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EZQuest/EZQuest/TNS

Gadgets: Flashlights

Olight's new Oclip 2 Series flashlights are remarkably powerful and feature-rich. They provide hands-free light from a fully adjustable, palm-sized light.

The series has two models, the Oclip 2 Pro ($49.99) and the Oclip 2 Ultra ($69.99), with adjustable lighting in a dual-axis head that tilts up to 115 degrees and swivels a full 360 degrees....Read more

Jim Rossman/Jim Rossman/TNS

Jim Rossman: How to print a difficult document

This week’s reader email, “I hope you can help me. I tried to print a receipt from an email, but it just hung up the printer. It would not print even though it showed it was in cue. The printer says it is offline. I have deleted the request to print that document, shut off the printer, unplugged the printer, but nothing works. When I try ...Read more

HANDOUT/Microsoft/TNS

Review: ‘Gears of War: E-Day’ takes player into the teeth of an apocalypse

When “Gears of War” came out 20 years ago, it stood out from the crowd of shooters because of its cover-based gameplay. The novelty captured the danger and visceral nature of gunplay, where survival means hiding for safety rather than trying to dodge bullets.

Since then, more shooters have adopted that element, and it has become a ...Read more

Luke Johnson/The San Diego Union-Tribune/TNS

Pressure mounts to clean Tijuana River to prevent cross-border pollution ahead of El Niño

SAN DIEGO — When Tropical Storm Rachel slammed the region last weekend, brown, sewage-tainted water once again flowed across the U.S.-Mexico border into southern San Diego.

Such scenes are not new. Cross-border pollution has long impacted the Tijuana River Valley and beyond. So, when it became apparent that the region was in for a potentially...Read more

Cole Burston/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

Commentary: Humans may start wildfires. Climate change makes them catastrophic

The summer of 2026 once again saw wildfire smoke from the West Coast and Midwest blanketing East Coast skies. Smoke-filled summer skies now seem to be the norm across America, and wildfire season isn’t even close to over.

The public response is also becoming normal. When investigators determine that a person started a wildfire, online chatter...Read more

Eric Thayer/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Major loss of California beaches predicted in latest climate forecast

LOS ANGELES — As ocean levels rise, waves crash farther inland and the coast continues to crumble, Southern California is on track to lose 30% to 70% of its beaches over the next several decades. Almost half of all beach cliffs are likely to retreat by 30 to 80 feet by 2100. And a 1.6-foot increase in sea level rise by 2060 will leave low-...Read more

On the brink of extinction, the African penguin is getting more help from Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH — The African penguin is on the brink of extinction in the wild and the National Aviary is increasing its efforts to save the critically endangered bird.

A conservation scientist at the North Side bird zoo, which has a growing community of African penguins, is leading short- and long-term plans for the Association of Zoos & ...Read more

AC-4 was among the last wild California condors, captured in the 1980s to create a captive breeding program. A condor's wingspan can exceed 9.5 feet (2.9 meters). U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Who should have a say in which species are saved? The California condor offers lessons for a global biodiversity treaty

In 1987, biologists captured the last free-flying condor to transfer it to captivity, and the largest flying North American bird species was officially declared extinct in the wild. Today, after decades of coordinated efforts and millions of dollars spent on captive breeding and reintroduction efforts, more than 300 condors have been restored...Read more

Space jellyfish makes tiny encore as weather clears for SpaceX launch

ORLANDO, Fla. — Weather cleared and SpaceX executed a predawn launch Tuesday morning that offered viewers another serving of space jellyfish, albeit a smaller, shorter-lived version than the one seen last week.

That launch created the effect of the expanding nebula that was seen among clear skies all the way up to Washington, D.C. Closer to ...Read more

Og-vision/Dreamstime/TNS

Young rockfish population grows, but future still bleak for Maryland's state fish

A slight upturn in young striped bass numbers from last year’s survey isn’t enough for Maryland’s state fish, also known as rockfish, to repopulate, experts say.

Allison Colden, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Maryland executive director, said the fish needs committed action from Atlantic Coast states if its population has any chance to...Read more

Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune/TNS

6th beluga whale rescued from Canada dies. This time, it was at SeaWorld San Diego

SAN DIEGO — A male beluga whale rescued from a shuttered Canadian marine park almost two months ago died Sunday at his new home at SeaWorld San Diego.

Cyprus, 9, was one of three beluga whales relocated to SeaWorld San Diego from Marineland, an animal theme park in Niagara Falls that closed in 2024. Thirty beluga whales and four dolphins ...Read more

Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times/TNS

As Hollywood fights AI, a new filmmaking hub takes shape in Culver City

The heart of Screenland is cozying up to artificial intelligence.

The open space in Culver Steps typically hosts community events and movie nights. But last Wednesday, it turned into a job fair for companies looking to hire talent for AI studios.

Companies showed off their life-like AI videos, urging emerging talent — and out-of-work ...Read more

Christopher Reynolds/Los Angeles Times/TNS

California creates first tribal-led marine protected areas

California has designated its first tribal-championed marine protected areas, often described as underwater parks. While environmentalists celebrate the historic move, commercial fishers warn they will lose access to key waters.

The California Fish and Game Commission voted Thursday to create two roughly nine-square-mile State Marine ...Read more

Supporters hold signs reading 'Make life affordable' at a James Talarico Senate campaign stop in Houston. Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP via Getty Images

How candidates are (quietly) talking about climate change – 3 election strategies you’ll see across the US

Amid wars, inflation, emerging risks from artificial intelligence and threats to democracy, Americans have a lot to be worried about these days. But polls show the majority of voters in 2026 are also concerned about climate change as temperatures and disaster risks rise.

So why are fewer candidates talking openly about climate change ...Read more

The U.S. and Canadian economies are closely linked, especially around energy. J Studios/DigitalVision via Getty Images

Why and how US and Canadian energy markets are so deeply intertwined

The 50% tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump’s administration on imports from Canada in July 2026, and the reciprocal 50% tariffs imposed by Prime Minister Mark Carney’s administration on imports to Canada from the U.S. a month later, do not include oil and natural gas. Electricity and some petroleum products were also left out, ...Read more

SpaceX/SpaceX/TNS

Monday morning SpaceX launch could serve up space jellyfish encore

The time is right, but the weather might not cooperate as SpaceX has lined up a predawn launch Monday that could offer viewers another serving of space jellyfish.

SpaceX’s launch last week created the effect of the expanding nebula that was seen among clear skies all the way up to Washington, D.C. Closer to the launch site in Florida, the ...Read more

Blue Origin/TNS

Blue Origin expansion plans aim for multiple Space Coast launches a week

More launch pads. More rockets. More ships to land them on.

These are the plans for Blue Origin, which announced Friday major expansion plans to its already $3 billion footprint in Central Florida that has more than 20 sites in Brevard and Orange counties employing more than 5,000 people.

“Launching at a high cadence requires a connected ...Read more

Heather Diehl/Getty Images North America/TNS

New research shows how microplastics and water interactions could lead to cell damage

LOS ANGELES — Scientists have found microplastics in virtually every part of the human body. Yet many questions remain about what exactly these infinitesimal flecks of synthetic polymers do to human health, and how they might cause disease.

A new paper looking at the chemical reactions between water and disintegrating plastic offers a ...Read more

Prices for used electric vehicles are climbing because new models are – and are likely to remain – in short supply. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Americans want electric cars – they just can’t find them

Within three months of the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran on Feb. 28, 2026, the average price of gasoline for American drivers climbed from US$2.94 to $4.35 a gallon. If there was ever a moment for Americans to switch to electric vehicles, this was it.

From March to May 2026, in fact, sales of hybrid electric vehicles were 18% ...Read more

Noisy tricolored blackbirds can be found in fields and wetlands in the Pacific coast states, but they are losing habitat.  John Anderton/The Atlas of North America's Migratory Birds

For centuries, bird migration was a mystery – a tech revolution is changing that, and could help save these amazing creatures

For more than 2,000 years, scientists have scratched their heads over one of the most basic mysteries of the natural world: Where do birds go?

Billions of birds appear and disappear with the seasons every year. Early naturalists offered explanations for the disappearances that today seem fantastical: Birds transformed into other ...Read more