Science

Astronaut Scott Kelly returns to Earth after 340 days in space

By News Desk

PBS NewsHour will live stream astronaut Scott Kelly as he returns to Earth after 340 days in space.

10 stellar tweets to mark Scott Kelly’s record-breaking year in space

By Shawn Paik

Scott Kelly returns to Earth on Tuesday after spending a record-breaking year in space. His 340-day enterprise marks NASA's longest spaceflight and serves as critical prep-work and research for future Mars exploration.

What long-dead whalers can teach us about climate change

By Ashley Ahearn, KUOW/EarthFix

Log books from 19th century whaling ships are treasure troves for modern-day climate scientists. They’re mining these old volumes for day-to-day weather and sea-ice reports from the Arctic region.

CDC: Zika virus linked to ‘series of miscarriages’ in pregnant women

By Nsikan Akpan

Today, the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention gave updates on their virus response efforts, U.S. cases involving pregnant women and 14 investigations into sexual transmission of the virus.

Species of bees and other pollinators are shrinking, UN report warns

By Seth Borenstein, Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Many species of wild bees, butterflies and other critters that pollinate plants are shrinking toward extinction, and the world needs to do something about it before our food supply suffers, a new United Nations scientific mega-report warns.

First uterus transplant in the U.S. offers pregnancy hope

By Melissa Bailey, STAT

A 26-year-old patient underwent a uterine transplant, the first in the US, on Wednesday at the Cleveland Clinic.

Los Angeles methane leak was officially the worst in U.S. history, study says

By Nsikan Akpan

What could be done to prevent future natural gas blowouts like the one that spewed greenhouses gases into Southern California skies from late October to early February?…

Take a cruise across our cold galaxy and witness the birthplace of stars

By Nsikan Akpan

Scientists use a telescope in Chile to complete a survey of the coldest parts of the Milky Way's galactic plane.

Why ‘vaginal swabbing’ your newborn might not be a good idea

By Megan Thielking, STAT

Parents-to-be increasingly request 'vaginal swabbing' after C-section births, but experts caution it could introduce viruses to the baby.

How do you make a chicken taco in space?

By PBS News Hour

How hard is it to prepare food in space? It’s one of the challenges astronaut Scott Kelly faces during his year aboard the International Space Station, the longest space mission in American history.