Science & Technology
/Knowledge

Commentary: You cannot 'restore' high scientific standards if they are already in place
President Donald Trump’s executive order “Restoring Gold Standard Science” provides a directive to restore a higher standard for scientific research and discovery. Yet despite the concerns it raises, the very standards that it describes already exist and are widely applied.
Section one of the order describes why the administration ...Read more

Jim Rossman: Should you be using a password manager?
This week a reader writes, “My wife and I have reached an age where keeping track of passwords is quite a chore. Could you please comment on a reputable password manager product? Are subscription products better and safer than freebies? We use Apple devices for communication and Microsoft platforms for computing. I do not feel comfortable ...Read more

Gadgets: A smart bird feeder
The FeatherSnap Scout smart bird feeder is the first time I've reviewed a product like this, and if I had to describe it in one word, it would be addicting. It also makes sense that FeatherSnap calls the feeder "Your Window to the Wild." In just minutes, you can have live nature and wildlife from your backyard playing on your smartphone.
...Read more

Foreign, feral honeybees are crowding out native bee species in southern California
LOS ANGELES — You've probably heard the phrase: "Save the bees." But new research suggests we may need to be more specific about which bees we're saving.
Europeans introduced western honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) to the Americas in the early 1600s. They play an essential role in pollinating crops and flowering plants, and are often hailed as ...Read more

This entrepreneur spots deepfakes for celebrities. Can he help average Joes too?
Celebrities are all too familiar with the world of deepfakes, the colloquial term for artificial-intelligence-generated videos that depict actors and other Hollywood talent falsely doing or saying things that they never agreed to.
To protect themselves, actors including Steve Harvey, Beverly Hills talent agency WME and studios have enlisted the...Read more

Tech review: Bluetti Apex 300 is the center of a new power ecosystem
I love portable power stations, and I’m really loving the evolution they are going through as batteries and inverters get better and smaller.
Today’s power stations may look similar to those of two or three years ago, but modern lithium iron phosphate batteries (LiFePO4) are so much better than previous generations of lithium-ion batteries....Read more

Former shark fishermen now work to protect the animal. A university shark expert helps
They hesitated at first, but the fishermen jumped into the water after realizing how calm the tiger sharks were, said Chelsea Black.
Black, a postdoctoral researcher at UNC-Chapel Hill, spent two weeks at sea, teaching shark fishermen how to tag and release the animals rather than kill them.
Black partners with Project Hiu, a nonprofit ...Read more

An astronaut called a satellite 'impossible.' With UC Davis, he'll help launch it
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Not much can surprise someone who partook in four shuttle missions and three space walks during a 36-year career with NASA. Let alone, for someone who has spent their life studying space and space travel, the proposal of a new satellite technology.
But when Stephen Robinson, director of UC Davis’ Center for Space ...Read more

'Water brings life': Plans to revive Tulare Lake take shape in the San Joaquin Valley
Tulare Lake was drained by farmers more than a century ago, and it has reappeared only rarely when floods have reclaimed farmlands in its ancient lake bed in the San Joaquin Valley.
Now, a coalition of tribal leaders, community activists and environmental advocates has begun an effort to restore the lake. They have been discussing a proposal to...Read more

Purplish creature found in volcanic fjord is new species named after Darth Vader
In the waters of Papua New Guinea’s Tufi region, known for its dramatic volcanic fjords, an unusual fish sat perched on a massive rocky coral outcrop.
The fish, with large yellow eyes and a “distinctive purplish-black coloration,” was a new species of dwarfgoby, according to a study published July 3 in the Journal of the Ocean Science ...Read more

In Texas, Florida and across the globe, warmer climate makes flooding 'more unprecedented'
As the Texas flooding death toll reached 95 on Monday — at least 27 of them children — and Tropical Storm Chantal prompted dozens of water rescues in North Carolina, some Floridians were reminded of the disastrous “rain bomb” in 2023 that hit faster and harder than any hurricane in living memory.
Though no one died from the 2 feet of ...Read more

We still rely on gasoline. Why is California adding to the cost and the pollution?
California is a state of contradictions. We lead the nation in environmental regulation, tout our clean energy goals with pride and champion a rapid transition away from fossil fuels. Yet despite this green image, our economy — and daily life — still very much run on oil and gas.
Fossil fuels account for roughly 8% of California’s $3 ...Read more

NIH budget cuts threaten the future of biomedical research -- and the young scientists behind it
Over the last several months, a deep sense of unease has settled over laboratories across the United States. Researchers at every stage — from graduate students to senior faculty — have been forced to shelve experiments, rework career plans, and quietly warn each other not to count on long-term funding. Some are even considering leaving the ...Read more

'Killer Bees' swarm close to Georgia border
Killer bees are abuzz at the Georgia border.
Spotted in Barbour County, Alabama, just over the Chattahoochee River from Georgia, Africanized bees — a hybrid between European and African honey bees — are known for their aggression and ability to sting people to death. The Alabama county is across the river from Georgia’s Quitman County, ...Read more

Space Force command shifts on the Space Coast
The Space Force officer in charge of overseeing each launch on the Space Coast has changed hands.
Brig. Gen. Kristin Panzenhagen handed off some of her duties, including the roles of commander for Space Launch Delta 45 and director of the Eastern Range, to Space Force Col. Brian Chatman.
The change of command ceremony took place on June 26 ...Read more

A conceptual breakthrough has emerged for the Colorado River's future. Here's what it looks like
DENVER — After months of stalemate, glimmers of hope have emerged for consensus on a new plan to manage the shrinking Colorado River.
Negotiators from the seven river basin states said in a series of meetings in recent weeks that they were discussing a plan rooted in a concept that breaks from decades of management practice. Rather than ...Read more

Was that an explosion? A plane crash? No, it was a meteor over Georgia
ATLANTA — A massive boom and rattling disrupted what had seemed, at least to that point, like a normal day in metro Atlanta.
Within the span of 25 minutes, the 911 lines in Newton County lit up with anxious callers.
One of the first calls on that June 26 afternoon came from Martha Rooks Alexander, a 70-year-old woman who lives near Covington...Read more

SpaceX is planning to build a new project in Florida, records say. See plans
Could SpaceX extend its Florida footprint?
The commercial spaceflight company filed preliminary paperwork to build a satellite communications facility in Myakka City, according to Manatee County records. SpaceX, which Elon Musk founded in 2002, has become a leader in aerospace and is known for its rocket launches and partnership with NASA.
The...Read more

Hertz customer hit with $440 charge after AI inspection at Atlanta airport
Within a few months of Hertz announcing the launch of artificial intelligence for vehicle inspections, starting at the Atlanta airport, the car rental company is facing some backlash after a customer reported getting hit with a $440 charge for a scuff on a wheel.
The Drive, a car news and reviews website, reported in June that a Hertz customer ...Read more

'Speech-police regime': Big Tech trade group sues Minnesota over social media transparency law
Social media companies like Meta, Snapchat and X are scheduled to start sharing more information with consumers about usage rates and content practices under a new Minnesota transparency law that took effect Tuesday.
A powerful trade association and lobbying firm representing Big Tech wants to block the requirements, arguing in a federal ...Read more
Popular Stories
- 70 million-year-old dinosaur fossil discovered under Denver Museum of Nature and Science
- Purplish creature found in volcanic fjord is new species named after Darth Vader
- Space Coast's 60th launch of year also Falcon 9's 500th successful SpaceX mission
- Cyborg jellyfish could help uncover the depths and mysteries of the Pacific Ocean
- Ag fertilizer runoff likely will force more drinking water restrictions