Tag: Science

Climate Policy and the Expansion of Government Power

News Analysis Christmastime is here—well, almost—but talk of global warming hasn’t slowed down with the cooling weather. In fact, it seems like concern about the climate influences everything these days. In Washington, the solidly Democratic House has given a divided but Democrat-controlled Senate an expensive new piece of legislation. The $2 trillion “Build Back Better…


New York City Set to Ban Natural Gas in New Buildings in Shift Toward Alternate Energy

New buildings in New York will no longer be able to use natural gas if a new law passes the city council this week, following in the footsteps of dozens of smaller U.S. cities attempting to move to alternate forms of energy. Council members are widely expected to vote on the new measure on Wednesday. Under the legislation, the…


Astronaut on SpaceX’s Inspiration4 Mission Took a Meteorite to Space and Back, in a First

Tesla Inc. CEO Elon Musk-led SpaceX’s all-civilian crew took a piece of an ancient meteorite to space back during its three-day trip to space and back in September, revealed astronaut Sian Proctor. Proctor in a Twitter post revealed she was able to take a meteorite to space during the all-civilian Inspiration4 mission earlier this year….


NASA Craft ‘Touches’ Sun for 1st Time, Dives Into Atmosphere

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.—A NASA spacecraft has officially “touched” the sun, plunging through the unexplored solar atmosphere known as the corona. Scientists announced the news Tuesday during a meeting of the American Geophysical Union. The Parker Solar Probe actually flew through the corona in April during the spacecraft’s eighth close approach to the sun. Scientists said…


Scientists Cautious as Erupting Spanish Volcano Falls Quiet

MADRID—A volcano that has been spewing lava in Spain’s Canary Islands for almost three months fell quiet Tuesday, though scientists warned the lull didn’t necessarily mean the eruption is over. Scientists recorded no seismic activity from the Cumbre Vieja volcano on La Palma island since late Monday, the Canary Islands’ volcanology institute, Involcan, said in…


Shatner Marvels at Blue Origin Flight Frenzy, ‘Finite’ Earth

LOS ANGELES—William Shatner’s durable role as an avatar of space’s promise drew a frenzy of attention when fiction became fact with his rocket ride. The “Star Trek” actor says he was as surprised by it as he was gratified by the 10-minute, suborbital jaunt made possible by billionaire Jeff Bezos. The experience is the subject…


La Palma Volcano’s Tremors Stop, but Eruption May Not Be at an End

LA PALMA—The Cumbre Vieja volcano on the Canary Island of La Palma fell silent as constant tremors stopped late on Monday, though experts cautioned this did not necessarily mean the eruption is nearing an end after 85 days. Seismic activity on the island all but stopped around 9 pm local time on Monday, The Canary…


NASA’s Webb Telescope Promises an ‘Amazing Journey’ for Astronomy

WASHINGTON—It was finished years late at a cost far higher than planned, but NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope due for launch next week may usher in a new era in astronomy as it gathers information on the universe’s past, star formation, and whether planets beyond our solar system may be suitable for life. The orbiting…


Astro Photographer Uses 200,000 Moon Photos to Show Exaggerated Lunar Craters and Texture

Making good use of the clear night skies in Arizona, where he recently moved, astronomy buff Andrew McCarthy sets up his telescope camera in his backyard to take spectacular shots of the moon. After the pandemic halted his career working for a tech startup, the digital artist/photographer struck out to turn his passion into a…


Elon Musk Announces Plan to Take CO2 out of Atmosphere and Convert It Into Rocket Fuel

Elon Musk announced on Monday that his company is working on a program to take carbon dioxide (CO2) out of the atmosphere and convert it into rocket fuel, claiming that it will be important for his future missions to Mars. Musk announced the news on Twitter and invited people to participate in the program, writing: “SpaceX is starting a…