Science
- USAssociated Press
A meteorite strike was captured on video by a Canadian home's doorbell camera
A doorbell camera on a Canadian home captured rare video and sound of a meteorite striking Earth as it crashed into a couple's walkway. When Laura Kelly and her partner returned home after an evening walk in July, they were surprised to find their walkway littered with dust and strange debris, according to the Meteoritical Society, which posted the video with its report. The pair reported what they found to the University of Alberta's Meteorite Reporting System and the curator, Chris Herd, exa
1 min read - USNBC News
Los Angeles home survived the fire, only to be split in two by a landslide
A Los Angeles home that survived the Palisades Fire was damaged by a landslide. The risk of landslides rises after wildfires, so more are expected in California.
4 min read - ScienceCBS News
FAA orders investigation into SpaceX Starship failure
A fire in the aft section of SpaceX's Starship trigged the apparent explosion that destroyed the spacecraft, the company says.
5 min read - USCBS News
Meteorite crash landing captured on Ring doorbell camera
This is the first time the sound and image of a meteor falling has been documented on video, a University of Alberta scientist found.
2 min read - USCNN
Regulators are investigating reports of property damage from SpaceX Starship’s explosion
The FAA says it has grounded the Starship vehicle pending a mishap investigation, and it is working with the company to assess reports of property damage in Turks and Caicos.
6 min read - USCBS News
Book excerpt: "Fire Weather" by John Vaillant
This 2023 National Book Award finalist recounts the rise of climate science and the increasing dangers from climate change, including the devastation brought by today's wildfires.
5 min read - BusinessSpace
Europe's new Ariane 6 heavy-lift rocket set for 2nd launch in February
Europe is moving towards the second launch of its new Ariane 6 launcher after finding and addressing anomalies following its debut flight.
2 min read - USAssociated Press
SpaceX launch accident likely caused by fire that sent trails of flaming debris near the Caribbean
SpaceX suspects a fire may have caused its Starship to break apart during liftoff and send trails of flaming debris near the Caribbean. SpaceX's Elon Musk said preliminary indications are that leaking fuel built up pressure in the cavity above the engine firewall. The resulting fire would have doomed the spacecraft.
2 min read - ScienceSpace
25 Space Conspiracies That Just Won't Die
Here we debunk some of the most common and enduring space conspiracies.
24 min read - ScienceSpace
Bright comet G3 ATLAS seen from space in new astronaut photo
A photo taken from the International Space Station captures the brilliant comet known as C/2024 G3 ATLAS, which could be the brightest of 2025.
3 min read - ScienceCNN
Giant ‘Darth Vader’ sea bug discovered off the coast of Vietnam
Researchers newly identified a “supergiant” sea bug species off the coast of south-central Vietnam, but scientists worry about its vulnerability to overfishing.
4 min read - WorldYale Environment 360
Carbon Dioxide Levels Rose by a Record Amount Last Year
Carbon dioxide is accumulating in the atmosphere faster than ever before, putting hopes of limiting warming in jeopardy.
2 min read - USAssociated Press
How to glimpse a parade of planets in the January night sky
Six planets grace the sky this month in what's known as a planetary parade, and most can be seen with the naked eye. “They’re not in a straight line, but they’re pretty close together on one side of the sun,” said Hannah Sparkes, planetarium supervisor at the Bishop Museum of Science and Nature in Florida. The astronomical linkup is fairly common and can happen at least every year depending on the number of planets.
2 min read - BusinessThe Conversation
Climate misinformation is rife on social media – and poised to get worse
Meta’s decision could open the floodgates to more climate misinformation on its apps, including misleading or out-of-context claims during disasters.
5 min read - ScienceSpace
Venus and Saturn take a sunset stroll tonight. Here's how to see it
Venus and Saturn will appear extraordinarily close together in the night sky overnight on Jan. 17 during a celestial event known as a conjunction.
3 min read - ScienceSpace
Feeding supermassive black holes may have ended the cosmic 'dark ages' billions of years ago
NASA's Chandra and NuSTAR telescopes have teamed up to study a supermassive black hole-powered quasar that could have played a key role in ending the cosmic dark ages.
6 min read - USSpace
SpaceX Starship explosion likely caused by propellant leak, Elon Musk says
SpaceX has traced the likely cause of the explosion that destroyed its Starship vehicle during its Jan. 16 test flight to a leak of liquid oxygen or liquid methane.
3 min read - ScienceCNN
SpaceX executes ‘chopsticks’ booster catch but Starship spacecraft explosion temporarily diverts flights
SpaceX pulled off its “chopsticks” catch of a Super Heavy rocket booster but lost the Starship spacecraft on Thursday during the vehicle’s seventh uncrewed test flight.
7 min read - ScienceSpace
100 years ago, Edwin Hubble proved our Milky Way galaxy isn't alone
A century ago, humans didn't know other galaxies existed. Here's how Edwin Hubble changed that view.
9 min read - WorldReuters
Scientist bottles smell of bones to help solve cold cases
A Belgian research scientist is working with the federal police to create a scent that mimics the smell of dried human bones to help sniffer dogs find long lost remains. Clement Martin has already isolated the smell of decomposing human flesh and that is now used to train Belgium's cadaver dogs. But once the soft tissue has disappeared, the scent molecules of the remaining bones become significantly fewer, scientific researcher Martin told Reuters.
2 min read - BusinessSpace
Watch SpaceX Starship explode over Atlantic Ocean on Flight Test 7 (videos)
The upper stage of SpaceX's Starship megarocket exploded over the Atlantic Ocean during the vehicle's Flight 7 test today (Jan. 16), and lots of people saw the sky show.
2 min read - BusinessSpace
SpaceX catches Super Heavy booster on Starship Flight 7 test but loses upper stage (video, photos)
SpaceX pulled off a launch-tower catch of Starship's Super Heavy booster during a test flight today (Jan. 16) but lost the vehicle's upper stage.
5 min read - ScienceAssociated Press
SpaceX loses spacecraft after catching rocket booster at the launch pad in latest Starship test
SpaceX launched its Starship rocket on its latest test flight Thursday, but the spacecraft was destroyed following a thrilling booster catch back at the pad. Elon Musk’s company said Starship broke apart — what it called a “rapid unscheduled disassembly." The spacecraft's six engines appeared to shut down one by one during ascent, with contact lost just 8 1/2 minutes into the flight.
3 min read - ScienceSpace
Centuries-old supernova guides James Webb Space Telescope through an interstellar gap
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has captured the first exquisite images of an interstellar patch of sky, about 11,000 light-years away in the constellation Cassiopeia.
3 min read - ScienceSpace
Major milestone! India becomes 4th nation to dock satellites in orbit
India successfully docked its two SpaDex satellites in Earth orbit yesterday (Jan. 15), becoming just the fourth country to pull off such a satellite meetup.
2 min read - ScienceSpace
Astronauts repair black hole observatory, inspect cosmic ray detector on ISS spacewalk
NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Suni Williams completed a six-hour spacewalk to repair and upgrade equipment outside the International Space Station on Thursday (Jan. 16).
4 min read - USYahoo News
California moves to quickly rebuild homes destroyed in the L.A. wildfires. Should it?
In response to what could turn out to be the most expensive natural disaster in U.S. history, California’s political leaders have taken swift action to try to help residents rebuild thousands of homes and businesses destroyed in a spate of deadly wildfires.
6 min read - ScienceReuters
Meat was not on the menu for human ancestor Australopithecus
The incorporation of meat into the diet was a milestone for the human evolutionary lineage, a potential catalyst for advances such as increased brain size. New research provides the first direct evidence that Australopithecus, an important early human ancestor that displayed a mix of ape-like and human-like traits, consumed very little or no meat, relying on a plant-based diet. The study determined the diet of seven Australopithecus individuals from South Africa dating to between 3.7 and 3.3 m
4 min read - ScienceSpace
Our warming Earth: 2024 was hottest year on record, NASA says
2024 was the warmest year on record, according to NASA data. The global average temperature was 2.3 degrees Fahrenheit above the mid-20th-century baseline.
2 min read - USNBC News
What is the pink powder sprayed over the California fires?
The powdered, pink fire retardant sprayed over the California fires is called Phos-Chek. It contains ammonium phosphate — an ingredient found in fertilizer.
4 min read - ScienceThe Conversation
Another Arctic blast is on the way, but how much colder than ‘normal’ is it really?
That depends on how you define ‘normal.’ The baseline has been creeping up as the planet warms.
5 min read - WorldReuters
Los Angeles air quality improves from wildfires' hazardous levels
Air quality in wildfire-stricken Los Angeles improved on Thursday from hazardous peaks hit earlier this month, as tiny soot particles that can penetrate the lungs and brain dropped to moderate levels, according to the Environmental Protection Agency's latest data. Smoke from several wildfires in metro Los Angeles negatively affects the air quality of a population of about 18 million people. Air quality in Los Angeles was at "moderate" levels on Thursday morning, as judged by the EPA's Air Qual
1 min read - BusinessCNN
‘New generation’ Starship set to push boundaries in highly anticipated launch
SpaceX readies its seventh test flight of Starship, the most powerful rocket ever designed. The trial will test upgrades to the spacecraft and deploy mock satellites.
7 min read - ScienceCNN
Blue Origin launches New Glenn rocket, the company’s first SpaceX contender
Blue Origin, the rocket company Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos founded, notched one of the most substantial successes in its history on Thursday: sending a rocket to orbit.
4 min read - ScienceAssociated Press
Surprise finding sheds light on what causes Huntington's disease, a devastating fatal brain disorder
Scientists are unraveling the mystery of what triggers Huntington’s disease, a devastating and fatal hereditary disorder that strikes in the prime of life, causing nerve cells in parts of the brain to break down and die. The genetic mutation linked to Huntington's has long been known, but scientists haven't understood how people could have the mutation from birth, but not develop any problems until later in life. “The conundrum in our field has been: Why do you have a genetic disorder that man
3 min read - LifestyleSpace
Photographer captures rare Comet G3 ATLAS from UK in dramatic 'once-in-a-lifetime' image
Photographer Josh Dury captured rare Comet C/2024 G3 (Atlas) in a dramatic 'once-in-a-lifetime' image after a challenging chase across UK skies at dusk.
2 min read - ScienceSpace
NASA wants a 'Super-Hubble' space telescope to search for life on alien worlds
The Habitable Worlds Observatory is a flagship NASA telescope that could answer the ultimate question.
5 min read - ScienceCBS News
Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin New Glenn rocket soars into space on maiden flight
Despite losing its booster during a landing attempt, the upper stage reached orbit as planned.
7 min read - ScienceSpace
James Webb Space Telescope watches planet-forming dust shells zooming through space
The shells of carbon-rich dust are expanding outward into space at the breakneck velocity of 1,600 miles per second.
5 min read - ScienceSpace
Are James Webb Space Telescope images really so colorful?
How do images taken by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) appear so colorful, and where do the colors come from?
5 min read - ScienceAssociated Press
NASA's stuck astronaut steps out on a spacewalk after 7 months in orbit
One of NASA’s two stuck astronauts got a much welcomed change of scenery Thursday, stepping out on her first spacewalk since arriving at the International Space Station more than seven months ago. Suni Williams, the station's commander, tackled some overdue outdoor repair work alongside NASA's Nick Hague. Williams got a close-up look at the SpaceX capsule that will bring her home this spring, floating just a few feet away from the parked vessel as she struggled with a chore.
1 min read - ScienceSpace
Moon selected as historical preservation site to protect lunar heritage
The World Monuments Fund has added the moon to its watch list of 25 historic places that face major challenges and has called for preserving lunar heritage.
5 min read - ScienceSpace
What if life on Venus is just life from Earth?
Scientists think it's possible that life cells from Earth could've been transferred to Venus, thanks to asteroid impacts over the last few billion years.
5 min read - ScienceCNN
From the sex lives of pygmy seahorses to parasites living in fish nostrils: these photos tell extraordinary ocean stories
British marine biologist and photographer Richard Smith focuses his work on the ocean’s tiniest and weirdest creatures.
6 min read - ScienceSpace
Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin launches massive New Glenn rocket into orbit on 1st flight (video)
Blue Origin's powerful New Glenn rocket reached orbit on its first-ever flight early this morning (Jan. 16).
5 min read - ScienceCNN
India achieves first space docking, becoming fourth country to achieve major milestone
India on Thursday became the fourth country to successfully achieve an unmanned docking in space, a feat seen as pivotal for future missions as New Delhi cements its place as a global space power.
3 min read - ScienceAssociated Press
Jeff Bezos’ New Glenn rocket reaches orbit on first test flight
Blue Origin launched its massive new rocket on its first test flight Thursday, sending up a prototype satellite to orbit thousands of miles above Earth. Named after the first American to orbit Earth, the New Glenn rocket blasted off from Florida, soaring from the same pad used to launch NASA's Mariner and Pioneer spacecraft a half-century ago. Years in the making with heavy funding by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, the 320-foot (98-meter) rocket carried an an experimental platform designed to host
4 min read - ScienceSpace
Watch 2 NASA astronauts repair X-ray telescope on ISS during a spacewalk today
NASA's Nick Hague and Suni Williams will service the X-ray telescope attached to the ISS during a 6.5-hour-long spacewalk today (Jan. 16). Watch it live.
2 min read - ScienceReuters
Indian space agency achieves satellite docking milestone
BENGALURU (Reuters) -India became the world's fourth nation on Thursday to achieve the feat of space docking, a technological milestone that underscores its ambitions to expand its share of a rapidly growing $400-billion global space market. Target and Chaser, two satellites of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) that are each roughly the size of a large refrigerator, successfully latched onto each other at about 9 a.m. (0330 GMT), an agency spokesperson said. "India has ambitious mi
2 min read - USAssociated Press
Eager visitors flock to see spectacular lava fountaining from Kilauea eruption in Hawaii
People were flocking to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on Wednesday to get a glimpse of fountaining lava. The eruption that began Dec. 23 in a crater at the summit of Kilauea volcano has paused periodically. It resumed Wednesday morning as a “small sluggish lava flow,” and then increased into a fountain that appeared to be 200 feet (60 meters) high, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said.
1 min read
