Science & Earth

The article reports that small plastic particles can enter garden soil from everyday garden products and materials, including landscape fabric, grow bags, netting, mulch, coated fertilizers, and some commercial compost; these particles can move into waterways and living organisms.

The Interior Department announced about $540 million for California projects to repair canals damaged by land subsidence and to modernize related water infrastructure, part of a roughly $890 million Western funding package.

A coronal mass ejection from the sun could strengthen to a G3 geomagnetic storm and make the northern lights visible farther south on Wednesday night; forecasters say clear to partly clear skies are expected in much of New England and the best viewing window is reported between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m.

Researchers analyzing two Hayabusa 2 samples from asteroid Ryugu report detection of the five nucleobases adenine, guanine, cytosine, thymine and uracil, and the results were published in Nature Astronomy.

A March heat wave in Southern California has coincided with increased rattlesnake sightings, including a nearly three-foot rattler found swimming in a San Diego County pool; wildlife handlers and officials report earlier and more frequent activity as snakes emerge from hibernation.

CERN's LHCb reported the Xi-cc-plus, a particle containing two charm quarks and about four times the mass of a proton, identified in roughly 915 events aided by a 2023 detector upgrade.

Native plants naturally occur in a region and have coevolved with local wildlife, forming relationships that support pollinators, food webs and soil health.

A new study finds that, after adjusting for natural variability, global warming has accelerated to about 0.35°C per decade in the past ten years, and researchers say Earth could pass the 1.5°C threshold before 2030 if that rate continues.

The government plans a fusion plant at the former West Burton coal site, with the ILIOS consortium expected to begin construction in 2030 and a build completion targeted for 2040.

A broad storm system on Monday brought blizzards, severe storms and an unusually early heat wave across large parts of the United States, disrupting flights and causing widespread power outages.

A Lancet Global Health study reports that hotter months are linked to higher physical inactivity and estimates about 470,000–520,000 additional deaths worldwide by 2050; the projections include uncertainty.

Robert Goddard launched the first liquid-fueled rocket on March 16, 1926, and many of the propulsion principles from that work remain in use today. NASA's Artemis 2 will use liquid-propulsion systems on the Space Launch System to carry four astronauts on a 10-day lunar flyby, with a planned rollout to the pad on March 19 and a launch window of April 1–6.

A warm, dry winter and an arriving heat wave have left Colorado River basin snowpack near or below half of normal, prompting warnings that roughly 40 million people who rely on the river could face water shortages this summer.

The Gulf Center for Sea Turtle Research said a critically endangered Kemp's ridley turtle found near Galveston is being treated for severe pneumonia and associated eye ulcers, and is under ongoing supportive care and monitoring.

Robert Goddard launched the first liquid-fueled rocket from Auburn, Massachusetts, on March 16, 1926, and the flight lasted only a few seconds. Parts and fragments from that rocket are scattered across museum collections while replicas are on public display.

A Reno woman’s viral Instagram reel reframes 'best breeds' as dogs in need—listing senior dogs, special‑needs dogs, and dogs at risk in shelters—to promote adoption and highlight shelter overcrowding; she cited ASPCA data that more than 390,000 dogs are euthanized in shelters each year.

Robert Goddard built the first liquid-fueled rocket and filed more than 200 patents; his ideas on staging, steering and propulsion influenced later rocket development, and Worcester institutions are marking the centenary.

On March 16, 1926, Robert H. Goddard launched the first liquid-fueled rocket in Auburn, Massachusetts; the flight lasted about 2.5 seconds and reached roughly 41 feet. His wife, Esther Goddard, preserved records, photographed experiments, and later filed many patents that helped maintain his legacy.

NASA's DART spacecraft struck the small asteroid Dimorphos in 2022, shortening its orbit around the larger asteroid Didymos and producing a measurable, very small change in the pair's 770‑day orbit around the Sun.

UNFCCC chief Simon Stiell told a Brussels summit that conflict in the Middle East has pushed oil and gas prices higher, and said the volatility highlights the strategic role of renewable energy. He cited trends such as renewables overtaking coal in 2025 and large flows of clean-energy investment.

The article lists 12 pre-season tasks to complete in March for raised beds, noting that a brief assessment and soil renewal now can affect planting success later in the season.

The Senate Commerce Committee passed the NASA Reauthorization Act of 2026, which endorses elements of NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman's Artemis timetable and gives the agency broader authority; the bill still needs full Senate approval and reconciliation with the House before it can become law.

This round-up highlights five recent stories across Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Dorset, Berkshire and Oxfordshire, including an adoption appeal for triplets and a red fox that reached the Bronx Zoo after stowing away on a cargo ship.

Governor Jim Pillen declared a state of emergency for seven western Nebraska counties as fast-moving wildfires prompted evacuations and extensive burn areas.

Archaeologists uncovered the remains of a small Roman fortlet beside the Antonine Wall in Bearsden, about 5 miles northwest of Glasgow, and radiocarbon dating places its use in the mid-second to mid-third centuries A.D.

Russian state media reports Roscosmos plans to launch Venera-D — a lander, balloon and orbiter mission to Venus — in 2036. The project, in development since about 2003, follows Soviet-era Venera landings and would include atmospheric study of possible biomarkers.

Astronomers traced a 2023 gamma-ray burst (GRB 230906A) to merging neutron stars in a tiny, previously unseen mini-galaxy embedded in a roughly 600,000-light-year gas stream; researchers say the find could help explain unexpected GRB locations and how heavy elements spread beyond large galaxies.

Jared Isaacman, NASA's new administrator, has publicly acknowledged problems with the Artemis program and announced a rework of mission plans, including simplifying the Space Launch System and re-scoping Artemis 3 to test Orion docking in low Earth orbit.

A Japanese-led study used three cell types to build bioengineered hair follicle "seeds" that produced visible hair in culture and, after transplantation, integrated and cycled for 68 days in mice.

Researchers are using large language models and other AI methods for coding, data analysis and literature synthesis in climate work; teams report faster reviews and new tools such as Google's Groundsource for flash-flood prediction, while noting AI does not replace physics-based models and cannot see beyond its training data.