On 28 July, more than 170 researchers sent a letter to National Science Foundation leaders and Congress, urging them to reconsider the decision to terminate the lease of the Nathaniel B. Palmer, the United States’ only Antarctic research vessel-icebreaker (RVIB) and a key part of science operations around the White Continent.
culture & policy
Posted inResearch & Developments
NASA Employees Speak Against Cuts in Open Letter
Nearly 300 current and former NASA employees have signed an open letter expressing concern that budget cuts to the agency will jeopardize safety, basic research, national security, and the nation’s economic health.
Posted inNews
Policy Success: Fees and Bans on Plastic Bags Reduce Beach Trash
Regardless of the patchwork of regulations aimed at limiting plastic bag use in the United States, new research indicates that such legislation does, indeed, limit the number of plastic bags found on beaches.
Posted inNews
Anchoring Is Damaging the Fragile Antarctic Seabed
Scientists call for better protection of Antarctica’s vulnerable seafloor ecosystem as ship traffic increases around the continent.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
The Power of Naming Space Weather Events
Mother’s Day Storm? Why not! Bastille Day Storm? Mais oui! Space scientists make the case for a standardized naming convention for geomagnetic storms, to increase public awareness and preparedness.
Posted inResearch & Developments
2,145 Senior-Level Staff to Leave NASA
At least 2,145 high-level NASA employees are set to leave as the agency faces high pressure from the Trump administration to reduce its staff.
Posted inResearch & Developments
Supreme Court Lets Trump Proceed With Mass Firings
The Trump administration can act on its planned restructuring of the federal government, the United States Supreme Court announced in an 8 July decision.
Posted inResearch & Developments
House Passes Trump’s Spending Bill, With Consequences for the Climate
On 3 June, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a 940-page spending bill that provides trillions of dollars in tax cuts, boosts the fossil fuel industry, and dismantles incentives for clean energy.
Posted inResearch & Developments
Environmental Groups Sue to Block Everglades Detention Facility
The groups assert that the facility will undermine decades’ of work and billions of dollars spent restoring and protecting the Everglades’ delicate ecosystem.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
What’s Changed—and What Hasn’t—Since the EPA’s Endangerment Finding
A scientist-authored brief played a role in the 2009 determination that greenhouse gases endanger public health. With the finding now up for reconsideration, the same scientists revisit their opinion.