JWST Sees Hints of an Atmosphere on a Potentially Habitable Exoplanet
Hints of Atmosphere on Earth-Sized Exoplanet Raise Hopes for Life A monumental sign of an atmosphere on TRAPPIST-1e could be the precursor to finally finding a living world around another star By Jonathan O’Callaghan edited by Lee Billings This artist’s concept shows the volatile red dwarf star TRAPPIST-1 and its four most closely orbiting planets, […]
How to See Faster-Than-Light Motion
The UniverseFridays How to See Faster-Than-Light Motion Superluminal velocities are common but illusory By Phil Plait edited by Clara Moskowitz The light echo around the star V838 Monocerotis as seen by the Hubble Space Telescope in November 2005. Stay connected to The Universe: Get email alerts for this weekly column by Phil Plait When I […]
How Many Planets Orbit Our Nearest Neighboring Star?
New Instrument Checks on Proxima Centauri’s Planets Fresh results from near-infrared instruments foretell a bright future for finding life elsewhere in the Milky Way By Ivan Farkas edited by Lee Billings An artist’s impression of the Proxima Centauri system, with the planets Proxima b and Proxima d—the latter confirmed by the NIRPS planet-hunting instrument. Some […]
Starship’s 10th flight breaks streak of bad luck
Nell Greenfieldboyce SpaceX’s massive Starship rocket racked up some much-needed successes on its 10th test flight, hitting key test objectives and breaking a streak of failures that bedeviled the spaceship this year. The silver and black two-stage rocket, which stands about 400 feet tall, blasted off from the SpaceX facility in south Texas near Boca […]
SpaceX Successfully Launches Starship Spacecraft After String of Mishaps
SpaceX Successfully Launches Starship Spacecraft after String of Mishaps Overcoming three recent failed tries, Elon Musk’s rocket company successfully flew its reusable jumbo booster and upper-stage Starship spacecraft By Dan Vergano edited by Clara Moskowitz An earlier SpaceX Starship and Super Heavy booster are moved to the launch pad at Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas. […]
Courts service ‘covered up’ IT bug that caused evidence to go missing
The body running courts in England and Wales has been accused of a cover-up, after a leaked report found it took several years to react to an IT bug that caused evidence to go missing, be overwritten or appear lost. Sources within HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) say that as a result, judges in…
NFL Star Tyreek Hill’s 8-Month-Old Daughter Hospitalized
Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill’s 8-month-old daughter Capri was taken to the hospital after appearing to act differently with her mom Keeta Vaccaro. Tyreek Hill’s daughter Capri is doing well after a health scare. The NFL star’s 8-month-old was taken to the hospital after her mom Keeta Vaccaro contacted the child’s pediatrician Dr. Jared…
Homelessness Minister Rushanara Ali quits over rent hike claims
Rushanara Ali has resigned as homelessness minister, Downing Street has confirmed. The move comes after she was accused of hypocrisy over the way she handled rent increases on a house she owns in east London. There were calls for her to step down from homelessness charities and opposition politicians. In a letter to the prime…
NYC shooter had two ‘mental health holds’ in Las Vegas. They didn’t affect his legal right to own guns
Martin Kaste Records released this week by Las Vegas Metropolitan Police confirm they had several contacts in recent years with Shane Tamura, the 27-year-old man who drove to New York and killed four people on July 28. The records show he was known to suffer from mental illness, had been the subject of two emergency…
Students Find Hidden Fibonacci Sequence in Classic Probability Puzzle
Students Find Hidden Fibonacci Sequence in Classic Probability Puzzle Though the Fibonacci sequence shows up everywhere in nature, these young mathematicians were surprised to find it in the answer to a variation of the pick-up sticks problem⁠—a nearly two-century-old form of puzzle By Emma R. Hasson edited by Sarah Lewin Frasier A variation of a…
Trump administration doubles reward for arrest of Venezuela’s president to $50m
Nicolás Maduro was indicted in 2020 on federal charges of narcoterrorism and conspiracy to import cocaine The Trump administration is doubling to $50m a reward for the arrest of Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro, accusing him of being one of the world’s largest narcotraffickers and working with cartels to flood the US with fentanyl-laced cocaine. “Under…
Trump orders colleges to share admissions data, with an eye on affirmative action
Cory Turner President Trump signed a presidential memorandum Thursday requiring colleges and universities to submit expanded admissions data to the U.S. Department of Education. The move is the latest salvo in the administration’s fight against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies and is intended to reveal if schools are still preferencing race in admissions even…
Netanyahu divides Israelis and allies with plan to occupy Gaza
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plans for a new military push in the Gaza Strip have raised warnings from the army leadership, opposition from hostage families and concerns that more Palestinians will be killed, and risk isolating the country even further. As the security cabinet prepared to meet to discuss the proposals, Netanyahu gave an…
JWST Spots Possible Alien Planet at Alpha Centauri
Our Nearest Sunlike Star Might Have a Planet, JWST Shows in Stunning Finding In some of its most ambitious work yet, the James Webb Space Telescope looked to spot a planet in a potentially habitable orbit around Alpha Centauri A, the nearest sunlike star to our solar system By Meghan Bartels edited by Lee Billings…
Jenny Han Addresses Summer I Turned Pretty 3’s Lack of Taylor Swift
Jenny Han hinted as to why there has only been one Taylor Swift song in season three of The Summer I Turned Pretty so far and shared there may be more to come. Jenny Han wants fans to know that there’s still plenty of blank space for Taylor Swift tracks to fill in season three of The Summer…
Bank of England cuts interest rates to two-year low of 4%
The Bank of England has cut interest rates to 4%, taking the cost of borrowing to the lowest level for more than two years. The cut, from the previous rate of 4.25%, is the fifth since August last year, but was only narrowly backed by the Bank’s policymakers who took two votes to reach a…
Federal judge rules cuts to humanities grants were ‘unlawful’
Elizabeth Blair A federal judge has ruled that the government’s abrupt elimination of humanities grants previously approved by Congress was “unlawful” and that a lawsuit brought by humanities groups can move forward. In April, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), terminated grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities to thousands of groups across the…
Dozens more countries face higher levies on exports to US as new Trump tariffs come into effect
Donald Trump’s latest wave of ‘reciprocal’ rates were in place as of a minute past midnight Washington time on Thursday See the full list of Trump tariff rates Business live – latest updates Dozens of countries face higher levies on their exports to the US now that Donald Trump’s latest wave of country-specific tariffs has…
Mathematicians Question AI Performance at International Math Olympiad
Opinion AI Took on the Math Olympiad—But Mathematicians Aren’t Impressed AI models supposedly did well on International Math Olympiad problems, but how they got their answers reminds us why we still need people doing math By Emily Riehl A defining memory from my senior year of high school was a nine-hour math exam with just…
MGK Details Chat With Taylor Swift Amid Travis Kelce’s Super Bowl Loss
Machine Gun Kelly detailed his conversation with Taylor Swift at the 2025 Super Bowl where they cheered on Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs before they lost to the Philadelphia Eagles. By the way, Taylor Swift is going out tonight, but she didn’t after the last Super Bowl. As Travis Kelce and the Kansas…
Why the EPA’s Latest Move Could Worsen the Climate Crisis
Opinion Why the EPA’s Latest Move Could Worsen the Climate Crisis If the EPA abdicates its responsibility to address climate change, it will harm health and the planet in exchange for pandering to fossil fuel interests By Rachel Cleetus & Carlos Martinez Last week, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a sweeping effort to do…
Brazil judge eases Jair Bolsonaro house arrest to allow family visits
Ex-president can see children and grandchildren without prior court approval, but phone and video ban remains A Brazilian supreme court judge has eased the terms of Jair Bolsonaro’s house arrest, allowing the far-right former president to receive visits from family members without prior judicial approval. The former paratrooper turned populist has been under house arrest…
Video shows Department of Justice official urging Jan. 6 rioters to ‘kill’ cops
Tom Dreisbach Police bodycam footage introduced at the trial of Jared Wise showed him berating police officers on Jan. 6, 2021 and yelling “kill ’em” as rioters attacked law enforcement. Less than five years after urging rioters to “kill” police at the Capitol, a former Jan. 6 defendant is working as a senior adviser for…
First migrants detained under ‘one in, one out’ deal with France
The first migrants have been detained under the UK’s new “one in, one out” deportation deal with France after crossing the English Channel. Pictures showed the migrants wearing life jackets disembarking from Border Force boats in Dover on Wednesday, the first day the pilot scheme came into force. The Home Office said those detained will…
Eddie Palmieri, a trailblazer in Latin music, has died at age 88
Luis Trelles Bandleader and pianist Eddie Palmieri, whose pounding rhythms forged a new style for Latin music, died Wednesday at the age of 88. Fania Records, the renowned Latin jazz label that released several of Palmieri’s classic recordings, announced his death in a statement. “Today, Fania Records mourns the loss of the legendary Eddie Palmieri,…
Trump says ‘good prospect’ of summit with Putin and Zelensky after envoy’s Russia visit
Donald Trump has said there is a “good chance” he could meet the Russian and Ukrainian leaders, following what he described as “very good talks” between his envoy and Vladimir Putin earlier in the day. Asked at the White House whether the two leaders had agreed to such a summit, the US president said there…
MRI Accidents Explained: What Causes Deaths and Injuries in Scanners
MRI Accidents Explained: What Causes Deaths and Injuries in Scanners When serious accidents happen in magnetic resonance imaging scanners, it’s usually because people ignore one very important rule By Michaela Maya-Mrschtik Last month a man on Long Island died after he was pulled into a magnetic resonance imaging scanner by a large metal chain he…
Assault on Sudan’s Zamzam refugee camp may have killed more than 1,500 civilians
Guardian investigation finds number killed in April attack by Rapid Support Forces far greater than current estimates More than 1,500 civilians may have been massacred during an attack on Sudan’s largest displacement camp in April, in what would be the second-biggest war crime of the country’s catastrophic conflict. A Guardian investigation into the 72-hour attack…
Kelly Clarkson Shares Ex Brandon Blackstock Is Sick, Postpones Shows
Kelly Clarkson postponed the remaining August dates of her Studio Sessions residency at Las Vegas’ Caesars Palace after sharing that her ex-husband Brandon Blackstock is sick. Kelly Clarkson needs to be there for her family. The “Since U Been Gone” singer shared that she had to reschedule the remainder of her August Studio Sesson concerts…
US destruction of contraceptives denies 1.4m African women and girls lifesaving care, NGO says
Incineration of $9.7m of contraceptives to lead to 174,000 unintended pregnancies and 56,000 unsafe abortions, IPPF says A decision by the US government to incinerate more than $9.7m (£7.3m) of contraceptives is projected to result in 174,000 unintended pregnancies and 56,000 unsafe abortions in five African countries. More than three-quarters of the contraceptives (77%) were…
Proposed House Bill Would Weaken Marine Mammal Protection Act, Endangering Whales, Dolphins and More
The Law That Saved the Whales Is Under Attack Proposed amendments to the Marine Mammal Protection Act would cut down protections to whales, dolphins, polar bears and other species By Ryan Green edited by Andrea Gawrylewski Aaron Doughty finishes securing a dead humpback whale that was hauled out of Portland Harbor on to his trailer…
A zoo in Denmark asked patrons to donate their pets. Not as attractions, but for food
By Alana Wise A European zoo stirred up intrigue and controversy after a social media post asking for surplus pets to be donated to feed captive animals went viral. In a post on Facebook, the Aalborg Zoo in Denmark asked people to donate unwanted pets that would be “gently euthanized” and fed to predators in…
The secret system Hamas uses to pay government salaries
After nearly two years of war, Hamas’s military capability is severely weakened and its political leadership under intense pressure. Yet, throughout the war Hamas has managed to continue to use a secret cash-based payment system to pay 30,000 civil servants’ salaries totalling $7m (£5.3m). The BBC has spoken to three civil servants who have confirmed…
Teyana Taylor Undergoing Emergency Vocal Chord Surgery
Teyana Taylor said she’ll be undergoing emergency surgery after doctors found a noncancerous growth on one of her vocal chords: “This moment hurts.” Teyana Taylor is focusing on her health. The “Gonna Love Me” singer shared on Aug. 6 that she’ll be undergoing emergency surgery on her vocal chords to remove a benign growth. “I’ve…
Raven-Symoné’s Ex Got Another Woman Pregnant—Asked Her to Be Godmother
Raven-Symoné recently shared that her last relationship with a man, which lasted for seven years, ended when he got another woman pregnant and then asked her to be the baby’s godmother. Raven-Symoné can gaze into her future, but she’d rather not revisit her past. The That’s So Raven alum recently shared that her last relationship…
Trump hits India with extra 25% tariff for buying Russian oil
US President Donald Trump has issued an executive order hitting India with an additional 25% tariff over its purchases of Russian oil. That will raise the total tariff on Indian imports to the United States to 50% – among the highest rates imposed by the US. The new rate will come into effect in 21…
NASA Budget Cuts Could Halt Space Missions, Climate Research, Experts Warn
NASA Faces Deep Budget Cuts—Every Living Former Science Chief of the Agency Is Sounding the Alarm NASA faces historic budget cuts that could shutter missions and stall vital research, prompting a bipartisan outcry from all of the agency’s living former science chiefs. By Rachel Feltman, Lee Billings, Fonda Mwangi, Alex Sugiura & Jeffery DelViscio Rachel…
The quest to create gene-edited babies gets a reboot
Rob Stein A Chinese scientist horrified the world in 2018 when he revealed he had secretly engineered the birth of the world’s first gene-edited babies. China imprisoned the scientist, He Jiankui, for three years for violating medical regulations. Fast forward to today: Mainstream scientific organizations are encouraging very careful basic research to explore gene-editing and…
US hunter reportedly killed by buffalo during expedition in South Africa
Asher Watkins, 52, of Texas died while tracking 1.3-ton Cape buffalo on a hunting trip in the country’s Limpopo province An American game hunter was killed by a buffalo he was stalking during a hunting expedition in South Africa over the weekend, according to multiple reports. Asher Watkins, 52, of Texas, died on 3 August…
It’s 2025, the year we decided we need a widespread slur for robots
Vanessa Romo Debate over the song of the summer rages on, but if there were a contest for a word of the summer, one front runner would surely be the onomatopoeiac, clanker. In recent weeks clanker has risen to viral levels on TikTok and Instagram. One popular video from July shows a delivery robot on…
Teens Are Flocking to AI Chatbots. Is this Healthy?
The Science of ParentingMondays Teens Are Flocking to AI Chatbots. Is this Healthy? Kids crave approval from their peers. Chatbots offer an alternative to IRL relationships, but they can come at a price By Elizabeth Englander edited by Megha Satyanarayana Cut through the claims: Get email alerts for The Science of Parenting Relationships are messy,…
Unpacking Why the JonBenét Ramsey Murder Case Has Never Been Solved
Netflix’s Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey explored whether early suspicion directed at the 6-year-old’s parents, John and Patsy Ramsey, irreparably muddied the investigation. John Ramsey was shaving on the morning of Dec. 26, 1996, when he heard his wife scream. Patsy Ramsey was headed to the kitchen to put the coffee on, but instead found…
Ireland calls on Haiti to secure release of group kidnapped from local orphanage
An Irish missionary and three-year-old child are among eight people taken by gunmen who stormed the place Ireland’s foreign ministry has called on Haitian authorities to ensure “everything is done” to secure the release of a group of people, including an Irish missionary and a three-year-old child, taken by gunmen who stormed a local orphanage.…
Reeves warned taxes must rise to cover £41bn spending gap
Taxes must rise in the autumn if Chancellor Rachel Reeves is to meet her self-imposed borrowing rules, according to an economic think tank. The government was on track to miss the target it has set itself by £41.2bn, according to the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (Niesr). It recommended “a moderate but sustained…
RFK Jr cancels $500m in mRNA vaccine development in the US
The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) plans to cancel $500m (£376m) in funding for mRNA vaccines being developed to counter viruses like the flu and Covid-19. The move will impact 22 projects being led by major pharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer and Moderna, for vaccines against bird flu and other viruses, HHS said.…
Francis Ford Coppola Shares Update After Being Hospitalized in Italy
Godfather director Francis Ford Coppola shared a health update after Italian news outlets reported that he had visited a local hospital: “I am well!” Francis Ford Coppola is doing well after a brief trip to an Italian hospital. Hours after local news outlets in Rome reported that the five-time Oscar winner, 86, was taken to…
Prince Harry among those criticised in report on dispute at Sentebale charity
Watchdog says all parties, including trustees, patrons and chair Sophie Chandauka, should not have had row in public The Charity Commission has criticised Prince Harry for allowing a row with the chair of his African charity to “play out publicly”, as the watchdog cleared him of racism. The prince was engaged in a public war…
RFK Jr. pulls $500 million in funding for mRNA vaccine contracts
By The Associated Press WASHINGTON — The Department of Health and Human Services will cancel contracts and pull funding for some vaccines that are being developed to fight respiratory viruses like COVID-19 and the flu. Kennedy’s decision to terminate the projects is the latest in a string of decisions that have put the longtime vaccine…
NASA Boosts Plans for Nuclear Reactor on the Moon
NASA’s Plan for a Nuclear Reactor on the Moon Could Be a Lunar Land Grab Spurred by competition from China and Russia, the Trump administration is pushing for nuclear power on the moon by 2030 By Lee Billings edited by Sarah Lewin Frasier NASA’s acting administrator Sean Duffy testifies during a congressional hearing on July…
Titan implosion that killed all five on board was ‘preventable’, says report
The US Coast Guard has determined the implosion of OceanGate’s Titan submersible that killed all five people on board was “preventable”, citing the company’s “critically flawed” safety practices. A damning 335-page report from Coast Guard investigators states that OceanGate, the company that owned and operated the Titan, failed to follow maintenance and inspection protocols for…
Legionnaires’ Disease Outbreak in New York City Linked to Cooling Towers
What Is the Legionnaires’ Disease Outbreak That Has Killed Two People in New York City? Fifty-eight people have been infected—and two have died—in a New York City outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease—a severe type of pneumonia caused by a bacterium commonly associated with air-conditioning systems and cooling towers By Meghan Bartels edited by Lauren J. Young…
MGK Jokes About One Thing Megan Fox Won’t Let Him Do With Baby Saga
Machine Gun Kelly quipped that Megan Fox and Pete Davidson’s pregnant girlfriend Elsie Hewitt don’t have high hopes about their babysitting skills. Machine Gun Kelly‘s fatherhood journey isn’t quite the lonely road anymore. The “Cliché” singer—who welcomed daughter named Saga with Megan Fox earlier this year—is looking forward to raising his baby girl alongside best…
Rwanda agrees to take up to 250 migrants from the US
Deal follows deportations to South Sudan and Eswatini despite concerns about international law breaches The Rwandan government has said it would accept up to 250 migrants from the US under a deal agreed with Washington but gave no details on who could be included. The Trump administration’s deportation drive has included negotiating arrangements to send…
Violent Channel-smuggling gang’s French and UK network exposed by undercover BBC investigation
A BBC investigation has exposed the French and UK operations of a powerful and violent smuggling gang taking people across the English Channel in small boats. A reporter, posing as a migrant wanting to cross, helped us gain unprecedented access to the smugglers’ notorious forest hideout in northern France – an area plagued by armed…
Bretman Rock and Justice Fester Break Up After One Year Together
Bretman Rock confirmed that he and boyfriend Justice Fester have broken up, emphasizing, “If we’re really meant for each other, then we will find each other again.” Bretman Rock is focusing on himself. The beauty influencer shared that he and his boyfriend Justice Fester have broken up one year after debuting their relationship on social…
US steps up efforts to help Bolsonaro avoid jail over alleged coup plot
State department condemns judge’s decision to place former Brazil president under house arrest as trial proceeds The US has intensified its campaign to help Jair Bolsonaro avoid punishment for allegedly masterminding a failed coup, with the state department denouncing the decision to place Brazil’s former president under house arrest. “Let Bolsonaro speak!” the department’s bureau…
Your call to a local Social Security office may be picked up by someone who can’t help
Ashley Lopez Phone calls to local Social Security offices are currently being rerouted to other field offices — often to staff who don’t have jurisdiction over the caller’s case, employees say. Disability advocates and experts warn this is making it harder for people to get help. The latest change is part of the Social Security…
Terracotta Is a 3,000-Year-Old Solution to Fighting Extreme Heat
Terracotta Is a 3,000-Year-Old Solution to Fighting Extreme Heat Companies are adapting this humble clay-based ceramic to keep people cool—without electricity By Jyoti Thakur edited by Sarah Lewin Frasier Cooling facade built from terracotta Join Our Community of Science Lovers! A little over 20 percent of India’s households own an air conditioner or cooler, and…
This Tuscan startup sold all its olive oil in the U.S. Then came Trump’s tariffs
By Maria Aspan SEGGIANO, Italy — On the steep hills of southern Tuscany, Romain Piro has spent the past two decades harvesting fruit from his silvery olive trees and turning it into olive oil. In 2019, he convinced his sister, Marie-Charlotte Piro, to go into business with him. The siblings started shipping their small-batch bottles…
Scientists identify bacterium behind devastating wasting disease in starfish
After 90% loss of global sunflower sea star population in 10 years, researchers hope decline can now be tackled A decade after the onset of a sea star wasting disease (SSWD) epidemic considered the largest ever documented in the wild, researchers have identified the microbial culprit responsible: a strain of the bacterium Vibrio pectenicida. In…
How Teen Mathematician Hannah Cairo Disproved a Major Conjecture in Harmonic Analysis
How Teen Mathematician Hannah Cairo Disproved a Major Mathematical Wave Conjecture When she was just 17 years old, Hannah Cairo disproved the Mizohata-Takeuchi conjecture, breaking a four-decade-old mathematical assumption By Emma R. Hasson edited by Sarah Lewin Frasier When Hannah Cairo was 17 years old, she disproved the Mizohata-Takeuchi conjecture, a long-standing guess in the…
Putin and Trump’s relationship has soured – but behind the posturing, a Ukraine deal is still possible
Listen to Steve read this article Has the relationship between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin gone off the rails? A popular Russian newspaper thinks so. It turned to trains to illustrate the current state of US-Russian ties. “A head-on collision seems unavoidable,” declared tabloid Moskovsky Komsomolets recently. “The Trump locomotive and the Putin locomotive are…
Welcome to These Surprising Facts About The O.C., Bitch
When iconic teen soap The O.C. premiered on Aug. 5, 2003 it quickly became a pop culture phenomenon turning Adam Brody, Mischa Barton and more into huge stars. Relive the magic with these big secrets. Nostalgia, here we come! More than two decades ago, a little show called The O.C. premiered on Aug. 3, 2003 in…
Carrie Underwood Unveils Natural Hair Color for First Time in 30 Years
Carrie Underwood debuted a new look featuring brownish blonde tresses, saying that she was seeing her natural hair color for the first time in 30 years: “It might be time to give it a second chance.” Carrie Underwood is going back to her roots—literally. The American Idol judge traded in her signature golden locks for…
US condemns Brazil supreme court judge for ordering house arrest of ex-president Jair Bolsonaro
US claims judge attempting ‘to silence opposition’ as Bolsonaro accused of breaching ban imposed amid fears he may abscond ahead of trial In a move immediately condemned by the US, a Brazilian supreme court judge has ordered the house arrest of former president Jair Bolsonaro for breaching “preventative measures” that were imposed ahead of his…