Science & Earth

Cherry trees around the National Mall are approaching peak bloom, which the National Park Service defines as 70% of flowers open and was expected around March 26; long-term records show peak dates have shifted earlier over past decades.

India's cabinet approved a revised 2035 climate strategy that sets a 47% reduction in emissions intensity from 2005 levels and a 60% clean-power target for the electricity mix by 2035, while analysts say the plan is cautious and may allow absolute emissions to rise.

The Environment Agency reported raw sewage was spilled for 1.9 million hours in England in 2025, down 48% from 2024, and said much of the reduction is attributable to drier weather rather than infrastructure upgrades.

England's storm overflows spilled 291,492 times in 2025, a 35% drop from 2024, and total spill hours fell to about 1.9 million; officials say the reduction was mainly driven by an unusually dry year and that pollution targets are still unmet.

MassWildlife says amphibians begin emerging in late February in southeastern Massachusetts and later in northern areas, with species such as spotted salamander, wood frog and spring peeper commonly crossing roads during early spring migrations.

NASA's Ames Research Center will host virtual interviews with local experts on March 27 ahead of the Artemis II flight test, and NASA teams are preparing for a possible launch as soon as April 1.

On March 18, 2026, Mary W. Jackson Elementary School in Hampton dedicated an Artemis Moon Tree; the loblolly pine grew from a seed that orbited the Moon on Artemis I and was planted by students on November 21, 2025.

NASA announced the nuclear-powered SR-1 Freedom, planned to launch to Mars in December 2028 as a technology demonstration and to deliver the Skyfall helicopter payload to search for subsurface ice.

A record-warm March and an intense heat wave melted much of the western United States' mountain snowpack, leaving many basins at or near record lows and visible in before-and-after satellite images.

A Climate Impact Lab analysis projects heat-related deaths will rise most in low-income countries by 2050, while some cold regions may see reductions in heat mortality.

Two papers in Nature report genetic evidence of dogs from the Paleolithic, with remains dated as old as about 15,800 years and canine DNA found at five sites from Britain to Turkey; the dogs were genetically similar even though the human groups varied.

University of Kentucky researchers converted wet bourbon stillage into carbon electrodes using hydrothermal carbonization and built hybrid lithium‑ion supercapacitors that the team reports can store up to 25 times more energy per kilogram than conventional supercapacitors. The results were presented at the American Chemical Society Spring 2026 meeting.

Nearly all of New England is listed as abnormally dry or in drought by the U.S. Drought Monitor, and frozen soil and slow snowmelt are limiting groundwater recharge.

A statewide study of 4,117 Indiana patients with hepatocellular carcinoma identified six social risk phenotypes that differed in stage at diagnosis, receipt of curative therapy, and two-year mortality; the most advantaged group had higher early diagnosis and curative treatment rates while an "unseen and uninsured" group had the poorest outcomes.

XRISM X-ray observations show the Be star gamma‑Cas is transferring material onto a compact companion, likely a white dwarf, which explains its strong X-ray emission. The team published the results March 24 in Astronomy & Astrophysics.

Martin Dohrn filmed My Garden of a Thousand Bees after documenting about 60 wild bee species in his 10m × 30m Bristol garden, and his close relationship with a wood‑carving leafcutter he named Nicki is a central thread in the programme.

NASA unveiled a three‑phase plan to return Americans to the moon, beginning with robotic missions and advancing to permanent habitats; industry Requests for Information open March 25 to gather input on partnerships and procurement.

NASA plans phased missions starting with Artemis III in 2027 to test rovers, habitats and survival systems as steps toward a continuous human presence on the Moon.

Astronomers confirmed a second giant planet forming around the nearby, 5-million-year-old star WISPIT 2, adding to an earlier-detected gas giant inside a dusty disk marked by rings and gaps.

Researchers report two gas giant planets are forming in the large, structured disc around the young star WISPIT 2: WISPIT 2b was identified last year as nearly five times the size of Jupiter, and a newly confirmed inner planet, WISPIT 2c, is reported as about twice as massive as its sibling.

NASA reports that the James Webb Space Telescope uses infrared observations to study star formation and the Milky Way’s central region, including its relatively quiet supermassive black hole.

NASA introduced a new initiative called Ignition that halts work on the Lunar Gateway orbiter to prioritize building a Moon base; the plan also includes replacing the International Space Station and a nuclear-powered spacecraft for Mars.

NASA’s new administrator outlined a three‑phase moon base plan that would involve about $20 billion over the next seven years plus an additional $10 billion later, and said the agency aims to launch a nuclear‑propelled spacecraft to Mars by the end of 2028.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife euthanized an adult bear after DNA linked it to two human-bear incidents, and the bear's two cubs are now at the San Diego Humane Society's Ramona Wildlife Center where staff are minimizing human contact as part of plans to prepare them for release.

NASA announced agencywide initiatives on March 24, 2026, aimed at returning astronauts to the lunar surface and advancing U.S. leadership in space.

NASA offers U.S. college internships, student design challenges, and education collaborations such as an expanded Minecraft Education build challenge tied to the Artemis lunar program.

Carnegie Mellon researchers report that negative frequency-dependent selection, a process thought to help rare species persist, can fail to maintain diversity when populations are separated; their models and analysis of bird data from Japan's Ryukyu Islands support this conclusion.

Governments have gathered in Campo Grande, Brazil, for the 15th CMS Conference of the Parties to discuss protections for migratory species; recent assessments report many of these species are declining and some face extinction.

A World Meteorological Organization report says Earth's climate is out of balance and that ocean warming and sea-level rise are effectively locked in for centuries.

Seven dogs reportedly escaped from a truck in Changchun, China, and were filmed walking about 10.5 miles before rescue volunteers and a local group helped reunite them with their owners.