The DNA in a single cup of water can track wildlife, monitor pollution and survey pathogens in waterways and their surroundings, all at the same time.

DNA is contained in each cell of every plant, animal, fungus and microbe. It carries the genetic instructions needed for an organism’s survival, growth and function, and the DNA of ...Read more

About 1 in 5 women will experience depression and anxiety during pregnancy or in the year after giving birth. If untreated, a mother who has these conditions has a higher risk of birth complications, overall poorer health, impaired bonding and nurturing of her infant, and a higher risk of death by suicide.

But a new treatment moving ...Read more

A severe winter snow drought has left snowpack levels far below normal across the American West in 2026. Without a slow-melting blanket of snow to keep the soil and forests moist, alpine vegetation is drying into a tinderbox earlier than normal and ramping up the fire risk.

The historic dryness means electric utilities are facing a ...Read more

A number of recent high-profile congressional primaries in the Democratic Party have resulted in the nomination of unexpected candidates. Many of these winning candidates have unseated entrenched incumbents, as 29-year-old Colorado attorney Melat Kiros did to U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette, who has been serving in the House for three decades.

<...Read more

Young women are moving away from exclusive heterosexuality faster than young men.

In a recent poll, Gallup found that LGBTQ+ identification has more than doubled since 2012, with especially high rates among Gen Z women, or those born between 1997 and 2012. In 2023, 28.5% of Gen Z women identified as LGBTQ+, compared with 10.6% of Gen ...Read more

New federal rules sharply cap how much graduate students can borrow, forcing an immediate sea change in how students evaluate attaining an advanced degree, with some scrambling to pay tuition — and for colleges, prompting concerns about future access to their programs.

Under the previous rules, graduate students could take out federal loans ...Read more

CHICAGO — When Marc Ayers attended the Sangamon County Fair in New Berlin last year, he was on a mission to stop one attraction from returning to the state: the Banana Derby.

Ayers, the Illinois state director for Humane World for Animals, said the welfare group has been tracking the show for years. When he went to see it firsthand, he ...Read more

If you or someone you know may be experiencing a mental health crisis, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing or texting “988.”

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QUINCY, Calif. — When Taletha Washburn and the staff at Plumas Charter School first heard that California wanted to help schools treat more kids struggling with mental health, it felt like a ...Read more

Iran fired at least two missiles at commercial ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Monday night, Axios reported, testing a late-June deal with the U.S. to halt attacks as the two sides work toward a peace agreement.

Both vessels suffered significant damage, but there were no casualties, Axios cited an unidentified U.S. official as saying. ...Read more

President Donald Trump filed a last-ditch plea with the U.S. Supreme Court as he tries to prevent the writer E. Jean Carroll from collecting $5 million awarded by a jury that found he had sexually abused and defamed her.

Trump on Monday asked the high court to take the unusual step of reconsidering its June 29 rejection of the president’s ...Read more

Republican Steve Hilton has found rare common ground with Democrats in an unlikely arena: landline phone service.

The GOP candidate for governor is urging the federal government to stay out of California’s push to prevent AT&T from ending landline service via copper wiring to around 184,000 residential customers and 15,000 business customers....Read more

BOSTON — Officials and residents are asking for resources to make Boston safer after a chaotic and violent July 4.

Thirteen people were shot, two fatally, in five separate incidents that occurred throughout the city Saturday night into Sunday morning. Additionally, two people were stabbed and officers were assaulted by fireworks. No arrests ...Read more

Republicans are challenging a Nevada law that allows U.S. citizens born abroad to vote in the state despite never living in the country.

The Republican National Committee, the Nevada Republican Party and Jim Marchant, Republican nominee for Secretary of State, filed a lawsuit in the First Judicial District Court in Carson City late last month. ...Read more

FRESNO, Calif. — Facing criticism over his role as a federal prosecutor in immigration cases, Fresno City Council candidate Robert Fuentes has resigned as an assistant U.S. attorney, he told The Fresno Bee on Monday.

Fuentes, a candidate for Fresno City Council and State Center Community College District trustee, said he was placed on ...Read more

An E. coli outbreak that’s hit Florida and Georgia has been linked by the FDA and CDC to Publix store brand frozen blueberries that also went to six other states, the agencies announced Monday.

Before Monday’s investigation summaries posted online, neither agency had posted anything publicly. Friday’s recall of Publix’s GreenWise ...Read more

BOGOTA, Colombia — Colombia’s outgoing leader said he doesn’t recognize the legitimacy of the incoming government of President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella, escalating tension as the nation prepares for a transfer of power on Aug. 7.

“Abelardo didn’t win the election,” President Gustavo Petro wrote in a lengthy post on X.

Petro ...Read more

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump said he expected to meet with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping around Sept. 24, which would coincide with the UN General Assembly in New York that month.

Trump floated the date as he discussed the construction of a White House ballroom during an event Monday, citing a possible visit by the Chinese ...Read more