Science

This image provided by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute in April 2024 shows bioluminescence in the sea whip coral Funiculina sp. observed under red light in a laboratory. Most animals that light up are found in the depths of the ocean and they might have been doing it longer than thought. In a study published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B on Tuesday, April 23, 2024, scientists report that the first animals that glowed may have been coral that lived 540 million years ago. “Light signaling is one of the earliest forms of communication that we know of _ it’s very important in deep waters,” said Andrea Quattrini, a co-author of the study. (Manabu Bessho-Uehara/MBARI via AP)

The first glow-in-the-dark animals may have been ancient corals deep in the ocean

A new study suggests that the first animal that glowed in the dark was a coral that lived deep in the ocean about half a billion years ago.
 
This illustration provided by NASA depicts Voyager 1. The most distant spacecraft from Earth stopped sending back understandable data in November 2023. Flight controllers traced the blank communication to a bad computer chip and rearranged the spacecraft’s coding to work around the trouble. In mid-April 2024, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory declared success after receiving good engineering updates. The team is still working to restore transmission of the science data. (NASA via AP)

NASA hears from Voyager 1, the most distant spacecraft from Earth, after months of quiet

 
This image provided by researchers in April 2024 shows views of some of the vertebrae of Vasuki indicus, a newly discovered extinct snake from about 47 million years ago, estimated to reach nearly 50 feet (15 meters) long. The scale bar at the center of each row showing rotated views of an individual vertebra indicates 5 centimeters (almost 2 inches). (Sunil Bajpai, Debajit Datta, Poonam Verma via AP)

This ancient snake in India might have been longer than a school bus and weighed a ton

 
FILE - The Lyrid meteor shower is seen over Burg on the Baltic Sea island of Fehmarn off Germany, Friday, April 20, 2018. The Lyrids occur every year in mid-to-late April. Peak activity for 2024 happens Sunday, April 21 into Monday, April 22, with 10 to 20 meteors expected per hour, weather permitting. Viewing lasts through April 29. (Daniel Reinhardt/dpa via AP, File)

The Lyrid meteor shower peaks this weekend, but it may be hard to see it

 
This photo provided by NASA shows the Perseverance Mars rover collecting a sample from a rock called "Bunsen Peak" using a coring bit on the end of its robotic arm on March 11, 2024. NASA has put the effort to bring the samples to Earth on hold until there is a faster, cheaper way. (NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU via AP)

NASA is seeking a faster and cheaper way to bring Mars samples to Earth

 
This image provided by SLIM official X account @SLIM_JAXA shows a part of the moon surface taken by Japan’s first moon lander called SLIM on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. Japan’s first moon lander has survived a third freezing lunar night, Japan’s space agency said Wednesday, April 24, after receiving an image from the device three months after it landed on the moon. (SLIM official X account @SLIM_JAXA via AP)

Japan’s moon lander wasn’t built to survive a weekslong lunar night. It’s still going after 3

 

  1. US advances review of Nevada lithium mine amid concerns over endangered wildflower

  2. China to send three astronauts to Tiangong space station, part of its ambitious program

  3. In Vietnam, farmers reduce methane emissions by changing how they grow rice

Total Solar Eclipse

The moon partially covers the sun during a total solar eclipse, as seen from Eagle Pass, Texas, Monday, April 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
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Solar eclipse awes people across US, Mexico, aids in scientific studies I AP Explains

Across North America, people were wowed by a total solar eclipse. AP Writer Marcia Dunn explains why Monday’s eclipse is particularly special.

Minh Ha, assistive technology manager at the Perkins School for the Blind tries a LightSound device for the first time at the school's library in Watertown, Mass., on March 2, 2024. As eclipse watchers look to the skies in April 2024, new technology will allow people who are blind or visually impaired to hear and feel the celestial event. (AP Photo/Mary Conlon)
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How visually impaired students can ‘get a feel for’ eclipses

As eclipse watchers look to the skies on April 8, new technology will allow people who are blind or visually impaired to hear the celestial event. LightSound devices translate changing light in the sky into differing musical notes. (AP Video/ Mary Conlon)

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Artist paints mural ahead of solar eclipse

A new mural, inspired by the solar eclipse is on display in downtown Mesquite, Texas. The city is hosting an event to the view the eclipse, and the artwork will be nearby for spectators to learn more.

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Total Solar Eclipse arrives in Eagle Pass, Texas

People cheered as the solar eclipse in Eagle Pass, Texas reached totality on the football field of the Eagle Pass Sports Athletic Complex. The watch party was hosted by NASA and the National Science Foundation.

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Will animals act weird during the total solar eclipse?

Researchers will observe how animals’ routines at the Fort Worth Zoo are disrupted during the April 8 total solar eclipse. The moon’s shadow will sweep across North America including from Texas to Maine. (March 8)(AP Video by Kendria LaFleur/Erik Verduzco. Produced by Mary Conlon)

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Spectators watch solar eclipse in Mexico

Crowds in the Mexican resort city of Mazatlán watched the solar eclipse on Monday as darkness fell across North America.

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A map of April 8’s total solar eclipse

A total solar eclipse will cross North America in April. This animated map shows the path of totality across parts of Mexico, the U.S. and Canada. (Feb. 29) (AP Animation: Panagiotis Mouzakis and Marshall Ritzel)

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How to get the perfect shot during the solar eclipse

AP Texas and Oklahoma chief photographer Julio Cortez, talks about the best tips and tricks to get the perfect shot during upcoming total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. (AP Video/Shelby Lum)

FILE - Blake Davis, 10, of Coral Springs, Fla., looks through solar glasses as he watches the eclipse, Monday, Aug. 21, 2017, at Nova Southeastern University in Davie, Fla. After April 8, 2024, there won’t be another U.S. eclipse, spanning coast to coast, until 2045. That one will stretch from Northern California all the way to Cape Canaveral, Florida. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)
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Safety first: How to check if your eclipse glasses are legit

Sunglasses won’t cut it during the April 8 eclipse. Special eclipse glasses are crucial for safely observing the sun as the moon marches across the late morning and afternoon sky on April 8, covering more and more and then less and less of our star. (AP Video/Shelby Lum)

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What you can expect to experience during April’s total solar eclipse

On April 8, a total solar eclipse will cross North America. It will be the last one visible from the contiguous United States until 2044. Here’s what viewers should expect to see during each stage of the eclipse. (Feb. 16) (AP video: Christine Nguyen)

Topics

Space

Engineers and workers stand inside Safran Aircraft Engines repair plant outside of Casablanca, Morocco, Thursday, April 18, 2024. Moroccan officials are aiming to turn the country into an aerospace hub, luring investors and manufacturers who have aimed to spread out their supply chains and find willing workers since the COVID-19 pandemic. (AP Photo)

As airplane makers struggle to meet demand, Morocco wants to become a manufacturing hub

 

  1. European Space Agency adds 5 new astronauts in only fourth class since 1978. Over 20,000 applied

  2. The Latest | Failed rocket strike launched on US-led coalition forces base in Syria

  3. NASA confirms mystery object that crashed through roof of Florida home came from space station

Archaeology

This photo provided by the U.S. Air Force shows Matthew Cuba, 49th Civil Engineer Squadron cultural resource manager, as he brushes off the remnants of a Paleo-Archaic hearth at Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., March 7, 2024. (Airman 1st Class Isaiah Pedrazzini/U.S. Air Force via AP)

Archaeological site is discovered within the boundaries of Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico

 

  1. Vikings had windows, another shift away from their image as barbaric Norsemen, Danish museum says

  2. Archaeologists unearth the largest cemetery ever discovered in Gaza and find rare lead sarcophogi

  3. This simple log structure may be the oldest example of early humans building with wood

Biology

From left, John Benson, UNL assistant professor of vertebrate ecology, and John Carroll, Director of the University of Nebraska's School of Natural Resources, install a nesting box for flying squirrels on Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021, on UNL's East Campus in Lincoln, Neb. (Gwyneth Roberts/Lincoln Journal Star via AP)

Duck! Flying squirrels take to the air in Nebraska city

 

  1. Rare sea creature washes ashore in Southern California

  2. Nobel-winning technique like “Google Earth for molecules”

  3. Scientists tinker with evolution to save Hawaii coral reefs

Natural History

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland smiles after signing Public Land Order 7940, which protects more than 4,200 acres of Bureau of Land Management-managed public lands that is sacred to Tribes in the Placitas area, during a community event at El Zócalo Plaza in Bernalillo, N.M., Thursday, April 18, 2024. For the next 50 years, the lands will be closed to new mining claims, mineral sales, and oil and gas leases. (Chancey Bush/The Albuquerque Journal via AP)

Biden administration moves to make conservation an equal to industry on US lands

 

  1. Two more black-footed ferrets are cloned, boosting hopes of saving an endangered species

  2. A Dubai company’s staggering land deals in Africa raise fears about risks to Indigenous livelihoods

  3. Tiny, endangered fish hinders California’s Colorado River conservation plan

The Protein Problem

Dave Pirazzini smells cultivate chicken before sampling it at GOOD Meat's Alameda, Calif., headquarters on Thursday, Sept. 28, 2023. The company's cultivated chicken, which is grown from animal cells, is approved for sale in the United States and Singapore. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

How ‘lab-grown’ meat cultivated from animal cells could offer another sustainable food option

Meat cultivated from cells — with no need to raise and slaughter an animal — is starting to show up in restaurants around the world. But can it be made cheaply enough to displace animal agriculture?
Jose Carlos, an employee at the Sitio Gimaia Tauare owned by Neilanny Maia, harvests cocoa fruits by hand, for processing by the De Mendes Chocolates company, on the island of Tauare, in the municipality of Mocajuba, Para state, Brazil, Friday, June 2, 2023. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

Saving Brazil’s rainforest starts with helping people and businesses make a living off cleared land

The sun sets as Meredith Ellis looks at cattle with her son, GC, 6, on their ranch in Rosston, Texas, Thursday, April 20, 2023. Ellis has seen how global warming is altering her land. She calls it an "existential crisis," the backdrop to the endless to-do list that comes with regenerative ranching. After a long day, she likes to take a moment to remember why she does it. Standing with her 6-year-old son on a cool evening, they watch over a gate as dozens of cows graze amid the lush grass and a setting sun. "I could stand here all evening," she says. "I just love them." (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Beef is a way of life in Texas, but it’s hard on the planet. This rancher thinks she can change that

Cows walk together in the village of Anndiare, in the Matam region of Senegal, Wednesday, April 12, 2023. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

What pastoralists in Senegal and Mongolia can teach us about adapting to a changing environment

Lars Obendorfer, owner of "Best Worscht in Town" sausage holds up vegan curry wursts in one of his branches in Frankfurt, Germany, Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023. “There was downright hostility between the meat eaters and the vegans,” he says. “And I just couldn’t understand it, and I said, ‘knock off the arguing.’” (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

Plant-based products haven’t converted US meat-eaters. Could new recipes win them over?

More from the project

Can we feed the world without starving the planet? Meet the innovators trying to solve this problem

In the quest to produce more food with almost no land, Singapore provides a glimpse into the world’s food future

We reshaped the planet so that we can feed ourselves. But now we’re running out of suitable land

Demand for seafood is soaring, but oceans are giving up all they can. Can we farm fish in new ways?

Eating less meat would be good for the Earth. Small nudges can change behavior

More news

The moon partially covers the sun during a total solar eclipse, as seen from Eagle Pass, Texas, Monday, April 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Total solar eclipse wows North America. Clouds part just in time for most

A chilly, midday darkness fell across North America as a total solar eclipse raced across the continent.
 
A man tests special glasses in preparation for viewing an upcoming solar total eclipse in Mazatlan, Mexico, on Sunday, April 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

Weather is the hot topic as eclipse spectators stake out their spots in US, Mexico and Canada

Eclipse enthusiasts are staking out their spots across three countries, fervently hoping for clear skies.
 
Motorists traveling toward Austin, Texas are reminded of Monday's eclipse and the possibility of traffic delays Saturday, April 6, 2024, in Austin. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Small town businesses embrace total solar eclipse crowd, come rain or shine on Monday

Small town businesses are embracing the eclipse crowds, as weekend festivities heat up before Monday’s big event.
 
FILE - The moon passes in front of the setting sun during a total solar eclipse in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, July 2, 2019. Small towns and rural enclaves along the path of April’s 2024 total solar eclipse are steeling for huge crowds of sun chasers who plan to catch a glimpse of day turning into dusk in North America. (AP Photo/Marcos Brindicci, File)

What to know about Monday’s total solar eclipse

North America is on the verge of another masking of the sun during a total solar eclipse. This one will last almost twice as long, with an even wider audience, than the eclipse that stretched coast-to-coast in 2017.
 
FILE - The moon covers the sun during a total solar eclipse Monday, Aug. 21, 2017, in Cerulean, Ky. On April 8, 2024, the sun will pull another disappearing act across parts of Mexico, the United States and Canada, turning day into night for as much as 4 minutes, 28 seconds. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley, File)

April’s total solar eclipse is nearly here. Here’s why it’s worth the watch and how to stay safe

A total solar eclipse is coming to North America. On April 8, the sun will pull another disappearing act across parts of Mexico, the United States and Canada, turning day into night for as much as 4 minutes, 28 seconds.
 
Minh Ha, assistive technology manager at the Perkins School for the Blind tries a LightSound device for the first time at the school's library in Watertown, Mass., on March 2, 2024. As eclipse watchers look to the skies in April 2024, new technology will allow people who are blind or visually impaired to hear and feel the celestial event. (AP Photo/Mary Conlon)

Blind people can hear and feel April’s total solar eclipse with new technology

While eclipse watchers look to the skies, people who are blind or visually impaired will be able to hear and feel the celestial event.
 
This photo provided by NASA shows three APEP rockets at NASA Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Va., on Feb. 21, 2024, with Mission Principal Investigator Dr. Barjatya, top left, and NASA Mission Manager Jay Scott, top right, and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and NASA personnel. During the April 8, 2024 total solar eclipse, the rockets will blast off with science instruments into the electrically charged portion of the atmosphere near the edge of space known as the ionosphere. (Berit Bland/NASA via AP)

April’s total solar eclipse promises to be the best yet for experiments

April’s total solar eclipse promises to be a scientific bonanza, thanks to new spacecraft – and cosmic chance.
 

How bad are flu, COVID-19 and RSV? These charts show how respiratory viruses are spreading in the US

Here’s the situation in four charts:
 
SpaceX's mega rocket Starship launches at dawn in the haze on it's third test flight from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, Thursday, March 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

SpaceX comes close to completing test flight of mega rocket but loses spacecraft near end

SpaceX’s mega rocket has flown higher and farther than ever before. The nearly 400-foot Starship blasted off from Texas on Thursday on the third test flight.
 
Support teams work around the SpaceX Dragon Endurance spacecraft shortly after it landed with NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, European Space Agency astronaut Andreas Mogensen, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Russia cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov aboard in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Pensacola, Fla., Tuesday, March 12, 2024. (Joel Kowsky/NASA via AP)

Four astronauts from four countries return to Earth after six months in orbit

Four astronauts from four countries are back on Earth after catching a ride from the International Space Station with SpaceX.
 
A gorilla family is observed by people visiting the Fort Worth Zoo in Fort Worth, Texas, Friday, Feb. 23, 2024. Researchers will be standing by to observe how animals’ routines at the zoo are disrupted when skies dim on April 8. They previously detected other strange animal behaviors in 2017 at a South Carolina zoo that was in the path of total darkness. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

How do animals react during a total solar eclipse? Scientists plan to find out in April

Researchers and citizen scientists will observe how animals’ routines at several zoos are disrupted during the April 8 total solar eclipse.
 
This photo provided by researcher Roman Garba shows a heavily weathered flake artifact at the Korolevo I archaeological site in western Ukraine in August 2023. Stone tools found in the area are the earliest evidence of early human presence in Europe, dating back to 1.4 million years ago, according to research published in the journal Nature on Wednesday, March 6, 2024. (Roman Garba via AP)

Ancient stone tools found in Ukraine date to over 1 million years ago, and may be oldest in Europe

Ancient stone tools found in western Ukraine may be the oldest known evidence of early human presence in Europe.
 
This image provided by NASA, processed by Kevin M. Gill, shows Jupiter's moon Europa captured by the Juno spacecraft on Sept. 29, 2022, with north to the left. Research published Monday, March 4, 2024, suggests there's less oxygen on the icy surface of Jupiter's moon Europa than thought — and that could affect what if any life might be lurking in the moon’s underground ocean. (Kevin M. Gill/NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI via AP)

Jupiter’s moon Europa may have less oxygen than expected, a finding that might put a damper on life

New research suggests there’s less oxygen on the icy surface of Jupiter’s moon Europa than thought. This could affect what if any life might be lurking in the moon’s underground ocean.
 
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule with a crew of four on a mission to the International Space Station lifts off from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Sunday, March 3, 2024. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

4 new astronauts head to the International Space Station for a 6-month stay

SpaceX has launched four astronauts to the International Space Station who will oversee the arrival of two new rocketships during their stint. The U.S.
 
This image provided by Intuitive Machines shows a view from the Odysseus lunar lander made with a fisheye lens on Feb. 22, 2024. Before its power was depleted, Odysseus sent this photo in its farewell transmission, received on Thursday, Feb. 29. (Intuitive Machines via AP)

First US moon lander in half a century stops working a week after tipping over at touchdown

The first U.S. spacecraft to land on the moon since the Apollo astronauts has fallen silent, a week after breaking a leg and tipping over near the lunar south pole.
 
This image provided by Intuitive Machines shows a broken landing leg on the Odysseus lander. The lander touched down near the moon's south pole on Feb. 22, 2024, but then fell over on its side, hampering communications. (Intuitive Machines via AP)

Private US moon lander still working after breaking leg and falling, but not for long

The first private U.S. spacecraft to land on the moon broke a leg at touchdown before falling over. Intuitive Machines, the company that built the lander, said it was still generating solar power as of Wednesday night.
 
FILE - Skeletons of a human and a monkey await installation at the Steinhardt Museum of Natural History in Tel Aviv, Israel on Monday, Feb 19, 2018. Around 20 or 25 million years ago, when apes diverged from monkeys, our branch of the tree of life shed its tail. In a paper published in the journal Nature on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, researchers identify at least one of the key genetic tweaks that led to this change. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty, File)

Our ancient animal ancestors had tails. Why don’t we?

Scientists have identified a gene mutation that may explain why we don’t have tails. Our very ancient animal ancestors had tails.
 
This image provided by Intuitive Machines on Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024 shows its Odysseus lunar lander over the south pole region of the Moon. The toppled lunar lander is still beaming back pictures of the moon, as its nears the final hours of its life. The photos were taken shortly before last Thursday's touchdown. (Intuitive Machines via AP)

Toppled moon lander sends back more images, with only hours left until it dies

A toppled moon lander is still beaming back pictures, as its nears the final hours of its life. Intuitive Machines posted the latest photos of the moon’s unexplored south polar region Tuesday.
 
These photos provided by NASA show images from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera team which confirmed Odysseus completed its landing. After traveling more than 600,000 miles, Odysseus landed within 1.5 km of its intended Malapert A landing site, using a contingent laser range-finding system patched hours before landing. (NASA/Goddard/Arizona State University via AP)

Sideways moon landing cuts mission short, private US lunar lander will stop working Tuesday

A private U.S. lunar lander is expected to stop working Tuesday, its mission cut short after landing sideways near the south pole of the moon.
 
This August 1989 image provided by NASA shows the planet Neptune photographed by the Voyager 2 spacecraft, processed to enhance the visibility of small features. The International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center announced Friday , Feb. 23, 2024, that astronomers have found three previously unknown moons in our solar system — two additional moons circling Neptune and one around Uranus. (NASA via AP)

Astronomers spot new tiny moons around Neptune and Uranus

The moon count in our solar system just went up by three. Astronomers have found two previously unknown moons circling Neptune and one around Uranus.
 
FILE- Picture shows the moon's surface taken by the Russian moonprobe Luna 9, Feb. 4, 1966. The pictures for the first time enable scientists to analyze the microstructure of the moon's surface. The picture was released by the radio telescope at Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire, England, which picked up Luna 9's signals. (AP Photo/File)

Here’s a look at moon landing hits and misses

Landing a spacecraft on the moon has long been a series of hits and misses and now a U.S. company is the first private outfit to achieve a touchdown.
 
On Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024 the Intuitive Machines’ Odysseus lunar lander captures a wide field of view image of Schomberger crater on the Moon approximately 125 miles (200 km) uprange from the intended landing site, at approximately about 6 miles (10 km) altitude. (Intuitive Machines via AP)

The Odysseus moon lander tipped over at touchdown, and that’s limiting the data it’s sending back

Intuitive Machines initially believed its six-footed private lunar lander, was upright after Thursday’s touchdown. But CEO Steve Altemus said Friday the craft “caught a foot in the surface,” falling onto its side and, quite possibly, leaning against a rock.
 
FILE - Eclipse watchers squint through protective filters as they view an eclipse of the sun from the top deck of New York's Empire State Building in New York on Wednesday, Aug. 31, 1932. Full solar eclipses occur every year or two or three, often in the middle of nowhere like the South Pacific or Antarctic. (AP Photo/File, File)

AP PHOTOS: Total solar eclipses through the decades

The complete shrouding of our sun by the moon has mesmerized humanity for millennia — a moment in time when skies darken and stillness creeps in.
 
Main Engine Control Computer designer for Intuitive Machines Dan Harrison cheers amongst fellow employees during a watch party moments after they became the first commercial company to softly land on the moon on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024, in Houston. ( Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle via AP)

The Odysseus lander gets the US back on the moon for the first time since Apollo 1972

A private lander has made the first U.S. moon landing in more than 50 years. Intuitive Machines’ lander touched down Thursday, but left flight controllers scrambling before gaining better contact.
 
This photo provided by the European Space Agency shows the European Remote Sensing 2 satellite (ERS-2) satellite in a clean room before its launch in 1995. The Earth-observing satellite fell out of orbit Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024, and harmlessly broke apart over the Pacific. (ESA via AP)

Old European satellite plunges harmlessly through the atmosphere over the Pacific

An old Earth-observing satellite has fallen out of orbit and harmlessly burned up. The European Space Agency says its satellite broke apart over the Pacific on Wednesday, halfway between Hawaii and Alaska.
 
This image provided by Intuitive Machines shows its Odysseus lunar lander over the near side of the moon following lunar orbit insertion on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024. (Intuitive Machines via AP)

Private US spacecraft enters orbit around the moon ahead of landing attempt

A private U.S. lunar lander is in orbit around the moon, a day before it will attempt to land on the surface.
 
This illustration provided by the European Southern Observatory in February 2024, depicts the record-breaking quasar J059-4351, the bright core of a distant galaxy that is powered by a supermassive black hole. The supermassive black hole, seen here pulling in surrounding matter, has a mass 17 billion times that of the Sun and is growing in mass by the equivalent of another Sun per day, making it the fastest-growing black hole ever known. (M. Kornmesser/ESO via AP)

Astronomers find what may be the universe’s brightest object with a black hole devouring a sun a day

Astronomers have discovered what may be the brightest object in the universe. The record-breaking quasar has a black hole at its heart that’s so big and growing so fast that it swallows the equivalent of a sun a day.
 
This photo provided by NASA on Jan. 22, 2024 shows a view of eight sample trays containing the final material from asteroid Bennu. NASA reported Thursday, Feb. 15, that the Osiris-Rex spacecraft collected 121.6 grams (4.3 ounces) of dust and pebbles from asteroid Bennu. That’s about a cupful _ the biggest cosmic haul ever from beyond the moon. (Erika Blumenfeld and Joseph Aebersold/NASA via AP)

NASA’s final tally shows spacecraft returned double the amount of asteroid rubble

NASA finally has counted up all the asteroid samples returned by a spacecraft last fall. And it’s double the rubble goal.
 
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is launched from a pad at Kennedy Space Center, seen from Port Canaveral, Fla. Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024. (Malcolm Denemark/Florida Today via AP)

Another lunar lander rockets toward the moon for a touchdown attempt

Another private U.S. company is taking a shot at the moon, launching a month after a rival’s lunar lander missed its mark.
 
FILE - An elephant head wall trophy is on display at the Nesbitt Castle in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, in this April 23, 2018 file photo. Nearly half of the world's migratory species are in decline, according to a new United Nations report released Monday, Feb. 12, 2024. Many songbirds, sea turtles, whales, sharks and migratory animals move to different environments with changing seasons and are imperiled by habitat loss, illegal hunting and fishing, pollution and climate change. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay, File)

Nearly half of the world’s migratory species are in decline, UN report says

A new United Nations report says nearly half of the world’s migratory species are in decline. Many songbirds, sea turtles, whales, sharks and other migratory animals move to different environments with changing seasons.