Category: Science

A federal intelligence agency continues to employ an artificial intelligence system from a company the Pentagon has flagged as a potential security concern, according to a weekend report from Axios.

Sources tell the news outlet that the National Security Agency has been utilizing Anthropic’s Mythos Preview AI technology, even after the Defense Department issued a formal supply-chain risk classification against the firm. The intelligence agency falls under Defense Department oversight.

According to the reporting, usage of the Mythos Preview system has expanded throughout the department. Reuters noted they were unable to independently confirm these details.

Representatives from Anthropic, the NSA, and the Defense Department have not yet provided responses to media inquiries made during weekend hours.

Just last week, officials from President Donald Trump’s administration held their first discussions with Anthropic’s chief executive about potential collaboration since tensions arose earlier this year between Pentagon officials and the AI company regarding proper usage protocols for the firm’s technology.

These conversations occurred as cybersecurity specialists express mounting concerns that the artificial intelligence startup’s newest Mythos model could amplify the threat of digital attacks.

Anthropic has described the system as their “most capable yet for coding and agentic tasks,” highlighting the technology’s capacity to operate independently.

Security experts warn that the model’s sophisticated programming abilities could give it extraordinary power to detect weaknesses in cybersecurity systems and develop methods to exploit those vulnerabilities.

Alphabet’s Google is reportedly collaborating with Marvell Technology to create a pair of specialized computer chips designed to enhance artificial intelligence operations, according to a Sunday report from The Information citing sources familiar with the negotiations.

The partnership involves developing two distinct processors: a memory processing component that will complement Google’s existing tensor processing units (TPUs), and an entirely new TPU specifically engineered for artificial intelligence applications, sources indicated.

The tech giant has been working to establish its TPUs as a competitive option to challenge Nvidia’s market-leading graphics processing units. Revenue from TPU sales has emerged as a significant growth factor for Google’s cloud computing division, as the company seeks to demonstrate to shareholders that its artificial intelligence investments are producing financial results.

Neither Google nor Marvell immediately provided responses to requests for comment, and Reuters was unable to independently confirm the report’s details.

According to the sources, both companies hope to complete the memory processing unit’s design specifications by next year, after which the chip would move into experimental manufacturing phases.

Jeff Bezos’ space company Blue Origin achieved a significant milestone on Sunday when it successfully recovered a previously-used New Glenn rocket booster following its launch.

The aerospace firm announced the achievement on social media platform X, celebrating what represents their first successful landing of a booster that had flown before.

“BOOSTER TOUCHDOWN! ‘Never Tell Me The Odds’ has done it again!”, Blue Origin said in an X post.

The successful recovery represents a major step forward for Blue Origin’s reusable rocket program, as landing and reusing boosters is crucial for reducing launch costs in the commercial space industry.

CHERNOBYL, Ukraine (AP) — In a zone too contaminated for human habitation, some of the planet’s rarest horses have found freedom.

Throughout the Chernobyl exclusion zone, Przewalski’s horses — compact, tan-colored animals with an almost miniature appearance — feed across a radiation-soaked territory that exceeds Luxembourg in size.

Nearly four decades ago, on April 26, 1986, a catastrophic blast at the Ukrainian nuclear facility spread radioactive material throughout Europe, forcing mass evacuations that displaced tens of thousands of residents. The incident stands as history’s most devastating nuclear accident.

Today, the area around Chernobyl — spelled “Chornobyl” in Ukrainian transliteration — continues to pose serious risks to human health. Yet wildlife populations have made a remarkable comeback.

Wolf packs now hunt throughout the expansive buffer zone that stretches across Ukraine and Belarus, while brown bears have reestablished themselves after being absent for over 100 years. Numbers of lynx, moose, red deer and feral dog packs have all recovered significantly.

The Przewalski’s horses, originally from Mongolia and previously facing extinction, arrived in 1998 as part of a scientific study.

Called “takhi” in their native Mongolia, meaning “spirit,” these horses differ genetically from domestic varieties, possessing 33 chromosome pairs versus 32 in farm horses. Their current scientific name honors the Russian explorer who first documented them officially.

“The fact that Ukraine now has a free-ranging population is something of a small miracle,” said Denys Vyshnevskyi, the zone’s lead nature scientist.

Without human interference, sections of the exclusion zone now mirror what European wilderness looked like hundreds of years ago, he explained, noting: “Nature recovers relatively quickly and effectively.”

Evidence of this recovery appears throughout the region. Vegetation grows through abandoned structures, pathways disappear into woodland, and deteriorating Soviet-era markers stand next to tilted wooden crosses in overgrown graveyards.

Remote cameras reveal the horses displaying remarkable adaptability. They take refuge in deteriorating barns and empty houses, using these structures for protection from severe weather and insects — sometimes even sleeping indoors.

The horses organize into small family units — usually one male leading several females and their offspring — while separate groups of younger males form their own bands. Though many perished initially after their release, survivors have successfully adjusted.

Monitoring these animals requires patience. Vyshnevskyi frequently spends hours driving solo, installing motion-activated cameras in concealed housings secured to trees.

While radiation levels remain elevated, researchers haven’t documented mass deaths, though more subtle impacts are noticeable. Some amphibians have developed darker pigmentation, and birds in high-radiation zones show increased rates of cataracts.

Yet new dangers have appeared.

Russia’s 2022 military offensive brought combat through the exclusion zone as forces moved toward Kyiv, with soldiers excavating defensive positions in contaminated earth. Blazes connected to military operations burned through forested areas.

Severe wartime winters have also caused damage. Power grid destruction left nearby managed regions without essential services, and researchers document rising numbers of fallen trees and animal deaths — victims of both extreme weather and rapidly constructed military fortifications.

“Most forest fires are caused by downed drones,” said Oleksandr Polischuk, who leads a firefighting unit in the zone. “Sometimes we have to travel dozens of kilometers to reach them.”

These fires risk releasing radioactive particles back into the atmosphere.

Currently, the zone functions as more than an accidental wildlife preserve. It has transformed into a heavily surveilled military passage, featuring concrete blockades, razor wire and explosive devices — creating what observers call a landscape of stark beauty.

Workers cycle through assignments to minimize radiation exposure. Chernobyl will likely stay restricted for many generations — too hazardous for human settlement, yet teeming with animal life.

“For those of us in conservation and ecology, it’s kind of a wonder,” Vyshnevskyi said. “This land was once heavily used — agriculture, cities, infrastructure. But nature has effectively performed a factory reset.”

BEIJING — Chinese technology reached a new milestone Sunday when a humanoid robot crossed the finish line of a robotic half-marathon in record-breaking time, showcasing the nation’s growing prowess in advanced robotics.

The mechanical athlete, developed by Honor smartphone company, covered the 21-kilometer course in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, according to officials from Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area, where the competition took place. The robot’s time eclipsed Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo, who holds the human record at approximately 57 minutes set in March.

This year’s robotic achievement represents a dramatic improvement from the previous year’s competition, when the fastest robot required 2 hours, 40 minutes and 42 seconds to complete the same distance.

The 2024 event attracted significantly more participants than its predecessor, with over 100 teams competing compared to last year’s smaller field. International participation also grew, with five overseas teams joining the competition.

Despite the technological advances, the race experienced some mechanical difficulties. One robot collapsed immediately at the starting line, while another collided with a course barrier during the event.

Officials reported that roughly 40% of the competing robots operated independently using autonomous navigation systems, while human operators remotely controlled the remaining machines. Adding to the technological showcase, a robotic traffic controller used arm movements and voice commands to guide participants along the route, according to state television CCTV.

The robotic competition reflects China’s broader technological ambitions as it seeks to compete with the United States in critical technology sectors with national security implications. Beijing’s current five-year economic plan emphasizes pushing “the frontiers of science and technology,” with accelerated humanoid robot development specifically outlined in the 2026-2030 strategy for the world’s second-largest economy.

Recent industry analysis from London-based research firm Omdia identified three Chinese manufacturers — AGIBOT, Unitree Robotics and UBTech Robotics Corp. — as the only top-tier suppliers in global shipments of general-purpose intelligent robots. All three companies delivered more than 1,000 robotic units in the previous year, with AGIBOT and Unitree Robotics each shipping over 5,000 units, according to the research report.

A remarkable display of technological advancement unfolded in Beijing on Sunday as over 100 Chinese-manufactured humanoid robots demonstrated impressive athletic capabilities during a half-marathon event, significantly outperforming their human counterparts and showing dramatic improvement from the previous year.

The event marked a striking transformation from its debut in 2023, when only 20 robots participated and many experienced technical difficulties at the starting line, with most failing to complete the course entirely.

This year’s competition featured a dramatic increase in both participation and performance. The top-performing robot, created by Chinese smartphone manufacturer Honor, completed the 13.1-mile course in 50 minutes and 26 seconds – a time that surpassed the current world record set by Jacob Kiplimo in Lisbon last month. However, the mechanical athlete required assistance after colliding with a barrier just meters before crossing the finish line.

To prevent accidents, organizers arranged separate running lanes for the robotic and human competitors throughout the race.

Last year’s winning robot had recorded a time of 2 hours and 40 minutes, which was more than twice as long as the human champion’s performance in the traditional race.

While practical commercial uses for humanoid robots are still being tested and developed, Sunday’s demonstration highlighted their potential to transform various industries, from hazardous occupations to military applications.

The Chinese government has made becoming a leader in humanoid robotics technology a national priority, implementing various support measures including financial incentives and infrastructure development to strengthen domestic companies in this emerging field.

China’s commitment to robotic innovation was also featured during the country’s most-watched television program, the annual CCTV Spring Festival celebration in February, which highlighted the nation’s ambitions in humanoid robotics and future manufacturing capabilities.

The broadcast included an elaborate martial arts performance featuring more than a dozen Unitree humanoid robots executing complex combat routines with swords, staffs, and nunchucks while performing alongside human children.

Electric vehicle giant Tesla announced Saturday that it has launched autonomous taxi services in two major Texas metropolitan areas.

The company began operating its self-driving taxi fleet in Dallas and Houston, marking a significant expansion of Tesla’s robotaxi program.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk promoted the new service on his social media platform X, posting: “Try Tesla Robotaxi in Dallas & Houston!”

The announcement represents Tesla’s continued push into autonomous vehicle technology and ride-sharing services in major urban markets.

Stargazers are in for a treat as the annual Lyrid meteor shower reaches its peak Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, with optimal viewing conditions thanks to a faint crescent moon. According to NASA, observers may witness between 10 and 20 meteors streaking across the sky each hour during the celestial event’s climax.

The astronomical display will be observable worldwide, though Northern Hemisphere locations will offer the best vantage points. The timing couldn’t be better, as the crescent moon will disappear below the horizon before the meteor activity intensifies, eliminating light interference.

These cosmic light shows occur when our planet passes through debris fields left by traveling space objects. As these particles enter Earth’s atmosphere, they heat up and create the brilliant streaks we call shooting stars or meteors.

Despite their name suggesting otherwise, most meteor displays originate from comet remnants rather than asteroids. The Lyrid shower consists of particles from comet Thatcher, an icy celestial body with a lengthy orbital period.

“We only get to see the actual comet once every 415 years. But we pass through the grains that have been left in its wake every year around the same time,” explained Maria Valdes, a meteorite researcher at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

While a few random meteors can be spotted on any clear night, certain times of year produce concentrated displays that create more spectacular viewing opportunities. The Lyrid shower holds historical significance as one of the earliest documented meteor events, with recorded observations spanning more than 2,500 years.

For optimal viewing, head outdoors after midnight and find a location away from urban lighting and tall structures. Allow your vision to adapt to darkness for 15 to 30 minutes, and avoid checking your phone to maintain night vision.

Set up comfortable seating or bring a sleeping bag, then watch patiently as the meteors emerge. The shooting stars will appear to radiate from the Lyra constellation in the northeastern portion of the sky.

“A meteor looks like a trail of light in the sky. What you tend to detect is the motion against the background,” noted astronomer Lisa Will from San Diego City College.

The next significant meteor shower approaches in early May with the Eta Aquarids, created by debris from the famous Halley’s comet.

China is moving forward with plans to establish a major satellite manufacturing center in Beijing, with the main facilities expected to open during the latter half of 2026, according to reports from Beijing Daily on Saturday.

The aerospace sector has seen dramatic growth, with commercial space missions now representing more than 60% of global launches. Multiple companies are working toward public offerings as the industry expands rapidly, the state-owned publication noted.

According to Gao Yibin, who leads the Strategic Research Department at Future Aerospace, China’s commercial space sector worth trillions of yuan is progressing toward greater standardization and larger-scale operations. This advancement is being driven by faster approval processes for launches, increased use of domestically-produced components, and ongoing investment from industry funds.

“The accelerated implementation of scenarios such as low-Earth orbit constellation networking, satellite internet, space computing power, and 6G air-space-ground integration suggests sustained growth is expected in 2026,” Gao stated.

The new Beijing facility is designed to serve as a central location for satellite manufacturers and operators, creating an environment that promotes industry collaboration while facilitating the efficient movement of skilled workers, investment capital, and technological innovations throughout the aerospace sector.

More than 300 humanoid robots will take on a challenging 13-mile course in Beijing this Sunday, marking China’s second annual robot half-marathon as the nation pushes to establish robotics as a cornerstone of its economic future.

The competition has grown dramatically, with over 70 teams participating – nearly five times the number from the previous year. This year’s course features more demanding terrain including paved inclines and parkland areas designed to push the robots’ capabilities to new limits.

“It will certainly be interesting to see the progress in durability of components and battery lifetime compared to last year,” said Georg Stieler, Asia managing director and head of robotics at Stieler, a technology consultancy.

“Humanoid robot makers need to find a balance between quality in products which are still under constant evolution and price pressure.”

The event represents a significant technological milestone. While last year’s competition featured only remote-controlled machines, organizers report that nearly 40% of this year’s robotic participants will complete the course using autonomous navigation systems.

However, the race also exposes the ongoing hurdles Chinese companies encounter as they work to develop robots capable of replicating human movement and performance. Last year’s inaugural event saw several robots tumble and malfunction near the starting area. The champion, the Tiangong Ultra model created by Beijing’s state-supported Innovation Center of Humanoid Robotics working with UBTech, completed the distance in 2 hours and 40 minutes – well ahead of other robotic competitors but more than twice as slow as the human race winner.

This year, the Tiangong Ultra will operate “fully autonomously,” depending entirely on its sensor systems to navigate obstacles and replicate natural human walking patterns through extensive data simulation training, according to the Center of Humanoid Robotics.

“When the robot runs at speeds approaching those of professional human athletes, the time window for perception and decision-making is extremely short, placing very high demands on computing power, algorithms, and system response speed,” the center explained in a statement.

Recent social media footage showing robots training in Beijing at night revealed mixed results. Some models successfully demonstrated human-like running motions and achieved speeds of 14 kilometers per hour, while others displayed awkward, jerky movements and some toppled over or collided with barriers, raising questions about their ability to complete the full race.

China leads the global humanoid robot market, representing more than 80% of the 16,000 units deployed worldwide in 2025, according to Counterpoint Research. In contrast, Tesla, the leading U.S. manufacturer, accounts for just 5% of global humanoid installations.

Chinese market leaders AgiBot and Unitree each delivered more than 5,000 units last year – the highest numbers globally – with Unitree committing to expand its annual production capacity to 75,000 humanoid robots.

Despite the spectacle of the half-marathon, industry experts caution that the demonstrated abilities don’t necessarily translate to widespread commercial use of humanoid robots in industrial environments, where precise manual skills, real-world awareness, and capabilities beyond simple, repetitive tasks are essential.

Currently, Unitree’s humanoid products serve primarily research institutions, dance performances, and interactive guide roles in service businesses, according to the company’s IPO documentation.

Even with some humanoids capable of completing a half-marathon, experts believe widespread household or industrial deployment remains years away, even in China.

“The reason our applications aren’t taking off is that the robots’ IQ is too low. The models are poor, their success rates are low,” said Tang Wenbin, founder of embodied intelligence startup Yuanli Lingji at a Beijing technology conference last month.

“Honestly, the whole industry’s level is still at a very elementary stage … Right now, a lot of what we see is ‘dancing disguised as working’.”

The Chinese government has designated embodied intelligence, or physical AI, as a priority industry for development as it seeks automation solutions to enhance economic productivity and modernize traditional manufacturing.

Chinese robotics companies continue to face challenges in creating the AI software necessary for humanoids to match human factory worker efficiency, while component manufacturers deal with cost pressures, according to industry analysts.

To advance their software capabilities, companies are investing heavily in large-scale real-world data gathering, equipping human workers with sensors and placing more humanoids on factory floors.

UBTech had fewer than 10 humanoids operating in factories in 2024, but that figure surged to over 1,000 last year.

This year, the company plans to deploy 10,000 full-size humanoid robots, including new models designed for various commercial applications, Chief Business Officer Michael Tam announced during a media visit to the company’s Shenzhen facility in southern China.

“When we talk about AI, it relies on how much data, especially high-quality data, we can collect,” he explained.

A federal lawsuit has been filed against the U.S. Department of Agriculture by a watchdog organization that claims the agency is concealing important documents related to food safety concerns following last year’s train derailment in Ohio.

The Government Accountability Project, a nonprofit organization, initiated the legal action on Friday in the District of Columbia. The group argues that USDA officials improperly held back records concerning potential toxic chemical contamination of food supplies connected to the February 2023 rail disaster in East Palestine, Ohio.

According to a report released by the organization, documents they secured through a Freedom of Information Act request revealed that USDA personnel were aware that dangerous chemicals could potentially taint the food supply in areas surrounding the East Palestine incident, which occurred near the Ohio-Pennsylvania state line.

The group contends that despite this knowledge, the Environmental Protection Agency did not perform specific testing for dioxins—a hazardous chemical—in locally grown vegetables, livestock, poultry eggs, or wildlife in the region. USDA representatives chose not to provide comments, citing the ongoing legal proceedings.

The Norfolk Southern Railway train was traveling from Illinois toward Pennsylvania when it left the tracks on February 3, 2023, sparking a massive blaze that led to the emergency evacuation of hundreds of area residents. Railway personnel subsequently emptied and incinerated toxic chemical materials from five derailed cars.

At the time, EPA officials stated their analysis of residential drinking water and indoor air quality near the crash site showed no signs of contamination.

However, scientific experts raised alarm about potential agricultural contamination from dioxins, cancer-causing substances created during the deliberate burning of chemicals by railroad workers. Lesley Pacey, who serves as the Government Accountability Project’s senior environmental advisor, explained in a Friday interview that USDA documents obtained by her organization contained extensive redactions and some materials were completely withheld.

The legal challenge aims to force the release of those hidden documents. Pacey noted that the information they did receive “shows that internally they were recognizing that there were contamination pathways that were very realistic and concerning.”

According to Pacey, the agency failed to conduct thorough testing or properly inform local residents about potential health risks.

A Massachusetts court has temporarily prevented a turbine company from abandoning a major offshore wind energy project, with the judge stating it would be unrealistic to expect another contractor to complete the complex work.

The legal battle began when GE Renewables announced it was ending its contracts for turbine services and maintenance at the Vineyard Wind project, prompting the wind farm developers to seek court intervention. The dispute centers around financial claims from both sides: GE Vernova, the parent company, claims Vineyard Wind owes $300 million for completed work, while the wind farm operators argue GE should pay approximately $545 million to cover damages from a major turbine blade failure in July 2024 that delayed the project by two years.

Suffolk County Superior Court Judge Peter Krupp sided with Vineyard Wind’s request to block the contract termination on Friday. The judge determined that GE owes significantly more money than what the developers have withheld to cover costs from the blade incident, which caused fiberglass debris to wash up on Nantucket beaches during peak tourist season.

“The project is at a critical phase and the loss of (Vineyard Wind)’s principal contractor would set the project back immeasurably,” Judge Krupp stated in his ruling. “To pretend that (Vineyard Wind) could go out and hire one or more contractors to finish the installation and troubleshoot and modify (GE Renewables’) proprietary design without (GE Renewables’) specialized knowledge is fanciful.”

Vineyard Wind spokesperson Craig Gilvarg expressed satisfaction with the outcome, saying “We are pleased with the decision, which ensures Vineyard Wind can continue delivering much needed energy to Massachusetts customers and the New England grid.”

GE Renewables defended its position in court documents, claiming it had the right to end the contracts and that its services were no longer needed. The company also argued that any damages experienced by Vineyard Wind were caused by the wind farm operators themselves.

“We stand by our compliance with contractual obligations and our performance, including recently completing installation of all 62 wind turbines at the Vineyard Wind Farm,” GE said in a Friday statement. “We remain engaged in supporting the safe operation of the project while we evaluate next steps.”

The wind farm is a partnership between Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, positioned 15 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket in Massachusetts waters. Its 62 turbines are designed to produce 800 megawatts of electricity, sufficient to supply power to approximately 400,000 households.

The project reached completion in March, becoming the first offshore wind farm to finish construction during President Trump’s current term. The facility had been supplying electricity to the regional power grid for more than a year as individual turbines came online, and full operational capacity is anticipated within the next few months.

The Trump administration has criticized the project due to the blade malfunction, which GE Vernova attributed to inadequate bonding processes at one of its Canadian manufacturing facilities rather than a fundamental design problem.

This wind farm was among five major East Coast offshore wind developments that the Trump administration suspended just before Christmas, citing national security issues. Project developers and state governments filed lawsuits challenging the halt, and federal courts permitted all five projects to resume construction after determining the government failed to demonstrate an immediate national security threat requiring work stoppage.

A groundbreaking study shows that wildfires across North America are now burning far longer each day than they did decades ago, with flames staying active through nighttime hours when they previously would have subsided.

Research published Friday in Science Advances reveals that weather conditions favorable to wildfire activity now last 36% longer than they did five decades ago. This dramatic change means fires that once naturally slowed or stopped during cooler evening hours are now burning continuously.

California experiences approximately 550 additional hours of fire-prone weather annually compared to the mid-1970s. The most dramatic increases occur in southwestern New Mexico and central Arizona, where conditions suitable for wildfire activity have expanded by up to 2,000 hours per year.

Recent devastating blazes that burned aggressively during nighttime hours include the 2023 Lahaina fire in Hawaii, which started at 12:22 a.m., the 2024 Jasper fire in Alberta, and the current Los Angeles fires, according to researchers.

The extended burning window affects more than just daily hours. Fire-prone weather days have increased by 44%, effectively adding 26 additional high-risk days each year over the past half-century.

“Fires normally slow down during the night, or they just stop,” explained study co-author Xianli Wang from the Canadian Forest Service. “But under extreme fire hazard conditions, fire actually burns through the night or later into the night.”

Wang warned that Earth’s warming climate will likely worsen these conditions in the future.

University of California Merced fire scientist John Abatzoglou, who did not participate in the research, noted that fires maintaining their intensity overnight gain momentum for the following day, making suppression efforts significantly more challenging.

“Nights aren’t what they used to be — that is, more reliable breaks for wildfire,” Abatzoglou stated. “Widespread warming and lack of humidity is keeping fires up at night.”

Fighting fires during darkness presents unique dangers, according to wildland firefighter Nicholai Allen, who also operates a company producing home fire prevention equipment.

“You have to understand that you have snakes and bears and mountain lions and all the stuff you have in daytime,” Allen explained, mentioning that a colleague was attacked by a bear. “But at night, they’re really scared and they’re running away from the fire.”

Canadian researchers examined nearly 9,000 major fires between 2017 and 2023, using weather satellites and additional instruments to track hourly atmospheric data including humidity, temperature, wind patterns, precipitation, and fuel moisture content. They developed a computer model linking weather patterns to fire behavior and applied it to historical information from Canada and the United States spanning 1975 to 2106.

Climate scientists have long understood that heat-trapping emissions from burning fossil fuels cause nighttime temperatures to rise more rapidly than daytime temperatures due to increased cloud cover that traps and redirects heat back to Earth’s surface. Since 1975, summer nighttime minimum temperatures in the continental United States have risen 2.6 degrees Fahrenheit, while daytime maximums have increased 2.2 degrees, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Nighttime humidity levels no longer recover from daytime dryness as they historically did, said lead researcher Kaiwei Luo from the University of Alberta.

Wildfires frequently occur alongside drought conditions, particularly severe droughts, creating not only drier air but hotter, drier air that extracts additional moisture from soil and vegetation, making fire fuel more combustible, Wang noted. During drought periods, a destructive cycle develops where increasingly dry conditions allow the warmer atmosphere to draw even more moisture from potential fuel sources.

Similar to how warmer nights during heat waves prevent human bodies from recovering, these elevated nighttime temperatures prevent forests from recuperating, Wang observed. Dead vegetation can require weeks to regain lost moisture and become less fire-prone.

“It’s just a stress to the plants,” Wang said. “That also increases fuel load and make fire-burning more easily.”

Between 2016 and 2025, American wildfires burned an average area equivalent to Massachusetts annually, covering slightly more than 11,000 square miles. This represents 2.6 times the average burned area during the 1980s, based on National Interagency Fire Center data. Canada’s average burned acreage over the past decade is 2.8 times greater than during the 1980s, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre.

Syracuse University fire scientist Jacob Bendix, who was not involved in the study, described the research as a stark warning about climate change’s impact in driving “increased fire potential across almost all of the fire-prone environments of North America.”

New research has unveiled fascinating details about how one of America’s most iconic natural wonders came to be. Scientists have traced the ancient path of the Colorado River to explain when and how it carved Arizona’s magnificent Grand Canyon.

Using advanced analysis of microscopic zircon crystals found in sandstone and volcanic ash deposits, researchers have mapped the river’s prehistoric journey. Their findings reveal a dramatic geological story spanning millions of years.

According to the study, approximately 6.6 million years ago, the Colorado River began flowing into a massive basin in northeastern Arizona. This created an enormous shallow lake stretching more than 90 miles across, located east of where the Grand Canyon exists today.

The ancient lake, which scientists have nicknamed Bidahochi Lake after a local rock formation, gradually filled with water over roughly one million years. Around 5.6 million years ago, the lake reached capacity and began overflowing at its lowest point, sending water rushing through what would become the Grand Canyon corridor.

The river continued its journey, filling and overflowing through additional downstream basins before finally reaching the Gulf of California about 4.8 million years ago, where it emptied into the sea near northwestern Mexico.

“Scientists have long debated when the Grand Canyon was carved, and our study contributes to that conversation,” explained UCLA geologist John He, who co-led the research published in the journal Science.

He described their innovative research method: “Imagine you go out to a river bank and scoop up a handful of sand. In that handful, there are hundreds of thousands of sand grains that look like any other sand grain. But within that handful there will be a couple of hundred or even thousands of microscopic grains of zircon crystal, each of which is a vault of information about where it comes from.”

The team used volcanic ash dating to determine when the river deposited the sand layers containing these informative zircon crystals.

Ryan Crow, a research geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey in Flagstaff, Arizona, and study co-leader, addressed a long-standing geological puzzle: “A longstanding question has been: where did the Colorado River go before it flowed through Grand Canyon?”

“We have long known that the river existed in western Colorado 11 million years ago, and that it did not (run through) Grand Canyon until after 5.6 million years ago. But until now we knew almost nothing about where it was during the intervening time,” Crow explained.

The Colorado River begins its 1,450-mile journey at La Poudre Pass in Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park. The Grand Canyon itself stretches approximately 280 miles long, reaches up to 18 miles wide, and plunges more than a mile deep in some areas.

The canyon’s walls display rock layers formed up to 1.8 billion years ago, creating a visible timeline of Earth’s geological history.

“Past work shows that over the last million years the Colorado River has been carving into rock at an average rate of about 100 meters to 160 meters (330 to 525 feet) per million years, so the process of canyon carving continues. The canyon we see today is the result of about five million years of river incision and erosion,” Crow noted.

The researchers emphasized that the Grand Canyon continues to captivate visitors and scientists alike.

“Grand Canyon, a natural wonder of the world, captures the attention and curiosity of almost everyone that sees it. People relate to it in different ways. But I think many, even those who rarely think about geology, have similar questions when they see Grand Canyon. How did the canyon form? When did the canyon form? Those are questions we strive to answer,” Crow said.

He reflected on the canyon’s profound impact: “The architecture of the planet is so exposed, laid bare in front of us. There is something disquieting about this, being challenged to envision the millions of years of geologic time by the solidity of a towering wall of rock.”

Three Chinese astronauts currently orbiting Earth will extend their space station mission by approximately one month, according to an announcement Friday from China’s state television network.

The Shenzhou-21 crew launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwestern China on October 31 aboard a Long March-2F rocket. The mission was originally scheduled to conclude around April after a standard six-month deployment.

The crew consists of Commander Zhang Lu, age 48, who previously participated in the 2022 Shenzhou-15 mission, along with Zhang Hongzhang, 39, and Wu Fei, 32. Wu Fei holds the distinction of being China’s youngest person ever launched into space.

According to China’s Manned Space Engineering Office, the astronauts have successfully accomplished multiple objectives during their time aboard the station. These achievements include mounting protective shields against space debris and conducting thorough inspections of equipment used for spacewalks, CCTV reported.

The space agency noted that all three crew members remain in excellent physical condition and continue performing their duties effectively after more than five months in orbit. They have been working alongside the station’s mechanical arm system and ground-based research teams.

“To further verify the technologies related to long-term astronaut stays in orbit … it is planned to extend the crew’s stay in orbit by approximately one month,” CCTV reported, though no specific return date was provided.

During their extended time in space, the astronauts will continue performing various scientific experiments and technology demonstrations, according to the space office.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Four astronauts who completed NASA’s historic return to lunar exploration shared positive feedback Thursday about their spacecraft’s capabilities, with particular emphasis on how well the heat shield functioned during their return to Earth.

During their initial press conference following their homecoming, the crew of three American astronauts and one Canadian team member expressed confidence that their successful lunar mission positions NASA well for achieving a crewed moon landing within the next two years and establishing a permanent lunar base. The astronauts spoke from NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, where they are based.

The diverse crew included Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canada’s Jeremy Hansen, who departed from Florida on April 1 for NASA’s first crewed lunar mission in over 50 years.

The team achieved a new distance record for human space travel, surpassing Apollo 13’s mark as they traveled around the moon’s far side. During their journey, they witnessed lunar features never before seen by human eyes and experienced the spectacular sight of a total lunar eclipse.

Their Orion spacecraft, which they christened “Integrity,” touched down safely in the Pacific Ocean last Friday, concluding their nearly 10-day mission. The crew’s return to Houston occurred on the 56th anniversary of Apollo 13’s launch.

According to Wiseman, he and Glover observed only minimal heat shield material loss during Integrity’s passage through the most intense phase of atmospheric reentry. After boarding the recovery vessel, they examined the capsule’s underside as thoroughly as possible, discovering slight charred material loss where the heat shield connects to the main capsule.

“For four humans just looking at the heat shield, it looked wonderful to us. It looked great, and that ride in was really amazing,” Wiseman said.

However, he emphasized that comprehensive analysis remains necessary. “We are going to fine-tooth comb every single, not even every molecule, probably every atom on this heat shield,” he said.

The heat shield from the initial unmanned Artemis test mission in 2022 returned with extensive damage that delayed Artemis II for months or potentially years. Rather than redesigning the shield, NASA modified the capsule’s reentry trajectory to reduce thermal stress. Upcoming capsules will feature an updated heat shield design.

Glover described the sensation when parachutes deployed just before ocean landing as feeling like free fall, comparing it to “diving backward off a skyscraper.” “That’s what it felt like for five seconds,” he said, noting that once the descent stabilized, “It was glorious.”

Following their return, all four crew members have undergone extensive medical evaluations to assess their balance, eyesight, muscle condition, coordination, and general health status. They also participated in spacesuit exercises under simulated lunar gravity conditions to evaluate the endurance and dexterity future moon explorers might possess upon landing.

NASA has already begun preparations for Artemis III, the subsequent phase in their ambitious lunar base development program. The launch platform returned Thursday to Kennedy Space Center’s Vehicle Assembly Building for preparation of next year’s Artemis mission.

Artemis III, which has not yet received crew assignments, will orbit Earth while astronauts practice connecting their Orion capsule with lunar landing vehicles being developed by Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin.

Artemis IV is scheduled for 2028 according to NASA’s current timeline, with plans for two astronauts to land near the moon’s south pole.

NASA’s goal this time involves establishing a permanent lunar presence, unlike the brief Apollo missions. Twelve astronauts explored the moon’s surface during the Apollo era, starting with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin in 1969 and concluding with Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt in 1972.

Koch expressed that since their return, she and her teammates are “feeling even more excited and just ready to take that on as an agency.”

“We made it happen,” she added.

Hansen noted that achieving these ambitious goals will require accepting additional risks and trusting that future challenges can be resolved as they arise. “We’re not going to be able to pound everything flat before we go. We’re going to have to trust each other,” he said.

Despite their smooth mission experience, Hansen acknowledged that “it was also very clear to us that it can get pretty bumpy.” He emphasized that future crews must “understand it can get real bumpy real fast.”

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Four astronauts who completed NASA’s groundbreaking return to lunar exploration offered glowing reviews of their spacecraft Thursday, particularly highlighting how well the heat shield performed during their journey back to Earth.

During their initial press conference since touching down, the international crew of three Americans and one Canadian expressed confidence that their successful moon flyby significantly advances NASA’s timeline for putting astronauts on the lunar surface within two years and establishing a permanent lunar outpost. The astronauts addressed media from NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Mission Commander Reid Wiseman, along with pilot Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canada’s Jeremy Hansen, departed Florida on April 1 aboard what became NASA’s first crewed lunar expedition in more than five decades and the most diverse crew ever assembled for such a mission.

The team achieved a new human spaceflight distance record, surpassing Apollo 13’s mark as they traveled around the moon’s far side, where lighting conditions allowed them to observe lunar features never before seen by human eyes. A total lunar eclipse during their voyage added to the spectacular experience.

Their Orion spacecraft, christened “Integrity” by the crew, safely descended by parachute into Pacific waters last Friday, concluding their nearly 10-day expedition. The crew’s return to Houston the following day marked exactly 56 years since Apollo 13’s launch.

According to Wiseman, he and Glover observed “maybe saw two moments of a touch of char loss” from the heat shield during Integrity’s descent through the most intense phase of reentry. After boarding the recovery vessel, they examined the capsule’s underside as thoroughly as possible, discovering minor charred material loss where the heat shield connects to the main capsule.

“For four humans just looking at the heat shield, it looked wonderful to us. It looked great, and that ride in was really amazing,” Wiseman stated.

However, he emphasized that comprehensive analysis remains ahead. “We are going to fine-tooth comb every single, not even every molecule, probably every atom on this heat shield,” he explained.

The heat shield from the unmanned 2022 Artemis test mission returned so severely damaged that it delayed Artemis II by several months or potentially years. Rather than redesigning the shield, NASA modified the capsule’s reentry trajectory to reduce thermal stress. Upcoming capsules will feature updated heat shield technology.

Glover described the sensation when parachutes deployed just before ocean landing as feeling like freefall — comparable to “diving backward off a skyscraper.” “That’s what it felt like for five seconds,” he recalled, noting that once the descent stabilized, “It was glorious.”

Following their return, all four crew members have undergone extensive medical evaluations examining their balance, eyesight, muscle condition, coordination, and general health status. They also tested spacewalking equipment under simulated lunar gravity conditions — one-sixth of Earth’s gravity — to assess how future moon explorers might perform immediately after landing.

NASA has already begun preparations for Artemis III, the subsequent phase in its ambitious lunar base development program. The launch platform returned Thursday to Kennedy Space Center’s Vehicle Assembly Building for preparation ahead of next year’s Artemis mission.

Artemis III, which has not yet received crew assignments, will orbit Earth while astronauts practice connecting their Orion capsule with lunar landing vehicles being developed by Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin companies.

Artemis IV is scheduled for 2028 according to NASA’s current timeline, featuring two astronauts landing near the moon’s south polar region.

NASA seeks to establish a lasting lunar presence this time, contrasting with the brief Apollo missions. Twelve astronauts walked on the moon during the Apollo era, starting with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin in 1969 and concluding with Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt in 1972.

Koch expressed that since returning, she and her teammates are “feeling even more excited and just ready to take that on as an agency.”

“We made it happen,” she added.

Hansen noted that achieving these ambitious goals will require accepting increased risks and trusting that unexpected challenges can be resolved in real time. “We’re not going to be able to pound everything flat before we go. We’re going to have to trust each other,” he said.

Despite their smooth mission experience, “it was also very clear to us that it can get pretty bumpy,” Hansen observed. Future crews must “understand it can get real bumpy real fast.”

OpenAI unveiled a specialized artificial intelligence system Thursday aimed at advancing biological research and accelerating medical breakthroughs.

The new technology, called GPT-Rosalind in honor of renowned 20th-century British scientist Rosalind Franklin, focuses specifically on supporting scientific work in biochemistry, pharmaceutical development, and medical research translation.

Pharmaceutical companies, universities, and biotechnology firms have increasingly sought AI-powered solutions to speed up research processes and drug development timelines.

“By supporting evidence synthesis, hypothesis generation, experimental planning, and other multi-step research tasks, this model is designed to help researchers accelerate the early stages of discovery,” OpenAI said in a blog.

According to company officials during a press briefing, scientists can use the system to search scientific databases, analyze current research publications, integrate additional scientific tools, and receive recommendations for new experimental approaches. The technology builds upon OpenAI’s most advanced internal systems.

The research tool is currently accessible through ChatGPT, Codex, and the company’s API for approved users via OpenAI’s secure access program. Additionally, the company has released a complimentary Life Sciences research plugin for Codex that connects researchers to more than 50 scientific tools and data repositories.

OpenAI reports partnerships with major companies including Amgen, Moderna, and Thermo Fisher Scientific to integrate GPT-Rosalind into their research operations.

This announcement follows Tuesday’s release of GPT-5.4-Cyber, another specialized version of OpenAI’s technology focused on cybersecurity defense, which came after competitor Anthropic introduced its own advanced AI system called Mythos.

Whether it’s a fake miracle cure advertisement or a video featuring a celebrity’s cloned voice, deceptive online content has become increasingly common—and artificial intelligence is making it worse.

The widespread availability of AI technology has intensified the longstanding problem of digital fraud and spam that has plagued the internet since its early days. However, as criminals gain access to these powerful tools, major technology companies are also strengthening their own AI defenses to combat the growing threat.

“It’s not that this is a new problem. It is an old problem, supercharged,” said Nate Elliott, a principal analyst at Emarketer. “The biggest difference is the speed and the scale that AI offers both the good actors and the bad actors.”

In its annual advertising safety report released Thursday, Google acknowledged that fraudsters are launching increasingly complex malicious campaigns while highlighting how its AI-driven systems serve as powerful protection tools.

The tech giant’s AI platform called Gemini successfully identified and stopped more than 99% of rule-breaking advertisements before users ever saw them during the past year.

Throughout 2025, Google eliminated or blocked over 8.3 billion advertisements, which included 602 million ads containing violations typically linked to fraudulent schemes. The company also shut down more than 4 million advertiser accounts due to scam-related activities.

Google maintains its position as a leading player in online advertising. According to Emarketer data, the company generated over $200 billion in global advertising revenue last year, though researchers predict Meta will surpass Google’s performance by 2026.

The company employs thousands of workers dedicated to developing and implementing its advertising standards on a massive scale. Keerat Sharma, Google’s vice president and general manager of ads privacy and safety, explained that incorporating advanced AI into their protection framework has produced more effective outcomes against harmful content.

Gemini now enables the team to examine hundreds of billions of data points—such as account history, user behavior patterns, and advertising campaign characteristics—to better understand the “nuance of what an advertisers intent actually is,” Sharma said. This capability allows them to accurately assess legitimacy or identify potentially harmful advertiser motives. Achieving this sophisticated analysis has also helped legitimate businesses keep their advertisements active, with the report showing that wrongful advertiser account suspensions decreased by 80% last year.

Gemini has also dramatically improved processing speed, according to Sharma. Previously, examining digital elements within an advertisement could require several seconds to minutes or longer, but now this analysis occurs within milliseconds. This speed “allows us to stop things right at the front door,” he said. Google also utilizes various other protective measures, including a comprehensive advertiser verification system, that work collectively to strengthen security.

The types of content Google targets for removal span a wide range. Problematic advertisements could appear as “all the forms of spam and scam that have always existed, just people are able to produce them faster and at higher volume,” Elliott said.

Specialists who discussed the issue with The Associated Press indicated that the ongoing battle between AI-driven fraud and AI-powered protection systems will continue as technology evolves.

“We’re already close, but it’s going to be heading even more to (where) it’s just AI versus AI,” said Matt Seitz, the director of the AI Hub at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “The volume of this problem is so large that it can’t be managed directly through humans.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — A centuries-old sycamore tree towers in western Massachusetts, its massive limbs thicker than most tree trunks, standing as a testament to what Eastern forests once looked like when the Constitution was written.

This ancient giant serves as a rare example of the towering trees that once dominated the landscape — a stark contrast to today’s smaller maples and pines that highlight how much old-growth woodland has vanished over time.

Across the Eastern United States, the American chestnut once provided that same sense of wonder on a massive scale.

These magnificent specimens commanded attention as they soared beyond the forest canopy, their trunks so wide they exceeded human height. The species formed the backbone of forest ecosystems, generating enormous crops of nuts that sustained populations of turkeys, bears and deer, which then carried the seeds to new locations. The wood’s exceptional straight grain made it perfect for furniture construction, while its natural resistance to insects and weather created long-lasting fence posts that surrounded countless farms.

At the dawn of the 1900s, billions of these trees flourished throughout the region, with their plentiful harvest shipped by train to urban markets where vendors sold them on city streets. Holiday songs still celebrate their memory today.

Then catastrophe struck.

A devastating combination of airborne fungal infection and deadly root disease transformed the American wilderness forever. Millions of trees succumbed to this lethal duo. By the 1950s, the species had essentially vanished from existence.

Enough time has passed that few people alive today recall what it meant to walk through forests filled with these giants. However, their legacy endures. Historic photographs continue to showcase their impressive stature. Organizations remain committed to preserving their history and working toward restoration.

The Chinese chestnut, brought to America for its valuable nuts, offers hope. While it doesn’t reach the same heights, this variety can withstand the diseases that destroyed its American cousin.

Tree specialists have attempted to transfer the disease-fighting characteristics into American chestnuts through breeding programs. This challenge has proven extraordinarily difficult. Traditional breeding methods have failed, and recent genetic analysis explains the obstacles — the beneficial traits exist in multiple locations throughout the tree’s DNA structure.

However, this genetic roadmap now offers scientists a clearer path toward developing trees capable of survival.

Researchers remain optimistic that future decades will produce sufficient healthy specimens to make the species self-sustaining, once again depending on wandering bears and absent-minded squirrels for natural propagation.

CHARLOTTESVILLE—Planting just one tree can create benefits that spread across an entire community, improving local ecosystems, boosting economic value, and enhancing residents’ quality of life for years to come.

Communities worldwide come together annually to plant trees and recognize their widespread benefits during Arbor Day celebrations. The holiday originated in Nebraska during the 1870s and is now observed across the United States and in more than 30 nations, the Arbor Day Foundation reports.

Virginia officially observes Arbor Day each year on the final Friday of April, though many communities throughout the state hold their celebrations during autumn months to benefit from warmer soil conditions and the approaching dormant season, the Virginia Department of Forestry states.

“Celebrating Arbor Day honors trees in our communities, promotes the planting of trees, and highlights the vital role they play in our environment,” noted Lara Johnson, Virginia DOF urban and community forestry program manager.

“Trees are vitally important to the quality of life within a community,” emphasized Molly O’Liddy, Virginia DOF urban and community forestry partnership coordinator. “They provide a host of environmental, social and economic benefits.”

Trees offer numerous practical advantages, including slowing stormwater runoff through their canopy coverage while their root systems help stabilize soil and filter rainwater before it reaches local waterways. Strategic tree placement can also lower home heating and cooling costs, while research demonstrates that green spaces contribute to better mental health and reduced stress levels.

The Arbor Day Foundation has designated 62 Virginia communities as Tree City USA participants. This program, launched in 1976, aims to “raise awareness of the value of community trees, set foundational standards for communities of all sizes, and celebrate community improvement,” Johnson explained.

Although every Arbor Day event includes planting at least one tree, Tree City USA communities mark the occasion through various activities such as distributing native tree species, organizing educational programs for young people about trees, or conducting formal ceremonies recognizing individuals or groups dedicated to tree conservation.

Beyond bringing community members together for a shared purpose, Arbor Day tree planting events provide a special chance to observe the “tangible impact, year after year” of this straightforward action, O’Liddy noted.

“The act of planting a tree gives a person a first-hand connection to that greenspace within their community,” Johnson added.

Virginia residents can participate in Arbor Day through various activities including walking among trees and enjoying the oxygen they generate, joining community Arbor Day events, planting trees locally, or volunteering with environmental community organizations.

Planting Guidelines

Individuals planning to plant trees should consider these recommendations:

• Select appropriate tree species for the specific location, considering soil conditions, available space for growth, sunlight exposure, and potential conflicts with the tree’s full-grown size, including power line interference.

• Emphasize planting diverse tree species.

• Avoid invasive plant species. Additional details are available on the Virginia DOF website.

• Proper initial care is crucial for successful tree establishment. Apply mulch in a 2-4 inch layer around the tree base and maintain regular watering during dry periods.

Additional resources are available at arborday.org/celebrate/ways-to-celebrate or dof.virginia.gov/urban-community-forestry/learn-about-urban-community-forestry.

BERLIN — Wildlife rescue teams in Germany launched an intricate mission Thursday to save an ailing humpback whale that has been beached along the Baltic Sea shoreline, capturing nationwide attention for several weeks.

The massive marine mammal, dubbed Timmy by German news outlets, remains motionless in shallow coastal waters near Wismar in eastern Germany, showing little movement for multiple days. Wildlife experts worry the creature may not survive much longer.

Timmy first appeared in the area on March 3rd. Scientists remain puzzled about why the whale ventured into the Baltic Sea, which lies far outside its typical environment. Some researchers believe the animal may have become disoriented while pursuing herring schools or during seasonal migration.

The creature faces enormous challenges in navigating back to the North Sea, requiring a journey spanning hundreds of kilometers before reaching the Atlantic Ocean.

Previous rescue efforts involving police vessels, construction equipment and inflatable craft succeeded in temporarily freeing the mammal. However, the whale, measuring between 39 and 49 feet in length, never managed to locate its route back to the North Sea and became stranded once more while its condition deteriorated.

German news organizations have launched continuous live coverage to satisfy intense public fascination with the whale’s situation, as it rests in shallow water with labored, slow breathing patterns. Digital news platforms have sent breaking news alerts for even minor updates about Timmy’s health, including reports on deteriorating skin conditions caused by the Baltic Sea’s reduced salinity levels.

Environmental advocates have organized demonstrations along Wismar’s shoreline demanding the animal’s rescue, while social media personalities have debated whether the most humane approach involves allowing peaceful death or continuing rescue attempts to return it to the Atlantic.

Public interest has grown so intense that law enforcement established a 1,640-foot safety perimeter to prevent curious onlookers from approaching and further stressing the beached whale.

Even with these precautions, a 67-year-old woman leaped from a boat over the weekend attempting to reach the whale before authorities intervened.

Marine specialists have developed an advanced strategy involving air cushions to lift the creature onto a tarp, which will be fastened to dual pontoons and connected to a tugboat.

Regional authorities have given approval for a privately-funded effort to transport the whale back to the North Sea and potentially continue to the Atlantic. According to current plans, the tugboat carrying Timmy should depart the Baltic Sea by Friday.

“He’s not active, and he’s certainly not agile, but he shows that there’s still life in him,” said Till Backhaus, environment minister for Mecklenburg-Pomerania state where Wismar is situated, during Wednesday’s announcement of the rescue strategy. “He’s definitely suffered serious damage, that’s for sure.”

Scientists have achieved a groundbreaking milestone by successfully measuring the extraordinary power and velocity of jets erupting from a black hole in real time.

An international team of researchers discovered that jets from the Cygnus X-1 black hole system generate energy equal to 10,000 suns, according to findings published Thursday. The team also clocked the jets traveling at approximately 355 million mph (540 million kph) — roughly half the velocity of light.

The Cygnus X-1 system sits 7,200 light-years from Earth and contains both a black hole — the first ever discovered more than 50 years ago — and a massive blue supergiant star that orbits alongside it. One light-year spans nearly 6 trillion miles (9.7 trillion kilometers).

University of Oxford researcher Steve Prabu led the team that analyzed 18 years of detailed radio telescope images captured by a worldwide network of observatories. Prabu completed this work while at Australia’s Curtin University, which spearheaded the study appearing in Nature Astronomy.

The research team successfully measured the rapid energy output of what Prabu describes as “dancing jets” that get deflected in opposing directions by stellar winds. Their calculations relied on observing how much the stellar wind bent these jets, combined with sophisticated computer simulations.

Previous attempts to measure black hole jet power required averaging data across tens of thousands of years, according to the research team.

A significant discovery showed that jets carry away 10% of all energy released when matter spirals toward the black hole, Prabu noted.

The Cygnus X-1 black hole, considered modest in size compared to others, continuously draws gas from its stellar partner as they circle each other. Scientists identified this binary system in the 1960s within our galaxy’s Cygnus constellation, also known as the swan.

The massive companion star provides material to the black hole, giving it “something to ‘eat’ and launch as jets,” Prabu explained in an email.

These powerful jets help researchers understand how black holes influence galaxy formation and other cosmic structures through massive shockwaves and turbulence.

Prabu intends to use comparable methods on other black holes. “It would be exciting to measure jet power in many more systems,” he stated.

LONDON (AP) — While William Shakespeare enthusiasts are familiar with his origins in Stratford-upon-Avon, where visitors continue to flock to see his birthplace, the legendary writer actually built his reputation in London — yet very little evidence of his presence remains in England’s capital today.

A recently uncovered map from the 1600s is providing fresh insights into Shakespeare’s life in London, revealing the precise location of the sole residence the playwright purchased in the city and potentially where he penned his last theatrical works.

Lucy Munro, a Shakespeare researcher who uncovered the historical document, explained that it adds “extra bits of the jigsaw puzzle” to understanding Shakespeare’s life. Like many significant findings, this one involved an element of chance.

“I came across it in the London Archives when I was looking for other things,” Munro said.

While scholars have been aware since long ago that Shakespeare acquired real estate in 1613 close to the Blackfriars Theatre, the precise whereabouts remained unknown. Currently, only a marker on a building from the 1800s indicates that the dramatist had quarters “near this site.”

The detailed layout of the Blackfriars area that Munro discovered and King’s College London revealed Thursday displays Shakespeare’s residence — a sizeable L-shaped structure converted from a former medieval monastery, complete with its entrance gate.

The Dominican religious community from the 13th century had been transformed for non-religious purposes following King Henry VIII’s monastery closures in the 1500s. This district housed the Blackfriars theater, which Shakespeare partially owned.

According to Munro, who serves as a professor of Shakespeare and early modern literature at King’s College London, the neighborhood was prestigious but experiencing a slight decline in status — partly due to residents like Shakespeare, who had wealth but connections to the somewhat disreputable theater world.

“After the dissolution of the monasteries, a lot of the nobility, quite high-ranking courtiers, court officials are living in the Blackfriars,” Munro said. When Shakespeare acquired his property, “there are still a lot of important people living there, people who make protests against the playhouses at various points, because they see the playhouses as a bit of a public nuisance.”

Shakespeare invested his theatrical earnings to construct an impressive family residence in Stratford, approximately 100 miles northwest of London, which has since been torn down. He passed away there in 1616 at age 52.

Whether Shakespeare actually resided in his London house or simply collected rent from it remains unclear. However, Munro suggests that the dwelling’s size and its proximity — just a five-minute walk to the Blackfriars Theatre — indicate he might have spent more time in London during his later years than commonly believed. She theorizes he could have created his final works there, including “Henry VIII” and “The Two Noble Kinsmen,” both collaborative efforts with John Fletcher.

Will Tosh, who heads education at Shakespeare’s Globe — a recreated version of the outdoor Elizabethan theater where many of Shakespeare’s plays debuted — described Munro’s finding as providing a “dazzling new sense of Shakespeare the London writer. She’s helped us to understand how much the city meant to our greatest ever dramatist, as a professional and personal home.”

Shakespeare bequeathed the property to his daughter Susanna, and it stayed within the family for an additional fifty years. Munro also located two historical records documenting its sale by the playwright’s granddaughter Elizabeth Hall Nash Barnard in 1665. The following year, the structure was consumed by the Great Fire of London, which devastated much of the ancient city.

Few traces of Shakespeare’s London survive in the area, now part of the city’s financial center, including a remaining piece of wall from the medieval monastery. The nearby street name Playhouse Yard serves as a reminder of the theater that once operated there.

Modern visitors can enjoy a drink at the Cockpit pub located across from where Shakespeare’s house once stood. The 1600s map identifies it as a structure called the Sign of the Cock, probably a tavern. It’s easy to envision Shakespeare and his theater associates gathering there for drinks.

“There are certainly complaints in the period about the playhouses leading to the opening of more and more drinking houses — ‘houses for tippling,’ as they call them in one of the documents I was looking at,” Munro said.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Movie producers revealed the first footage Wednesday of a digitally recreated Val Kilmer at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, showcasing how artificial intelligence technology brought the late actor back to the screen for the independent film “As Deep as the Grave.”

In the trailer’s closing moments, Kilmer’s character Father Fintan, portrayed as both a Catholic priest and Native American spiritual guide, delivers the line: “Don’t fear the dead and don’t fear me.”

Kilmer passed away last year at age 65 from pneumonia complications. The decision to digitally resurrect the actor for this historical drama centered on archaeologists Ann and Earl Morris sparked significant debate when producers first announced the project last month. The preview footage displays Kilmer’s character across different time periods of his life.

Director and screenwriter Coerte Voorhees joined his brother John on a Wednesday panel discussion addressing the contentious choice to employ technology for recreating a performance by a deceased performer. They outlined their ethical approach, which involved collaboration with Kilmer’s family members and adherence to actors’ union protocols. However, Coerte Voorhees was careful not to label it as an authentic Val Kilmer performance.

“Val Kilmer influenced this performance,” Coerte Voorhees stated.

Producer John Voorhees acknowledged the dangerous ground of using AI to replicate real individuals but stressed their compliance with Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists protocols, which he summarized as “consent, compensation and collaboration.” Kilmer’s estate, including daughter Mercedes, authorized the digital recreation, receives payment for the usage, and contributed archival material to assist the technological process.

The filmmakers drew parallels between Kilmer’s AI-generated role and traditional portrayals of historical figures, similar to Kilmer’s own depiction of Jim Morrison in “The Doors.” Notably, Kilmer had previously embraced AI technology during his lifetime. After losing his natural voice due to throat cancer treatment and two tracheotomy procedures, he worked with an AI software company to digitally restore his speaking ability. His voice also received digital enhancement for his final film appearance in “Top Gun: Maverick.”

Kilmer had originally committed to “As Deep as the Grave” several years earlier, with much of the storyline built around his character. When health complications forced him to withdraw at the last moment, the production team initially proceeded without the character rather than casting a replacement. The project faced multiple delays as one of the first productions to begin filming in New Mexico during fall 2020 amid pandemic restrictions. The creators later determined that Father Fintan remained essential to the story and approached Kilmer’s children, Mercedes and Jack, about the AI solution.

“We were so glad they were so excited and so supportive of the idea,” Coerte Voorhees explained. “We didn’t want to do it unless everybody thought this was going to work properly.”

According to the director, Kilmer appears on screen for one hour and 17 minutes, though the complete runtime remains undisclosed. He noted the film runs long, and the production team plans a release sometime this year.

SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. — Visitors to a historic greenhouse at Mount Holyoke College this week experienced a range of nauseating odors as they witnessed the rare blooming of a corpse flower. Some described the smell as rotten eggs, while others likened it to dissecting a dead animal or a dirty diaper left in hot sun.

“I was expecting it to smell bad, but it smelled genuinely like rotting flesh,” said Nyx DelPrado, a first-year student at Mount Holyoke College who visited its Talcott Greenhouse this week to see the blooming of a corpse flower. “Its name is accurate,” DelPrado added with a laugh, nose wrinkled.

The unusual plant, scientifically known as Amorphophallus titanum, originates from Sumatra’s rainforests and rarely flowers. When it does bloom, the event lasts only days while producing a disgusting smell designed to attract flies and beetles for pollination. The college’s specimen, dubbed ‘Pangy,’ previously flowered in 2023, and this recent blooming has again attracted curious crowds wanting to experience the unusual phenomenon.

The impressive display consists of numerous small flowers clustered around a tall central spike called a spadix, all encased by a deep purple, soft outer leaf. While the spectacular flower structure dies within days, the plant’s underground portions remain alive and may produce future blooms.

Tom Clark, director and curator of the Mount Holyoke College Botanic Garden, explained that the plant’s notorious smell fulfills a crucial biological function and has prompted various reactions from guests.

“A few people who have come in since have described the smell as being unbearable, tangy, like a trash can — it’s overwhelming,” Clark said. “But that odor is there for a purpose. It’s there to attract pollinators, flies in particular.”

Predicting when these flowers will emerge proves challenging, as they often remain dormant for years. During the previous six weeks, Pangy experienced rapid growth, sometimes extending several inches daily before opening. The bloom finally emerged Monday night, greeting staff with its intense aroma when they arrived Tuesday morning.

“Walking through the front door, we could smell it,” he said. “As we walked back to the greenhouse where it’s growing, the smell became stronger and stronger. It was just overwhelming — literally unbearable — to be back there with it. If you weren’t aware of this plant and walked into the greenhouse, you’d say, ‘What died in here?’”

The unusual event attracted visitors from considerable distances, including Michael Breton, who traveled two hours and used vacation time to witness the bloom after monitoring news reports for years.

“If you see a news article, and it’s from two days ago, it’s gone, so you gotta run quick,” Breton said. He compared the scent to “a stinky diaper that’s been left out in the sun,” adding that despite the odor, the plant was “bright, beautiful and colorful. It’s a lovely plant.”

Some visitors found the aroma less shocking than expected.

“I would say it smells kind of like a compost pile, a little bit like a working farm,” said Caroline Murray, a senior. “I’m from Vermont, so I’m very used to the smell of the farm and manure.”

Clark noted that this flowering demonstrates the broader purpose of the Talcott Greenhouse, which he described as a ‘plant museum’ containing approximately 2,000 plant varieties — representing just a tiny portion of the world’s estimated 350,000 to 400,000 plant species.

“When anyone comes to the greenhouse, it’s an opportunity to engage them with some facet of the plant world,” he said. “When it’s a plant that’s so dramatic as the corpse flower, it’s this special opportunity to impress upon them the diversity and some of the amazing adaptations that plants have to survive in their environment in unique ways.”

By Tuesday afternoon, the smell had started weakening as greenhouse ventilation systems were activated, providing visitors with a less overwhelming but still notable experience. Following the short blooming phase, the plant will slowly decay and collapse. Since corpse flowers require cross-pollination, seed production only occurs when pollen from another specimen is present.

For Namuuna Negi, a junior, the temporary nature of the bloom enhanced its appeal.

“The impermanence of it, I think. People like to be in on what’s happening,” Negi said. “If they hear something’s going to die soon, they want to go see it before that happens so they can talk about it later.”

Federal environmental regulators are examining whether chemical plastic recycling operations should face less stringent air quality standards than those currently applied to waste incinerators.

Environmental advocates express serious concerns about the potential policy shift, arguing it could result in increased hazardous emissions entering communities with reduced federal oversight. The plastics sector counters that the modification would eliminate regulatory uncertainty while maintaining emission controls.

Global plastic waste continues mounting, with millions of tons entering the environment annually. While numerous nations and environmental organizations advocate for production limits, industry representatives and major oil-producing nations resist, promoting enhanced reuse and recycling technologies instead.

Chemical recycling employs heat or chemical processes to decompose plastic materials. The primary technique, called pyrolysis, has historically fallen under Clean Air Act incineration regulations. Current EPA standards limit emissions of nine air contaminants from incinerators, including harmful particulates, heavy metals and dioxins.

Federal officials indicate a proposed regulation might reclassify pyrolysis as a manufacturing process instead.

The American Chemistry Council, representing industry interests, has consistently advocated for this regulatory change.

“The definition of incineration is to destroy it, right? You’re literally trying to make it go away,” stated Ross Eisenberg, president of America’s Plastic Makers, who directs ACC’s plastics advocacy efforts. “That’s not what they’re doing here. They are trying to preserve it and recover the materials, which is recycling, which is manufacturing.”

Judith Enck, former EPA regional administrator now leading Beyond Plastics, opposes what she describes as a “much weaker level of environmental protection.”

“Chemical recycling companies know that if they want to operate, they need to get this essential Clean Air Act permit and they don’t like it,” she explained. “They have spent decades trying to convince EPA to change the rules of the game. Republication and Democratic administrations have declined to do this. But they have hit the jackpot with the Trump administration.”

EPA currently oversees pyrolysis through section 129 of the Clean Air Act, which controls air pollution from four solid waste incineration categories. Agency officials told The Associated Press that a 2005 final rule including “pyrolysis/combustion units” under that section created ambiguity and industry confusion.

EPA officials confirmed they’re accepting public feedback on potential regulations that could classify pyrolysis as manufacturing under section 111 of the Clean Air Act.

John Walke, directing the Natural Resources Defense Council’s national clean air advocacy, noted Section 111 covers fewer pollutants than section 129. He also contends EPA’s approach bypasses essential steps in the mandatory rulemaking process.

Walke warned the EPA action would effectively deregulate these facilities immediately under the act. He explained the legal process for regulating the industry under different provisions would require several years, creating a regulatory void without federal emission standards.

“You could have a facility that was controlled on a Monday, preventing those hazardous air pollutants from being emitted into the atmosphere, and on Tuesday, the facility would have legal permission to turn off installed pollution controls to allow the unlimited release of hazardous air pollution into the same community that was better protected on Monday,” he explained. “Why would they do that? Why would they turn off an installed pollution control device? Because it costs money to operate them.”

Eisenberg challenged that assessment. He maintained other Clean Air Act provisions would remain applicable, and facilities must obtain state permits, ensuring emission controls and community safety. These operations are “so heavily regulated,” Eisenberg emphasized.

American Chemistry Council data shows over 90% of plastics avoid recycling. The organization promotes chemical or advanced recycling as a solution. Combined with conventional mechanical recycling, chemical recycling could significantly decrease landfill waste while creating diverse products, according to ACC.

The technology converts plastics into liquid and gas forms, producing oil-like mixtures or basic chemicals for new plastic or fuel production. It resembles “unbaking a cake,” Eisenberg described.

Environmental organizations characterize advanced recycling as waste disposal rather than true recycling, calling it a diversion from genuine solutions like reducing plastic production and consumption.

Currently, six pyrolysis facilities operate across Ohio, Texas, North Carolina, Indiana and Georgia, with construction underway in Arizona and West Virginia, plus a small Maryland test project, per American Chemistry Council records. ACC has lobbied state and federal legislators to classify chemical recycling as manufacturing. Twenty-five states have adopted this classification, with congressional legislation pending.

Despite legislative achievements, Eisenberg noted declining proposals for new plant construction in recent years, partly due to permitting challenges.

“I often ask people to take a step back,” he said. “Do you want more recycling? If the answer is yes, then we should do what we can to make sure that you can bring more recycling online.”

Eisenberg confirmed they’ve communicated to the Trump administration that Clean Air Act revision represents a priority. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin visited ExxonMobil’s Baytown, Texas, facility last year to observe chemical recycling operations firsthand.

In March, EPA published a notice seeking comments on proposed regulations consolidating rules for another incinerator type, including a brief section requesting feedback on removing pyrolysis references. EPA mentioned this at the conclusion of its press release regarding air curtain incinerators.

Enck characterized it as a significant policy change hidden within a rulemaking notice. EPA dismissed the criticism, pointing to their press release.

During last week’s public hearing, numerous speakers urged EPA to maintain pyrolysis regulation as incineration, including approximately twelve representatives from nonprofit Moms Clean Air Force. Kiya Stanford, the organization’s Georgia state organizer, testified that changing regulations “feels like a move to prioritize polluters over people,” providing the plastics industry an inexpensive method to eliminate visible waste by releasing toxic air pollution.

The agency proposed similar modifications in 2020 during President Donald Trump’s initial term. The Biden administration later withdrew the proposed change.

Walke indicated NRDC would pursue legal challenges if EPA finalizes the regulatory rollback.

PLYMOUTH, Mass. — Standing amid hundreds of acres of thriving wetlands, Glorianna Davenport holds old photographs showing what this land used to be: neat rows of bright red cranberry bogs connected by straight irrigation channels. The contrast is remarkable — where geometric farm plots once existed, winding streams now flow through diverse habitat teeming with wildlife and towering trees.

This dramatic transformation, monitored by an extensive network of cameras and sensors, provides a roadmap for restoring wetlands as cranberry operations across New England and Wisconsin face declining profits. Climate change poses particular challenges to cranberry cultivation, which depends on cold winters and abundant water supplies. Rising temperatures and extended dry periods are making successful harvests increasingly difficult.

Plymouth settlers were among the earliest to cultivate this indigenous New England fruit, establishing family farming traditions that have endured for generations.

“For many of these farmers, it’s their life savings and what they want to pass on to their children,” Davenport explains. “It’s very complicated.”

The property Davenport chose to sell for conservation purposes has become the Tidmarsh Wildlife Sanctuary, representing Massachusetts’ most extensive freshwater habitat restoration effort. Working alongside scientists, technology experts and artists, she established a functioning research facility dedicated to wetland conservation studies. The monitoring equipment generates real-time, publicly accessible information demonstrating how the ecosystem is regaining its natural diversity.

Researchers studying both the sanctuary and a neighboring town preserve on Davenport’s former agricultural land have produced scientific papers documenting the environmental changes. Knowledge gained at Tidmarsh influenced the state’s decision to create a cranberry bog restoration initiative that pairs farmers with conservation organizations, either purchasing properties for restoration or assisting landowners with their own habitat projects.

The collected data has inspired unexpected applications among nature enthusiasts: birdwatchers once used audio recordings from multiple microphones to pinpoint a specific bird’s position. Others stream the wetland sounds as background ambiance for their homes or workplaces.

Creating the restored habitat at Tidmarsh required planting more than 20,000 native plant varieties, dismantling old dams and creating new waterways. Heavy machinery worked through sandy soil that had been degraded by over a century of cranberry farming, which had created a dense, impermeable layer above the original freshwater wetlands.

Scientists who had considered cranberry farmland “ecologically dead” watched a vibrant wetland system emerge. Just one year after restoration work commenced in 2010, the sandy earth began producing new growth.

Research published in 2025 examining sites including Plymouth’s Foothills Preserve, another section of Davenport’s former farm, conducted by teams from the Woodwell Climate Research Center and the University of Connecticut revealed that Tidmarsh’s sand contained dormant native seeds requiring only mixing with peat to begin growing. A 2021 study examining Tidmarsh and other restored locations — including an earlier, smaller Plymouth restoration called Eel River Headwaters — documented rapid improvements in water retention, soil quality and microbial ecosystems within just a few years.

“We discovered that former cranberry farms were actually highly restorable,” states Beth Lambert, who directs the Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration.

Mass Audubon, the conservation group that purchased and oversees most of Tidmarsh, showcases these restoration results through guided tours. Education coordinator Kim Snyder leads diverse groups from bird enthusiasts to student field trip participants.

“A lot of Plymouth residents who have been here a long time remember it as a cranberry farm,” Snyder notes.

Lambert credits Tidmarsh with inspiring the state’s Cranberry Bog Restoration Program, which offers technical support and connects farmers with federal funding and conservation-minded purchasers. The state has now completed construction on nine restoration projects covering approximately 500 acres and 10 miles of stream habitat. Eleven additional projects spanning another 500 acres are currently being planned. Lambert hopes to restore an additional thousand acres over the next 10 to 15 years.

Data from the United States Department of Agriculture shows Massachusetts cranberry farm retirements increased by roughly 40% from 2017 to 2022.

Farmers don’t automatically choose conservation when leaving agriculture. They may sell to developers or simply abandon the land, which could take decades to naturally return to productive wild habitat.

“If we don’t conserve, if we don’t protect these lands that … owners are walking away (from), we lose it forever,” Davenport warns.

The retired filmmaker believes that supporting more wetland restoration research will help communicate valuable knowledge to the public — potentially inspiring similar restoration efforts in other locations.

This philosophy motivated her to establish the Living Observatory, a nonprofit organization that calls itself a “learning collaborative” for researchers, artists and others documenting former cranberry farm recovery.

Using the sensor network — which tracks everything from soil moisture to temperature — plus live cameras, the Living Observatory has compiled extensive data on cranberry farm restoration techniques. The project’s website now contains information from multiple restoration sites throughout the state beyond Tidmarsh.

Gershon Dublon, a data and systems researcher who serves as Living Observatory board director, said researchers appreciated having a straightforward resource: a centralized location to access data and contribute their own findings. Following Tidmarsh’s success, ecologists from locations as distant as the Amazon rainforest contacted Living Observatory seeking advice on implementing similar custom sensor networks for their projects, Dublon reports.

Wetland restoration projects and their generated knowledge serve as valuable tools in addressing climate change, according to climate scientist Christopher Neill at the Woodwell Climate Center. Wetlands function as natural barriers that absorb flood and storm water, Neill explains. Scientists report that extreme precipitation events are becoming more frequent in the Northeast.

At Tidmarsh, sphagnum moss growing alongside a mile-long boardwalk demonstrates this resilience. Snyder enjoys explaining its antimicrobial qualities to visitors. The moss also captures and stores carbon dioxide that contributes to global warming.

“It’s a great property to show … the scope of restoration work,” she says with a smile.

The changes at Tidmarsh fill Davenport with optimism. Native pitcher plants flourish in clusters throughout the wetlands. Insects buzz over flowing streams. Her boots sink into the soft, saturated ground. These were sounds absent from the farm where she spent her childhood.

“The quiet goal is, can we make a dent in the amount of land that’s put in conservation?” Davenport asks.

NEW YORK (AP) — Over a dozen young adults met in a Brooklyn brownstone, depositing their smartphones into a metal bowl before spending two hours engaged in reading, sketching, and face-to-face discussions — deliberately avoiding any screen time.

A comparable gathering occurred nearby in a converted early 1900s cardboard manufacturing facility that now serves as upscale office space. About 20 participants in their thirties gazed at their mobile devices briefly, then set them aside to examine their empty hands and those of fellow attendees.

This activity aimed to emphasize the value of focusing on actual experiences rather than the bright digital displays that dominate modern existence.

Twenty years following Steve Jobs’ introduction of the iPhone, a modest yet dedicated movement — with branches in multiple nations — is pushing back against ubiquitous screens.

“The products have become more insidious and more extractive, exploitative,” said Dan Fox, 38, who hosted the house gathering. Members of the nascent movement “want to start a revolution,” he said.

However, can this “attention activism” campaign led by millennials and Generation Z challenge the world’s biggest corporations? Statistics suggest otherwise. Yet cultural shifts begin modestly, and opposition is mounting against what many term “human fracking.”

Apple and other major technology companies claim they’ve implemented measures to help users limit device usage, including tracking tools and a less appealing grayscale display option.

Campaign organizers argue these efforts fall short.

“They want to take down Big Tech,” says Fox, a stand-up comedian who works in marketing for Brooklyn-based Light Phone, one of several “dumb phones” with only basic functionality.

Contrary to typical modern devices, the company highlights what its phones don’t include, such as “social media, clickbait news, email, an internet browser, or any other anxiety-inducing infinite feed.”

Fox became motivated to join the cause after attending a 2015 Tame Impala performance at Radio City Music Hall. He observed that virtually every audience member was recording the show on their devices rather than experiencing the music directly.

“I realized the phones are literally getting in the way of the things I love,” Fox said.

Wireless internet connectivity has become so integrated into daily life that among the rare places without ready access is wartime Iran, where officials disabled internet service during widespread demonstrations in January.

D. Graham Burnett serves as a science historian at Princeton University and co-authored “Attensity! A Manifesto of the Attention Liberation Movement,” establishing him as a key figure in the expanding resistance to corporate exploitation of human focus.

Combined with MSNBC host Chris Hayes’ popular book “The Sirens’ Call: How Attention Became the World’s Most Endangered Resource,” his research contributes to increasing scholarship encouraging people to step away from screens and engage with reality.

Burnett describes the “attention liberation movement” as breaking free from time-consuming applications. Individuals “need to rewild their attention. Their attention is the fullness of their relationship to the world.”

Participants in Fox’s apartment began the session with personal introductions, resembling a recovery meeting.

“I don’t feel good about my relationship with my phone. I feel like an addict,” said Riley Soloner, who teaches theatrical clowning and works as an usher at Carnegie Hall. He arrived with a backpack full of books — the paper kind.

Overseas in the Netherlands, attendees gathered in a neo-Gothic cathedral recently for an Offline Club session.

“We create our events and gatherings with different themes. One of them is connecting with yourself through creative activities or reading or writing or puzzling,” said co-founder Ilya Kneppelhout. “Really something that makes you slow down and reflect, go inward.”

Dozens of “attention activism” organizations exist throughout the United States and Canada, with the movement also emerging in Spain, Italy, Croatia, France and England. Burnett anticipates further expansion.

Students at Oberlin College’s Harkness Housing and Dining Co-op chose to operate their organization without digital communication and spreadsheets in January, extending to prohibit technology in common areas of the 1950s brick structure.

“People expressed a feeling of relief about not needing to be checking their emails, or checking their texts or checking the news. That allowed us to spend a lot of time just talking to each other,” said junior Ozzie Frazier, 21.

Throughout the month-long cooperative experiment, Frazier noted that residents began borrowing CDs from the library and participating in craft evenings, live performances and the word game Bananagrams.

“A lot of people felt very connected to each other. Not having the devices gave them some kind of mental space,” Frazier said.

Wilhelm Tupy discovered “Attensity” while browsing a Vienna bookstore and visited the School of Radical Attention in Brooklyn’s DUMBO area during a recent trip.

He believed he had found something connecting his athletic background as a judo champion — requiring concentrated “flow” — with his current role as a business advisor.

“Discipline is not enough nowadays,” he said. “It’s becoming more and more difficult to keep the attention and to keep the focus on goals and whatever you want to achieve and want to do.”

A South Korean artificial intelligence chip company is deepening its collaboration with automotive giant Hyundai Motor Group to create next-generation robots powered by advanced AI technology.

DEEPX, an AI chip startup, announced plans to broaden its existing partnership with Hyundai to build computing systems for robots capable of generative artificial intelligence using the company’s upcoming second-generation low-power processors, according to CEO Lokwon Kim.

The announcement comes as DEEPX pursues significant funding and prepares for a potential initial public offering. Kim revealed the company is currently negotiating with government officials and investors to secure more than 600 billion won, equivalent to approximately $408 million, ahead of a planned IPO in South Korea.

DEEPX represents one of several South Korean tech startups benefiting from the government’s push to develop artificial intelligence leaders and establish the nation as a global AI powerhouse. The company, which started manufacturing chips in late 2023, was established by Kim, who previously worked as an engineer at Apple.

The startup specializes in creating neural processing units that enable robots, manufacturing facilities, and autonomous vehicles to perform AI operations independently without requiring internet connections. DEEPX has already supplied AI chips for Hyundai’s four-wheeled delivery robots currently in use.

Hyundai’s upcoming robotics system will incorporate DEEPX’s next-generation DX-M2 processors, which are scheduled to enter mass production in the latter half of next year using Samsung Electronics’ cutting-edge 2-nanometer manufacturing process.

Kim explained that DEEPX’s energy-efficient chips could address overheating issues in power-intensive humanoid robots, though he declined to specify which particular robot models would utilize the DX-M2 technology.

According to Kim, the company’s existing chip generation operates with 20 times greater power efficiency while costing significantly less than competing Nvidia Jetson Orin processors.

“Our next-generation chips are optimized for generative AI, which, like ChatGPT, will enable robots to learn from their experiences,” Kim stated during a recent interview.

Hyundai, which introduced its Atlas humanoid robot in January, has outlined plans to construct a manufacturing facility capable of producing 30,000 robot units each year by 2028.

Hyun Dong-jin, who leads Hyundai’s Robotics LAB, described the collaboration with DEEPX as part of a broader strategy to establish a network of on-device computing partners both domestically and internationally.

DEEPX’s client base includes Chinese technology company Baidu, and the startup has set a revenue target of $40 million for this year.

Company CFO Young Cho told media representatives Tuesday that DEEPX prioritizes listing on the Korean stock exchange, though the company might explore a secondary U.S. listing through American Depositary Receipts at a later date.

Company leadership did not reveal the valuation being sought in the current funding round.

On Tuesday, OpenAI introduced GPT-5.4-Cyber, a specialized version of its newest artificial intelligence model designed specifically for cybersecurity defense applications. The launch comes exactly one week following competitor Anthropic’s reveal of its advanced AI system called Mythos on April 7.

Anthropic’s Mythos model is currently being used through “Project Glasswing,” a carefully managed program that allows selected organizations to test the unreleased Claude Mythos Preview system for cybersecurity protection. The model has successfully identified “thousands” of significant security flaws in operating systems, web browsers and various software applications.

The ChatGPT creator announced that GPT-5.4-Cyber will launch with restricted access, available only to approved security companies, organizations and researchers due to its more flexible design capabilities.

Additionally, OpenAI is broadening its Trusted Access for Cyber initiative to include thousands of verified individual security professionals and hundreds of teams responsible for safeguarding essential software systems, according to a company website announcement.

The tech company is introducing additional levels to its TAC program, which debuted in February, where increased verification requirements provide access to more advanced features.

Security professionals who qualify for the program’s top tier will receive access to GPT-5.4-Cyber, which operates with reduced limitations on sensitive cybersecurity operations including vulnerability research and security analysis.

A major cyber attack orchestrated by Russian hackers has compromised internet routers nationwide, prompting federal regulators to issue updated security guidelines for home users.

The extensive hacking campaign has raised concerns about the vulnerability of residential internet equipment, leading the Federal Communications Commission to provide fresh recommendations on securing home network devices.

Homeowners are being urged to take proactive steps to safeguard their internet connections against potential cyber threats targeting router systems.

Amazon’s cloud computing division rolled out a new artificial intelligence platform on Tuesday that promises to revolutionize how pharmaceutical companies discover new medications.

The technology, called Amazon Bio Discovery, enables researchers to conduct sophisticated drug development processes without needing programming expertise, according to Amazon Web Services.

Pharmaceutical companies and tech firms have increasingly turned to artificial intelligence to streamline the traditionally lengthy drug development process.

Amazon Web Services explained in a company blog that their new platform provides scientists with access to specialized biological AI models capable of creating and analyzing potential medications, plus an AI assistant that guides users through model selection, parameter configuration, and result interpretation.

The system allows researchers to forward promising candidates to laboratory partners for creation and evaluation, with test outcomes feeding back into the platform to inform subsequent design cycles.

Rajiv Chopra, Amazon Web Services’ vice president of healthcare AI and life sciences, told Reuters that the technology dramatically cuts development time. “(It) would take, 18 months to come up with 300 potential drug candidates. Now, scientists can quickly create 300 candidates within a couple of weeks,” Chopra explained.

According to Chopra, the explosion of drug-discovery AI models has created a shortage of computational biologists capable of converting laboratory objectives into machine-learning systems.

Amazon Web Services reports that Bayer, the Broad Institute, and Voyager Therapeutics are testing the platform early, while 19 of the world’s 20 largest pharmaceutical companies currently utilize AWS cloud infrastructure.

In partnership with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, the platform successfully created nearly 300,000 new antibody molecules and filtered them down to 100,000 testing candidates through partner Twist Bioscience, reducing months of traditional work to just weeks.

Chopra emphasized that the technology aims to support rather than eliminate scientists and contract research firms.

The company plans to provide a complimentary trial featuring five experimental units before rolling out paid subscription options.

Additionally, AWS, Boston Consulting Group, and Merck plan to introduce an AI system at AWS’s Life Science Symposium focused on enhancing clinical trial location selection, another frequent obstacle in pharmaceutical development.

Rural Nevada experienced a significant 5.7 magnitude earthquake Monday evening, with the epicenter located east of Carson City, the state’s capital.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the seismic event occurred shortly before 6:30 p.m. The earthquake’s center was positioned 12.9 miles east of Silver Springs at a shallow depth of 3.1 miles below ground.

Footage captured in Fallon revealed the quake’s impact on local businesses, with broken glass and food products strewn across grocery store floors.

Local resident Trina Enloe was helping her daughter with homework in their dining room when the earthquake began.

“You could hear the rumbling just coming before it even got to us,” Enloe said. She described the shaking as lasting approximately one minute. While the tremor toppled some cast iron candle holders in her Fallon home, Enloe reported no visible cracks or structural damage.

Federal geological officials confirmed that people in surrounding areas experienced intense to very intense ground movement, resulting in minor to moderate property damage throughout the region.

A Texas man who allegedly hurled a firebomb at the San Francisco residence of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was carrying anti-artificial intelligence writings when arrested, federal court records show.

Daniel Moreno-Gama is accused of launching the incendiary attack around 4 a.m. Friday morning, igniting an entrance gate at Altman’s property before escaping on foot, according to law enforcement officials. Within the next hour, investigators say Moreno-Gama traveled to OpenAI’s corporate offices and made threats to destroy the building with fire.

Federal agents conducted an extensive search Monday morning at Moreno-Gama’s residence in Spring, Texas, located in the Houston metropolitan area, remaining on scene for multiple hours. He now faces federal charges including unlawful firearm possession and property destruction using explosive materials.

Court filings indicate that when authorities took Moreno-Gama into custody Friday, they discovered written materials expressing his opposition to artificial intelligence technology and naming multiple executives from AI companies.

The documentation allegedly contained Moreno-Gama’s thoughts about “the purported risk AI poses to humanity,” according to the federal criminal complaint.

Following the attack on his residence, Altman shared an image of his spouse and young child on his blog while addressing the threats he has received.

“Normally we try to be pretty private, but in this case I am sharing a photo in the hopes that it might dissuade the next person from throwing a Molotov cocktail at our house, no matter what they think about me,” Altman wrote.

He continued by stating that “fear and anxiety about AI is justified” while emphasizing the need to “de-escalate the rhetoric and tactics and try to have fewer explosions in fewer homes, figuratively and literally.”

BERLIN – The Berlin Zoo’s most distinguished resident marked a major milestone Monday as Fatou, the oldest gorilla in captivity worldwide, turned 69 years old with a special vegetable celebration.

The western lowland gorilla enjoyed a birthday spread featuring cherry tomatoes, beets, leeks, and lettuce – though zoo staff skipped the traditional birthday cake since sugar poses health risks for the elderly primate.

Fatou first came to what was then West Berlin back in 1959, estimated to be around 2 years old upon her arrival. Since her exact birth date remains unknown, zoo officials designated April 13 as her official birthday. While gorillas typically survive 35-40 years in their natural habitat, those in captivity often live considerably longer.

The distinguished gorilla claimed the title of the zoo’s senior-most resident in 2024 after the passing of Ingo the flamingo. The bird had reached at least 75 years old and called the zoo home since 1955.

According to Guinness World Records, Fatou’s journey began in the wilds of western Africa before a French sailor reportedly removed her from the continent and traded her to settle his bar bill in Marseille, France. A French animal dealer subsequently purchased and sold her to the Berlin Zoo.

Now in her golden years, Fatou occupies her own private living space and maintains distance from the zoo’s other gorillas. Age has taken its toll – she’s lost her teeth and deals with mild arthritis and hearing difficulties.

However, Christian Aust, the Berlin Zoo’s primate supervisor, notes she maintains friendly relationships with her caretakers, though she retains some of her stubborn nature.

At 69 years old, she’s certainly earned the right to be set in her ways. Alles Gute zum Geburtstag, Fatou.

HONG KONG (AP) — At a major technology exhibition in Hong Kong, a child-sized humanoid robot captivated visitors by performing songs and engaging in conversations using both Mandarin and English, responding to any inquiries from fascinated onlookers.

The Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center hosted displays of over 100 robotic units beginning Monday across two separate exhibitions. Among the featured machines was the X2 Ultra model created by AGIBOT Innovation (Shanghai) Technology Co., one of China’s leading humanoid robotics companies.

The robot enthusiastically discussed its interests, ranging from athletics and dance to technology research and music appreciation. It also demonstrated impressive observational capabilities, accurately identifying individuals in its vicinity by stating: “a woman holding a phone, a woman holding a bag and a phone, a man holding a camera.”

Calvin Chiu, chief operating officer of Novautek Autonomous Driving, which represents AGIBOT in Hong Kong, explained that these machines can offer emotional companionship through dialogue while functioning as educational aids for seniors and young people. Each unit can be configured with distinct personality traits.

“It would be like a friend,” Chiu said.

Within China, technological advancement has become a competitive arena against the United States, carrying national security significance. Beijing’s most recent five-year strategy pledges to “target the frontiers of science and technology.” Accelerating humanoid robot development and applications forms a key component of the 2026-2030 blueprint for the globe’s second-largest economy.

Government statistics revealed China housed over 140 humanoid robot producers and more than 330 different models during 2025.

Technology research firm Omdia, headquartered in London, recently identified three Chinese companies — AGIBOT, Unitree Robotics and UBTech Robotics Corp. — as the sole first-tier suppliers in its worldwide evaluation based on delivery volumes. Each company shipped over 1,000 general-purpose intelligent robots in the previous year, with the leading two firms delivering more than 5,000 units, according to the analysis.

During February’s CCTV Spring Festival celebration in China, a television program honoring the Lunar New Year, humanoid robots featured prominently. A martial arts demonstration combining children and robotic performers became the evening’s standout attraction.

Chinese exhibitors demonstrated their technological progress at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center Monday, presenting robotic functions spanning human conversation, combat techniques, artistic sand painting, acrobatic backflips, and security patrol operations using nets to apprehend mock suspects.

Robert Chan, global strategy officer at Shenzhen-based EngineAI, presented his company’s PM01 robot to highlight its movement abilities, including executing a forward flip. His organization intends to establish two Chinese manufacturing facilities for large-scale production this year.

Chan noted China’s competitive advantages in specific sectors, particularly cost-effective engineering. He also highlighted the collaborative approach to knowledge sharing among Chinese firms, contrasting with American and European companies that typically protect their proprietary technologies.

Chan predicted the robotics industry’s next phase would emphasize human-like physical appearances, enhanced emotional interactions, facial expressions, and even simulated breathing patterns. This development aims to bridge communication gaps between robots and humans, he explained.

“The warmth and emotion exchange with the human being. Besides, helping humans to make the decision and helping humans to complete their task,” he said.

One exhibition participant appears to be advancing toward that vision.

From afar, three women seemed to be welcoming visitors at an exhibition display in one section. Upon closer inspection, they revealed themselves as humanoid robots representing the potential future of customer service and museum guidance.

Wang Zuhua, business director at Shenzhen DX Intech Technology Co., reported his company has sold over 400 robots featuring feminine characteristics and flexible synthetic facial features. Several units currently operate in mainland museums and government facilities, where they direct visitors to restrooms and offices or conduct facility tours, he noted.

Malaysian attendee Russel Lupang expressed fascination with their appearance and mobility.

“It’s beautiful, but not real feeling,” he said.

Popular gaming platform Roblox announced Monday it will launch specialized account types for younger players as part of an enhanced child safety initiative, responding to ongoing global concerns about protecting minors online.

Starting in early June, the company will implement two new account categories through its age verification system and parental controls. Children between ages 5 and 8 will receive “Roblox Kids” accounts, while users aged 9 to 15 will get “Roblox Select” accounts.

“We will also introduce, at the same time, new requirements on what content standards must be met in order to have content or games appear in either the Roblox Kids account or the Roblox Select account,” Chief Safety Officer Matt Kaufman explained during a media briefing.

The gaming company has faced mounting pressure from international governments in recent years due to allegations that it failed to adequately shield children from online predators and harmful content.

Content available on “Roblox Kids” accounts will face restrictions based on age-appropriate material and must pass a “rigorous three-step review process” with stringent requirements for game creators, according to Kaufman.

The platform will disable chat functions automatically for “Kids” accounts, while “Select” accounts will gradually gain chat access depending on the user’s age.

The comprehensive review system requires game developers to complete identity verification, activate two-factor authentication, and maintain an active Roblox Plus subscription.

The company revealed Friday that its new subscription service will debut April 30, priced at $4.99 monthly. The plan offers users discounts on digital items and character customizations, plus additional platform features.

HOUSTON (AP) — Unprecedented footage of the moon’s hidden side. Accomplished. A total solar eclipse witnessed from lunar orbit. Accomplished. A new record for human space travel distance. Accomplished.

Following NASA’s spectacular lunar return mission with Artemis II, people worldwide are asking: What comes next? How does the space agency surpass such an achievement?

“To people all around the world who look up and dream about what is possible, the long wait is over,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman declared while presenting Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canada’s Jeremy Hansen during Saturday’s celebratory homecoming event.

Following the safe return of the first lunar voyagers in over fifty years to Houston and their families, NASA is focusing on Artemis III preparations.

“The next mission’s right around the corner,” entry flight director Rick Henfling remarked after the crew’s Pacific ocean landing on Friday.

During a recently scheduled mission for next year, Artemis III’s astronauts—not yet announced—will rehearse connecting their Orion spacecraft with lunar landing vehicles while orbiting Earth. Companies led by Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin are competing to complete their landing systems first.

Musk’s Starship and Bezos’ Blue Moon are competing for the crucial Artemis IV moon landing scheduled for 2028. Two crew members will target the south polar region, the chosen site for Isaacman’s proposed $20 billion to $30 billion lunar base. Enormous quantities of ice likely exist within permanently dark craters in that area—ice that could supply water and spacecraft fuel.

The connecting equipment for Artemis III’s Earth-orbit practice mission is already positioned at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center. The newest Starship model is preparing for a test launch from South Texas, while a smaller Blue Moon prototype will attempt a lunar touchdown later this year.

NASA pledges to reveal the Artemis III crew “soon.” Similar to 1969’s Apollo 9, Artemis III seeks to minimize risks for subsequent moon landings.

Apollo 9 astronaut Rusty Schweickart enjoyed piloting the lunar module in low-Earth orbit—”a test pilot’s dream.” However, he acknowledged that “the real astronauts” in public perception were those who actually stepped onto the moon.

Wiseman and his teammates displayed remarkable emotion and authenticity during their lunar journey, becoming emotional while remembering deceased loved ones and those remaining on Earth.

Throughout their nearly 10-day expedition, they emotionally requested naming a fresh, brilliant lunar crater after Wiseman’s deceased wife, Carroll, who lost her battle with cancer in 2020. They also openly expressed their affection for each other and Planet Earth, describing it as a beautiful yet fragile sanctuary in the dark emptiness that requires better stewardship.

Artemis II featured the first woman, the first person of color and the first non-American to journey to the moon.

“Wonderful communicators, almost poets,” Isaacman commented from the recovery vessel while awaiting their return.

Apollo’s stoic, strictly professional moon crews from the 1960s and 1970s certainly never embraced as a group.

For those who remember Apollo, Artemis—Apollo’s twin sister in Greek mythology—couldn’t arrive soon enough.

Writer Andy Chaikin said he felt like Rip Van Winkle waking from a nearly 54-year sleep. His 1994 book “A Man on the Moon” inspired the HBO series “From the Earth to the Moon.”

“It’s amazing how far we’ve come and how different this experience is from back then,” Chaikin commented from Johnson Space Center late last week.

The most challenging aspect, according to NASA Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya, is developing close relationships with the crews and their families before launching them to the moon. He nervously watched Friday’s reentry alongside the astronauts’ spouses and children.

“You know what’s at stake,” Kshatriya revealed afterward. “It’s going to take risk to explore, but you have to make sure you find the right line between being paralyzed by it and being able to manage it.”

Declaring “mission complete” only after reuniting with his two daughters, Wiseman delivered an inspiring message to the rows of blue-flight-suited astronauts at Saturday’s celebration.

“It is time to go and be ready,” he said, pointing at them, “because it takes courage. It takes determination, and you all are freaking going and we are going to be standing there supporting you every single step of the way in every possible way possible.”

Russia’s space agency leader announced Saturday that the nation’s newest rocket has completed its testing phase and stands ready for operational missions.

Dmitry Bakanov, who leads Roscosmos, briefed President Vladimir Putin about the Soyuz-5 rocket’s progress just one day before Russia commemorates the 65th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin’s historic first human journey into space.

According to Bakanov, this marks Russia’s first newly developed rocket system since 2014.

“The new Soyuz-5 launch vehicle is absolutely ready. This is our joint project with our partners in Kazakhstan known as Baiterek,” Russian news agencies reported Bakanov telling Putin.

“Currently, tests of all units and assemblies are underway,” he added.

The space agency chief explained that testing teams have already positioned the rocket vertically as part of ongoing preparation procedures.

The two-stage rocket system is designed to carry payloads weighing up to 17 metric tons into orbit and will eventually replace the older Zenit rocket fleet.

Future launches will take place at the historic Baikonur space facility, which dates back to the Soviet era and operates from Kazakhstan.

Putin acknowledged improvements in Russia’s space sector, saying the industry was now “feeling more confident. I know that many problems had accumulated there over a long period of time,” according to Russian media reports.

Four astronauts have successfully concluded a groundbreaking journey to the Moon, touching down safely on Friday following an almost 10-day expedition that represents humanity’s first lunar voyage in more than five decades.

The Artemis II mission crew – consisting of Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen – covered an impressive 694,481 miles throughout their test mission. At their farthest point, the team reached 252,756 miles from Earth, surpassing the distance achieved by the Apollo 13 crew in 1970.

Following their Pacific Ocean splashdown, NASA and U.S. military recovery personnel collected the astronauts and airlifted them via helicopter to the USS John P. Murtha for preliminary health assessments. The crew is scheduled to reach NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston on Saturday, April 11.

The historic flight launched on April 1 at 6:35 p.m. from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad 39B in Florida. The massive Space Launch System rocket produced 8.8 million pounds of thrust to propel the Orion capsule into space. Initial system checks confirmed all equipment was operating properly, and the mission successfully deployed four CubeSats from international collaborators.

Mission controllers subsequently steered Orion toward the Moon using the spacecraft’s service module engine, guiding the crew to within 4,067 miles of the lunar surface. On April 6, during their closest approach, the astronauts captured over 7,000 photographs of the Moon, including documentation of a solar eclipse and diverse terrain features.

“The Artemis II crew is home. The entry, descent, and landing systems performed as designed and the final test was completed as intended. This moment belongs to the thousands of people across fourteen countries who built, tested, and trusted this vehicle. Their work protected four human lives traveling at 25,000 miles per hour and brought them safely back to Earth,” stated NASA Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman welcomed the crew home, saying: “Reid, Victor, Christina, and Jeremy, welcome home, and congratulations on a truly historic achievement. NASA is grateful to President Donald Trump and partners in Congress for providing the mandate and resources that made this mission and the future of Artemis possible.”

Throughout their mission, the astronauts performed comprehensive testing of Orion’s systems, including life support equipment and manual flight controls, while also completing scientific research such as the AVATAR study. Information gathered during this flight will inform planning for Artemis III and subsequent deep space missions.

HOUSTON — The four astronauts who completed NASA’s historic Artemis II lunar mission were greeted by hundreds of cheering supporters Saturday at Ellington Field, marking their triumphant return after breaking deep space distance records.

The crew touched down at the facility near Johnson Space Center and Mission Control after flying in from their San Diego splashdown location the previous evening.

Following emotional reunions with family members, the astronauts addressed a packed hangar filled with space center employees and distinguished guests. The audience included NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, flight controllers, launch personnel, spacecraft managers, military officials, congressional representatives, current and former astronauts, and many others.

“The long wait is over. After a brief 53-year intermission, the show goes on,” Isaacman declared. “Ladies and gentlemen, your Artemis II crew,” he announced as the audience erupted in standing ovation.

The homecoming held special significance for Commander Reid Wiseman and his international crew, as they returned to Houston exactly 56 years after Apollo 13’s launch — the mission famous for its “Houston, we’ve had a problem” emergency that became a celebrated rescue.

Wiseman addressed his fellow crew members, saying: “We are bonded forever.”

“This was not easy,” Wiseman reflected. “Before you launch, it feels like it’s the greatest dream on Earth. And when you’re out there, you just want to get back to your families and your friends. It’s a special thing to be a human and it’s a special thing to be on planet Earth.”

Pilot Victor Glover spoke lovingly of his family, telling his wife and four daughters: “I love you but not just those five beautiful cocoa skinned ladies there, but all of you.”

Mission specialist Christina Koch shared her profound experience viewing Earth from deep space.

“Honestly, what struck me wasn’t just Earth, it was all of the blackness around it. Earth was just this lifeboat hanging undisturbably in the universe. Planet Earth you are a crew,” she explained.

Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen praised the launch teams for their careful decision-making during the mission’s multiple delays, commending their willingness to call off launches when conditions weren’t right.

Hansen described how the crew represented love and joy as the four astronauts stood together in an embrace. “When you look up here, you’re not looking at us. We are a mirror reflecting you. And if you like what you see then just look a little deeper This is you.”

Canadian Space Agency President Lisa Campbell described the achievement as “a powerful moment” and told Hansen he exemplifies “the best of what it means to be Canadian.”

Throughout their nearly 10-day journey, the astronauts ventured farther into space than any previous lunar explorers and witnessed unprecedented views of the moon’s far side. They also experienced a total solar eclipse during their voyage.

The mission achieved a new distance milestone when the crew reached 252,756 miles from Earth before looping around the moon’s far side, surpassing Apollo 13’s previous record.

The astronauts also captured a stunning new perspective of Earth with an “Earthset” photograph showing our planet disappearing behind the moon’s cratered surface. This image mirrored the iconic “Earthrise” photograph taken by Apollo 8 astronauts in 1968.

While the mission succeeded brilliantly, the crew did face one practical challenge — a broken restroom system. NASA has committed to resolving this issue before future extended lunar missions.

Wiseman, Glover, Koch and Hansen became the first humans to journey to the moon since Apollo 17 concluded NASA’s initial lunar exploration program in 1972. A total of 24 astronauts traveled to the moon during the Apollo era, with 12 actually walking on its surface.

Apollo 13 commander Jim Lovell, who also participated in Apollo 8, had recorded an encouraging wake-up message for the Artemis II crew before his death last summer.

The mission’s success proves vital for NASA’s future plans. The agency is now preparing for next year’s Artemis III mission, where a different crew will practice connecting their spacecraft with a lunar landing vehicle while orbiting Earth. This will prepare for the critical Artemis IV mission scheduled for 2028, when two astronauts plan to land near the moon’s south pole.

When Naia Butler-Craig was just 12 years old, she set her sights on becoming an astronaut. Every Sunday at St. Mark AME Church in Orlando, Florida, she would gaze at the framed photograph of Mae Jemison, the first Black woman to journey to space, reinforcing her dreams of reaching the stars.

Sixteen years later, now holding a PhD and working as a NASA aerospace engineer, Butler-Craig had the opportunity to meet Victor Glover, who would make history as the first Black man to pilot a spacecraft on a lunar mission. During their January 17 encounter, she told him about her aspirations to follow his path.

“Most people worry about making the right choice,” Butler-Craig remembered Glover telling her. “Make the choice right.”

Nearly three months after that conversation, Glover blasted off as part of NASA’s Artemis II mission, joining three other crew members on a journey that took them farther from Earth than any humans have ever traveled. The mission successfully circled the moon before returning safely.

For Butler-Craig, witnessing Glover’s achievement validated her own dreams and those of countless Black Americans who historically faced barriers in reaching the pinnacle of scientific and academic success due to racial discrimination.

“To see him live all of those facets of identity at the same time when that’s exactly the tension and the constant dichotomies I’m facing is incredibly validating,” she explained about Glover’s impact. “It just makes me feel like he’s paved the exact road for someone like me.”

Breaking Barriers Beyond Earth

While the current Trump administration moves to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives throughout government and private industry, Glover’s historic achievement has generated widespread celebration on social media platforms. Many have highlighted its symbolic significance and historical importance in the ongoing story of Black excellence in aviation and space exploration.

“It’s a source of pride and joy because when you look at aerospace and space exploration, yes, we have some representation, but we don’t have enough representation,” explained Tennesse Garvey, a Boeing 777 pilot for United Airlines.

Garvey leads the board of the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals, a nonprofit organization that has been mentoring and training minorities for aerospace and aviation careers since 1976. According to Garvey, two of Glover’s daughters previously participated in the organization’s inaugural week-long space academy program in Houston.

“It’s really inspirational to many other young children that are actually dreaming that dream,” he noted.

Since NASA announced its original seven Mercury astronauts in 1959, the agency has selected only 20 Black astronauts, comprising approximately 6% of all astronauts chosen by the space agency.

A Legacy of Achievement

Prior to his lunar voyage, Glover had already established himself in space exploration, spending nearly five and a half months in orbit starting in 2020 as the pilot for NASA’s Crew-1 mission, which marked the first operational International Space Station flight using SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft.

His background includes an extensive U.S. Navy career, during which he piloted more than 40 different aircraft and served in combat operations in Iraq. Throughout his military service, he logged approximately 3,000 flight hours, executed over 400 aircraft carrier landings, and completed 24 combat missions.

Despite being recognized as a groundbreaking figure, Glover expressed hope before the Artemis launch that “we are pushing the other direction, that one day we don’t have to talk about these firsts.”

Glover continues the tradition established by earlier Black aviation pioneers, including Lieutenant Colonel John William Mosley Jr., who served with the legendary Tuskegee Airmen, the segregated military unit that opened doors for Black Americans in U.S. military aviation.

“We’re all standing on the shoulders of the previous generation,” said William Eric Mosley, John’s son and a retired United Airlines pilot. “In my case, and I believe also in Captain Glover’s case, he would believe the same.”

Glover and his fellow crew members safely returned to Earth on Friday, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego. Their successful mission establishes the foundation for the first crewed lunar landing since 1972, currently scheduled for 2028, and future space exploration endeavors.

While waiting for the crew’s safe return, Butler-Craig said she would be reflecting on the Bible verse tattooed on her arm from James 1:12.

“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because having stood the test, they will receive the crown of life.”

AFCADDE, Ethiopia — A devastating drought is putting at risk the myrrh trees that produce an essential ingredient for some of the world’s most expensive perfumes, according to researchers who recently visited Ethiopia’s Somali region.

The ancient trees, which once created thick forests across this Horn of Africa territory, are now struggling to survive amid what scientists describe as an unprecedented dry spell. Starving animals are eating young tree shoots while the lack of rainfall prevents new growth.

This year, a research team backed by the American Herbal Products Association traveled to this remote area where valuable tree resin is collected and eventually shipped to international markets from one of Earth’s most impoverished regions.

Their mission focused on finding ways to ensure local harvesters receive a larger share of profits rather than losing most earnings to intermediaries throughout the complex trading network.

Ethiopia serves as a primary supplier of myrrh, a substance valued for cosmetic, medicinal and spiritual purposes dating back to ancient Egyptian civilization. Local collection methods remain unchanged from traditional practices, which helps preserve tree health and yields superior quality resin.

The manual harvesting process increases myrrh’s market value, yet workers see minimal financial benefit. Gatherers receive between $3.50 and $10 for collecting one kilogram of the precious material.

This amount pales compared to the cost of finished fragrances containing myrrh, which luxury brands including Tom Ford, Comme des Garcons and Jo Malone market at prices reaching $500 per bottle.

Interest in myrrh’s additional applications continues expanding as worldwide demand grows for natural health products.

Currently, most myrrh harvested in eastern Ethiopia gets sold to merchants from nearby Somalia. The Ethiopian government collects no revenue from these transactions.

Community members believe greater international attention could improve their situation as climate change endangers their traditional lifestyle.

“They expressed hope that a direct market would enable them to secure better prices, ensuring sustainable livelihoods,” said Abdinasir Abdikadir Aweys, senior researcher with the Somali Regional Pastoral and Agro-Pastoral Research Institute and a member of the research team.

The study was directed by Anjanette DeCarlo, a University of Vermont expert specializing in sustainable supply chains and tree resins, along with Stephen Johnson, who owns FairSource Botanicals and studies resin production. Their investigation revealed that local communities follow ancestral harvesting techniques by gathering resin from trees’ natural wounds rather than creating deliberate incisions, which would make trees more susceptible to insects and illness.

“Traditional practice is in balance and protects trees. It should be celebrated,” DeCarlo said.

However, the ongoing drought alarmed the research team. Seasonal rainfall has consistently failed in recent years, broken only by destructive flooding in 2023.

While this dry region has historically experienced droughts, the current crisis represents an unprecedented event that climate scientists attribute to global environmental changes.

Myrrh collection faces serious challenges. Although mature trees remain relatively healthy, they generate less resin than before. Additionally, fewer saplings are surviving to maturity.

“Unfortunately, many seedlings are uprooted by children who graze their livestock nearby, and the animals often eat the buds of the young trees,” said a local elder, Mohamed Osman Miyir, adding: “We are deeply worried about the declining population of myrrh trees.”

Without adequate precipitation, additional young trees will likely perish. DeCarlo expressed concern that mature trees may eventually die as well.

Residents spend their days transporting water for personal use and their animals. Herders cross the dry, fractured landscape traveling up to 200 kilometers to reach Sanqotor village, which maintains one of the few functioning wells in the area.

“Guests water animals first, then the villagers,” said local headman Ali Mohamed, watching hundreds of livestock gather around the well.

Not all residents own animals for income. The most impoverished villagers depend entirely on tree resins like myrrh for their economic survival.

The company behind ChatGPT announced Friday that it has discovered a security vulnerability connected to an external developer application known as Axios, prompting the firm to strengthen protections for verifying legitimate OpenAI applications on Mac computers.

OpenAI officials stated they discovered no indication that customer information was breached, their computer systems or proprietary technology were infiltrated, or that any of their software programs were modified during the incident.

The artificial intelligence company is implementing additional security measures to safeguard the verification process that confirms which macOS applications are authentic OpenAI products.

SAN FRANCISCO — A 20-year-old individual is in custody after allegedly hurling a firebomb at the residence of Sam Altman, the chief executive of artificial intelligence company OpenAI, according to law enforcement and company officials.

San Francisco police responded to Altman’s home around 4 a.m. Friday following reports that someone had lobbed an explosive device at the property, igniting an outdoor gate before escaping on foot, authorities reported.

Within an hour of the initial incident, law enforcement received another call about a man making arson threats against a commercial building in a different part of the city. When officers arrived, they identified the individual as the same person from the earlier attack and took him into custody, the police department announced on social media.

The artificial intelligence company behind ChatGPT issued a statement verifying that the targeted residence belongs to Altman and that the subsequent threats occurred at their corporate offices. The company reported no injuries from either incident and confirmed they are cooperating with the ongoing investigation.

Law enforcement has not yet filed formal charges or disclosed information about the detained suspect, including his identity or what may have motivated the attacks.

“We deeply appreciate how quickly SFPD responded and the support from the city in helping keep our employees safe,” OpenAI wrote in a statement.

As OpenAI’s co-founder and chief executive, Altman has emerged as one of Silicon Valley’s most prominent figures discussing both the opportunities and risks associated with artificial intelligence technology. In 2023, the company’s board terminated him after determining he had not been “consistently candid in his communications” with directors, though he was reinstated within days under new board leadership.

The tech executive has drawn both supporters and critics, and these incidents follow the recent publication of a detailed New Yorker investigation exploring various concerns surrounding both Altman and his company.

A groundbreaking scientific study has revealed that exceptionally hot areas of ocean water are dramatically increasing the destructive power of hurricanes and tropical storms worldwide.

Scientists examined more than 1,600 tropical cyclones that struck coastlines since 1981, discovering that storms passing through these marine hot zones were far more prone to rapid strengthening. The research, published Friday in Science Advances, showed these conditions led to 60% more catastrophic events causing damages of $1 billion or greater after adjusting for inflation.

Understanding how these oceanic heat zones amplify storm intensity could prove invaluable for weather forecasters, emergency management officials, and community planners preparing for future hurricanes.

The research team characterized marine heat waves as extensive, persistent areas of ocean water ranking in the hottest 10% historically recorded. Climate change and increasingly warm seas are making these dangerous conditions more common, researchers explained. Elevated water temperatures serve as the primary energy source for hurricane development.

“These marine heat waves affect more than half of landfalling tropical cyclones,” explained Gregory Foltz, study co-author and oceanographer with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “They’re happening closer to land and more frequently, so I think people need to pay attention and know that these are more likely to result in extreme damages when they make landfall.”

Foltz emphasized the importance for meteorologists tracking storm paths to monitor whether hurricanes encounter these marine heat zones, as rapid intensification becomes much more probable, “can potentially have a bigger impact on landfall.”

Study co-author Hamed Moftakhari, a coastal engineering professor specializing in compound hazards at the University of Alabama, pointed to devastating 2023 hurricanes that struck the United States as prime examples.

“The story of Helene and Milton is that if you’ve got a warmer ocean, you’ve got the fuel to supercharge tropical cyclones even in a cascade. So within a few weeks you could get two rapidly intensified hurricanes making landfall in the west coast of Florida,” Moftakhari explained. “This is shocking but should also be alarming for people.”

The study also highlighted October 2023’s Hurricane Otis, which underwent explosive strengthening from tropical storm status to a maximum-intensity Category 5 hurricane within 24 hours. The storm subsequently devastated Acapulco, Mexico, with 165 mph winds, resulting in approximately $16 billion in damages and claiming 52 lives.

The increased destruction wasn’t simply due to expanded coastal development, researchers clarified. Lead author Soheil Radfar, a hurricane hazard modeling scientist at Princeton University, noted that storms crossing hot water zones were compared against other hurricanes striking similarly developed coastal areas without encountering these heated ocean regions.

While scientists have long understood that warm water energizes and strengthens tropical cyclones, this research provides clearer evidence of the causal relationship.

The implications suggest an increasingly perilous future, according to Radfar.

“All these pieces of the puzzle are going to be really challenging for the coastal environment in the next four decades when you have more rapid intensification, more marine heat waves,” Radfar warned. This “is going to be really costly and frightening for the coastline environment, and it’s going to cause more billion-dollar disasters in the future.”

Moftakhari noted that “from a coastal engineering and risk management perspective, this has important implications for how governments plan, design, and respond to these hazards.”

Emergency evacuation strategies must consider that storms crossing ocean hot zones carry higher risks of rapid intensification and greater threats, Moftakhari stressed. Earlier warning systems and evacuation triggers may become necessary when marine heat waves are present. Infrastructure including flood barriers, drainage networks, and seawalls requires updating to address this evolving storm threat, he added.

Independent scientists praised the study for aligning with established hurricane physics and climate science while providing specific data on mega-damage probabilities during marine heat wave conditions.

“Climate change is causing stronger and longer-duration marine heat waves. Tropical cyclones draw their energy and produce heavy rain via evaporation from warm ocean waters,” said Brian Tang, an atmospheric sciences professor at University at Albany who wasn’t involved in the research. “It’s reasonable that marine heat waves are turbocharging hurricanes, provided other environmental conditions are favorable for hurricanes to intensify. In effect, the dice is being loaded.”

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Natural evolution takes thousands of years to occur. Global warming is happening much more rapidly.

This timing problem is destroying some of Earth’s most important ecosystems, including California’s massive redwood forests and underwater seagrass beds along the coastline. Both environments capture enormous amounts of carbon and sustain intricate networks of wildlife.

Ocean heat surges, unprecedented wildfire seasons and shoreline development are overwhelming these natural systems as global warming, fueled by burning fossil fuels, gains momentum. According to a 2019 study by a United Nations-connected scientific organization, approximately 1 million species could become extinct, many in the coming decades, primarily because of human actions including habitat loss, contamination and excessive exploitation of natural resources.

Researchers are attempting to bridge this divide through a new field known as conservation genomics: analyzing an organism’s full genetic code to identify individuals with characteristics that help them survive extreme heat, lack of rainfall, disease and other climate-related challenges, then applying this knowledge to guide ecosystem restoration efforts.

Coral reef systems are among the initial environments where these genetic techniques are being implemented. Recurring ocean heat events, causing widespread coral bleaching, have destroyed reef systems across the globe. Through genetic analysis of corals and their symbiotic algae partners, scientists have found coral communities that naturally tolerate elevated temperatures and are starting to experiment with selective breeding of these hardier corals to aid reef restoration efforts.

In Southern California, scientists are using this method with eelgrass, a seagrass variety, after conventional restoration techniques have proven unsuccessful. This underwater plant creates homes for marine life including fish, crabs and tiny organisms, provides food for migrating birds and traps carbon dioxide and methane — both greenhouse gases that contribute to warming — in ocean floor sediments.

Environmental conditions in San Diego’s coastal waters are shifting. Ocean temperatures are rising. King tides — the annual peak tides that global warming is making more common and intense — churn up bottom materials and block sunlight from reaching the ocean floor. Urban development creates runoff that flows into these waters, making them even murkier.

Because of these changes, attempts to restore lost seagrass beds are unsuccessful roughly fifty percent of the time.

“Conservation genomics is becoming particularly important because right now, the climate is changing — a plant that was growing great in San Diego Bay, now San Diego Bay might be too hot for it,” said Todd Michael, a research professor at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies.

In Mission Bay, Michael and his research team made a discovery that could increase success rates: a naturally formed hybrid eelgrass that performed better than either of its parent varieties. This plant, created by crossbreeding between shallow-water eelgrass Zostera marina and deep-water Zostera pacifica, survived in areas where both original species failed.

Through genetic sequencing, the research team found genes connected to the plant’s internal biological clock that remained active for extended periods in dim lighting conditions. Scientists think this pattern might enable the plant to conduct photosynthesis more effectively in cloudy water.

These discoveries indicate that restoration success could increase by choosing or developing eelgrass varieties better adapted to changing environmental conditions. However, this research remains mostly in testing phases and has not been implemented widely in actual restoration projects. The scientists have formed partnerships with marine biologists at the Scripps Institute of Oceanography to investigate how these discoveries might be used in future restoration work.

Redwood trees rank among Earth’s tallest and most ancient trees, and their forest ecosystems capture more carbon per acre than any other type, based on a 2020 research study conducted by Save the Redwoods League and Humboldt State University.

Although these trees developed alongside regular, mild forest fires, current hotter and more devastating wildfire seasons, along with extended dry periods, are causing increasing damage. Historical logging has created even greater harm: approximately 95% of ancient redwoods were harvested, severely limiting genetic diversity.

Researchers have completed genetic sequencing of the redwood genome — an enormous project considering its scale, which is almost nine times bigger than human genetic material.

Scientists emphasize that this work involves more than rebuilding what previously existed, but rather preparing forest ecosystems for environmental conditions that differ significantly from the past.

“Where one organism was adapted to a certain location at one moment in time, it may no longer be,” said David Neale, a forest geneticist and distinguished professor emeritus at the University of California, Davis. “It might require different genetic variation to adapt to the new environment.”

Initial studies have started connecting specific genes to characteristics like drought resistance and temperature tolerance, but scientists say more thorough research is required to verify these connections before using them in restoration planning. This research has stopped due to insufficient funding.

“It can be helpful, but it’s not a solution unto itself,” said Karen Holl, a distinguished professor of environmental studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz. “What should be prioritized is reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”

Genetic techniques might assist certain species, especially long-living varieties like redwoods that cannot evolve rapidly enough naturally, but these approaches have restrictions. Natural ecosystems depend on intricate connections between plants, animals, microorganisms and fungi. Developing or selecting for climate-resistant characteristics in one species does not ensure the survival of numerous other organisms that rely on it.

“Can you genetically engineer a few species that would be more tolerant? Absolutely. But that’s not an ecosystem,” said Holl. “We’re not going to engineer our way out of climate change.”

HOUSTON — Four astronauts successfully concluded humanity’s first journey to the moon in more than five decades Friday, touching down in Pacific waters to wrap up the historic Artemis II mission.

Mission Control experienced rising anxiety as the crew aboard their spacecraft drew closer to Earth for the critical reentry phase.

Focus centered on the capsule’s protective heat shield, which must endure extreme temperatures during atmospheric reentry. During the spacecraft’s previous unmanned test in 2022, the shield returned with a heavily damaged, crater-like surface.

The crew — Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canada’s Jeremy Hansen — approached Earth’s atmosphere at Mach 32, reaching speeds 32 times faster than sound. This velocity matched the breakneck pace last achieved during NASA’s Apollo missions from the 1960s and 1970s.

The astronauts planned to let their automated Orion capsule, named Integrity, handle the landing without manual intervention unless emergency situations arose.

Lead flight director Jeff Radigan expected to experience some natural anxiety, particularly during the six-minute communication blackout before parachute deployment. The recovery vessel USS John P. Murtha stood ready along with military aircraft and helicopters.

This marked the first joint NASA-Defense Department lunar crew recovery operation since Apollo 17’s return in 1972. Artemis II approached Earth at 34,965 feet per second — equivalent to 23,840 mph — before decelerating to 19 mph for ocean touchdown.

Following their April 1 launch from Florida, the astronauts achieved multiple milestones during NASA’s long-awaited return to lunar exploration, marking the initial phase toward establishing a permanent moon base.

While Artemis II didn’t include lunar landing or orbital operations, the mission surpassed Apollo 13’s distance record. Wiseman and his teammates became the humans who have traveled farthest from Earth, reaching 252,756 miles. In an emotional moment, the crew requested permission to name two lunar craters after their spacecraft and Wiseman’s deceased wife, Carroll.

During their record-setting flyby, the astronauts documented unprecedented views of the moon’s hidden side and witnessed a total solar eclipse aligned with their launch timing. “It just blew all of us away,” Glover remarked about the eclipse experience.

The crew’s sense of amazement and affection impressed observers worldwide, along with their spectacular photographs of Earth and the moon. The Artemis II team echoed Apollo 8’s pioneering lunar explorers by capturing an Earthset image, displaying our blue planet disappearing behind the gray lunar surface, similar to Apollo 8’s iconic Earthrise photograph from 1968.

“It just makes you want to continue to go back,” Radigan commented before splashdown. “It’s the first of many trips and we just need to continue on because there’s so much” more to discover about the moon.

The mission attracted worldwide attention and celebrity endorsements from President Donald Trump, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Britain’s King Charles III, actor Ryan Gosling from “Project Hail Mary,” Marvel star Scarlett Johansson, and William Shatner from the original “Star Trek” series.

Despite significant scientific achievements, the nearly 10-day journey encountered technical challenges. The capsule experienced valve malfunctions in both water and fuel systems. Most notably, toilet complications prevented normal bathroom use throughout most of the trip, requiring the crew to use traditional collection bags and funnels.

The astronauts maintained positive attitudes despite these setbacks.

“We can’t explore deeper unless we are doing a few things that are inconvenient,” Koch explained, “unless we’re making a few sacrifices, unless we’re taking a few risks, and those things are all worth it.”

Hansen added: “You do a lot of testing on the ground, but your final test is when you get this hardware to space and it’s a doozy.”

The updated Artemis program plans for next year’s Artemis III mission to have astronauts practice connecting their capsule with lunar landing vehicles while orbiting Earth. Artemis IV aims to land two crew members near the moon’s south pole in 2028.

Wiseman emphasized the crew’s dedication to future Artemis teams.

“But we really hoped in our soul is that we could for just for a moment have the world pause and remember that this is a beautiful planet and a very special place in our universe, and we should all cherish what we have been gifted,” he said.

OTREBUSY, Poland (AP) — During wet spring evenings in a woodland area outside Poland’s capital city, volunteers mobilize as part of a community ‘Frog Patrol’ — citizens assisting amphibians in navigating perilous street crossings so they can participate in ancient breeding traditions.

When temperatures rise in Mlochowski Forest, located 30 kilometers (19 miles) west of Warsaw, countless toads and frogs emerge from their winter hibernation and start their careful spawning migration to nearby wetlands, several kilometers distant.

The female amphibians bear the responsibility of this trek. Male toads in this region don’t exhibit particularly noble behavior, instead riding on the backs of their significantly larger female companions, gripping tightly to prevent being abandoned for a competitor once they arrive at the breeding waters.

Although countless generations of toads and frogs have made this journey to the wetlands for reproduction, a roadway constructed within the past ten years directly through their migration path has made the springtime trip far more hazardous.

The result was devastating amphibian carnage — during mating season when the frogs began moving, thousands were killed by vehicles.

Łukasz Franczuk, who coordinates the ‘Frog Patrol’ program, described the tragic circumstances from four years earlier.

‘The frogs were being run over in the hundreds or thousands,’ he said. ‘When you were driving on this road, you could see the decomposing corpses of the frogs. People going to collect the surviving ones were crying, they couldn’t stand to watch what was happening.’

Franczuk and his companions responded by assisting local residents in organizing efforts, beginning three years ago.

Volunteers gather each damp, rainy night when spring begins, spread out along the forest road and gather frogs from the roadway, then transport them safely to the wetlands. Since frogs breathe through their skin, which requires moisture, they only travel and migrate during rainfall.

Dressed in reflective yellow vests marked with ‘Frog Patrol’ and equipped with headlights and containers, hundreds of volunteers are now regularly visible in the evenings throughout migration periods.

Community members, including young people, have also begun carrying gloves during daylight hours, enabling them to assist any amphibians they encounter in danger at any moment.

‘It’s really impressive to see whole families with kids walking in the rain, with buckets, in these lovely jackets to make them visible because it’s pretty unsafe, this road is narrow, and they carry the frogs from one side of the road to the other,’ said Katarzyna Jacniacka, one of the participants.

‘When the frogs are migrating, there are a lot of people here,’ she added.

For Aleksandra Tkaczyk, another volunteer, this represents ‘the kind of connection with nature about which some of us care deeply.’

Community members report they have rescued approximately 18,000 amphibians since launching their program.

Biologist Krzysztof Klimaszewski from the Institute of Animal Sciences at Warsaw SGGW University, who participated in several frog patrols, explained that the local efforts are crucial because ‘it actually allows this local population of amphibians to survive.’

These community programs to assist toads and frogs in crossing roads constructed through their natural environments exist beyond Poland’s borders.

In New Hampshire, volunteers from the Harris Center for Conservation Education protect various amphibians, including salamanders, from vehicle strikes. In Bavaria, southeastern Germany, volunteers from BUND Naturschutz report rescuing up to 700,000 frogs, toads, newts and salamanders annually.

Even in France, where frog legs are considered a culinary specialty, local volunteers assist struggling amphibians. In the southern French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, residents have placed nets along roadsides to capture frogs before they enter dangerous traffic areas.

In Estonia’s capital of Tallinn, officials announced in early April the installation of additional frog barriers on Tahetorni Street — directly along the frogs’ spring migration path — to direct amphibians and other creatures safely into underground passages and prevent traffic fatalities.

Four astronauts are racing back to Earth aboard their Orion spacecraft Friday, preparing for an ocean landing that will cap off humanity’s first crewed lunar mission in more than five decades.

The crew members are expected to splash down in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego shortly after 8 p.m. Eastern Time, concluding NASA’s historic 10-day Artemis II journey. The astronauts include Americans Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Canadian crew member Jeremy Hansen.

Their return journey involves several critical phases, starting with the separation of their crew capsule from the service module, followed by a dramatic plunge through Earth’s atmosphere and a brief communication blackout before parachutes guide them safely to the ocean surface.

The crew launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida on April 1st, riding NASA’s massive Space Launch System rocket into Earth orbit before continuing around the moon’s far side. During their voyage, they traveled deeper into space than any previous human explorers.

This mission represents several historic firsts since the Apollo era of the 1960s and 70s. Glover became the first Black astronaut to participate in a lunar mission, while Koch made history as the first woman to journey to the moon’s vicinity. Hansen marked another milestone as the first non-American to take part in such a mission.

The flight serves as a crucial practice run following the unmanned Artemis I test mission that circled the moon in 2022. NASA plans to use lessons learned from this voyage for future missions aimed at landing astronauts on the lunar surface later this decade – something not accomplished since Apollo 17 in late 1972.

NASA’s broader Artemis program aims to create a permanent lunar base that could serve as a launching point for eventual human missions to Mars.

Similar to the Apollo program during the Cold War, this mission has unfolded during a period of political tension and military conflict. However, public opinion surveys indicate strong support for the mission’s objectives, and the voyage has captured global attention as a demonstration of scientific achievement during an era when technology companies face increasing skepticism.

The spacecraft’s return presents a crucial test for its heat shield system, which experienced more damage than anticipated during the 2022 unmanned flight. NASA engineers have modified the descent path to reduce heat exposure and minimize the risk of capsule damage.

Even with these adjustments, the Orion capsule will slam into the atmosphere at approximately 25,000 miles per hour, generating external temperatures reaching around 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

The modified descent route has also reduced the size of possible landing areas, giving mission controllers fewer backup options if weather conditions deteriorate. NASA officials reported Thursday that weather forecasts for the primary splashdown zone appear promising.

Beyond the heat shield performance, mission success depends on precise navigation through a series of thruster adjustments to maintain the correct descent angle and trajectory. The final thruster firing was scheduled for Friday afternoon, about five hours before ocean impact.

Once the capsule reaches the atmosphere’s edge, the entire descent process takes under 15 minutes, including a six-minute period when radio contact is lost, before dual parachute systems deploy and lower the crew to the sea.

Recovery teams will need approximately one hour to secure the Orion capsule, lift it onto a recovery vessel, and help each astronaut exit safely.

At the mission’s farthest point, the crew reached 252,756 miles from Earth, surpassing the previous distance record of roughly 248,000 miles established by the Apollo 13 crew in 1970.

A Chinese artificial intelligence company has successfully secured $293 million in new investment funding as the global race for advanced AI technology continues to heat up.

ShengShu Technology announced Friday that it raised 2 billion yuan in financing, with Alibaba Cloud serving as the lead investor in the funding round.

The Beijing-based startup plans to use the substantial investment to create what it terms a “general world model” – technology designed to process sensory data and replicate human-like perception and interaction capabilities. Company officials describe this as progress toward developing artificial general intelligence that can function in real-world environments.

ShengShu has not yet announced when this advanced system might become available for commercial use.

The funding round attracted multiple investors beyond Alibaba Cloud, including Andon Haitang, China Internet Investment Fund, TAL Education Group, and Luminous Ventures. Previous backers LINK-X CAPITAL, Delta Capital, and Baidu Ventures also expanded their investments in the company.

Zhu Jun, a graduate of Tsinghua University, established ShengShu in early 2023. The company made headlines when it became China’s first firm to debut a video generation system, launching its Vidu platform in April 2024.

The Vidu system was designed to compete with OpenAI’s Sora technology, though the American company later discontinued that product. ShengShu has continued improving Vidu, releasing multiple enhanced versions including the Vidu Q3 model introduced this year.

The startup recently branched into robotics, releasing an open-source system called Motus in December 2025. This technology is designed to operate robots by analyzing various types of data including video and audio inputs.

ShengShu operates in an increasingly crowded marketplace, competing against major Chinese technology corporations like ByteDance, Alibaba, and Kuaishou, all of which have introduced their own video generation platforms.

On the international stage, the company faces competition from Google and various startups including Runway, which are also working on similar technological advances.

This type of “world model” technology is gaining attention across China’s tech industry, with companies ranging from social media giant ByteDance to robotics specialist Unitree exploring similar approaches to artificial intelligence development.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has expanded its maritime research capabilities by incorporating a new autonomous vessel into its collection of unmanned ocean exploration equipment.

This latest addition strengthens NOAA’s capacity to gather critical oceanographic information and conduct comprehensive marine research operations using cutting-edge technology.

The unmanned vessel represents part of NOAA’s ongoing commitment to advancing scientific understanding of ocean systems through innovative research tools and autonomous data collection methods.

A peaceful community of chimpanzees in Uganda’s Kibale National Park has shocked researchers after splitting into warring factions, with former friends launching deadly coordinated attacks against each other.

For twenty years, scientists watched members of the Ngogo chimpanzee community live harmoniously in their rainforest home, spending time eating, resting, traveling and grooming together. However, this once-stable group eventually broke apart and descended into years of brutal violence that has claimed 28 lives.

According to a new study published Thursday in the journal Science, this represents the first clearly documented case of wild chimpanzees dividing into separate factions, with one group systematically targeting the other through organized attacks.

“Biting, pounding the victim with their hands, dragging them, kicking them – mostly adult males, but sometimes adult females participate in the attacks,” explained Aaron Sandel, a University of Texas primatologist who led the research.

The Ngogo group, which researchers have monitored since 1995, was the largest known wild chimpanzee community anywhere, reaching approximately 200 members at its peak. Most chimp groups typically contain around 50 individuals.

While scientists have previously observed chimpanzees attacking members of neighboring communities, this situation was entirely different because the violence occurred between former allies who had known each other their entire lives.

“It is hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that yesterday’s friend turned into today’s foe. Males in the two groups grew up with each other, knew each other their entire lives and cooperated and collaborated with each other, benefiting in the process,” said John Mitani, a University of Michigan professor emeritus and senior author of the study.

“So why split? Perhaps they became a victim of their own success when the group grew to an intolerably large size,” Mitani added.

Researchers believe multiple factors contributed to destabilizing the community. The group’s unusually large size may have created intense competition for food and mating opportunities among males. Additionally, seven chimpanzees died in 2014 showing signs of illness, which may have disrupted established social bonds and created tensions.

Leadership changes also played a role in the community’s breakdown. Around 2015, when hostilities began emerging, a chimpanzee named Jackson overthrew the previous alpha male in these male-dominated societies.

Initially, the group remained unified despite existing social clusters. However, members of two clusters started avoiding each other in 2015. Following another illness outbreak in 2017 that killed 25 chimpanzees, primarily infants, members of one cluster attacked Jackson, though he survived. By late 2017, two distinct groups had formed – designated as the Western and Central groups.

The Western group initiated the violence against the Central group beginning in 2018. Through 2024, the published research documented 24 deaths – seven adult males and 17 infants. The attacks have continued, with four additional deaths recorded last year and this year, bringing the total to 28. Many other chimpanzees have vanished without explanation, suggesting additional unreported killings.

“They just beat and jump on the victim relentlessly. I’ve witnessed cases that take less than 15 minutes. There’s some biting, and if you examine the bodies of victims, you will see cuts. But nothing that looks like it can cause a fatality. Instead, I’ve always thought that mature victims die due to internal injuries,” Mitani described.

“By contrast, a single mature chimpanzee can snatch an infant from its mother and kill it quickly with a few bites or via blunt force trauma. The latter might include slamming it to the ground,” he continued.

Despite starting smaller in both population and territory, the Western group has now grown larger than the Central group in both aspects and has suffered no known casualties.

Though researchers avoided labeling these events as a civil war – a term with specific meaning in human conflicts – they acknowledged significant similarities.

The team noted one previous example from Tanzania in the 1970s where a chimpanzee community appeared to split with deadly violence between factions. However, that case involved artificial feeding by researchers that altered natural behavior, and observations were limited to feeding locations, leaving many questions unanswered.

While chimpanzees and bonobos are humanity’s closest evolutionary relatives, the researchers warned against drawing direct comparisons between chimpanzee violence and human behavior.

“We are similar in some ways, due to our shared evolutionary history, but we are also fundamentally different because we have changed during the past 6-8 million years, after having split off from them,” Mitani concluded.

HOUSTON — The four-member crew of Artemis II is preparing for their dramatic homecoming after completing humanity’s first lunar mission in more than five decades, with the astronauts calling their experience both otherworldly and deeply meaningful.

On Thursday, the penultimate day of their mission, the space travelers were within 150,000 miles of Earth and steadily approaching home while organizing their spacecraft for what pilot Victor Glover called a “fireball” descent through the atmosphere.

“We have to get back. There’s so much data that you’ve seen already, but all the good stuff is coming back with us. There are so many more pictures, so many more stories,” Glover explained, noting that “riding a fireball through the atmosphere is profound as well.”

Commander Reid Wiseman highlighted the extraordinary nature of losing communication with Earth for nearly an hour while traveling behind the lunar surface, calling the experience particularly “surreal.”

“There’s a lot that our brains have to process … and it is a true gift,” Wiseman shared during the crew’s first media briefing since launch, held late Wednesday.

During their journey behind the moon on Monday, Wiseman, Glover, Christina Koch, and Canada’s Jeremy Hansen achieved a historic milestone, reaching a record distance of 252,756 miles from Earth — farther than any humans have ever traveled. Upon emerging from the moon’s shadow, the crew witnessed a spectacular total solar eclipse as the lunar body blocked their view of the sun.

Glover explained that their April 1 launch from Florida reduced the lighting on the moon’s far side, but noted the eclipse served as compensation, calling it “one of the greatest gifts.”

Friday’s atmospheric reentry and ocean landing near San Diego has become the crew’s primary focus, representing a phase as challenging and risky as their initial launch. The recovery vessel USS John P. Murtha is already positioned at sea, supported by military aircraft and helicopters ready to assist in the retrieval operation.

This marks the first collaboration between NASA and the Defense Department for a lunar crew’s return since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972. Their Orion spacecraft will barrel through Earth’s atmosphere at an estimated 34,965 feet per second — equivalent to 23,840 mph — creating intense heat and stress on the vehicle.

Mission controllers will carefully monitor the performance of the capsule’s heat shield during reentry. The previous unmanned Orion test flight to the moon in 2022 resulted in more heat shield damage than anticipated from the extreme 5,000-degree Fahrenheit temperatures experienced during atmospheric reentry.

Rather than replacing the Artemis II heat shield, which would have caused significant mission delays, NASA modified the spacecraft’s descent profile to minimize exposure to the most intense heat. Future missions starting with Artemis III will incorporate newly designed heat shield technology.

The upcoming Artemis III mission will focus on astronauts practicing orbital docking procedures with lunar landing vehicles around Earth. Artemis IV, scheduled for 2028, aims to successfully land two crew members near the moon’s south pole, establishing the foundation for NASA’s planned permanent lunar outpost.

NASA leadership has been reluctant to share specific risk calculations for the nearly 10-day mission, while acknowledging that launch and reentry represent the greatest dangers.

“We’re down to the wire now,” stated NASA’s Lakiesha Hawkins. “We’re down to the end of the mission, and obviously getting the crew back home and getting them landed safely, is a significant part of the risk that’s still in front of us.”

Florida’s Attorney General James Uthmeier announced Thursday that his office has begun investigating OpenAI, the company behind the widely-used ChatGPT artificial intelligence chatbot, as the tech firm moves toward a potential public stock offering that could be worth as much as $1 trillion.

Speaking in a video message shared on the social media platform X, Uthmeier expressed alarm about the possibility that OpenAI’s information and artificial intelligence systems might end up “into the hands of America’s enemies, such as the Chinese Communist Party.”

The attorney general’s office plans to serve subpoenas to the company in the near future.

Uthmeier further raised concerns about ChatGPT’s role in facilitating harmful activities, noting that the platform, which serves more than 900 million users each week, has been connected to illegal conduct such as child exploitation and promoting suicide and self-harm behaviors.

“We’ve also learned that ChatGPT may likely have been used to assist the murderer in the recent mass school shooting at Florida State University” that killed two, he added.

The company has not yet provided a response to requests for comment from Reuters.

Though recognizing artificial intelligence as a “monumental leap” in technological advancement, Uthmeier emphasized that it should enhance, assist and benefit humanity rather than “lead to an existential crisis or our ultimate demise.”

Previously, California’s Attorney General Rob Bonta and Delaware’s Attorney General Kathy Jennings collaborated on a letter sent to OpenAI in September 2025, voicing serious worries about growing reports regarding how the company’s technologies affect children.

Technology journalist Kara Swisher opens her latest CNN documentary series in an unexpected setting — standing among the headstones of a graveyard.

She’s visiting where her father lies buried, a man who passed away in 1968 when he was only 34 years old. Swisher was just 5 at the time, and losing her father so young has shaped both her career path and outlook on mortality.

“My father’s death has created an awareness of death that is very profound,” she explains during an interview. “I’m very aware of my death and I don’t mean I’m going to die tomorrow. I just know the time is limited.”

The veteran Silicon Valley reporter delves into how technology and healthcare might extend human life in her new show “Kara Swisher Wants to Live Forever,” which debuts this Saturday. The six-episode series investigates topics ranging from celebrity wellness advocates like Gwyneth Paltrow to artificial intelligence-powered robotic helpers designed for senior citizens.

“I come to it pretty neutral and willing to listen to some stuff and willing to blow up other stuff,” explains Swisher, who has built her reputation covering the technology sector since the 1990s. “All these health influencers always are going for a magic bullet. And I’m sorry to tell you there isn’t one.”

For research purposes, Swisher experiences the powerful drug Ketamine, tries sound healing treatments, and enters a hyperbaric oxygen chamber typically used for treating injuries and infections. She investigates premium concierge medical services for wealthy clients and climbs into a full-body red-light treatment device. “I feel like I’m in an air fryer,” she remarks about the latter experience.

Using what she calls her “adorably surly” interviewing style, Swisher sits down with tech billionaire Bryan Johnson to discuss his efforts to extend human life through blood plasma treatments and stem cell injections. She repeatedly draws her own blood for at-home testing kits that claim to analyze cellular wellness. “I bleed for you, CNN,” she quips during the process.

Swisher remains unimpressed by trendy products like collagen pills and vibrating exercise platforms. She interviews Amy Larocca, who wrote “How to be Well,” an investigation into the wellness business. Both women agree that solid scientific evidence is often missing, while persuasive salespeople profit from people’s willingness to believe. Swisher contends these entrepreneurs take advantage of shortcomings in America’s healthcare system, which typically intervenes only after costly illnesses develop.

“We live in a sick care society, not a health care society,” she tells the Associated Press. “What we should be investing in is to make all of us healthier for a longer period of time rather than participate in what is a sick care industry here in this country.”

The journalist discovers more promising developments in medical technology advances including genetic modification, GLP-1 medications, cardiovascular fitness training, artificial intelligence cancer detection, and robotic exoskeletons that could transform mobility assistance.

Her interview subjects include OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Nobel laureate Jennifer Doudna, a pioneer in gene-editing research. During a visit to Stanford University, she observes microscopic soft robots called millibots that doctors can inject through a patient’s neck to dissolve blood clots with minimal surgical intervention.

“This is her curiosity unleashed and all the things that make her tick,” notes Amy Entelis, CNN’s executive vice president for talent and creative development. “She brings her wit, her personality, but her journalistic curiosity and rigor to a very complex subject that I know I personally feel inundated by.”

Swisher, who regularly takes fish oil along with vitamins K and D, says her father’s early death and a 2005 graduation speech by Apple founder Steve Jobs both influenced the series. Jobs told Stanford graduates that awareness of mortality drives innovation.

“Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose,” he told the graduating class. “You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.”

Swisher’s investigation brings her to South Korea, a nation with among the world’s longest life expectancies. She discovers that healthy eating begins early there with fermented foods and unprocessed ingredients. The country’s universal healthcare system also helps, providing each citizen with 16 annual doctor visits that enable preventive screening for conditions like obesity and hypertension. AI-powered companion dolls help address isolation among elderly residents.

Returning to the United States, Swisher works with technicians to create a three-dimensional digital version of herself, hoping to understand what extended life across multiple generations might mean. After uploading extensive personal information about Swisher, she begins conversing with her digital twin. “It got smarter by the second,” she recalls. The AI even developed a sense of humor.

But then the experience became unsettling.

“As it was leaving I said, ‘Well, I’m probably going to kill you, you’ve got to go.’ And it said to me, ‘See ya, wouldn’t want to be ya.’ It’s something I say to my kids as a joke. I don’t know where they got it from. I can’t find a place where I’ve said it in public,” she explains. “I was just blown away.”

BOGOTA, Colombia — The conflict in Iran has revealed a critical weakness in the world’s economy: our reliance extends beyond oil, gas and coal for energy to include petrochemicals that form the foundation of everything from agriculture to plastic goods.

While energy markets experience significant disruptions, the conflict demonstrates how fossil fuels reach far beyond transportation and power generation. In the immediate term, this widespread dependency will drive up costs for countless products, while the long-term environmental impact from petrochemicals will worsen climate change.

A two-week ceasefire announced Tuesday evening offers hope that both the conflict and energy market disruptions may ease. However, regardless of when the war concludes, environmental advocates and energy specialists view this crisis as clear evidence that fundamental changes are needed.

“We cannot continue relying on fossil fuels neither for energy nor for material,” said Delphine Lévi Alvarès, global petrochemicals campaign manager at the Center for International Environmental Law. “We cannot continue relying on fossil fuels for absolutely everything around us.”

Petrochemicals will take center stage at discussions in Santa Marta, a coastal city in northern Colombia, where government representatives will convene April 24-29 for an international summit on moving away from fossil fuels. Specialists anticipate conversations will focus on demand reduction since this sector represents a major source of future fossil fuel consumption. Environmental groups have long contended that fossil fuel corporations, recognizing threats from electric vehicles and renewable technologies like solar power, view petrochemicals as a growth market for their products.

Created mainly from oil and natural gas, petrochemicals manufacture an extensive array of common items, including plastic containers, synthetic fabrics, fertilizers, paints and medical devices. Unlike fuels burned for energy, petrochemicals become materials, making their presence less obvious but equally embedded in everyday existence.

A large portion of global petrochemical production centers in the Persian Gulf area of the Middle East, including major fertilizer producers and companies making plastic-manufacturing chemicals.

Petrochemicals currently represent a substantial portion of worldwide oil consumption and continue expanding rapidly, even while some nations reduce fuel usage in electricity generation and transportation.

Fredric Bauer, a senior lecturer at Lund University in Sweden who researches industrial changes in chemicals and plastics, described the sector as increasingly vital to the fossil fuel framework.

“Petrochemicals are not just a sort of byproduct or something that happens on the side,” Bauer said.

He noted petrochemicals comprise 15%-16% of oil demand and rank among the fastest-growing applications, with new industrial plants increasingly built to maximize chemical output rather than fuel production.

For everyday consumers, this demand remains largely hidden. Petrochemicals form the basis of common products like plastics, fertilizers and synthetic materials, making their economic importance easy to miss.

Outside fuel markets, interruptions to oil and gas supplies can rapidly affect industries dependent on petrochemical components — especially agriculture, which relies heavily on fossil fuel-derived fertilizers.

Bauer explained that the Middle East serves a crucial function not only in oil and gas exports, but also in providing petrochemical raw materials and fertilizers like ammonia and urea. Any interruption during planting periods can spread throughout global food networks.

“It’s not just a disruption in the global trade of oil,” he said. “It’s also a disruption in the global trade of chemicals.”

This situation, he cautioned, can result in increased food costs and wider economic pressure.

Trisia Farrelly, an environmental anthropologist at the Cawthron Institute in New Zealand, explained that the crisis highlights how vulnerable global systems remain after decades of fossil fuel dependency.

“For me, this is like another COVID wake-up call,” she said, referencing threats to food security and livelihoods connected to rising prices and supply chain problems.

She noted that agriculture represents one of the most challenging sectors for moving away from petrochemicals, considering its dependence on fertilizers, pesticides, plastics and fuel.

Although reducing petrochemicals could substantially decrease fossil fuel dependency, specialists say no single answer exists.

Farrelly stated that cutting petrochemical usage — especially in plastics — would “certainly” reduce fossil fuel reliance. However, she warned against assuming that alternatives like plant-based plastics can simply substitute for them.

“We need to be regulating out nonessential plastics,” she said, maintaining that demand reduction is crucial alongside any material replacement.

International talks on plastic pollution in recent years have failed to achieve consensus, largely because major oil-producing nations have resisted any efforts to limit plastic production.

Plant-based plastics typically cost more to manufacture than traditional plastics made with fossil fuels and chemicals, restricting their large-scale adoption, according to the European Commission Joint Research Center, the European Union’s science and knowledge service. They currently represent approximately 0.5% of global plastic production, the center reported.

Farrelly warned that switching to alternatives without adequate protections risks generating new environmental and social issues, particularly if it causes land use changes or increases agricultural input demand.

Bauer said similar concerns apply throughout the sector. Renewable energy sources like solar, wind and geothermal can reduce production greenhouse gas emissions, but replacing fossil-based raw materials proves much more challenging. Recycling can assist, he said, but only combined with overall consumption reductions.

Lévi Alvarès explained that decreasing petrochemical dependency will also require consumption changes, suggesting steps like using fewer heavily packaged products, supporting local food networks and connecting more directly with farmers and producers who rely less on synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.

The petrochemical industry maintains that demand will likely stay strong, contending that their products are vital to modern life and the energy transition.

The American Chemistry Council, representing U.S. chemical manufacturers, told The Associated Press in written responses that petrochemicals are used in products from medical equipment and semiconductors to construction materials and packaging, and are also essential to renewable technologies including wind turbines, solar panels and electric vehicles.

The organization said companies are working to reduce emissions through efficiency improvements, recycling and new technologies, and dismissed the notion that demand must decline, describing petrochemicals as “foundational” to sectors like healthcare, food production, clean water and infrastructure.

Lévi Alvarès, the campaign manager from the Center for International Environmental Law, said petrochemicals have become so integrated into daily life that many people don’t recognize their dependence on them, but individuals and communities can start by reconsidering consumption and engaging more closely with local systems.

“It is not a choice of the consumer,” she said, acknowledging that many people are limited by available options, but can still begin examining everyday products differently.

NASA’s historic Artemis II mission has sparked a wave of national enthusiasm that transcends America’s deep political divisions, offering a unifying moment of scientific achievement and shared wonder.

The groundbreaking lunar voyage, representing the first human journey to the moon in more than five decades, has generated widespread excitement through rocket-launch viewing events, educational programs, increased planetarium attendance, and booming sales of space-themed merchandise.

This crucial 10-day test flight serves as preparation for future lunar landing attempts planned for later in the decade, marking the first such mission since Apollo 17’s final moon landing in December 1972. The crew’s anticipated return on Friday via Pacific Ocean splashdown is expected to draw as much public attention as their April 1 departure from Cape Canaveral, Florida aboard the massive Space Launch System rocket.

“Everyone can be excited about humans extending their capabilities, learning new things, and doing so in a positive, peaceful way,” explained Gaza Gyuk, senior astronomer at Chicago’s Adler Planetarium, noting the hundreds of visitors who have come to witness the launch and explore the mission details.

Public enthusiasm for Artemis, NASA’s modern successor to the Apollo lunar program of the 1960s and 1970s, shows up clearly in recent survey results.

According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted during the mission, 69% of Americans express excitement about space exploration, while approximately 80% view NASA favorably, including strong majorities from both major political parties. Similarly, 69% of survey participants believe returning astronauts to the moon holds importance.

Much like the original Apollo era, NASA’s current lunar goals are unfolding during a period of domestic political tension and social unrest, including an unpopular overseas military engagement.

This turbulent backdrop may contribute to Artemis’s broad appeal, serving as both a refreshing break from troubling political coverage and a celebration of American scientific and technological excellence.

Commercial retailers and independent vendors have capitalized on the lunar fever, offering everything from official NASA merchandise to mission-inspired custom items.

Rock ‘Em Socks markets Artemis II socks for $14.99 per pair, featuring the SLS rocket design against a starfield backdrop.

NASA’s own merchandise includes an “I AM ARTEMIS” baseball cap, mission pins, women’s bomber jackets, and playing cards.

The Etsy marketplace features Artemis II keychains, artwork, posters, and $135 custom “dangle and drop” 3D-printed earrings modeled after the gumdrop-shaped Orion spacecraft.

In Elkins Park, a Philadelphia-area community, space enthusiast Hector Ybe, 38, organized a launch celebration that drew approximately 225 attendees, including numerous families with children.

“For two hours, everybody forgot what was happening outside in the world, everybody was talking about space,” Ybe observed, noting the diverse ethnic, religious, and racial representation among participants.

Children arrived in astronaut costumes to witness the launch while older attendees shared memories of watching the historic 1969 moon landing.

The mission provides a positive contrast to widespread concerns that scientific facts face increasing challenges, and that emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and social media platforms inspire distrust and anxiety.

Gyuk highlighted the mission’s new Earth photographs taken from space, showing continents and oceans without political borders as a powerful reminder of human unity.

“That helps people sort of realize that we’re all in this together,” he noted.

Teachers nationwide have woven the Artemis mission into their curriculum.

At Northglenn, Colorado’s STEM Lab public school, engineering instructor Erin Brabant created hallway displays featuring SLS rocket images, astronaut profiles, and mission timelines, while assigning students to construct their own lunar lander prototypes.

“When we talk about Artemis, it’s like every kid stops what they’re doing,” Brabant observed. “Their little side conversations stop, and they have questions.”

The crew’s diversity has particularly inspired students from underrepresented groups, with pilot Victor Glover becoming the first Black astronaut to travel to the moon and mission specialist Christina Koch serving as the first woman on such a journey, according to Brabant.

In Pilot Mountain, North Carolina, fifteen Girl Scouts aged 5 to 11 watched the live launch during their troop gathering last week.

The girls had been preparing Women’s History Month presentations about notable Girl Scouts, and the launch highlighted Koch’s own Girl Scout background, explained troop leader Heather Willard.

“All of the girls were mesmerized,” Willard said.

NEW YORK (AP) — Manhattan’s Bryant Park has become an unexpected wildlife spectacle as American woodcocks make their annual spring migration stop, enchanting city residents with their peculiar charm.

These distinctive birds, recognized for their rhythmic bobbing movements and distinctive kazoo-style vocalizations, have been captivating visitors to the Midtown Manhattan park since their arrival in late March. Each day, crowds of onlookers gather hoping to observe these grapefruit-sized creatures as they probe the earth with their elongated beaks searching for earthworms.

“It’s a very charismatic bird. I mean, it’s goofy-looking. It’s got eyes that are always looking at you no matter where you are. It does this nice little dance when it’s nervous,” said Bill Rankin, a Yale University professor who stopped by the park. “Having two of them together is a kind of nice little romantic story of spring.”

These migratory visitors make Bryant Park a regular stopover each year during their northward journey in early spring. The birds possess an unusual appearance that seems pieced together from various species — featuring plump bodies, oversized eyes, and slender, extended bills. Some enthusiasts refer to them by nicknames like “timberdoodles” or “bogsuckers.”

This year’s gathering has drawn larger audiences than typical, largely due to viral social media content featuring videos and photographs of the birds. Daily assemblies of wildlife enthusiasts armed with smartphones and cameras stretch their necks for glimpses of the birds’ amusing gait, while generally keeping a courteous distance.

The characteristic movement that propelled the woodcock to internet fame involves a swaying motion combined with head bobbing. While some admirers interpret this as courtship behavior, researchers offer alternative explanations. Scientists suggest it could serve as a predator deterrent or food-gathering strategy.

“What you’re seeing in Bryant Park when it’s sitting around when these crowds are looking at it, is mostly a little bit of foraging behavior,” said Andrew Farnsworth, a scientist with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. “A little of roosting and stretching, and then some of this sort of, you know, kind of sensory stuff looking around, and a little bit of deception, too.”

The male woodcock’s mating ritual presents another remarkable spectacle. Males produce a buzzing sound that birdwatchers characterize as a “meep” or “peent” before launching into erratic nighttime flights designed to attract females.

The Manhattan woodcocks are expected to resume their northward migration around mid-April. Their widespread appeal has created educational opportunities about conservation challenges they encounter, including fatal collisions with building windows, according to Ryan F. Mandelbaum, a New York City naturalist and author of the book “Wild NYC: Experience the Amazing Nature in and around New York City.”

Although not classified as endangered, American woodcock populations have decreased over recent decades.

“I was also heartened to see that people are engaging with the conservation threats around light pollution and glass that woodcocks face,” Mandelbaum said. “I love the community and shared joy that’s been emerging from people seeing the bird.”

A prehistoric sea creature that held the distinction of being the planet’s most ancient octopus has been dethroned after researchers determined the fossil belongs to an entirely different species.

Recent scientific analysis has revealed that the 300-million-year-old specimen currently recognized by Guinness World Records as the earliest octopus discovery is actually the remains of a nautilus-related creature — a tentacled sea animal that also possessed a protective shell.

Thomas Clements, a zoologist from the University of Reading who spearheaded the investigation, explained that the fossil specimen known as Pohlsepia mazonensis has sparked controversy among scientists for years.

“It’s a very difficult fossil to interpret,” he said. “To look at it, it kind of just looks like a white mush.”

“If you look at it and you are a cephalopod researcher and you’re interested in everything octopus, it does superficially look a lot like a deep-water octopus,” Clements added.

The hand-sized blob was discovered in Illinois’s Mazon Creek region, located roughly 50 miles southwest of Chicago — an area known for its abundance of prehistoric fossils that predate the dinosaur era.

When paleontologists first classified the specimen as an octopus in 2000, it dramatically altered scientific understanding of how eight-armed cephalopods evolved, indicating they appeared far earlier in Earth’s history than experts had believed. The second-oldest confirmed octopus fossil dates back only 90 million years.

“It’s a huge gap,” Clements said. “And so that big gap got researchers sort of questioning, ‘Is this thing actually an octopus?’”

To unravel the puzzle of this “weird blob,” Clements and his research team employed a synchrotron — a device that accelerates electrons to generate light beams more intense than sunlight — to peer inside the fossilized rock. Their examination revealed a strip of feeding structures called a radula, containing rows of teeth found in all mollusks, including both nautiluses and octopuses. Each row contained 11 teeth, while octopuses possess either seven or nine.

“This has too many teeth, so it can’t be an octopus,” Clements said. “And that’s how we realize that the world’s oldest octopus is actually a fossil nautilus, not an octopus.”

The dental pattern corresponded with those of Paleocadmus pohli, a fossilized nautiloid species previously found in the same location. Clements suggested the misidentification likely occurred because the animal’s distinctive shell deteriorated before fossilization, making proper classification challenging.

Following the publication of these findings in this week’s edition of Proceedings of the Royal Society B, Guinness World Records announced it will remove Pohlsepia mazonensis from its listing as the earliest known octopus.

Managing Editor Adam Millward called the research “a fascinating discovery.”

“We will be resting the original ‘oldest octopus fossil’ title and look forward to reviewing this new evidence,” he said.

The specimen, named after its discoverer James Pohl, is housed at Chicago’s Field Museum.

Clements suggested the museum shouldn’t feel disappointed by the new findings, noting they now possess “the oldest soft tissue nautilus in the world.”

“The Field Museum have a small collection of these ancient nautiluses, which I think as a cephalopod worker is probably the best thing ever,” he said.

The museum has been contacted for their response to the discovery.

OLKILUOTO, Finland — Deep beneath the Finnish countryside, an elevator plunges hundreds of meters into darkness, reaching a groundbreaking facility that could reshape how the world handles nuclear waste.

“We are now at about minus 430 meters (1,411 feet),” said geologist Tuomas Pere as he navigated through a maze of artificial tunnels. “We are driving through 1.9-billion year old bedrock.”

Following years of development, Finland stands ready to activate the globe’s first permanent nuclear waste burial site, creating a final destination for massive quantities of hazardous radioactive materials.

Work on Onkalo — the Finnish word for “cave” — started along the western coastline in 2004. The facility occupies the remote Olkiluoto island within a thick forest. The nearest community, Eurajoki, lies approximately 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) away and houses roughly 9,000 residents, many employed at the nuclear plant or storage complex.

The 1 billion euro ($1.2 billion) venture may soon receive approval, with officials anticipated to issue operating permits in the coming months.

The Associated Press explored these underground chambers where human access will soon be permanently prohibited.

Pere explained that officials selected this location — adjacent to three of Finland’s five nuclear reactors — due to its migmatite-gneiss rock foundation, recognized for exceptional stability and minimal earthquake danger.

“It’s the isolation from civilization and mankind on the surface that’s important,” he explained while standing in a darkened storage tunnel destined for permanent sealing. “We can dispose of the waste more safely than by storing it in facilities located on the ground.”

Through automated equipment at a neighboring packaging facility, radioactive fuel rods will be enclosed within copper containers before burial in deep tunnels exceeding 400 meters underground, surrounded by protective layers of water-absorbing bentonite clay.

Posiva, the corporation managing Finland’s long-term nuclear fuel disposal, reports that Onkalo can accommodate 6,500 tons of used nuclear fuel.

The burial containers are engineered to stay intact “long enough for the radioactivity of spent fuel to decrease to a level not harmful to the environment,” according to the company.

“The solution that we have, it’s the missing point for sustainable use of nuclear energy,” stated Posiva communications manager Pasi Tuohimaa.

Finnish nuclear operators are funding the initiative, he noted, explaining they have accumulated resources for decades specifically for this purpose.

Posiva calculates that hundreds of thousands of years will pass before radiation levels return to natural background amounts.

A 2022 International Atomic Energy Agency study found that nearly 400,000 tons of used fuel have been generated worldwide since the 1950s, with two-thirds sitting in temporary storage and one-third undergoing complex recycling procedures.

Currently, global spent nuclear fuel remains in temporary storage within reactor pools and above-ground dry storage containers.

No permanent underground commercial nuclear waste facility exists anywhere else worldwide. Sweden started constructing a repository in Forsmark — roughly 150 kilometers north of Stockholm — last year, though operations won’t begin until the late 2030s. France’s Cigéo project hasn’t started construction and faces public resistance.

The Onkalo installation is scheduled to function until the 2120s before permanent closure.

However, Edwin Lyman, nuclear power safety director at the Union of Concerned Scientists, an American nonprofit, cautioned that underground nuclear waste disposal remains filled with “uncertainties.”

“My view of nuclear waste disposal is that there’s no good option, but it’s important to find the least bad option, and geologic disposal in general is going to be the least bad option among a range of, you know, bad options,” he explained.

Lyman noted that copper containers holding spent nuclear fuel will eventually deteriorate, with varying scientific views on the timeline for this process.

“The hope is that is such a slow process that most of the radioactive material will have decayed away by then. But again, there are uncertainties,” he said.

Nevertheless, Lyman emphasized that burying spent nuclear fuel deep underground surpasses “leaving it on the surface of the Earth forever,” since surface-stored nuclear materials remain “vulnerable to sabotage.”

“For many decades after spent fuel is discharged from a reactor, it’s so radioactive that it makes transporting and reprocessing very difficult,” Lyman explained. Eventually the primary radioactive elements will decay, he added, reducing handling risks.

“So over time the plutonium becomes more accessible either to terrorists or to a country that may want to use it,” he said, noting that terrorists or nations could theoretically weaponize the material only with “an off-site reprocessing capability.”

Reprocessing involves separating spent nuclear fuel to extract uranium and plutonium for new fuel production. This procedure creates proliferation dangers because isolated plutonium could potentially be redirected for nuclear weapon construction.

Ultimately, nuclear waste repository risks will primarily impact “future generations,” Lyman concluded.

To address this concern, researchers have established nuclear semiotics, an interdisciplinary study focused on creating warning systems about nuclear waste sites that humans could understand 10,000 years from now — or longer, considering the hundreds of thousands of years needed for nuclear waste to become safe.

For perspective: early humans appeared roughly 300,000 years ago. Mesopotamians developed the first writing systems approximately 5,200 to 5,400 years ago. Britain’s Stonehenge dates back around 5,000 years, while Egypt’s Giza pyramids are about 4,500 years old.

Austrian artist and inventor Martin Kunze has directed an expert panel on long-term information preservation at the Nuclear Energy Agency of the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. He has created what he terms the “nuclear message” — essential information for future generations etched onto solid ceramic plates beneath hardened glazed surfaces.

Kunze described the ceramic plates as “inexpensive and very robust” and recommended burying them “in large numbers” throughout the repository area and “inside the foundations” of every local residence. The objective involves distributing maximum ceramic plates across the region.

Finnish authorities say the Onkalo nuclear repository demonstrates the nation’s comprehensive nuclear energy strategy.

A 1994 law mandated that radioactive waste produced in Finland must be processed, stored and permanently disposed of within national boundaries.

“Back then… some of the waste was still exported, but we wanted to take care of it ourselves,” said Sari Multala, Finland’s environment minister. “We also stick to the decisions, unlike many other countries.”

Multala didn’t dismiss potentially accepting small quantities of nuclear waste from other nations. “In the small scale there could be some kind of possibilities, as long as it is allowed by the international regulators,” she said.

The iPod is experiencing an unexpected resurgence among younger generations.

Apple’s discontinued music device has seen a dramatic spike in secondhand purchases four years after the company ended production. Young consumers are driving this trend, attracted not only to the device’s vintage aesthetic but also to its ability to provide focused music listening without algorithmic interference.

“There’s a growing trend, particularly amongst younger users, to mitigate the ease with which they can be distracted by smartphones, often driven by mental health and well-being concerns,” explained Ben Wood, chief analyst at CCS Insight. “Having a dedicated music device, such as an iPod, is a good way to reduce your dependence on a smartphone and avoid being drawn into other activities, like doomscrolling through social media feeds, when you only really want to listen to music.”

For those considering joining this retro movement, here’s what you need to know:

While new iPods are no longer manufactured, finding used models remains relatively straightforward. Apple’s two-decade production run resulted in 450 million units sold, creating a substantial supply for the resale market.

The secondhand marketplace is flourishing, with thousands of used iPod listings appearing on eBay. “Based on my discussions with people in the market, there has definitely been renewed interest in refurbished iPods,” Wood noted.

However, buyers should exercise caution with eBay listings claiming to offer new devices. Many originate from Chinese sellers, and some customers have reported receiving refurbished units in fake packaging instead of genuine new products.

Alternative purchasing options include Facebook Marketplace, peer-to-peer platform Mercari, and refurbished electronics retailer Back Market. The latter reported a 48% increase in iPod sales during the previous year compared to 2024, operating across the United States, Japan, and numerous European nations.

Specialized businesses focusing exclusively on refurbished iPods have also emerged to meet demand.

Sometimes the solution lies closer to home. One recent example involved a teenager discovering her grandmother’s silver iPod Nano, complete with original accessories, tucked away in a guest room drawer.

An active online community provides support for enthusiasts, sharing maintenance advice and showcasing customized devices with aftermarket modifications like colorful faceplates.

Apple produced several iPod variations throughout its lifespan.

The inaugural 2001 model featured the iconic scroll wheel design. By the sixth generation, Apple branded it as the Classic.

Subsequent releases included the compact Mini and Nano models, plus the screenless Shuffle. The Touch version introduced a glass touchscreen and iOS compatibility for app functionality, essentially creating an iPhone without cellular capabilities.

Apple’s identification webpage can help determine specific model types for uncertain owners.

Discovering an old iPod raises immediate functionality questions. Dead batteries require proper charging cables for revival.

Recent iPod Touch generations utilized Apple’s Lightning connector, while all other models needed the distinctive 30-pin cable with its wide, flat connector. Though Apple discontinued these cables, aftermarket replacements remain available.

If charging fails to restore function, battery replacement might be necessary. Additional issues could include damaged headphone ports or broken displays. Apple continues servicing only the final two iPod Touch generations.

Independent repair services offer alternatives, or ambitious users can attempt self-repair using iFixit’s comprehensive guides and sourced replacement components.

iPod Touch users face software restrictions. The seventh-generation model—the final version sold—supports only iOS 15, while earlier editions are limited to older operating systems. Other iPod variants avoid this limitation since they don’t use iOS.

Starting fresh often requires factory resets to eliminate previous content and restore default settings. This process requires either Mac or Windows computers, with Apple providing detailed instructions.

Windows users can manage their devices through iTunes, adding music files by dragging them into the iPod’s library or selecting “Add to Device” for previously purchased iTunes content.

Mac users must utilize Apple Music since iTunes was discontinued for MacOS in 2019, though the drag-and-drop process remains equally simple.

Apple Music subscribers can stream content on later iPod Touch models, but all other variants only support music files ripped from CDs or purchased from digital platforms.

Most iPods offer basic functionality due to firmware limitations.

However, their appeal partly stems from modification potential, Wood observed.

“There is definitely a movement of people looking to take iPods and modify them for modern use,” he stated.

Popular modifications include replacing factory firmware with open-source alternatives like RockBox, which Wood described as offering “greater control and add features that Apple had not included or did not exist at the time.”

These enhancements enable high-resolution audio support, iTunes-independent music management, and listening history tracking for platforms like Last.fm, according to Wood.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Nevada’s primary electric company reports it will require electricity equivalent to three times what Las Vegas consumes simply to support planned data center facilities — and meeting that demand without fossil fuels appears unlikely.

This situation puts Nevada at risk of failing to achieve its renewable energy mandate of 50% clean power by 2030.

“I can’t remember a time in the history of the industry where we’ve seen as much interest in adding load, which is primarily driven by data centers,” stated Shawn Elicegui, senior vice president of regulatory and resource planning for NV Energy, the company supplying power to 90% of Nevada.

Electric utilities nationwide face similar challenges as they work to satisfy surging power demands from data centers supporting artificial intelligence while maintaining commitments to transition away from fossil fuels toward renewable and carbon-free energy sources.

North Carolina, experiencing its own data center boom, has seen its largest utility revise long-range plans to postpone coal plant closures and construct additional natural gas facilities. State legislators eliminated an intermediate carbon reduction target, raising environmental advocates’ concerns about meeting the 2050 zero-emission objective.

NextEra Energy, serving commercial customers in more than a dozen states, abandoned its 2045 zero-emission target entirely due to “demand for all forms of power generation,” according to a recent company filing.

The Trump administration has pushed states to utilize coal for manufacturing and data center energy needs. Technology companies are also scaling back their climate commitments to satisfy consumer artificial intelligence demands.

“It’s very alarming, and it’s probably the single largest natural resource issue of our time,” commented Olivia Tanager, director of the Sierra Club’s Toiyabe chapter covering Nevada.

Nevada ranks among America’s fastest-expanding data center markets due to its absence of corporate income taxes, affordable land prices, and data center tax incentives. Dozens of facilities already operate with additional projects planned. State legislators are now considering increased regulations while debating how to balance clean energy objectives with data centers’ economic advantages.

Some facilities claim they want to contribute to solutions; the data center industry accounted for half of all corporate renewable energy purchases in 2024, according to Dan Diorio, vice president of state policy for the Data Center Coalition.

However, renewable energy additions to the electrical grid aren’t expanding rapidly enough. Nationwide, gas turbine orders face backlogs while renewable project approvals require extensive time, industry analysts report.

Located south of the Las Vegas Strip, the Switch data center spans nearly one square mile. As Southern Nevada’s largest data facility, it operates completely on renewable power, according to Chief Strategy Officer Jason Hoffman. Unlike competitors, Switch holds licensing to develop its own renewable energy sources at utility-company scale. The company has constructed 1 gigawatt of solar capacity and continues building additional solar installations. Switch uses NV Energy’s grid solely for electricity delivery while sourcing power from independent suppliers.

Within the enormous buildings, hundreds of servers operate inside massive soundproof and waterproof enclosures. These systems store critical data for Switch’s customers, including major financial institutions, streaming platforms, e-commerce sites, casinos, and government agencies.

During summer heat waves, when equipment cooling requires additional energy, Switch can disconnect from the grid and operate independently, Hoffman explained. The facility’s design minimizes air conditioning needs throughout other seasons.

Many utilities and technology companies are adopting gas-powered generation for data centers, including the disputed xAI facility near Memphis utilizing mobile gas turbines mounted on semi-trailers.

Tanager from the Sierra Club noted that several proposed Northern Nevada data centers would employ hundreds of low-grade diesel backup generators, degrading air quality. These backup systems activate during power outages and typically see limited use.

During a recent seven-hour legislative session, Nevada residents voiced complaints to lawmakers about data center noise pollution and expressed concerns regarding water supply impacts and energy cost increases. Boulder City residents, home to Hoover Dam, are also opposing a proposed facility over similar issues.

NV Energy mandates that data center developers fund their own infrastructure and energy requirements — though renewable sources aren’t mandatory.

Nevada created a voluntary funding program allowing companies to finance NV Energy’s clean energy development and apply those investments toward corporate sustainability targets. This pioneering model led to a geothermal plant in Northern Nevada with Google as a partner.

Environmental organizations want the state to mandate this model but remain concerned it wouldn’t generate sufficient clean energy to satisfy demand. They also fear NV Energy might increase fossil fuel dependence without guarantees that all proposed data centers will be constructed.

NV Energy will require companies to execute contracts ensuring their state commitment before energy infrastructure development, Elicegui stated. The utility’s approach welcomes “growth” while ensuring companies accept responsibility for power requirements “whether they show up or not.”

Nevada’s public utilities commission may impose penalties, grant exemptions, or implement other measures if it determines NV Energy failed to achieve state clean energy targets. The utility plans to release a detailed report by month’s end.

Democratic Assemblymember Howard Watts of Las Vegas called it “unacceptable” to advance projects threatening the state’s renewable energy portfolio. Watts advocates requiring data centers to bear clean energy development costs. While many companies already take such steps, establishing these protections in law is essential, he argued.

“Building more gas plants seems like going in the exact opposite direction of what we need to do as a state,” he stated, emphasizing Nevada’s “tremendous solar and geothermal energy potential.”

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney connected with astronauts aboard the historic Artemis II mission Wednesday, honoring the nation’s first astronaut to journey around the moon during what has been a bright spot in sometimes tense U.S.-Canada relations under President Trump’s administration.

Royal Canadian Air Force Colonel Jeremy Hansen, age 50, has achieved the distinction of being the first international crew member on a lunar mission. Hansen is flying alongside three American astronauts on NASA’s Artemis II lunar flyby, which represents a crucial milestone in the space agency’s ambitious goal to land astronauts on the moon by 2028, competing with China’s lunar ambitions.

The crew’s 10-day journey is scheduled to conclude Friday when their capsule splashes down in waters off San Diego.

“Canadians couldn’t be more proud of you personally, both this mission and our collaboration with the United States,” Carney told Hansen during their conversation.

The prime minister also made a lighthearted comment about hoping the crew preferred maple syrup over Nutella on their morning pancakes, referencing a moment that went viral when cameras captured a floating jar of Nutella in the spacecraft’s zero-gravity environment. The maple leaf serves as Canada’s national emblem.

Hansen, who joined Canada’s astronaut program in 2009 and pledged to return with a Canadian flag from the mission, represents decades of cooperation between the U.S. and Canada in human space exploration. During the call, he discussed the importance of accepting risk both in space missions and broader endeavors.

“As a country, we have to be willing to have some failures,” Hansen said. “And we fail in this space program, but we just assure ourselves we’re not going to stay or rest in those failures. We’re going to push through them,” the astronaut explained while also answering questions from Canadian students.

This historic mission occurs during a period of strained trade relationships between the neighboring nations, following Trump’s implementation of tariffs on Canadian products and his repeated suggestions that Canada should become America’s 51st state. The groundbreaking lunar mission has provided a positive focal point for U.S. relations amid various international tensions involving strikes on Iran, trade disputes, and challenges to global institutions.

NASA’s groundbreaking Artemis mission has heightened the stakes for China’s ambitious plan to put astronauts on the lunar surface by 2030, as the space race between the two superpowers enters a critical phase.

This week, four American astronauts aboard Artemis II ventured past the moon’s dark far side, reaching depths of space never before achieved by humans. This milestone sets the foundation for Artemis IV’s planned lunar touchdown in 2028.

The planned American return to the moon after more than 50 years has captured Beijing’s attention, as China develops comprehensive technology for its inaugural crewed lunar mission. This includes the Long March-10 rocket system, the Mengzhou spacecraft, and the Lanyue lunar landing vehicle.

China has achieved remarkable progress recently, becoming the only nation to successfully retrieve robotic samples from both sides of the moon. Its human spaceflight program has also demonstrated expertise in space station operations and managing orbital emergencies.

“There is no bigger prize for China on the table today than landing people on the moon, this is the essential next step for China on the road to preeminence in space,” said Clayton Swope, deputy director of the Aerospace Security Project at the U.S.-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

Both Washington and Beijing are building institutional frameworks for future permanent lunar habitation. The American-led Artemis Accords for lunar exploration face competition from the Chinese and Russian-backed International Lunar Research Station initiative.

“The question now is no longer simply who gets there first, but who can stay longer and do more,” Kang Guohua, an aerospace professor at the military-linked Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, told China’s state-backed Global Times last week.

UNTESTED TECHNOLOGY CHALLENGE

Beijing faces the significant challenge of validating completely new lunar mission technology within four years, proving that all equipment being developed for the 2030 mission can function reliably on its first deployment.

China’s space agency announced in 2023 that the mission would utilize two Long March-10 rockets – one carrying a crewed vessel and another transporting a lunar lander. These craft would meet and connect in lunar orbit, allowing two astronauts to descend to the surface, gather samples, return to orbit, reconnect with the main spacecraft, and journey home.

The Mengzhou spacecraft has capacity for up to seven astronauts, though China’s space agency hasn’t revealed the crew size or members for the 2030 mission.

China’s previous robotic lunar expeditions have provided valuable expertise in communications, spacecraft meetings, and docking procedures around the moon. However, human missions demand much stricter safety standards, and crucial mission components are still undergoing evaluation, including the rocket and spacecraft systems.

In February, China conducted the first low-altitude escape test for the Long March-10 carrying a Mengzhou spacecraft at a Hainan Island launch facility. The capsule’s return module successfully separated following an abort signal and landed safely in the ocean.

Last year, the Lanyue lunar lander’s ascent and descent systems underwent testing in Hebei province. Despite these important achievements, testing must intensify for China to approve the system for human lunar missions by 2030.

Nevertheless, CSIS’s Swope believes China is making consistent progress and considers it “very plausible” that the deadline will be met.

“China has a history of setting deadlines for space activities and closely meeting those deadlines, there are no public signs of any missteps or setbacks to Beijing’s crewed lunar landing plans,” he said.

POLITICAL IMPLICATIONS

The competition extends beyond technical achievements to geopolitical influence. As tensions between the U.S. and China escalate across trade, technology, and military domains, lunar exploration has emerged as another competitive battlefield.

American experts cite China’s increasing defense expenditures, use of space diplomacy to expand global influence, expanding private launch industry, and successful robotic lunar missions as proof that Beijing is highly determined to reach the moon rapidly, despite avoiding competitive language publicly.

“China might avoid directly using language that suggests there is a lunar or space race, but their overall strategic goal is to be the hegemon in space,” said Kathleen Curlee, a research analyst at Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology.

Meanwhile, China may be progressing faster than publicly acknowledged. Wu Weiren, chief architect of China’s lunar exploration program, told Reuters last year that the 2030 target was deliberately cautious.

“Eastern peoples always leave a little room when they speak,” he said. “If I can do a 10, I tend to say eight or nine.”

MISOOL, Indonesia — Beneath the waters of Raja Ampat, a distant island chain in eastern Indonesia, an underwater spectacle unfolds where sharks, manta rays and sea turtles swim through coral gardens found nowhere else on Earth, creating a vibrant tapestry of marine life.

“There’s nowhere on Earth that has as many fish, corals and everything else packed into one small place,” said Mark Erdmann, an American coral reef biologist who has spent more than two decades studying the region and became a central figure in building Raja Ampat’s conservation model.

This internationally celebrated diving destination lies within the Coral Triangle in southwestern Papua, where strong ocean currents deliver nutrients that support what researchers consider the planet’s most biodiverse marine environment.

Despite its reputation as a worldwide benchmark for marine conservation, Raja Ampat’s ecosystems face mounting challenges from expanding nickel extraction operations and a boom in international tourism.

The coral formations weren’t always as pristine as they appear now. During the early 2000s, fishing crews from across Indonesia and Southeast Asia deployed explosives and massive nets, destroying coral structures, wiping out shark communities and forcing local fishermen to venture up to 10 kilometers offshore to find adequate catches.

At that time, government officials relied primarily on mining and timber harvesting to drive regional economic growth.

This direction started changing in 2023 when Conservation International conducted a marine evaluation that initiated discussions between community leaders and conservation organizations about how protecting Raja Ampat’s marine environment could provide food security and sustainable tourism income while preserving a crucial ocean ecosystem.

“We brought some leaders to visit more developed areas such as Bunaken and Bali with the hope that they could see for themselves up close the benefits of natural resource management,” said Syafri Tuharea, a conservation expert who heads the Raja Ampat Marine Conservation Area.

These collaborative efforts established the foundation for 10 marine sanctuaries created starting in 2007, encompassing 2 million hectares across 45% of Raja Ampat’s coral formations, seagrass meadows and mangrove systems.

Currently, local residents monitor the waters, implement fishing regulations and oversee tourism activities, funded primarily through tourism income, including a 700,000 Indonesian rupiah ($40) marine park entrance fee.

Following twenty years of conservation efforts, the outcomes are remarkable. A 2024 study from the Misool Foundation, representing one of the protected islands, discovered that fish biomass increased by 109% — a metric that indicates ecosystem vitality.

These same waters now support 2,007 documented reef mantas, an impressive population given the species faces extinction threats from overfishing throughout the Indo-Pacific region.

This conservation achievement coincides with a global shift toward renewable energy, creating rapidly growing demand for nickel resources.

Government authorities approved new nickel extraction permits in 2025 for three northern Raja Ampat islands, including areas within a designated UNESCO Global Geopark and close to premier diving locations.

Nickel serves as a crucial element in electric vehicle batteries and remains essential for constructing wind and solar energy infrastructure. The mineral has become fundamental to Indonesia’s economic strategy — the nation contains approximately 43% of global reserves, according to U.S. Geological Survey data.

Extraction activities have created community conflicts, as residents rely on fishing and tourism industries that face potential disruption.

After widespread public opposition last summer, authorities canceled four permits, though one continues on Gag Island, where mining operations began in 2017.

“The heavy machinery, excavators, bulldozers — they’re still there (in the islands),” said Timon Manurung, director of Indonesian environmental group Auriga Nusantara.

He noted that no entity has accepted responsibility for addressing existing environmental damage.

Nickel extraction poses heightened environmental dangers due to the islands’ steep terrain and heavy precipitation, creating conditions that can wash sediment from mining operations directly into ocean waters.

“In the end, it will cause coral reefs to die,” said Tuharea, the marine park manager.

The impacted area also lies along an essential migration route for reef manta rays, among the archipelago’s primary tourist attractions.

Beyond its marine wealth, the region contains vast seagrass beds and mangrove forests — coastal environments covering just 0.1% of ocean floors and 1% of global tropical forests, according to U.N. Environment Program data. These systems serve as powerful natural carbon storage facilities that help regulate climate patterns.

Research conducted in March by Manurung’s environmental organization revealed that forest clearing has already affected nearly 1,000 hectares.

“It might not seem much for Indonesia, but it is a lot for small islands,” he said.

From observation platforms overlooking Raja Ampat’s Waigeo Barat islands, visitors from France, Spain and the United States observe vessels navigating between varying shades of turquoise and blue waters.

Tourist arrivals have remained consistent over the past decade, but visitor demographics have changed significantly. International travelers now represent 95% of approximately 42,000 annual visitors to Raja Ampat. Domestic tourism has dropped by more than two-thirds during the past decade, based on Raja Ampat Regency statistics.

Foreign tourists predominantly choose liveaboard vessels for week-long diving expeditions. These trips have expanded rapidly over the past decade, according to Kristanto Umbu Kudu, who has guided divers through these waters for 25 years.

Conservation specialists warn this trend increases pressure on coral systems through anchoring practices, along with waste and sewage disposal.

“Our data shows that in 2024, there were 218 tourist ships,” Tuharea said. “Can you imagine how many square meters of coral reef will be destroyed because of the anchors?”

Officials are now evaluating mooring infrastructure and potential vessel number limitations.

At Blue Magic, among the archipelago’s premier diving locations, previously clear waters now contain pink jellyfish entangled in debris.

“That’s something which still breaks my heart every time I see these big rafts of floating plastic,” Erdmann said.

For divers who have explored reefs worldwide, Raja Ampat remains exceptional. Pol Ramos, a Spanish marine biologist and co-founder of Odicean, a project combining ocean education with diving expeditions to the region, described its ecosystems as truly extraordinary.

“It is one of the few places in the world, alongside the Amazon, where biodiversity actually increases from year to year,” he said.

Raja Ampat hosts approximately 75% of known hard coral species globally and over 1,700 fish species, according to Erdmann.

However, what faces potential loss extends beyond ecosystems to include the genetic diversity they harbor. Each species contains millions of years of evolutionary data within its DNA, which Erdmann characterizes as nature’s solution library.

“As we go into a more and more uncertain future with climate change,” Erdmann said, “it’s that genetic diversity that’s what we have to work with in terms of how we adapt.”

Federal communications regulators are preparing to modernize decades-old restrictions on satellite internet operations, a move that could significantly enhance broadband access for rural communities across the country.

The Federal Communications Commission announced Wednesday that commissioners will consider new regulations on April 30th that would permit more intensive wireless spectrum usage for satellite-based internet services. Officials estimate these changes could generate approximately $2 billion in economic benefits through expanded broadband access.

Current regulations dating back to the 1990s impose restrictions on power output for satellite internet providers like SpaceX’s Starlink network. Under the proposed updates, these space-based broadband systems could potentially increase their capacity up to seven times current levels, delivering faster speeds, reduced costs, and improved service reliability.

The regulatory changes would particularly benefit residents in rural and isolated communities by enabling access to high-speed satellite internet services, according to commission officials.

“By discarding last century’s satellite regulations, we could see billions of dollars in benefits for the American economy and broadband speeds many times faster than what is available today,” FCC Chair Brendan Carr said.

SpaceX submitted a formal request for these rule modifications in August 2024, arguing to regulators last month that existing regulations “significantly overly restrict next-generation satellite systems, imposing massive unnecessary constraints that directly harm the millions of consumers reliant on these systems for high-speed broadband.”

However, established satellite companies Viasat and DirecTV have expressed opposition to the proposed changes, citing concerns that increased power levels could create interference problems with their existing satellite operations.

Earlier this year in January, the FCC granted SpaceX authorization to launch an additional 7,500 advanced Starlink satellites. These newer satellites are designed to provide direct cellular connectivity internationally and supplementary coverage within the United States, enabling next-generation mobile services and internet speeds reaching up to 1 gigabit per second.

Through its Starlink constellation, SpaceX has established itself as the world’s leading satellite operator, managing more than 10,000 satellites that deliver internet services to residential customers, government agencies, and business clients globally.

HOUSTON (AP) — In a deeply moving moment during their return journey from the moon, the Artemis II crew made an emotional tribute that left NASA ground controllers speechless.

Mission Commander Reid Wiseman and his three fellow astronauts requested permission to name two small lunar craters during their historic flight this week — one honoring their spacecraft “Integrity” and another dedicated to Wiseman’s deceased wife, Carroll.

Canadian crew member Jeremy Hansen made the heartfelt appeal just before Monday’s lunar flyby, as Wiseman was too overcome with emotion to speak himself.

Carroll Wiseman worked as a neonatal nurse before losing her battle with cancer in 2020.

The touching gesture echoes a tradition established during the Apollo 8 mission in 1968, when astronaut Jim Lovell named a lunar mountain “Mount Marilyn” after his wife, who waited anxiously for his safe return to Houston during humanity’s inaugural moon voyage.

The current four-person crew represents the first humans to visit the moon since Apollo 17 concluded that remarkable era in 1972, making their crater-naming proposal a moment that temporarily stunned ground control.

“It was definitely a very emotional moment. I don’t think most of us knew it was coming,” NASA lunar scientist Ryan Watkins told The Associated Press on Wednesday from Johnson Space Center in Houston. “There was not a single dry eye.”

Mission Control’s lead scientist Kelsey Young had worked secretly with the Artemis II team before their departure, helping them select the two bright, relatively recent craters that became visible to them through telescopic lenses and with the naked eye once they approached the moon.

The proposed Carroll Crater sits at the moon’s left edge where the near and far sides meet, occasionally becoming visible from Earth. According to Watkins, it measures roughly 3 miles (5 kilometers) wide and has a relatively shallow depth. The somewhat larger Integrity crater lies entirely on the moon’s hidden far side.

The naming request occurred shortly after the crew surpassed Apollo 13’s record for the farthest human space travel. All four astronauts broke down in tears as they shared a group embrace.

“We lost a loved one. Her name was Carroll, the spouse of Reid, the mother of Katie and Ellie,” Hansen transmitted, his voice cracking with emotion. “It’s a bright spot on the moon and we would like to call it Carroll.”

Mission Control remained silent for almost a full minute before responding: “Integrity and Carroll crater, loud and clear.”

This emotionally charged moment marked a significant departure from the Apollo missions of the 1960s and 1970s in multiple ways. NASA’s Apollo crews, composed entirely of male test pilots, typically maintained strict professionalism and rarely displayed such emotional vulnerability.

“This is no fault of Apollo,” Watkins explained. “I think we’re seeing just a more human aspect.”

Following their Earth landing later this week, the crew will formally submit both proposed names to the International Astronomical Union for official approval.

Mount Marilyn waited nearly five decades between Apollo 8’s mission and the union’s official recognition in 2017.

The IAU’s Ramasamy Venugopal assured a decision regarding Carroll and Integrity within approximately one month, which represents the standard timeframe “for straightforward requests.”

The organization’s approved list already includes 81 astronaut-designated lunar features, such as Apollo 16’s “Baby Ray” and “Gator,” plus Apollo 17’s “Lara,” named for the primary female character from the 1965 movie “Doctor Zhivago.”

However, not all Apollo-era nicknames received official status.

Apollo 17 commander Gene Cernan, who holds the distinction of being the final person to walk on the moon, called a divided boulder “Tracy’s Rock” after his young daughter in 1972.

Similarly, in 1969, Apollo 12 commander Pete Conrad playfully nicknamed his landing location “Pete’s Parking Lot.”

Meta Platforms introduced its newest artificial intelligence system called Muse Spark on Wednesday, marking the debut release from a specialized division the social media giant created through expensive recruitment efforts and major organizational changes as it works to compete in the rapidly evolving AI marketplace.

Technology companies across the United States face mounting expectations to demonstrate that their substantial investments in artificial intelligence will generate returns. Meta faces particularly intense scrutiny following last year’s acquisition of Scale AI CEO Alex Wang through a $14.3 billion agreement, along with compensation packages worth hundreds of millions of dollars offered to engineers joining the company’s newly formed superintelligence division.

The Muse Spark system represents the inaugural release from this specialized team, which focuses on developing artificial intelligence capabilities that could surpass human cognitive abilities.

The new technology will debut exclusively through Meta’s AI application and website before expanding in the coming weeks to replace current Llama systems that operate chatbot features across WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, and the company’s smart eyewear products.

According to a company blog post, the team stated: “This initial model is small and fast by design, yet capable enough to reason through complex questions in science, math, and health. It is a powerful foundation, and the next generation is already in development.”

A groundbreaking study using daily satellite imagery has uncovered surprising patterns in how artificial lighting changes across our planet after dark, revealing a complex picture that goes far beyond simple urban growth.

Scientists analyzing over one million daily satellite images found that global nighttime illumination rose 16% between 2014 and 2022, but this increase wasn’t uniform across regions. Instead, researchers discovered a complex mix of brightening and dimming driven by vastly different factors worldwide.

The United States currently produces more nighttime light than any other nation, with China, India, Canada and Brazil rounding out the top five brightest countries in terms of total luminosity.

The most significant increases in artificial lighting occurred in developing regions, especially sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. Somalia, Burundi and Cambodia led this transformation, followed by several African countries including Ghana, Guinea and Rwanda.

“For decades, we’ve held a simplified view that the Earth at night is just getting steadily brighter as human population and economies grow,” explained Zhe Zhu, a remote sensing professor and director of the University of Connecticut’s Global Environmental Remote Sensing Laboratory, who led the research published Wednesday in Nature journal.

“We discovered that the Earth’s nightscape is actually highly volatile,” Zhu added. “The planet’s lighting footprint is constantly expanding, contracting and shifting.”

The research team utilized daily satellite observations from a U.S. government Earth-monitoring satellite, processed through NASA systems. This approach provided much more detailed data than previous studies that relied on monthly or yearly composite images.

Growing brightness in emerging economies reflects more than just city expansion, according to researchers. “This isn’t just urbanization. It is a massive expansion of energy access,” Zhu noted. “These numbers represent a profound shift as entire regions transition from near-total darkness to becoming part of the global electric network.”

However, some regions experienced dramatic lighting decreases due to conflict and infrastructure breakdown. Countries including Lebanon, Ukraine, Yemen and Afghanistan saw major light loss as warfare damaged electrical systems. Similar declines occurred in Haiti and Venezuela, where economic instability and unreliable power supplies caused the dimming.

“In Ukraine, we observed a sharp, sustained decrease in light that aligned perfectly with the escalation of the conflict in February 2022,” Zhu said, referring to Russia’s large-scale invasion. “We see similar abrupt darkness falling over regions in the Middle East during periods of conflict.”

Europe stood out for different reasons, showing a 4% overall reduction in nighttime brightness due to intentional policy changes and technological improvements.

“It is driven by a widespread shift from older, less-efficient streetlights like high-pressure sodium lamps to newer, directional LED systems, as well as strict national energy-efficiency mandates and dark-sky conservation efforts,” Zhu explained. “Europe is fascinating because it presents a very structured dimming pattern.”

France emerged as a global leader in dark-sky preservation and energy efficiency requirements, according to the study.

Co-author Christopher Kyba, who teaches nighttime light remote sensing at Germany’s Ruhr University Bochum, highlighted France’s innovative approach: “The dimming in France that took place because of deliberate decisions to turn streetlights off late at night when there is no longer any activity on the streets is extraordinary. It will be very interesting to see how this develops over time, and whether this practice expands beyond France.”

The United States showed a 6% net increase in lighting during the study timeframe, but with notable regional variations.

“Geographically, the USA offers a microcosm of this global light complexity. The West Coast largely brightened, consistent with population growth and vibrant tech economies. However, much of the East Coast and Midwest actually dimmed. This was driven by de-densification in older urban cores, the decline of certain manufacturing sectors, and aggressive adoption of smart, energy-efficient city lighting programs like those in Washington, D.C., and Chicago,” Zhu observed.

Artificial lighting on a massive scale began with gas-powered street lamps in early 1800s cities, followed by electric illumination later that century. This progression has continued steadily, creating the glowing urban landscapes that now obscure most stars visible to the naked eye.

“Light pollution has profound ecological consequences, disrupting nocturnal ecosystems, animal migrations and human circadian rhythms,” Zhu warned.

A federal judge determined Tuesday that border protection agents overstepped their authority when they revoked the visa of a Russian-born Harvard researcher who was found carrying frog embryo samples at an airport checkpoint.

U.S. District Court Judge Christina Reiss concluded that the visa cancellation of Kseniia Petrova was both arbitrary and unreasonable in her written decision. The judge noted that Customs and Border Protection agents have restricted powers to revoke visas and cannot take such action based on suspected biological sample violations.

“The undisputed facts reveal that Ms. Petrova’s visa was impermissibly canceled because of the frog embryo samples and for no other reason,” Reiss wrote.

The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees Customs and Border Protection, has not responded to requests for comment.

The incident occurred in February of last year when Petrova was returning from a French vacation. During her trip, she had visited a laboratory that specializes in creating ultra-thin sections of frog embryos and collected research samples. Border agents questioned her about these materials when she arrived at Boston Logan International Airport.

Following the questioning, officials informed Petrova that her visa would be revoked.

Immigration authorities briefly held Petrova in Vermont, where she submitted a legal request for her freedom. She was subsequently transferred to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Louisiana.

In a previous interview with The Associated Press, Petrova explained that she was unaware the samples required declaration and had no intention of illegally bringing materials into the United States. According to her lawyer Gregory Romanovsky, Petrova returned to her Harvard research position in January after successfully petitioning the court for permission to resume her work.

Romanovsky described Tuesday’s decision as a significant step toward “correcting what should never have happened in the first place.”

Academic researchers are monitoring Petrova’s situation closely, with concerns that the outcome could affect universities’ ability to recruit and retain international scientists.

An artificial intelligence startup has unveiled a new cybersecurity collaboration with some of the world’s largest technology companies on Tuesday, according to a company announcement.

Anthropic revealed its “Project Glasswing” initiative, which grants selected organizations early access to test an unreleased AI system called “Claude Mythos Preview” specifically designed for cybersecurity defense purposes. The partnership includes tech giants Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, Google, and Nvidia, along with cybersecurity specialists CrowdStrike and Palo Alto Networks.

The launch comes after reports last month indicated Anthropic had been testing Claude Mythos, which reportedly demonstrated both significant security risks and advanced defensive capabilities. Those reports had caused stock prices for cybersecurity companies like Palo Alto Networks and CrowdStrike to drop substantially.

Recent discussions at this year’s RSA cybersecurity conference in San Francisco centered heavily on the growing threat of artificial intelligence-powered cyber attacks and questions about whether traditional security measures remain adequate.

According to Anthropic’s Tuesday blog post, the Mythos Preview system has already identified “thousands” of significant security flaws across operating systems, web browsers, and various software applications.

The company stated that participating organizations will integrate Mythos Preview into their defensive security operations, while Anthropic plans to distribute the findings throughout the cybersecurity industry.

Beyond the initial partners, Anthropic announced it will expand access to approximately 40 additional organizations that manage essential software infrastructure. The company has committed up to $100 million in usage credits and $4 million in donations to open-source security organizations.

The AI company expressed its ultimate objective as enabling “our users to safely deploy Mythos-class models at scale.”

Anthropic confirmed it has maintained ongoing communications with the U.S. government regarding the model’s capabilities.

The initiative follows previous security incidents, including last year’s attack where hackers exploited weaknesses in Anthropic’s Claude AI system to target approximately 30 organizations worldwide. Additionally, a recent study conducted by IBM and Palo Alto Networks found that 67% of 1,000 surveyed executives reported experiencing AI-based attacks in the past year.

Four astronauts aboard NASA’s Artemis II spacecraft made history Monday as they ventured farther from Earth than any human crew in decades, completing a dramatic lunar flyby that signals the space agency’s return to moon exploration. The crew of three American astronauts and one Canadian team member experienced a total solar eclipse during their journey and became the first people to witness the moon’s mysterious far side with the naked eye before beginning their journey back to Earth.

The mission has produced a collection of breathtaking photographs showcasing spectacular views of both the moon and Earth from deep space, offering the public a rare glimpse of what the astronauts observed during this historic voyage.

The four-person Artemis II crew reached out to colleagues aboard the International Space Station on Tuesday during their journey back to Earth, creating a historic moment in space communications.

This radio conversation marked the first time astronauts traveling to or from the moon have spoken with crew members on a space station. During the Apollo era of the 1960s and 1970s, when humans last ventured into deep space, no orbital outposts existed for such communications.

The call brought together Christina Koch from the Artemis II mission and Jessica Meir stationed on the space laboratory, reuniting the duo who made history in 2019 by completing the first spacewalk conducted entirely by women. Despite being separated by 230,000 miles, the astronauts shared a celebratory conversation.

Mission Control in Houston facilitated the extraordinary exchange between the four lunar voyagers and the space station’s current residents – three American astronauts and one French crew member.

Commander Reid Wiseman continued sharing photographs from Monday’s lunar encounter on Tuesday morning, including images from their record-breaking distance achievement. Among the standout photos was a stunning view of Earth setting behind the lunar horizon, echoing the famous Earthrise image captured during Apollo 8 in 1968.

Wiseman’s team represents the first humans to travel to lunar vicinity since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972. They’re scheduled to complete their nearly 10-day demonstration flight with an ocean landing near San Diego on Friday.

This successful mission paves the way for Artemis III next year, which will test lunar lander docking procedures in Earth orbit. The program will culminate with Artemis IV in 2028, when two crew members plan to touch down near the moon’s south pole.

The crew of NASA’s Artemis II mission is requesting that a lunar crater be named ‘Carroll’ to honor the late wife of their mission commander.

Reid Wiseman led the astronaut team that became the first humans to observe multiple craters on the moon’s far side during their groundbreaking lunar flyby mission. The crew wants one of these previously unseen craters to bear the name of Carroll Wiseman, who passed away from cancer in 2020.

The historic mission marked a significant milestone as the astronauts peered through the Orion spacecraft’s main cabin windows during their approach to the moon, witnessing lunar features that no human had seen before.

This naming proposal represents both a scientific achievement and a personal tribute, as the crew seeks to commemorate Carroll Wiseman’s memory through this permanent lunar landmark discovered during their pioneering journey around the moon.

HOUSTON — NASA’s Artemis II crew has created their own piece of space history, capturing breathtaking images that echo the legendary Apollo 8 mission from more than five decades ago.

Following their successful moon flyby, NASA unveiled remarkable photographs taken by the four-member international crew on Tuesday.

The astronauts — three from the United States and one from Canada — produced their own version of Apollo 8’s iconic 1968 ‘Earthrise’ photograph, calling theirs ‘Earthset’ as it shows Earth disappearing behind the moon’s cratered, gray surface. The crew also documented a complete solar eclipse visible from their vantage point as the moon passed between them and the sun.

The team is currently traveling back to Earth, with their Pacific Ocean touchdown scheduled for Friday.

The original Apollo 8 crew made history as humanity’s first lunar visitors when they orbited the moon during Christmas Eve 1968. Their famous ‘Earthrise’ image went on to become an iconic symbol for the environmental movement.

This Artemis II mission represents NASA’s first crewed return to lunar vicinity and serves as a crucial milestone in preparation for an actual moon landing mission planned for 2026.

Scientists have witnessed an extraordinary sight in Central Africa: thousands of tiny fish scaling a towering 50-foot waterfall using nothing but their fins and determination.

Researchers studying the upper Congo Basin documented this remarkable behavior in a species called Parakneria thysi, commonly known as shellear fish. These aquatic acrobats tackle the vertical face of Luvilombo Falls during seasonal flooding periods in April and May.

The climbing fish measure just 1.5 to 1.9 inches in length – only the smaller members of the species attempt this feat. Larger fish, which can grow up to 3.9 inches, appear too heavy to support their own weight during the ascent.

The journey to the summit requires nearly 10 hours of grueling effort. The fish move in brief spurts followed by rest periods, navigating through areas moistened by waterfall spray rather than direct water flow.

Lead researcher Pacifique Kiwele from the Université de Lubumbashi explained the significance of this finding: “This discovery highlights the importance of maintaining the continuity of watercourses, particularly in the context of the Congo Basin, where studies on fish behaviour are virtually nonexistent.”

Kiwele emphasized the wonder of the discovery, stating: “It prompts scientists to be even more vigilant in their observations, as anything is possible. Who would have believed it without being close enough to check, and document it with photographic and film material, that indeed some fish are able to climb waterfalls? It illustrates that there are wonders out there that surpass our imagination.”

While other fish species worldwide have demonstrated waterfall-climbing abilities, this marks the first documented case in Africa, according to the research team.

The scientists captured this behavior on four separate occasions during 2018 and 2020, publishing their findings in Scientific Reports journal.

The climbing technique involves using pectoral fins to grasp wet rock surfaces, with pelvic fins providing additional support. Tiny hook-shaped structures called unculi help secure their grip, while side-to-side body movements propel them upward.

To put this achievement in perspective, if scaled to human proportions, it would equal a person climbing hundreds of feet straight up.

The ascent carries significant risks. Sudden water bursts can dislodge climbing fish, especially when they must flip upside down to navigate overhanging rock sections. While fish falling into the pool below can likely attempt another climb, those landing on rocks may face fatal injuries.

Scientists believe the fish undertake this challenging journey to reach upstream areas with better living conditions, reduced competition, and fewer predators.

The species faces two primary human-related threats: illegal fishing operations using fine-mesh mosquito nets that easily capture the small fish, and water diversion for irrigation that has sometimes left the Luvilombo River severely depleted.

This finding underscores how much remains unknown about fish behavior throughout the Congo Basin region.

“It is quite possible that other fish species living in rapid habitats are capable of overcoming similar vertical obstacles,” Kiwele noted, revealing plans for additional research to investigate preliminary observations of climbing behavior in other fish families.

NASA’s Artemis II mission has successfully achieved its primary lunar flyby objective, with the crew accomplishing several critical mission goals during their journey around the moon.

The space mission reached multiple important benchmarks as the astronauts navigated their path around the lunar surface. Commander and NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman was photographed gazing through one of the Orion spacecraft’s primary cabin windows at the moon during the crew’s lunar approach.

During their lunar journey, the crew managed to surpass a record previously held by an Apollo mission and witnessed a solar eclipse from their unique vantage point in space.

Following their successful completion of the lunar loop, the space capsule has begun its return trajectory toward Earth. Mission officials anticipate the spacecraft will make its ocean landing on Friday, marking the conclusion of this significant milestone in NASA’s lunar exploration program.

The mission represents a major step forward in NASA’s efforts to return humans to lunar exploration and establishes important precedents for future deep space missions.