Science

5 things you should know about the Mars 2020 mission

By Miles O'Brien

Perseverance is expected to land on the Red Planet Thursday after a seven-month journey. Science correspondent Miles O'Brien previews the nailbiter landing, what scientists are hoping to learn, and the innovations on board.

NASA sets ambitious goals for latest mission to Mars

By Miles O'Brien

If all goes according to plan, the United States will land its most advanced rover ever on Mars on Thursday, nearly 300-million miles from where it lifted off last year. It is a daunting task, one that will set up…

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WATCH: NASA’s Perseverance rover lands on Mars

By Isabella Isaacs-Thomas

The mission, one of the space agency’s most ambitious yet, will seek to answer whether there is evidence that microbial life once existed on Mars.

How will we know we’ve reached herd immunity for COVID-19?

By Candice Choi, Aniruddha Ghosal, Associated Press

Health officials around the world are racing to vaccinate enough people to stop the spread of COVID-19, but what qualifies as “enough” is still an open question.

Texas blackouts fuel false claims about renewable energy

By Ali Swenson, Arijeta Lajka, Associated Press

Conservative commentators on Tuesday have falsely claimed that wind turbines and solar energy were primarily to blame for power outages across Texas.

Strong quake hits Japan’s northeast coast; no tsunami alert

By Yuri Kageyama, Associated Press

A strong earthquake hit off the coast of northeastern Japan late Saturday, shaking Fukushima, Miyagi and other areas, but there was no threat of a tsunami, officials said.

Judge overturns Trump action that lifted mining ban in U.S. West

By Matthew Brown, Associated Press

U.S. District Judge Lynn Winmill said in Thursday's ruling that the decision under Trump to cancel a prior effort to ban mining failed to fully consider how the move would affect greater sage grouse.

U.S. agency cancels Trump policy on conservation purchases

By Matthew Brown, Associated Press

Acting Interior Secretary Scott de la Vega on Thursday rescinded a November order from former Secretary David Bernhardt that was criticized by lawmakers from both parties in Congress.

Audit raises concerns about wildfire risks at U.S. nuclear lab

By Susan Montoya Bryan, Associated Press

Los Alamos National Laboratory is the birthplace of the atomic bomb and has experienced hundreds of millions of dollars in losses and damage from previous wildfires.

WHO expert group recommends use of AstraZeneca vaccine

By Jamey Keaten, Associated Press

Independent experts advising the World Health Organization have recommended the use of AstraZeneca’s vaccine to fight COVID-19 even in countries that have turned up worrying coronavirus variants in their populations.