Science

Sea ice lows, extreme ocean heat of 2023 offers glimpse of future warming, study says

By Seth Borenstein, Associated Press

Off the charts “crazy” heat in the North Atlantic ocean and record-smashing Antarctic sea ice lows last year are far more severe than what Earth’s supposed to get with current warming levels.

With only hours until it dies, lunar lander Odysseus sends back more photos of the moon

By Marcia Dunn, Associated Press

Once sunlight can no longer reach the lander's solar panels, operations will end.

Private U.S. lunar lander to cease operations Tuesday after landing sideways

By Marcia Dunn, Associated Press

Intuitive Machines, the Houston company that built and flew the spacecraft, said Monday that sunlight will likely stop shining on the solar panels Tuesday morning.

A mind-boggling look at what might be the brightest object in the universe

By John Yang, Harry Zahn

According to a paper published this past week in the journal Nature Astronomy, scientists found what could be the brightest known object in the universe: a quasar produced by a massive and voracious black hole. It’s estimated to be emitting…

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Why do leap years have 366 days?

By Bhagya Subrayan, The Conversation

Humans have synced their calendars to the sun and moon for centuries, but every so often, these systems need a little correction.

Astronomers spot 3 new tiny moons around Neptune and Uranus

By Christina Larson, Associated Press

The latest tally puts Neptune at 16 known moons and Uranus at 28. Scientists say the new moon around Uranus is likely the smallest of the planet's moons.

WATCH: NASA and Intuitive Machines say lunar lander is on its side, hampering communications

By Marcia Dunn, Associated Press

A private U.S. lunar lander tilted over at touchdown and ended up on its side near the moon’s south pole, hampering communications, company officials said Friday.

China pledges a pair of pandas for the San Diego Zoo

By Julie Watson, Associated Press

The announcement by China on Thursday comes after nearly all the iconic bears on loan to U.S. zoos were sent home as bilateral relations began to sour.

Private lander touches down on the moon but is sending a weak signal

By Marcia Dunn, Associated Press

The lander’s choreographed descent was the first for the U.S. since 1972, when Apollo 17’s Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt left the last bootprints in the desolate gray dust.

A 2nd Alabama IVF provider pauses parts of its program after court ruling on frozen embryos

By Kim Chandler, Associated Press

Alabama Fertility Services said in a statement Thursday that has "made the impossibly difficult decision to hold new IVF treatments due to the legal risk to our clinic and our embryologists.