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. […]
Senate panel approves federal judge nomination for Emil Bove, who defended Trump
Carrie Johnson Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee voted Thursday to advance the nomination of Emil Bove, President Trump’s former personal attorney, to a lifetime federal judgeship. All the Democrats on the panel walked out and did not vote. Bove’s nomination to the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals now moves to the full Senate. Bove…
Scooter Braun Hints at Future With Justin Bieber After $31M Settlement
Scooter Braun said his story with Justin Bieber—who recently agreed to pay the manager $31.5 million in a financial deal—is “not done.” Scooter Braun will never say never to reuniting with Justin Bieber. The record executive—who cut ties professionally with the singer before retiring from artist management altogether in 2024—believes their story isn’t over despite…
Shooting of bear that swam to tiny Canadian island frustrates First Nations
Indigenous groups had offered to rehome grizzly nicknamed Tex who was killed without authorization The journey of Tex, a young grizzly bear that gripped public attention in Canada after swimming to a tiny populated island, came to a violent end this week after he was shot and killed without authorization, despite plans by Indigenous groups…
Child dies and 21 injured after school coach crash
A child has died and two others have been seriously injured after a coach bringing pupils back from an end-of-term school trip overturned and fell 20ft from a road. Avon and Somerset Police declared a major incident after the accident at Cutcombe Hill near Wheddon Cross in Somerset at about 15:00 BST. The coach was…
DC This Week Roundup – Old Enemies, New Threats
Ray: A chaotic battle-filled anniversary issue, as the Titans finally go up against Slade’s gang of enemies. The group includes Vanadia, who has betrayed the team after a misunderstanding, the mind-controlled Killer Frost and Mammoth – and Terra, the team’s original betrayer and Beast Boy’s tragic ex. And then there’s Clock King, the eccentric Bat-rogue…
Tom Cruise & Ana de Armas Make a Splash With Island Getaway
Tom Cruise and Ana de Armas vacationed together on a boat in the Spanish island of Menorca amid continued romance rumors. Tom Cruise and Ana de Armas felt the need for a joint vacation. Months after sparking romance rumors, the Top Gun star, and Knives Out actress spent time together on the island of Menorca. …
New Interstellar Object 3I/ATLAS’s Biggest Mysteries Explained
7 Big Mysteries about Interstellar Object 3I/ATLAS Scientists are racing to learn as much as possible about the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS before it fades from view forever By Jonathan O’Callaghan edited by Lee Billings The interstellar object 3I/ATLAS appears as a blurry, dust-shrouded dot in this image from the Gemini North telescope. Future observations should…
Brazil passes ‘devastation bill’ that drastically weakens environmental law
President has 15 days to approve or veto legislation that critics say will lead to vast deforestation and destruction of Indigenous communities Brazilian lawmakers have passed a bill that drastically weakens the country’s environmental safeguards and is seen by many activists as the most significant setback for the country’s environmental legislation in the past 40…
Plans for direct train to Berlin in new UK-Germany treaty
The UK and Germany have agreed a plan to create a new, direct rail link between London and Berlin as part of a wide-ranging treaty. The Kensington Treaty also includes opening e-gates for frequent travellers between the two countries next month, as well as agreeing school exchange visits. Friedrich Merz made his first official visit…
1960s pop star Connie Francis has died. The singer’s life was touched by tragedies
Jeff Lunden Connie Francis fixes her hair during a 1959 press reception at the Dorchester Hotel in London Pop singer Connie Francis has died at 87. The first female singer to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100, she was known for her hit single “Who’s Sorry Now?” and for singing the theme song…
Maryland taps Affordable Care Act fund to help pay for abortion care
From By Scott Maucione Maryland is the first state to tap into a 15-year-old fund connected to the Affordable Care Act, to help solve a more recent problem: helping pay the expenses of patients who travel to Maryland for an abortion. The law passed this spring, and went into effect on July 1. Since the…
The Large Hadron Collider Discovers Antimatter Behaving Oddly in New Class of Particles
Mysterious Antimatter Physics Discovered at the Large Hadron Collider The LHCb experiment has observed a new difference between matter and antimatter in particles called baryons By Clara Moskowitz edited by Lee Billings Baryon particle illustration. Matter and antimatter are like mirror opposites: they are the same in every respect except for their electric charge. Well,…
Syria leader vows to protect Druze after sectarian violence prompts Israeli strikes
Syria’s interim president has said it is his “priority” to protect the country’s Druze citizens, after Israel vowed to destroy government forces it accused of attacking members of the religious minority in Suweida province. In his first televised statement since Israel’s air strikes on Damascus on Wednesday, Ahmed al-Sharaa also warned that Syrians were not…
Sudan’s children face growing threat of deadly infectious diseases as vaccination rates halve
The country, beset by war, has the world’s lowest rates of vaccination, says the World Health Organization, as global immunisation drive also stalls Children in Sudan, caught up in what aid organisations have called the world’s largest humanitarian crisis and threatened by rising levels of violence, are increasingly vulnerable to deadly infectious diseases as vaccinations…
Astronomers See Planet Formation ‘Time Zero’ in an Alien Solar System
Astronomers Witness an Alien Solar System’s Birth for the First Time Observations of a baby star may show the earliest stages of planet formation that astronomers have ever seen By Lee Billings edited by Dean Visser A view of HOPS-315, a baby star some 1,400 light-years from Earth where astronomers have observed evidence for the…
2025 ESPY Award Winners: See the Complete List (Live Updates)
Alex Morgan, Diana Taurasi and more athletes were among those honored in sports at the 2025 ESPY Awards. These athletes just added a new trophy to their collection. Indeed, the 2025 ESPY Awards hosted by Shane Gillis in Los Angeles on July 16 saw the most famous names in the athletic world come together to celebrate the…
Air traffic controllers say a push to modernize equipment won’t fix deeper problems
By Joe Hernandez , Joel Rose When a midair collision and a series of radar outages captured attention in the United States this year, some air traffic controllers thought it might finally lead to solutions for a nationwide staffing shortage and other longstanding problems at the country’s air traffic facilities. “Everybody’s talking about us,” said…
Babies made using three people’s DNA are born free of hereditary disease
Eight babies have been born in the UK using genetic material from three people to prevent devastating and often fatal conditions, doctors say. The method, pioneered by UK scientists, combines the egg and sperm from a mum and dad with a second egg from a donor woman. The technique has been legal here for a…
‘A family of traitors’: Trump’s Brazil tariffs ultimatum backfires on Bolsonaro
US president’s attempt to help his rightwing ally avoid jail has sparked wave of anger and given boost to rival Lula Silvana Marques was one of thousands of Brazilians who flocked to São Paulo’s most famous art museum one afternoon last week. But the 51-year-old teacher wasn’t there to marvel over fog-filled London landscapes at…
UK’s anti-corruption champion to visit offshore haven on fact-finding mission
Foreign Office sending Margaret Hodge to British Virgin Islands to investigate slow progress against financial crime The Foreign Office will dispatch the UK’s anti-corruption champion, Margaret Hodge, to the British Virgin Islands (BVIs) to find out why the offshore haven is dragging its feet on proposals designed to fight financial crime. Several of the UK’s…
Pete Davidson, Elsie Hewitt’s “Chaotic” Month Before Pregnancy Reveal
Pregnant Elsie Hewitt teased her “weird chaotic month” with Pete Davidson prior to announcing their baby news. Pete Davidson and Elsie Hewitt‘s road to parenthood is paved with good times. After all, Elsie gave a glimpse into her relationship with the comedian just days before announcing her pregnancy on July 16. “Some happi & grateful…
New Parkinson’s Implant Listens to Brain Waves to Treat Symptoms
Smart Brain-Zapping Implants Could Revolutionize Parkinson’s Treatment New deep-brain-stimulation implants for Parkinson’s disease can listen in on brain waves and adapt to treat symptoms. Can this approach target other conditions? By Sally Adee & Nature magazine Keith Krehbiel lived with Parkinson’s disease for nearly 25 years before agreeing to try a brain implant that might…
Small Canadian town reels after teen boy allegedly assaults eight-year-old girl
Police initially thought the girl was attacked by an animal due her injuries, but later arrested a 17-year-old boy A small rural community in Canada is reeling after police said the horrific attack of an eight-year-old girl was not caused by an animal, as they had suspected, but allegedly by a teenage boy who they…
How a third parent’s DNA can prevent an inherited disease
Rob Stein Scientists can protect children from being born with certain devastating genetic disorders by creating “three-parent” babies, according to the results of a landmark study released Wednesday. British researchers used the experimental technique to help families have eight children who appear healthy. They now range in age from younger than 6 months to older…
As Republicans call for transparency into Epstein probe, Trump lashes out
Deepa Shivaram President Trump continues to be embroiled in the backlash to the Justice Department’s handling of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein. Members of his own party have been calling for more transparency into the DOJ’s investigation of the disgraced financier, whose death by suicide in prison in 2019 has sparked numerous conspiracy theories. Trump’s…
Starmer suspends four Labour MPs for breaching party discipline
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has suspended four Labour MPs over repeated breaches of party discipline. The BBC understands Neil Duncan-Jordan, Brian Leishman, Chris Hinchliff and Rachael Maskell have had the party whip removed, meaning the MPs will sit as independents in the House of Commons. Three other Labour MPs – Rosena Allin Khan, Bell…
Oxford University Press to stop publishing China-sponsored science journal
Move follows concerns several papers in Forensic Sciences Research did not meet ethical standards on DNA collection Oxford University Press (OUP) will no longer publish a controversial academic journal sponsored by China’s Ministry of Justice after years of concerns that several papers in the publication did not meet ethical standards about DNA collection. A statement…
The Link between Weather and Migraines Explained by a Neurologist
Can Weather Really Trigger a Migraine? By Danielle Wilhour & The Conversation US The following essay is reprinted with permission from The Conversation, an online publication covering the latest research. “Is it just me, or is there a storm coming?” If you are one of the 39 million Americans in the U.S. living with migraines,…
WNBA’s Caitlin Clark Suffers Groin Injury During Nail-Biting Game
Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark “felt a little something in her groin” during their July 15 game, less than a week after the point guard returned following a five-game absence. Caitlin Clark is focusing on her health. As the Indiana Fever earned their victory against the Connecticut Sun on July 15, the star point guard seemingly…
UK inflation unexpectedly jumps to 3.6% to highest rate in year and a half
Prices rose by more than expected in the year to June, pushing inflation to 3.6%, the highest it has been since January 2024. Higher prices for food and clothing, air and rail fares – and a lower drop in fuel prices than this time last year – contributed to higher inflation, official figures show. The…
Aging Rates Vary by Country. Politics Might Be Why
Aging Rates Vary by Country. Politics Might Be Why Social inequality and the decay of democratic institutions are linked to accelerated aging, but education seems to slow the process By Julian Nowogrodzki & Nature magazine Social inequality and weak democratic institutions are linked to faster ageing, as are other environmental features such as high levels…
Exclusive: Trump team withholds $140 million budgeted for fentanyl fight
Brian Mann The Trump administration has delayed and may cancel roughly $140 million in grants to fund fentanyl overdose response efforts, according to four staff members with close knowledge of the process at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The staffers shared detailed information with NPR about the funding disruption and potential cuts on…
The Complicated Reality of JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette’s Love
John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette were married for less than three years when they were killed in a plane crash on July 16, 1999, but their volatile, photogenic romance remains legendary. Carolyn Bessette didn’t say yes when John F. Kennedy Jr. first proposed to her. She didn’t say no, either. But the 29-year-old…
Republicans complain to Canada over wildfire smoke despite supporting planet-heating bill
Lawmakers send letter railing against ‘suffocating’ smoke days after voting for Trump plan likely to boost pollution A group of Republican lawmakers has complained that smoke from Canadian wildfires is ruining summer for Americans, just days after voting for a major bill that will cause more of the planet-heating pollution that is worsening wildfires. In…
In Britain, hopes are mounting to finally clean up sewage-polluted waterways
By Willem Marx MARLBOROUGH, England — After years of illegal polluting by Britain’s water industry, an independent report planned for release in the coming days could lead to tightened regulation while also prompting an expensive modernization drive. The report, led by a former deputy governor of the Bank of England, Jon Cunliffe, was commissioned by…
France signals willingness to discuss reparations for colonial massacres in Niger
More than a century after its troops burned villages and looted cultural artefacts in the quest to include Niger in its west African colonial portfolio, France has signalled willingness over possible restitution, but is yet to acknowledge responsibility. The 19 June response was given to a letter dated two months earlier from a UN special…
I’m ‘disappointed but not done’ with Putin, Trump tells BBC
Donald Trump has said that he is disappointed but not done with Vladimir Putin, in an exclusive phone call with the BBC. The US president was pressed on whether he trusts the Russian leader, and replied: “I trust almost nobody.” Trump was speaking hours after he announced plans to send weapons to Ukraine and warned…
Inside the 30-Year Search for Abducted News Anchor Jodi Huisentruit
Jodi Huisentruit, a rising star at KIMT-TV in Iowa, left her apartment for work one morning in 1995 but never made it into her car. A new Hulu docuseries dives into the unsolved mystery. Something happened to Jodi Huisentruit. Exactly what remains a mystery. The 27-year-old from Long Prairie, Minn., had landed in Mason City,…
Texas Failed to Spend Federal Aid for Flood Disaster Protection
Texas Failed to Spend Millions in Federal Aid for Flood Protection Many states, including Texas, have not used billions of dollars from FEMA intended to reduce damage from flooding and other disasters By Thomas Frank, Mike Lee & E&E News A Texas flag hangs from a storm-damaged tree on the banks of the Guadalupe River…
Octomom Natalie “Nadya” Suleman Celebrates 50th Birthday With Her Kids
Octomom Natalie “Nadya” Suleman celebrated her 50th birthday with her octuplets Noah, Maliyah, Isaiah, Nariyah, Makai, Josiah, Jeremiah and Jonah. See the family photo. Octomom was surrounded by her octuplets when she rang in the big 5-0. Natalie “Nadya” Suleman—who earned the nickname after giving birth to the first surviving set of octuplets in 2009—celebrated…
Trump threatens Russia with tariffs while unveiling Ukraine weapons plan
US President Donald Trump has announced the US will send “top-of-the-line weapons” to Ukraine via Nato countries, while also threatening Russia with severe tariffs if a deal to end the war is not reached within 50 days. “We want to make sure Ukraine can do what it wants to do,” Trump said following a meeting…
Why the Federal Reserve’s building renovations are attracting the White House’s ire
Scott Horsley A multi-billion dollar makeover of the Federal Reserve’s offices in Washington, D.C., has become the latest skirmish in an ongoing battle between the White House and the central bank. The cost of the building project has soared from $1.9 billion to $2.5 billion in recent years. That’s become a new line of attack…
Sudan paramilitary forces kill almost 300 in village raids, say lawyers
Rapid Support Forces accused of targeting villages ‘completely empty of any military objectives’ in North Kordofan state as civil war rages Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) killed nearly 300 people in attacks in North Kordofan state that began on Saturday, according to Sudanese activists. The RSF has been fighting the Sudanese army in that…
What New Biological Age ‘Clocks’ Say about Longevity, according to Eric Topol
By Lauren J. Young edited by Dean Visser How old are you really? Counting birthdays may be a common tally, but your “age” isn’t determined by time alone. New research increasingly shows the importance of considering chronological age as something very different from biological age—in which the body and its cells, tissues and organs all…
Nick Adams: Trump picks former Sydney councillor and self-described ‘alpha male’ as Malaysia ambassador
In 2023 posts on X, Adams listed interests including restaurant chain Hooters, rare steaks, ‘extremely’ heavy weights and the Bible Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast A former Sydney councillor and self-described “alpha male” has been picked by Donald Trump to be the new US ambassador to Malaysia, with the…
A wildfire destroyed the historic Grand Canyon Lodge. It burned down once before
By Rachel Treisman A raging wildfire has destroyed dozens of structures in Grand Canyon National Park, including a beloved historic lodge that was already rebuilt once after burning down nearly a century ago. For decades, the Grand Canyon Lodge was the only hotel inside the North Rim, a more secluded portion of the park with…
Marten and Gordon guilty of gross negligence manslaughter of their baby
A couple who went on the run with their newborn daughter have been found guilty of her manslaughter by gross negligence. Constance Marten, 38, and Mark Gordon, 51, were convicted on Monday following a lengthy and chaotic retrial at the Old Bailey, which the judge accused them of trying to “sabotage” and “derail”. It comes…
Farm worker who died after California Ice raid was ‘hardworking and innocent’, family says
Jaime Alanís, 57, died a day after falling off a greenhouse roof during an immigration raid of a cannabis farm The farm worker who died from injuries he sustained after falling from a greenhouse roof during an Ice raid of a California cannabis farm was a “hard-working, innocent farmer” and the sole provider for his…
DeepMind’s AlphaGenome Uses AI to Decipher Noncoding DNA for Research, Personalized Medicine
DeepMind’s AlphaGenome Aims to Decode DNA’s ‘Dark Matter’ This AI system can analyze up to one million DNA letters at once, predicting how tiny changes in noncoding regions trigger everything from cancer to rare genetic disorders—and potentially revolutionizing personalized medicine By Deni Ellis Béchard edited by Dean Visser KTSDesign/Science Source Join Our Community of Science…
90 Day’s Eric Rosenbrook Shares Loss of Baby With Leida Margaretha
90 Day Fiancé Eric Rosenbrook shared that his and wife Leida Margaretha’s newborn daughter died after being on life support for five days. Eric Rosenbrook and Leida Margaretha are in mourning. After Eric was arrested following a physical altercation with his wife on the Fourth of July, the 90 Day Fiancé alum shared that their…
Vibrio Bacteria in Beach Water Can Make You Seriously Ill
Deadly Bacteria May Be Moving to a Beach Near You Illnesses from stealthy pathogens known as Vibrio are advancing northward along numerous coasts, potentially ruining your summer vacation By Kyle Brumfield edited by Mark Fischetti On a small, gently rocking research boat anchored just offshore in Chesapeake Bay, I lowered a sterile plastic bottle into the water to…
Rubio in bind as he seeks to reassure south-east Asia, even as it faces Trump tariffs
Rubio meets Chinese counterpart at gathering, as questions remain about US trade polices and commitment to region Even as they face among the most punitive tariffs globally, the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, has sought to reassure south-east Asian countries of Washington’s commitment to the region, saying they may get “better” trade deals than…
Mark Gordon is a psychopath, says woman he raped when he was 14
Mark Gordon is a dangerous “psychopath” who should have been locked up for life as a child, an American woman he raped 36 years ago has told the BBC. Gordon was jailed for attacking his neighbour at knifepoint in Miami when he was aged 14 and BBC News has now obtained US court papers revealing…
Trump announces weapons for Ukraine and threatens Russia with tariffs
By Charles Maynes MOSCOW — President Trump on Monday threatened to punish Russia with heavy tariffs on countries that trade with Moscow if the Kremlin fails to reach a ceasefire deal with Ukraine, while promising Kyiv “billions of dollars” worth of military equipment. “We’re going to be doing very severe tariffs if we don’t have…
Olivia Culpo Welcomes First Baby with Husband Christian McCaffrey
Olivia Culpo shared that she gave birth to her first baby, Colette Annalise McCaffrey, with San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey on July 13. Olivia Culpo and Christian McCaffrey just met their newest teammate. The former Miss Universe confirmed she gave birth to her and the San Francisco 49ers star’s first baby, a baby…
Gregg Wallace report upholds 45 claims, including one of unwelcome physical contact
A report into BBC show MasterChef has found 45 allegations against Gregg Wallace were upheld including one of unwelcome physical contact and another three of being in a state of undress. In total, the report says 83 allegations were made against the TV presenter, with the majority of the substantiated claims relating to inappropriate sexual…
Weather tracker: warm air engulfs parts of Argentina as winter temperatures soar
Rosario in Sante Fe likely be to 10C above normal, as Japan braces for Tropical Storm Nari An unseasonably mild start to the week is expected in northern and central parts of Argentina, where it is winter. A plume of warm air will sink southwards from neighbouring Paraguay on Monday, lingering through Tuesday, before giving…
With social prescribing, hanging out, movement and arts are doctor’s order
By Rhitu Chatterjee For more than 30 years, Frank Frost, worked as a long-distance truck driver, ferrying industrial chemicals across the U.K. “I worked away from home six days a week, working up to 12-15 hours a day,” says Frost, now 76. “My only exercise was looking for a fast food outlet in the evening…
Ancient Tooth Proteins Rewrite the Rhino Family Tree—Are Dinosaurs Next?
Ancient Tooth Proteins Rewrite the Rhino Family Tree—Are Dinosaurs Next? Molecules from the 20-million-year-old teeth of a rhino relative are among the oldest ever sequenced, opening tantalizing possibilities to scientists By Ewen Callaway & Nature magazine Rhinos’ evolutionary relationships became a little clearer with the sequencing of the oldest proteins yet. Researchers have described proteins…
Extreme weather is the UK’s new normal, says Met Office
The UK is breaking heat and rainfall records increasingly frequently as its climate continues to warm, the Met Office has warned. The country’s changing weather patterns mean the UK now experiences a “notably different” climate to what it was just a few decades ago, its State of the UK Climate report says. We now have…