Culture & Policy

RECENTLY PUBLISHED

NSF Cuts Hundreds of Science Program Budgets by Up To 30%

As Wildfires Increase in the West, So Does Suppression Spending

Trump Administration to Remove Hundreds of Deep-Ocean Observation Instruments, Dismantling $368 Million Program

Artists and Scientists Partner to Bring Atmospheric Data to Life

NSF

NOAA

NASA

Travel & Tourism

Trekking Tourism Leaves a Microplastic Footprint in a High Himalayan Lake

Tracking Microplastics Above and Below the Waves

Tracing the Eruption History of a Volcano in a Tourist Hot Spot

Salt of the Earth: Vast Underground Salt Caverns Are Preserving Our History—and Just Might Power Our Future

“The United States has long been a key member of the global climate research community. However, that role is now threatened.”
“The Global Impact of Losing U.S. Sea Level Science”

CULTURE & POLICY ARCHIVE

Judge Blocks NSF From Dismantling NCAR

“NSF’s failure to provide any explanation for its decision—let alone a reasonable one—thwarts meaningful judicial review and renders the challenged action arbitrary and capricious,” the judge wrote.

by Emily Gardner and Grace van Deelen

White House Proposes Sweeping Changes to Grantmaking Process

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) proposed a new rule on 28 May that, if finalized, would give political appointees approval power over scientific grants, reduce support for international collaboration, limit funding for publication fees, and make other extensive alterations to the federal government’s funding review process.

by Grace van Deelen

The 50-Hour Livestream That Aims to #SaveAmericasForecasts

This week, a parade of scientists will spend 50 hours straight speaking about the importance of weather and climate research in the United States.

by Emily Gardner

NASA Announces “Realignment” Toward Human Spaceflight

NASA announced an agencywide realignment that includes combining related mission directorates to sharpen the agency’s focus on human spaceflight.

by Kimberly M. S. Cartier

Germany to Return Contested Dinosaur Fossil to Brazil

Following a long restitution campaign, both countries announced their willingness to repatriate the 110-million-year-old spinosaurid Irritator challengeri.

by Sofia Moutinho

The Global Impact of Losing U.S. Sea Level Science

Cuts to climate science risk halting or even erasing decades of progress in global change research—just as risks from rising seas demand better data, informed decisionmaking, and faster action.

by Andra J. Garner, Robert E. Kopp, Gregory G. Garner, Aimée B. A. Slangen and Benjamin P. Horton

The Impact of Advocacy: American Geophysical Union’s Days of Action

AGU’s Days of Action participants, representing 24 states and Washington D.C., joined together to advocate for bills growing, protecting, and strengthening the scientific workforce and ecosystem.

by Emille Beller

Sand Demand Outpaces Sustainable Extraction

Demand for sand in the building sector is expected to rise 45% by the year 2060, outpacing current efforts to sustainably harvest it.

by Kimberly M. S. Cartier

Urban Methane Emissions Are Rising, Despite Cities’ Pledges

Eyes in the sky could help cities get on track to decrease emissions of the potent greenhouse gas—and monitor whether their efforts are working.

by Katherine Bourzac

This Arctic Atlas Shows Where Oil and Gas Activities Overlap with Wildlife and Indigenous Communities

To slow climate change, the world must keep its fossil fuels in the ground. New maps of Arctic activities show where resources should stay put.