Federal review of COVID vaccines faces controversy with a critic at its helm, while public health is also challenged by a new plague case in California, the resurgence of measles, and critical funding cuts for HIV prevention and care for sexual violence victims in Congo.

• Covid Vaccine Opponent Tapped to Lead Federal Review Team — The New York Times Science -
• What to Know About Plague After a New Case in California — The New York Times Science -
• A 1990 Measles Outbreak Shows How the Disease Can Roar Back — The New York Times Science -

• Congo Has Astronomical Rates of Sexual Violence. Now Victims Have Lost Access to Care. — The New York Times Science -
• Trump Budget Office Is Withholding H.I.V. Funds That Congress Appropriated — The New York Times Science -

Ongoing discussions link global warming to the behavior of storms like Hurricane Erin, with meteorologists tracking its oceanic aftermath, even as proposed budget cuts threaten America's sole Antarctic research ship and its vital polar science contributions.

• The Climate Factors Driving Hurricane Erin — The New York Times Science -
• Trump’s Cuts May Spell the End for America’s Only Antarctic Research Ship — The New York Times Science -
• Tracking the Aftermath From Erin on the Ocean — The New York Times Science -

Recent scientific findings include the reclassification of giraffes into four distinct species, three of which face significant conservation challenges, alongside a fascinating anthropological study exploring whether ancient head-binding practices conferred social privilege.

• Scientists Split Giraffes Into Four Species. Three Are In Trouble. — The New York Times Science -
• Was Head-Binding an Ancient Way to Get Ahead? — The New York Times Science -