Science News
NASA Says Goodbye to its Longtime Mars MAVEN Mission
The space agency announced that the MAVEN spacecraft, which has circled Mars for more than a decade, is being decommissioned.
Arizona, Nevada Agree to Trade for Desalinated Pacific Ocean Water
A decade-old treatment plant in San Diego County, Calif., could leave more water in the Colorado River for states facing severe shortages.
E.U. Steps Up Ocean Monitoring as Trump Administration Backs Away
Days after the U.S. said it would kill a network of ocean monitors, European officials pledged to invest more in their version, calling it a “necessity.”
Unusual Greenpeace Lawsuit May Proceed, Dutch Court Says
Greenpeace International is arguing under Dutch law that an American pipeline company, Energy Transfer, sought to silence it with a costly lawsuit in North Dakota.
Democrats Pledge to Fight Trump’s Termination of Ocean Monitoring Observatories
The Trump administration is dismantling a $368 million deep-ocean observation system that monitors marine ecosystems and the effects of climate change.
New York Sues Trump Administration Over TotalEnergies Wind Farm
The lawsuit argues that it is illegal to pay the French energy giant TotalEnergies $795 million to cancel a planned wind farm off New York.
As A.I. Makes Strides in Mathematics, Mathematicians Urge Caution
A week after OpenAI made headlines with an A.I.-generated proof, a new “declaration” by 16 experts raises concerns that the technology threatens math as a discipline.
The Toll of a ‘Missing Scientists’ Conspiracy Theory on the Families Left Behind
The claim that their loved ones’ deaths and disappearances are linked is almost certainly false — but the loss remains real.
Crested Ibises Get the Royal Treatment in Japan as They Fly Again
Once widespread in Japan, the colorful birds went from being fairly commonplace in the country to being on the verge of extinction.
As Ebola Spreads, Scientists Race to Find Vaccines and Treatments
The Bundibugyo virus, a little known type, previously had caused just two small outbreaks. Now it’s at the center of a rapidly widening epidemic in Africa.
Trump Administration to Dismantle Ocean Monitoring System
The $368 million network of instruments collecting data in both the Atlantic and Pacific has been critical to climate and ocean research.
Giant Stone Urns Hint at the Death Rites of a Lost People in Laos
Thousands of mysterious containers lie scattered across northern Laos. These “death jars” may have provided a form of communal interment, archaeologists reported.
2025 Wildfires Were the Costliest Ever, Researchers Say
Severe, hard-to-control blazes in densely populated areas like Los Angeles drove the year’s record losses.
The Blue Micromoon Rises in Sunday’s Early Skies
The second full moon of May will look smaller and dimmer than usual.
By September, Nearly a Third of Americans Will Live in States With Legal Aid in Dying
Despite widespread support in polls, the number of people who actually go through with the practice remains very small.
China’s Rise in Drug Development Looms Over U.S.
Clinical trials in China are getting attention at an international oncology gathering in Chicago. China’s surging biotechnology industry is fueling alarm that U.S. dominance in the field is waning.
What’s Next for Blue Origin After Rocket Explosion
Jeff Bezos was gaining ground on Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Starlink. Thursday’s rocket explosion on a launchpad creates a major setback.
A Clean Energy PAC Helped Beat Chip Roy, and Now It Has New Targets
A PAC representing wind and solar energy interests spent $1.1 million to boost the Republican primary opponent of Chip Roy, an opponent of renewables. Now they are trying to save a Republican ally in Iowa.
What Exactly Caused That Loud Boom in South Carolina?
A huge noise rattled part of the state on Thursday. Multiple theories have been put forward, but the mystery remains.
A Hidden Treasure of Rare Snake Specimens
In the foothills of the Ecuadorean Amazon, a 101-year-old farmer and a young scientist turned an amateur collection into a scientific survey of one of the most diverse snake habitats on Earth.