New York Times Science News

1. In the Calls of Bonobos, Scientists Hear Hints of Language

   Hundreds of hours of recordings suggest that the apes can generate meaning by stringing sounds together in pairs. But some scholars are skeptical.

2. Giant Sloths’ Hairy Truth Revealed by Scientists

   New research painted a more accurate picture of the megafauna that spread widely around the Americas before they went extinct.

3. This Tree Wants to Be Struck by Lightning

   Before a discovery in a Panamanian rainforest, “it seemed impossible that lightning could be a good thing for the trees,” a scientist said.

4. How the Myanmar Earthquake Shook Skyscrapers in Bangkok

   Large quakes produce shaking at a variety of frequencies. Some waves can travel hundreds of miles, and are amplified by local geological conditions.

5. NASA Astronauts Speak for First Time After 9-Month Stay in Space at ISS

   Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore spoke in their first news conference since returning to Earth two weeks ago from an unexpectedly long I.S.S. stay that lasted more than nine months.