights on ballot measures.

Efforts Grow to Thwart mRNA Therapies as RFK Jr. Pushes Vaccine Wariness

Therapies involving mRNA, a key to Covid vaccines, hold great potential in treating several diseases, but some lawmakers want to ban them and the government is cutting funding.

Book Review: ���The Social Genome,��� by Dalton Conley; ���The Decline and Fall of the Human Empire,��� by Henry Gee

Parents looking to promote health and intelligence in their children can pick and choose their embryos now. There could be more downsides than we think.

Public Health Survived the Pandemic. Now It Fights Politics.

Five years after the pandemic began, many local health officials say that the politicization of Covid has left them with fewer tools and fresh challenges.

Algunos funcionarios nombrados por Trump ponen resistencia al ultim��tum de Musk a los trabajadores federales

El rechazo refleja un creciente malestar ���y, en algunos casos, inquietud��� en el gobierno de Trump ante la percepci��n del enorme poder de Musk.