Science
The mystery of a well-traveled kissing bug
On an August morning last year, an American couple soon to embark on a European river cruise awoke in a luxury hotel in Lisbon.
Roman Commissioning
Where is Roman? Roman is making its three-month journey from Earth to Sun-Earth Lagrange Point 2, or L2. Along the way, Roman is undergoing a process called commissioning, where s…
Physicists finally put Feynman's path integral to the test
For nearly 80 years, physicists have relied on a thought experiment created by Richard Feynman to predict how quantum particles behave. For the first time, researchers in China ha…
Scientists discover massive 'thermal anomaly' beneath the surface of Mars
New research into the interior of Mars further emphasizes that the Red Planet is a world of two very different halves.
Cross-party talks needed to tackle climate crisis, say Lib Dems
Andy Burnham urged to seek consensus over response to extreme heat and forthcoming ‘super El Niño’Andy Burnham should call a cross-party meeting to discuss the UK’s response to wo…
JWST may solve a 20-year mystery behind a rule-breaking gamma-ray burst
Astronomers may have finally solved the mystery behind a nearly two-decade-old cosmic explosion that seemed to break the rules of physics. The energy output of a powerful gamma-ra…
What happens next with bird flu? An expert explains why monitoring matters
The lethal H5N1 strain of avian influenza is rapidly spreading along the coast of southern Australia, where it has killed thousands of wild birds and infected at least two long-no…
Space junk punched a new hole in the moon. It’s not ours to abuse | Moriba Jah
The space industry treats the sky as a place to dump what it no longer wants. We must develop a new model of accountabilityOn 5 August, a piece of a derelict SpaceX rocket traveli…
Not tiger, not wolf: Australian thylacine skull reveals a far different hunting style
A new study led by Flinders University has flipped the historical narrative about Australia's thylacine, finding the native apex predator known as the "Tasmanian tiger" was signif…
NPR spent 2 years tracking deaths from heat. We found a staggering hidden toll
An NPR investigation found that people in the U.S. are dying from heat much more often than official counts show. We explore the reasons why — and how lives can be saved.
Will a Data Center Join the Philadelphia Bellwether District’s Mix of Manufacturers and Warehouses?
PHILADELPHIA—A simmering debate over the future of Philadelphia’s Bellwether District has been reenergized by a Planning Commission presentation last month that identified the ind…
Power Struggles
Welcome to Inside Climate, a podcast from the staff of Inside Climate News. This week, Alabama-based reporters Dennis Pillion and Lee Hedgepeth join co-host Kiley Price to talk ab…
Can you solve it? The fin-tastic fish puzzle
Can you think in 3D?Today’s puzzle concerns a fish swimming in a tank that is two metres high, one metre across and one metre deep.The image below shows one path the fish swam. Co…
The Nepal floods seem a world away – but make no mistake, climate breakdown will affect us all | Nesrine Malik
Richer countries might have more resources to deal with catastrophe, but this problem grips the entire planet, however much leaders may want to deny itClimate breakdown is happeni…
Starwatch: Sagitta’s arrow shape makes it easy to see against a dark sky
The third-smallest constellation can be found partway along one of the imaginary lines of the summer triangleWe are on the hunt for another small, northern summer constellation th…
APOD: 2026 August 31 – Launch of the Roman Space Telescope
APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 August 31 –… Today’s APOD Archive Submissions Index Search Calendar RSS Education About Discuss APOD Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmo…
Watch Rocket Lab launch Japanese radar satellite to orbit early Aug. 31
Rocket Lab will launch a Japanese Earth-observing radar satellite to orbit early Monday morning (Aug. 31), and you can watch the action live.
Forbidden planet: was Pluto’s 2006 demotion a big mistake?
Since it was stripped of planetary status, Pluto’s defenders have been fighting the decision – and they’re only getting more passionateTwenty years ago, Pluto got demoted. After a…
The SKA project: A model for dialogue between historical astronomical archives, local memory and modern science
Humans have been observing the sky for thousands of years. Our ancestors were undoubtedly fascinated by it, but observing the heavens also had practical uses: It helped people mea…
It is now almost certain the world will warm past 1.5C. But ‘net-negative’ emissions are still possible | Wesley Morgan for the Conversation
Climate change is the greatest threat to the Pacific, with fuel shortages and missile tests also on the agenda as Anthony Albanese heads to PalauAnthony Albanese is in Palau this …
Using data to help wheat growers adapt to unpredictable weather
For generations, wheat planting has followed predictable seasonal patterns. But this year, unseasonably warm weather in March and April accelerated wheat growth, pushing the crop …
USDA reportedly shelves cyclospora research amid relocations and fund cuts
Trump officials shuttering three projects on foodborne parasite, two defunded by Congress, Politico reportsThe Trump administration is shuttering two of the three US Department o…
'Cut-to-fuse' strategy: A new route for molecular skeletal editing
Restructuring a molecule without rebuilding it from scratch is an increasingly important goal in modern organic chemistry. Skeletal editing is an approach that helps chemists expl…
Trump calls in to NASA press conference to celebrate launch of Roman Space Telescope, a mission he tried to cancel
President Trump interrupted a NASA press conference today (Aug. 30) to congratulate the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope team on a successful launch.