Since the 1970s, the U.S. has lost billions of birds. We now know that those losses aren’t just growing – they are accelerating in places with intensive human activity, particularly where agriculture and expanding communities are changing the landscape.

Bird population declines have been closely linked to pollution, use of ...Read more

LOS ANGELES – A new report shows that nearly 40% of conventionally grown fruits and vegetables tested by California regulators have residues of "forever" or PFAS chemicals, a family of compounds that can be lasting and harmful.

The Environmental Working Group, an advocacy group based in Washington, D.C., reviewed California's own test data ...Read more

In the space of just 23 days three decades ago, two initially unassuming releases changed video games forever.

On Feb. 27, 1996, "Pokémon Red and Green" first hit Japanese shelves. The role-playing titles were the original entries in a series that would grow to become what is now considered the top-grossing media franchise in the world, worth...Read more

I love finding new and fun phone apps, and this week is a really useful app for movie lovers called RunPee.

As the name suggests, this is an app that originated to help movie goers decide when might be a good time to make a quick run to the bathroom.

The developer adds a lot of entries, but the movie-going community can also contribute to ...Read more

Aulumu’ s G09 Infinite Rotation Dual-Mag Stand takes MagSafe use to a new level. The 3-axis smartphone stand, touted as the first of its kind, delivers viewing from any angle with its 360-degree ball joint.

If you're not familiar with MagSafe (and so many people aren’t), then you need to be. MagSafe is a magnetic feature designed by Apple...Read more

GENEVA — Keeping track of password requirements such as a mix of upper and lower case letters, numbers, special characters and more — not only to be remembered but to be changed every few months — is a tall order, not least as platforms urge users to ensure each password is unique.

This headache has opened the door to password manager ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — When she was as young as 7, Alina Schechtman-Taylor wanted to know how the brain worked.

“I remember telling my dad, ‘I don’t understand why people act this way. I need to figure it out,’” she recalled.

For her, studying neuroscience at Haverford College, was a logical choice.

“Why would you not want to study the ...Read more

The Strait of Hormuz is effectively closed. Since the beginning of the conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran on Feb. 28, 2026, oil tanker traffic through the world’s most critical oil shipping choke point has collapsed, dropping by more than 90%.

Iran has threatened to destroy any ships, including oil tankers, that ...Read more

A single dose of psilocybin, the active compound in magic mushrooms, appears significantly more effective than nicotine patches at helping people quit smoking, a new study shows.

Researchers conducted a randomized trial involving 82 adult smokers who were “psychiatrically healthy.” It compared the efficacy of nicotine patches given for ...Read more

You may be hearing a lot lately about critical minerals and rare earth elements. These natural materials are essential to industry and modern technology – everything from cellphones to fighter jets.

They include lithium and cobalt used in batteries, neodymium for magnets in motors and hard drives, and rare earths that are essential ...Read more

DENVER — Extended warm weather across the Colorado River basin may reduce the amount of water delivered during the spring runoff to just a third of normal, according to federal forecasters.

Modeling released late last week showed the river system on track to deliver a scant 2.3 million acre-feet to Lake Powell, one of the river system’s ...Read more

Apple Inc.’s artificial intelligence struggles are rippling through its product plans, forcing the company to delay a long-in-the-works smart home display until later this year, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

The product, code-named J490, was first scheduled for spring 2025 but was postponed to let the company finish work ...Read more

Every now and then, SpaceX has a customer other than itself including a planned launch Monday night that won’t be the company’s Starlink satellites. Instead, it’s looking to send a pay-TV satellite to space for EchoStar Corp.

A Falcon 9 rocket on the EchoStar XXV mission is aiming to send the communications company’s satellite to a ...Read more

Oil is a global market, so when prices rise in one place, they rise everywhere. The current war against Iran has already raised oil prices significantly.

Mideast oil production has been slowed by efforts to close the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for oil tankers from the Middle East to the rest of the world, as well as by attacks – ...Read more

Every summer, people living near the Mendenhall River in Juneau, Alaska, keep a close eye on the water level. When the river level begins to rise rapidly, it’s a sign that Suicide Basin, a small glacier-dammed lake 5 miles up the mountains, has broken through the glacier again and a glacial lake outburst flood is underway.

After ...Read more

Every morning, people fasten their watch, slip on a bracelet and head out the door without thinking much about what they might encounter along the way. The air they breathe, the dust on their hands and the surfaces they touch all feel ordinary. Yet many chemical exposures happen quietly, without smell, taste or warning.

What if ...Read more

The electricity needed to power new Pennsylvania data centers already in advanced stages of planning could power 11 million homes – nearly twice the total number of households in the state.

Companies that want to build data centers to expand their cloud and artificial intelligence computing are drawn to Pennsylvania due to its ...Read more

Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com.

Why do we see snow on mountaintops that are closer to the Sun but not near the ground? – Ms. Drew’s third grade class, Beechview Elementary School, Farmington Hills, Michigan

...Read more

Most Allegheny County residents likely are unaware of a narrow stream with rust-colored water that meanders beneath roadways and private property in Mon Valley communities, including Elizabeth Borough and Forward Township.

Ultimately making its way to the Monongahela River, Fallen Timber Run is one of many polluted streams in the county — ...Read more