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NWS/TNS

Juneau's Suicide Basin is full, with glacial outburst flooding expected within days

JUNEAU, Alaska — Suicide Basin, the source of Juneau’s annual glacial outburst floods, was full as of 9 a.m. Tuesday, putting the Mendenhall Valley on standby.

With the basin full, the 2026 flood is expected to occur within one to six days. The flood begins when water from Suicide Basin, which is dammed by the side of the Mendenhall Glacier...Read more

Robert Kneschke/Dreamstime/TNS

UC San Diego wins pivotal role in $81 million race to improve health after age 50

SAN DIEGO — The University of California, San Diego is now at the center of a global contest that hopes to unlock quality-of-life gains in the same way that a previous competition revolutionized commercial spaceflight.

The university announced Tuesday that its Stein Institute for Research on Aging will serve as the central laboratory and ...Read more

_Vibrio vulnificus_ infections are spreading across the U.S. because of climate change CDC/Colorized by James Gathany

Flesh-eating bacteria are devouring limbs in warming waters worldwide − here’s how to protect yourself

Flesh-eating bacteria sounds like the premise of a bad horror movie, but it’s a growing – and potentially fatal – threat to people in the U.S. and beyond.

Vibrio vulnificus, a type of flesh-eating bacteria that thrives in warm seawater, is once again threatening the safety of beachgoers and raw shellfish enthusiasts. To date, ...Read more

Eric Thayer/Los Angeles Times/TNS

'California's coast is not for sale': State battles Trump plan to limit coastal oversight

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — In a striking demonstration of support, hundreds of fired-up Californians rallied in Santa Monica to speak out against the Trump administration’s attempt to wrest local control over the state’s beloved coastline.

The Golden State’s top environmental leaders, along with prominent elected officials, environmentalist...Read more

Smoke from burning buildings and vehicles, such as Spokane, Wash., experienced in August 2026, can carry harmful pollutants into neighboring homes. Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images

Wildfires can leave surviving homes and their water unsafe – safety tips for residents as they return

When fire evacuation orders are lifted and residents start returning to burned neighborhoods, many people assume “cleared to return” means “safe.” It rarely does.

As an environmental engineer who has worked with communities recovering from some of the most destructive wildfires in U.S. history, I have seen the same pattern ...Read more

SpaceX/SpaceX/TNS

SpaceX knocks out noon launch with busy August on tap

SpaceX was back on the pad Tuesday knocking out the Space Coast’s 51st orbital launch of the year just before noon as part of what’s lining up to be a busy month in Florida.

A Falcon 9 on the Starlink 10-19 mission with 29 Starlink satellites lifted off at 11:58 a.m. Eastern time from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch ...Read more

How Pittsburgh researchers are trying to solve the 'shadow bands' solar eclipse mystery

PITTSBURGH — When the moon lines up with the sun during a solar eclipse, light and dark bands can sometimes be seen racing across the ground — but only for a matter of minutes.

The phenomenon has puzzled scientists, who for centuries have struggled to pinpoint the source of light fluctuations known as “shadow bands.” The bands can ...Read more

SpaceX back to try Tuesday launch with busy August on tap including Falcon Heavy mission for NASA

SpaceX is back on the pad Tuesday to try for what would be the Space Coast’s 51st orbital launch of the year, adding to what’s lining up to be a busy month in Florida.

A Falcon 9 on the Starlink 10-19 mission with 29 Starlink satellites is targeting an 11:58 a.m. launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 ...Read more

Handout/SpaceX/TNS

SpaceX scrubs Monday launch with busy August on tap including Falcon Heavy mission for NASA

SpaceX on Monday scrubbed what would have been the Space Coast’s 51st orbital launch of the year on what’s lining up to be a busy month. It will try again Tuesday.

A Falcon 9 on the Starlink 10-19 mission with 29 Starlink satellites had been aiming to launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 on Monday ...Read more

Friends of Big Bear Valley/TNS

Jackie, arguably the world's most famous bald eagle, dies in California after mysterious illness

LOS ANGELES — After a weekslong battle with a mysterious illness, Big Bear’s beloved bald eagle Jackie died early Monday morning at an Ojai rehabilitation center. She was 14.

Jackie and her mate, Shadow, delighted millions of viewers as stars of a nonstop livestream of their nest, perched high in a Jeffrey pine overlooking Big Bear Lake. ...Read more

Imen Ben Youssef/Hans Lucas/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

Meta releases scaled-down AI model consumers can use at home

Meta Platforms Inc. introduced a new, downloadable AI model that can run on a personal computer, adding fuel to a U.S. debate over whether the increasingly powerful technology should be freely available or kept under tighter control.

Users be will be able to download and customize the new Muse Glimmer, a distilled version of the company’s ...Read more

Fans can help circulate air, but on a hot day they do little for people working in a Mississippi farmer's market AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis

Chronic pain is missing from America’s heat warnings

When a heat wave arrives, the public health advice follows a familiar script: drink water, watch for heat stroke, check on people with heart or lung conditions. That list saves lives. But it leaves out something that shapes daily life for millions of older Americans – chronic pain.

In a new study, public health professor Kai Zhang ...Read more

A sign warns passers-by that irrigation in the area uses treated sewage wastewater. Lindsey Nicholson/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Cyclospora spreads through human waste – so how did it get on food?

The nationwide cyclospora outbreak is very likely a result of sewage contamination in the food supply, according to scientific researchers and public health officials.

The parasite’s spread can become a self-perpetuating cycle. Cyclospora is found only in humans, where it replicates in the intestinal tract, causing severe diarrhea. ...Read more

John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune/TNS

From piping plovers to dragonflies, federal changes could threaten endangered Midwest wildlife

CHICAGO — As temperatures hovered around 80 degrees and few clouds obscured a bright blue sky, many people took the opportunity to enjoy a summer day last week at Montrose Beach. Children dug holes in the sand. Families kicked around soccer balls. And some cautiously waded into water against crashing waves.

At a nearby stone pier, people ...Read more

ERIC PAUL ZAMORA/The Fresno Bee/TNS

Where do rattlesnakes go when it's hot in California? We asked the experts

When the temperature soars in California , people and pets stay indoors, seek out air-conditioned spots or head the nearest lake, river or swimming pool.

What about rattlesnakes?

Where do snakes go when highs climb into the triple digits?

Here’s what to know:

What happens to rattlesnakes in hot weather?

As cold-blooded critters, you might...Read more

Alaska Department of Fish and Game/TNS/TNS

Despite extremely low survival rate, state will move more deer to Kenai Peninsula this fall

Last fall, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game brought 19 Sitka black-tailed deer from an island near Kodiak to the bottom of the Kenai Peninsula as part of an effort to see how the animals would fare.

Not well, it turned out.

At least 13 of the deer died. Another one slipped out of its GPS collar, and the department isn't sure if it ...Read more

Rebecca Noble/Getty Images North America/TNS

Editorial: Nevada draws short stick in federal water plan

Arizona and Nevada will feel the brunt of the pain under a federal plan to reduce stress on the Colorado River. It’s an unjust solution, particularly for the Silver State.

Recently, the Interior Department released a 10-year blueprint to address water shortages on the Colorado. The river has been over-allocated for a century, and long-term ...Read more

Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Trump is attacking California's ability to protect its coastline. The consequences are 'chilling'

For months, the Trump administration has sought to open the California coast to a radically industrialized future: large-scale desalination plants, floating nuclear reactors, more rocket launches and expanded offshore oil drilling along the state’s most iconic beaches.

Holding the line against all this is a little-known but longstanding ...Read more

Sophia Bolivar/Miami Herald/TNS

Miami-Dade has forever chemicals in tap water. There's a plan to keep it drinkable

MIAMI — Forever chemicals have found their way into drinking water across the country, including in Miami-Dade, and new research shows that levels are highest in places like Little Havana, Hialeah and Pembroke Pines.

These forever chemicals, also known as PFAS or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, have leached from everything from ...Read more

L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal/TNS

How do you make money on Roblox? This Las Vegas startup built an empire

At 20 years old, Alex Hicks faced a problem most college students never encounter: The online games he was creating were generating six figures in revenue every month.

So he dropped out.

Today, Hicks is a co-founder of Twin Atlas, a Las Vegas-based game studio with roughly 110 employees that develops some of the most-played experiences on ...Read more