Science & Earth

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.

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.