Jul 01 Astronomers still don't know exactly what the sun is made of By Ken Croswell, Knowable Magazine For two decades, astronomers have argued over how much carbon, nitrogen and especially oxygen lie within our closest star — a dispute with implications for the entire universe. Continue reading
Jul 01 NASA delays Mars rover launch again with 2 weeks left to fly By Marcia Dunn, Associated Press The good news is that NASA is working to eke out more time in this summer's launch opportunity, now lasting until at least Aug. 15. The chance to fly to Mars comes up only every 26 months, when Earth and… Continue reading
Jun 29 Worldwide slowdown in fishing unlikely to save rare species By Patrick Whittle, Christina Larson, Associated Press The amount of commercial fishing worldwide has dipped since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, but scientists and conservation experts say it's unclear if the slowdown will help jeopardized species of marine life to recover. Continue reading
Jun 25 Analysis: How deforestation helps deadly viruses jump from animals to humans By Amy Y. Vittor, Gabriel Zorello Laporta, Maria Anice Mureb Sallum, The Conversation Yellow fever, malaria and Ebola all spilled over from animals to humans at the edges of tropical forests. The new coronavirus is the latest zoonosis. Continue reading
Jun 25 This environmental justice activist breaks down deep ties between racism and climate change By Beth Gardiner, Yale Environmental 360 Activist Elizabeth Yeampierre has long focused on the connections between racial injustice and the environment and climate change. In the wake of George Floyd’s killing and the outsized impact of COVID-19 on communities of color, she hopes people may finally… Continue reading
Jun 22 U.S. honeybee colonies are doing better this year, survey shows By Seth Borenstein, Associated Press The annual survey of U.S. beekeepers found that honeybee colonies are doing better after a bad year. Monday's survey found winter losses were lower than normal, the second smallest in 14 years of records. Continue reading
Jun 19 Analysis: Why some people are willing to challenge behavior they see as wrong despite personal risk By Catherine A. Sanderson, The Conversation They aren’t worried about feeling embarrassed or having an awkward interaction. And they are far less concerned about conforming to the crowd. Continue reading
May 31 Many states scrambling to update hurricane plans for virus By Seth Borenstein, Julie Pace, Associated Press Officials across the U.S. South are still scrambling to adjust their hurricane plans to the coronavirus. The big unknown: Where will people fleeing storms go?… Continue reading
May 31 SpaceX's astronaut-riding Dragon arrives at space station By Marcia Dunn, Associated Press The docking occurred just 19 hours after a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket blasted off Saturday afternoon from Kennedy Space Center, the nation’s first astronaut launch to orbit from home soil in nearly a decade. Continue reading
May 30 SpaceX rocket ship blasts off into orbit with 2 Americans By Marcia Dunn, Associated Press A rocket ship built by Elon Musk’s SpaceX company thundered away from Earth with two Americans on Saturday, ushering in a new era of commercial space travel and putting NASA back in the business of launching astronauts from U.S. soil… Continue reading