Space forecasters say solar storms persisting from the weekend may produce colorful auroras across the Northern Hemisphere. The sun has shot out at least five strong solar flares since Saturday. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says no major communication problems have been reported so far. Solar storms in May produced jaw-dropping aurora displays across…
New study suggests water may be hiding beneath the surface of Mars based on computer modeling and data from NASA lander. Source link
A new study suggests Mars may be drenched beneath its surface, with enough water hiding in the cracks of underground rocks to form a global ocean. The findings, published Monday, are based on computer modeling as well as seismic measurements from NASA’s InSight lander. The spacecraft detected more than 1,300 marsquakes before shutting down two…
Astrobiologist Nathalie A. Cabrol gives readers a primer on her field in “The Secret Life of the Universe: An Astrobiologist’s Search for the Origins and Frontiers of Life.” The Associated Press’ Andrew DeMillo writes that Cabrol’s book doesn’t give a clear-cut answer to whether we’re alone in the universe, but will give readers a newfound…
Mars and Jupiter are cozying up in the night sky for their closest rendezvous this decade. They’ll be so close Wednesday, at least from our perspective, that just a sliver of moon could fit between them. In reality, our solar system’s biggest planet and its reddish neighbor will be more than 350 million miles apart….
U.S. wildlife officials are embracing a contentious plan to deploy trained shooters into dense West Coast forests to kill almost a half-million barred owls in coming decades. Their goal is to help spotted owls, which are being crowded out by barred owls from the eastern U.S. Past efforts to save spotted owls focused on protecting…
The United States is speeding up efforts to license and build a new generation of nuclear reactors to supply carbon-free electricity. These reactors are smaller and cheaper than traditional ones. And some are more advanced, using cooling agents other than water that supporters say make them safer. Readers shared their opinions and questions about the…
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has canceled a planned trip to Central Asia to lead the government’s response after scientists urged people to prepare for a possible “megaquake” off the country’s southern coast. The Japan Meteorological Agency issued its first ever “megaquake advisory” on Thursday warning of a possible future major earthquake after a magnitude…
NASA is wrestling over how and when to bring two astronauts back from the International Space Station after running into trouble with their new Boeing capsule. Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have been up there since early June, two months longer than planned. Their stay could now stretch into next year, if NASA decides the…
Federal forecasters are still predicting a highly active Atlantic hurricane season thanks to near-record sea surface temperatures and the possibility of La Nina. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s updated hurricane outlook released Thursday says atmospheric and oceanic conditions have set the stage for an extremely active hurricane season that could rank among the busiest…
The Perseid meteor shower reaches its peak early Monday. Astronomers say it’s one of the brightest and most easily visible showers of the year. This year’s peak activity coincides with a moon that is 44% full. More than 50 meteors should be visible per hour in rural areas away from city lights. Experts say the…
Earth’s 13-month streak of record global heat comes to an end in July as El Nino ebbs, European climate agency says. Source link
Earth’s string of 13 straight months with a new average heat record came to an end in July. That’s according to the European climate agency Copernicus. The agency said July 2024’s average heat just missed surpassing the July of a year ago. Both the agency and outside experts warned that the end of the record-breaking…
NASA says chances are growing that two test pilots who flew a new Boeing capsule to the International Space Station in June may have to switch to SpaceX for a ride home. Officials said Wednesday it’s still possible astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams can return aboard Boeing’s Starliner next month. But if the spacecraft’s…
Titan sub crew knew they were going to die before implosion, “experiencing terror and mental anguish,” lawsuit says. Source link
The extreme weather seen in places across the United States shows it doesn’t take a catastrophic hurricane to cause significant damage. Torrential rain from Tropical Storm Debby is just one example. The system that came ashore in Florida as a minimal Category 1 hurricane has flooded low-lying communities and left thousands without power in places…
Researchers say ocean temperatures around Great Barrier Reef hit highest level in 400 years in past decade. Source link
Ocean temperatures in the Great Barrier Reef reached the highest they’ve been in 400 years over the past decade, research published Wednesday in the journal Nature found. Researchers from Melbourne University in Australia were able to compare recent ocean temperatures to historical ones by using coral skeleton samples from the Coral Sea to reconstruct sea…
Traditional Polynesian conservation methods are being used to revive local ecosystems and protect natural resources in Tahiti, including near the Paris Olympics surfing venue. Called rahui, the practice temporarily restricts or bans the harvesting of essential resources in a designated area. Legally recognized in French Polynesia environmental code since 2016, this bottom-up solution is managed…
NASA is delaying its next astronaut launch to buy more time at the International Space Station for Boeing’s troubled new crew capsule. The space agency said Tuesday it’s bumping SpaceX’s four-person flight from this month to next. It’s now targeted for Sept. 24. Officials say that will give them more time to analyze thruster and…
Fossils suggest even smaller ‘hobbits’ roamed an Indonesian island 700,000 years ago. Source link
New research suggests ancestors of the “hobbits” were even smaller. Two decades ago, researchers discovered fossils of an early human species in an Indonesian cave that stood 3 1/2 feet tall, earning them the nickname “hobbits.” Now a new study released Tuesday suggests earlier relatives that were 2.4 inches shorter and existed 700,000 years ago….
China says it has launched a rocket carrying a constellation of a reported 18 satellites as part of efforts to assert its presence in space. The satellites were carried aboard a Long March-6 carrier rocket from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in north China’s Shanxi Province early on Tuesday afternoon. The official Xinhua News Agency…
A look at why Debby could cause historic rainfall and flooding in parts of the Southeast, including Savannah, Georgia, and Charleston, South Carolina. Source link
Chinese-American physicist Tsung-Dao Lee, who in 1957 became the second-youngest scientist to receive a Nobel Prize, has died at age 97. That’s according to a Chinese university and a research center. He died Sunday at his home in San Francisco. His work advanced the understanding of particle physics. A joint obituary released by the Tsung-Dao…
According to an alleged victim of multiple assaults by an ex-football player, Baylor coach Art Briles and university president Ken Starr did nothing after being informed. Source link
A surprise eruption of steam in a Yellowstone National Park geyser basin that sent people scrambling for safety as basketball-sized rocks flew overhead has highlighted a little-known hazard that scientists hope to be able to predict someday. The hydrothermal explosion on Tuesday in Biscuit Basin caused no injuries as dozens of people fled down the…
No return date yet for NASA astronauts until engineers finish working on problems on Boeing capsule, officials say. Source link
Test pilots Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were supposed to visit the orbiting lab for about a week and return in mid-June. Source link
Researchers report that a blood test can help doctors diagnose Alzheimer’s faster and more accurately. Source link
