Science & Earth

NASA's Artemis II is expected to splash down about 5:07 p.m. Friday, April 10, roughly 50–70 miles off San Diego between Catalina and San Clemente islands as the four-person crew ends a 10-day lunar mission.

FibroBiologics presented preclinical data at the Keystone Symposia showing a transplantable thymic organoid that generated multiple T cell lineages in immunodeficient mice and produced antigen-specific responses that slowed tumor growth in a melanoma model.

Aoshima is a 0.2-square-mile island in the Seto Inland Sea with about 80 feral cats and three elderly residents, and its cat population fell sharply after a 2018 spay-and-neuter program.

Ember's monthly data shows renewable sources produced 35% of U.S. electricity in March, surpassing gas at 34% and marking the cleanest month on record; wind and solar together provided 26% of power.

Artemis II has entered the Moon's sphere of influence and is now closer to the Moon than Earth; the crew says Earth looks like a small 'marbled marble' while the Moon fills their windows. The spacecraft is on a planned free-return trajectory and the crew is performing life‑support checks ahead of a scheduled far-side communication blackout.

NOAA data show March averaged 50.85°F across the continental United States, 9.35°F above the 20th-century March normal, marking the largest monthly departure in 132 years of records.

Artemis II launched last week on NASA's first crewed trip toward the moon since 1972 and is on course to exceed Apollo 13's maximum distance from Earth during a roughly six-hour lunar flyby.

Artemis II crew members described their time behind the moon as surreal and profound, and the mission reached a record 252,756 miles from Earth as they prepare for a planned Friday Pacific reentry and splashdown.

The Dallas Zoo said Sumatran tiger Sukacita gave birth to twin cubs on Feb. 22, and the zoo has opened a fundraising naming contest for the female cub that runs through April 20.

Harvard researchers report that on-site fossil-fuel power at some AI data centers can raise fine particulate pollution and that case analyses estimate substantial annual health and economic damages in affected communities.

A recent article questions the alarm over a possible "Super El Niño," noting the term was popularized by The Weather Channel and that market forward curves cited in the piece do not show commercial traders signaling long-term supply tightness for key crops.

Researchers report that DFNZ, a modified compound from the nitazene family, relieved pain in rodents while producing limited drug-seeking and minimal withdrawal signs; experts say human effects remain undetermined and further study is required.

Forecasts from major climate centers show a high chance of El Niño developing by fall, and models indicate sea surface temperatures could reach levels some call a 'super' El Niño; such events tend to increase the likelihood of wetter winters in Southern California while also raising risks of flooding, debris flows and coastal erosion.

About 180 people attended two community sessions after a developer proposed converting a former microchip site near Centennial Boulevard into a data center; residents raised concerns about noise, air and water use.

Eight endangered Mexican gray wolves were flown from New Mexico to Durango in March and are acclimating in large outdoor enclosures before planned release into nearby mountains and temperate forests. The transfers bring Mexico's total to about 38 wolves and follow decades of captive breeding and earlier reintroduction efforts.

A drive-through recycling roundup will be held April 11 at Nissan's Franklin headquarters in partnership with the Tennessee Environmental Council, accepting hard-to-recycle items and marking the fifth year of the event.

Researchers used data from about 800,000 wells and a machine-learning model to produce the most detailed national map and estimate of U.S. groundwater, finding roughly 250 billion acre-feet across the country.

Invivyd said its Phase 3 DECLARATION trial was upsized by about 500 subjects after a pre-specified sample size re-estimation, which is expected to move top-line timing to the third quarter of 2026, and the company announced discovery and IND-enabling steps for a half-life–extended measles monoclonal antibody candidate, VMS063.

The I.U.C.N. updated its Red List to classify emperor penguins as Endangered, citing population declines linked to retreating sea ice; Antarctic fur seals were also listed as endangered and southern elephant seals as vulnerable.

A female manatee rescued in Cape Coral in March later died from injuries after a reported boat collision, and Florida officials say at least 31 manatees have been killed in collisions so far this year.

During their closest approach on April 6, the Artemis II crew announced proposed names for two previously unnamed lunar craters: "Carroll" to honor Commander Wiseman's late wife and "Integrity" for their spacecraft.

Solar generation in Britain hit new highs of 14.1GW and 14.4GW on consecutive days, and the government approved the Springwell solar farm in Lincolnshire, projected to supply the equivalent of about 180,000 homes at peak.

Researchers at Rothamsted Research used CRISPR to cut free asparagine in wheat during two years of field trials, and bread and biscuits made from the edited grain showed substantially lower acrylamide while yields were maintained.

The government said the Environment Agency will act as lead environmental regulator to speed planning for the Sizewell C nuclear project and a Teesside sustainable aviation fuel plant, and said environmental checks will still be coordinated with other agencies.

Since September, Rwanda has been mapping agricultural land and using satellite imagery to track development and encroachment, while city officials are promoting urban farming methods such as vertical farms and hydroponics to increase production on smaller plots.

NASA's Artemis 2 Orion capsule is on course to splash down off the coast of San Diego at about 8:07 p.m. ET after completing a lunar flyby, reentering at roughly 25,000 miles per hour.

NASA Mission Control played Mandisa and TobyMac's 2011 song 'Good Morning' as a wake-up track for the Artemis II crew, and NASA has been using wake-up songs for astronauts since 1965.

Federal officials have months to decide how to divide Colorado River flows that supply about 40 million people, and the article reports rising water demand from hyperscale data centers alongside large agricultural water use in Colorado.

During an April 6 check-in on the Artemis II lunar-orbit mission, pilot Victor Glover told his wife and their daughters, 'I love you from the moon.' NASA reports Glover and his wife have been married for more than two decades.

NASA is evaluating key design choices for Artemis III while Artemis II is returning to Earth; officials are debating whether Artemis III should rendezvous in low-Earth orbit or high-Earth orbit and which human landing systems will be involved.