Science & Earth

NASA says Crew 11 will return to Earth this week after a 'serious medical condition' affecting one astronaut; the agency says the crew member is stable and splashdown is scheduled for early Thursday.

NASA is asking U.S. industry, academia and other government agencies to rank consolidated technology shortfalls through Feb. 20, 2026, and has condensed 187 earlier shortfalls into 32 broader categories for stakeholder feedback.

Researchers at the EAST tokamak report achieving a "density-free regime" that produced plasma densities about 65% above the Greenwald limit. The result, described in Science Advances, used controlled start-up conditions and plasma-wall self-organization.

Meteorologists report much less winter snow across parts of the Himalayas compared with 1980–2020 averages, and researchers say snow persistence and winter precipitation have fallen in recent years.

A GPS-collar study of 87 subadult mountain lions in California found that roads and development limit young adults' movements, increasing population isolation and reducing genetic diversity.

Two men died in an avalanche near Longs Pass in the Cascade Mountains; two others survived and were evacuated, and the bodies were recovered the following day.

The Supreme Court will consider whether lawsuits by Louisiana parishes over coastal erosion belong in federal or state court; the article says oil companies invoke wartime contracts and the federal officer removal statute, and eight justices will hear the matter.

Astronomers reported that Cloud-9 is a starless hydrogen cloud about 14 million light-years away and the first confirmed RELHIC, and Hubble observations indicate it is embedded in roughly 5 billion solar masses of dark matter.

The Met Office has issued yellow warnings for rain and wind in parts of Scotland as temperatures rise and snow melts, and multiple flood alerts and warnings have been posted while water companies report supply impacts.

The National Weather Service says snow squalls and isolated snow showers are possible Sunday afternoon across New Jersey with wind gusts up to 45 mph, and forecasters are tracking a potential coastal storm later in the week.

Elon Musk said X will publish its recommendation algorithm and the code that selects posts and ads in seven days, and that updates with developer notes will follow every four weeks. The company has been integrating its Grok AI into recommendations and has faced regulatory scrutiny over content and image-generation issues.

A Chinese research team reports a lab-scale high-voltage sodium‑sulfur battery that exceeded 2,000 Wh/kg in early tests and endured about 1,400 charge-discharge cycles; the design uses sulfur, sodium, aluminum and a chlorine-based electrolyte.

About 445 million years ago the Late Ordovician Mass Extinction removed roughly 85% of marine species, and a new Science Advances study reports that isolated refuges after the event allowed jawed vertebrates to diversify and later spread.

NOAA data indicate atmospheric carbon dioxide has risen far faster in recent decades than at the end of the last ice age, and the columnist argues that an "ethical pessimism" better fits the scale and unpredictability of human-driven warming.

Wildfires in Victoria have burned nearly 900,000 acres and killed at least one person, with dozens of homes destroyed and more than 30 fires reported across the state.

NASA's XRISM X-ray telescope detected X-ray reflections from a molecular cloud near the galaxy's center, which the article reports as evidence of powerful eruptions from the central supermassive black hole over roughly the past 1,000 years.

The article reports that quantum computing remains early-stage and error-prone, and that IBM, Alphabet and Nvidia are among large tech companies developing chips, software and linking systems for the field.

Researchers report Y‑chromosome fragments from a red chalk drawing and related family letters that belong to haplogroup E1b1b linked to Tuscany, and they present the results in a BioRxiv preprint while cautioning the match is not yet conclusive.

A Science Advances study led by Florida International University used DNA evidence to show that fins from several CITES-listed shark species remain commonly sold in Hong Kong, and the authors report widespread noncompliance with required trade reporting.

NASA and SpaceX are targeting no earlier than 5 p.m. EST on Jan. 14 for the Crew‑11 Dragon undocking, with an approximate splashdown off the coast of California around 3:40 a.m. EST on Jan. 15; the earlier return follows a reported medical concern involving a crew member who is described as stable.

Hubble observations found no stars in Cloud-9 and researchers report it matches a predicted class of starless, gas-rich dark-matter clouds called Reionization-Limited H I Clouds (RELHICs).

Researchers report nine unusual objects found in archival James Webb Space Telescope data that are small and compact but lack clear signs of bright quasars or active supermassive black holes. The objects show narrow spectral lines indicating slower gas motions, and the team says more examples and follow-up data are needed to determine their nature.

NASA said it will bring Crew 11 home next week after an unidentified crew member experienced a medical issue, and officials reported the crew member is stable. NASA is targeting undocking no earlier than Jan. 14 with a splashdown off California around Jan. 15, subject to weather and recovery checks.

The Great Barrier Reef still supports abundant marine life in parts, but it has suffered repeated mass bleaching and other pressures; scientists, island research programs, and some tourism operations are involved in restoration and monitoring efforts.

A scientific report found global ocean heat content rose by about 23 zettajoules in 2025, marking the ninth consecutive year of record marine warming; the authors link the trend mainly to rising greenhouse gas emissions.

The National Weather Service says widespread rain will impact New Jersey today with totals up to about 1 to 1.5 inches in places; a strong cold front may bring isolated rain or snow showers and gusts up to 40–45 mph on Sunday.

The moose has long symbolized Maine and was placed on the state seal in 1820 and named the state animal in 1987; its population fell in the 18th–19th centuries and later rebounded after hunting regulations and forest regeneration. Recent concerns about parasites, warming temperatures, and habitat shifts have renewed attention to moose health.

A study published in Earth's Future outlines several worst‑case climate scenarios that could affect the U.K., and researchers say decision‑makers lack the tools to test those outcomes.

NASA postponed the Expedition 74 spacewalk scheduled for Jan. 8 because of a medical concern involving one crew member; officials say the crew member is stable and the agency is reviewing options, including advancing Crew‑11's return date.

In a 12-person clinical study, applying arginine to dental biofilms raised pH after sugar exposure and altered biofilm carbohydrate composition and the mix of bacteria.