Research, climate change, and environmental issues.
In 2024, over 50 million Americans resided in counties where there was no air-quality monitoring, a new study released in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reports. Researchers at Penn State University caution that the gap leaves millions without the benefit of real-time data about whether or not the air they breathe is…
While most people spend their 70th birthday with cake and candles, Don Pettit celebrated his in zero gravity, returning to Earth from a seven-month mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Homecoming from the Stars Don Pettit, the oldest active astronaut at NASA, came down Sunday in Kazakhstan, Russian cosmonauts Alexei Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner,…
Scientists studying a distant exoplanet say they’ve found what could be the strongest sign of alien life yet, a molecule that, on Earth, is only made by living organisms. The planet in question, K2-18b, is 120 light-years away and orbits a star in the constellation Leo. Its atmosphere, as indicated by a recently released research…
Crocodiles can appear as dinosaur relics, yet their survival saga is anything but static. The ancestors of modern crocodilians survived two of the most destructive mass extinction events on Earth, and their key to survival was adaptability, according to a recent study headed by the University of Central Oklahoma (UCO) and the University of Utah….
A dangerous sandstorm raged through central and southern Iraq on Monday, taking more than 1,800 to hospitals with breathing difficulties, health officials said. The storm, which was the most severe of the year, also prompted authorities to close airports temporarily and greatly lowered visibility in the affected areas. Widespread Respiratory Emergencies Hospitals in Muthanna province…
A gigantic black hole, hidden in a distant galaxy within the Virgo constellation, is waking up, and it’s putting on quite the show for astronomers. The galaxy, called SDSS1335+0728, located around 300 million light-years from Earth, was previously quiet and uneventful. But in 2019, it suddenly lit up, drawing the attention of telescopes worldwide. Then in…
Earth is famously known as the “pale blue dot,” with nearly 75% of its surface covered by oceans. However, according to new research published in Nature, that familiar blue wasn’t always the dominant color of our planet’s waters. Scientists from Japan have now proposed that Earth’s oceans may have appeared green billions of years ago…
From squirrels in cities to dolphins around power plants, animals everywhere are learning to coexist with humans in ways that are at once fascinating and frightening. The phenomenon of wildlife adapting to city life has a term: synurbization. And it’s not only survival, it’s also altering behaviors, evolving diets, and even new inter-species connections that…
A new study from Japan suggests that individuals who are easily distracted by their smartphones may experience more intense physiological reactions and have a weaker connection with their bodily sensations. Researchers at Hokkaido University explored the impact of smartphone-related attention on both mental focus and physical response. The results, published in Communications Psychology, reveal that individuals…
The Amazon rainforest has long been a source of gold and controversy. As long as demand for gold is high, contemporary gold particles are becoming ever smaller and harder to extract. That has led an increase in artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM), especially in Peru’s Amazon, where mercury is used regularly to extract gold,…
