Science
- ScienceCNN
How an unassuming ‘sponge’ in your home could suck planet-heating pollution from the atmosphere
Scientists found an item widely used in kitchens can absorb planet-heating carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, in what they hope will become a low-cost and efficient tool to slow climate change.
4 min read - USCNN
Hiking family discovers rare T. rex fossil
A dad, his two sons and their cousin were hiking in North Dakota when they came across what could be a rare juvenile T. rex skeleton, one of only a handful in existence.
6 min read - WorldReuters
Erdogan dismisses secular criticism on Turkey's new curriculum
President Tayyip Erdogan on Friday dismissed criticism of Turkey's new education curriculum and vowed to prioritise "national values" in the face of worries that the changes will erode schools' scientific and secularist foundations. Late last month Ankara approved the curriculum, dubbed the "Turkey Century Education Model", which will roll out gradually from the next academic year. The main opposition party, education unions and non-governmental organisations have all voiced concerns over its
2 min read - ScienceCNN
Largest known genome is within this plain plant on the forest floor, study says
A new study identified the largest known genome of any organism in a fern found in Pacific islands. Its cells have more than 50 times the DNA as human cells have.
5 min read - ScienceYale Environment 360
Scientists Find Tire Chemicals in Leafy Vegetables
Scientists have found in leafy vegetables traces of several chemicals used to prevent the aging and corrosion of car tires.
1 min read - USThe Conversation
Scientists and Indigenous leaders team up to conserve seals and an ancestral way of life at Yakutat, Alaska
Collaborative research by archaeologists, environmental scientists and tribal elders combines science and Indigenous knowledge to tell the story of centuries of life at a glacier’s edge.
6 min read - ScienceThe Conversation
Scientists call the region of space influenced by the Sun the heliosphere – but without an interstellar probe, they don’t know much about its shape
An interstellar probe could help scientists answer fundamental questions about how the Sun influences Earth, space and other planets in the solar system.
6 min read - ScienceSpace
A billionaire wanted to save the Hubble Telescope — here's why NASA politely declined
Billionaire Jared Isaacman wanted to conduct a private Hubble Telescope reboost mission. NASA says 'not yet.'
5 min read - ScienceSpace
Thruster glitches and helium leaks can't stop Boeing's Starliner astronaut test flight — but why are they happening?
Boeing's Starliner Crew Flight Test faced down thruster glitches and helium leaks to reach the International Space Station on June 6. Why all the glitches and is NASA worried?
5 min read - HealthNBC News
What to know about the first human case of H5N2 bird flu
Should we be worried about the first human case of the H5N2 strain of bird flu? H5N2, confirmed in a man in Mexico who died, is different from the bird flu virus affecting cows in the U.S.
5 min read - ScienceCBS News
Wary of giant, parachuting Joro spiders? Here's what to know.
They're big, they're scary-looking and they float through the air — but Joro spiders are also among the "shyest" spiders researchers have ever found.
6 min read - ScienceCNN
Boeing Starliner’s crew is now on the space station after encountering new issues en route
The spacecraft and crew safely reach their destination after NASA and Boeing discovered additional helium leaks and thruster issues.
11 min read - ScienceNBC News
Boeing's Starliner spacecraft docks with space station after thruster issues
The two NASA astronauts flying Boeing’s Starliner capsule to the International Space Station encountered some issues, which delayed the scheduled docking.
2 min read - ScienceSpace
The 'hole' on Mars making headlines could be crucial to Red Planet exploration
Similar craters are found on Earth and the Moon, and are the product of volcanic, tectonic or even fluvial activity.
5 min read - USAssociated Press
A man in Mexico died with one form of bird flu, but US officials remain focused on another
The mysterious death of a man in Mexico who had one kind of bird flu is unrelated to outbreaks of a different type at U.S. dairy farms, experts say. Here’s a look at the case and the different types of bird flu. WHAT HAPPENED IN THE MEXICO BIRD FLU CASE? A 59-year-old man in Mexico who had been bedridden because of chronic health problems developed a fever, shortness of breath and diarrhea in April.
5 min read - WorldReuters
Fires in Brazilian wetlands surge 980%, extreme drought expected
Fires in Brazil's Pantanal wetlands have surged nearly tenfold so far this year to the highest levels since 2020, when the biome suffered its worst blazes on record. Satellite data from Brazil's National Institute for Space Research (INPE) showed a 980% increase in the number of fires in the Pantanal through June 5, compared with the same period of last year. "It's one of the worst starts of year in terms of hot spots since the beginning of the historical series in 1998," said Vinicius Silguei
2 min read - WorldCBS News
Boeing's Starliner successfully docks with space station
The Starliner crew had to work around thruster problems and more helium leaks, but pulled off a successful space station docking.
5 min read - ScienceReuters
Planet-forming disk around small star offers big surprises
Stars about the size of our sun are not the most common ones in the Milky Way. Much smaller stars are way more common - and those host the most rocky planets in the galaxy, the type in focus as scientists search for worlds capable of harboring life. New research is providing insight into how planets form around these small stars, called very low mass stars (VLMS), showing how the chemistry in the planet-forming disks of gas and dust surrounding them differs substantially from such disks observ
3 min read - ScienceSpace
Rocky, carbon-rich exoplanets more likely around tiny stars, James Webb Space Telescope reveals
Astronomers using the JWST have discovered tiny stars may be better suited at birthing small, rocky planets with atmospheres dominated by carbon.
5 min read - ScienceAssociated Press
Scientists have traced the origin of the modern horse to a lineage that emerged 4,200 years ago
Around 4,200 years ago, one particular lineage of horse quickly became dominant across Eurasia, suggesting that’s when humans started to spread domesticated horses around the world, according to research published Thursday in the journal Nature. There was something special about this horse: It had a genetic mutation that changed the shape of its back, likely making it easier to ride. “In the past, you had many different lineages of horses,” said Pablo Librado, an evolutionary biologist at the
3 min read - BusinessSpace
SpaceX's Starship 4th flight test looks epic in these stunning photos
SpaceX conducted the fourth flight test of its Starship megarocket on June 6, putting on quite the show for photographers gathered near its Starbase facility in Texas.
4 min read - ScienceCBS News
Shark spits out land-loving creature in front of shocked scientists
Researchers were tagging marine when the tiger shark they caught vomited a dead echidna — a spiny creature similar to a hedgehog.
2 min read - ScienceSpace
Boeing's 1st Starliner to carry astronauts arrives at ISS despite thruster malfunction
Boeing's Starliner capsule arrived at the ISS on its second try today (June 6), overcoming a problem with several of its reaction-control system thrusters.
3 min read - ScienceSpace
New moon of June 2024 tonight lets Saturn, Mars and Jupiter shine
The dark skies of the new moon of June 2024 will allow some of the naked eye planets to stand out late in the night after midnight.
10 min read - USAssociated Press
Fossil-hunting diver says he has found a large section of mastodon tusk off Florida's coast
At first, fossil-hunting diver Alex Lundberg thought the lengthy object on the sea floor off Florida's Gulf Coast was a piece of wood. It turned out to be something far rarer, Lundberg said: a large section of tusk from a long-extinct mastodon. Lundberg and his diver companion had found fossils in the same place before, including mammoth teeth, bones of an ancient jaguar and parts of a dire wolf.
3 min read - ScienceCNN
SpaceX soars through new milestones in test flight of the most powerful rocket ever built
SpaceX’s Starship launched on its fourth uncrewed flight test Thursday from the company’s private Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas.
7 min read - BusinessSpace
SpaceX Starship launches on nail-biting 4th test flight of world's most powerful rocket (video, photos)
SpaceX launched its giant Starship rocket for the fourth time ever this morning (June 6) in a dramatic and nail-biting liftoff.
6 min read - ScienceSpace
Chang'e 6 probe's far-side moon samples enter return-to-Earth module in lunar orbit, China says
The two spacecraft of the Chang'e 6 mission met and docked in orbit over the moon on Thursday (June 6) to transfer samples the moon's far side. They'll now be returned to Earth.
4 min read - TechnologyAssociated Press
AI 'gold rush' for chatbot training data could run out of human-written text
Artificial intelligence systems like ChatGPT could soon run out of what keeps making them smarter — the tens of trillions of words people have written and shared online. A new study released Thursday by research group Epoch AI projects that tech companies will exhaust the supply of publicly available training data for AI language models by roughly the turn of the decade -- sometime between 2026 and 2032. Comparing it to a “literal gold rush” that depletes finite natural resources, Tamay Besiro
5 min read - ScienceSpace
Fly over the scarred canyons of Mars in this breathtaking video from European spacecraft
ESA's Mars Express orbiter surveyed the vast Nili Fossae trenches, which formed following a massive impact billions of years ago, when water flowed over the Martian surface.
3 min read - ScienceAssociated Press
SpaceX's mega rocket completes its fourth test flight from Texas without exploding
SpaceX’s mega Starship rocket completed its first full test flight Thursday, returning to Earth without exploding after blasting off from Texas. This time, the rocket and the spacecraft managed to splash down in a controlled fashion, making the hourlong flight the longest and most successful yet. “Despite loss of many tiles and a damaged flap, Starship made it all the way to a soft landing in the ocean!” SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said via X.
3 min read - ScienceThe Conversation
AI plus gene editing promises to shift biotech into high gear
AI has learned the ins and outs of proteins. Gene editing gives scientists control of life’s molecular machinery. Together they could lead to a revolution in biotechnology.
5 min read - ScienceAssociated Press
Boeing's astronaut capsule arrives at the space station after thruster trouble
Boeing’s new capsule arrived at the International Space Station on Thursday, delayed by last-minute thruster trouble that almost derailed the docking for this first test flight with astronauts. The 260-mile-high (420-kilometer-high) linkup over the Indian Ocean culminated more than a day of continuing drama for Boeing’s astronaut flight debut carrying NASA test pilots Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams. Boeing plans to keep Starliner at the space station for at least eight days before guiding it
2 min read - ScienceSpace
'Everything's a compromise:' How this NASA astronaut put Boeing's Starliner to the test (exclusive)
NASA astronaut Bob Hines helped bring the first Boeing Starliner to the International Space Station. Now he's part of the large ground team supporting Crew Test Flight, which launched May 21.
5 min read - WorldReuters
Bolivian scientists to track glacial changes at high speed with new equipment
Scientists in Bolivia are hoping to track glacial changes at lightning speed. New scientific equipment being installed at the country's Huayna Potosi mountain peak will provide real-time measurements of glaciers' mass compared to much slower older methods. Edson Ramirez, a glaciologist at Bolivia's Higher University of San Andres, said the equipment could make hourly measurements of glacial mass compared to classic glacialogy methods capable of monthly or yearly readings.
1 min read - ScienceCBS News
SpaceX's Super Heavy-Starship rocket launches on "epic" test flight
Building on lessons learned during three previous test flights, SpaceX set its sights on more lofty goals for a fourth launch of the giant rocket.
5 min read - ScienceReuters
Boeing Starliner's first astronaut crew welcomed aboard space station
(Reuters) -Boeing's new Starliner capsule and an inaugural two-member NASA crew safely docked with the International Space Station on Thursday, meeting a key test in proving the vessel's flight-worthiness and sharpening Boeing's competition with Elon Musk's SpaceX. The rendezvous was achieved despite an earlier loss of several guidance-control jet thrusters, some of them due to a helium propulsion leak, which NASA and Boeing said should not compromise the mission.
4 min read - ScienceSpace
Watch Boeing's Starliner arrive at ISS today on historic 1st astronaut mission
Boeing's Starliner capsule is scheduled to reach the ISS today (June 6) on its first-ever crewed mission, and you can watch the action live.
2 min read - WorldReuters
China's Chang'e-6 transfers moon samples to spacecraft, set for return to Earth
BEIJING (Reuters) -China's Chang'e-6 probe transferred samples it collected from the moon's far side to a spacecraft in lunar orbit on Thursday, state news agency Xinhua reported. After receiving the samples, the uncrewed spacecraft will fly back to Earth, with an expected landing in China's Inner Mongolia region on June 25. If successful, China will be the first country to ever return lunar matter from the side of the moon that permanently faces away from Earth.
2 min read - WorldAssociated Press
Indonesia’s Mount Ibu erupts 3 times, spewing lava and clouds of grey ash
Indonesia’s Mount Ibu erupted three times on Thursday, spewing red lava and clouds of grey ash. The volcano, located on an island in the eastern North Maluku province, has been erupting almost every day since early May. Authorities have raised the alert to the highest level as the number of eruptions and deep volcanic earthquakes have significantly increased.
1 min read - WorldAssociated Press
The UN says a quarter of the world's children under 5 have severe food poverty. Many are in Africa
The 9-month-old twins cried nonstop and tugged at their mother, seeking attention but also food. “Not much milk comes out,” said their 38-year-old mother, Dorcas Simon, who struggles to breastfeed and has three other children. Here in northern Nigeria, where conflict and climate change have long contributed to the problem, her twins are among 181 million children under 5 — or 27% of the world's youngest children — who live in severe food poverty, according to a new report Thursday by the U.N.’
4 min read - ScienceSpace
Watch SpaceX launch 4th test flight of Starship megarocket today
SpaceX plans to launch its giant Starship rocket this morning (June 6), and you can watch the action live.
2 min read - ScienceAssociated Press
Climate records keep shattering. How worried should we be?
Month after month, global temperatures are setting new records. Meanwhile, scientists and climate policymakers warn of the growing likelihood that the planet will soon exceed the warming target set at the landmark Paris 2015 climate talks. Making sense of the run of climate extremes may be challenging for some.
3 min read - WorldSpace
1st telescope removed from controversial astronomy hub on Hawaiian volcano
The 36-inch telescope and its dome has been decommissioned as part of a deal that will hopefully see the Thirty Meter Telescope receive a permit for construction on Maunakea.
4 min read - ScienceSpace
SpaceX congratulates Boeing, ULA on 1st crewed Starliner launch
Elon Musk and SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell both congratulated the coalition that sent Boeing's Starliner capsule aloft today (June 5) on its first crewed mission.
3 min read - ScienceNBC News
Boeing Starliner astronaut Sunita Williams previously brought samosas and cultural items into space with her
Sunita Williams, an Indian American NASA astronaut aboard the Boeing Starliner on Wednesday morning, has been known to bring items representing her culture with her to space.
2 min read - ScienceAssociated Press
Joro spiders are back in the news. Here's what the experts really think about them
A large, brightly colored invasive species called the Joro spider is on the move in the United States. Populations have been growing in parts of the South and East Coast for years, and many researchers think it's only a matter of time before they spread to much of the continental U.S. “My sense is people like the weird and fantastic and potentially dangerous,” said David Nelsen, a professor of biology at Southern Adventist University who has studied the growing range of Joro spiders.
4 min read - ScienceCNN
Boeing spacecraft carrying two astronauts lifts off on historic voyage
Boeing’s Starliner launched a historic maiden voyage carrying veteran NASA astronauts Sunni Williams and Butch Wilmore to the International Space Station.
8 min read - USYahoo News
How Texas residents are coping with the latest heat dome — and a warming climate
With the formation this week of yet another summer heat dome over Texas and much of the American Southwest, many residents are struggling to cope with a sweltering new normal made worse by climate change.
5 min read - USNBC News
Controversial trial of technology that could be used to brighten clouds gets voted down in California
The city of Alameda, California, has denied scientists permission to continue a controversial trial of cloud-brightening technology that could one day be used for geoengineering.
5 min read