Science

1 in 3 Americans say they've reduced how much plastic they're using

By Bella Isaacs-Thomas

Women, people in households making more than $50,000 annually, and college graduates were more likely to report a decrease in how often they used single-use plastics in the last five years, according to a new PBS NewsHour/NPR/Marist poll.

New York inmates are suing to watch the solar eclipse after state orders prisons locked down

By Philip Marcelo, Associated Press

The suit filed Friday in federal court in upstate New York argues that the April 8 eclipse is an event significant to many religions and that the lockdown violates their constitutional rights to practice their faiths.

Trillions of underground wonders to emerge in 'cicada-geddon', largest in centuries

By Seth Borenstein, Associated Press

These cicadas are nature's kings of the calendar, crawling out from underground every 13 or 17 years and singing as loud as jet engines.

20 years ago, people thought Google's Gmail launch was an April Fool's Day joke

By Michael Liedtke, Associated Press

Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin loved pulling pranks every April Fool's Day. As a result, the release of Gmail with what sounded like a preposterous amount of storage capacity 20 years ago was believed to be one of…

OpenAI reveals Voice Engine, but won't yet release it publicly due to safety concerns

By Associated Press

The company unveiled its new Voice Engine technology Friday, just over a week after filing a trademark application. The company claims that it can recreate a person's voice with just 15 seconds of recording of that person talking.

With new technology, blind people can hear and feel April's total solar eclipse

By Christina Larson, Associated Press

People who are blind or visually impaired will be able to hear and feel the total solar eclipse on April 8. Devices that can translate the eclipse on sound and touch devices will be available at public gatherings for the…

Schools in the path of April's solar eclipse prepare for a natural teaching moment

By Carolyn Thompson, Associated Press

Some schools in or near the path of totality also are organizing group viewings for students to experience the awe of daytime darkness and learn about the astronomy behind it together.

Protective eyewear is key to safe solar eclipse viewing. Here's how to avoid counterfeits

By Yao "Henry" Jin, Simone Peinkofer, The Conversation

To make sure that you enjoy the total solar eclipse safely, the American Astronomical Society has specifically warned against buying eclipse glasses at the lowest price from online marketplaces like Amazon or eBay.

Timekeepers may subtract a second from clocks as soon as 2029 as planet spins slightly faster

By Seth Borenstein, Associated Press

Ice melting at both of Earth’s poles has been counteracting the planet's burst of speed and is likely to have delayed the global second of reckoning by about three years.

Bridge failures can cause major disruptions. How do agencies plan for disaster?

By Lee D. Han, The Conversation

Transportation agencies plan for events like major bridge or highway collapses, but these events can disrupt traffic for months and affect residential neighborhoods as well as motorists.