BOISE, Idaho (AP) — It sounds like a big fish story: a plan to create a biodiversity map identifying thousands of aquatic species in every river and stream in the western U.S. But scientists say they’re steadily reeling in that whopper and by next summer will have the first Aquatic Environmental DNA Atlas available for … Continue reading
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson is on the verge of becoming the oldest woman in space, adding to her long list of barrier-breaking records. Whitson will be 56 when she rockets off the planet Thursday. She’ll celebrate her 57th birthday in February on the International Space Station. That’s a far cry … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration urged companies on Tuesday to make millions of devices safe from hacking, underscoring the risks posed by an increasingly bewildering array of internet-connected products permeating daily life, covering everything from fitness trackers to computers in automobiles. In a report obtained by The Associated Press, the Homeland Security Department described … Continue reading
NEW YORK (AP) — Toys that teach aren’t a new thing, but a growing number are calling for kids to build with blocks, circuits or everyday items before reaching for a tablet screen. Play is how kids learn about the world around them, whether it’s a toddler throwing a ball or teens playing video games. … Continue reading
This might be the ultimate do-it-yourself project: Doctors are testing a device that would let women do part of their own breast reconstruction at home. It’s aimed at not only making treatment more comfortable and convenient, but also giving women a sense of control — something cancer often takes away. More than 100,000 women each … Continue reading
DETROIT (AP) — The government wants smartphone makers to lock out most apps when the phone is being used by someone driving a car. The voluntary guidelines unveiled Wednesday are designed to reduce crashes caused by drivers distracted by phones. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also wants automakers to make infotainment systems easy to … Continue reading
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The futuristic city-state of Dubai announced a deal on Tuesday with Los Angeles-based Hyperloop One to study the potential for building a line linking it to the Emirati capital of Abu Dhabi. The announcement of the deal took place atop the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, with a … Continue reading
MARRAKECH, Morocco (AP) — Hot and wild and with an “increasingly visible human footprint” — that’s how the U.N. weather agency sums up the global climate in the past five years. In a report released Tuesday at international climate talks in Morocco, the World Meteorological Organization said 2011-2015 was the hottest five-year period on record. … Continue reading
SANTA ROSA, Calif. (AP) — California water agencies that spent more than $350 million in the last two years of drought to pay property owners to rip out water-slurping lawns are now trying to answer whether the nation’s biggest lawn removal experiment was all worth the cost. Around the state, water experts and water-district employees … Continue reading
NORCIA, Italy (AP) — The third powerful earthquake to hit Italy in two months spared human life Sunday but struck at the nation’s identity, destroying a Benedictine cathedral, a medieval tower and other beloved landmarks that had survived the earlier jolts across a mountainous region of small historic towns. Lost or severely damaged in the … Continue reading
NEW DELHI (AP) — As Indians awoke Monday to smoke-filled skies from a weekend of festival fireworks, New Delhi’s worst season for air pollution began — with dire consequences. A new report from UNICEF says about a third of the 2 billion children in the world who are breathing toxic air live in northern India … Continue reading
ST. LOUIS (AP) — When Deborah Giannecchini was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer four years ago, it didn’t make sense. She had no family history, nor did she seem a high risk. But months later, when her daughter saw a TV ad for a law firm asking ovarian cancer victims who used talcum powder … Continue reading
MANASSAS, Va. (AP) — Think of it as the airborne cousin to the self-driving car: a robot in the cockpit to help human pilots fly passengers and cargo — and eventually even replace them. The government and industry are collaborating on a program that seeks to replace the second human pilot in two-person flight crews … Continue reading
SYDNEY (AP) â A ship involved with the deep-sea sonar search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 is being fitted with a drone that will examine several sonar contacts of interest on the remote seabed west of Australia, officials said Wednesday. None of the sonar contacts exhibit the characteristics of a typical aircraft debris field, … Continue reading
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A NASA spacecraft circling Jupiter has hit another snag. The space agency said Wednesday that Juno detected a problem, went into safe mode and shut off its cameras and instruments hours before it was supposed to pass over Jupiter’s dense cloud tops. Juno rebooted its onboard computer and can communicate with … Continue reading
Spartan Echo 