Science & Earth

Researchers described Acanthochitona feroxa, a newly identified chiton species from specimens collected off South Korea, based on differences in shell features and mitochondrial genomes.

Russia has finished repairs to a damaged Baikonur launch pad and is preparing it for a March 22 Progress cargo launch to the International Space Station. Roscosmos said new equipment was installed at the service cabin complex and that the restoration met its winter deadline.

Perseverance is collecting and caching rock and surface samples at Jezero Crater for eventual return to Earth, and NASA is preparing missions to study icy moons such as Europa, Enceladus and Titan.

Ahead of World Wildlife Day on 3 March, IUCN specialists highlighted the importance of medicinal and aromatic plants for ecosystems, medicines and livelihoods, and reported that many species face threats from habitat loss, unsustainable harvesting and climate change.

A total lunar eclipse on March 3 will turn the Moon red and will be visible across parts of eastern Asia, Australia, the Pacific, and much of the Americas; Venus and Saturn appear about one degree apart in the evening sky on March 8.

Phoenix experienced consecutive record-warm winter days around Feb. 27–March 1, and experts attribute the stretch to a combination of La Niña conditions and long-term climate warming.

A Yale School of the Environment study published in the Proceeding of the National Academy of Sciences reports the 1.5‑million‑acre Everglades removes about 13.7 million metric tons of CO2 per year and that mangroves capture more carbon while freshwater marshes emit proportionally more methane.

Preliminary data show meteorological winter 2025–26 was the warmest on record across a large part of the western United States, based on 131 years of climate data. The contiguous U.S. recorded its second-warmest meteorological winter as cooler conditions in the East limited a nationwide record.

Florida's Space Coast recorded 109 orbital launches in 2025, and by the end of February 2026 fourteen rockets had flown from the region. Cape Canaveral's March slate begins with SpaceX Starlink missions on March 1 and March 4, while Blue Origin New Glenn and NASA's Artemis II are listed as later missions with windows to be announced.

A new study reports nearly 3 billion fewer wild birds in the United States and Canada since 1970, a decline of about 29% from roughly 10.1 billion to 7.2 billion, based on weather radar, long-term surveys and modeling.

March brings nine notable night-sky events, led by a total lunar eclipse visible across parts of Asia, Australia and North America, alongside multiple planet pairings, zodiacal light near the spring equinox, and the vernal equinox on March 20.

The article reports that herbicides, fungicides, insecticides and treated seeds can damage beneficial soil organisms and reduce soil fertility; a 2021 review of nearly 400 studies is cited as finding that pesticides can harm soil ecosystems.

Research links sustained social engagement to preserved memory and brain structure in some adults over 80, and recent studies and reviews describe ways AI could help identify isolation, connect people to services, and provide cognitive interaction.

Experts report that old potting soil is usually safe to add to garden beds when the plants grown in it were healthy; soil from containers with known pests or disease should be sanitized first, for example by solarization or occultation.

A planetary alignment involving six planets is expected to be best visible in Arizona on the evening of Feb. 28, with twilight timing, cloud cover and local light pollution affecting whether all planets can be seen.

Patagonia stopped selling Atlantic mackerel after local stocks declined and has switched to smoked Chilean jack mackerel sourced from recovering South Pacific fisheries.

Artemis II will be the U.S.'s first crewed trip around the moon in more than 50 years and will carry Victor Glover and Christina Koch as the first Black and first female astronauts to make the lunar flyby.

A brief warm spell brought highs into the 60s with abundant sunshine in the D.C. area, but a cold front will cool temperatures and may bring some wintry precipitation early next week.

NASA announced a 2027 Artemis docking test in low-Earth orbit to exercise Orion with commercial lunar landers, and said it would cancel an SLS upper-stage upgrade to focus on higher production and flight rate.

Earthshine is sunlight reflected from Earth that faintly illuminates the Moon's dark side, most visible around the new Moon and slim crescent phases; it peaks in Northern Hemisphere spring with a smaller peak in Southern Hemisphere spring.

NASA plans to standardize the Space Launch System into a single configuration to raise launch frequency, with the agency aiming for launches as often as every 10 months; contractors have been briefed and Boeing publicly signaled at least some support.

Rain soaked into the Sierra Nevada snowpack and refroze, raising California’s median snow water equivalent from 70% to 75% between Monday and Wednesday, according to UC Berkeley monitoring reported by SFGATE. Statewide snowpack remains at about 61% of average peak, with regional differences reported.

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a water plan tied to Senate Bill 72 that sets a 9 million acre-feet supply target for 2040 and calls for improved data and planning. The proposal emphasizes conservation, stormwater capture and recycling, and the Department of Water Resources will convene an advisory group with its first meeting in April.

Researchers report that rete ridges form after birth and that a bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) pathway helps build these structures; the team used pig skin as a model.

NASA announced that Artemis 3 will no longer land astronauts and will instead perform an Earth-orbit rendezvous in 2027; the agency now plans the first crewed lunar landing for Artemis 4 in 2028.

A study of humpbacks breeding around New Caledonia found that as populations recovered, females increasingly favored older males, who generally sang more elaborate songs; researchers reached this conclusion using genetic analysis of skin samples and song observations.

NASA announced an overhaul of the Artemis program that adds a 2027 in‑orbit docking test (relabelled Artemis III) and targets a crewed lunar landing in 2028 as Artemis IV, while cancelling the Boeing-developed Exploration Upper Stage.

For the first time since June 8, 2022, the Earth-facing side of the sun recorded consecutive spotless days, ending a 1,335-day streak, but new sunspots rotated into view a few days later and experts say Solar Cycle 25 is waning yet remains active.

NASA announced a revised Artemis schedule that adds a 2027 orbital docking test for a lunar lander and aims for one or two crewed moon landings in 2028.

National Weather Service probability maps show widespread chances of snow across the Northeast on Friday, with local totals up to 11 inches and winter storm warnings in parts of northern New York and Vermont.