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Science

The latest science news, photos and videos covering space, the environment, human development and more.

In case you missed it

2d ago

Planets on parade: Five line up in night sky tonight

The five-planet spread — of Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Uranus and Mars — can be seen from anywhere on Earth, as long as you have clear skies and a view of the west.
The Milky Way over Mount Olympus in Greece on Aug. 13 2018.
The Milky Way over Mount Olympus in Greece on Aug. 13 2018.

EPA pressured for transparency around dioxin testing after Ohio derailment

The EPA said levels of the cancer-causing chemicals are “similar to typical background levels,” but have not yet released any data.
Ohio EPA and EPA contractors collect soil and air samples from the Norfolk Southern derailment site in East Palestine
Ohio EPA and EPA contractors collect soil and air samples from the Norfolk Southern derailment site in East Palestine

Lethal supercell storms to hit South more often as world warms, new study says

While the study finds a general increase in supercell counts, what it mostly finds are large shifts in where and when they hit — generally, more east of Interstate 35, which runs through east central Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas, and fewer to the west.
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Extreme weather meets reality of poverty to create a tragedy in Mississippi

A violent tornado with a 59-mile path struck Alabama and Mississippi, where the predominantly Black community of Rolling Fork was hard hit.
A pair of sneakers and pants lay in front of the skeletal remains of the underside of a mobile home in Rolling Fork, Miss., Saturday,  March 25, 2023.  Emergency officials in Mississippi say several people have been killed by tornadoes that tore through the state on Friday night, destroying buildings and knocking out power as severe weather produced hail the size of golf balls moved through several southern states. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
A pair of sneakers and pants lay in front of the skeletal remains of the underside of a mobile home in Rolling Fork, Miss., Saturday,  March 25, 2023.  Emergency officials in Mississippi say several people have been killed by tornadoes that tore through the state on Friday night, destroying buildings and knocking out power as severe weather produced hail the size of golf balls moved through several southern states. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Wind industry predicts bounceback and rapid growth in 2023

This year, the industry will reach a milestone — 1 terawatt, or 1,000 gigawatts, of wind energy installed worldwide, says the Global Wind Energy Council.
Wind turbines stand in fields near Palm Springs, Calif.,
Wind turbines stand in fields near Palm Springs, Calif.,

Public pensions get caught up in Republican push to end 'woke' investing

Business groups, labor unions and others are sounding off against state GOP efforts to bar public pensions from making environmentally and socially conscious investments.
Climate change protesters block traffic in Washington on Sept. 23, 2019.
Climate change protesters block traffic in Washington on Sept. 23, 2019.

‘City killer’ asteroid will pass between Earth and the moon’s orbit

“There is no chance of this ‘city killer’ striking Earth, but its close approach offers a great opportunity for observations,” the European Space Agency’s planetary defense chief Richard Moissl said in a statement.

California ends some water limits after storms ease drought

Most of California is no longer in drought, but water shortage concerns remain for some areas of the state.
Image: California Gov. Gavin Newsom talks during a news conference from a farm in Dunnigan, Calif., on March 24, 2023.
Image: California Gov. Gavin Newsom talks during a news conference from a farm in Dunnigan, Calif., on March 24, 2023.
6d ago

Nuclear power plant leaks 400,000 gallons of radioactive water

While Xcel Energy reported the leak of water containing tritium to state and federal authorities in late November, the spill had not been made public before Thursday.
Cooling towers at Xcel Energy's Nuclear Generating Plant in Monticello, Minn.
Cooling towers at Xcel Energy's Nuclear Generating Plant in Monticello, Minn.

Rare strain of parasite that killed 4 otters in California could pose danger to humans, researchers say

The otters were found on the state's central coast after contracting a parasite often found in cat feces.
FILE - Sea otters are seen together along the Elkhorn Slough in Moss Landing, Calif., on March 26, 2018. A nonprofit group that aims to protect endangered species asked the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023, to reintroduce sea otters to a stretch of the West Coast from Northern California to Oregon. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File)
FILE - Sea otters are seen together along the Elkhorn Slough in Moss Landing, Calif., on March 26, 2018. A nonprofit group that aims to protect endangered species asked the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023, to reintroduce sea otters to a stretch of the West Coast from Northern California to Oregon. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File)

Fish can sense fear in other fish and become afraid, too, study shows

The study, published in the journal Science, shows the ability is regulated by oxytocin, the brain chemical that underlies the capacity for empathy in humans.
A zebra danio, or zebrafish, swims in a tank in a research institute in Wuhan in central China's Hubei province Thursday, April 22, 2021.
A zebra danio, or zebrafish, swims in a tank in a research institute in Wuhan in central China's Hubei province Thursday, April 22, 2021.