Science & Earth

NASA plans the first crewed moon flight in 52 years with Artemis II after a successful wet dress rehearsal; officials are targeting March 6 as the earliest launch attempt.

The article reports that just over 27% of the seafloor is mapped to modern standards and that scientists estimate about 91% of ocean life remains unidentified.

Researchers extracted whole genomes from three naturally mummified cheetahs found in caves near Arar, Saudi Arabia, and found two older specimens genetically closer to the Northwest African cheetah subspecies, indicating at least two lineages once lived on the Arabian Peninsula.

Insured losses from floods and wildfires in Canada have grown from about $300 million a year three decades ago to roughly $3 billion on average today, with 2024 reaching $9.4 billion. A 2025 review found the federal National Adaptation Strategy lacks key systems for prioritizing risk and tracking performance.

A modelling study proposes removing mature boreal trees, floating them down Arctic rivers and sinking them in deep Arctic waters while replanting fast‑growing trees; the authors estimate this could sequester about one gigaton of CO2 per year if done on roughly 1% of the boreal forest. The article notes major logistical, ecological and social uncertainties and compares the potential removal with global emissions of 37.8 gigatons in 2024.

Professors George Eleftheriades (ECE) and Yu Sun (MIE) were elected as international members of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering; Eleftheriades is known for metamaterials and antennas, and Sun for robotic nanomanipulation and cellular-level instruments.

A global analysis of 657 watersheds found that forest loss and changes in forest spatial arrangement increase the share of 'young water' (precipitation that passes through a watershed within about two to three months), which reduces longer-term storage in soils and groundwater.

Peninsula Papagayo in Costa Rica combines frequent wildlife sightings — including howler monkeys in Palmares Preserve — with a small enclave of luxury resorts and new guest amenities such as Papagayo Park.

JWST observations of a z = 6.3 quasar show reduced [O iii] emission in neighbouring galaxies, which the study reports as evidence that intense quasar UV radiation suppresses recent star formation across intergalactic distances.

NASA's SPHEREx observed that interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS had low activity in August but by December its water and carbon dioxide output rose dramatically and spectra showed organic molecules and a cyanide line; SPHEREx will observe the object again in April.

The article reports that Canada's forestry revenues and harvesting levels have fallen and that the authors propose building modern pulp mills and biorefineries to create demand for wood residuals.

The 64-acre Jim Tovey Lakeview Conservation Area has had tens of thousands of native trees and shrubs planted since 2017 and is on track to open to the public in May.

A coalition of health and environmental groups sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency after it revoked the 2009 endangerment finding; the suit was filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.

A city report found about 75% of monuments at Lasalle Cemetery need attention, and staff say limited trust-fund interest and safety concerns keep the municipality from taking on large-scale repairs; the report estimates nearly $9 million would be needed to fix all monuments over five years.

The City of Nanaimo opened a coastal values survey running Feb. 17 to March 13 as part of 'Our Coastal City,' a project to develop a Sea Level Rise Management Plan that builds on a 2018 study.

Credit Valley Conservation says rain and melting snow could raise water levels near the Credit River starting Wednesday and has issued a flood outlook in effect until Friday; officials warn people to stay away from rivers, streams and other watercourses.

A 62-year-old recently widowed traveller joined a friend on a northerly trip, learned to boondock and drove the Dempster Highway, and later swam in the Arctic at Tuktoyaktuk.

Palli Fleischer Lyberth sold his house to fund a vertical hydroponic greenhouse in Sisimiut near the Arctic Circle, growing mizuna, lettuce and microgreens for cruise ships, hotels and supermarkets; the venture is not yet profitable and he is seeking a government subsidy.

French officials met with the Whale Sanctuary Project in Paris to review a proposal to relocate two captive orcas to a coastal refuge in Nova Scotia, and said a final decision will be made by the end of March.

A CanLEAD‑FWI Version 1.0 dataset on the Open Government Portal provides daily projections of six Fire Weather Index components and annual fire season length for Canada from 1950 to 2100 under the RCP8.5 scenario.

Analyses of Chang'e-6 samples show material tied to the South‑Pole Aitken Basin dates to about 4.25 billion years and prompt a recalibration of some crater ages by roughly 340 million years, leading authors to describe a gradual decline in impact frequency rather than a clear spike at 3.9 billion years.

Colossal Biosciences reports its three dire wolves — Romulus, Remus and Khaleesi — have reached adult size and are hunting together while living as a pack under close supervision.

A PLOS One study found that adding Martian-like perchlorates to regolith simulant, together with the bacterium Sporosarcina pasteurii and guar gum, produced bricks with more than double the compressive strength of samples without perchlorates.

Analysis of OSIRIS-REx samples from the 4.6-billion-year-old asteroid Bennu found amino acids and isotopic evidence suggesting some formed in ice exposed to radiation rather than in liquid water; the Penn State-led study compared Bennu results with the Murchison meteorite and found distinct formation signatures.

The Trauma Research and Combat Casualty Care Collaborative has granted $500,000 to investigators at UT Southwestern and UTMB to fund a randomized, double-blind pilot trial testing transcutaneous auricular neurostimulation (tAN) with Spark Biomedical's Sparrow Link in patients with non‑surgical chronic subdural hematoma.

Rep. George Whitesides asked a House committee to request that NASA study whether the International Space Station can be preserved in orbit instead of being deorbited; the committee advanced the proposal unanimously and the measure still faces additional legislative steps.

On Cormorant Island, the 'Na̱mg̱is community faces changing winters, frequent storms and regular power outages while leaders work to restore fisheries and press for greater recognition of their sovereignty.

Conservationists bred and released more than 10,000 greater Bermuda land snails into protected habitats over seven years, and teams report confirmed breeding and growing numbers.

China's CMSA carried out the first ignition flight of the Long March-10 and an in-flight abort test of the Mengzhou crew capsule on Feb. 11 at Wenchang, with both the capsule and the rocket's first stage recovered at sea. Officials said the flight validated key ascent and return profiles for the system.

The article reports the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency plans to scrap a landmark U.S. emissions policy, and it also reports that China's emissions have begun to fall; climate data show global temperatures remain high, with 2024 reaching about 1.55 °C above pre‑industrial levels.