Science & Technology
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'If they can't make it, none of them will.' These Idaho salmon may hold key to survival
BOISE, Idaho — In less than 20 years, wild Chinook salmon may disappear. But one group nestled in Central Idaho’s rugged wilderness may be the key to the threatened species’ recovery throughout the Northwest.
Protecting salmon in the Middle Fork of the Salmon River will be especially critical for species survival, several scientists told ...Read more

Meteor hunt: New research reveals the life and death of a space rock
Forged at the dawn of the solar system, a fist-sized meteorite has ended its millions-mile journey, safe and secure, in the hands of Mountain View scientists.
An analysis of the glass-crusted black rock and its 600 siblings is revealing, for the first time, the life and death of meteors that streak across our nighttime skies.
“It’s like a ...Read more

Fight against menacing spotted lanternflies in NY to get extra $22M, Schumer says
NEW YORK — If you see something, stomp something.
New Yorkers can do their part in the battle against the spotted lanternflies that threaten New York’s plant life, which is getting a multimillion-dollar boost to help poison, trap and track the pesky insects, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Sunday.
“When you see a bug like this,...Read more

Extreme heat uncovers lost villages, ancient ruins and shipwrecks
Extreme heat this year has triggered wildfires, drought and melting glaciers. Less expectedly, it’s also revealed some weird and dark things about our past — shipwrecks, corpses, ghost villages, ornamental gardens and ancient cities. Here’s a look at some of those discoveries.
Roman remains
Italy’s drought has revealed artifacts from ...Read more
Risk of catastrophic California 'megaflood' has doubled due to global warming, researchers say
LOS ANGELES — Even today, as California struggles with severe drought, global warming has doubled the likelihood that weather conditions will unleash a deluge as devastating as the Great Flood of 1862, according to a UCLA study released Friday.
In that inundation 160 years ago, 30 consecutive days of rain triggered monster flooding that ...Read more

Good news for beach lovers: Lake Michigan water levels are expected to stay well below the near historic highs of 2020
CHICAGO — The Great Lakes region is enjoying another year of lower water levels and wider beaches.
July water levels on Lake Michigan and Lake Huron are down more than 2 feet from 2020, a year of near historic highs when waves devoured cherished stretches of sandy coastline. With the exception of Lake Ontario, the other Great Lakes are ...Read more
Amazon, Oracle shrug off lawmaker fears of abortion data sales
Amazon.com Inc., Oracle Corp. and other data providers pressed by a group of U.S. lawmakers about how they sell mobile phone location data offered assurances that the information couldn’t be used to track individuals seeking abortion services.
U.S. Representative Lori Trahan, one of the House members questioning the companies, said she wasn�...Read more

'Look at me now': Using neuroscience to help at-risk kids -- and change Maryland's juvenile justice system
BALTIMORE -- Raynold Smith beefed with another man for months and when they crossed paths in March 2021, both were armed.
The reason Smith didn’t pull the trigger? In a split-second moment, when life and death hung in the balance, he glimpsed a child’s car seat and suddenly realized everything his enemy stood to lose. Almost immediately, ...Read more

Ex-Qualcomm research vice president and three others charged in $150 million fraud scheme
Federal prosecutors unveiled fraud and money-laundering charges this week against a former Qualcomm research engineer and three others for allegedly duping the San Diego company into paying $150 million to acquire technology that it putatively owned already.
A federal grand jury handed up the indictment in May, but it was unsealed on Monday. It...Read more

With California expected to lose 10% of its water within 20 years, Newsom calls for urgent action
LOS ANGELES — With California enduring historic drought amplified by global warming, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday released a new plan to adapt to the state’s hotter, drier future by capturing and storing more water, recycling more wastewater and desalinating seawater and salty groundwater.
The governor’s new water-supply strategy, ...Read more

Climate change is turning air conditioning into a matter of life and death. But government help is lacking
CHICAGO — If it were up to Jacques Wallace, no Chicagoan would find a loved one dead of heat stress, without air conditioning, ever again.
Wallace still remembers how hot it was a decade ago when he walked into the Near West Side building where his mother, Jacqueline, lived in a studio apartment. “It was over 100 degrees in there, in the ...Read more

Meet the man trying to save this 'stupid little fish' and see why he thinks it's important
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The fragile little fish that swim around in dark tanks in a lab are the last hope for their kind. The lab director who oversees their care, Tien-Chieh Hung, explained that when the Delta smelt captives are young, scientists at the UC Davis Fish Conservation and Culture Laboratory put snails in the black interiors of the ...Read more

South Florida's monarch population is an 'unusual beast.' Some butterflies are endangered, but these plan to hang around
Jackie Minett is a tour guide at Butterfly World in Coconut Creek, Florida, dubbed the “butterfly capital of the world.” She leads children and seniors, some tourists, some Floridians, around the gardens to gawk at butterflies: zebra longwings, emperor butterflies, and, most recognizable of all, monarchs.
South Florida’s monarch ...Read more

A rare, colorful 'rock star' bird is drawing feather fans to Raleigh to catch a glimpse
RALEIGH, N.C. — Bob Karp waited nearly three hours through a hot August Sunday for a glimpse of the painted bunting — sometimes called the most gorgeous bird in North America, with its feathers flashing red, green and blue.
And just about the time Karp had given up hope, walking back to his car at Dix Park in Raleigh, it landed right in ...Read more

Pennsylvania has so far been able to avoid wildfires. Climate and forestry scientists warn that could change
Wildfires could make their way into the keystone state and possibly into your backyard, climate, fire and forestry scientists say.
As wildfires become increasingly common across the western United States, Pennsylvania and its residents have so far remained insulated from the flames destroying communities worldwide.
But forest and climate ...Read more

Review: ‘Stray’ is way more than just a cat simulator
Cats are everywhere on the internet. They’re the subject of memes, card games and even have their own day. But in the world of video games, felines have been criminally underrepresented. Projects starring cats are few and far between, and those games haven’t really stood out — until now.
“Stray” has captured players’ hearts and ...Read more
Victrix unveils new versions of its legendary Victrix Pro FS sticks
With new fighting games such as “Street Fighter 6” on the way, now is a good time to start perusing the market for new arcade sticks. The controllers don’t last forever and they do take a beating over time.
Victrix, the pro gaming label of PDP, has come out of the gate at EVO, aka The Evolution Championship Series, with a new version of...Read more

Gadgets: Dewalt 20V Max Cordless Dry Hand Vacuum has impressive versatility
Dewalt has recently added the 20V Max Cordless Dry Hand Vacuum to its famous 20V Max cordless tool line.
The handheld vacuum works off the 65 air watt Dewalt 5.0Ah DCB205 rechargeable battery pack (sold separately) to produce just over 20 minutes of vacuuming, and 15 tank fills. A bright LED light on the top of the unit assists by lighting ...Read more

Jim Rossman: Consider your needs when choosing a new printer
My mom needs a new printer.
This isn’t earth-shattering news, but she’s serious about it.
My mom’s computer evolution has been an interesting one.
A decade ago, I talked her into getting rid of an old Dell Windows PC in favor of an Apple Mac Mini. She and dad kept it for three or four years until they decided they didn’t like being ...Read more

Virginia Beach communications expert pursues the business of writing with education platform launch
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Danny Rubin leveraged his Hampton Roads public relations expertise to fill a workplace and educational need: better communication skills.
And Rubin is living out his business’ “Write well, open doors!” mantra as he found an underserved market and entrepreneurial opportunity through writing.
He’s sharing his ...Read more
Popular Stories
- With California expected to lose 10% of its water within 20 years, Newsom calls for urgent action
- South Florida's monarch population is an 'unusual beast.' Some butterflies are endangered, but these plan to hang around
- A rare, colorful 'rock star' bird is drawing feather fans to Raleigh to catch a glimpse
- Fight against menacing spotted lanternflies in NY to get extra $22M, Schumer says
- Pennsylvania has so far been able to avoid wildfires. Climate and forestry scientists warn that could change