Science & Technology
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Why is Jeff Bezos raising $100 billion to bring AI to factories? Here's what to know
Jeff Bezos is trying to leapfrog into the artificial intelligence race with a $100 billion fund to acquire manufacturers and bring more AI superpowers to factory floors.
The Amazon founder has reportedly traveled to the Middle East and elsewhere to meet with potential investors for the massive fund. If he succeeds, it would be one of the ...Read more
The world’s great fish migrations are collapsing – that’s a problem for millions of people
Hidden beneath the surface of the world’s rivers, some of Earth’s great animal movements unfold – migrations that rival, in sheer biomass, the famous mass movements of zebra and wildebeest across the Serengeti.
For centuries, fish migrations were as predictable as the seasons. Salmon, sturgeon, giant catfish and many other ...Read more
Could salad get you high? Wastewater irrigation raises contamination questions
Drugs found in treated wastewater can be stored in the leaves of vegetables irrigated with that water, Johns Hopkins researchers found. But are drug-infused greens sitting on your grocer’s shelf, and how powerful is the dose?
“Farming practices place a high demand on freshwater resources. With limited rainfall and droughts threatening ...Read more
Environmental group raises alarm over draft approval of California's Sites Reservoir
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The State Water Resources Control Board on Friday unveiled a draft approval that would advance Sites Reservoir, marking another step forward for what would be the largest reservoir project for California since the 1970s.
The draft decision came two months after the Bureau of Reclamation gave the project a green light on ...Read more
Over 400 million barrels will be added to the oil market soon – what are strategic reserves and what can they do?
In the second week of the Iran war – with the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed, cutting off shipping of 20% of the world’s oil supply – the International Energy Agency announced the largest release of strategic oil reserves in history. Thirty-two countries will sell a combined 412 million barrels from their reserves into the global ...Read more
Alphabet's wing drones to start Silicon Valley deliveries this year
Alphabet Inc.’s drone delivery company Wing will begin delivering parcels to homes in the San Francisco Bay Area this year, marking its latest expansion in a small but fast-growing market.
Partnering with companies including Walmart Inc. and DoorDash Inc., Wing already offers drone delivery in North Carolina, Virginia and Australia, but this ...Read more
Can you survive inside a tornado? This scientist did by accident – he’s lucky to be alive
Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com.
Can a person survive inside a tornado? – Sophia, age 14, Greencastle, Indiana
I have seen the center of a monster. Most people describe the sound of a tornado as like a ...Read more
Commentary: What an Austrian cow and Illinois' Fermilab teach us about scientific discovery
Apparently, cows know how to scratch an itch — with a broom. This fascinating new discovery provides the first known example of multipurpose tool use beyond chimpanzees. It required finding just the right cow (her name was Veronika) in just the right paddock (nestled in the Austrian countryside) with just the right owner (a particularly ...Read more
Virginia Beach's Bay Island weathers sewage spill, sinkhole issues
VIRGINIA BEACH — Bay Island, a serene and affluent residential neighborhood cradled by two offshoots of the Lynnhaven River, has long been a coveted place to live for hundreds of Virginia Beach families.
The island is known for its sweeping views, secluded atmosphere and easy boat access. But island life also comes with its downsides. Low-...Read more
Bike and walking trails lose hundreds of millions under Trump
Cities and states are filing lawsuits and scrambling for alternative sources of money as the Trump administration seeks to shut off the federal funding spigot for biking and walking trails.
Since the early 1990s, there has been fairly consistent — and largely bipartisan — federal support for bicycle and pedestrian projects. Federal funding ...Read more
Worsening allergies aren’t your imagination − windy days create the perfect pollen storm
Evolution has fostered many reproductive strategies across the spectrum of life. From dandelions to giraffes, nature finds a way.
One of those ways creates quite a bit of suffering for humans: pollen, the infamous male gametophyte of the plant kingdom.
In the Southeastern U.S., where I live, you know it’s spring when your ...Read more
As precious groundwater vanishes, a few in California find ways to bring it back
ARVIN, Calif. — In the southern San Joaquin Valley, where roads cut through thousands of acres of orange groves, grapevines and carrot fields, a canal reaches a linchpin that keeps the farming economy going: dozens of oblong ponds filled with shimmering water.
While many parts of California’s Central Valley are struggling to counter ...Read more
Mono Lake water levels are well below what's required. Now some want LA to tighten its tap
LOS ANGELES — More than three decades after a landmark decision called for Los Angeles to limit its taking of water to raise the level of Mono Lake, California regulators are reexamining why the lake still hasn’t rebounded and what should be done about it.
At the request of state water officials, UCLA climate scientists developed a new ...Read more
Birding by ear: How to learn the songs of nature’s symphony with some simple techniques
Waking up to the dawn chorus of birds – one of the natural world’s greatest symphonies – is a joy like no other. It is not surprising that bird-watching has become an increasingly popular hobby.
A simple way to start bird-watching is to buy a feeder, a pair of binoculars and a field guide, and begin watching birds from your ...Read more
Why Colorado River negotiations stalled, and how they could resume with the possibility of agreement
The seven U.S. states that make up the Colorado River basin are struggling to agree on how best to manage the river’s water as its supply dwindles due to climate change and a period of prolonged drought. Their negotiations, which are not open to the public, missed a Feb. 14, 2026, deadline the federal government had established, after which...Read more
Pentagon's Anthropic bashing rekindles Silicon Valley's resistance to war
Artificial intelligence powerhouse Anthropic's battle with the Pentagon has sparked some soul-searching in Silicon Valley that could reshape the tech sector's complicated relationship with war and the White House.
Anthropic is the San Francisco-based startup behind the chatbot Claude and some of the most powerful AI on the market. In its ...Read more
NASA's new astronaut class gets a name
ORLANDO, Fla. — NASA’s newest class of astronaut candidates just found out what people will call them.
The tradition of the previous astronaut class — the Flies — bestowing the name the following class has continued, according to a Thursday press release from NASA.
The 10 candidates of NASA’s 24th astronaut class, chosen in 2025 and ...Read more
Florida was on the verge of restoring this beloved river. What happened?
TAMPA, Fla. — A legislative proposal that charted the clearest course in years for reviving Florida’s storied Ocklawaha River, dubbed by supporters as the state’s “next great restoration project,” appeared destined for success last month.
Over several weeks, the bill that required a state plan to restore the winding north-central ...Read more
South Carolina school reportedly built on land coated with polluting industry's waste
COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina’s environmental agency plans to test the soil at an elementary school near Darlington for toxic forever chemicals after learning the property may have been a disposal site for a textile plant’s contaminated sewer sludge.
The S.C. Department of Environmental Services says it has records showing that 91 tons ...Read more
NASA set for overnight roll of Artemis II rocket back to the launch pad
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER — NASA hopes it has only one more roll to the launch pad before it gets a shot to launch four astronauts around the moon on the Artemis II mission.
Teams are set to begin the 4.2 mile journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39-B beginning at 8 p.m. Thursday for what would be around a 12-hour trip.
Winds ...Read more
Popular Stories
- Can you survive inside a tornado? This scientist did by accident – he’s lucky to be alive
- Over 400 million barrels will be added to the oil market soon – what are strategic reserves and what can they do?
- Alphabet's wing drones to start Silicon Valley deliveries this year
- The world’s great fish migrations are collapsing – that’s a problem for millions of people
- As precious groundwater vanishes, a few in California find ways to bring it back





