Science & Earth

A research team identified a 45-base ribozyme, QT-45, that can assemble copies of RNA strands and—rarely and slowly—produce a copy of its own sequence; the enzyme works by joining short RNA fragments and copies with about 95% fidelity.

The California Fish and Game Commission approved threatened-species protections for mountain lions across multiple coastal and mountain ranges, making it illegal to harm them and requiring habitat safeguards. The move follows a 2019 petition by conservation groups and a formal recommendation from the Department of Fish and Wildlife in December 2025.

Snowpack across much of the Western US is well below normal this winter, and officials say that shortfalls threaten spring runoff for the Colorado River Basin — used by about 40 million people — while raising wildfire concerns as states try to agree on water-sharing terms.

After three South Pole field seasons, IceCube completed its first major upgrade in 15 years, installing more sensitive light sensors and calibration devices deep in Antarctic ice to improve neutrino measurements.

A replacement crew launched to the International Space Station after NASA's first mission medical evacuation and is expected to arrive Saturday, restoring the station to full staffing for an eight- to nine-month mission.

Researchers report two small elk-hide fragments stitched with fiber cordage and dated to about 12,400 years, recovered from Cougar Mountain Cave and Paisley Caves; the items are part of a larger cache of perishable artifacts studied by teams from the University of Nevada and the University of Oregon. The collection also includes 14 eyed bone needles and a variety of fiber, wood, hide, and osseous tools that point to advanced stitch-and-sew technologies in the Late Pleistocene.

Snow acts as an insulating layer that stabilizes soil temperatures and delivers slow spring moisture, and deep, clean snow can also reduce winter stress and limit some pests. Heavy snow loads remain a risk to branches, and the article notes proactive tree and shrub care as a way to reduce structural damage.

Four astronauts launched from Cape Canaveral early Friday aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon and are scheduled to dock with the International Space Station Saturday to restore the station's crew to seven after an earlier early return.

The White House and EPA announced a formal revocation of the 2009 endangerment finding that provided the legal basis for federal regulation of greenhouse gases; the administration framed the change as a cost-saving deregulation while legal experts and environmental groups say litigation is likely.

Organizers and volunteers have spent about four years planting native bald cypress and water tupelo saplings near Meraux, Louisiana, aiming to establish 30,000 trees to restore wetlands lost after Hurricane Katrina.

The government has proposed London's first designated bathing site on the River Thames between Kingston town centre and Ham. Designation would bring regular water testing and facilities and is being advanced alongside 12 other proposed sites that will go out for consultation.

The California Fish and Game Commission classified mountain lions from the Santa Cruz Mountains to Southern California as threatened under the state's Endangered Species Act, creating expanded habitat protections. Officials and conservationists cited genetic isolation and inbreeding concerns, and some builders and ranchers raised concerns about potential effects on development and livestock.

The White House confirmed the EPA will issue a final rule rescinding the 2009 endangerment finding that said greenhouse gases endanger public health and welfare; the agency says it is finalizing a new rule but gave no timeline.

Friends of Big Bear Valley announced that Sandy Steers, 73, the group's executive director and a longtime eagle advocate, has died; she helped establish a 24-hour webcam monitoring a local bald eagle nest.

Researchers using AI and custom machine learning analyzed more than 1,000 sperm whale recordings and report that click sequences resemble very slow vowels and show dialect-like variation.

Hubble image analysis and lightcurve measurements indicate that Comet 41P/Tuttle-Giacobini-Kresák's small nucleus likely reversed its rotation between April and December 2017 after a dramatic slowdown was observed earlier that year.

A widespread snow drought and unusually warm winter have left snow cover and mountain snowpack at decades-low levels across much of the American West, reducing the water stored for spring and summer. Meteorologists expect some cooler, wetter weather this week, but scientists say deficits are likely to remain.

UCLA announced the SoCal Quantum Alliance, a regional coalition of universities, research centers and companies focused on coordinating quantum research, workforce development and industry engagement. The alliance builds on UCLA's Center for Quantum Science and Engineering and the statewide Quantum California initiative.

The EPA intends to rescind the 2009 endangerment finding that linked greenhouse gases to risks to health and welfare; the move follows draft rules that would roll back related vehicle and power plant standards and is expected to prompt legal challenges.

A 10-year commercial fishing ban on the Yangtze, enacted in 2021, has coincided with increased fish biomass and a rise in several endangered species between 2018 and 2023.

Humpback whales migrate from Alaska to Hawaiian waters each winter and are most numerous in February; volunteers run scheduled counts and responders have freed entangled whales during the season.

A juvenile manatee nicknamed Melby was freed from an underground stormwater baffle box in Melbourne Beach on Feb. 9 after multiple agencies responded; the roughly 7‑foot, 410‑pound animal was taken to SeaWorld Orlando for rehabilitation and is showing signs of recovery.

Two independent teams have each identified different candidate landing sites for the historic Luna 9 lander in Oceanus Procellarum, and follow-up orbital imaging is planned to test those claims.

The EPA plans to announce it will revoke the 2009 endangerment finding that linked greenhouse gases to harm to human health, a change that underpins many federal pollution rules. UCLA experts say the move raises legal and public-health questions.

Samples returned by NASA's OSIRIS‑REx from asteroid Bennu contained at least 14 of the 20 amino acids used by life and 19 other amino acids, and isotopic analysis indicates many of these compounds likely formed in cold, icy regions beyond the early solar system's snow line.

Researchers describe Tyrannoroter heberti, a football-sized tetrapod known from a 307-million-year-old skull found in Nova Scotia, and report tooth wear and palate teeth consistent with a plant-based diet. The authors say this suggests herbivory among early four-limbed vertebrates appeared sooner and in more groups than previously thought.

PET Milk, whose evaporated milk method was patented in 1884 and put into production in 1885, was supplied as rations to U.S. military forces and remains used today in dishes such as tres leches and flan.

A lab study in mice and in human tumor samples found a therapeutic HPV vaccine built with spherical nucleic acids slowed tumor growth and boosted T-cell responses; human clinical testing is still required.

On Feb. 11 China conducted a low‑altitude abort test of its Mengzhou capsule and a powered ocean splashdown of a Long March 10 first stage.

NASA's SpaceX Crew-12 will launch four crew members from Cape Canaveral to the International Space Station for an eight-month mission aboard a reused Dragon spacecraft named Freedom to conduct science, technology demonstrations, and maintenance.