Space Panels Could Soon Beam Electricity Back to Earth

WASHINGTON — The Independent newspaper reports that the Pentagon has been using its secretive X-37B space plane to test a solar panel that could one day beam electricity to earth. The Photovoltaic Radiofrequency Antenna Module — or PRAM for..

9,000 Cold-Stunned Sea Turtles Rescued Off Texas Coast

SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, TEXAS — The polar vortex that caused record low temperatures and knocked out power and water across Texas has also paralyzed thousands of freezing sea turtles on the state's coast. National Geographic reports that it's the..

How Tiger Woods Nearly Died in LA Car Crash

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA — Tiger Woods was badly injured but miraculously survived after the SUV he was driving left the road, hit a tree, and rolled. Here's how it happened: On Tuesday February 23 around 7 a.m., Tiger Woods left the Terranea..

Hyperloop's Dramatic 'Campus in the Desert' Concept

MOJAVE DESERT, NEVADA — You are looking at one of the finalist designs of the latest Young Architects Competition. The competition brief challenged young architects to create an eye-catching campus for the Hyperloop movement in the Mojave Desert in..

Explosion Over Denver Causes Airlines to Ground 777s

DENVER, COLORADO — After videos of a mid-air explosion, a burning plane and plane debris falling on a Denver suburb went viral, Boeing has recommended grounding dozens of its 777 aircraft around the world. The BBC reports that United Airlines..

Newest Rover Set To Launch Its Mini Helicopter On Mars

WASHINGTON — After a perfect touchdown via self-destructing rocket cradle, NASA's newest rover is set to start doing some amazing things on Mars. Here are the details: The BBC reports that the first task of NASA's Perseverance rover on Mars is to..

Methane Gas Blowing Massive Holes Through Earth's Crust

YAMAL PENINSULA, RUSSIA — These huge craters were punched out of the Earth's crust from below — by huge explosions. Scientists suspect that global warming might be the culprit. Here are the details: The flatlands of the Siberian tundra were..

Asteroid Twice the Size of The Burj Khalifa to Pass Earth This Month

PASADENA, CALIFORNIA — A large asteroid — named 231937 (2001 FO32), or simply 2001 FO32 — classified as "potentially hazardous" by NASA will zoom past Earth on March 21, according to NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies. The asteroid..

Boeing Ready to Try Its Starliner Space Capsule, Again

WASHINGTON — NASA reports that Boeing is ready to test its Starliner space capsule again on March 25, after a previous test ended badly 13 months ago. Reuters reported that Boeing narrowly missed a "catastrophic failure" during the crew capsule's..

The Amelia Earhart Vanishing Gets Nuclear Treatment

UNIVERSITY PARK, PENNSYLVANIA — Decades have passed since Amelia Earhart famously vanished in 1937. Now, scientists at Penn State University are analyzing a metal patch found on a small Pacific Island in 1991, to determine if the piece belonged to..

Construction Begins on Largest Solar Farm in the U.S.

PATTONVILLE, TEXAS — Construction has begun on what will become the largest solar energy generation facility in the U.S. Once it's fully operational, the Samson Solar Energy Center will generate 1,013 megawatts of renewable energy — making it..

Scientists Shocked to Find Strange Creatures Deep Under Ice

FILCHNER-RONNE ICE SHELF, ANTARCTIC — Scientists are rethinking the limits of life on Earth after stumbling on a group of strange organisms living deep under a 900-meter-thick ice shelf. The Guardian reports that researchers accidentally found a..

Mummy with Golden Tongue Found in Egypt

ALEXANDRIA, EGYPT — The New York Times reports that archaeologists digging at an ancient Egyptian site called Taposiris Magna, in western Alexandria, unearthed 16 burial sites in tombs cut into rock, with one containing a mummy bearing a tongue made..

Oceanic Sharks and Rays Have Declined by Over 70 Percent

BURNABY, CANADA — Scientists say more than 70 percent of the world's sharks and rays disappeared from the ocean between 1970 and 2018, in large part due to overfishing — and more than three quarters of shark species are now threatened with..

Amazon Adds Helix Tower to Its 2.5 Billion Dollar HQ

ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA — Amazon is planning to build a 350-foot-tall tower in the shape of a double helix as part of the second phase of its 2.5 billion-dollar headquarters in Arlington County in Virginia. CNN reports that construction on the first..

Ancient Rocket Booster Finally Breaks Free From Earth

WASHINGTON — Earth's so-called "second moon" will make one final pass this week before floating out into space forever. Astronomers first spotted an unknown object with an incoming trajectory in September 2020 and initially believed it was an..

How Johnson & Johnson's single-dose COVID vaccine works

NEW BRUNSWICK, NEW JERSEY — Johnson & Johnson announced on Jan. 29 that its single-dose coronavirus vaccine was 66 percent effective in preventing moderate disease 28 days after injection in its Phase 3 global trials, according to a company press..

Freak Mini Avalanche Killed Dyatlov Pass Hikers — Study

DYATLOV PASS, RUSSIA — This photo of Russian students cutting a snow shelter in the middle of a howling windstorm, is one of the reasons why a new study says the nine students who died freakishly in the Dyatlov Pass Incident, dug their own grave...

Astronomers discover more about the Earth-size TRAPPIST-1 planets

LIEGE, BELGIUM — A new international study led by astrophysicist Eric Agol from the University of Washington and involving scientists from the University of Liege has measured the densities of the seven Earth-size planets around TRAPPIST-1 with..

F-35s to Strike From Rough Jungle Airstrips in Pacific

ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, GUAM — The Pentagon is starting to upgrade old, rough airstrips on Pacific islands so they can handle modern fighter jets — in case its big air bases get taken out. Here are the details: The US military is preparing for..

The Three Possible Outcomes of Trump's Impeachment Trial

WASHINGTON — Former U.S. president Donald Trump faces an impeachment trial for "incitement of insurrection" in a speech to supporters before the deadly attack on the Capitol. This animation explains the possible outcomes of the trial, which is set..

737 MAX Problems Not Solved, Warns Former Boeing Manager

RENTON, WASHINGTON — BBC reports that a former senior manager at Boeing's 737 plant, Ed Pierson, has raised new concerns over the safety of the company's 737 Max planes. Before Pierson spoke out, all attention was on the Max's MCAS system, which..

'Defiant X' Design Revealed for Army's Future Assault Helicopter

WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA — Lockheed-owned Sikorski and Boeing released details of the Defiant X helicopter, which they plan to submit for the U.S. Army's Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft competition, on Monday, Jan. 26. The U.S. Army in..

Sikorski unveils next generation Raider X light attack helicopter

WASHINGTON — Sikorsky, a company owned by Lockheed Martin, debuted Raider X, a light attack and reconnaissance helicopter concept on October 14 at the Association of the U.S. Army conference in Washington. The helicopter features two..

Canada to Use Dams to Power Huge Hydrogen Fuel Plant

VARENNES, CANADA — The Daniel-Johnson hydroelectric dam in Canada's Quebec province will soon be one of the dams powering one of the biggest green hydrogen plants in the world. Here are the details: The dream of a world running on a fuel that..

15 Chinese Warplanes Enter Taiwan's ADIZ in One Day

TAIPEI — China flew an unusually large number of warplanes into Taiwanese airspace over the weekend in what can only be interpreted as an early test of U.S. President Joe Biden. China sent 15 military aircraft, including 12 fighter jets, into..

China Built Massive Covid Camp in a Week

SHIJIAZHUANG, CHINA — You won't believe how fast China has built this massive quarantine camp. Here's why they did it: CNN reports that China is rushing to build a massive quarantine camp that can house more than 4,000 people, after an outbreak..

Astronomers Find 'Spider Stars' That Devour Their Companions

WASHINGTON — Astronomers have discovered a new type of "spider star" — violent pulsars that shred material from companion stars, LiveScience reports. Pulsars that rotate every 30 milliseconds or less are called "spider stars" if they are locked..

Solar and Wind-Powered Saildrone Sets Sail to Map the Ocean Floor

ALAMEDA, CALIFORNIA — A Bay Area startup that builds autonomous ocean data collecting vessels launches its largest ship this week, the Saildrone Surveyor. The Surveyor is powered by wind and solar energy and is designed to map the ocean floor..

What We Know About the Redesigned Air Force One

WASHINGTON — The presidential fleet is getting an upgrade with two modern Boeing 747s to serve as Air Force One. Though former U.S. president Donald Trump changed the plane's color scheme and claims he shaved US$1.5 billion off the program's..

'Heat Blob' Contributing to Sea Ice Loss in the Arctic

ARCTIC OCEAN — An underwater "heat blob" from the Atlantic is exacerbating the warming of the Arctic Ocean and contributing to the rapid disappearance of Arctic sea ice, according to a study published in the journal Nature Climate Change. The..

Trapped Miners Still Alive, Many Days After Cave-In

QIXIA, YANTAI CITY, CHINA — This crumpled note is famous in China as it proved that at least 12 miners were still alive on Monday 18 January, after 22 miners were trapped deep underground eight days before. The ongoing drama started when an..

NASA Extends Jupiter Probe's Mission Through 2025

PASADENA, CALIFORNIA — NASA has extended the mission of its Juno spacecraft exploring Jupiter to 2025, the space agency announced in a press release on Jan. 13. Juno, which arrived at Jupiter on July 4, 2016, has already made important..

Rocket Glitch Could be Big Setback for NASA's Moon Mission

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, MISSISSIPPI — On Saturday 16 January, NASA had strapped their massive SLS moon rocket onto a massive test cradle and started to fill it with 2 million liters of liquid hydrogen and 742,000 liters of liquid oxygen. The..

Paris Plans to Blow Your Mind

PARIS, FRANCE — Paris is preparing a treat for people who enjoy being surrounded by beautiful architecture and nature. Here's a look at the grand design: The city of Paris is famous for its beautiful architecture, urban design, and landscape..

Giant Prehistoric 'Prawns' Developed Night-Vision Eyes

ARMIDALE, AUSTRALIA — Most of us can look at a rock fossil like this and not see much, but scientists have looked and concluded that these long-gone sea animals had night vision eyes that sparked a prehistoric arms race. Here's the..

How the Scaled-Down Biden Inauguration Will Work

WASHINGTON — Organizers of Joe Biden's inauguration say people should expect to see few attendees at his inauguration on January 20, because of security fears and the pandemic. More than 10,000 national guards have been employed, and Washington..

Scientists Observe Electric Eels Hunting in Groups

WASHINGTON — Scientists have discovered that electric eels living deep in the Brazlian Amazon River basin work together to hunt their prey. They made the observation in a small lake along the banks of the Iriri River, according to a press release..

Conservatives Turning to New Social Media Platforms

WASHINGTON — Reuters reports that social media giants like Facebook and Twitter have started to ban conservative commentators and the American president from their platforms. Amazon Web Services even went so far as to shut down a website called..

'Super-Earth' Discovered Orbiting One of the Galaxy's Oldest Stars

RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA — Scientists have discovered a unique rocky "super Earth" near one of the oldest stars in the galaxy, according to a statement from the University of California, Riverside. The planet, known as TOI-561b, is located 280..

Engineers Fix Ice Station Amid Risk of Ice Calving

HALLEY STATION, ANTARCTICA — Amid fears that the structure might meet a catastrophic end when the ice it stands on breaks off into the ocean, a small party of engineers has reopened the UK's Halley research station in the Antarctic. The BBC..

China Plans Massive Dam Near Disputed Border With India

MEDONG, CHINA — China plans to build up to 60 gigawatts of hydropower capacity on the Yarlung Zangbo River, better known as the Brahmaputra. The hydropower project, which would dwarf the output of the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River, is..

Astronomer Doubles Down: 'Oumuamua Could be Alien Craft'

U.S. — Astronomer Avi Loeb just published a new book in which he doubles down on his controversial claim that interstellar object Oumuamua could have been an alien craft. Here's what you need to know: Oumuamua is the first interstellar object..

Indonesian Boeing 737 Crashes After Takeoff With 62 On Board

JAKARTA, INDONESIA — Sixty-two people are presumed dead after a passenger plane went missing off Indonesia's coast shortly after takeoff from Jakarta on Saturday, Jan. 9. Sriwijaya Air flight SJ182 departed from Soekarno-Hatta International..

US Capitol Stormed by Angry Americans — Timeline

WASHINGTON — On 6 January, hundreds of thousands of Americans protested outside the US Capitol building and hundreds of people stormed the building itself. One woman was shot dead by a guard and three people died in medical emergencies. Here's how..

Explainer: How President Trump Could Be Removed From Office

WASHINGTON — The storming of the U.S. Capitol by a mob of Donald Trump supporters on Wednesday, Jan. 6, has prompted calls to remove the 45th president of the United States from office before his term ends on Jan. 20. This animation explains how..

Venezuela to Make its Economy 100% Digital — No Notes

CARACAS, VENEZUELA — Bloomberg reports that Venezuela's government says it's planning to move to a fully digital economy, as hyperinflation has made its worthless bolivar notes practically disappear. It says the move is also aimed at halting the..

Human Poo, Rotting Food to Power New Trains

LONDON — The Times newspaper reports that trains powered by human sewage and discarded food will be introduced to Britain's railway for the first time under plans to phase out dirty diesel engines. A full-size "BioUltra" train capable of carrying..

SpaceX Wants to Catch Returning Boosters Before They Land

HAWTHORNE, CALIFORNIA — Elon Musk says SpaceX will try a very different approach to landing its future reusable rocket boosters, according to tech website Techcrunch. On 31 December, Musk tweeted: "We're going to try to catch the Super Heavy..

St. Vincent on Alert After Dormant Volcano Becomes Active

ST. VINCENT — Residents of St. Vincent and the Grenadines have been warned they may have to evacuate their homes within 24 hours as a volcano that was dormant for decades shows signs of erupting. The La Soufriere volcano is located on the island..