Science & Technology
/Knowledge
SpaceX Starship makes it to orbit for the 1st time
SpaceX launched its Starship and Super Heavy rocket on Monday morning and made it to orbit for the first time ever despite losing one of its engines on its trip up to space.
“Insertion. Starship is orbital,” was the callout from mission control during the company’s live stream followed by cheers from employees watching the event.
“Huge...Read more
SpaceX Starship launches on 1st orbital attempt
SpaceX launched its Starship and Super Heavy rocket on Monday morning on what could be its first orbital flight ever.
Liftoff from the company’s Texas launch site Starbase of the heavy-lift rocket came at 8:46 a.m. EDT.
“Things are looking really good right now,” said SpaceX commentator Dan Huot.
The orbital attempt on what is the 14th ...Read more
A Philly woman won a NASA contest to design a food system for astronauts on Mars
A 25-year-old Philadelphia woman won the $300,000 first prize in a NASA competition to design food systems to improve how astronauts eat in space, and eventually how they will eat on Mars, the space agency announced Thursday.
Chinyere “Chichi” Ukeje, a native of Bowie, Md., now living with her husband in Northeast Philadelphia, submitted a ...Read more
Are people at the South Pole upside down?
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.
Are people on the South Pole walking upside down from the rest of the world? – Ralph P., U.S.
When I was standing at the South Pole, I felt the same way I feel anywhere on ...Read more
SpaceX Falcon Heavy aims to launch same day as Crew-13 next week on Space Coast
ORLANDO, Fla. — SpaceX has not launched from Florida since mid-September, but is planning two big missions on the same day next week with the launches of Crew-13 to the International Space Station and the NROL-97 mission on the powerhouse Falcon Heavy.
With both missions targeting Oct.1 liftoffs, it would also mark a first for the Space Coast...Read more
'We're really sweating': Idaho stares down likelihood of historic drought
BOISE, Idaho — It was a bad year for Bogus Basin.
By New Year’s Eve, the Boise-area recreation area had received only about 2 feet of natural snowfall, forcing it to increase its production of artificial snow by 120% compared with the previous season. Amid high temperatures, most winter precipitation fell as rain instead of snow — and the...Read more
El Niño threatens the beloved Pacific Surfliner. Can the iconic train survive the winter?
LOS ANGELES — For years, Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner has been portrayed as the civilized way to travel to and from San Diego.
No gridlock on Interstate 5. Glorious views of the Pacific Ocean. Even the chance to grab a drink and relax.
But the iconic rail line connecting Orange County to San Diego is under threat thanks to coastal erosion —...Read more
Trump administration order urges 'robust' harvest of sharks, seals and sea lions
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The White House this month issued an executive order to support the sportfishing industry by, among other things, paving the way for increased harvests of sharks and pinnipeds, including sea lions and seals.
The order specifically aims to help saltwater anglers, offshore boaters and charter operators — an industry in ...Read more
Anthropic faces court setback on US supply chain risk label
A federal appeals court in Washington rejected Anthropic PBC’s challenge to a Trump administration designation of the artificial intelligence company as a supply-chain risk to U.S. national security, but an earlier ruling by a judge in California that lifted a government ban appears to remain in place for now.
The 2-1 decision on Friday from ...Read more
Anthropic faces court setback on US supply chain risk label
A federal appeals court in Washington rejected Anthropic PBC’s challenge to a Trump administration designation of the artificial intelligence company as a supply-chain risk to U.S. national security, but an earlier ruling by a judge in California that lifted a government ban appears to remain in place for now.
The 2-1 decision on Friday from ...Read more
Data centers’ neighbors weigh in on how to manage them
The people of northern Virginia have been living with data centers for many years. The area is home to the world’s largest concentration of data centers. In a survey we conducted, we found northern Virginians support development restrictions that could make data centers more transparent and accountable to the public. But they care about ...Read more
Anthropic strikes $12 billion AI computing deal with Akamai
Anthropic PBC has signed an $11.6 billion, seven-year contract with Akamai Technologies Inc. for computing power, adding to the AI developer’s growing list of data center deals.
Akamai will supply Anthropic access to central processing units, or CPUs, a type of generalist chip that’s seen renewed demand in data centers where it’s helping ...Read more
Dolphin that was part of international effort to transfer beluga whales from Canada dies in Spain
A dolphin that was part of an international rescue effort to transfer 30 whales and four dolphins from a Canadian marine park has died at an aquarium in Spain, according to a statement. Four beluga whales also have died since the moves began in July, including one at the Spanish facility and three at the Shedd Aquarium. A fifth beluga that had ...Read more
This JPL satellite mission is burning through its funding. One reason: the Eaton fire
LOS ANGELES — The next phase of a highly successful satellite mission led by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory has burned through its rainy day fund and now risks cost and schedule overruns, according to a new report.
One of the culprits: the 2025 Eaton fire, which came within a mile of the La Cañada Flintridge research facility.
The ...Read more
Colorado's summer air pollution was among the worst in more than 30 years
DENVER — Metro Denver and the northern Front Range this summer documented one of the worst ozone pollution seasons of the past 30 years, jeopardizing the region’s standing under federal air quality standards and possibly placing a higher financial burden on businesses.
The nine-county region logged 66 days during which ozone pollution ...Read more
Tropical bird never before seen in Colorado spotted on Eastern Plains
DENVER -- A tropical bird never before seen in Colorado drew dozens of Front Range birders to a lake on the Eastern Plains this weekend – and helped one birder become the first person known to spot 500 different species in the state.
Catching a glimpse of the piratic flycatcher, a migratory bird from Central and South America, this far north ...Read more
Meta debuts dedicated 'Charm' device for using Muse AI
Meta Platforms Inc. unveiled a palm-sized, dedicated gadget for using Muse, the company’s popular new artificial intelligence assistant, pushing deeper into the AI devices market with a surprise announcement.
The product, unveiled on stage by Meta Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg, was born out of the company’s new design lab led by ...Read more
OpenAI agent hacked Australian government website, Albanese says
An OpenAI model hacked an Australian government website earlier this year, marking one of the first known cyberattacks by AI on a government database.
The company took three months to notify Canberra that its AI system gained unauthorized access to files on a website for reporting healthcare statistics, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said ...Read more
Wildfire and water research grants saved as Trump EPA permanently restores $19 million in University of California research grants
The Environmental Protection Agency has agreed to permanently restore about $19 million in University of California research grants — including studies into wildfire-smoke health effects and water management — it had previously canceled, according to a settlement filed in federal court Wednesday.
The settlement would resolve one part of a ...Read more
OpenAI agent hacked Australian government website, Albanese says
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said an OpenAI agent hacked a government website, with the artificial intelligence firm taking three months to alert the government about the breach.
Albanese said he had spoken with OpenAI’s Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman on Wednesday in New York to express “extreme concern about this incident...Read more
Popular Stories
- Are people at the South Pole upside down?
- 'We're really sweating': Idaho stares down likelihood of historic drought
- SpaceX Falcon Heavy aims to launch same day as Crew-13 next week on Space Coast
- Anthropic faces court setback on US supply chain risk label
- Trump administration order urges 'robust' harvest of sharks, seals and sea lions





