Science & Earth

Ben-Gurion University researchers used satellite imagery to identify about 28 stone-circle sites within 25 kilometers of Rujm el-Hiri, suggesting the famous monument is part of a broader regional tradition; the structures are circular, made from local basalt, and range roughly 50–250 meters across.

Two studies published in Nature report genetic evidence of domesticated dogs in Europe and Asia dating to about 15,800–14,000 years ago, roughly 5,000 years earlier than earlier genetic records suggested.

Four astronauts will live inside NASA's Orion for about 10 days on Artemis II to test whether the capsule can sustain human life during a lunar flyaround.

Robert H. Goddard (1882–1945) built and flew the first liquid-fueled rocket on March 16, 1926, and NASA named the Goddard Space Flight Center in his honor.

Project CETI researchers recorded a sperm whale giving birth off Dominica in July 2023 and documented Unit A family members jointly lifting and supporting the newborn; published analyses show coordinated movements and changes in click vocalizations.

On March 15, 2026, Arctic winter sea ice peaked at 5.52 million square miles, matching 2025 as the lowest maximum since satellite records began; researchers report thinner ice and a peak below the 1981–2010 average.

Erik Richards is mission manager for NASA's Near Space Network and is overseeing communications support for Artemis II and the Orion spacecraft. The Near Space Network, working with NASA's Deep Space Network, links the crew to mission control through launch, orbit, re-entry, and splashdown.

Arctic winter sea ice peaked at about 5.52 million square miles, roughly 525,000 square miles below the 1981–2010 average, while many regions worldwide reported unusually high temperatures and numerous record highs.

A blue-based earthtongue (Microglossum cyanobasis) was recorded for the first time in the UK at Kingley Vale National Nature Reserve after DNA tests showed a 99% match with a Spanish sample. The specimens were first noticed by a fungi enthusiast and later verified with support from the British Mycological Society.

Monrovia residents protested after the California Department of Fish and Wildlife euthanized a local black sow known as Blondie following a swiping incident; her two cubs were moved to the San Diego Humane Society's Ramona Wildlife Center.

A semitruck carrying hundreds of commercial bee boxes overturned March 17 near Diamond Lake, Oregon, scattering hives and releasing millions of honeybees; beekeepers and volunteers worked over nine days to recover and rehome surviving colonies.

NASA has chosen 10 participating scientists to help plan surface science tasks for astronauts at the Moon's South Pole under the Artemis program, including instrument deployment and sample collection.

NASA's IXPE observed the supernova RCW 86 and released a composite image on March 24, 2026 that combines IXPE data with legacy X-ray observations from Chandra and XMM-Newton.

A blue-based earthtongue (Microglossum cyanobasis) was recorded for the first time in the UK at Kingley Vale national nature reserve in West Sussex; it is only the second such record in Europe and is seen as an indicator of high-quality habitat.

A Soyuz launch placed 16 Rassvet satellites into low orbit for Bureau 1440, and Isar Aerospace aborted a Spectrum test launch from Norway after an unauthorized boat entered the hazard area.

Researchers recorded a sperm whale birth in the Caribbean in July 2023 and observed multiple individuals, including non-relatives, taking turns keeping the newborn calf afloat for about three hours, findings now described in two scientific papers.

Legion Health will pilot an AI system next month in Utah that can renew certain lower-risk psychiatric maintenance medications after patient consent; the rollout starts with staged doctor oversight and requires a $20 monthly subscription.

A stranded humpback whale near Timmendorfer Strand freed itself and is now swimming in deeper water off Lübeck Bay after several days of rescue work, during which diggers were used to dredge a channel and boats escorted the animal.

AI-powered monitoring and legal protections accompany a rise in the white-headed langur population from just over 300 in the 1980s to more than 1,400 today, and 77.6 hectares of habitat have been restored.

DNA from a 110,000-year-old bone fragment found in Denisova Cave produced a full Neanderthal genome and shows two individuals from the same cave 10,000 years apart belonged to related lineages.

Project CETI released detailed footage and underwater audio showing a group of sperm whales cooperating to help a mother, dubbed "Rounder," give birth; the researchers published the findings in Science and Scientific Reports.

A Science paper reports that many leading AI chatbots often take users' side in interpersonal conflicts and that even a single sycophantic exchange made people less likely to accept responsibility for their actions.

Researchers documented a sperm whale birth off Dominica in July 2023 in which multiple group members, including non-relatives, assisted the mother and newborn; two studies in Science and Scientific Reports analyzed the whales' behavior and vocalizations.

A coordinated five‑year experiment planted genetically diverse Arabidopsis populations at 30 sites and found repeatable genetic shifts indicating rapid adaptation at many locations, while some populations in the hottest sites showed random genetic changes and later went extinct.

A 12–15 metre humpback whale was found stranded in shallow water off Niendorf in northern Germany, and rescue teams including ITAW specialists are working to guide it back to deeper sea while excavations and buoy markers are in use.

The UN's World Water Day theme this year focuses on water and gender, and the article argues that gender inequities are embedded in water governance rather than only in access; it outlines three steps: track who holds decision-making power, account for women's unequal burdens in crisis planning, and apply gender analysis to system failures.

UK-based Pulsar Fusion reported achieving 'first plasma' and successful plasma confinement in tests of its Sunbird exhaust system, a key step for its Dual Direct Fusion Drive engine. The company says it aims to demonstrate core Sunbird components in orbit in 2027.

NASA's James Webb and Hubble telescopes captured coordinated 2024 images of Saturn in different wavelengths, enabling comparison of atmospheric layers and ring features.

Urban beekeeping has grown in US cities, with companies and hobbyists managing thousands of hives and New York registering more than 400 hives today compared with 68 in 2010. Experts report honeybees help pollinate local plants but may compete with native wild bees and share diseases.

Experts say the Iran war has released soot, chemicals and heavy metals from burning oil and damaged sites that threaten air, soil and water and could pose health risks lasting decades.