Latest Science News
Next UN climate talks are critical to plot aid for poorer nations, says incoming president
WASHINGTON (AP) — The man who will run United Nations climate talks this November views the negotiations as a key link in international efforts to curb global warming. The conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, must build on last year's successful agreement to transition away from fossil...
Indonesians leave homes near erupting volcano and airport closes due to ash danger
MANADO, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian authorities closed an airport and residents left homes near an erupting volcano Thursday due to the dangers of spreading ash, falling rocks, hot volcanic clouds and the possibility of a tsunami. Mount Ruang on the northern side of Sulawesi Island...
UN approves an updated cholera vaccine that could help fight a surge in cases
The World Health Organization has approved a version of a widely used cholera vaccine that could help address a surge in cases that has depleted the global vaccine stockpile and left poorer countries scrambling to contain epidemics. WHO authorized the vaccine, made by EuBiologics,...
This ancient snake in India might have been longer than a school bus and weighed a ton
WASHINGTON (AP) — A ancient giant snake in India might have been longer than a school bus and weighed a ton, researchers reported Thursday. Fossils found near a coal mine revealed a snake that stretched an estimated 36 feet (11 meters) to 50 feet (15 meters). It's comparable to the...
The Lyrid meteor shower peaks this weekend, but it may be hard to see it
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Lyrid meteor shower is underway. But with a nearly full moon in the sky during the peak, it might be tough to see clearly. The Lyrids occur every year in mid-to-late April. This year's peak activity happens Sunday into Monday, with 10 to 20 meteors expected...
Here's why experts don't think cloud seeding played a role in Dubai's downpour
With cloud seeding, it may rain, but it doesn't really pour or flood — at least nothing like what drenched the United Arab Emirates and paralyzed Dubai, meteorologists said. Cloud seeding, although decades old, is still controversial in the weather community, mostly because it has...
Plumbing problem at Glen Canyon Dam brings new threat to Colorado River system
ATLANTA (AP) — Plumbing problems at the dam holding back the second-largest reservoir in the U.S. are spurring concerns about future water delivery issues to Southwestern states supplied by the Colorado River. Federal officials recently reported damage to four tubes known as...
NASA confirms mystery object that crashed through roof of Florida home came from space station
NAPLES, Fla. (AP) — NASA confirmed Monday that a mystery object that crashed through the roof of a Florida home last month was a chunk of space junk from equipment discarded at the International Space Station. The cylindrical object that tore through the home in Naples on March 8...
NASA is seeking a faster, cheaper way to bring Mars samples to Earth
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA’s plan to bring samples from Mars back to Earth is on hold until there’s a faster, cheaper way, space agency officials said Monday. Retrieving Mars soil and rocks has been on NASA’s to-do list for decades, but the date kept moving forward, as...
Your morning coffee may be more than a half million years old
That coffee you slurped this morning? It’s 600,000 years old. Using genes from coffee plants around the world, researchers built a family tree for the world's most popular type of coffee, known to scientists as Coffea arabica and to coffee lovers simply as “arabica.” ...
