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. […]
In case you missed it: Here’s what happened with Trump this week, from Ukraine to DOGE
Domenico Montanaro We’ll be recapping what you need to know every Friday morning for the first 100 days of the Trump administration. Get more updates and analysis in the It’s now been a month since President Trump was sworn in, and the firehose of information coming from the administration continued this week, including: Trump reshaping…
Ex-Army head says UK and Europe must step up over Ukraine
The UK and Europe may need to offer security guarantees to Ukraine in the event of a peace deal with Russia, regardless of US support, the former head of the British armed forces has said on a BBC One Question Time special. Retired General Sir Nick Carter said he believed it was for Ukraine to…
Trump’s picks to oversee Medicare and biomedical research will divest stock
By Sydney Lupkin , Rob Stein If Dr. Mehmet Oz is confirmed to lead the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, he said in an ethics letter dated Feb. 16 that he will sell health care stock and leave his role as an advisor to iHerb, LLC, a nutritional supplement company that he has promoted…
Thanks to Trump, Saudi Arabia Gets a Big Week in Diplomacy
Russia-Ukraine War Riyadh is hosting U.S., Russian and Arab officials for high-stakes talks on Ukraine and Gaza, more proof of its regional clout and warm relations with President Trump. By Vivian Yee and Ismaeel Naar Vivian Yee reported from Cairo, and Ismaeel Naar from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Only a few years ago, Washington was calling…
Trump Administration’s Attacks on Science in First 30 Days
Science under Siege during Trump’s First 30 Days The Trump administration has acted fast to attack science with a range of funding and policy tactics By Jeff Tollefson, Max Kozlov, Alexandra Witze, Dan Garisto & Nature magazine U.S. President Donald Trump looks at an executive order on halting federal funds for schools and universities that…
Argentina court drops charges against three people over Liam Payne death
Charges of criminal negligence dropped against three key defendants over death of British singer in October A court in Argentina has dropped charges of criminal negligence against three of the five people indicted in connection with the death of Liam Payne, the former One Direction singer who fell from a third-floor hotel balcony in Buenos…
Justin Bieber Shares Cryptic Message on Maturing and Letting Go
Justin Bieber—who, along with his wife Hailey Bieber, has pushed back against divorce rumors in recent months—shared a lengthy Instagram message about his spirituality and finding love Feb. 20. Justin Bieber will never say never to changing. The “Peaches” singer—who has been facing rumors of a rocky relationship with wife Hailey Bieber since December—recently shared…
Kenya’s wildlife tourism, a casualty of COVID, gets a lifeline
From July to October each year, millions of wildebeests, zebras and other wildlife travel from Tanzania to Kenya’s Maasai Mara region — a phenomenon known as “The Great Migration.” But the animals are not usually the only ones that flood the region during this time: Typically, thousands of tourists flock to the Maasai Mara to…
IPCC report: Climate change could soon outpace humanity’s ability to adapt
The catastrophic impacts of climate breakdown may soon outpace humanity’s ability to adapt to it, according to a new report. Co-authored by 270 researchers from 67 countries, the latest report from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) describes “an atlas of human suffering and a damning indictment of failed climate leadership,” according to…
Leighton Meester Joins Nobody Wants This With Husband Adam Brody
Leighton Meester is set to act alongside husband Adam Brody once again in a guest role on his romantic comedy series Nobody Wants This, Netflix announced Feb. 20. Nobody will want to miss Leighton Meester’s onscreen reunion with husband Adam Brody. The Gossip Girl alum is set to appear in the upcoming second season of…
Anglo American writes down value of diamond firm De Beers by $2.9bn
Sale of the miner, which is now valued at $4bn, may be delayed following ‘really, really difficult’ market The world’s biggest diamond miner, De Beers, cost its parent company almost $3bn last year as the growth in lab-grown stones continues to take the shine off the industry. Anglo American was forced to write down the…
Israeli family mourns ‘man of peace’ as body returned from Gaza
From her house in East London, British-Israeli Sharone Lifschitz never gave up hope that her 84-year-old father Oded would return from the horror of Hamas captivity, after more than 500 days. He was a man of peace, a campaigner for, and a friend of, Palestinians. He was dragged from his home by Palestinian gunmen on…
Reversing U.S. policy, Trump attacks Zelenskyy, blames Ukraine for war with Russia
By Greg Myre , Joanna Kakissis WASHINGTON and KYIV — For the past three years, the U.S. has been Ukraine’s leading supporter in its war with Russia. Yet with a series of blunt comments, President Trump is now sounding more aligned with Russia than Ukraine. Trump, writing on social media, used his strongest language to…
Jessica Simpson Shares Rare Insight Into Nick Lachey Divorce Aftermath
Nearly 20 years after Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey divorced, the “Irresistible” singer detailed the aftermath in a conversation with sister Ashlee Simpson Ross. Jessica Simpson is reflecting on the last time she started over. Nearly 20 years after the “Irresistible” singer, now 44, filed for divorce from Nick Lachey, she shared insight into turning…
Police search for woman who escaped Panama hotel where US deportees are being held
Zheng Lijuan fled Panama City hotel as 170 of deported migrants were transported to dense, lawless region Police are searching for a Chinese woman who escaped from a downtown Panama City hotel where she was being held following her deportation from the US under Donald Trump’s intensified campaign against immigrants. Zheng Lijuan was one of…
Funding cuts leave a forest at risk
One of the world’s most important places for nature is a small strip of mountainous forest no more than about 40 miles wide. And for want of a relatively small amount of money, its long-term health is in doubt. Not many people have heard of Cambodia’s Cardamom Mountains, home to one of the last large…
Greenland’s Big Moment
North Pole Svalbard (NOR.) Arctic Ocean Future shipping routes Ice cap Baffin Bay GREENLAND Rare-earth mining project linked to business leaders CANADA Ilulissat ICELAND Nuuk Known deposits of critical minerals 300 Miles Atlantic Ocean North Pole Future shipping routes Ice cap GREENLAND Baffin Bay Known deposits of critical minerals CANADA Rare-earth mining project linked to…
Republican proposals to cut Medicaid could be politically fraught
From By Phil Galewitz Medicaid is under threat — again. Republicans, who narrowly control Congress, are pushing proposals that could sharply cut funding to the government health insurance program for poor and disabled Americans, as a way to finance President Trump’s agenda for tax cuts and border security. Democrats, hoping to block the GOP’s plans…
Surprising Chimpanzee Signal Reveals Secrets of Ape Communication
Surprising Chimpanzee Signal Reveals Secrets of Ape Communication A rare and deliberate signal between a mother chimpanzee and her daughter raises new questions about ape communication, culture and the meaning of sharing a language By Avery Schuyler Nunn edited by Sarah Lewin Frasier A mother chimpanzee, Beryl, sits by her infant, Lindsay, in a remote…
Israel’s ‘hearts lie in tatters’ as Hamas hands over first dead hostages
“The hearts of an entire nation lie in tatters,” Israel’s President Isaac Herzog has said, as the bodies of four hostages taken alive by Hamas in its attack on 7 October 2023 were returned to Tel Aviv. Hamas says the bodies are those of a mother and two children from the Bibas family, whose unknown…
Trump’s DEI Purge Is Hitting NASA Hard
Trump’s DEI Purge Is Hitting NASA Hard Space scientists within NASA and outside it feel betrayed by the Trump administration’s changes at the agency, which was known for promoting inclusion in science By Alexandra Witze & Nature magazine NASA’s diverse astronaut corps was an example of the agency’s support for diversity and inclusion. In the…
China repatriates more than 1,000 online scam workers rescued from Myanmar
By The Associated Press BANGKOK — An airlift carrying more than 1,000 Chinese nationals who had worked at online scam centers in eastern Myanmar began Thursday, after the rescued workers were taken across the border to Thailand and put on chartered flights to China. Thailand, China and Myanmar have coordinated efforts over the past month…
Trump’s dismantling of USAid raises risk of mpox global emergency, experts warn
As administration cuts off resources from African countries to contain outbreak, workers say ‘everybody’s lost’ As the Trump administration dismantles the US Agency for International Development (USAid) and retreats from funding global public health efforts, mpox – formerly known as monkeypox – is at greater risk of becoming a wider global emergency, according to aid…
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West Reunite to Support Daughter North West
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, who finalized their divorce in 2022, reunited to support daughter North West’s The Lion King debut during the Feb. 20 episode of The Kardashians. Kanye West is keeping up with The Kardashians. The “Famous” rapper made a cameo on his ex-wife Kim Kardashian‘s reality show during the Feb. 20 episode,…
Jet-Skis in Rwanda. Bodies Ashore in Congo.
Congo-Rwanda Conflict Rwanda-Congo dispatch The Rwandan shore of Lake Kivu offers leisure and relaxation. Across the border in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the same lake was recently the site of devastation and misery after a rebel offensive. By the peaceful shore of Lake Kivu in Gisenyi, Rwanda, this month. By Elian Peltier Photographs by…
Starmer backs Zelensky after Trump calls him ‘dictator’
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has backed Volodymyr Zelensky as a “democratically elected leader” after Donald Trump described the Ukrainian president as a “dictator”. Sir Keir called Zelensky on Wednesday evening and told him it was “perfectly reasonable” for Ukraine to “suspend elections during wartime as the UK did during World War Two”, Downing Street…
Trump FEMA Firings Hit Agency Already Suffering Staffing Shortages
FEMA Firings Hit Agency Already Suffering Staffing Shortages After firing 200 first-year employees this weekend, FEMA was directed “to make a list” of anyone who worked on climate or equity By Thomas Frank & E&E News Members of the FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Task Force search a flood-damaged area with a search canine in…
Military doctors prepare to deploy to Guantanamo for extended stay
Ximena Bustillo Military medical units, including surgeons and OB-GYN specialists in the U.S. Air Force and Army, are preparing for deployment to Guantanamo Bay this weekend as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to expand detention there for those without legal status in the U.S. An order obtained by NPR on Wednesday that was sent…
Alarmed by Trump’s Gaza Plan, Arab Leaders Brainstorm on Their Own
Middle East Tensions Since President Trump suggested depopulating Gaza, Arab officials have offered other ideas for reconstruction. But the emerging consensus repackages old plans as new ones. By Patrick Kingsley and Vivian Yee The journalists, reporting from Jerusalem and Cairo, spoke with diplomats, politicians and analysts briefed on the Arab initiative. After President Trump shocked…
Bhad Bhabie Is Unrecognizable With Dramatic Blonde Hair Transformation
Bhad Bhabie unveiled a shocking blonde hair transformation on social media Feb. 19 alongside a snippet of her new diss track “Ms. Whitman,” leading some to question the new look’s inspiration. Catch Bhad Bhabie’s new hairdo outside. The 21-year-old—who rose to fame in 2016 after her viral appearance on Dr. Phil—recently debuted a head-turning new…
Archaeologists discover first pharaoh’s tomb in Egypt in more than a century
Uncovering tomb of Thutmose II hailed as most significant discovery since Tutankhamun in 1922 Litherland had been exploring the Valley of the Kings in Egypt for more than a decade when he discovered a staircase that led to the tomb, now known to have belonged to Thutmose II, who reigned from 1493 to 1479BC. It…
Trump echoes Russia as he upends US position on Ukraine
If there were any lingering doubts about Donald Trump’s view of the Ukraine war and America’s support of Kyiv’s fight against Russia, he put them to rest in stark terms on Wednesday. Lashing out at Volodymyr Zelensky, who less than three years ago received a standing ovation in Congress for his efforts to resist Russia’s…
Brazilians hail strength of democracy as Bolsonaro is called to account
‘In Brazil coup-mongers go to jail. In the US they get back into the White House,’ says one leading politician Brazilian democrats have celebrated the strength of their country’s judiciary and institutions after the former president Jair Bolsonaro was left facing political oblivion and jail time for allegedly plotting a coup, in stark contrast to…
Trump calls Zelensky a ‘dictator’ as rift between two leaders deepens
President Trump has launched a fresh attack on Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, calling him a “dictator” and deepening the rift between the two leaders. His latest salvo came after Zelensky, reacting to US-Russia talks in Saudi Arabia from which Kyiv was excluded, said the US president was “living in a disinformation space” governed by Moscow.…
Astronauts in Space Address Donald Trump’s Claim They Were “Abandoned”
NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore respond to President Donald Trump’s allegation that they were “abandoned in space” as they prepare for their flight back to Earth in March. NASA’s Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore want to clear up any cosmic confusion about their prolonged space trip. Three weeks after President Donald Trump said the…
Migrants Deported to Panama by Trump Administration Taken to Jungle Camp
U.S. Immigration The group of unauthorized migrants, which includes children, were bused to the camp late Tuesday night. “It looks like a zoo, there are fenced cages,” said one of the detainees. By Julie TurkewitzFarnaz FassihiHamed Aleaziz and Annie Correal Julie Turkewitz reported from Bogotá, Colombia, Farnaz Fassihi from New York, Hamed Aleaziz from Washington…
FDA staff handling drug safety for pets and livestock lost jobs in Trump firings
By Will Stone , Sydney Lupkin One casualty of the mass firings across federal health agencies are regulators who ensure drugs for pets and livestock are safe and effective. The cuts hit the Center for Veterinary Medicine, an arm of the Food and Drug Administration that regulates the safety and efficacy of drugs, food and…
Zelensky says Trump living in Russian ‘disinformation space’
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has responded to criticism of Kyiv by Donald Trump, by saying his US counterpart is “living in a disinformation space” created by Russia. On Tuesday, President Trump appeared to blame Ukraine for the war and suggested the Ukrainian leader’s popularity rating was as low as 4%. Trump was speaking after US-Russia…
Trump’s ‘Iron Dome’ Space Weapons Plan Ignores Physics and Fiscal Reality
Opinion ArgonautWednesdays Trump’s ‘Iron Dome’ Space Weapons Plan Ignores Physics and Fiscal Reality Proposed U.S. space defenses against hypersonic nuclear missiles are unnecessary, impractical and would trigger a dangerous new arms race By Dan Vergano edited by Megha Satyanarayana Keep in touch with the Argonaut: Get email alerts for this weekly column by Dan Vergano…
Jason Kelce Details Travis Kelce’s Growth Since Dating Taylor Swift
Jason Kelce explains how Travis Kelce’s relationship with Taylor Swift has impacted his younger brother and changed him for the better. Jason Kelce can thank Travis Kelce’s cheer captain for his growth. The They Call it Late Night host admitted that he’s seen quite a change in his younger brother since he and Taylor Swift…
Zelensky Urges ‘More Truth’ After Trump Suggests Ukraine Started the War
Russia-Ukraine War The remarks by President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine were some of his most pointed yet about President Trump’s views on the war. transcript And I think I have the power to end this war. And I think it’s going very well. But today I heard, Oh, well, we weren’t invited. Well, you’ve been…
The Ugandan arts centre bringing harmony to Africa’s biggest refugee camp
The Bidi Bidi performing arts venue offers more than 250,000 refugees the chance to sing, play, dance – and dream of a peaceful future The sound of a flute floats towards five young men in the 1,000-seat Bidi Bidi Performing Arts Centre theatre in Uganda – the country that hosts the highest number of refugees…
She worked for years to get a federal job. Within a month, she was fired
Geoff Brumfiel Rose’s brief career as a federal employee ended last Thursday. “I was winding down for the day, and then all of a sudden, I got a notification ping,” she says. She reached for her government phone, which had been issued to her just a month earlier when she took a new job at…
Why Millie Bobby Brown and Jake Bongiovi Give Love a Good Name
Millie Bobby Brown played it cool when she finally met future husband Jake Bongiovi after they bonded over Instagram—but it wasn’t long before both knew they had to hold on to what they got. Millie Bobby Brown and Jake Bongiovi may have met in the most Gen Z of ways, but their courtship quickly took a turn for…
Steve Rosenberg: How Putin and Trump shook the world up in a week
When he penned his eyewitness account of the 1917 Russian Revolution, American journalist John Reed famously titled it Ten Days That Shook The World. But 10 days is too long for Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. They’ve shaken things up in a week. It began with the Putin-Trump telephone conversation on 12 February and their…
UN rights body accuses Rwanda-backed militia of killing children in eastern DRC
OHCHR says Tutsi-led M23 group killed three boys in Bukavu last week after capturing the city The UN human rights office accused the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels of killing three children in Bukavu, the Democratic Republic of the Congo city they captured last week, expressing alarm at human rights violations by the militia. “Our office has…
Government Agencies, Universities, Nonprofits Pause Critical Work Over Trump Administration Executive Orders
Trump Takes a ‘Giant Wrecking Ball’ to U.S. Research America’s status as a global science leader is in doubt as the administration freezes funding and targets research that references climate or diversity By Chelsea Harvey & E&E News Thousands of New Yorkers gather at the ‘Stop the Coup’ rally against the Trump Administration in Union…
Sudan paramilitary group kills more than 200 people in three-day attack, activists say
The Emergency Lawyers network said the RSF killed civilians south of Khartoum, with hundreds more either wounded or missing Sudanese paramilitaries have killed more than 200 people in a three-day assault south of Khartoum, according to a lawyers’ network, while the army-backed government put the death toll at more than double that figure. The Emergency…
Designer Perfumes Under $100
Designer fragrances for less? Shop budget-friendly perfume finds from Lancôme, Thierry Mugler, Gucci, and more. The products featured in this article are from brands available in NBCUniversal Checkout. E! makes a commission on purchases. If you love fragrance, you know that growing your collection isn’t cheap, especially if you enjoy indulging in a pricey designer perfume…
Jeremy Bowen: No sign of a quick peace dividend for Trump in Ukraine
The Russians and Americans are talking again, as European leaders and diplomats contemplate the hard choices forced on them by US President Donald Trump. Without question, Trump’s diplomatic ultimatum to Ukraine and America’s Western European allies has cracked the transatlantic alliance, perhaps beyond repair. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky looks rattled by the abrupt change of…
In Indonesia, villagers find innovative ways to adapt to climate change
Climate change is already affecting people around the world — so adapting is crucial. In some places, at least, people are finding innovative ways to adapt, according to new research. A new study shows that using nature to adapt to intense storms and drought can be affective for thriving in a changing climate. In some…
In wind-swept Andes, (sustainable) vicuña wool is good as gold
The vast plains of the Altiplano in southern Bolivia are a seemingly lifeless expanse. With sparse vegetation, desert sands and dry salt flats, it’s difficult to imagine how any creature could survive in an ecosystem like this. Yet in the midst of this landscape, the vicuña — the undomesticated, fluffy cousin of the alpaca, and…
In Galápagos, novel conservation approach finds ‘sweet spot’ between production, protection
Scott Henderson is the vice president of the Sustainable Landscapes and Seascapes program at Conservation International. A visitor to the Galápagos Islands at the turn of the millennium would have found an archipelago booming. The Ecuadorian islands, a UNESCO World Heritage site, were a growing tourist hotspot. But for local communities on the islands, the…
In high seas, scientists see a lifeline for coral reefs
The vast, underexplored seas covering much of the planet could be the key to saving what remains of a more familiar undersea feature, a new study finds. The “living rock” that thrives in tropical shallows around the world, coral supports a quarter of all marine life. Yet around 20 percent of the world’s coral is…
In fishing industry, women face hidden hardships: study
The fishing industry is facing a reckoning. Journalists and researchers in recent years have uncovered slavery, child labor and human trafficking on fishing vessels, spurring a global push to address human rights abuses on the high seas. However, what happens after the fish are caught has remained largely hidden. According to researchers, millions of onshore…
In new film, top scientists urge action to avoid Earth’s ‘tipping point’
Earth is teetering perilously close to a tipping point — a state of environmental collapse beyond which humanity cannot survive. But it’s not too late to bring us back from the edge, says Conservation International’s Chief Scientist Johan Rockström in a new Netflix film. Released today, “Breaking Boundaries: The Science of Our Planet” is narrated…
In historic move, Costa Rica makes big splash for conservation
Costa Rica announced Friday that it will expand its protected ocean area from 2.7 percent to more than 30 percent of its territorial waters — a major leap that puts the Central American country nine years ahead of a global deadline to protect nearly a third of the world’s land and sea. The expanded Cocos…
Russia won’t accept Nato troops in Ukraine, Lavrov says after talks with US
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said his country won’t accept peacekeeping forces from Nato countries in Ukraine under any peace deal, following high-level talks with the US in Saudi Arabia. “Any appearance by armed forces under some other flag does not change anything. It is of course completely unacceptable,” he said. Russia and the…
Broken Legs and Ankles Heal Better If You Walk on Them within Weeks
Opinion Broken Legs and Ankles Heal Better If You Walk on Them within Weeks Using crutches for months is largely a thing of the past. Early weight-bearing has real benefits By Lydia Denworth edited by Josh Fischman Twenty years ago my husband, Mark, broke his left ankle and was in a cast and on crutches…
Zelensky Lashes Out at Trump for Excluding Ukrainians From Peace Talks
Russia-Ukraine War Left out of a meeting between American and Saudi officials, the Ukrainian leader also canceled a trip to Riyadh. By Andrew E. Kramer Reporting from Kyiv, Ukraine Shortly after the United States’ opening meeting with Russian officials on Tuesday, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine lashed out at the Trump administration’s negotiating tactics in…