Science & Earth

The Department of Water Resources reports statewide snowpack at about 18% of normal, with the northern Sierra at roughly 6%, as the state enters its dry season. Warmer winter storms brought more rain than high-elevation snow and much of the late-winter snowpack melted through March.

A PLOS ONE study asked 647 people about 17 dog behavioural signs and found many subtle actions linked to pain are often overlooked; owning a dog did not reliably improve recognition.

An international consortium compiled more than 45,000 population trends for over 1,000 butterfly species and found average declines, while monitoring covers only about five percent of species and is concentrated in Europe and North America.

NASA's Artemis II launch window opens at 5:24 p.m. CDT, and April's full 'Pink Moon' reaches peak fullness at 9:11 p.m. CDT.

Four scientists with Arizona ties will help advise Artemis astronauts on surface activities, and NASA's Artemis program plans crewed Moon landings in 2028.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman presented a three‑phase Artemis plan that includes crewed lunar flights and at least 30 robotic lunar cargo missions, and he announced a proposed nuclear‑powered interplanetary spacecraft slated for a Mars mission in 2028.

NASA began fueling the Space Launch System rocket this morning and the four astronauts are suiting up ahead of a planned 6:34 p.m. ET liftoff; NASA will provide live coverage starting at 12:50 p.m. ET.

Scientists have identified more than 110 previously unknown species from deep areas of the Coral Sea, with the total expected to exceed 200 as researchers continue processing photos and specimens collected during a recent expedition.

Artemis II is scheduled to launch Wednesday evening with four astronauts aboard the Orion capsule to orbit the moon and return after about 10 days.

Two comets—C/2026 A1 (MAPS) and C/2025 R3 (PANSTARRS)—are reported in April 2026 sky charts, and the Lyrid meteor shower is expected to peak the night of April 22–23.

Artemis II is NASA's first crewed lunar test flight in more than 53 years, with liftoff scheduled for April 1 and an additional launch window opening April 30 for a roughly 10-day mission around the moon.

Artemis II will be the first mission in over 50 years to carry humans beyond low-Earth orbit, and its crew will include a woman, a person of color, and a Canadian.

Brazil will roll out a nationwide itinerant collection programme in March 2026 to gather empty pesticide containers and support its reverse logistics system, while new 2026 federal rules set a 32% recovery target for plastic packaging and increase traceability requirements.

On March 30, 2026, satellites tracked a Saharan dust plume driven by harmattan winds moving southwest from the Sahara toward the Atlantic, and forecasts said the dust would reach the Canary Islands and reduce visibility through April 1.

A glacial lake at South Lhonak collapsed on Oct. 3, 2023, sending a rapid outburst flood down the Teesta River that Indian authorities say killed more than 100 people; experts had installed a weather station at the lake less than three weeks earlier.

April's full pink moon will peak at 10:11 p.m. ET Wednesday and will appear in its usual gray color, while the name honors the spring bloom of moss pink (Phlox subulata).

Venus will appear as the bright 'Evening Star' in April, visible shortly after sunset low in the western sky. Its strong brightness comes from thick, highly reflective clouds, making it the brightest object in the sky after the Sun and Moon, per NASA.

Scientists achieved fusion ignition at the National Ignition Facility, and researchers are pursuing both magnetic and inertial approaches while significant materials, fuel-cycle, and engineering challenges remain.

Scientists achieved ignition at the U.S. National Ignition Facility, and teams are advancing both magnetic and inertial approaches toward commercial fusion while major engineering, materials and fuel-cycle challenges remain.

NASA began the final countdown at Cape Canaveral and held a pre-launch news conference as managers said the rocket is doing well after recent repairs.

A University of Adelaide study published in Communications Biology found that simulated microgravity disrupted sperm orientation, reducing successful navigation and lowering fertilization rates in laboratory tests. Chemical cues such as progesterone partially improved navigation, but some embryo development issues were observed in mouse experiments.

The article notes that 24 NASA astronauts flew to the Moon during Apollo and that Jim Lovell's death leaves five surviving astronauts who traveled beyond Earth orbit; it also reports that NASA's Artemis programme aims to return people to the Moon this decade and that Artemis II was delayed into 2026.

A total lunar eclipse will occur tonight into Wednesday morning and coincides with a blue moon and, for some observers, a supermoon, a NASA planetary geologist said; much of the United States could see the event.

Researchers reported an airborne electromagnetic survey detected a layer of fresh water beneath a 10-square-mile area of Great Salt Lake, with sediments showing fresh water from about 100 meters down to as much as 2.5 miles deep. The authors said additional surveys and analysis are needed to confirm how widely the reservoir extends.

Singapore will implement a national Beverage Container Return Scheme on 1 April 2026 that requires a refundable deposit on eligible plastic and metal beverage containers and sets up designated return points including reverse vending machines.

April opens with a full Pink Moon that peaks late on April 1, and the month also features an early-April sungrazing comet (MAPS) near the sun and the Lyrid meteor shower peaking April 21–22.

After a week of talks in Campo Grande, countries added 40 migratory species to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species appendices, including the snowy owl and several hammerhead sharks, to encourage stronger cross-border protections.

Canada's Jeremy Hansen is one of four astronauts on Artemis 2, planned as the first human mission to travel around the Moon since 1972; distance, cost and shifting political priorities are cited as the main reasons for the long gap.

Councils in England are now required to collect separated food waste for fuel, fertiliser or compost, and researchers say recycling recovers far less energy than is used to produce food. The article highlights shorter-term flexible meal planning and tracking household waste as two evidence-based approaches that may help lower how much food is thrown away.

Researchers at Stockholm University used ultra-fast X-ray lasers to observe deeply supercooled water and reported evidence of a critical point where two distinct liquid phases merge; the results were published in Science.