Pongamia trees offer renewable energy, plant-based protein
An ancient tree from India is now thriving in groves where citrus trees once flourished in Florida, and could help provide the nation with renewable energy. As large parts of the Sunshine State’s once-famous citrus industry have all but dried…
‘Ready to come out?’ Scientists emerge after year ‘on Mars’
washington — The NASA astronaut knocks loudly three times on what appears to be a nondescript door and calls cheerfully: “You ready to come out?” The reply is inaudible, but beneath his mask he appears to be grinning as he…
Anti-doping agency sharpens its tools for Paris Olympics
Lausanne, Switzerland — In the battle against drug use at the Paris Olympics, the International Testing Agency plans to deploy a more streamlined, high-tech approach to identify and target potential cheats. In an interview with Agence France-Presse, Benjamin Cohen, director…
Which states could have abortion on the ballot in 2024?
Voters in five states will decide referendums on abortion rights this year, with potentially more to come. Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Nevada and South Dakota will hold referendums on enshrining protection for abortion rights. The U.S. Supreme Court removed the nationwide…
Crocodiles cannot outnumber people in Australian territory where girl was killed, leader says
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Crocodile numbers in Australia’s Northern Territory must be either maintained or reduced and cannot be allowed to outstrip the human population, the territory’s leader said after a 12-year-old girl was killed while swimming. The crocodile population…
Hurricane Beryl destroys homes, uproots trees in Grenada
new york — The extent of Hurricane Beryl’s damage became clearer Friday, as communications were reestablished with the small, storm-ravaged eastern Caribbean islands and relief began to arrive. The Grenadian islands of Carriacou and Petit Martinique sustained the most severe…
NYC’s interactive exhibition sends visitors on outer space journey
July 20 marks the 55th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing on the moon. An interactive exhibit at Manhattan’s Intrepid Museum reminds viewers of the enormity of that undertaking and what went into the first moon landing. Evgeny Maslov has…
India is likely undercounting heat deaths, affecting its response to increasingly harsh heat waves
BENGALURU, India — Months of scorching temperatures sometimes over 50 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit) in parts of India this year — its worst heat wave in over a decade — left hundreds dead or ill. But the official number of…
NASA: ‘Once-in-a-lifetime’ nova eruption could happen any day
A nova eruption predicted to occur by September is being described by NASA as a “once-in-a-lifetime” event that will be visible to the human eye. Researchers tracking T Coronae Borealis — known as T CrB — say the eruption could…
Japan’s top court rules forced sterilization law unconstitutional
Tokyo — Japan’s top court ruled on Wednesday that a defunct eugenics law under which thousands of people were forcibly sterilized between 1948 and 1996 was unconstitutional. The Supreme Court also declared that a 20-year statute of limitations could not…