Governments gave their blessing Sunday to a major new U.N. report on climate change, after approval was held up by a battle between rich and developing countries over emissions targets and financial aid to vulnerable nations. The report by hundreds of the world’s top scientists was supposed …
Scientists have created baby mice with two fathers for the first time by turning male mouse stem cells into female cells in a lab. They described their research in a study published Wednesday in the journal Nature. The work raises the distant possibility of doing the same for people. But exp…
Microsoft is infusing artificial intelligence tools into its suite of office software, including Word, Excel and Outlook emails. The company says the new feature, named Copilot, is a processing engine that will allow users to do things like summarize long emails, draft stories in Word and an…
Record snowfall and rain have helped to loosen drought’s grip on parts of the western U.S., even pushing it out altogether in California after consecutive dry years. National forecasters and climate experts detailed their spring outlook Thursday, warning that some areas should expect more fl…
A potential casualty of the powerful rainstorms that drenched coastal California and flooded rivers is hundreds of acres of strawberries. Industry experts estimate about a fifth of strawberry farms in the Watsonville and Salinas areas have been flooded since a levee ruptured last week and an…
The scientific nonprofit that tracks the white shark population in Cape Cod waters identified 55 new individual sharks during its most recent research season, but experts say that’s no reason to be afraid of going in the water this summer. Atlantic White Shark Conservancy scientist Megan Win…
Virgin Orbit says it is pausing all operations amid reports that the company is furloughing almost all its staff as part of a bid to seek a funding lifeline. The U.S.-based satellite launch company confirmed it is putting all work on hold but didn't say for how long. A statement on Thursday …
The scientific nonprofit that tracks the white shark population in Cape Cod waters identified 55 new individual sharks during its most recent research season, but experts say that’s no reason to be afraid of going in the water this summer. Atlantic White Shark Conservancy scientist Megan Winton says they have now documented more than 600 of the apex predators since they began monitoring the population in 2014. Many return to the area year after year to feed on the abundant seals that call Cape Cod home. She says the fear that people have felt about white sharks is largely misplaced.
Virgin Orbit says it is pausing all operations amid reports that the company is furloughing almost all its staff as part of a bid to seek a funding lifeline. The U.S.-based satellite launch company confirmed it is putting all work on hold but didn't say for how long. A statement on Thursday said the company “is initiating a company-wide operational pause." It said it would provide an update on operations in the coming weeks. The company didn't comment on reports that all but a small number of workers will be temporarily put on unpaid furlough. A mission by Virgin Orbit to launch the first satellites into orbit from Europe failed in January after its rocket’s upper stage prematurely shut down.
Scientists are digging into why a few people escape the rarest form of Alzheimer's, which is inherited and strikes young. Every so often, someone dodges their family's genetic fate. Doug Whitney of Port Orchard, Washington, is one of those lucky “escapees.” He's a healthy 73 despite a gene that gave generations of his family Alzheimer's symptoms by age 50. Scientists in St. Louis are scouring Whitney's DNA and looking for other escapees for clues to their resilience. The hope is that mimicking what protects them might one day help not just these families but more common old-age Alzheimer's, too.
Chinese search giant Baidu has unveiled its artificial intelligence chatbot Ernie Bot, presenting its rival to the Microsoft-backed ChatGPT in a pre-recorded video presentation that appeared to disappoint investors. Baidu CEO Robin Li said Ernie Bot was still not perfected, but the company went ahead with presenting it due to high demand. Baidu’s shares fell as much as 10% during the demonstration and were down 7.4% by late afternoon. Li said that 650 companies have signed up to use Ernie Bot, which can be implemented applications such as search, AI cloud, autonomous driving and in smart devices.
As part of a yearlong investigation, The Associated Press obtained the data points underpinning several algorithms deployed by child welfare agencies to understand how they predict which children could be at risk of harm. They offer rare insight into the mechanics driving these emerging technologies. Among the factors they use to measure a family’s risk outright or by proxy are race, poverty rates, disability status and family size. The tools' developers say that their work is transparent and that they make their models public. The AP has learned the Justice Department is investigating one Pennsylvania county’s child welfare system to determine whether its use of an algorithm discriminates against people with disabilities or other protected groups.
The Webb Space Telescope has captured the rare and fleeting phase of a star on the cusp of death. NASA released the picture Tuesday at the South by Southwest conference in Austin, Texas. The observation was among the first made by Webb following its launch in late 2021. Its infrared eyes observed all the gas and dust flung into space by a huge, hot star 15,000 light-years away. Such a transformation occurs only with some stars and normally is the last step before they explode, going supernova. Astrophysicists say they've never seen this phase before in such detail.
Moonwalking astronauts will have sleeker, more flexible spacesuits that come in different sizes when they step onto the lunar surface later this decade. The spacesuits will be white like they were during NASA’s Apollo program more than a half-century ago to reflect heat and keep future moonwalkers cool. The company behind the next-generation spacesuits said Wednesday the design is proprietary. NASA awarded Axiom Space a $228.5 million contract to provide the moonsuits. The space agency is targeting late 2025 at the earliest to land two astronauts on the moon’s south pole.
Is our economy doing better or worse? See recent changes in local employment, regional inflation and more in these regularly updated charts and maps.
A comment about a partial nativity scene hit her like a ton of bricks: “This isn’t worth anything without the baby.”
Check out the peaks and valleys in volatile local gas prices, and track motor vehicle sales, financing and production.
Is our employment picture getting better or worse? See recent changes in local jobs, unemployment, earnings and more in these regularly updated charts and maps.
Two people were injured in a crash involving one of the most iconic vehicles in television history, Missouri officials say.
Oklahoma's new attorney general wants to slow the pace of lethal injections as the state is set to execute nearly one person each month through the end of the year.
A 6-year-old student intentionally shot and critically wounded his first-grade teacher in a Virginia classroom.
We asked Santa to get to the bottom of some age-old Christmas mysteries.
As part of a yearlong investigation, The Associated Press obtained the data points underpinning several algorithms deployed by child welfare agencies to understand how they predict which children could be at risk of harm. They offer rare insight into the mechanics driving these emerging tech…
The Biden administration’s approval of a massive oil development in northern Alaska commits the U.S. to yet another decadeslong crude project. That's raising alarm as scientists urge a halt on more fossil fuels to stem devastating climate change. ConocoPhillips’ Willow project was approved M…
You’ve probably seen something like this before, a drone that can fly over a fertile area and drop seeds from the sky. But this project being led by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University, takes the sky seeding method even further. This is what its developers call a self-burying payload c…
NASA has released a new image from the James Webb Space Telescope. NASA released the image during the keynote address Tuesday at the SWSX Conference in Austin, Texas.
The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing the first federal limits on harmful “forever chemicals” in drinking water, saying it could prevent thousands of illnesses. A toxic group of compounds knowns as PFAS is linked to health issues including low birthweight and cancer. The EPA propo…
'The Independent' reports that scientists have revealed a newly-discovered material that could change the world.
6 gift ideas for the outdoorsy person in your life
Here are 10 great gift ideas that are sure to please everyone on your list.
Content by Brand Ave. Studios. The annual Amazon Prime Day is here and will offer discounts on many of your favorite things.
So you’re ready to hit the skies for an international flight after more than a year of COVID-19 lockdowns, quarantines and restrictions, but where can you go? Some countries are…
In the span of a day, a curb was painted red in a residential neighborhood, but not at the city's blessing. The suspect faces five years in prison.
The crash leads to an arrest of a Lebanon man.
Linn County had at times relied on Lebanon as an east county substation. But no more.
Police say there are two victims.
The newly elected conservative slate is sworn in, including a new mayor.
While one turns a more blueish hue of purple, another goes red. Very red.
She blamed “neighborhood drama” for turning sentiment on the street against Sunny. “He’s a good goose.”
First Christian Church's port-a-potty for the unhoused prompted a monthslong discussion until city leaders finally arrived at a solution.
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