In abortion ban states, sterilization spiked after Dobbs and kept climbing
Enlarge / A woman holds a placard saying "No Forced Births" as abortion rights activists gather at the Monroe County Courthouse for a protest vigil a few hours before Indianas near total abortion ban goes into effect on September 15, 2022. The more abortion access is jeopardized, the more women turn to sterilization, according to…
The future of Boeing’s crewed spaceflight program is muddy after Starliner’s...
Enlarge / Boeing's uncrewed Starliner spaceraft backs away from the International Space Station moments after undocking on September 6, 2024.NASA Nearly a decade ago to the day, I stood in the international terminal of Houston's main airport checking my phone. As I waited to board a flight for Moscow, an announcement from NASA was imminent,…
Meet Jared Isaacman, the billionaire attempting the first private space walk...
SpaceX is in the midst of a mission to conduct the world's first private space walk — and it's being led by the billionaire Jared Isaacman.Isaacman and another crew member are testing SpaceX's new extravehicular space suits in the first-ever commercial space walk, set for Thursday. The suits are designed for increased mobility, and a mask…
You can buy a diamond-making machine for $200,000 on Alibaba
In an age when you can get just about anything online, it's probably no surprise that you can buy a diamond-making machine for $200,000 on Chinese eCommerce site Alibaba. If, like me, you haven't been paying attention to the diamond industry, it turns out that the availability of these machines reflects an ongoing trend toward…
SpaceX says regulators will keep Starship grounded until at least November
Enlarge / Artist's illustration of catch arms ensnaring SpaceX's Super Heavy booster. The Federal Aviation Administration has signaled to SpaceX that it won't approve a launch license for the next test flight of the Starship rocket until at least late November, the company said in a statement on Tuesday. This is more than two months…
How to pick the best cruises to see the northern lights,...
Astrophysicist Hakeem M. Oluseyi has been to dark sky parks and observatories all over the world, but some of the best stargazing he's done has been in the middle of the ocean.As long as cruise ships are mindful of their light pollution, he said, they can be a great way to stargaze.In the past, Oluseyi…
Woman drips with sweat from a bite of food due to...
The human body is full of marvels, some even bordering on miraculous. That includes the limited ability for nerves to regenerate after injuries, allowing people to regain some function and feeling. But that wonder can turn, well, unnerving when those regenerated wires end up in a jumble. Such is the case for a rare neurological…
Polaris Dawn’s spacewalk will be historic — and risky. Here’s everything...
On Thursday, four people currently orbiting Earth in a SpaceX Crew Dragon spaceship plan to don a set of brand-new spacesuits, open their spaceship's hatch to completely expose its interior to the vacuum of space, and attempt the first-ever commercial spacewalk.Their week-long mission, called Polaris Dawn, is fully private with no NASA involvement — but…
X-ray footage shows how Japanese eels escape from a predator’s stomach
Enlarge / "The only species of fish confirmed to be able to escape from the digestive tract of the predatory fish after being captured.”Hasegawa et al./Current Biology Imagine you're a Japanese eel, swimming around just minding your own business when—bam! A predatory fish swallows you whole and you only have a few minutes to make…
A Stellar Flyby Jumbled Up the Outer Solar System
An ancient passerby may have visited the Sun and inadvertently helped shape the Solar System into what it is today. It happened billions of years ago when a stellar drifter came to within 110 astronomical units (AU) of our Sun. The effects were long-lasting and we can see evidence of the visitor’s fleeting encounter throughout…
