Science & Earth

NASA reports Artemis II splashed down off San Diego on April 10 and teams are reviewing Orion, SLS, and launch‑pad data to assess system performance ahead of Artemis III.

NASA moved the top four-fifths of the SLS core stage from the Michoud Assembly Facility onto the Pegasus barge on April 20 for shipment to Kennedy Space Center; teams will complete outfitting and vertical integration ahead of the Artemis III mission currently planned for 2027.

An armed man opened fire at the Pyramid of the Moon in Teotihuacán, killing one Canadian visitor and wounding six others; the gunman died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. President Claudia Sheinbaum said the incident will be investigated and that she had contacted the Canadian Embassy.

The article mentions Cyber Enviro-Tech's exclusive agreement to manufacture and distribute AirPower compressed air systems and says the company views that technology as aligned with Presidential Actions announced April 20, 2026, focused on modernizing U.S. energy infrastructure and improving grid resilience.

Princess Anne formally opened the Queen Elizabeth II Garden at Regent's Park on what would have been the late monarch's 100th birthday and noticed a discreet corgi motif built into a skylight.

NASA astronaut Jessica Meir photographed a Lyrid meteor streaking past Earth from the International Space Station on April 20, and the Lyrid shower peaks overnight April 21–22.

Scientists reported a nearly complete skeleton of a previously unknown rhinocerotid, found in a lake at Haughton Crater on Devon Island and named Epiatheracerium itjilik. The research team says the find indicates the Arctic played a significant role in rhinocerotid evolution.

President Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to fast-track research and regulatory review of psychedelic drugs after a private text exchange with podcast host Joe Rogan, the administration said. The directive asks the FDA to expedite breakthrough therapy designations and encourages interagency data sharing.

The Jerk system, a single broadband seismometer tested at Piton de la Fournaise over a ten-year period, identified small ground 'jerk' signals and flagged about 92% of that volcano's eruptions minutes to hours before they occurred.

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said Great British Energy will work with public bodies to place wind turbines and solar panels on publicly owned land, including railway land, and the government said the programme could unlock up to 10 gigawatts of capacity.

Archaeologists in Northern Sinai have identified a 35-meter (115-foot) circular basin at Pelusium that is now interpreted as a sacred water installation linked to the local god Pelusius and used between the 2nd century BCE and the 6th century CE.

Representative Eric Burlison has added Matthew Sullivan and Dr. Ning Li to a growing congressional inquiry into deaths and disappearances of U.S. researchers; the FBI says it is looking into the reports and the House Oversight Committee has requested briefings by April 27.

Samed Ağırbaş led high-level engagements in Washington during the IMF | World Bank Spring Meetings (13–16 April) to position COP31 Antalya as an "implementation event" focused on climate finance, resilience, and inclusive global action.

The House Oversight Committee has opened a probe into reports that at least 10 U.S. scientists in nuclear and rocket fields have died or gone missing, and it has asked federal agencies for information and a staff briefing by April 27.

A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off northern Japan and prompted tsunami advisories, with the Japan Meteorological Agency reporting wave heights up to about 1 meter along parts of the coast; officials also said there is roughly a 1% chance of a larger 'mega‑quake' in the coming week.

Two millionaires have funded a new attempt to rescue a humpback whale stranded off Germany's Baltic coast, prompting praise from some members of the public and criticism from Greenpeace Germany, which says the animal is severely weakened.

Researchers tested oil‑eating microbes in an ice‑covered tank in Churchill and observed bacteria that began breaking down diesel after about eight weeks, but that pace was judged too slow for emergency response; experts also report rising shipping on the northern sea route, including an expanding 'shadow fleet', which increases the risk of spills while cleanup technology has changed little.

Chernobyl remains hazardous for people, yet wolves, brown bears and other species, including introduced Przewalski's horses, have returned and are being monitored amid lingering radiation and recent wartime disturbances.

Pope Leo XIV celebrated Mass near Luanda and planned to lead a Rosary at the Sanctuary of Mama Muxima, a Catholic shrine on the Kwanza River that was a hub in the trans‑Atlantic slave trade.

Archaeologists working in a Ptolemaic tomb at Oxyrhynchus reported finding three gold tongues and a papyrus fragment from Book 2 of Homer's Iliad; the items will undergo conservation and be moved to the Supreme Council of Antiquities' storage.

The article describes a debate in which some scientists say machines could conduct space missions alone, while the author argues that AI and robots will complement human crews on future lunar bases and in exploration.

Northern Alberta beekeepers reported sharp declines in honey yields in 2024, especially a 52% drop in the Peace region, and some producers said 2025 showed slight improvement with cautious optimism for 2026.

The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) has produced the largest high-resolution three-dimensional map of the universe, cataloguing over 47 million galaxies and more than 20 million Milky Way stars from a five-year survey.

Pelage Pharmaceuticals completed a Phase 2 study and raised $120 million to support larger clinical trials of PP405, a topical gel designed to stimulate terminal hair growth.

President Trump signed an executive order directing the administration to speed federal reviews of certain psychedelics, including ibogaine, and the FDA plans to issue priority vouchers and take steps toward U.S. human trials.

Officials say remains recovered near a submerged 1958 station wagon in the Columbia River have been identified as three members of the Martin family after DNA testing and anthropological assessment; the next procedural step is undetermined at this time.

President Trump signed an executive order directing faster federal review of certain psychedelics, including ibogaine, and the FDA plans to issue national priority vouchers and take steps to enable U.S. ibogaine trials.

More than 61% of the contiguous U.S. is in moderate to exceptional drought, and NOAA says the Palmer Drought Severity Index reached its highest March level since records began in 1895.

On April 6, Artemis 2's Orion capsule Integrity was, for a short time, farther from the three crewmembers aboard China's Tiangong space station than any other humans, reaching about 260,754 miles (419,643 km); the previous record dated to Apollo 13 in April 1970.

NASA has chosen SpaceX's Falcon Heavy to launch Europe's Rosalind Franklin rover to Mars, with a planned late-2028 liftoff.