New atomic clock loses only one second every 300 billion years

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A group of physicists has announced one of the highest performance atomic clocks ever made. The instrument is said to measure time so precisely that it will only lose one second every 300 billion years, allowing for more exact measurements of gravitational waves, dark matter and other physics phenomena. A study based on the UW-Madison-led … Read more

EPA Is Set to Reinstate California’s Authority to Set More Stringent Car Emissions Rules

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The Biden administration is preparing to reinstate California’s authority to set auto emissions rules that are more stringent than federal standards, taking a major step toward cutting transportation-related climate pollution and continuing to chip away at former President Trump’s environmental rollbacks. The waiver, granted decades ago because of California’s severe pollution problems, gave the Golden … Read more

Final space shuttle crewmates among three entering Astronaut Hall of Fame

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An astronaut who launched on the first space shuttle to fly with a full crew and two crew members who flew on the last space shuttle to launch will be honored later this year for their contributions to the United States’ space program. David Leestma, Sandy Magnus and Chris Ferguson were announced as the next … Read more

Rocket poised to hit moon is Chinese, not SpaceX Falcon 9, student observations confirm

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A group of students has confirmed that a rocket stage poised to hit the moon next month is from a Chinese Long March launcher, not a SpaceX Falcon 9 as originally thought. The rocket body, from the Chang’e 5-T1 mission, is set to slam into the moon’s far side on March 4, more than seven … Read more

US Could Get a Century’s Worth of Sea Level Rise in Just 3 Decades, Report Warns

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A new federal report with up-to-date projections for all states and territories predicts sea levels in the United States will rise more than three times as fast as they did last century.   According to new lines of data, the average sea level along the nation’s coastline could increase by 0.3 meters (or a foot) … Read more

COVID Long Haulers Are Calling Attention to Chronic Illnesses

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When the first wave of coronavirus infections hit the U.S. in March 2020, what kept me up at night was not only the tragedy of the acute crisis but also the idea that we might soon be facing a second crisis—a pandemic of chronic illness triggered by the virus. I had just finished reporting and … Read more

Winter Olympic Sites Are Melting Away because of Climate Crisis

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The number of places on Earth with the right combination of natural climate and geography for the Olympic Winter Games is already inherently limited. But as global temperatures rise from the burning of fossil fuels, the list is narrowing further. Factoring in the specific conditions that world-class skiers and snowboarders need to safely land tricks … Read more

Nights won’t save us from wildfires in a warming world | Science

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As the Sun set in eastern Australia in late December 2019, a wildfire swept through the region’s eucalyptus forests like nothing scientists had seen before. Blazes typically weaken at night. But high winds, hot temperatures, and extremely dry air helped trigger a firestorm that sent plumes of ash 15 kilometers into the atmosphere. Over the … Read more