Science & Technology
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  Plan to kill 450,000 owls pushes past major obstacle with Republicans both for and against
LOS ANGELES — A controversial plan to kill one owl species to save another cleared a major hurdle.
The full Senate on Wednesday struck down a GOP effort to prevent the cull of up to 450,000 barred owls in the Pacific Northwest over three decades, ending a saga that created strange political bedfellows.
It’s a major win for environmentalist...Read more
 
  After NASA pressure, SpaceX promises speedier timeline for Starship moon lander
ORLANDO, Fla. — After acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy this month called out SpaceX for Starship delays, Elon Musk’s company has come back with an update defending its progress and offering a speedier plan to get astronauts back on the moon as part of the Artemis program.
“Starship continues to simultaneously be the fastest path to ...Read more
 
  Babies of 'one of Australia's rarest mammals' born in wild at park for first time
In a protected forest of eastern Australia, one of the country’s “rarest mammals” wandered past a trail camera, its pouch bulging slightly from the baby tucked inside. Conservationists later looked at the photos and immediately recognized them as a “major” conservation milestone.
Conservationists began preparations at Powrunna State ...Read more
 
  Commentary: Can science and faith heal divisions, especially over vaccines? We have good news
We are a society in desperate need of healing; these days, we cannot even find agreement in diagnosis. Consider the issue of vaccination, which raises the specter of science in conflict with individual values and, particularly in some cases, with faith. Our society has long treated science and faith as competing narratives. What if we instead ...Read more
 
  Senate passes measure to remove protections in National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The U.S. Senate on Thursday voted to cancel a Biden-era land-use plan that had boosted environmental protections for the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, a region that has drawn new interest from the oil industry in recent years.
A companion measure from Alaska Republican Rep. Nick Begich has yet to be considered in the ...Read more
 
  Senate votes to vacate Biden rule on Alaska petroleum reserve
WASHINGTON — The Senate on Thursday passed a joint resolution that would vacate a Biden-era Bureau of Land Management rule covering portions of northern Alaska.
The joint resolution passed 52-45, with Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania the only Democrat joining Republicans. Introduced by Alaska Republican Sens. Dan Sullivan and Lisa ...Read more
When the federal shutdown closed this national park, rangers took to the classroom
ROSS, Calif. — On a sunny morning, 17 students from a preschool here in Marin huddle as close as possible to furloughed interpretive park ranger Adrian Boone of the Muir Woods National Monument.
But this is no field trip. Instead, Boone has come to the outdoor classroom at The Ross Preschool, a half-hour drive from the park. He's part of a ...Read more
 
  Plan to kill 450,000 owls creates odd political bedfellows -- loggers and environmentalists
The strange political bedfellows created by efforts to save spotted owls in the Pacific Northwest just got even stranger.
Already Republican members of Congress were allied with animal rights activists.
They don’t want trained shooters to kill up to 450,000 barred owls, which are outcompeting northern spotted owls, under a U.S. Fish and ...Read more
 
  Cameo sues OpenAI for trademark infringement over new AI-generated celebrity video app
Cameo, the Chicago-based celebrity video messaging website, has become the latest company to sue OpenAI, alleging trademark infringement for the technology giant’s new service that makes AI-generated celebrity videos under the same Cameo name.
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in a California federal court, said the recent rollout of the “Cameo”...Read more
Trump administration backs off bid for Atlantic oil drilling
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is ruling out selling offshore oil and gas leases along the U.S. East Coast, after its initial plan for auctioning them drew alarm from Republican strongholds in the Southeast.
The shift in thinking comes after the White House earlier contemplated a more expansive approach to auctioning offshore drilling ...Read more
 
  Three wolf pups sought in California's Sierra Valley after parents euthanized
Three wolf pups from a pack whose adult members were euthanized by state conservation officials earlier this month had still not been captured despite weeks of searching by scientists and wildlife officers, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said.
The slow progress of the search prompted concerns from environmental groups about the ...Read more
 
  NOAA reports spike in whale entanglements, latest bad news in year of threats in and out of the ocean
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently reported a spike in entangled whales off California in 2024, leading scientists and marine mammal biologists to worry about how this year will go as winter fishing seasons get underway.
Already, sea creatures have been plagued in 2025 by deadly algae blooms, bacterial illnesses and ...Read more
 
  ks-ENV-CALIF-WOLF-PUPS // Three wolf pups sought in California's Sierra Valley after parents euthanized
Three wolf pups from a pack whose adult members were euthanized by state conservation officials earlier this month had still not been captured despite weeks of searching by scientists and wildlife officers, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said.
The slow progress of the search prompted concerns from environmental groups about the ...Read more
 
  Elk are again roaming on lands that California has returned to the Tule River Indian Tribe
In the scrub-brush foothills between the long flat fields of California's San Joaquin Valley and the mighty peaks and Sequoia forests of the Sierra Nevada, state leaders and elders from the Tule River Indian Tribe gathered Wednesday to mark the return of 17,000 acres of ancestral land to Tule River Indian tribe.
Gov. Gavin Newsom's office ...Read more
 
  Leading AI company to ban kids from long chats with its bots amid growing concern about the technology
Character.AI, a platform for creating and chatting with artificial intelligence chatbots, plans to start blocking minors from having "open-ended" conversations with its virtual characters.
The major change comes as the Menlo Park, Calif., company and other AI leaders face more scrutiny from parents, child safety groups and politicians about ...Read more
 
  Offshore wind projects feel brunt of Trump policy decisions
WASHINGTON — On his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive memorandum prohibiting new offshore wind leasing for all areas of the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf and directing his Cabinet to review previously approved projects.
The president’s animosity toward wind turbines already was well-known, going back over a ...Read more
 
  Stellantis partners with Nvidia, Uber and Foxconn to work on robotaxis
Stellantis NV said Tuesday it plans to work with tech heavyweights Nvidia Corp., Uber Technologies Inc. and Foxconn as it seeks a foothold in the robotaxi business.
The automaker said it signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding with the three companies and wants to "explore the joint development" of autonomous vehicles for robotaxis.
...Read more
 
  Sora app's hyperreal AI videos ignite online trust crisis as downloads surge
Scrolling through the Sora app can feel a bit like entering a real-life multiverse.
Michael Jackson performs standup; the alien from the “Predator” movies flips burgers at McDonald’s; a home security camera captures a moose crashing through the glass door; Queen Elizabeth dives from the top of a table at a pub.
Such improbable realities,...Read more
 
  Humanity is on path toward 'climate chaos,' scientists warn
Industries and individuals around the world burned record amounts of oil, gas and coal last year, releasing more greenhouse gases than ever before, a group of leading scientists said in a new report, warning that humanity is hurtling toward “climate chaos.”
The surge in global use of fossil fuels in 2024 contributed to extreme weather and ...Read more
 
  Tech review: New Eufy smart lock is a palm reader
It was Arthur C. Clark who said, “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”
I think about that saying whenever I run across a gadget that really impresses me with a particular feature.
For the last month or so, I’ve been testing the Eufy FamiLock S3 Max smart lock for my front door. The Familock S3 Max ($399....Read more
Popular Stories
- Senate passes measure to remove protections in National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska
- Commentary: Can science and faith heal divisions, especially over vaccines? We have good news
- When the federal shutdown closed this national park, rangers took to the classroom
- UN sees world's emissions falling 10% by 2035, far short of 60% goal
- Senate votes to vacate Biden rule on Alaska petroleum reserve





