Bezos’ rocket company pins crash on overheated engine nozzle
March 24, 2023 GMTCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — An overheated rocket engine nozzle caused last year’s Blue Origin launch failure that has grounded flights for six months, the company said Friday.
California eases water restrictions, but drought isn’t over
March 24, 2023 GMTDUNNIGAN, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom ended some of the state's water restrictions on Friday because a winter of relentless rain and snow has replenished the state's reservoirs and eased fears of a shortage after three years of severe drought.
Russians, American delayed in space to return in September
March 24, 2023 GMTMOSCOW (AP) — Two cosmonauts and an astronaut who were supposed to leave the International Space Station this month will be brought back to Earth in late September, doubling their time aboard the orbiting laboratory to more than a year, Russia's space agency announced Friday.
Asteroid that could wipe out a city is near, but don’t fear
March 23, 2023 GMTCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — An asteroid big enough to wipe out a city will zip harmlessly between Earth and the moon's orbit this weekend, missing both celestial bodies.
Saturday’s close encounter will offer astronomers the chance to study a space rock from just over 100,000 miles (168,000 kilometers) away.
A fish can sense another’s fear, a study shows
March 23, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Our capacity to care about others may have very, very ancient origins, a new study suggests.
It might have been deep-rooted in prehistoric animals that lived millions of years ago, before fish and mammals like us diverged on the tree of life, according to researchers who published their study Thursday in the journal Science.
Launch debut of 3D-printed rocket ends in failure, no orbit
March 23, 2023 GMTCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A rocket made almost entirely of 3D-printed parts made its launch debut Wednesday night, lifting off amid fanfare but failing three minutes into flight — far short of orbit.
What made Beethoven sick? DNA from his hair offers clues
March 22, 2023 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — Nearly 200 years after Ludwig van Beethoven's death, researchers pulled DNA from strands of his hair, searching for clues about the health problems and hearing loss that plagued him.
Sotheby’s hopes for record sale of ancient Hebrew Bible
March 22, 2023 GMTJERUSALEM (AP) — One of the oldest surviving biblical manuscripts, a nearly complete 1,100-year-old Hebrew Bible, could soon be yours — for a cool $30 million.
The Codex Sassoon, a leather-bound, handwritten parchment tome containing almost the entirety of the Hebrew Bible, is set to go on the block at Sotheby’s in New York in May.
EU warns Spain over expanding irrigation near prized wetland
March 21, 2023 GMTBARCELONA, Spain (AP) — The European Union has warned Spain that it won’t tolerate renewed plans by regional politicians in the country’s south to expand irrigation near the prized Doñana wetlands, which scientists and ecologists say are in danger of drying up.
UN chief’s call for ambition on climate gets muted response
March 21, 2023 GMTBERLIN (AP) — Senior government officials at a climate meeting in Copenhagen gave a muted response Tuesday to calls from the head of the United Nations for countries to show greater ambition when it comes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Snap! Venus fly trap fans ask South Carolina to honor plant
March 22, 2023 GMTCOLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Conservationists are pushing for the Venus fly trap to be South Carolina's official carnivorous plant, joining other official items such as the state bird (Carolina Wren), state opera (Porgy and Bess) and the state snack (boiled peanuts).
Biden creates national monuments in Nevada, Texas mountains
March 21, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden said Tuesday he is establishing national monuments on more than half a million acres in Nevada and Texas and creating a marine sanctuary in U.S. waters near the Pacific Remote Islands southwest of Hawaii.
Number of monarch butterflies wintering in Mexico drops 22%
March 21, 2023 GMTMEXICO CITY (AP) — The number of monarch butterflies wintering in the mountains of central Mexico dropped 22% from the previous year, and the number of trees lost from their favored wintering grounds tripled.
African nations consider swapping debt for climate funding
March 21, 2023 GMTMOMBASA, Kenya (AP) — African countries saddled with debt and ravaged by losses and damages from weather events like cyclones, drought and extreme temperatures have agreed to consider swapping debt to invest in climate action in a meeting of finance ministers in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.
World on ‘thin ice’ as UN climate report gives stark warning
March 20, 2023 GMTBERLIN (AP) — Humanity still has a chance, close to the last, to prevent the worst of climate change's future harms, a top United Nations panel of scientists said Monday.
Last wild Atlantic salmon can survive Maine dams, feds say
March 20, 2023 GMTPORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The federal government ruled Monday that the last wild Atlantic salmon in the country can coexist with hydroelectric dams on a Maine river, dealing a blow to environmentalists who have long sought to remove the dams.
It’s the first day of spring: Here’s what that really means
March 20, 2023 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — Spring has sprung!
Monday marked the spring equinox — at least for those in the Northern Hemisphere.
Thai officials trace missing radioactive cylinder to foundry
March 20, 2023 GMTBANGKOK (AP) — Thai officials said Monday they have traced to a recycling foundry a metal cylinder with radioactive contents that was discovered earlier this month missing from a power plant, but advised that there appeared to be no public health hazard.
Their world was the oyster: Oldest pearl town found in UAE
March 20, 2023 GMTSINIYAH ISLAND, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Archaeologists said Monday they have found the oldest pearling town in the Persian Gulf on an island off one of the northern sheikhdoms of the United Arab Emirates.
Report: 43,000 estimated dead in Somalia drought last year
March 20, 2023 GMTNAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — A new report says an estimated 43,000 people died amid Somalia's longest drought on record last year and half of them likely were children under 5 years old.
Millions of dead fish wash up amid heat wave in Australia
March 19, 2023 GMTCANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Millions of fish have washed up dead in southeastern Australia in a die-off that authorities and scientists say is caused by depleted oxygen levels in the river after recent floods and hot weather.
Regulators: Nuclear plant leak didn’t require public notice
March 18, 2023 GMTMinnesota regulators knew four months ago that radioactive waste had leaked from a nuclear power plant in Monticello — but they didn’t announce anything about the leak until this week.
New COVID origins data point to raccoon dogs in China market
March 17, 2023 GMTBEIJING (AP) — Genetic material collected at a Chinese market near where the first human cases of COVID-19 were identified show raccoon dog DNA comingled with the virus, adding evidence to the theory that the virus originated from animals, not from a lab, international experts say.
Scientists create mice with cells from 2 males for 1st time
March 17, 2023 GMTFor the first time, scientists have created baby mice from two males.
This raises the distant possibility of using the same technique for people – although experts caution that very few mouse embryos developed into live mouse pups and no one knows whether it would work for humans.
Drought over? Spring outlook finds relief -- and flood risk
March 16, 2023 GMTALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Record snowfall and rain have helped to loosen drought’s grip on parts of the western U.S. as national forecasters and climate experts warned Thursday that some areas should expect more flooding as the snow begins to melt.
Floods fill some of California’s summer strawberry fields
March 16, 2023 GMTAs river water gushed through a broken levee, thousands of people in a California farming town were forced to evacuate as their homes were flooded and businesses destroyed.
Willow oil project approval intensifies Alaska Natives’ rift
March 16, 2023 GMTANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The Biden administration’s approval this week of the biggest oil drilling project in Alaska in decades promises to widen a rift among Alaska Natives, with some saying that oil money can't counter the damages caused by climate change and others defending the project as economically vital.
Virgin Orbit pausing all work, reportedly furloughs staff
March 16, 2023 GMTLONDON (AP) — Virgin Orbit said Thursday it is pausing all operations amid reports that the company is furloughing almost all its staff as part of a bid to seek a funding lifeline.
The California-based satellite launch company confirmed it's putting all work on hold, but didn't say how long for.
Seeking Alzheimer’s clues from few who escape genetic fate
March 16, 2023 GMTST. LOUIS (AP) — Doug Whitney inherited the same gene mutation that gave Alzheimer’s disease to his mother, brother and generations of other relatives by the unusually young age of 50.
Storms end Southern California water restrictions for 7M
March 16, 2023 GMTLOS ANGELES (AP) — California’s 11th atmospheric river left the storm-soaked state with a bang Wednesday, bringing flooded roadways, landslides and toppled trees to the southern part of the state as well as drought-busting rainfall that meant the end of water restrictions for nearly 7 million people.
Musk brought internet to Brazil’s Amazon. Criminals love it.
March 16, 2023 GMTATALAIA DO NORTE, Brazil (AP) — Brazilian federal agents aboard three helicopters descended on an illegal mining site on Tuesday in the Amazon rainforest. They were met with gunfire, and the shooters escaped, leaving behind an increasingly familiar find for authorities: Starlink internet units.
US tribes get bison as they seek to restore bond with animal
March 16, 2023 GMTGOLDEN, Colo. (AP) — Dozens of bison from a mountain park outside Denver were transferred Wednesday to several tribes from across the Great Plains, in the latest example of Native Americans reclaiming stewardship over animals their ancestors lived alongside for millennia.
Here’s how an AI tool may flag parents with disabilities
March 15, 2023 GMTPITTSBURGH (AP) — For the two weeks that the Hackneys’ baby girl lay in a Pittsburgh hospital bed weak from dehydration, her parents rarely left her side, sometimes sleeping on the fold-out sofa in the room.
NASA Webb telescope captures star on cusp of death
March 15, 2023 GMTCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The Webb Space Telescope has captured the rare and fleeting phase of a star on the cusp of death.
Future NASA moonwalkers to sport sleeker spacesuits
March 15, 2023 GMTCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Moonwalking astronauts will have sleeker, more flexible spacesuits that come in different sizes when they step onto the lunar surface later this decade.
Alaska oil project approval adds yet another climate concern
March 14, 2023 GMTJUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The Biden administration’s approval of a massive oil development in northern Alaska commits the U.S.
Hundreds dead as Cyclone Freddy wrecks Malawi, Mozambique
March 14, 2023 GMTBLANTYRE, Malawi (AP) — The devastating Tropical Cyclone Freddy which has ripped through southern Africa in a rare second landfall has killed at least 219 people in Malawi and Mozambique since Saturday night, with the death toll expected to rise.
Death toll climbs as Cyclone Freddy slams Malawi, Mozambique
March 14, 2023 GMTBLANTYRE, Malawi (AP) — An unrelenting Cyclone Freddy that is currently battering southern Africa has killed at least 56 people in Malawi and Mozambique since it struck the continent for a second time on Saturday night, authorities in both countries have confirmed.
Do-not-eat listing draws lawsuit from Maine lobster industry
March 13, 2023 GMTPORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A coalition representing the Maine lobster industry is suing an aquarium on the other side of the country for recommending that seafood customers avoid buying a variety of lobster mostly harvested in their state.
How this little see-through fish gets its rainbow shimmer
March 13, 2023 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — You can see right through this little aquarium fish from Thailand: Its skin is almost completely transparent. But when the light hits it just right, its body flickers with shimmering rainbow colors.
Tropical Cyclone Freddy hammers Mozambique for second time
March 13, 2023 GMTMOMBASA, Kenya (AP) — Record-breaking Cyclone Freddy made its second landfall in Mozambique on Saturday night, pounding the southern African nation with heavy rains and disrupting transport and telecommunications services.
How coconuts protect the Jersey Shore, other eroding coasts
March 12, 2023 GMTNEPTUNE, N.J. (AP) — Coastal communities around the world are adding a tropical twist to shoreline protection, courtesy of the humble coconut.
From the sands of the Jersey Shore to the islands of Indonesia, strands of coconut husk, known as coir, are being incorporated into shoreline protection projects.
Four astronauts fly SpaceX back home, end 5-month mission
March 12, 2023 GMTCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Four space station astronauts returned to Earth late Saturday after a quick SpaceX flight home.
Their capsule splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico just off the Florida coast near Tampa.
3D-printed rocket remains grounded after more launch aborts
March 11, 2023 GMTCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A rocket made almost completely of 3D-printed parts came within a half-second of blasting off Saturday on its debut flight, but remained grounded after back-to-back launch aborts.
Oregon eyes mandate for climate change lessons in schools
March 11, 2023 GMTSALEM, Ore. (AP) — Oregon lawmakers are aiming to make the state the second in the nation to mandate climate change lessons for K-12 public school students, further fueling U.S.
Indonesia’s Merapi volcano spews hot clouds in new eruption
March 11, 2023 GMTMOUNT MERAPI, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia’s Mount Merapi erupted Saturday with avalanches of searing gas clouds and lava, forcing authorities to halt tourism and mining activities on the slopes of the country’s most active volcano.
Japan marks 12 years since tsunami and nuclear disaster
March 11, 2023 GMTTOKYO (AP) — Japan on Saturday marked the 12th anniversary of the massive earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster with a minute of silence, as concerns grew ahead of the planned release of the treated radioactive water from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant and the government's return to nuclear energy.
Swarm of quakes at Alaska volcano could mean eruption coming
March 10, 2023 GMTANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A swarm of earthquakes occurring over the past few weeks has intensified at a remote Alaska volcano dormant for over a century, a possible indication of an impending eruption.
La Nina is gone. These were the deadly storms during its run
March 10, 2023 GMTLa Nina seemed to treat Louisiana and the rest of the Southeast United States like a punching bag. Its three-year barrage of body blows has come to an end, but left behind a lot of scars from hurricanes and tornadoes among other weather disasters.
Beijing air quality plummets amid dust storm, pollution
March 10, 2023 GMTBEIJING (AP) — Skyscrapers in Beijing disappeared into the haze and air quality plummeted as China’s capital was enveloped in a dust storm and heavy pollution on Friday.
Concentrations of the tiny PM2.5 particles that can reach deep into the lungs and bloodstream entered a dangerous range on air quality monitoring sites, with the IQAir website showing an air quality index of 1,093, a “hazardous” level, many times higher than what are considered “unhealthy” levels.
East coast African states ail from too much, too little rain
March 10, 2023 GMTMOMBASA, Kenya (AP) — Surrounded by miles of dried land and what remains of his famished livestock, Daniel Lepaine is a worried man. Dozens of his goats in Ngong, a town in southern Kenya, have died after three years of harrowing drought in the east and Horn of Africa.
What’s happening at Fukushima plant 12 years after meltdown?
March 10, 2023 GMTOKUMA, Japan (AP) — Twelve years after the triple reactor meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, Japan is preparing to release a massive amount of treated radioactive wastewater into the sea.
Daughter unravels decades-old mystery of disabled mom’s rape
March 8, 2023 GMTMagdalena Cruz grew up knowing she owed her very life to a horrid crime.
She was born in 1986 to a mom who couldn't care for her, or for herself. For a decade, Cruz’s mother had been a resident of a state facility for severely disabled people in Rochester, New York.
3D-printed rocket’s debut launch aborted at last minute
March 8, 2023 GMTCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A rocket made almost entirely of 3D-printed parts remained on the pad Wednesday after its debut launch attempt was aborted at the last minute.
California-based Relativity Space was attempting to launch the rocket to orbit from a former missile site at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Oldest reference to Norse god Odin found in Danish treasure
March 8, 2023 GMTCOPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Scandinavian scientists said Wednesday that they have identified the oldest-known inscription referencing the Norse god Odin on part of a gold disc unearthed in western Denmark in 2020.
Eruption at Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano stops after 61 days
March 7, 2023 GMTHONOLULU (AP) — The latest eruption at Kilauea’s summit on Hawaii's has paused after 61 days of volcanic activity.
U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists said Tuesday lava was no longer flowing on the crater floor of Halemaumau, where all recent volcanic activity had been confined, Hawaii News Now reported.
Latest astronaut from UAE getting used to space
March 7, 2023 GMTCAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (AP) — The second astronaut from the United Arab Emirates is still adjusting to life off the planet, after rocketing to the International Space Station last week.
Cyclone Freddy to slam Mozambique Friday in rare second hit
March 7, 2023 GMTMOMBASA, Kenya (AP) — Still recovering from the effects of the first battering, the southeastern African nation of Mozambique is bracing for a rare second hit by long-living Tropical Cyclone Freddy late on Friday night, a regional weather center said Tuesday.
Japan launches H3 rocket, destroys it over 2nd-stage failure
March 7, 2023 GMTTOKYO (AP) — Japan’s space agency intentionally destroyed a new H3 rocket minutes after its launch Tuesday because the ignition failed for the second stage of the country's first new rocket series in more than two decades.
Tribes bury Southern California’s famed mountain lion, P-22
March 7, 2023 GMTLOS ANGELES (AP) — Tribal leaders, scientists and conservation advocates buried Southern California's most famous mountain lion Saturday in the mountains where the big cat once roamed.
Oil CEO who will head 2023 climate talks calls for change
March 7, 2023 GMTA top oil company CEO who will lead international climate talks later this year told energy industry power players on Monday that the world must cut emissions 7% each year and eliminate all releases of the greenhouse gas methane — strong comments from an oil executive.
Can the dogs of Chernobyl teach us new tricks on survival?
March 3, 2023 GMTMore than 35 years after the world's worst nuclear accident, the dogs of Chernobyl roam among decaying, abandoned buildings in and around the closed plant – somehow still able to find food, breed and survive.
First evidence for horseback riding dates back 5,000 years
March 3, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Archaeologists have found the earliest direct evidence for horseback riding – an innovation that would transform history – in 5,000 year old human skeletons in central Europe.
“When you get on a horse and ride it fast, it’s a thrill – I’m sure ancient humans felt the same way,” said David Anthony, a co-author of the study and Hartwick College archaeologist.
New crew from US, Russia and UAE arrives at space station
March 3, 2023 GMTCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A new crew arrived at the International Space Station on Friday for a six-month mission, after overcoming trouble with one of the capsule’s docking hooks.
The SpaceX capsule and its four astronauts had to wait 65 feet (20 meters) from the orbiting lab, as flight controllers in California scrambled to come up with a software fix.
Israel says inscription in Persian pottery shard inauthentic
March 3, 2023 GMTJERUSALEM (AP) — Israel acknowledged on Friday that an inscription in clay found in the country's south bearing the name of Darius the Great, ruler of the ancient Persian Empire, was not authentic.
Faulty part from Ukraine likely cause rocket launch failure
March 3, 2023 GMTBERLIN (AP) — The European Space Agency said Friday that an investigation into the failure of a rocket carrying two Earth observation satellites last year indicated the cause was a faulty part procured from Ukraine.
Fukushima plant head: Too early to predict decommissioning
March 3, 2023 GMTTOKYO (AP) — The head of Japan's wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant says details of the damage inside its reactors are only beginning to be known 12 years after it was hit by a massive earthquake and tsunami, making it difficult to foresee when or how its decommissioning will be completed.
Did dioxins spread after the Ohio train derailment?
March 2, 2023 GMTAfter a catastrophic 38-train car derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, some officials are raising concerns about a type of toxic substance that tends to stay in the environment.
Whale safety research planned near East Coast wind farms
March 2, 2023 GMTSEASIDE PARK, N.J. (AP) — As dead whales continue to wash ashore on the U.S. East Coast — and particularly the Jersey Shore — officials and academics are planning a wide array of monitoring and research aimed at preventing or minimizing harm to whales and other marine life during construction and operation of offshore wind farms.
Carbon emissions from boreal forest fires rose in 2021
March 2, 2023 GMTPhillip Meintzer was hours away by car from the largest fires raging in the forests of British Columbia and Alberta in summer of 2021, but the air was still thick with smoke from the Canadian infernos.
Lufthansa flight shows turbulence still causing injuries
March 2, 2023 GMTTurbulence remains a major cause of injuries to flight passengers and crew, even as U.S. airlines have made steady improvements in their overall accident rate in recent years.
A Lufthansa flight from Texas to Germany is the latest example.
Egypt unveils newly discovered chamber inside Great Pyramid
March 2, 2023 GMTCAIRO (AP) — Egypt’s antiquities authorities on Thursday unveiled a newly discovered, sealed-off chamber inside one of the Great Pyramids at Giza, just outside of Cairo, that dates back some 4,500 years ago.
SpaceX launches US, Russia, UAE astronauts to space station
March 2, 2023 GMTCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — SpaceX launched four astronauts to the International Space Station for NASA on Thursday, including the first person from the Arab world going up for an extended monthslong stay.
Carbon dioxide emissions reached a record high in 2022
March 2, 2023 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — Communities around the world emitted more carbon dioxide in 2022 than in any other year on records dating to 1900, a result of air travel rebounding from the pandemic and more cities turning to coal as a low-cost source of power.
‘Enough pollution’ in low-income NJ area with 1 power plant
March 1, 2023 GMTWOODBRIDGE, N.J. (AP) — Residents of low-income communities in New Jersey that would get a second gas-fired power plant nearby are urging the governor to halt the project, which they said flies in the face of an environmental justice law he signed with great fanfare over two years ago — but which has yet to take full effect.
Ice Age Europeans found refuge in Spain, doom in Italy
March 1, 2023 GMTBERLIN (AP) — New research reveals that the hunter-gatherer people who dominated Europe 30,000 years ago sought refuge from the last Ice Age in warmer places, but only those who sheltered in what is now Spain and Portugal appear to have survived.
Ancient restaurant highlights Iraq’s archeology renaissance
March 1, 2023 GMTBAGHDAD (AP) — An international archeological mission has uncovered the remnants of what is believed to be a 5,000-year-old restaurant or tavern in the ancient city of Lagash in southern Iraq.
The discovery of the ancient dining hall — complete with a rudimentary refrigeration system, hundreds of roughly made clay bowls and the fossilized remains of an overcooked fish — announced in late January by a University of Pennsylvania-led team, generated some buzz beyond Iraq’s borders.
What time is it on moon? Europe pushing for lunar time zone
February 28, 2023 GMTCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — With more lunar missions than ever on the horizon, the European Space Agency wants to give the moon its own time zone.
This week, the agency said space organizations around the world are considering how best to keep time on the moon.
Asteroid named after pope behind Gregorian calendar reform
February 28, 2023 GMTROME (AP) — Pope Gregory XIII, the 16th century pontiff responsible for what is today known as the Gregorian calendar, now has another, celestial claim to fame.
A working group of the International Astronomical Union has named an asteroid after him, the Vatican Observatory said Tuesday.
Germany threatens to hold up EU’s combustion-engine car ban
February 28, 2023 GMTBERLIN (AP) — Germany's transport minister said Tuesday that his country won't back a planned European Union ban on the sale of new cars with combustion engines from 2035, after failing to get assurances from the bloc's executive for an exemption on synthetic fuels.