Aug 11 Why Niger is investigating the $5 million sale of the largest Mars rock found on Earth By Mark Banchereau, Associated Press A 54-pound meteorite from Mars has sold for over $5 million at a New York auction, setting a world record. But officials in Niger, where the meteorite was found, suspect it may have been smuggled out of the West African… Continue reading
Aug 11 The Perseids will peak this week, but a bright moon will make the meteor shower harder to see By Christina Larson, Associated Press Under ideal viewing conditions with no moon, the shower can produce more than 60 meteors per hour - but moonlight will interfere this year. Continue reading
Aug 11 A heatwave scorches parts of Europe and fans wildfire threat in southern France By Thomas Adamson, Associated Press Scientists say Europe is becoming the world's fastest-warming continent. Continue reading
Aug 10 Toxicologist explains how poison ivy and bee stings are nature’s chemical weapons By Christopher P. Holstege, Sandra H. Nixon, The Conversation Poison ivy and bees stings are among the most common outdoor menaces for people enjoying the outdoors. Continue reading
Aug 09 New study shows how climate change is driving wildfire season to start earlier in California By Gavin D. Madakumbura, Alex Hall, The Conversation Parts of California are seeing fire season start more than 10 weeks earlier now than in the 1990s. Two authors of a new study explain how climate warming has been driving this trend and why it's likely to continue. Continue reading
Aug 09 Watch 4:48 New study highlights ‘grave, growing’ danger of plastic pollution to world’s health By John Yang, Lorna Baldwin, Kaisha Young In Geneva, negotiators from 175 nations are trying to hammer out the first-ever legally binding treaty on plastic pollution. The urgency of the talks was underscored this week by a new study published in The Lancet. It calls plastics a… Continue watching
Aug 09 Watch 2:09 How radioactive rhino horns could help save the species from poachers By John Yang, Lorna Baldwin The black market trade in rhino horns is driving the species to near extinction. Now, scientists at a rhino orphanage in the Bushveld of South Africa are trying to protect them from poaching in a rather surprising way. John Yang… Continue watching
Aug 09 Analysis: Why NASA is planning to build a nuclear reactor on the Moon and what the law says By Michelle L.D. Hanlon, The Conversation Nuclear reactors in space may sound like something out of science fiction, but they are likely to prove important for powering long-term space missions. Continue reading
Aug 09 Crew-10 astronauts return to Earth in SpaceX capsule after 5 months aboard space station By Marcia Dunn, Associated Press Four astronauts returned to Earth on Saturday after hustling to the International Space Station five months ago to relieve the stuck test pilots of Boeing’s Starliner. Continue reading
Aug 08 Astronaut Butch Wilmore retires from NASA several months after extended spaceflight By Marcia Dunn, Associated Press One of NASA’s two previously stuck astronauts has retired from the space agency, less than five months after his unexpectedly long spaceflight came to an end. Continue reading