Latest Science News

Solar flares may cause faint auroras across top of Northern Hemisphere

Oct. 04, 2024 11:48 AM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — Solar storms may cause faint northern lights across fringes of the northern United States over the weekend as forecasters monitor for possible disruptions to power and communications. The sun’s magnetic field is currently at the peak of its 11-year cycle, making...

The Nobel Prizes will be announced against a backdrop of wars, famine and artificial intelligence

Oct. 04, 2024 05:49 AM EDT

STAVANGER, Norway (AP) — Wars, a refugee crisis, famine and artificial intelligence could all be recognized when Nobel Prize announcements begin next week under a shroud of violence. The prize week coincides with the Oct. 7 anniversary of the Hamas-led attacks on Israel, which...

Hurricane Helene brings climate change to forefront of the presidential campaign

Oct. 03, 2024 15:25 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The devastation wrought by Hurricane Helene has brought climate change to the forefront of the presidential campaign after the issue lingered on the margins for months. Vice President Kamala Harris traveled to Georgia Wednesday to see hard-hit areas, two days...

Spider lovers scurry to Colorado town in search of mating tarantulas and community

Oct. 03, 2024 07:34 AM EDT

LA JUNTA, Colo. (AP) — Love is in the air on the Colorado plains — the kind that makes your heart beat a bit faster, quickens your step and makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up. It's tarantula mating season, when male spiders scurry out of their burrows in search of a...

World ski body and UN weather agency team up to help winter sports plan for climate change

Oct. 03, 2024 04:13 AM EDT

GENEVA (AP) — Facing a long-time crisis in winter sports because of climate change, the International Ski and Snowboard Federation teamed up with the United Nations weather agency on Thursday. The initial five-year partnership between FIS and the World Meteorological Organization...

NASA switches off instrument on Voyager 2 spacecraft to save power

Oct. 02, 2024 11:21 AM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — To save power, NASA has switched off another scientific instrument on its long-running Voyager 2 spacecraft. The space agency said Tuesday that Voyager 2's plasma science instrument — designed to measure the flow of charged atoms — was powered down in late...

Hurricanes like Helene are deadly when they strike and keep killing for years to come

Oct. 02, 2024 11:08 AM EDT

Hurricanes in the United States end up hundreds of times deadlier than the government calculates, contributing to more American deaths than car accidents or all the nation's wars, a new study said. The average storm hitting the U.S. contributes to the early deaths of 7,000 to 11,000...

Push to map Great Lakes bottom gains momentum amid promises effort will help fishing and shipping

Oct. 02, 2024 01:05 AM EDT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Jennifer Boehme grew up scouting beaches around her home in St. Petersburg, Florida, for whatever she could find. Rocks, sand dollars, coquina mollusks — anything the ocean gave up. Now, 40 years later, Boehme wants to launch another treasure hunt. As...

Swiss glaciers are receding again after 2 punishing years and despite a good start to 2024

Oct. 01, 2024 20:41 PM EDT

GENEVA (AP) — The volume of Switzerland's glaciers shrank again this summer, compounding the negative impact of climate change after a devastating two-year run that depleted the ice by more than 10%, scientific experts reported Tuesday. The cryosphere observation team at the Swiss...

October's 'ring of fire' solar eclipse will dazzle parts of South America and the Pacific

Oct. 01, 2024 18:28 PM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — A “ring of fire” eclipse of the sun is coming. But only a lucky few will be in the path. The annular solar eclipsewill be visible Wednesday over Easter Island and the tips of Argentina and Chile. Here’s how to safely watch the final solar...