On the 1st of February, 2003, the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated while returning to the Earth’s surface, resulting in the death of the seven crew members on board. The uniqueness of this tragedy lies in the fact that the accident was not brought about by an impromptu failure, but by an incident that occurred at…
Available for 35 days This week, we’re letting you run the airwaves. Victoria Gill puts your science questions to Catherine Heymans, Astronomer Royal for Scotland and Professor of Astrophysics at the University of Edinburgh, Mark Maslin, Professor of Earth System Science at University College London, and Penny Sarchet, Managing editor of New Scientist. If you’ve…
Two restored ponds on the Hertfordshire-Essex border see recovery, including breeding newts. Source link
Babies born to women exposed to extreme temperatures in Pakistan will have low birth weight. The risk is up to 70 per cent higher in some parts of Pakistan, with regions in southern Punjab, northern Sindh, and Baluchistan having the highest risks. “Pregnant women in Pakistan face a heightened risk of delivering infants of low…
NASA’s Artemis II mission is the first to return humans to the area surrounding the Moon in over 50 years and took place on April 1, 2026. The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket launched the mission into orbit, but it was a small white stuffed animal designed by an 8-year-old that gained attention and became…
Black rain fell on the Iranian capital of Tehran on March 7 and 8, 2026. It is not science fiction. Bombings of oil reservoirs and fuel depots caused fires that released vast amounts of soot and sulphur compounds, nitrogen oxides and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons into the atmosphere. All these and a low-pressure meteorological system that…
Nasa’s Artemis II spacecraft has launched and is now orbiting Earth, where it will then head on to circle the Moon as part of a 10-day mission. The crew onboard are “safe, secure and in great spirits”, according to a Nasa official. Rebecca Morelle, the BBC’s science editor, was in Florida to watch the “spectacular”…
Artemis II’s mission is drawing attention not only for its technical milestones but also for something immediately noticeable. The crew, including Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch from NASA, along with Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency, have stepped into bright orange suits that stand out instantly. The bold colour may catch the…
Humid heat is rising fast along India’s coasts, pushing human tolerance limits, a new study shows. Fishers say their workdays are shrinking, as heat turns labour into endurance. Warming seas are amplifying risk, demanding urgent forecasting and adaptation. See All Key Ideas Before the sun shines on the Arabian Sea, fisherman Mariyani Miyelpillai,…
Global progress slows despite long-term decline Worldwide, an estimated 240,000 women died from maternal causes in 2023, corresponding to a maternal mortality ratio (MMR) of 190.5 per 100,000 live births. This represents a decline of more than one-third from 321 in 1990, and a moderate reduction from 280,000 deaths in 2015, when the United Nations-mandated…