Green: Fishing Is Restricted to Help Sea Lions
The population of western Steller sea lions declined as much as 45 percent from 2000 to 2008, probably because they were short on food, the agency says.
Scientist at Work: A Long Stay at Palm Canyon
In the extreme weather of Madagascar’s Makay Massif, scientists make use of extra time in a palm oasis to explore nearby caves and canyons.
Oyster Creek Reactor to Close by 2019
In a deal with state regulators, a nuclear plant in New Jersey will shut at least 10 years before its license expires.
‘Science’ Is Cut From Anthropology Group’s Guiding Plan, Deepening a Rift
The long-range plan of the American Anthropological Association is no longer to advance anthropology as a science but rather to focus on “public understanding.”
Scientist at Work: For First-Timer, an Icy Challenge
The scale of Antarctica — and its massive ice sheets — can be as overwhelming as it is awe-inspiring.
Private Spacecraft Returns Safely From Orbit
The capsule’s splashdown in the Pacific Ocean went as smoothly as the launching of the Falcon 9 rocket.
Chinese Tycoon Focuses on Green Construction
Zhang Yue advocates limits on greenhouse gases that would also benefit his company, a maker of air-conditioners.
Report Finds Oil-Drilling Inspectors in Disarray
Federal inspectors charged with ensuring the safety of offshore oil drilling are overwhelmed, insufficiently trained and lack official procedures for crucial decisions, investigators found.
National Briefing | South: Florida: E.P.A. Sued Over Water Rules
The state sued the Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday to block new water pollution controls.
Scientist at Work: Antarctica’s Geological Secrets
Scientists begin research to build a better picture of the continent hidden beneath the polar ice cap of Antarctica.
China and U.S. Narrow Gap in Climate Talks
With narrowing differences over a key issue, verification, there is growing hope of modest success at the conference.
An 11-Letter Word for Perfectionist? Starts With C
Students at Brown show how crossword constructing is done.
Puzzler at Work | Dan Feyer: Across and Down, the Wizard Who Is Fastest of All
Dan Feyer whips through 20 crosswords a day, is the winner of this year’s American Crossword Puzzle Tournament and has 100,000 puzzles saved on his computer.
Math Puzzles’ Oldest Ancestors Took Form on Egyptian Papyrus
The documents were not recreational diversions, but practical guides to keeping up with a maturing civilization.
Essay: Enigma: Asking the Mind to Jump Through Hoops
Second helpings of opinions on puzzles.