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Tag: Science

  • SpaceX aims to launch nearly 30 Starlink satellites

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    CAPE CANAVERAL SPACE FORCE STATION — SpaceX is planning to launch nearly 30 Starlink satellites on Thursday night.  

    What You Need To Know

    • The company plans to send up its Falcon 9 rocket with Starlink 10-36 mission from Space Launch Complex 40

    The company plans to send up its Falcon 9 rocket with Starlink 10-36 mission from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, stated SpaceX.

    The launch window opens from 5 p.m. ET to 9 p.m. ET, which means SpaceX has during this time to send up its Falcon 9.

    The 45th Weather Squadron has given a 95% chance of a good launch forecast, with no concerns about the liftoff, which is a rarity.

    It is not uncommon for the squadron, for example, to report that there is a cumulus cloud rule that goes against the launch.

    Find out more about the weather criteria for a Falcon 9 launch.

    Going up into the black

    The rocket’s first-stage booster has been around the block. Called B1077, it has done one crewed mission and a heck of a lot of Starlink ones.

    1. Crew-5
    2. GPS III Space Vehicle 06
    3. Inmarsat I-6 F2
    4. CRS-28
    5. Intelsat G-37
    6. NG-20
    7. Optus-X
    8. Starlink 5-10 mission
    9. Starlink 6-13 mission
    10. Starlink 6-25 mission
    11. Starlink 6-33 mission
    12. Starlink 6-43 mission
    13. Starlink 6-51 mission
    14. Starlink 6-63 mission
    15. Starlink 10-4 mission
    16. Starlink 8-11 mission
    17. Starlink 6-71 mission
    18. Starlink 12-8 mission
    19. Starlink 12-25 mission
    20. Starlink 12-23 mission
    21. Starlink 12-19 mission
    22. Starlink 10-28 mission
    23. Starlink 10-14 mission
    24. Starlink 10-21 mission
    25. Starlink 6-95 mission

    After the stage separation, the first-stage rocket should land on the droneship Just Read the Instructions that will be in the Atlantic Ocean, which will be off the coast of the Bahamas.

    Understanding the mission

    SpaceX, which owns the Starlink satellite company, will send another 29 satellites to low-Earth orbit.

    Once deployed and in position, they will provide internet service to many places around the Earth.

    Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics’ Dr. Jonathan McDowell records the number of Starlink satellites that orbit our little blue-and-green planet.

    Before this launch, he recorded the following:

    • 9,708 are in orbit
    • 8,532 are in operational orbit

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    Anthony Leone

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  • Inside world’s top science society’s convention bashing Trump, pushing DEI, pronouns: ‘Felt like a funeral’

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    NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

    FIRST ON FOX: One of the world’s largest and most influential scientific societies held its annual conference last weekend, which a Fox News Digital review found was littered with examples of progressive messaging, criticisms of the Trump administration, and “woke” workshops.

    Attendees who showed up at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) event, held at the Phoenix Convention Center from Feb. 12-14, were immediately greeted at registration with identifier stickers that used gender pronouns such as “they/them,” “xi/xer,” “xe/xem,” and other descriptors that critics have alleged have little to do with science and biology.

    During the meeting’s opening night, shortly after a 10-minute hoop dance routine from traditional Native American dancers, AAAS CEO Dr. Sudip Parikh told the audience that it’s been a “hard” and “tough year for science and scientists in this country.”

    Parikh went on to blame DOGE for the “devastation” of “some of our science agencies” and the “president’s budget request” that “cut science by half” and, in his opinion, amounted to “forfeiting the future.”

    DOCTORS ON KEY US HEALTH TASK FORCE ACCUSED OF PRIORITIZING DEI OVER EVIDENCE-BASED MEDICINE

    The 2025 annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. (John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

    “What happened over the course of the last year is a rupture. We’re not going back, it’s not possible, too much damage has been done, too much has changed. There’s an entire generation of scientists that have a scar, a scar that is not going to go away,” Parikh explained, adding that scars can “make us tougher” and “become almost shields” that “build resilience.”

    Parikh told the crowd that he warned last year that Robert F. Kennedy Jr was the “wrong person” for Health and Human Services secretary and said, “I still feel that way,” which prompted laughter and applause from the crowd.

    “It’s going to take protests, it’s going to take politics, it’s going to take the ability to not speak gibberish, all of that has got to come together if we’re going to fight for the inheritance of the enlightenment to continue to make this world a better place,” Parikh said.

    Workshops at the event, which provided gender-neutral washrooms, included a session titled “Mao-Mei Liu: Nurturing Diversity in Science is Resistance,” and another called “Investigating the Role of Race in Clinical Decision-Making.”

    “Who Gets to Belong? Disability, Power, and Participation in Higher Education,” another workshop was called. 

    TOP MEDICAL SCHOOL MOVED DEI OFFICE TO SECRET LOCATION AS IT TRIES TO ‘EVADE ACCOUNTABILITY’: LEGAL GROUP

    Split of all gender bathroom sign and pronoun stickers at a convention for a top world science organization

    The 2026 annual AAAS conference provided guests with an all-gender washroom and gender pronoun stickers. (Fox News Digital)

    Dr. Theresa A. Maldonado, a world-renowned expert in electrical engineering, delivered the president’s address at the conference and also lamented what a difficult year 2025 was for science and suggested climate change was responsible for the devastating southern California wildfires last year.

    AAAS, the publisher of the highly respected Science magazine, posted several more videos over the course of the next few days, many including speakers who criticized the Trump administration and injected politics into discussions. 

    “Colonial Legacies, Climate Crises, and the Erosion of Mobility Choice” was another workshop that scientists at the conference were offered and in an interview with “climate justice scholar” Jola Ajibade, she explained how climate change has benefited a “few wealthy people” while “low-income communities are displaced.”

    “At the center of my work is giving a voice but also bringing to the attention of everyone the impact of a slew of climate solutions, the impact of those solutions on low-income communities, on Black communities, on indigenous, on Latino communities as well,” Ajibade explained, adding that she is focused on finding a “decolonial” approach. 

    Listed sponsors of the event included the Science Philanthropy Alliance, a group tied to the progressive consulting behemoth Arabella Advisors through the New Venture Fund, a nonprofit that pushes a variety of progressive causes. 

    “The whole thing that is sad for me is that when I attended these conferences in the first Trump administration there was plenty of liberal nonsense, but it still was a celebration of science and the achievements of the year, and you left excited,” an event attendee told Fox News Digital.

    “This year felt like a funeral, with nothing but griping and moaning. Why would people want to keep coming back year after year with something like that? I suspect that is why their attendance greatly suffered this year compared to the pre-COVID years. Their constant pleas to keep politics out of science are completely undercut by their perpetual whining and endorsing utter craziness. They’re happy for science to be political, as long as it’s leftist.”

    Additionally, as lawmakers in the United States continue to warn about the growing threat posed by China and what they believe is the CCP’s infiltration of top institutions in the United States — particularly in the medical and science fields — the AAAS conference opted to allow the Beijing-based research institute Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) to operate a booth at the event. 

    The state-run Chinese academy, which has faced controversy over its ties to China’s government and military, has collaborated with a Chinese medical technology firm linked to a 2013 U.S. bribery case involving NIH-funded research. The company has also installed equipment in leading American research labs.

    CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

    Demonstrators in Michigan protest Trump’s anti-DEI agenda.

    Protesters are seen outside a rally held by President Donald Trump at Macomb County Community College in Warren, Michigan. (Getty Images/Dominic Gwinn)

    “The AAAS says that their organization wants to ‘inspire’ future scientists and engineers, but session topics and material from their meeting actually discourage participants from relying on their effort and merit and turns the focus to race and ethnicity,” Johnathan Butcher, acting director of the Center for Education Policy at the Heritage Foundation, told Fox News Digital. 

    “These are the very same kind of racist ideas inspired by DEI that have been prohibited in universities, state governments, and the federal government, because the ideas violate state and federal civil rights laws,” Butcher added. “Policymakers should be aware of what this organization is doing and make sure the association is not promoting racial preferences in hiring, promotion or research awards in academia or anywhere else.”

    In a statement to Fox News Digital, an AAAS spokesperson said, “A broad spectrum of the scientific enterprise attends the meeting. The topics covered were wide-ranging across scientific disciplines and are proposed by scientists. AAAS respects their First Amendment right to free speech.”

    Andrew Mark Miller is a reporter at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to AndrewMark.Miller@Fox.com.

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  • NASA hopes fuel leaks are fixed as it launches another countdown test

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    This photo provided by NASA shows a full moon shining over NASA’s Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft, atop the mobile launcher at Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, on Feb. 1, 2026. (Sam Lott/NASA via AP)

    The Associated Press

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  • Science Confirms Choosing Joy Boosts Mind and Body

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    Science confirms choosing joy boosts mind and body, showing how gratitude and laughter support mental and physical wellness and makes life easier.

    We are in an era marked by stress, uncertainty, and constant digital noise and it is easy to swim in pool of misery. But there is hope, science confirms choosing joy boosts mind and body. Data delivers a surprisingly simple prescription for a better life: cultivate happiness on purpose. Researchers in psychology and neuroscience increasingly agree maintaining a positive outlook isn’t just a feel-good cliché — it has measurable benefits for mental health, physical well-being, productivity, and longevity.

    Studies in the field of positive psychology, pioneered by experts such as Martin Seligman, show individuals who intentionally practice optimism experience lower levels of stress hormones, improved immune response, and reduced risk of depression. A happy attitude doesn’t mean ignoring life’s challenges; rather, it involves training the brain to notice moments of joy, gratitude, and meaning even during difficult times.

    RELATED: Sip A Little Romance With The Best Valentine’s Cocktails

    When you experience something which makes you smile — whether it’s a silly joke, a favorite snack, or a song you love — your brain releases dopamine and serotonin, neurotransmitters linked to pleasure and emotional regulation. These chemicals help lower blood pressure, improve sleep, and enhance focus. Over time, repeatedly activating these neural pathways can rewire the brain to default toward positivity, a concept known as neuroplasticity.

    A 2023 review in behavioral health research found people who engage in daily gratitude or joy-spotting practices report higher life satisfaction and resilience. Even brief positive moments can interrupt cycles of rumination and anxiety, helping individuals regain perspective.

    One simple, science-backed habit is to intentionally seek out two or three small moments each day which spark joy. These don’t have to be grand gestures or expensive experiences. In fact, the most effective mood-boosters are often ordinary pleasures:

    • Listening to a favorite song during your commute
    • Sharing a lighthearted joke with a coworker
    • Enjoying a comforting sandwich or snack
    • Watching a funny video clip
    • Taking a few minutes to appreciate a sunset

    These micro-moments of happiness act like emotional anchors, reminding us life contains pockets of delight even amid busy schedules and personal challenges.

    Mental health experts warn chronic stress and negativity can contribute to inflammation, heart disease, and weakened immunity. Conversely, cultivating positive emotions has been linked to improved cardiovascular health and longer life expectancy. A landmark longitudinal study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found individuals with higher reported well-being had a significantly lower risk of premature mortality.

    Beyond physical health, a positive attitude can improve relationships and workplace performance. People who project optimism are often perceived as more approachable, collaborative, and resilient — qualities strengthening both personal and professional connections.

    RELATED: How Marijuana Can Heighten Intimacy With Your Partner

    Building a happier mindset is not about forcing cheerfulness; it’s about noticing what already brings a smile. Experts suggest keeping a simple “joy list” on your phone or jotting down one pleasant moment before bed. Over time, this practice trains your attention toward what makes life meaningful.

    In a world ften emphasizing what’s going wrong, choosing to find two or three small reasons to smile each day can be a quiet act of resilience. Science confirms what many have long suspected: happiness isn’t just a result of a good life — it’s a powerful tool for creating one.

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    JJ McKay

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  • NASA to conduct second wet dress rehearsal of Artemis II

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    KENNEDY SPACE CENTER — After detecting a liquid hydrogen leak during its first wet dress rehearsal of the Artemis II moon rocket, NASA will attempt a second test of the launch vehicle that will take humans back to the moon.

    What You Need To Know

    • The U.S. space agency is eyeing Thursday for a second wet dress rehearsal
    • If all goes well, March 6 might be the earliest chance for Artemis II launch
    • The first wet dress rehearsal found leaks; NASA replaced seals
    • RELATED coverage:

    The U.S. space agency is eyeing Thursday for a second wet dress rehearsal, as it will put more than 700,000 gallons of cryogenic fuel into the Space Launch System rocket during a test of that and the Orion capsule. It will also simulate a launch countdown, the ability to recycle the countdown clock and drain the tanks to practice for possible scrubs.

    “Launch controllers will arrive to their consoles in the Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 6:40 p.m. EST on Feb. 17 to begin the nearly 50-hour countdown. The simulated launch time is 8:30 p.m., Feb. 19, with a four-hour window for the test. While the Artemis II crew is not participating in the test, a team of personnel will go to the launch pad to practice Orion closeout operations, including closing the spacecraft’s hatches,” NASA explained on Monday.

    NASA provided a bit more detail on the test.

    During the rehearsal, the team will execute a detailed countdown sequence. Operators will conduct two runs of the last ten minutes of the countdown, known as terminal count. They will pause at T-1 minute and 30 seconds for up to three minutes, then resume until T-33 seconds before launch and pause again. After that, they will recycle the clock back to T-10 minutes and conduct a second terminal countdown to just inside of T-30 seconds before ending the sequence. This process simulates real-world conditions, including scenarios where a launch might be scrubbed due to technical or weather issues.

    During the first wet dress rehearsal on Monday, Feb. 02, NASA teams found a liquid hydrogen leak in an interface that is used to route the fuel into the SLS’s core stage, as well as other issues.

    In fact, that was the same section where a liquid hydrogen leak was found during the Artemis I mission.

    While technicians replaced two seals in that area since the Artemis II first pretest, this past weekend, NASA made additional fixes to issues that were discovered during a different test.

    “Over the weekend, teams replaced a filter in ground support equipment that was suspected of reducing the flow of liquid hydrogen during a Feb. 12 partial fueling test. The test provided enough data to allow engineers to plan toward a second wet dress rehearsal this week. Engineers have reconnected the line with the new filter and are reestablishing proper environmental conditions,” NASA stated in a blog post.

    Because the leak and other issues were discovered during the first wet dress rehearsal, NASA had to push the launch of the Artemis II to early March. It was supposed to launch early February.

    Officials stated that if all goes well, NASA will be eyeing March 6 as the earliest chance to launch the historical mission.

    But officials stressed that it all depends on how the second test goes and its findings.

    Once the Artemis II stacked rocket is ready for launch, it will send NASA’s Cmdr. Gregory Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency astronaut mission specialist Jeremy Hansen to the moon in a flyby mission.

    Artemis II launch attempt dates

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  • Biodegradable Mardi Gras beads help make Carnival season more sustainable

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    NEW ORLEANS — It is Carnival season in New Orleans. That means gazillions of green, gold and purple Mardi Gras beads.

    Once made of glass and cherished by parade spectators who were lucky enough to catch them, today cheap plastic beaded necklaces from overseas are tossed from floats by the handful. Spectators sometimes pile dozens around their necks, but many are trashed or left on the ground. A few years ago after heavy flooding, the city found more than 46 tons of them clogging its storm drains.

    The beads are increasingly viewed as a problem, but a Mardi Gras without beads also seems unfathomable. That is why it was a radical step when the Krewe of Freret made the decision last year to ban plastic beads from their parade.

    “Our riders loved it because the spectators don’t value this anymore,” Freret co-founder Greg Rhoades said. “It’s become so prolific that they dodge out of the way when they see cheap plastic beads coming at them.”

    This year, beads are back, but not the cheap plastic ones. Freret is one of three krewes throwing biodegradable beads developed at Louisiana State University.

    The “PlantMe Beads” are 3D-printed from a starch-based, commercially available material called polylactic acid, or PLA, graduate student Alexis Strain said. The individual beads are large hollow spheres containing okra seeds. That is because the necklaces can actually be planted, and the okra attracts bacteria that help them decompose.

    Kristi Trail, executive director of the Pontchartrain Conservancy, said plastic beads are a twofold problem. First, they clog the storm drains, leading to flooding. Then those that aren’t caught in the drains are washed directly into Lake Pontchartrain, where they can harm marine life. The group is currently preparing to study microplastics in the lake.

    The trend toward a more sustainable Mardi Gras has been growing for years and includes a small but growing variety of more thoughtful throws like food, soaps and sunglasses. Trail said there is no good data right now to say if those efforts are having an impact, but the group recently got a grant that should help them answer the question in the future.

    “Beads are obviously a problem, but we generate about 2.5 million pounds of trash from Mardi Gras,” Trail said.

    Strain works in the lab of Professor Naohiro Kato, an associate professor of biology at LSU. He first got the idea to develop biodegradable beads in 2013 after talking to people concerned about the celebration’s environmental impact. As a plant biologist, Kato knew that bioplastics could be made from plants and got curious about the possibilities.

    The first iteration of the lab’s biodegradable beads came in 2018, when they produced beads made from a bioplastic derived from microalgae. However, production costs were too high for the algae-based beads to offer a practical alternative to petroleum-based beads. Then Strain started experimenting with 3D printing, and the PlantMe Bead was born.

    For the 2026 Carnival season, LSU students have produced 3,000 PlantMe Bead necklaces that they are giving to three krewes in exchange for feedback on the design and on how well they are received by spectators.

    One funny thing, Kato said, is that people have told him they love how unique the PlantMe Beads are and want to keep them.

    “So wait a minute, if you want to keep it, the petroleum-plastic Mardi Gras bead is the best, because this won’t last,” he said.

    The lab is still working on ideas for a more sustainable Mardi Gras. Strain is experimenting with a different 3D printer material that biodegrades quickly without needing to be planted. Kato is talking with local schools about turning Mardi Gras bead-making into a community project. He envisions students 3D printing necklaces while learning about bioplastics and plant biology. And he is still exploring ways to make algae-based bioplastic commercially viable.

    Ultimately, however, Kato said, the goal should not be to replace one plastic bead with a less harmful one. He hopes Mardi Gras embraces the idea of less waste.

    Rhoades said Freret is moving in the same direction.

    “In 2025, we were the first krewe — major parading organization — to say, ‘No more. No more cheap beads. Let’s throw things that people value, that people appreciate, that can be used year-round,’ ” Rhoades said.

    One of the most coveted items they throw is baseball hats with the Freret logo. He sees people wearing the hats around the city, and he says other krewes have noticed.

    “I really believe that we, and other krewes, are able to inspire your larger krewes,” he said. “They want people to like their stuff. They want people take their stuff home, and use it, and talk about it, and post it on social media, and say, ‘Look what I just caught!’ ”

    ___

    Loller reported from Nashville, Tennessee.

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  • Biodegradable Mardi Gras beads help make Carnival season more sustainable

    [ad_1]

    NEW ORLEANS — It is Carnival season in New Orleans. That means gazillions of green, gold and purple Mardi Gras beads.

    Once made of glass and cherished by parade spectators who were lucky enough to catch them, today cheap plastic beaded necklaces from overseas are tossed from floats by the handful. Spectators sometimes pile dozens around their necks, but many are trashed or left on the ground. A few years ago after heavy flooding, the city found more than 46 tons of them clogging its storm drains.

    The beads are increasingly viewed as a problem, but a Mardi Gras without beads also seems unfathomable. That is why it was a radical step when the Krewe of Freret made the decision last year to ban plastic beads from their parade.

    “Our riders loved it because the spectators don’t value this anymore,” Freret co-founder Greg Rhoades said. “It’s become so prolific that they dodge out of the way when they see cheap plastic beads coming at them.”

    This year, beads are back, but not the cheap plastic ones. Freret is one of three krewes throwing biodegradable beads developed at Louisiana State University.

    The “PlantMe Beads” are 3D-printed from a starch-based, commercially available material called polylactic acid, or PLA, graduate student Alexis Strain said. The individual beads are large hollow spheres containing okra seeds. That is because the necklaces can actually be planted, and the okra attracts bacteria that help them decompose.

    Kristi Trail, executive director of the Pontchartrain Conservancy, said plastic beads are a twofold problem. First, they clog the storm drains, leading to flooding. Then those that aren’t caught in the drains are washed directly into Lake Pontchartrain, where they can harm marine life. The group is currently preparing to study microplastics in the lake.

    The trend toward a more sustainable Mardi Gras has been growing for years and includes a small but growing variety of more thoughtful throws like food, soaps and sunglasses. Trail said there is no good data right now to say if those efforts are having an impact, but the group recently got a grant that should help them answer the question in the future.

    “Beads are obviously a problem, but we generate about 2.5 million pounds of trash from Mardi Gras,” Trail said.

    Strain works in the lab of Professor Naohiro Kato, an associate professor of biology at LSU. He first got the idea to develop biodegradable beads in 2013 after talking to people concerned about the celebration’s environmental impact. As a plant biologist, Kato knew that bioplastics could be made from plants and got curious about the possibilities.

    The first iteration of the lab’s biodegradable beads came in 2018, when they produced beads made from a bioplastic derived from microalgae. However, production costs were too high for the algae-based beads to offer a practical alternative to petroleum-based beads. Then Strain started experimenting with 3D printing, and the PlantMe Bead was born.

    For the 2026 Carnival season, LSU students have produced 3,000 PlantMe Bead necklaces that they are giving to three krewes in exchange for feedback on the design and on how well they are received by spectators.

    One funny thing, Kato said, is that people have told him they love how unique the PlantMe Beads are and want to keep them.

    “So wait a minute, if you want to keep it, the petroleum-plastic Mardi Gras bead is the best, because this won’t last,” he said.

    The lab is still working on ideas for a more sustainable Mardi Gras. Strain is experimenting with a different 3D printer material that biodegrades quickly without needing to be planted. Kato is talking with local schools about turning Mardi Gras bead-making into a community project. He envisions students 3D printing necklaces while learning about bioplastics and plant biology. And he is still exploring ways to make algae-based bioplastic commercially viable.

    Ultimately, however, Kato said, the goal should not be to replace one plastic bead with a less harmful one. He hopes Mardi Gras embraces the idea of less waste.

    Rhoades said Freret is moving in the same direction.

    “In 2025, we were the first krewe — major parading organization — to say, ‘No more. No more cheap beads. Let’s throw things that people value, that people appreciate, that can be used year-round,’ ” Rhoades said.

    One of the most coveted items they throw is baseball hats with the Freret logo. He sees people wearing the hats around the city, and he says other krewes have noticed.

    “I really believe that we, and other krewes, are able to inspire your larger krewes,” he said. “They want people to like their stuff. They want people take their stuff home, and use it, and talk about it, and post it on social media, and say, ‘Look what I just caught!’ ”

    ___

    Loller reported from Nashville, Tennessee.

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  • Biodegradable Mardi Gras Beads Help Make Carnival Season More Sustainable

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    Once made of glass and cherished by parade spectators who were lucky enough to catch them, today cheap plastic beadnecklaces from overseas are tossed from floats by the handful. Spectators sometimes pile dozens around their necks, but many are trashed or left on the ground. A few years ago after heavy flooding, the city found more than 46 tons of them clogging its storm drains.

    The beads are increasingly viewed as a problem, but a Mardi Gras without beads also seems unfathomable. That is why it was a radical step when the Krewe of Freret made the decision last year to ban plastic beads from their parade.

    “Our riders loved it because the spectators don’t value this anymore,” Freret co-founder Greg Rhoades said. “It’s become so prolific that they dodge out of the way when they see cheap plastic beads coming at them.”

    This year, beads are back, but not the cheap plastic ones. Freret is one of three krewes throwing biodegradable beads developed at Louisiana State University.

    The “PlantMe Beads” are 3-D printed from a starch-based, commercially available material called polylactic acid, or PLA, graduate student Alexis Strain said. The individual beads are large hollow spheres containing okra seeds. That is because the necklaces can actually be planted, and the okra attracts bacteria that help them decompose.


    2.5 million pounds of trash

    Kristi Trail, executive director of the Pontchartrain Conservancy, said plastic beads are a twofold problem. First, they clog the storm drains, leading to flooding. Then those that aren’t caught in the drains are washed directly into Lake Pontchartrain, where they can harm marine life. The group is currently preparing to study microplastics in the lake.

    The trend toward a more sustainable Mardi Gras has been growing for years and includes a small but growing variety of more thoughtful throws like food, soaps and sunglasses. Trail said there is no good data right now to say if those efforts are having an impact, but the group recently got a grant that should help them answer the question in the future.

    “Beads are obviously a problem, but we generate about 2.5 million pounds of trash from Mardi Gras,” Trail said.


    First algae beads, now PlantMe beads

    Strain works in the lab of Professor Naohiro Kato, an associate professor of biology at LSU. He first got the idea to develop biodegradable beads in 2013 after talking to people concerned about the celebration’s environmental impact. As a plant biologist, Kato knew that bioplastics could be made from plants and got curious about the possibilities.

    The first iteration of the lab’s biodegradable beads came in 2018, when they produced beads made from a bioplastic derived from microalgae. However, production costs were too high for the algae-based beads to offer a practical alternative to petroleum-based beads. Then Strain started experimenting with 3-D printing, and the PlantMe Bead was born.

    For the 2026 Carnival season, LSU students have produced 3,000 PlantMe Bead necklaces that they are giving to three krewes in exchange for feedback on the design and on how well they are received by spectators.

    One funny thing, Kato said, is that people have told him they love how unique the PlantMe Beads are and want to keep them.

    “So wait a minute, if you want to keep it, the petroleum-plastic Mardi Gras bead is the best, because this won’t last,” he said.


    ‘Let’s throw things that people value’

    The lab is still working on ideas for a more sustainable Mardi Gras. Strain is experimenting with a different 3-D printer material that biodegrades quickly without needing to be planted. Kato is talking with local schools about turning Mardi Gras bead-making into a community project. He envisions students 3-D printing necklaces while learning about bioplastics and plant biology. And he is still exploring ways to make algae-based bioplastic commercially viable.

    Ultimately, however, Kato said, the goal should not be to replace one plastic bead with a less harmful one. He hopes Mardi Gras embraces the idea of less waste.

    Rhoades said Freret is moving in the same direction.

    “In 2025, we were the first krewe — major parading organization — to say, ‘No more. No more cheap beads. Let’s throw things that people value, that people appreciate, that can be used year-round,’ ” Rhoades said.

    One of the most coveted items they throw is baseball hats with the Freret logo. He sees people wearing the hats around the city, and he says other krewes have noticed.

    “I really believe that we, and other krewes, are able to inspire your larger krewes,” he said. “They want people to like their stuff. They want people take their stuff home, and use it, and talk about it, and post it on social media, and say, ‘Look what I just caught!’ ”

    Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

    Photos You Should See – Feb. 2026

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    Associated Press

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  • Four new astronauts arrive at the ISS to replace NASA’s evacuated crew

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    CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The International Space Station returned to full strength with Saturday’s arrival of four new astronauts to replace colleagues who bailed early because of health concerns.

    SpaceX delivered the U.S., French and Russian astronauts a day after launching them from Cape Canaveral.

    Last month’s medical evacuation was NASA’s first in 65 years of human spaceflight. One of four astronauts launched by SpaceX last summer suffered what officials described as a serious health issue, prompting their hasty return. That left only three crew members to keep the place running — one American and two Russians — prompting NASA to pause spacewalks and trim research.

    Moving in for eight to nine months are NASA’s Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, France’s Sophie Adenot and Russia’s Andrei Fedyaev. Meir, a marine biologist, and Fedyaev, a former military pilot, have lived up there before. During her first station visit in 2019, Meir took part in the first all-female spacewalk.

    Adenot, a military helicopter pilot, is only the second French woman to fly in space. Hathaway is a captain in the U.S. Navy.

    NASA has refused to divulge the identity of the astronaut who fell ill in orbit on Jan. 7 or explain what happened, citing medical privacy. The ailing astronaut and three others returned to Earth more than a month sooner than planned. They spent their first night back on Earth at the hospital before returning to Houston.

    The space agency said it did not alter its preflight medical checks for their replacements.

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    The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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  • US ocean regulator faces criticism over changes to right whale protection rule

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    PORTLAND, Maine — The U.S.’s ocean regulator plans to make industry-friendly changes to a longstanding rule designed to protect vanishing whales, prompting criticism from environmental groups who cite the recent death of an endangered whale.

    The rules protect the North Atlantic right whale, which numbers less than 400 and lives off the East Coast. The giant animals are protected by a vessel speed rule that requires large ships to slow down at certain times to avoid collisions, which is a leading cause of death for the whales.

    The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said in a Thursday statement to The Associated Press that it plans to soon announce proposed new rules designed to “modernize” the whale protections. The proposal will be a “deregulatory-focused action” that will seek to “reduce unnecessary regulatory and economic burdens while ensuring responsible conservation practices for endangered North Atlantic right whales,” the statement said.

    A notice of rulemaking about the right whale rules is listed on the U.S. Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs website, but it does not include any details about the proposal. NOAA said in its statement that more information about the rules was forthcoming and that the agency was focused on “implementing new technologies, engineering approaches, and other advanced tools” to protect the whales.

    Several environmental groups criticized the move away from vessel speed rules. Some cited the Feb. 10 confirmation of the death of a 3-year-old female whale off Virginia. The cause of the animal’s death was not yet determined, but it died at a far younger age than typical.

    “Another female right whale — the future of this species — has lost her life. We urgently need more right whale protections, not fewer. The Trump administration’s apparent determination to weaken the vessel speed rule could not come at a worse time,” said Jane Davenport, senior attorney at conservation group Defenders of Wildlife.

    Right whales migrate every year from calving grounds off Florida and Georgia to feeding grounds off New England and Canada. Along the way, they are vulnerable to collisions with ships and entanglement in commercial fishing gear. They were once numerous off the East Coast but were decimated during the commercial whaling era and have been federally protected for decades.

    The Biden administration planned to expand slow zones off the East Coast to protect the whales. It also planned to expand the classes of boats required to slow down. However, the federal government withdrew the proposal in the final days of the administration, with officials saying it didn’t have time to finalize the regulations due to the scope and volume of public comments.

    Some shipping businesses and other marine industries have long pushed back at vessel speed rules. The National Marine Manufacturers Association has described speed restrictions as “archaic” and advocated for solutions that rely on technology.

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  • Crew-12 docks with the International Space Station on Valentine’s Day

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    CAPE CANAVERAL SPACE FORCE STATION — After a 34-hour commute from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, the four members of the Crew-12 docked with the International Space Station on Valentine’s Day.

    And they will spend the next eight months conducting various experiments.

    What You Need To Know

    • Crew-12 will be spending the next eight months conducting various experiments

    Early Friday morning, NASA astronauts Cmdr. Jessica Meir and pilot Jack Hathaway, and mission specialists European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev took off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, according to both NASA and SpaceX.

    Taking off from a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, they left the little round Earth at 5:15 a.m. ET.

    The quartet’s ride — SpaceX’s Dragon capsule called Freedom — docked with the International Space Station’s space-facing Harmony module at around 3:15 p.m. ET.

    The Dragon docked autonomously, but if needed to, Hathaway could have docked it manually.

    “The Crew-12 mission is the 20th human spaceflight mission that SpaceX has launched. Also, when the Dragon capsule docks with the International Space Station, it will be the 51st time a Dragon spacecraft has docked with ISS or has visited ISS, I should say,” explained Julianna Scheiman, SpaceX’s director of NASA Science and Dragon Programs, during the press conference after Friday’s launch.

    Freedom has participated in four other crewed missions:

    Crew-12 will be welcomed by NASA astronaut Christopher Williams and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikayev.

    Williams pressurized a small section where Crew-12 docked with the space station and leak checks were being conducted. Once that area was ready, then procedures took place for the Dragon crewmembers to board the station.

    Before Crew-12 boarded the space station, Adenot requested a private medical conference call between the Dragon members and NASA. The U.S. space agency did not reveal the nature of the call.

    They were to be greeted by Crew-11, but the mission was cut short after one of the crew members suffered a medical episode. The medical issue and the name of the person have not been disclosed.

    The Crew-12 will join Expedition 74; an expedition is the current crew onboard the International Space Station.

    During their eight-month stay, the Crew-12 will be conducting a variety of health-related experiments, as well as a study to simulate moon landings.  

     

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    Anthony Leone

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  • A ‘ring of fire’ solar eclipse will dazzle people and penguins in Antarctica

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    NEW YORK — The first solar eclipse of the year will grace Antarctica, and only a lucky few will get to bask — or waddle — in its glow.

    Tuesday’s annular solar eclipse, known as a “ ring of fire,” will only be visible in the southernmost continent, home to research stations and diverse wildlife.

    “The penguins down there are going to have a great show,” said astronomer Joe Llama with Lowell Observatory.

    Clear skies permitting, more people can catch a partial eclipse with small bites taken out of the sun from the tips of Chile and Argentina and bits of southeastern Africa including Madagascar, Lesotho and South Africa.

    Solar eclipses happen when the sun, moon and Earth align just so. The moon casts a shadow that can partially or totally block out the sun’s light from Earth.

    It’s “this beautiful coincidence between the size and the distance of the moon and the sun,” said astrophysicist Emily Rice with the City University of New York.

    During an annular, or ring-shaped, eclipse, the moon just happens to be farther away from Earth in its orbit so it doesn’t totally cover the sun. Only a thin sliver remains visible.

    “The sun essentially gets its core taken out,” Llama said.

    Solar eclipses happen a few times a year, but are only visible from places in the path of the moon’s shadow. Two partial eclipses happened last year, and the last total solar eclipse swept across North America in 2024.

    Looking directly at the sun is dangerous even when most of it is covered so make sure to grab eclipse glasses. They block out ultraviolet light from the sun and nearly all visible light. Sunglasses and binoculars aren’t protective enough.

    Eclipse glasses should say they comply with ISO 12312-2 standards, though fake suppliers can also list this on their products.

    There are also ways to enjoy solar eclipses indirectly. Make a pinhole projector using household materials or hold up a colander or cheese grater to the sky and look down to see images of the eclipse projected onto the ground.

    There is a total solar eclipse in the cards in August for skygazers in Greenland, Iceland, Spain, Russia and part of Portugal. Swaths of Europe, Africa and North America will be treated to a partial eclipse.

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    The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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  • New astronauts launch to the International Space Station after medical evacuation

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    CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A new crew rocketed toward the International Space Station on Friday to replace the astronauts who returned to Earth early in NASA’s first medical evacuation.

    SpaceX launched the replacements as soon as possible at NASA’s request, sending the U.S., French and Russian astronauts on an expected eight- to nine-month mission stretching until fall. The four should arrive at the orbiting lab Saturday, filling the vacancies left by their evacuated colleagues last month and bringing the space station back to full staff.

    “It turns out Friday the 13th is a very lucky day,” SpaceX Launch Control radioed once the astronauts reached orbit. “That was quite a ride,” replied the crew’s commander, Jessica Meir.

    NASA had to put spacewalks on hold and deferred other duties while awaiting the arrival of Americans Meir and Jack Hathaway, France’s Sophie Adenot and Russia’s Andrei Fedyaev. They’ll join three other astronauts — one American and two Russians — who kept the space station running the past month.

    Satisfied with medical procedures already in place, NASA ordered no extra checkups for the crew ahead of liftoff and no new diagnostic equipment was packed. An ultrasound machine already up there for research went into overdrive Jan. 7 when used on the ailing crew member. NASA has not revealed the ill astronaut’s identity or health issue. All four returning astronauts went straight to the hospital after splashing down in the Pacific near San Diego.

    It was the first time in 65 years of human spaceflight that NASA cut short a mission for medical reasons.

    With missions becoming longer, NASA is constantly looking at upgrades to the space station’s medical gear, said deputy program manager Dina Contella. “But there are a lot of things that are just not practical and so that’s when you need to bring astronauts home from space,” she said earlier this week.

    In preparation for moon and Mars trips where health care will be even more challenging, the new arrivals will test a filter designed to turn drinking water into emergency IV fluid, try out an ultrasound system that relies on artificial intelligence and augmented reality instead of experts on the ground, and perform ultrasound scans on their jugular veins in a blood clot study.

    They also will demonstrate their moon-landing skills in a simulated test drawing extra attention because of the impending launch of four astronauts to the moon on Artemis II, humanity’s first lunar voyage in more than half a century.

    Adenot is only the second French woman to launch to space. She was 14 when Claudie Haignere flew to Russia’s space station Mir in 1996, inspiring her to become an astronaut. Haignere cheered her on from the Florida launch site, wishing her “Bon vol,” French for “Have a good flight,” and “Ad astra,” Latin for “To the stars.”

    Hathaway, like Adenot, is new to space, while Meir and Fedyaev are making their second station trip. On her first mission in 2019, Meir took part in the first all-female spacewalk. The other half of that spacewalk, Christina Koch, is among the four Artemis II astronauts waiting to fly around the moon as early as March. A ship-to-ship radio linkup is planned between the two crews.

    Meir wasn’t sure astronauts would return to the moon during her career. “Now we’re right here on the precipice of the Artemis II mission,” she said ahead of liftoff. “The fact that they will be in space at the same time as us … it’s so cool to be an astronaut now, it’s so exciting.”

    SpaceX launched the latest crew from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Elon Musk’s company is preparing its neighboring Kennedy Space Center launch pad for the supersized Starships, which NASA needs to land astronauts on the moon.

    NASA’s new administrator Jared Isaacman said following Friday’s liftoff that testing continues at the Artemis pad, where the Space Launch System moon rocket awaits liftoff. A practice fueling last week unleashed hydrogen fuel leaks. Two seals have since been replaced and a mini fueling conducted.

    Isaacman stressed that no launch date will be set until additional fueling tests — potentially a series of them — are completed. The earliest that Artemis II could launch is March 3, he noted.

    ___

    The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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  • Thailand uses a birth control vaccine to curb its elephant population

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    BANGKOK — BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand has begun using a birth control vaccine on elephants in the wild to try and curb a growing problem where human and animal populations encroach on each other — an issue in areas where farms spread into forests and elephants are squeezed out of their natural habitat.

    The initiative is part of efforts to address confrontations that can turn deadly. As farmers cut down forests to make more farmland, elephants are forced to venture out of their shrinking habitats in search of food.

    Last year, wild elephants killed 30 people and injured 29 in Thailand, according to official figures, which also noted more than 2,000 incidents of elephants damaging crops.

    Sukhee Boonsang, director of the Wildlife Conservation Office, recently told The Associated Press that controlling the wild elephant population has become necessary as numbers of elephants living near residential areas rises sharply, increasing the risk of confrontations.

    The office obtained 25 doses of a U.S.-made vaccine and conducted a two-year trial on seven domesticated elephants — using up seven doses of the vaccine — which yielded promising results, he said. He explained the vaccine doesn’t stop female elephants from ovulating but prevents eggs from being fertilized.

    Then, in late January, the vaccine was administered to three wild elephants in eastern Trat province, he said, adding that authorities are now determining which areas to target next as they prepare to use up the remaining 15 doses.

    The vaccine can prevent pregnancy for seven years and the elephants will be able to reproduce again if they don’t receive a booster after that time expires. Experts will closely monitor the vaccinated elephants throughout the seven-year period.

    The vaccination drive has drawn criticism that it might undermine conservation efforts. Thailand has a centuries-old tradition of using domesticated elephants in farming and transportation. Elephants are also a big part of Thailand’s national identity — and have been officially proclaimed a symbol of the nation.

    Sukhee said the program targets only wild elephants in areas with the highest rates of violent human-elephant conflict. Official statistics show a birth rate of wild elephants in these regions at approximately 8.2% per year, more than double the national average of around 3.5%.

    About 800 out of the nation’s approximately 4,400 wild elephants live in these conflict-prone areas, Sukhee said.

    “If we don’t take action, the impact on people living in these areas will continue to grow until it becomes unmanageable,” he said.

    In addition to the contraception vaccine, authorities have implemented other measures to reduce conflict, Sukhee said, such as creating additional water and food sources within the forests where elephants live, constructing protective fencing, and deploying rangers to guide elephants that stray into residential areas back into the wild.

    A court-ordered operation earlier this month to remove wild elephants that have repeatedly clashed with locals in northeastern Khon Kaen province sparked a public outcry after one elephant died during the relocation process.

    An initial autopsy revealed that the elephant died from choking after anesthesia was administered ahead of the move, officials said.

    The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation carried out the relocation effort, and its director general, Athapol Charoenshunsa, expressed regret over the incident while insisting that protocol was followed properly. He said an investigation was underway to prevent such incidents from happening again.

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  • SpaceX’s Falcon 9 successfully launches and lands after Crew-12 liftoff

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    CAPE CANAVERAL SPACE FORCE STATION — For the first time ever in Florida, SpaceX was able to land one of its Falcon 9 rockets just minutes after lifting off from an adjacent launch pad.

    It also means that NASA’s four Crew-12 members are on their long commute to the International Space Station.

    What You Need To Know

    • For the first time in Florida, a SpaceX rocket returned near the launch site
    • Learn more about the four astronauts as they will spend eight months on the ISS
    • They will be doing various experiments to learn more about the human body in space as well as moon-landing simulations


    During the early morning hours on Friday, NASA astronauts Cmdr. Jessica Meir and pilot Jack Hathaway, and mission specialists European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev climbed into the Falcon 9 to take off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, according to both NASA and SpaceX.

    The instantaneous launch took place at 5:15 a.m. ET.

    The Falcon 9 jumped off the launch pad and screamed into the early morning sky as space fans cheered and then were in awe as a jellyfish was seen.

    The jellyfish effect is when the Falcon 9 rocket’s (or any rocket’s) exhaust plume grows and creates a jellyfish-like “cloud” from the exhaust that has a glowing appearance if the launch is near dawn and dusk.

    After the launch, NASA officials held a press conference, where Spectrum News asked Admin. Jared Isaacman about his thoughts on seeing the first crewed launch as the U.S. space agency’s new administrator.

    The 45th Weather Squadron gave a 90% chance of favorable launch conditions, with the only concerns being the cumulus cloud rule and flight through precipitation.

    The forecast was higher than the original 85% the squadron gave for Friday’s launch. 

    If the launch was a scrub, the next attempt would have been Sunday, Feb. 15.

    Originally, the launch was set for Wednesday at 6:01 a.m. ET and then it was pushed to 5:38 a.m. ET, Thursday, until finally settled on Friday.

    The reason for this was due to the upper-level winds.

    The commute to the ISS and a historical landing

    This is the first crewed launch of 2026 and SpaceX’s Dragon capsule called Freedom was moving around 17,500 mph (28,164 kph) as it went into the black of space.

    Freedom has had an impressive resume, having been used for four crewed missions.

    For the first-stage Falcon 9 rocket booster B1101, this will be its second mission. Its first mission was last month and it was the first launch of 2026: Starlink 6-88 mission.

    And it will be a long commute to work for them. The astronauts are expected to arrive at the International Space Station at around 3:15 p.m. ET on Valentine’s Day.

    And this was a historical landing for the Sunshine State. Because the Crew-12 mission has four people onboard, the first-stage booster must land at the brand new Landing Zone 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, which is adjacent to the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 40, as seen in this embedded Facebook post.

    A sonic boom cracked across the early morning sky as the Falcon 9 rocket came down for a landing.

    Landing Zone 40 is at the top right of the photo.  

    SpaceX’s lease on Landing Zone 1 and 2, located at Space Launch Complex (SLC) 13 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) ended in July 2025, after the Space Launch Delta (SLD) 45 decided to allow new, incoming Commercial Launch Service Providers (CLPS), to perform launch operations out at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station under their new Launch Pad Allocation Strategy (LPAS).

    Back in May 2023, Space Launch Delta 45 issued a press release, stating that Space Launch Complex (SLC) 15 would go to ABL Space Systems, SLC 14 to Stoke Space, and SLC 13 to Phantom Space and Vaya Space.

    The relocation of landing zone 1 & 2 from SLC 13 to Landing Zone 40 at SLC 40 allows SpaceX the opportunity to process and refurbish the returned flight proven Falcon 9 booster quicker to keep pace with their launch manifest. The move also maximizes the launch capacity along the Eastern Range, but also minimizing the impacts that CLSPs create for other CLSPs or government programs across CCSFS, because instead of the Falcon booster landing 7 miles to the south, it now returns only 1,000 feet away from where it launched from.

    “Commercial Launch Service Providers with landing operations can submit a request to SLD 45 for consideration of landing capability at their complex, which will then go through an extensive evaluation process” said Erin White, Delta planning specialist, stated in a press release in 2023.  “Requests for landing operations will be evaluated for safety implications and their impacts to other programs on CCSFS.”

    So, going forward, crewed SpaceX launches in Florida will see the first-stage rocket returning on a landing pad near the launch site, which does not pose a higher safety risk. 

    However, Landing Zone 2 will still be available for Falcon Heavy launches. Since a Falcon Heavy has three boosters, one would go on a droneship (or be expended), the next one would land on Landing Zone 40 and the third would land on Landing Zone 2, since each landing zone can only handle one booster at a time.

    Understanding the Crew-12 mission

    The quartet is not going to the International Space Station empty-handed and checking out the views of Earth from space.

    They will be busy little beavers as they conduct medical experiments during their eight-month stay.

    “The experiments, led by NASA’s Human Research Program, include astronauts performing ultrasounds of their blood vessels to study altered circulation and completing simulated lunar landings to assess disorientation during gravitational transitions, among other tasks,” NASA stated.

    NASA Public Affairs specialist Steven Siceloff shared about some of the experiments that the Crew-12 will be doing. 

    Another experiment is called Venous Flow, which will look at how time on the floating laboratory may increase the chance of astronauts developing blood clots.

    “In weightlessness, blood and other bodily fluids can move toward the head, potentially altering circulation. Any resulting blood clots could pose serious health risks, including strokes,” the U.S. space agency explained.

    For the experiment, the astronauts will undergo preflight and postflight MRIs, ultrasound scans, blood draws and blood pressure readings so scientists can compare the findings.

    But it is not all medical experiments. During the Manual Piloting study, certain crew members will conduct simulated moon landings before, during and after this mission.

    “Designed to assess their piloting and decision-making skills, participants attempt to fly a virtual spacecraft toward the lunar South Pole region — the same area future Artemis crews plan to explore,” NASA explained.

    Other experiments will be conducted.

    Meet Crew-12

    Crew-12 will not have a traditional welcome

    Usually, a crewed mission will have a welcome party, where the previous mission (in this case, Crew-11), welcomes the new arrivals.

    Pleasantries and workload are exchanged during this transition. 

    However, Crew-11 was cut short after one of its members suffered a medical episode.

    The crewmember has not been named and his or her medical issue was not disclosed.

    The event happened days before a planned spacewalk for NASA astronauts Cmdr. Zena Cardman and pilot Michael Fincke.

    NASA officials decided to cut the mission short and return Cardman, Fincke and mission specialists Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Kimiya Yui and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov to Earth.

    It was the first medical evacuation in the space station’s 25 years of full service. Originally, the mission was going to end in February.

    NASA officials stressed that the person was in stable condition and the four Crew-11 members appeared together in a press conference nearly a week after returning to Earth in a splashdown.

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  • A California photographer is on a quest to photograph hundreds of native bees

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    LOS ANGELES — In the arid, cracked desert ground in Southern California, a tiny bee pokes its head out of a hole no larger than the tip of a crayon.

    Krystle Hickman crouches over with her specialized camera fitted to capture the minute details of the bee’s antennae and fuzzy behind.

    “Oh my gosh, you are so cute,” Hickman murmurs before the female sweat bee flies away.

    Hickman is on a quest to document hundreds of species of native bees, which are under threat by climate change and habitat loss, some of it caused by the more recognizable and agriculturally valued honey bee — an invasive species. Of the roughly 4,000 types of bees native to North America, Hickman has photographed over 300. For about 20 of them, she’s the first to ever photograph them alive.

    Through photography, she wants to raise awareness about the importance of native bees to the survival of the flora and fauna around them.

    “Saving the bees means saving their entire ecosystems,” Hickman said.

    On a Saturday in January, Hickman walked among the early wildflower bloom at Anza Borrego Desert State Park a few hundred miles east of Los Angeles, where clumps of purple verbena and patches of white primrose were blooming unusually early due to a wet winter.

    Where there are flowers, there are bees.

    Hickman has no formal science education and dropped out of a business program that she hated. But her passion for bees and keen observation skills made her a good community scientist, she said. In October, she published a book documenting California’s native bees, partly supported by National Geographic. She’s conducted research supported by the University of California, Irvine, and hopes to publish research notes this year on some of her discoveries.

    “We’re filling in a lot of gaps,” she said of the role community scientists play in contributing knowledge alongside academics.

    On a given day, she might spend 16 hours waiting beside a plant, watching as bees wake up and go about their business. They pay her no attention.

    Originally from Nebraska, Hickman moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting. She began photographing honey bees in 2018, but soon realized native bees were in greater danger.

    Now, she’s a bee scientist full time.

    “I really think anyone could do this,” Hickman said.

    Melittologists, or people who study bees, have traditionally used pan trapping to collect and examine dead bee specimens. To officially log a new species, scientists usually must submit several bees to labs, Hickman said.

    There can be small anatomical differences between species that can’t be photographed, such as the underside of a bee, Hickman said.

    But Hickman is vehemently against capturing bees. She worries about harming already threatened species. Unofficially, she thinks she’s photographed at least four previously undescribed species.

    Hickman said she’s angered “a few melittologists before because I won’t tell them where things are.”

    Her approach has helped her forge a path as a bee behavior expert.

    During her trip to Anza Borrego, Hickman noted that the bees won’t emerge from their hideouts until around 10 a.m., when the desert begins to heat up. They generally spend 20 minutes foraging and 10 minutes back in their burrows to offload pollen, she said.

    “It’s really shockingly easy to make new behavioral discoveries just because no one’s looking at insects alive,” she said.

    Hickman still works closely with other melittologists, often sending them photos for identification and discussing research ideas.

    Christine Wilkinson, assistant curator of community science at the Natural History Museum in Los Angeles, said Hickman was a perfect example of why it’s important to incorporate different perspectives in the pursuit of scientific knowledge.

    “There are so many different ways of knowing and relating to the world,” Wilkinson said. “Getting engaged as a community scientist can also get people interested in and passionate about really making change.”

    There’s a critically endangered bee that Hickman is particularly determined to find – Bombus franklini, or Franklin’s bumblebee, last seen in 2006.

    Since 2021, she’s traveled annually to the Oregon-California border to look for it.

    “There’s quite a few people who think it’s extinct, but I’m being really optimistic about it,” she said.

    Habitat loss, as well as competition from honey bees, have made it harder for native bees to survive. Many native bees will only drink the nectar or eat the pollen of a specific plant.

    Because of her success in tracking down bees, she’s now working with various universities and community groups to help find lost species, which are bees that haven’t been documented in the wild for at least a decade.

    Hickman often finds herself explaining to audiences why native bees are important. They don’t make honey, and the disappearance of a few bees might not have an apparent impact on humans.

    “But things that live here, they deserve to live here. And that should be a good enough reason to protect them,” she said.

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  • Scientific studies calculate climate change as health danger

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    The Trump administration on Thursday revoked a scientific finding that climate change is a danger to public health, an idea that President Donald Trump called “a scam.” But repeated scientific studies say it’s a documented and quantifiable harm.

    Again and again, research has found increasing disease and deaths — thousands every year — in a warming world.

    The Environmental Protection Agency finding in 2009, under the Obama administration, has been the legal underpinning of nearly all regulations fighting global warming.

    “It boggles the mind that the administration is rescinding the endangerment finding; it’s akin to insisting that the world is flat or denying that gravity is a thing,” said Dr. Howard Frumkin, a physician and professor emeritus of public health at the University of Washington.

    Thousands of scientific studies have looked at climate change and its effects on human health in the past five years and they predominantly show climate change is increasingly dangerous to people.

    Many conclude that in the United States, thousands of people have died and even more were sickened because of climate change in the past few decades.

    For example, a study on “Trends in heat-related deaths in the U.S., 1999-2023 ” in the prestigious JAMA journal shows the yearly heat-related death count and rate have more than doubled in the past quarter century from 1,069 in 1999 to a record high 2,325 in 2023.

    A 2021 study in Nature Climate Change looked at 732 locations in 43 countries — including 210 in the United States — and determined that more than a third of heat deaths are due to human-caused climate change. That means more than 9,700 global deaths a year attributed to warming from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas.

    A new study published this week found that 2.2% of summer deaths in Texas from 2010 to 2023 were heat related “as climate change brings more frequent and intense heat to Texas.”

    In the more than 15 years, since the government first determined climate change to be a public health danger, there have been more than 29,000 peer-reviewed studies that looked at the intersection of climate and health, with more than 5,000 looking specifically at the United States, according to the National Library of Medicine’s PubMed research database.

    More than 60% of those studies have been published in the past five years.

    “Study after study documents that climate change endangers health, for one simple reason: It’s true,” said Frumkin, a former director of the National Center for Environmental Health appointed by President George W. Bush.

    In a Thursday event at the White House, Trump disagreed, saying: “It has nothing to do with public health. This is all a scam, a giant scam.”

    Experts strongly disagree.

    “Health risks are increasing because human-cause climate change is already upon us. Take the 2021 heat dome for example, that killed (more than) 600 people in the Northwest,” said Dr. Jonathan Patz, a physician who directs the Center for Health, Energy and Environmental Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “The new climate attribution studies show that event was made 150-fold more likely due to climate change.”

    Patz and Frumkin both said the “vast majority” of peer-reviewed studies show health harms from climate change. Peer-reviewed studies are considered the gold standard of science because other experts pore over the data, evidence and methods, requiring changes, questioning techniques and conclusions.

    The various studies look at different parts of health. Some looked at deaths that wouldn’t have happened without climate change. Others looked at illnesses and injuries that didn’t kill people. Because researchers used different time periods, calculation methods and specific aspects of health, the final numbers of their conclusions don’t completely match.

    Studies also examined disparities among different peoples and locations. A growing field in the research are attribution studies that calculate what proportion of deaths or illness can be blamed on human-caused climate change by comparing real-world mortality and illness to what computer simulations show would happen in a world without a spike in greenhouse gases.

    Last year an international team of researchers looked at past studies to try to come up with a yearly health cost of climate change.

    While many studies just look at heat deaths, this team tried to bring in a variety of types of climate change deaths — heat waves, extreme weather disasters such as 2017’s Hurricane Harvey, wildfires, air pollution, diseases spread by mosquitos such as malaria — and found hundreds of thousands of climate change deaths globally.

    They then used the EPA’s own statistic that puts a dollar value on human life — $11.5 million in 2014 dollars — and calculated a global annual cost “on the order of at least $10 billion.”

    Studies also connect climate change to waterborne infections that cause diarrhea, mental health issues and even nutrition problems, Frumkin said.

    “Public health is not only about prevention of diseases, death and disability but also well-being. We are increasingly seeing people displaced by rising seas, intensifying storms and fires,” said Dr. Lynn Goldman, a physician and dean emeritus at the George Washington University School of Public Health.

    “We have only begun to understand the full consequences of a changing climate in terms of health.”

    The issue gets complicated when cold-related deaths are factored in. Those deaths are decreasing, yet in the United States there are still 13 times more deaths from cold exposure than heat exposure, studies show.

    Another study concludes that until the world warms another 2.7 degrees (1.5 degrees Celsius) from now, the number of temperature-related deaths won’t change much “due to offsetting decreases in cold-related mortality and increases in heat-related deaths.”

    But that study said that after temperatures rise beyond that threshold, and if society doesn’t adapt to the increased heat, “total mortality rises rapidly.”

    ___

    The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

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  • Genetic analysis could speed up restoration of iconic American chestnut: Scientists

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    WASHINGTON — Billions of American chestnut trees once covered the eastern United States. They soared in height, producing so many nuts that sellers moved them by train car. Every Christmas, they’re called to mind by the holiday lyric “chestnuts roasting on an open fire.”

    But by the 1950s, this venerable tree went functionally extinct, culled by a deadly airborne fungal blight and lethal root rot. A new study out Thursday in the journal Science provides hope for its revitalization, finding that the genetic testing of individual trees can reveal which are most likely to resist disease and grow tall, thus shortening how long it takes to plant the next, more robust, generation.

    A smaller gap between generations means a faster path to lots of disease-resistant trees that will once again be able to compete for space in Eastern forests. The authors hope that can occur in the coming decades.

    “What’s new here is the engine that we’re creating for restoration,” said Jared Westbrook, lead author and director of science at The American Chestnut Foundation, which wants to return the tree to its native range that once stretched from Maine to Mississippi.

    The American chestnut, sometimes called the “redwood of the East,” can grow quickly and reach more than 100 feet (30 meters), produce prodigious amounts of nutritious chestnuts and supply lumber favored for its straight grain and durability.

    But it had little defense against foreign-introduced blight and root rot. Another type of chestnut, however, had evolved alongside those diseases. The Chinese chestnut had been introduced for its valuable nuts and it could resist diseases. But it isn’t as tall or competitive in U.S. forests, nor has it served the same critical role supporting other species.

    So, the authors want a tree with the characteristics of the American chestnut and the disease resistance of the Chinese chestnut.

    That goal is not new — scientists have been reaching for it for decades and made some progress.

    But it has been difficult because the American chestnut’s desirable traits are scattered across multiple spots along its genome, the DNA string that tells the tree how to develop and function.

    “It’s a very complex trait, and in that case, you can’t just select on one thing because you’ll select on linked things that are negative,” said John Lovell, senior author and researcher at the HudsonAlpha Genome Sequencing Center.

    Breed for disease resistance alone and the trees get shorter, less competitive.

    To deal with this, the authors sequenced the genome of multiple types of chestnuts and found the many places that correlated with the desired traits. They can then use that information to breed trees that are more likely to have desirable traits while maintaining high amounts of American chestnut DNA — roughly 70% to 85%.

    And genetic testing allows the process to move faster, revealing the best offspring years before their traits would be demonstrated by natural growth and encountering disease. The closer the gap between generations, the faster gains accumulate.

    Steven Strauss, a professor of forest biotechnology at Oregon State University who wasn’t involved in the study, said the paper identified some promising genes. He wants scientists to be able to edit the genes themselves, a possibly faster, more precise path to a better tree. In an accompanying commentary piece in Science, he says regulations can bog down these ideas for years.

    “People just won’t consider biotech because it is on the other side of this social, legal barrier” and that’s shortsighted, he said.

    For people who have closely studied the American chestnut, the work begs an almost existential question: How much can the American chestnut be changed and still be an American chestnut?

    “The American chestnut has a unique evolutionary history, it has a specific place in the North American ecosystem,” said Donald Edward Davis, author of the American chestnut, an environmental history. “Having that tree and no other trees would be sort of the gold standard.”

    He said the tree was a keystone species, useful to humans and vital to bigger populations of squirrels, chipmunks and black bears — hybrids might not be as majestic or effective. He was pleased that the authors included some surviving American chestnuts in their proposal, but favored an approach that relied on them more heavily.

    “Not that the hybrid approach is itself bad, it is just that why not try to get the wild American trees back in the forest, back in the ecosystem, and exhaust all possibilities from doing that before we move on to some of these other methods?” he said.

    Lovells said resurrecting the species requires introducing genetic diversity from outside the traditional pool of American chestnut trees. The study authors’ goal is tall, resilient trees and they are optimistic.

    “I think if we only select American chestnut (tree genes), period, there’s going to be too small of a pool and we’re going to end up with a genetic bottleneck that will lead to extinction in the future,” said Lovell.

    ___

    The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of AP’s environmental coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment

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  • Crew-12 will see first landing of Falcon 9 at Space Coast launch site

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    CAPE CANAVERAL SPACE FORCE STATION — As NASA and SpaceX prepare for the Crew-12 mission, it will mark the first time a SpaceX rocket will land near its launch site in Florida.

    What You Need To Know

    • For the first time in Florida, a SpaceX rocket will return near the launch site
    • Learn more about the four astronauts as they will spend eight months on the ISS
    • They will be doing various experiments to learn more about the human body in space as well as moon-landing simulations

    During the early morning hours on Friday, NASA astronauts Cmdr. Jessica Meir and pilot Jack Hathaway, and mission specialists European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev will climb into the Falcon 9 to take off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, stated both NASA and SpaceX.

    The instantaneous launch is set to take place at 5:15 a.m. ET.

    The 45th Weather Squadron is giving a 90% chance of favorable launch conditions, with the only concerns being the cumulus cloud rule and flight through precipitation.

    The forecast is an increase compared to the original 85% the squadron gave for Friday’s launch. 

    If the launch is a scrub, the next attempt will be Sunday, Feb. 15.

    Originally, the launch was set for Wednesday at 6:01 a.m. ET and then it was pushed to 5:38 a.m. ET, Thursday, until finally settling on Friday.

    The reason for this was due to the upper-level winds.

    The commute to the ISS and a historical landing

    This is the first crewed launch of 2026 and SpaceX’s Dragon capsule called Freedom is expected to be screaming at about 17,500 mph (28,164 kph) as it goes into the black of space.

    Freedom has had an impressive resume, having been used for four crewed missions.

    For the first-stage Falcon 9 rocket booster B1101, this will be its second mission. Its first mission was last month and it was the first launch of 2026: Starlink 6-88 mission.

    And it will be a long commute to work for them. The astronauts are expected to arrive at the International Space Station at around 3:15 p.m. ET on Valentine’s Day.

    And this is going to be a historical landing for the Sunshine State. Because the Crew-12 mission will have four people onboard, the first-stage booster must land at Landing Zone 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, which is adjacent to the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 40, as seen in this embedded Facebook post. Landing Zone 40 is at the top right of the photo. 

    This will be the first time a Falcon 9 rocket will land near its launch site in Florida. The first-stage boosters usually land on a droneship out in the Atlantic Ocean or at a landing zone on land but away from the launch site.

    However, SpaceX’s lease on Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station ended in July 2025.

    Back in May 2023, Space Launch Delta 45 issued a press release, stating, “SLC 13, currently Landing Zone 1 and 2, is also moving forward with Phantom Space and Vaya Space.”

    It means that the existing launch complex property agreements for landing operations were discontinued after the agreements expired.

    So, going forward, crewed SpaceX launches in Florida will see the first-stage rocket returning on a landing pad near the launch site.

    Understanding the Crew-12 mission

    The quartet is not going to the International Space Station empty-handed and checking out the views of Earth from space.

    They will be busy little beavers as they will be conducting medical experiments during their eight-month stay.

    “The experiments, led by NASA’s Human Research Program, include astronauts performing ultrasounds of their blood vessels to study altered circulation and completing simulated lunar landings to assess disorientation during gravitational transitions, among other tasks,” NASA stated.

    Another experiment is called Venous Flow, which will look at how time on the floating laboratory may increase the chance of astronauts developing blood clots.

    “In weightlessness, blood and other bodily fluids can move toward the head, potentially altering circulation. Any resulting blood clots could pose serious health risks, including strokes,” the U.S. space agency explained.

    For the experiment, the astronauts will undergo preflight and postflight MRIs, ultrasound scans, blood draws and blood pressure readings so scientists can compare the findings.

    But it is not all medical experiments. During the Manual Piloting study, certain crew members will be conducting simulated moon landings before, during and after this mission.

    “Designed to assess their piloting and decision-making skills, participants attempt to fly a virtual spacecraft toward the lunar South Pole region — the same area future Artemis crews plan to explore,” NASA explained.

    Other experiments will be conducted.

    Meet Crew-12

    Crew-12 will not have a traditional welcome

    Usually, a crewed mission will have a welcome party, where the previous mission (in this case, Crew-11), welcomes the new arrivals.

    Pleasantries and workload are exchanged during this transition.

    However, Crew-11 was cut short after one of its members suffered a medical episode.

    The crewmember has not been named and his or her medical issue was not disclosed.

    The event happened days before a planned spacewalk for NASA astronauts Cmdr. Zena Cardman and pilot Michael Fincke.

    NASA officials decided to cut the mission short and return Cardman, Fincke and mission specialists Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Kimiya Yui and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov to Earth.

    It was the first medical evacuation in the space station’s 25 years of full service. Originally, the mission was going to end in February.

    NASA officials stressed that the person was in stable condition and the four Crew-11 members appeared together in a press conference nearly a week after returning to Earth in a splashdown.

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  • A quicker climb up the literacy mountain: Why rigor and efficiency matter in early reading

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    Key points:

    In early literacy, the goal is simple but urgent: Help students become independent readers and writers. Every instructional decision we make either moves them closer to that goal or keeps them circling the mountain instead of climbing it. As literacy researcher Timothy Shanahan reminds us, “If a mountain is high, we should help children to climb that mountain. With appropriate supports and scaffolds it can be done.”

    As an early literacy coach specializing in pre-K to grade five, I work with teachers and districts to accelerate access so all students can become independent, empowered readers. I focus on the most efficient, research-supported strategies to help children learn to read with confidence.

    Unfortunately, many traditional literacy approaches treat third grade as the finish line for learning to read, leaving too many students stranded on the mountainside.

    The phonics code introduced in K-2 doesn’t disappear as texts become more complex. In fact, upper grade reading places even greater demands on decoding as vocabulary grows longer and more morphologically complex. While many teachers want to support students through this shift, they often lack the training, tools, and time needed to continue explicit instruction in word recognition.

    The danger of a slow rollout

    Time is of the essence. One longitudinal study found that first graders who are behind in reading have an 88 percent chance of still being behind in fourth grade. This pattern reflects what researchers call the Matthew Effect: Students who fall behind early tend to fall further behind over time unless instruction accelerates their progress.

    This is why students who are catching up still need regular opportunities to engage with grade-level text. Students need rigor paired with intentional scaffolding–not simplified reading assignments that limit access to the language, ideas, and vocabulary found in complex texts.

    There is a common belief that, after enough reading lessons, a switch will flip and reading will simply click. But learning to read is far more nuanced. While phonics instruction is typically organized across a K-2 scope and sequence, students who miss or only partially master early skills often carry those gaps forward. By third or fourth grade, these unresolved gaps can block access to grade-level text.

    A brain-based, research-aligned approach

    At any age, when students understand the logic behind the code, reading stops feeling random. They begin noticing patterns, decoding unfamiliar words, and approaching text with genuine confidence.

    English is a morphophonemic language, which means our spelling system represents both morphology (meaning) and phonology (sound). When instruction reflects this, everything changes for students. That’s why I advocate for teaching how sounds, spelling patterns, and meaning work together, rather than relying on rote memorization or delaying access to key phonics patterns. It’s also important to introduce morphology and etymology early, giving students access to the meaningful building blocks of complex words.

    Here’s what this brain-based approach looks like in practice. While working in a district implementing a systematic, research-aligned literacy framework, I began tutoring a student at the very end of second grade. He had little confidence in his reading ability and regularly said things like, “I’m a terrible reader.”

    To accelerate his literacy development, I focused on three priorities: identifying his precise gaps, closing them efficiently, and ensuring he could access grade-level text with support.

    To understand where he was struggling, the first step was administering a universal literacy screener, Acadience Reading. His results showed he was well below benchmark in oral reading fluency for his grade. 

    From there, I administered a phonics diagnostic to pinpoint his specific needs. I used the Intervention Placement Test from UFLI Foundations, which placed him at a lesson within the program’s scope and sequence and clarified exactly which skills still required explicit instruction. I then began targeted, systematic phonics instruction using UFLI Foundations.

    But assessment and phonics instruction alone weren’t enough. Decodable texts are essential, but they must be paired with supported access to grade-level text. Because this student was moving into third grade, I selected grade-level texts from ReadWorks around a topic he was interested in.

    To accelerate his progress beyond the limits of a traditional scope and sequence, I integrated Secret Stories–an ESSA Tier 1 supplemental phonics resource with an average effect size of 1.62 that helps students quickly learn and apply complex phonics patterns through brief, brain-based stories.

    I used Secret Stories within UFLI phonics lessons to teach tricky patterns, and outside of phonics instruction to unlock words in grade-level texts he was not “supposed” to be able to read yet. Because most Secret Stories take under 30 seconds to teach, they can be embedded anywhere in the day. For example, when the calendar shows the month of August, teachers might pause to review why AU makes the “aww” sound. Once learned, those explanations become tools kids can immediately apply during reading, writing, and content instruction. 

    To further prepare him for these grade-level texts, I pre-taught key vocabulary and explicitly introduced relevant morphemes–prefixes, suffixes and root words. I also used The Writing Revolution, a book with resources for teaching writing and sentence syntax, and Brainspring, a morphology resource my district had just started using for third grade and up to teach new prefixes, suffixes, and roots.

    Putting this set of literacy “mountain-climbing gear” in place took intentional effort, and I worried it might be too much. Instead, he leaned in. With the right supports and someone beside him, he embraced the challenge and began to see himself as a capable reader. The rigor didn’t overwhelm him. It gave him confidence.

    Achieving the peak of independence

    Many older students face the same struggles as the second-grader I supported. They never fully mastered the early phonics sequence, and those gaps accumulate over time. By the time they encounter texts filled with multisyllabic words, unfamiliar morphemes, dense syntax, and academic vocabulary, reading can feel overwhelming.

    But when those patterns are reintroduced through clear, brain-based explanations, older learners often catch on quickly. Words that once felt confusing begin to make sense. They experience the same “aha” moments as younger learners with an even deeper sense of relief and empowerment–and without feeling remediated. For students who felt stuck below grade level for years, this shift is transformative.

    Today, that same student, now halfway through third grade, is confidently reading grade-level text, with a renewed sense of competence and joy. In just eight months, his oral reading fluency moved from ‘well below benchmark’ to ‘at benchmark.’

    Each successful mountain climber is a reminder that the end goal of literacy instruction isn’t mastery of isolated skills like phonemic awareness or sight words. In isolation, these skills move students sideways or, as Shanahan describes, “walk students around the mountain rather than up it.” Instead, the goal is upward progress, toward independent reading and writing. Every instructional decision, assessment, program and resource we choose should point students efficiently up the mountain, helping them reach the peak with confidence and purpose.

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    Leah Ruesink, Early Literacy Coach

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