Research & Developments is a blog for brief updates to provide context for news that impacts science and scientists today. If you have a tip, email us at [email protected].
Amid USFS Upheaval, Utah and Colorado Are Burning
The fires come in the wake of historically low amounts of snow in the American West, as well as organizational changes at the U.S. Forest Service.
NASA Rushes to Buoy a Swiftly Sinking Telescope
The Neil Gehrels’ Swift Observatory is plummeting toward Earth, and NASA is spending $30 million to try to stop it.
Tracking Science Policy Decisions and Approaches
The new administration has taken an array of decisive actions with far-reaching consequences for Earth and space scientists. Use our new tool to help sort them out.
Venezuelan Earthquakes Struck in a Complex Zone of Faults
Two powerful earthquakes hit Venezuela within less than a minute on the evening of 24 June, causing widespread damage to buildings, likely spurring landslides, and killing at least 164 people,…
Perseverance Spots Organic Matter on Mars
The Mars Perseverance rover has detected intact organic molecules near previously-described potential signatures of ancient life, according to a new study published today in Science Advances.
Turtles May Migrate Using Earth’s Magnetic Field
New research indicates that sea turtles seem to navigate across hundreds of miles of open ocean using Earth’s magnetic field.
NSF Cuts Hundreds of Science Program Budgets by Up to 30%
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has slashed budgets for hundreds of its basic science programs for the remainder of this fiscal year, according to…
6 Ways This Year’s “Super El Niño” Could Affect Climate, Humans, and Marine Creatures
The key word here is “could.” Experts emphasize that no two El Niños are alike.
Trump Administration to Remove Hundreds of Deep-Ocean Observation Instruments, Dismantling $368 Million Program
The Trump administration’s National Science Foundation (NSF) has begun dismantling the infrastructure of a $368 million deep-ocean observing program critical to monitoring marine ecosystems,…