Latest Science News

US and Japan seek UN resolution calling on all nations to ban nuclear weapons in outer space

Mar. 18, 2024 21:31 PM EDT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United States and Japan are sponsoring a U.N. Security Council resolution calling on all nations not to deploy or develop nuclear weapons in space, the U.S. ambassador announced Monday. Linda Thomas-Greenfield told a U.N. Security Council meeting that...

Astronaut Thomas Stafford, commander of Apollo 10, has died at age 93

Mar. 18, 2024 13:45 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Astronaut Thomas P. Stafford, who commanded a dress rehearsal flight for the 1969 moon landing and the first U.S.-Soviet space linkup, died Monday. He was 93. Stafford, a retired Air Force three-star general, took part in four space missions. Before Apollo 10, he...

The spring equinox is here. What does that mean?

Mar. 18, 2024 01:02 AM EDT

Spring is almost here — officially, at least. The vernal equinox arrives on Tuesday, marking the start of the spring season for the Northern Hemisphere. But what does that actually mean? Here's what to know about how we split up the year using the Earth's orbit. ...

A volcano in Iceland is erupting for the fourth time in 3 months, sending plumes of lava skywards

Mar. 16, 2024 21:22 PM EDT

GRINDAVIK, Iceland (AP) — A volcano in Iceland erupted Saturday evening for the fourth time in three months, sending orange jets of lava into the night sky. Iceland’s Meteorological Office said the eruption opened a fissure in the earth about 3 kilometers (almost 2 miles) long...

Meteorologists say this year's warm winter provided key ingredient for Midwest killer tornadoes

Mar. 15, 2024 16:07 PM EDT

This winter's record warmth provided the key ingredient for a Midwest outbreak of deadly tornadoes and damaging gorilla hail that hit parts of the Midwest Wednesday and Thursday, tornado experts said. At least three people were killed in Thursday's tornado outbreak in Ohio, Kentucky,...

College swimmers, volleyball players sue NCAA over transgender policies

Mar. 15, 2024 13:53 PM EDT

ATLANTA (AP) — Former Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines was among more than a dozen college athletes who filed a lawsuit against the NCAA on Thursday, accusing it of violating their Title IX rights by allowing transgender woman Lia Thomas to compete at the national championships in 2022. ...

Businesses are ready for April's total solar eclipse with celestial-themed doughnuts and beer

Mar. 15, 2024 13:13 PM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — Eclipse-themed beer. Jewelry and ornaments. And doughnuts that capture the sun's disappearing act with the help of buttercream frosting. With April 8's total solar eclipse right around the corner, businesses are ready for the celestial event that will dim skies...

SpaceX comes close to completing test flight of mega rocket but loses spacecraft near end

Mar. 14, 2024 20:58 PM EDT

SpaceX came close to completing an hourlong test flight of its mega rocket on its third try Thursday, but the spacecraft was lost as it descended back to Earth. The company said it lost contact with Starship as it neared its goal, a splashdown in the Indian Ocean. The first-stage...

What's Pi Day all about? Math, science, pies and more

Mar. 14, 2024 17:12 PM EDT

Math enthusiasts around the world, from college kids to rocket scientists, celebrate Pi Day on Thursday, which is March 14 or 3/14 — the first three digits of an infinite number with many practical uses. Around the world many people will mark the day with a slice of pie — sweet,...

Facts about hail, the icy precipitation often encountered in spring and summer

Mar. 14, 2024 12:07 PM EDT

Intense storms swept through Kansas and Missouri on Wednesday and brought whipping winds, possible tornadoes, and what some described as “gorilla hail.” In Kansas, hail nearly the size of a softball and measuring 4 inches (10 centimeters) was reported in the town of Wabaunsee and...