US sanctions on Russia over Ukraine invasion will degrade Russian space program, Biden says

Russia’s space program will degrade under new U.S. sanctions, U.S. President Joe Biden said today (Feb. 24).  Russia invaded Ukraine this week, launching military attacks in multiple cities that have so far killed at least 40 people, according to the Associated Press. World leaders around the globe have responded to the conflict, and Biden announced … Read more

Why Anti-Trans Laws Are Anti-Science

Editor’s Note (2/24/22): Last week Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered state agencies to investigate gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth as “child abuse.” This editorial from June 2021 is being republished to highlight the ways that anti-trans legislation is harmful and unscientific. On April 6, the Arkansas state legislature passed a law that would prohibit transgender youth from … Read more

Upcoming sci-fi TV shows for 2022

We’ve got the lowdown on all the upcoming sci-fi TV shows for 2022. You’ll definitely want to carve out time to watch for these!  But, where do we start? There’s the continued release of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase Four, Star Trek spin-offs abound, brand-new franchises emerging, and video game adaptations hitting our screens in … Read more

U.S. Postal Service Locks in Plans for More Gas Trucks

The U.S. Postal Service has finalized a plan to replace its aging mail trucks with mostly gasoline-powered models, defying calls for more electric vehicles from the Biden administration, Democratic lawmakers and environmentalists. In a record of decision released yesterday, the USPS stuck with its proposal for a 10-year contract with Wisconsin-based Oshkosh Defense LLC to supply up … Read more

What does the Ukraine invasion mean for US-Russian partnership in space?

Could Russia’s military and political actions in Ukraine upend science and exploration in outer space? International political tensions are high after Russia invaded Ukraine this week, with attacks beginning near the capital Kyiv as well as in Kharkiv near the Russian border. The world hasn’t witnessed a “move like this, nation state-to-nation state, since World … Read more

Hubble eyes two stunning galaxies before future James Webb Space Telescope observations

The Hubble Space Telescope continues to scout on behalf of the newly launched James Webb Space Telescope to guide future astronomy work. A stunning new image released by Hubble officials shows a single example of that collaboration: a pair of galaxies known as Arp 298, interacting 200 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Pegasus. … Read more

There’s a Reason 90% of Drugs Fail Clinical Trials, And We Can Fix It

It takes 10 to 15 years and around US$1 billion to develop one successful drug. Despite these significant investments in time and money, 90 percent of drug candidates in clinical trials fail.   Whether because they don’t adequately treat the condition they’re meant to target or the side effects are too strong, many drug candidates … Read more

Virgin Galactic plans to start flying paying customers this year

Virgin Galactic’s suborbital spaceliner is grounded at the moment, but the company is confident it’ll be fully up and running by the end of the year. Virgin Galactic flies people and payloads to suborbital space using an air-launch strategy: A carrier plane called VMS Eve drops the six-passenger, two-pilot VSS Unity space plane at an … Read more