May 13 EPA revokes Trump-era policy that loosened clean-air rules By Matthew Daly, Associated Press The previous rule was part of a wave of deregulatory actions under President Donald Trump, who rolled back dozens of environmental rules he considered overly burdensome on businesses. Continue reading
May 10 NASA spacecraft begins 2-year trip home with asteroid rubble By Marcia Dunn, Associated Press A NASA spacecraft is headed back to Earth with rubble it collected from an asteroid nearly 200 million miles away. The robotic explorer Osiris-Rex fired its engines Monday to start the two-year trip home. Continue reading
May 10 Watch 4:10 FDA greenlights Pfizer vaccine for children ages 12 to 15 By William Brangham New York became the latest state to require students at publicly funded colleges be vaccinated for the fall term — a move that comes as overall, new infections in the U.S. have fallen to their lowest since last September. Vaccine… Continue watching
May 10 Watch 6:36 In her bid to end TB, Mireille Kamariza is shattering stereotypes about scientists By John Yang, Frank Carlson, Bria Lloyd Before COVID-19, tuberculosis was the world's deadliest infectious disease. Though rare in the United States, the disease is prevalent in many parts of the world and kills millions. John Yang tells us of one scientist's journey to the discovery both… Continue watching
May 08 EU agrees potential 1.8 billion-dose purchase of Pfizer jab By Raf Casert, Barry Hatton, Associated Press The European Union cemented its support for Pfizer-BioNTech and its novel COVID-19 vaccine technology Saturday by agreeing to a massive contract extension for a potential 1.8 billion doses through 2023. Continue reading
May 07 Early humans used fire to permanently change the landscape By Jessica Thompson, David K. Wright, Sarah Ivory, The Conversation Combining evidence from archaeology, geochronology and paleoenvironmental science, researchers identified how ancient humans by Lake Malawi were the first to substantially modify their environment. Continue reading
May 06 Biden’s plan would boost conservation of U.S. lands, waters By Matthew Daly, Associated Press The plan would purify drinking water, increase green space, improve access to outdoor recreation, restore healthy fisheries, reduce the risk of wildfires and recognize the "oversized contributions" of farmers, ranchers, forest owners, fishers, hunters, rural communities and tribal nations. Continue reading
May 05 Watch 6:26 Waiving vaccine patent rights may be the ‘only way’ to end the pandemic By William Brangham President Biden announced that the U.S. will support waiving patent rights for the COVID vaccines — a major move that follows a call domestically, and internationally, for America to provide much quicker and greater assistance to the rest of the… Continue watching
May 05 What a massive solar flare on a nearby star could mean for alien life By R. O. Parke Loyd, The Conversation Astronomers just measured the largest flare ever from Proxima Centauri, humanity's closest neighboring star. These flares could be bad news for life trying to develop on a planet orbiting the star. Continue reading
May 03 Watch 6:52 Do I need to replace my AC or fridge? Understanding the new EPA rule on Hydrofluorocarbons By John Yang, Diane Lincoln Estes The EPA on Monday announced a new rule that targets a greenhouse gas that's common but probably not too familiar to many Americans: Hydrofluorocarbons. These gases are widely used in home and commercial refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pumps. John… Continue watching