Science & Technology
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Weather pushes back SpaceX's Crew-12 window, opening door for 1st ULA launch of year
NASA’s plans to get the first human spaceflight of the year off the pad have to hold off until at least Friday because of weather constraints along the flight path needed in case of emergency. That delay, though, opens the door for a national security mission aiming for liftoff on Thursday morning.
The SpaceX Crew-12 mission is now looking at...Read more
Mapping cemeteries for class – how students used phones and drones to help a city count its headstones
If you told me a decade ago that I’d become an expert in mapping cemeteries, I would’ve laughed and been very confused about the dramatic turn my professional life must’ve taken at some point.
I’m an environmental scientist who specializes in geospatial technology, which involves analyzing the Earth and how geography plays a ...Read more
South Florida's in a drought. Here's why and tips on how you can conserve water
MIAMI — That lack of rain many have enjoyed for three months in South Florida — allowing near uninterrupted opportunities for outdoor activities — comes at a cost.
The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) issued a Water Shortage Warning for Miami-Dade and Monroe counties on Friday, as well as Collier, Glades, Highlands and Lee ...Read more
Commentary: Nature is a powerful ally against fires and floods. So how will we save it?
More than a year after the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires, the economic aftershocks of the disaster still permeate the lives of the people who survived it. Fewer than a dozen homes in some of the city’s hardest-hit neighborhoods have been fully rebuilt. Families remain scattered across temporary rentals, and many are still grappling with letters ...Read more
Sixth year of drought in Texas and Oklahoma leaves ranchers bracing for another harsh summer
Cattle auctions aren’t often all-night affairs. But in Texas Lake Country in June 2022, ranchers facing dwindling water supplies and dried out pastures amid a worsening drought sold off more than 4,000 animals in an auction that lasted nearly 24 hours – about 200 cows an hour.
It was the height of a drought that has gripped the ...Read more
Held captive in their own country during World War II, Japanese Americans used nature to cope with their unjustified imprisonment
With a stroke of a presidential pen, the lives of Izumi Taniguchi, Minoru Tajii, Homei Iseyama and Peggy Yorita irreparably changed on Feb. 19, 1942. On that day, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066, which set in motion their wartime incarceration along with other people of Japanese ancestry who were forcibly removed ...Read more
Commentary: Animal testing slows medical progress. It wastes money. It's wrong
I am living with ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, often called Lou Gehrig’s disease. The average survival time after diagnosis is two to five years. I’m in year two.
When you have a disease like ALS, you learn how slowly medical research moves, and how often it fails the people it is supposed to save. You also learn how precious time ...Read more
US ski resorts turn to drones to make it snow amid dire drought
Despite a barren start to Colorado’s ski season, Winter Park Resort opened on Halloween and served up holiday powder.
The ski area’s secret is a contraption a few miles upwind of the chairlifts that looks like a meat smoker strapped to the top of a ladder. When weather conditions are just right, a Winter Park contractor fires up the machine...Read more
What is biochar? Miami-Dade thinks it might help reduce waste in landfills
At the top of the South Dade Landfill, a massive oven that turns wood into charcoal is being tested by Miami-Dade County as an environmentally friendly way to cut down on landfill waste.
The material that comes out of the machine, “biochar” has the potential to clean dirty water, nourish soil and even be used in roads. Plus, it has lower ...Read more
Shipwrecks teem with underwater life, from microbes to sharks
Humans have sailed the world’s oceans for thousands of years, but they haven’t all reached port. Researchers estimate that there are some three million shipwrecks worldwide, resting in shallow rivers and bays, coastal waters and the deep ocean. Many sank during catastrophes – some during storms or after running aground, others in battle...Read more
New technologies are stepping up the global fight against wildlife trafficking
In late 2025, Interpol coordinated a global operation across 134 nations, seizing roughly 30,000 live animals, confiscating illegal plant and timber products, and identifying about 1,100 suspected wildlife traffickers for national police to investigate.
Wildlife trafficking is one of the most lucrative illicit industries worldwide. It...Read more
What Olympic athletes see that viewers don’t: Machine-made snow makes ski racing faster and riskier – and it’s everywhere
When viewers tune in to the 2026 Winter Olympics, they will see pristine, white slopes, groomed tracks and athletes racing over snow-covered landscapes, thanks in part to a storm that blanketed the mountain venues of the Italian Alps with fresh powder just in time.
But at lower elevations, where cross-country and other events are held...Read more
How environmental enforcement has dropped under Trump
WASHINGTON — Federal enforcement of polluters slumped in the first year of the second Trump administration, a new analysis of government data by a nonprofit watchdog group has found.
Compared with the first year of previous administrations, including Trump’s first term, the current administration has taken fewer polluters to court and ...Read more
EPA chief vows federal support for Tijuana River crisis, voices confidence in Mexico
SAN DIEGO — Federal officials met in San Diego on Thursday to discuss the government’s response to the decades-long Tijuana River sewage crisis, with EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin expressing confidence in Mexico’s commitment to completing infrastructure projects aimed at ending years of cross-border pollution.
Speaking to reporters and ...Read more
California bill would make fossil fuel companies help pay for rising insurance costs
A bill that would make oil and gas companies pay for rising insurance costs due to climate-related disasters was introduced this week in the California Legislature.
SB 982, the Affordable Insurance Recovery Act, would authorize California's attorney general to file civil litigation against fossil fuel companies to recover losses from climate-...Read more
Put down your headphones. Spotify wants you to pick up an actual book
Following major expansions to Spotify’s podcast branch, the audio streamer is turning its attention to its audiobooks.
The Sweden-based audio platform said it is focused on bolstering online book discovery and physical ownership. In a release Thursday morning, the company announced a technology called Page Match, where readers can switch ...Read more
New bill aims to allow California AG to sue oil companies for disaster costs
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A California legislator wants the state to be able to sue oil companies to pay for costs from wildfires and other disasters.
The proposed bill from state Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, aims to allow the attorney general to bring lawsuits for losses suffered by insurance policyholders and the California FAIR Plan, a ...Read more
An estimated 8,000 cold-stunned iguanas removed from parts of Florida
ORLANDO, Fla. — An estimated 8,000 invasive green iguanas were removed from various Florida communities this week after a record-breaking freeze event that sent overnight temperatures down to the mid-30s for two nights in a row.
On Wednesday, the Florida Fish and Wildlife and Conservation Commission released official numbers for its iguana ...Read more
Why has SpaceX not launched from Kennedy Space Center this year?
SpaceX launched 26 missions from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad 39-A in 2025, including four human spaceflight missions. That era is coming to an end.
A massive crane has been put in place this week with speculation it will soon remove the crew access arm from the historic launch site that hosted most the Apollo and space shuttle missions ...Read more
Bald eagle shot at KY state park must be euthanized, officials say
LEXINGTON, Ky. — A bald eagle found recently at a Kentucky state park with a gunshot wound will need to be euthanized, according to a Facebook post from Kentucky State Parks.
The eagle was found Monday at Lake Cumberland State Park in Russell County. The park said an employee spotted the eagle alongside the road, and other employees helped ...Read more
Popular Stories
- Commentary: Nature is a powerful ally against fires and floods. So how will we save it?
- Will AI put me out of a job? How artificial intelligence is being used in casino gaming
- Sixth year of drought in Texas and Oklahoma leaves ranchers bracing for another harsh summer
- Mapping cemeteries for class – how students used phones and drones to help a city count its headstones
- Why has SpaceX not launched from Kennedy Space Center this year?





