Feb 15 How Galileo's groundbreaking works got banned By Dr. Howard Markel Born on this day 458 years ago, Galileo refused to be silent about how the solar system worked. Continue reading
Feb 14 West's megadrought worsens to driest in at least 1,200 years By Seth Borenstein, Associated Press Monday's study says the megadrought is now the worst-case scenario officials and scientists worried about in the 1900s. The drought deepened so much in 2021 that it is 5 percent worse than the old record in the late 1500s. Continue reading
Feb 11 More data needed on Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for kids under 5, FDA says By Lauran Neergaard, Matthew Perrone, Associated Press The Food and Drug Administration had urged Pfizer and its partner BioNTech to apply for authorization of extra-low doses of its vaccine for the youngest children before clinical studies were finished. On Friday, the FDA reversed course. Continue reading
Feb 11 How heat waves, exacerbated by climate change, will be worst for the world's poorest nations By Mojtaba Sadegh, John Abatzoglou, Mohammad Reza Alizadeh, The Conversation The risk from heat waves is about more than intensity – being able to cool off is essential, and that’s hard to find in many low-income areas of the world. Continue reading
Feb 11 NASA's new space telescope sees 1st starlight, takes selfie By Marcia Dunn, Associated Press Officials for the James Webb Space Telescope said Friday that all 18 segments of the primary mirror seem to be working properly 1 1/2 months into the mission. Continue reading
Feb 11 Egg producers shift as public demand for cage-free hens grows By Scott McFetridge, Associated Press The nation's egg producers are in the midst of a multibillion-dollar shift to cage-free eggs that is dramatically changing the lives of millions of hens in response to new laws and demands from restaurant chains. Continue reading
Feb 10 How Olympic ski jumpers toe the line between falling and flying By Amy Pope, The Conversation Ski jumpers do everything they can to counteract the effects of gravity and fly as far as they can down hills. Continue reading
Feb 09 Why Lyme and other tick-borne diseases are on the rise By Ula Chrobak, Knowable Magazine The complex interplay of ticks, their habitats and hosts — along with changes in land use and climate — may be enabling the spread of the pathogens they carry. Continue reading
Feb 09 How competing on fake snow affects the performance of Olympic skiers and snowboarders By Peter Veals, The Conversation Snowmaking machines can produce enough snow to cover a run, but artificial snow is very different from natural flakes that fall from the sky. Continue reading
Feb 07 White House review finds top science adviser mistreated staff By Zeke Miller, Associated Press An internal review last year, prompted by a workplace complaint, found evidence that Lander bullied staffers and treated them disrespectfully. Continue reading