Science

What an FDA advisory panel’s finding that oral phenylephrine is ineffective means for cold and flu meds

By Lucas A. Berenbrok, Colleen Culley, Karen Steinmetz Pater, The Conversation

The ramp-up to cold and flu season is a bad time for consumers to learn that some of their most trusted go-to products don’t actually work.

Federal officials say plan for water cuts from 3 Western states is enough to protect Colorado River

By Kathleen Ronayne, Associated Press

The U.S. Department of the Interior is throwing its support behind a proposal by Arizona, Colorado and Nevada. The states' plan would conserve 3 million acre feet of water through 2026.

Hurricane Otis weakens over southern Mexico after battering Acapulco as a Category 5 storm

By José Antonio Rivera, María Verza, Associated Press

Otis rapidly intensified Tuesday, growing from a tropical storm to a Category 5 monster in 12 hours.

IAEA officials say Fukushima’s ongoing release of treated radioactive wastewater is going well

By Mari Yamaguchi, Associated Press

International Atomic Energy Agency officials in Japan for their first safety and monitoring mission since the release began two months ago say "no issues" were observed.

Key chunk of Antarctica destined to melt even if humanity slashes carbon emissions, study says

By Seth Borenstein, Associated Press

The study's lead author says the full melt will take hundreds of years, but its slow addition of nearly 6 feet to sea levels will reshape where and how people live in the future.

Experts give you permission to stop raking your leaves this fall. Here’s why

By Bella Isaacs-Thomas

There are ways to put an abundance of leaves to good use if homeowners opt to work with nature rather than against it, advocates say.

How you can observe the Orionid meteor shower this weekend

By Daniel Brown, The Conversation

The meteor shower happens when Earth passes through debris from Halley’s comet.

Stalled spending on electrical grids slows rollout of renewable energy, endangering climate goals

By David McHugh, Associated Press

Stalled spending on electrical grids worldwide is slowing the rollout of renewable energy and could put efforts to limit climate change at risk if millions of miles of power lines aren't added or refurbished in the next few years.

Analysis: The potential global impact of California’s new corporate climate disclosure laws

By Lily Hsueh, The Conversation

The legislation is a major leap from current federal and state reporting requirements, which require reporting of only certain emissions from companies’ direct operations.

PHOTOS: Rare ‘ring of fire’ eclipse moves across the Americas, stretching from Oregon to Brazil

By Claire Rush, Associated Press/Report for America, Katie Oyan, Associated Press

Cheers erupted among crowds in Oregon and New Mexico on Saturday as an annular solar eclipse that had millions across the Americas waiting with anticipation began putting on a spectacular show.