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. […]
Middle schoolers are lauded for protecting younger kids during church shooting
By Bill Chappell , Liz Baker When gunfire shattered a routine Mass marking the first week of class at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, middle school students were among those who acted heroically, according to an emergency official, a principal and a parent whose children attend the school. As a lone shooter carried out a…
Minneapolis school attacker ‘obsessed with idea of killing children’, officials say
Investigators say that the attacker who opened fire on pupils as they were praying at a church in Minneapolis was “obsessed with the idea of killing children”. The attacker, who killed two children ages eight and 10 and injured 18 others, did not seem to have any specific motive, according to Minneapolis Police Chief Brian…
See Emma Stone’s Rare PDA With Husband Dave McCary on Red Carpet
Emma Stone shared an adorable PDA moment with her husband Dave McCary while walking the red carpet Aug. 28 at the Venice Film Festival for the premiere of her forthcoming film Bugonia. Emma Stone and Dave McCary are showing each other all kinds of kindness at the 2025 Venice Film Festival. The two-time Oscar winner…
Deep-Sea Worm Produces Orpiment, a Toxic Yellow Pigment Used in Historical Art
This Deep-Sea Worm Creates a Toxic Yellow Pigment Found in Rembrandt and Cézanne Paintings A deep-sea worm that lives in hydrothermal vents is the first known animal to create orpiment, a toxic, arsenic-containing mineral that was used by artists for centuries By Mohana Basu & Nature magazine Paralvinella hessleri accumulates microscopic particles of arsenic on…
Public media stations in rural America say emergency-alert funding is in jeopardy
By Michael Copley When a deadly landslide tore through part of Wrangell, Alaska, in 2023, there was only one place people there could go for information. “We’re on an island, and there’s one road, and everybody that lived south of that road lost everything — they lost their electricity, internet, television, phones,” says Cindy Sweat,…
Glow-in-the-Dark Succulents Created by Scientists Shine in Multiple Colors
These Succulents Glow in the Dark—And They’re Gorgeous Houseplants become rechargeable night-lights after injection with tiny phosphor particles By Katherine Bourzac & Nature magazine Researchers gave these succulents in the Echevaria genus a glow up by injecting them with luminescent particles. University students might soon have something other than black-light posters to brighten their dorm…
Epping asylum seeker hotel order could spark more protests, court told
An injunction temporarily blocking asylum seekers from being housed at an Essex hotel could spark further protests, the Court of Appeal has been told. Lawyers for the Home Office and The Bell Hotel in Epping have been challenging a High Court ruling stopping migrants from living at the venue. Mr Justice Eyre ordered all 138…
Florida’s ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ detention facility to be empty ‘within a few days’
By Greg Allen MIAMI — The immigration detention center in Florida’s Everglades that officials have dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz” soon will hold no detainees. In an email sent to a South Florida rabbi inquiring about serving as a chaplain at the facility, the director of Florida’s Department of Emergency Management, Kevin Guthrie, replied, “We are probably…
Rwanda accepts seven people from US as part of deportation deal
Trump administration pushing controversial deal to send people to non-home countries including South Sudan and Eswatini Seven people have arrived in Rwanda as part of a deal to accept deportees from the US, the Rwandan government has said. The Trump administration has been negotiating arrangements to send people to third countries including South Sudan and…
Emilie Kiser Breaks Silence on 3-Year-Old Son Trigg’s Tragic Death
Emilie Kiser spoke out publicly for the first time three months after her son Trigg Kiser drowned at the age of 3 in her family’s pool. Emilie Kiser has spoken out amid an unimaginable loss. Three months after her and husband Brady Kiser’s 3-year-old son Trigg Kiser drowned in the family’s pool, Emilie shared a…
Denmark summons U.S. envoy over claims of interference in Greenland
By The Associated Press COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Denmark’s foreign minister summoned the top U.S. diplomat in the country for talks after the main national broadcaster reported Wednesday that at least three people with connections to President Donald Trump have been carrying out covert influence operations in Greenland. In a lengthy written statement, the U.S. State…
Inside Conjoined Twins Abby & Brittany Hensel’s Surprising World
Thirteen years ago, Abby and Brittany Hensel’s show Abby & Brittany debuted, giving fans a look at their lives as conjoined twins. But today, they—and Abby’s husband Josh Bowling—are more private. Thirteen years ago, Abby Hensel and Brittany Hensel set out to tell the next chapter in their story. While they had opened up about their lives as conjoined twins…
Starmer to replace third top aide in less than a year
Sir Keir Starmer is replacing the top civil servant in his Downing Street office. Principal private secretary Nin Pandit runs the prime minister’s team at No 10 and has only been in the role for ten months. She is the third senior staff member the prime minister has appointed and later let go, after chief…
Malawi set to run out of TB drugs in a month after US, UK and others cut aid
Gains in cutting deaths from tuberculosis at risk as health officials warn clinics forced to ration drugs and testing Malawi is facing a critical shortage of tuberculosis drugs, with health officials warning that stocks will run out by the end of September. It comes just months after the World Health Organization (WHO) revealed that the…
Tropical Storm, Typhoon, and More—Your Guide to Hurricane Season Jargon
Hurricane Science Has a Lot of Jargon—Here’s What It All Means Everything you need to know about hurricanes explained By Meghan Bartels edited by Andrea Thompson Eye of Hurricane Ian as the storm headed towards South Carolina. When hurricane season is in full swing, the news can be difficult to parse. What’s the difference between…
CDC director is out after less than a month; other agency leaders resign
By The Associated Press NEW YORK — The director of the nation’s top public health agency is out after less than one month in the job, and several top agency leaders have resigned. Officials did not explain why Susan Monarez was no longer with the agency, but her lawyers said she was targeted for standing…
Woman says Chinese student predator raped her hours before second attack
Two women who reported being drugged and raped by prolific sex offender Zhenhao Zou said they were attacked within 24 hours of each other, the BBC has established. The first woman who says she was raped told us she was shocked to learn about the second attack and had since felt guilt for not reporting…
Ontario premier Doug Ford’s party spent nearly $300,000 on novelty ‘Canada is not for sale’ hats
The Progressive Conservative party of Ontario reportedly paid C$278,910.71 on the viral hats during the province’s election campaign Dealing with the unprecedented threats from Donald Trump’s threats to Canada’s economy and sovereignty have required unconventional strategies from federal and provincial leaders, including barring liquor sales and cancelling contracts with Tesla. But among the more unorthodox…
Deep-Sea Nodules May Produce Oxygen—Raising Concerns over Ocean Mining
Mining the Deep Sea Could Threaten a Source of Ocean Oxygen Deep-sea rocks packed with valuable metals may also be making oxygen in the deep, dark ocean—raising new questions about the cost of mining them. By Rachel Feltman, Jeffery DelViscio & Alex Sugiura Clare Fieseler’s and Jason Jaacks’ reporting Pulitzer Center and co-published with the…
Love Is Blind UK Season 2: Who Got Married and Who Broke Up
The Love Is Blind UK season two finale dropped on Netflix Aug. 27. Find out which couples said “I do” at the altar to officially get married and which contestants broke up. Love wasn’t enough for everyone to say “I do.” During the season two finale of Love Is Blind UK, which hit Netflix Aug. 27,…
Two children dead and 17 others injured in Minneapolis school shooting
Two children, aged 8 and 10, were killed and 17 people were injured when an attacker fired through the windows of a Minneapolis Catholic church at people celebrating Mass, police said. Annunciation Church, which also houses a school, was filled with students when the shooting happened on Wednesday. Of the 17 injured victims, 14 are…
Love Island USA’s Amaya and Bryan Break Up One Month After Finale
Love Island USA star Amaya Espinal announced she and Bryan Arenales have broken up one month after being voted the winners of the show’s seventh season. Amaya Espinal is no longer the book Bryan Arenales is reading. The Love Island USA fan favorite announced that she and her fellow islander have broken up one month…
Colleges see significant drop in international students as fall semester begins
Elissa Nadworny Classes began this week for students at the University at Buffalo, a public research university in western New York, but there were about 750 fewer international students on campus than expected. The new students who did make it gathered for a welcome from the school’s dean of students. “We know you have had…
See the First Complete Map of a Mammal’s Peripheral Nervous System in Stunning Detail
These Stunning Images Show Every Nerve in a Mouse This new “connectome” could bring researchers one step closer to understanding how nerves connect to organs throughout the body By Nora Bradford edited by Sarah Lewin Frasier The mouse vagus nerve (white) branches into the stomach and small intestine. Join Our Community of Science Lovers! Your…
Off Mexico’s coast, divers nab biggest ‘ghost’ yet
In a grueling and delicate dance, a team led by Conservation International removes a massive undersea killer When Edgardo Ochoa woke up in the early hours of August 20, he had a good feeling. The palm trees outside his window were still, signaling a calm day ahead. For two days, Ochoa, a dive specialist at…
Rightwing ‘parents’ rights’ groups gain ground in Canada as Alberta book bans target LGBTQ+ titles
Two such groups claim they persuaded Alberta to institute sweeping public school book ban Socially conservative “parents’ rights” groups that have emerged as powerfully political lobbying groups in the US are quickly gaining ground in Canada, academics and free speech advocates say, after two such groups claimed they had persuaded Alberta to institute a sweeping…
Gaza City evacuation inevitable, Israeli army warns Palestinians
The Israeli military has told Palestinians that the evacuation of Gaza City is “inevitable”, as its forces prepare to conquer it. In a post on X on Wednesday, the military’s Arabic spokesman Avichay Adraee said families relocating to the south would “receive the most generous humanitarian aid”. Israeli tanks pushed into a new area of…
See the RHOC Cast Squirm While Taking a Lie Detector Test
The Real Housewives of Orange County cast sat down for an anxiety-inducing polygraph test to uncover liars in the friend group, as seen in E! News’ exclusive sneak peek at the Bravo series. The truth is about to come out. The Real Housewives of Orange County all sit down for a nerve-wracking polygraph test in…
Old master painting looted by Nazis disappears from home in Argentina
Search for artwork seen in estate agent’s photo continues after police raid on house finds tapestry hanging in its place Argentinian police have said they will continue hunting for an old master painting looted by the Nazis and spotted by chance in an estate agent’s listing after a search of the property in the seaside…
Global Birth Rates Are Falling, but the Answer Isn’t to Have More Babies
What Falling Global Birth Rates Really Mean for the Future Steep population declines in most countries are expected to have negative effects over the next several generations, but adaptation is possible By Lynne Peeples & Nature magazine Nakayokawa Elementary School, closed three years ago, is seen in the remote village of Yokawa on February 29,…
Whatever happened to our sibling series? It’s back! And guess who’s the heir apparent
By Benazir Samad Our series “The Science of Siblings” last year was immensely popular, tackling questions that many a sibling has pondered. How do you get siblings to be nicer to each other? Why is it that siblings may have weird traits in common? How do siblings remember — and make peace with — childhood…
These Mary Poppins Secrets Are Sweeter Than a Spoonful of Sugar
In honor of Mary Poppins‘ 61st anniversary, enjoy these supercalifragilisticexpialidocious facts about Walt Disney’s 1964 classic starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke. Are you ready for a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious trip down memory lane? Because even though the sound of it is something quite atrocious, Mary Poppins is marking its 61st anniversary Aug. 27. (Though, sorry,…
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…
Mum’s anger after funeral director keeps baby’s body at home
Warning: This article contains distressing content A funeral director has been banned from NHS maternity wards and mortuaries in Leeds after keeping babies’ bodies at her home, a BBC investigation has revealed. Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust said it had barred 38-year-old Amie Upton from its mortuaries and maternity wards in spring this year. One mother…
Flag burning has a long history in the U.S. — and legal protections from the Supreme Court
By Joe Hernandez President Trump has long opposed flag burning as a form of protest, and now he’s directing the Justice Department to prioritize prosecutions of people who set the American flag on fire. On Monday, Trump signed an executive order instructing the attorney general to pursue cases against people who “incite violence or otherwise…
Attempt to partner African countries with Japanese cities triggers xenophobic backlash
Cities in Japan have received thousands of complaints amid confusion over scheme that was intended to foster closer ties An attempt to promote friendship between Japan and countries in Africa has transformed into a xenophobic row about migration after inaccurate media reports suggested the scheme would lead to a “flood of immigrants”. The controversy erupted…
Brazil judge orders round-the-clock surveillance of ‘flight risk’ Bolsonaro
Pre-trial monitoring ordered after police reported former president had drafted request for asylum in Argentina Jair Bolsonaro must be under constant police surveillance, a supreme court justice has ruled, to prevent Brazil’s former president from fleeing days before the start of the trial that could see him jailed for more than 40 years. The far-right…
Energy prices expected to rise ahead of winter
Energy prices will be set for millions of households for this autumn and winter, when regulator Ofgem announces its latest price cap later. Analysts expect a slight rise in gas and electricity prices between October and December, despite having previously predicted a small fall. A price rise of about 1% a year is likely, which…
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.…
What Travis Kelce Was Worried About Before Taylor Swift Proposal
Travis Kelce wanted to make sure Taylor Swift had the best day. So, when it came time to plan his proposal, the Kansas City Chiefs player was worried about the “perfect way” to pop the question—but his dad Ed Kelce and her dad Scott Swift encouraged him to take the plunge. “It was a couple…
How deliverable is Reform’s plan on migration?
Nigel Farage has set out how a Reform government would tackle what he called “uncontrolled illegal migration” – with moves including human rights law changes, and mass deportations. But how deliverable are the plans? Let’s start with the headline figure of how many people the party badges as illegal migrants (the precise definition of this…
Repeated Heat Waves Can Age You as Much as Smoking or Drinking
Repeated Heat Waves Can Age You as Much as Smoking or Drinking A new long-term study suggests that the more heat waves people are exposed to, the more their body’s aging process accelerates By Freda Kreier & Nature magazine An elderly man is seen resting under a tree at Levico lake. With temperatures exceeding 45…
Donna Kelce Seemingly Hinted at Travis Kelce, Taylor Swift Engagement
Donna Kelce appeared to hint that her son Travis Kelce had decided to pop the question and spend forever with Taylor Swift two days before the couple announced their engagement. It looks like Donna Kelce was guilty as sin of almost spilling the beans. Two days before her son Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift announced…
Texas company pleads guilty to 2021 construction worker trench death
By Josh Peck A Texas construction company that was one of scores across the country whose employees have died after trenches they were working in collapsed, reached a plea deal Tuesday with prosecutors. Austin-based D Guerra Construction LLC agreed to plead guilty in connection with the death of Juan José Galvan Batalla, 24, of Bastrop,…
Botswana’s president declares health emergency over supply shortages
Duma Boko announces urgent funding package for medicines to be distributed with military oversight Botswana’s president has declared a public health emergency due to shortages of essential medicines and equipment, as a downturn in the global diamond market and US aid cuts take a toll on the country’s finances. The announcement came after the Ministry…
Thomas Rhett and Lauren Akins Expecting Baby No. 5
Thomas Rhett and Lauren Akins shared that they are expecting their fifth baby together with the sweetest musical announcement: “Here we go again!” Thomas Rhett and Lauren Akins are adding another member to their band. After all, the “Die a Happy Man” singer and his wife announced that they’re expecting their fifth baby together. “Well,…
Reform prepared to deport 600,000 under migration plans
Reform UK has suggested it would be prepared to deport 600,000 migrants over five years if it won power at the next election. Party leader Nigel Farage set out a five-year plan to detain and deport all migrants who arrive in the UK without permission. Under the plan, named Operation Restoring Justice, Reform UK says…
Microplastics Could Be Creating Dangerous Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria
Microplastics Could Be Turning Bacteria into Drug-Resistant Superbugs Microplastics are seemingly everywhere—and now growing research suggests they could be breeding grounds for drug-resistant bacteria By Marta Zaraska edited by Lauren J. Young For bacteria, microplastics are the perfect meetup spot—tiny, intimate surfaces where microbes can cling, huddle close and swap genes. And these crowded bacterial…
DNC chair says he’s tired of Democrats bringing ‘pencil to a knife fight’
Stephen Fowler MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin says President Trump is a “dictator-in-chief” whose agenda is “fascism dressed in a red tie” and his party must fight back against his policies. “Now look, folks, I’m sick and tired of this Democratic party bringing a pencil to a knife fight,” Martin said.…
Old master painting looted by Nazis spotted in Argentinian property listing
Dutch newspaper AD says it has traced Giuseppe Ghislandi’s Portrait of a Lady to house near Buenos Aires A photo shows the painting, Portrait of a Lady (Contessa Colleoni) by the late-baroque portraitist Giuseppe Ghislandi, also known as Fra’ Galgario, hanging above a sofa in the living room of the property, in a seaside town…
ID lost to Hurricane Katrina is returned 20 years later
By Melanie Peeples Twenty years after Hurricane Katrina decimated the coasts of Louisiana and Mississippi, few surprises continue to surface, but Becky Copeland has found one. She is a Wildlife Biologist and Park Ranger for the Gulf Islands National Seashore, a group of barrier islands off the coast of Mississippi and Florida, that are mostly…
RFK, Jr., Demanded Study on Vaccines and Aluminum Be Retracted—The Journal Said No
RFK, Jr., Demanded a Vaccine Study Be Retracted—The Journal Said No In a rare move for a U.S. public official, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., called for a paper that found no link between aluminum in vaccines and disease to be retracted. The journal rejected the request By Rachel Fieldhouse…
Human Case of Flesh-Eating Screwworms Detected In U.S.
Human Case of Flesh-Eating Screwworms Detected In U.S. This gruesome parasite is more of a threat to your burger than to you By Madhusree Mukerjee edited by Dean Visser Screw-worm fly (Cochliomyia hominivorax) larvae use their sharp mandibles to dig into and eat away the living tissue of warm-blooded animals, including humans. Just two months…
First human case of flesh-eating screwworm parasite confirmed in US
HHS told Reuters patient had returned from El Salvador but beef industry said person had traveled from Guatemala The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Sunday reported the first human case in the US of travel-associated New World screwworm, a flesh-eating parasite, from an outbreak-affected country. The case, investigated by the Maryland…
Attendees could be in for thunderstorms, dust and hail at this year’s Burning Man
By Ayana Archie People descending on the Nevada desert for this year’s Burning Man event are being met with dust and wind, which could continue over the next few days. The event started Sunday in the Black Rock Desert, about 100 miles north of Reno, Nev. It is “not a festival,” but a “global cultural…
Love Island USA Reunion: Huda Addresses Unseen Heart Rate Footage
During the Love Island USA season seven reunion, out on Peacock Aug. 25, Huda Mustafa reacted to her NSFW behavior with Chelley Bissainthe’s man Ace Green during the Heart Rate challenge. The hot seat may have gotten Huda Mustafa‘s heart racing. During the Love Island USA season seven reunion, out on Peacock Aug. 25, viewers got to…
Three dead and one injured as helicopter crashes during flying lesson
Three people have died and one person has been seriously injured after a helicopter being used for a flying lesson “spiralled” to the ground and crashed in a field on the Isle of Wight. Four people were on board the helicopter when it came down beside the A3020 near Shanklin at about 09:20 BST, Hampshire…
Mexican drug lord ‘El Mayo’ pleads guilty to racketeering in New York
Ismael Zambada was co-founder of Sinaloa cartel led by Joaquín ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán, now imprisoned in US The Mexican drug lord Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, co-founder of the Sinaloa cartel, pleaded guilty to federal racketeering charges as well as running a criminal enterprise on Monday, more than a year since he was arrested in Texas…
KJ Apa Shares He Was a Virgin for “First Couple Years” of Riverdale
KJ Apa confessed that he was still a virgin when he first starred on Riverdale and shared that hookups were common among the cast, which included Cole Sprouse, Lili Reinhart and Camila Mendes. It looks like sing-alongs weren’t the only thing the Riverdale cast were getting up to in their small town. KJ Apa—who starred…