Science & Earth

The article explains that late winter is a common time to prune plants that bloom on new wood and lists 14 shrubs, trees and perennials that typically respond well to this timing; it highlights basic pruning aims such as removing dead or damaged branches, cutting suckers, and thinning to promote stronger stems.

Weeks of heavy rain have caused flooding across Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe, with more than 100 people reported dead and further heavy rain expected through the weekend.

Webb observations of the Circinus Galaxy show about 87% of infrared emission from hot dust originates near the supermassive black hole rather than from dusty outflows, researchers report.

Torrential rains have caused widespread flooding across southern Africa, with officials reporting more than 100 deaths and large-scale damage in Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe; rescue and evacuation operations are ongoing and more rain is forecast.

Researchers combined satellite observations and glacial-motion models to produce a higher-resolution map of bedrock beneath Antarctica, showing features such as alpine valleys and deeply eroded troughs. The study is published in Science and authors say the new topography will help refine projections of ice loss and sea-level rise.

Researchers reported a single‑chip surface acoustic wave 'phonon laser' that produced vibrations near 1 GHz; the work led by Matt Eichenfield and collaborators was published in Nature on Jan. 14.

Hubble images from January 14, 2026 show a bright halo and a Sunward-directed anti-tail around interstellar object 3I/ATLAS, and Avi Loeb has highlighted an unusual jet pattern after processing the images with a rotational-gradient filter.

The article lists nine dog breeds commonly associated with high prey drive and explains that prey drive is an instinctive sequence of chasing behaviors shaped by selective breeding.

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation projects Lake Mead's elevation at about 1,036.5 feet at the end of November 2027, a level lower than recent end-of-month records. The reservoir is currently reported at 33% capacity with roughly 8.7 million acre-feet in storage as states prepare to renegotiate Colorado River agreements that expire at the end of 2026.

NASA rolled out the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft as the first step for Artemis II, a crewed flight that will carry four astronauts around the moon and return within ten days. A wet dress rehearsal to practice fueling is scheduled for the end of January and the mission is set to launch no later than April.

Researchers report intact, healthy retinas in Greenland sharks more than 100 years old, and their visual pigment is tuned to blue light suited for deep water.

The Cruise Lines International Association has a net‑zero by 2050 pledge, and new low‑emission ships plus tighter port and fuel rules are accelerating trials of sails, batteries and alternative fuels.

Najash rionegrina is a roughly 90‑million‑year‑old snake fossil from Patagonia that preserved a pelvis and well-developed hindlimbs, and later CT studies found a mix of lizard-like and snake-like skull features indicating prolonged limb retention in some early snakes.

A market report projects the green water treatment chemicals market to grow from USD 1.70 billion in 2025 to USD 2.25 billion by 2029 at a 7.2% CAGR, driven by tighter environmental rules, water scarcity, and demand for bio‑based, low‑toxicity solutions.

Mission managers approved Crew-11's return; Dragon will undock from the Harmony module at 5:05 p.m. EST Wednesday and is scheduled to splash down off the coast of California at 3:41 a.m. Thursday.

A four-person Crew-11 team will return to Earth early after an undisclosed medical issue; NASA said the affected astronaut is "absolutely stable."

A bipartisan minibus spending bill that allocates $24.4 billion to NASA for fiscal 2026 passed both chambers of Congress and was sent to President Trump; the measure restores most science funding and preserves many missions while Mars Sample Return remains canceled.

Researchers combined Ice Flow Perturbation Analysis with satellite measurements to produce a continent-wide map of Antarctica's bed, showing thousands of subglacial hills, valleys and large-scale features; the results were published in Science.

A new Nature Microbiology study reports that people with auto-brewery syndrome can have higher stool ethanol and altered gut microbes that produce alcohol; researchers say stool-based testing and enzyme-focused treatments are being explored as possible paths forward.

Three Expedition 74 crewmembers remain aboard the International Space Station after NASA's SpaceX Crew-11 returned to Earth following a 167-day mission; Crew-12 is planned to launch in mid-February.

A KAUST-led satellite tracking study of 17 female green and hawksbill turtles in the Red Sea found individuals travel from about 21.6 miles up to 312 miles between nesting beaches and feeding grounds, and researchers identified six distinct foraging areas spanning Saudi and Egyptian waters.

The Virtual Telescope Project will stream a final public view of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS on Jan. 16, 2026 at 21:00 UTC; the object is too faint for the unaided eye and requires large amateur telescopes to observe.

A SpaceX Crew-11 Dragon returned early from the International Space Station on Jan. 15 for a reported medical evacuation and splashed down off San Diego; witnesses in California filmed a bright re-entry and some reported sonic booms.

NOAA reported record high tides at 31 Pacific Coast gauges in early January 2026, and researchers reported record global ocean heat content for 2025.

National Weather Service offices across Florida have issued cold-weather warnings as a strong cold front brings the coldest air of the season for some areas and raises model-based snow chances across the U.S. Southeast.

Researchers extracted DNA from naturally mummified cheetahs found in caves near Arar, northern Saudi Arabia, with remains dated between about 100 and 4,000 years ago. Genetic analysis links older specimens to West African cheetah lineages and suggests the finds could inform future conservation planning.

Researchers report Halafian pottery from about 6200–5500 BC often shows flower motifs with petal counts following a doubling sequence (4, 8, 16, 32, sometimes 64); some specialists caution the patterns could reflect simple symmetry rather than a formal mathematical system.

Astronomers using the WEAVE instrument detected a large, bar-shaped cloud of ionized iron atoms inside the Ring Nebula about 2,283 light‑years away; its origin is unclear, with researchers suggesting it formed during the nebula’s creation or could be debris from a destroyed rocky planet, and they plan further observations.

An Oxfam analysis reports that the richest 1% exhausted their 2026 per-person CO2 budget in about 10 days, and the richest 0.1% did so in roughly three days; the report links these emissions to high-consumption lifestyles and investment holdings.

Crawler-transporter 2 moved toward the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center on Jan. 9 and is slated to carry the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft to Launch Complex 39B ahead of the Artemis II mission, which is planned to send four crew members around the Moon and back no later than April 2026.