Latest Science News

A robot retrieves the first melted fuel from Fukushima nuclear reactor

Nov. 04, 2024 14:39 PM EST

TOKYO (AP) — A remote-controlled robot has safely returned with a tiny piece of melted fuel it collected from inside one of three damaged reactors at the tsunami-hit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant for the first time since the 2011 meltdown. The Tokyo Electric Power Company...

Volcanic eruption burns houses in Indonesia, killing at least 10 people

Nov. 04, 2024 12:53 PM EST

MAUMERE, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency said Monday that at least 10 people have died as a series of volcanic eruptions widens on the remote island of Flores. The eruption at Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki around midnight spewed thick brownish ash as...

China space station crew returns to Earth after 6 months in space

Nov. 04, 2024 04:36 AM EST

BEIJING (AP) — Three Chinese astronauts returned to Earth on Monday after a six-month stay on the Tiangong space station, part of China’s effort to be a global leader in space exploration. A parachute slowed their capsule's nighttime descent to a remote landing area in China's...

Japanese nuclear reactor that restarted 13 years after Fukushima disaster is shut down again

Nov. 03, 2024 23:40 PM EST

TOKYO (AP) — A Japanese nuclear reactor that restarted last week for the first time in more than 13 years after it had survived a massive 2011 earthquake and tsunami that badly damaged the nearby Fukushima nuclear plant was shut down again Monday due to an equipment problem, its operator said. ...

The Taurid meteor showers peak a week apart in November

Nov. 03, 2024 09:04 AM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two sister meteor showers are already flashing across night skies — and will peak a week apart. The Southern Taurids will reach their zenith early Tuesday morning and the Northern Taurids on Nov. 12. While the two showers only produce around five...

Canadian Mounties bust massive drug 'super lab' linked to transnational organized crime

Oct. 31, 2024 18:46 PM EDT

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Canadian police dismantled what they said Thursday is the largest, most sophisticated illicit drug “super lab” in the country. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police believe organized crime ran the operation where there was mass-production and...

Climate change is making extreme downpours in Spain heavier and more likely, scientists say

Oct. 31, 2024 14:56 PM EDT

Human-caused climate change made Spain’s rainfall about 12% heavier and doubled the likelihood of a storm as intense as this week’s deluge of Valencia, according to a rapid but partial analysis Thursday by World Weather Attribution, a group of international scientists who study global...

Spain's horrific flooding another nasty hit in a fall where climate extremes just keep coming

Oct. 30, 2024 17:26 PM EDT

Even for an era of more extreme weather, this autumn has seemingly shifted into yet another gear, especially in a rain-weary Europe where massive and deadly flooding in Spain's Valencia region is the latest incarnation. At least 95 people have been killed in flooding that sent cars...

Scientists detect traces of an ancient Mayan city in southern Mexico using laser-sensor technology

Oct. 30, 2024 17:18 PM EDT

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Archaeologists using laser-sensing technology have detected what may be an ancient Mayan city cloaked by jungle in southern Mexico, authorities said Wednesday. The lost city, dubbed Valeriana by researchers after the name of a nearby lagoon, may have been as...

Recent whale deaths highlight risks from Antarctica's booming krill fishery

Oct. 30, 2024 13:49 PM EDT

MIAMI (AP) — Two humpback whales were found dead and another seriously injured this year in huge nets used to collect krill for fishmeal and omega-3 pills near Antarctica, The Associated Press has learned. The whale deaths, which have not been previously reported, were discussed...