Dec 23 What's an atmospheric river? AP explains the weather phenomenon By Associated Press They occur globally but are especially significant on the West Coast of the United States, where they create 30% to 50% of annual precipitation and are vital to water supplies but also can cause storms that produce flooding and mudslides,… Continue reading
Dec 22 Watch 6:06 Trump halts East Coast projects in latest blow against wind power By William Brangham, Jackson Hudgins, Jenna Bloom The Trump administration announced an immediate pause on the leases for five large-scale offshore wind farms off the East Coast. The Interior Department provided few details, but said the Pentagon believed the turbines could obscure and confuse radar signals. It's… Continue watching
Dec 20 German engineer becomes 1st wheelchair user to blast into space By Marcia Dunn, Associated Press Severely injured in a mountain bike accident seven years ago, Michaela Benthaus became the first wheelchair user in space, launching from West Texas with Jeff Bezos’ company Blue Origin. Continue reading
Dec 18 Trump administration moves to dismantle national climate research lab in Colorado By Matthew Daly, Susan Montoya Bryan, Associated Press The research lab, which houses the largest federal research program on climate change, supports research to predict, prepare for and respond to severe weather and other natural disasters. Continue reading
Dec 18 Winter solstice is nearly upon the Northern Hemisphere. Here's what to know about the shortest day of the year By Associated Press Sunday is the shortest day of the year north of the equator, where the solstice marks the start of astronomical winter. It’s the opposite in the Southern Hemisphere, where it is the longest day of the year and summer will… Continue reading
Dec 17 Saturn's moon Titan may not have a buried ocean as suspected, study suggests By Marcia Dunn, Associated Press New research suggests Titan instead may hold deep layers of ice and slush more akin to Earth's polar seas instead of a buried ocean as long suspected. Continue reading
Dec 15 Interstellar comet 3I/Atlas will make closest approach to Earth on Friday By Marcia Dunn, Associated Press Discovered over the summer, the comet known as 3I/Atlas will pass within 167 million miles of our planet on Friday. That's as close as it will get on its grand tour of the solar system. Continue reading
Dec 10 NASA loses contact with Maven spacecraft orbiting Mars for the past decade By Marcia Dunn, Associated Press NASA said this week that it was working fine before it went behind the red planet. When it appeared again, there was only silence. Continue reading
Dec 10 Humans were making fire 350,000 years earlier than previously thought, study finds By Mustakim Hasnath, Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Scientists in Britain say ancient humans may have learned to make fire far earlier than previously believed, after uncovering evidence that deliberate fire-setting took place in what is now eastern England around 400,000 years ago. The findings,… Continue reading
Dec 10 UN says world must jointly tackle issues of climate change, pollution, biodiversity and land loss By Tammy Webber, Associated Press The most comprehensive global environment assessment ever undertaken calls for a new approach to jointly tackle the most pressing environmental issues including climate change and biodiversity loss that threaten over 1 million plant and animal species with extinction. Continue reading