Latest Science News
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...
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.” ...
Scientists say coral reefs around the world are experiencing mass bleaching in warming oceans
Coral reefs around the world are experiencing global bleaching for the fourth time, top reef scientists declared Monday, a result of warming ocean waters amid human-caused climate change. Coral reef bleaching across at least 53 countries, territories or local economies has been...
What does science say about the ingredients in functional beverages?
Functional beverages — or drinks promoted as offering mental or physical benefits beyond hydration — are growing in popularity around the world. Hundreds of companies have jumped into the market, hoping to get some buzz with trendy and sometimes unfamiliar ingredients. Here are...
Oldest living conjoined twins, Lori and George Schappell, die at 62
READING, Pa. (AP) — Conjoined twins Lori and George Schappell, who pursued separate careers, interests and relationships during lives that defied medical expectations, died this month in Pennsylvania, according to funeral home officials. They were 62. The twins, listed by Guinness...
Dead whale in New Jersey had a fractured skull among numerous injuries, experts find
LONG BEACH TOWNSHIP, N.J. (AP) — A post-mortem examination of a whale that washed ashore on New Jersey's Long Beach Island found that the animal had sustained numerous blunt force injuries including a fractured skull and vertebrae. The Marine Mammal Stranding Center on Friday...
