Science & Earth
→ NewsLab-grown pork appears at Berkeley Bowl despite red-state bans
Mission Barns served meatballs made with cultivated pork fat blended with plant protein at tasting events outside Berkeley Bowl, and the company holds U.S. clearance to sell cultivated pork fat while several red states have enacted bans and face legal challenges.
Michigan tornado kills at least four as storms impact central U.S.
At least four people were killed in southern Michigan after storms that included a confirmed tornado near Union City, and officials said additional possible tornadoes and storm damage were being investigated across the central U.S.
TGI signs LOI to acquire XGC to build national carbon registries under Article 6.4
TGI Solar Power Group announced a Letter of Intent to acquire XGC Corp, valuing XGC's platform and intellectual property at $1.8 million USD, with plans to deploy national carbon registry infrastructure intended for Paris Agreement Article 6.4 markets.
Universe now shows twice as many spacetime ripples from compact-object collisions
The LIGO‑Virgo‑KAGRA collaboration released GWTC-4, a catalog of 128 gravitational-wave sources detected during the fourth observing run (May 2023–Jan 2024), roughly doubling the published list of black hole and neutron star mergers; the dataset includes very massive and fast-spinning black hole collisions and two new mixed black hole–neutron star mergers.
University students in Ukraine repurpose recycled plastic into medical tools
A team of Ukrainian university students developed a process to turn recycled plastic into 3D‑printed medical training tools, and their project has drawn interest from dental associations and other universities.
Asteroid defense test confirms orbit change of a two-asteroid system
A study in Science Advances confirms NASA's 2022 DART mission altered the orbit of an entire two-asteroid system, measuring a center-of-mass speed change of about 11.7 microns per second. Researchers report that debris from the impact added momentum beyond the spacecraft's strike.
Weird-Looking Marsupial Found Alive After 6,000 Years
Researchers report the pygmy long-fingered possum (Dactylonax kambuayai) was observed alive in Indonesia’s Vogelkop Peninsula, and the team also identified a previously unknown genus of gliders called Tous with help from local elders.
NASA's DART mission changed Didymos asteroid pair's orbit around the Sun.
New research reports that DART's 2022 impact on the moonlet Dimorphos shortened its orbit around Didymos and also shifted the binary system's 770-day orbit around the Sun by about 0.15 seconds.
Global cooling preference may miss broader climate context
The article reports that the U.S. withdrew from UNFCCC-related climate agreements and cites studies and IPCC commentary that question some long-term model predictions and the pace of local sea-level change.
Earth life may have begun on Mars, study suggests microbes survive impact pressures
A lab study found Deinococcus radiodurans survived pressures up to about 3 gigapascals—conditions similar to those during asteroid ejecta—and the authors say this finding supports the idea that microbes could survive interplanetary transfer.
NASA reshuffles Artemis rockets, leaving questions about lunar landers.
NASA announced changes to Artemis to speed SLS launches and emphasize surface activity, and said Artemis III will be used next year to test lunar landers; SpaceX's Starship and Blue Origin's Blue Moon MK2 are under contract to develop the required crewed landers, but their readiness and the timing of a crewed landing remain uncertain.
Martian microbes may survive asteroid ejection and reach Earth
A Johns Hopkins team reported that Deinococcus radiodurans survived lab impacts producing pressures similar to asteroid strikes, with survival near 95% at 1.4 GPa, about 60% at 2.4 GPa and under 10% at 2.9 GPa.
Lazarus animals found alive in New Guinea after more than 7,000 years
Scientists, Indigenous communities and citizen scientists confirmed live sightings of the pygmy long-fingered possum and the ring-tailed glider in New Guinea, species previously known only from fossils dated over 7,000 years ago.
Global warming appears to be accelerating, study finds
A study in Geophysical Research Letters reports a statistically significant acceleration in global surface warming over the past decade and says this change could bring the 1.5°C threshold sooner than earlier projections.
Venus and Saturn will appear close together in the night sky on March 8.
Venus and Saturn will appear about one degree apart in the western sky after sunset on Sunday, March 8; no telescope is required, though clouds or a bright, nearly full moon could affect visibility.
Earth is warming faster than previously estimated, study shows
A paper in Geophysical Research Letters reports that global warming has accelerated since 2015, estimating about 0.35°C of warming in the decade to 2025 versus roughly 0.2°C per decade between 1970 and 2015, and notes 2024 exceeded 1.5°C for one year compared with pre-industrial averages.
Endangered plants inspire efforts to revive lost scents.
Conservationists, perfumers and biotech firms are collaborating to recreate or preserve scents from endangered and extinct plants, and some partnerships are directing funds to conservation. Techniques range from working with herbarium specimens and DNA traces to lab-grown molecules that mimic rare natural aromas.
Potomac River declared safe by officials, but locals remain concerned
Officials say the Potomac River is safe for recreation after weeks of testing following a major sewer line failure that released about 243 million gallons; some state advisories and independent tests still show occasional bacteria spikes.
Nuclear power revival is not living up to the hype
Bloomberg finds that countries with steady government support and a continuous domestic supply chain — notably China, Russia and India — are expanding nuclear capacity, while the US and parts of Europe face aging fleets, delayed projects and higher costs.
Unlimited energy may be closer as fusion 'star' experiments advance
Recent progress in tokamak experiments — including reports that China's EAST reactor surpassed the Greenwald density limit and the arrival of ITER's final central solenoid module in France — reflects coordinated gains in fusion science, materials research and computing, while significant technical and economic challenges remain.
Blue whales spotted near Martha's Vineyard in rare sightings
New England Aquarium aerial surveys recorded three blue whales over two days off southern New England, including two about 15 miles south of Martha's Vineyard; researchers said such sightings are uncommon for this population.
Condor couple may be tending a first egg in Northern California in a century
Wildlife officials say a released California condor pair tracked in Redwood National Park may be caring for an egg, which would be the first nesting recorded in Northern California in more than a century.
SWFL manatee rescue saves injured mother and calf
Florida wildlife officials rescued an injured mother manatee and her calf after the adult was struck by a boat propeller; both animals were reported safe following the operation.
Medina Lake reaches dead pool status, officials say
Officials reported Medina Lake fell to 'dead pool' in April 2025 with capacity near 2.5%, and data showed the lake surface was about 86 feet below full capacity by February.
Denmark to explore whether gastronomy can be recognized as an art form
Denmark's culture ministry said it will study whether gastronomy can be formally recognized as an art form, a proposal supported by chef Rasmus Munk and some of the country's Michelin-starred restaurants.
NASA's next lunar mission highlights New Orleans manufacturing role.
Artemis II will be NASA's first crewed lunar mission in more than 50 years, and the rocket's 212-foot core stage was built at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans East.
Blue whales sighted off Massachusetts coast in an "unusual occurrence"
The New England Aquarium reported two blue whales about 15 miles south of Martha's Vineyard during an aerial survey, and a separate sighting occurred the previous day at Lydonia Canyon. The aquarium said such sightings are rare in southern New England and noted they took place amid changes to federal fishing protections in the area.
Canada plastics ban remains in force after appeal ruling
The Federal Court of Appeal restored the 2021 order adding plastic manufactured items to Schedule 1 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, keeping the Single-use Plastics Prohibition Regulations in force. The federal government said the judgment confirms its authority to regulate certain plastic products based on a national science assessment of plastic pollution.
Blood moon to rise over US in one week during total lunar eclipse
A total lunar eclipse on March 3 will produce a 'blood moon' visible across parts of the Americas, Europe, Asia and Oceania, with totality lasting about 58 minutes.
Asgard microbes may reveal how complex life began
A Nature study reports hundreds of previously unknown Asgard genomes from deep-sea vents and shallow coastal sediments, and finds some lineages carry genes linked to oxygen metabolism, suggesting parts of the group could tolerate or use oxygen.
