Planet parade: Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and Mercury make for a skywatching spectacle
Like a celestial parade across the cosmos, five bright planets are lighting up the night sky and visible with the naked eye all February long — with two other planets also detectable for skywatchers with special equipment. Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and Mercury are all currently visible with the naked eye for skywatchers in the Northern Hemisphere. Uranus and Neptune are also part of this month’s planetary showcase but are harder to spot because they require binoculars or a telescope to see.
Staff placed on leave, map tool shut down in tumultuous week at EPA
In the brief week and a half Lee Zeldin has helmed the Environmental Protection Agency, a flurry of personnel moves have dramatically shaken up the agency — like many others — and rattled some staff members. On the day of Zeldin’s confirmation last week, the EPA notified about 1,100 “probationary” employees who had been at the agency for less than a year that they could be terminated at any time.
NASA acting head asks staff to take ‘inspiration’ from DOGE efforts as lawmakers cite Musk’s conflict of interest
In a Friday afternoon email to NASA staff, the agency’s acting chief asked employees to embrace the philosophy of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, as workers express concern over recent directives and anti-diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) communications.
Robot dog sprints into history books by breaking speed records
A Chinese team has unveiled a groundbreaking quadruped robot that is pushing the boundaries of robotics and speed. The Black Panther 2.0, developed by Zhejiang University's humanoid innovation institute in collaboration with the Hangzhou-based startup Mirror Me, has achieved a remarkable feat by running approximately 100 meters in under 10 seconds.
Astronomers briefly thought Elon Musk’s car was an asteroid. Here’s why that points to a broader problem
Seven years after SpaceX launched Elon Musk’s cherry red sports car into orbit around our sun, astronomers unwittingly began paying attention to its movements once again. Observers spotted and correctly identified the vehicle as it started its extraterrestrial excursion in February 2018 — after it had blasted off into space during the Falcon Heavy rocket’s splashy maiden launch. But more recently, the car spawned a high-profile case of mistaken identity as space observers mistook it for an asteroid.
Newly discovered asteroid now has a slightly higher risk of hitting Earth
A recently discovered asteroid that has captured the attention of the astronomy community now has a slightly increased risk of affecting Earth. Named 2024 YR4, the asteroid has a 2.2% chance of hitting our planet on December 22, 2032, according to the European Space Agency. The risk assessment has increased from a chance of 1.2% over the last week due to new observations.
Kangaroo embryo produced through IVF for the first time
It's a major scientific leap — or at least a hop. Researchers in Australia said Thursday that they have for the first time successfully produced the first kangaroo embryos through in-vitro fertilization, in a breakthrough that may help save endangered species from extinction.
A test that aims to rule out autism using a strand of hair is now available to the public
A test designed to identify biomarkers associated with autism in infants and young children is now available to the public in most states. LinusBio, a New Jersey-based startup, on Thursday launched the test, called Clearstrand-ASD, which it says can help physicians rule out autism in children 1 to 36 months old. The test requires just a single strand of hair.
How weather driven by climate change helped fuel the Southern California fires
The wildfires that ravaged the Los Angeles area last month were driven by monthslong, climate change-fueled weather patterns, according to scientists studying the meteorological factors behind them. Research released last week by World Weather Attribution, a collaboration of scientists studying the influence of climate change on extreme weather events, found that human-caused global warming made the conditions that drove the Los Angeles-area wildfires about 35% more likely.
Seafood samples contain high levels of microplastics in US state, say researchers
Microplastics were detected in almost every seafood sample found off the coast of the western U.S. in a recent study, researchers claim. The study, led by Portland State University (PSU), identified "anthropogenic particles" — which are materials produced or modified by humans — in the edible tissue of six different species of fish. Those included black rockfish, lingcod, Chinook salmon, Pacific herring, Pacific lamprey, and pink shrimp, according to a PSU press release.