Science & Earth

Medicare began a six-year pilot in six states that uses artificial intelligence to review prior authorization requests for 14 services; researchers say it could reduce spending but also risks delaying or denying necessary care.

A 20-year randomized trial of 2,021 adults 65 and older found that only speed-focused, adaptive brain-training was associated with a lower rate of dementia, with a stronger effect among participants who received booster sessions; memory and reasoning drills showed no clear benefit.

NASA's SPHEREx spacecraft detected organic molecules such as methanol, cyanide and methane on the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS, and some researchers say these findings prompt questions about the origin of those materials.

Researchers used two AI agents to simulate play on a worn oval stone found at Coriovallum and found gameplay patterns consistent with blocking games, supporting the interpretation that the artifact was a game board.

Expedition 74 crew aboard the ISS set up protein-crystal and exercise research hardware and practiced Soyuz quick-return procedures, while NASA and SpaceX moved the Crew-12 launch to no earlier than 5:38 a.m. EST on Feb. 12 due to forecasted weather along the Dragon flight path.

Cortina experienced unseasonably warm February weather with daytime temperatures near 40°F (4.5°C), and officials say climate change has made such warmth more likely while organizers monitor conditions for the 2026 Winter Games.

Research aboard the International Space Station helped develop life‑support and safety systems for NASA's Artemis II Orion spacecraft and established methods—like organ‑chip studies and observation frameworks—that will be used during the Artemis II flight.

Using JWST spectra, researchers report the three inner gas giants in HR 8799 show heavy-element enrichment consistent with core-accretion formation, and hydrogen sulfide was detected on at least one planet.

An IPBES assessment approved by 150 governments warns that businesses depend on nature's services and face serious risks if biodiversity declines; the report also notes that fewer than 1% of publicly reporting companies mention biodiversity impacts.

SpaceX's Elon Musk tweeted that the company is focusing on building a self-growing lunar city that he said could be completed in under 10 years while Mars would take longer; NASA's Artemis II crewed lunar flight was postponed after a wet dress rehearsal and now has a possible launch window in early March–April 2026.

Soot from ships is darkening Arctic ice and accelerating regional warming, and a coalition of countries has proposed an IMO rule to require cleaner "polar fuels" for ships north of the 60th parallel; that proposal is scheduled for review at an IMO Pollution Prevention and Response Committee meeting this week and possibly another committee in April.

NASA and scientists use telescopes such as the James Webb Space Telescope to analyze exoplanet atmospheres for gases linked to life, while studies of Earth’s extremophiles and the habitable zone help narrow the search.

Zero Waste France published a policy report ahead of the 2026 municipal elections urging local governments to reduce single-use plastics; it notes average plastic consumption in France is about 70 kg per person per year and says recycling alone is insufficient to meet reduction goals.

Maryland officials say this winter produced one of the state's worst oyster seasons, and Rep. Andy Harris has asked NOAA to review an economic fishery disaster declaration that could unlock federal relief.

With Artemis II delayed to March, NASA's SpaceX Crew-12 could launch to the International Space Station as early as 6:01 a.m. ET on Feb. 11 from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral.

Crew 12 — Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, Sophie Adenot and Andrey Fedyaev — are scheduled to launch Wednesday to the International Space Station and will restore the station's crew to seven after an early Crew 11 return for a medical issue.

Crew 12 — Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, Sophie Adenot and Andrey Fedyaev — are scheduled to launch Wednesday on a Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral to replace Crew 11 after an early return for a medical issue, with docking expected Thursday; the flight was moved up after NASA delayed Artemis II.

The Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at Brookhaven National Laboratory completed its 25-year run with a final set of collisions, and the lab plans to reuse part of RHIC's infrastructure to build an Electron-Ion Collider over the next decade.

A five-story round-up from Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Dorset, Berkshire and Oxfordshire highlights vehicle damage to a rare chalk stream and reported sewer discharges into a Dorset stream.

Arctic blasts and heavy snow affected more than 30 U.S. states in late January and early February and were linked to over 120 deaths, while numerous daily low-temperature records were broken. Scientists report ongoing uncertainty about how rapid Arctic warming and sea ice loss influence the jet stream and outbreaks of frigid air.

The Old Farmer's Almanac highlights several easily visible sky events across North America this year, including a total lunar eclipse on March 3 and notable meteor showers in August and December.

Curiosity used a solvent called TMAH to treat a powdered rock sample from the Nevado Sajama site to search for carbon-based molecules; two of three phases of the redesigned three-stage experiment have been run and scientists say results will take months to interpret.

Record winter cold left more than 500 sea turtles cold-stunned and in care at Gulf Specimen Marine Laboratory, and local agencies arranged shelter for unhoused neighbors; Bad Bunny won Album of the Year and urged love over hate in his acceptance speech.

The FAA approved SpaceX's Falcon 9 to resume flights after an upper-stage issue, and NASA's Crew-12 launch is scheduled for Feb. 11 from Cape Canaveral.

NASA will stream live coverage of prelaunch, launch and docking for the SpaceX Crew-12 mission; liftoff is targeted no earlier than 6:01 a.m. EST on Feb. 11 and docking is targeted for about 10:30 a.m. EST on Feb. 12.

Episode 410 of NASA Johnson Space Center’s podcast features the four members of Crew-12 describing their backgrounds, training and plans to join Expedition 74 and 75 on the International Space Station; interviews were recorded November 2025 through January 2026.

Stanford researchers published the first global map of continental mantle earthquakes in Science, showing regional clusters such as the Himalayas and the Bering Strait.

A University of Sydney doctoral student reproduced cosmic dust in a lab by running nitrogen, carbon dioxide and acetylene through a glow-discharge plasma; the few milligrams of nanoparticles were collected on silicon wafers and the results were published in The Astrophysical Journal.

NASA says the SpaceX Crew-12 mission, led by Commander Jessica Meir, could launch as soon as 6 a.m. ET on Feb. 11 from Pad 40 at Cape Canaveral.

Forecasters say light, 'nuisance' rain may begin Sunday evening in the Bay Area after a month without notable precipitation, and the National Weather Service predicts a shift toward a wetter pattern by mid-February.