Science

Is Dimethyl Sulfide Really a Sign of Alien Life? Dimethyl sulfide is in the news after NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope may have detected relatively high levels of it in the atmosphere of an exoplanet called K2-18 b By Meghan Bartels edited by Dean Visser An artist’s depiction of exoplanet K2-18 b. NASA, ESA, CSA, […]

Why Astronomers Are Not Sold on New Alien Life Claims NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope detected an intriguing compound in the atmosphere of the exoplanet K2-18 b, but scientists are divided about what the chemical means By Alexandra Witze & Nature magazine Artist’s impression of the exoplanet K2-18b. A. Smith/N. Mandhusudhan, University of Cambridge A

For most of us, it is a foregone conclusion that you will go to work and come home safely at the end of the day. If there is a hazard in your workplace, and the odds are good there is one, the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health tries to identify it, understand it

Europe Targets Clothes, Appliances and Tires in Crackdown on Wasteful Consumerism New European Union regulations will require products that last longer and are easier to recycle By James Fernyhough & E&E News CLIMATEWIRE | BRUSSELS — Textiles, furniture, tires and mattresses will be subject to much stricter design standards to ensure they last longer, as

‘Chaos’ Angle Explains Why Pedestrian Traffic Snarls to a Stop In general, crowds like to form lanes to get across—until too many people go in too many different directions By Gayoung Lee edited by Allison Parshall Humans walking in crowds tend to form orderly lanes. It’s something we do “without even knowing [why],” says Iker

RFK, Jr. Is Wrong about Cause of Rising Autism Rates, Scientists Say Autism rates are rising, but RFK, Jr. is wrong about the reasons. Here’s what the science says By Stephanie Pappas edited by Jeanna Bryner Research suggests that autism is between 60 and 90 percent heritable. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., head of the Department

When the tide goes out, everyone can see who’s swimming naked. In the Trump era’s tsunami against science, we’re learning that among those pretenders—long mouthing support for vulnerable people but then standing silent when it matters—are too many scientific societies, the professional or special interest groups that are supposed to advocate for their researcher members.

North America May Be Dripping Away Deep under the Midwest A long-lost slab of Earth’s crust may be pulling away the bottom of the oldest part of North America, scientists say By Meghan Bartels edited by Andrea Thompson Victor Josan/Alamy Stock Photo Something very strange appears to be happening deep, deep beneath the Midwest and

CLIMATEWIRE | America’s energy transition will slow — but won’t stop entirely — if President Donald Trump is successful in repealing environmental regulations and slashing green subsidies, according to a pair of analyses released Tuesday. The annual energy outlooks from the U.S. Energy Information Administration and BloombergNEF offer a window to the country’s potential energy

Preliminary copies of some of the US government’s spending plans suggest that President Donald Trump’s administration intends to slash climate and space science across some US agencies. At risk is research that would develop next-generation climate models, track the planet’s changing oceans and explore the Solar System. NASA’s science budget for the fiscal year 2026