Science & Earth

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.

More than 61% of the contiguous United States is in moderate to exceptional drought, and NOAA recorded its highest March drought index since 1895; experts say these conditions increase risks for wildfires, water shortages and agricultural impacts.

A Navy medical team opened the Orion module hatch and welcomed the Artemis II crew after their Pacific splashdown, and commander Reid Wiseman shared video of the moment on X. The four astronauts were taken aboard the USS John P. Murtha for medical evaluation after a 10-day lunar mission.

Gen. Stephen N. Whiting said the U.S. is "very concerned" that Russia may be developing a nuclear anti-satellite weapon in orbit; he warned such a weapon would violate the 1967 Outer Space Treaty and could put satellites that support communications and GPS at risk.

Archaeologists uncovered a 2,200-year-old circular temple to the deity Pelusius at Tell el-Farama in Pelusium, featuring a roughly 35-meter basin and water channels linked to the Nile, which suggests the sanctuary was used for sacred water rituals.

Manitoba, the federal government and four First Nations announced a joint $4-million endowment and opened public consultation on a proposal to manage the Seal River watershed through a network of protected areas, including an Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area, a provincial park and a national park reserve.

Readers submitted thousands of entries to a Telegraph competition judged by astronaut Tim Peake; the winner flew in a Spitfire on April 17. The article shares selected tributes, including veterans' stories, poems and family memories.

Jeremy Hansen, a member of the four-person Artemis II crew, returned to Earth after a 10-day lunar fly-around and described views of Earth and the moon as "pretty extraordinary." The mission marked the first human trip beyond low Earth orbit in more than 50 years and represented a milestone for Canada’s role in the Artemis partnership.

The Guggenheim Foundation named four UC Berkeley faculty — historians Elena Conis and Hannah Zeavin, biologist Rasmus Nielsen and bioengineer Michael Yartsev — to its Class of 2026; each receives a stipend to pursue independent work under the fellowship.

Federal forecasters say a multiday severe weather outbreak has produced 37 preliminary tornado reports in three days, and another round of potentially destructive storms is expected to peak Friday into Friday night.

Experts say dogs labeled "difficult" are often a mismatch between breed instincts and modern lifestyles, and that environment, training and socialization shape day-to-day behavior as much as breed.

The Artemis II crew said their capsule was surrounded by plasma during a high-speed re-entry and they splashed down in the Pacific after a 10-day mission.

OpenAI announced GPT-Rosalind, an AI model for life‑sciences research, and will provide an early research preview to business customers including Amgen, Moderna and the Allen Institute.

A nine-metre, 10-tonne humpback whale that became stuck on a sandbar in the Coolongolook River was freed and guided back into deeper water off Forster on April 14 after a multi-agency rescue using heavy-duty slings.

Forecasters say La Niña has ended and there is an increasing chance of a strong — possibly very strong — El Niño that could influence Arizona's precipitation and temperatures.

OpenAI has released an early research preview of GPT-Rosalind, an AI model aimed at life sciences research; the model will first be available to a limited set of business customers, including Amgen and Moderna.

Jeremy Hansen described his Artemis II trip around the moon and said he enjoyed the launch; he also reported not experiencing space sickness.

A new study in Science Advances compares climate-model projections with observations and estimates a 43–58% slowdown of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation by 2100, with the best method giving about a 50% weakening at roughly 90% probability.

Companies are expanding community solar and other renewable investments, and U.S. solar panels typically have about a 25-year usable life, creating a growing need for recycling and disposal planning.

Jeremy Hansen will be the first Canadian to travel around the moon as a member of the Artemis 2 crew, and the mission could launch as soon as April 1.

Astronaut Christina Koch said the Artemis program will likely lead to a diverse lunar crew, and Artemis II was the first deep‑space flight to include both a woman and a Black astronaut; NASA has not announced crews beyond Artemis II.

A small planet parade of Mercury, Mars, Jupiter and Neptune began April 16 and continues through late April, visible low on the eastern horizon just before sunrise; the article identifies April 18–24 as the clearest period and notes Neptune requires a telescope to see.

Five of six Wellcome Leap Q4Bio Phase III finalist teams used IBM quantum hardware to run large-scale quantum algorithms, and the winning team led by Algorithmiq, Cleveland Clinic, and IBM executed simulations for photodynamic therapy on circuits up to 100 qubits.

During an April 6 flyby the Artemis II crew reported several millisecond flashes on the lunar far side that mission scientists described as meteorite impacts; researchers plan to combine those observations with orbital data and future seismometer measurements to refine impact rates and assess risks to lunar infrastructure.

UT Energy Week 2026 brought researchers, industry leaders, policymakers and students together for five days of panels on nuclear education, geothermal power, AI data centers and system-level planning tools. Presenters described growing nuclear programs, geothermal work for on-site generation, and the COMPASS Consortium's framework for coordinating power, water and land use.

A Zacks article reports Rocket Lab has expanded into a vertically integrated space company and is positioned to supply sensor satellites and optical communications for the U.S. 'Golden Dome' defense project, which the article places at about $185 billion.

Mercury, Mars, Saturn and Neptune will appear clustered in the pre-dawn eastern sky April 16–23, 2026, with the clearest grouping expected April 18–20 about 30 minutes before sunrise; Neptune will require optical aid to see.