Science & Technology

Scientists hunt for meteor that splashed down off Washington coast

June 30, 2018, 9:59pm Northwest

Brittany Bryson was sitting at a fast-food drive-up in Ocean Shores the evening of March 7 when a bright flash lit the sky, followed by a boom so loud it rattled her car. Minutes later she fielded a frantic call from her sister, who had been outside with Bryson’s kids.… Read story

A leaking vehicle sends pollution down a parking lot storm drain. Leaky vehicles are a significant source of waterway pollution in Western Washington.

Don’t Drip and Drive program aims to curtail cars’ oil leaks

June 30, 2018, 6:03am Clark County News

It’s easy for drivers to ignore the leaks and drips coming off their autos — considering how expensive auto repairs can be, occasionally topping off the oil is much cheaper than a trip to the mechanic — but all those tiny spills have an outsized cumulative environmental impact. Read story

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket’s exhaust plume is illuminated during a launch just before dawn Friday at Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral, Fla.

SpaceX launches 1st orbiting AI robot

June 29, 2018, 10:18pm Nation & World

A SpaceX rocket that flew just two months ago with a NASA satellite roared back into action Friday, launching the first orbiting robot with artificial intelligence and other station supplies. Read story

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket's exhaust plume is illuminated during a launch just before dawn Friday, June 29, 2018 at Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral, Fla. The used Falcon rocket blasted off before dawn, hauling nearly 6,000 pounds (2,700 kilograms) of cargo, including the spherical AI bot named Cimon; genetically identical mice, or mousetronauts; and super-caffeinated coffee for the crew of the International Space Station. The shipment, packed into a Dragon capsule that's also recycled, should reach the station Monday.

SpaceX launches AI robot, strong coffee for station crew

June 29, 2018, 8:44am Nation & World

Washington State University professor David James used tags to track monarch migration through the Pacific Northwest. His five-year study has provided information on how residents can help save the declining butterflies.

Could monarch butterflies disappear?

June 28, 2018, 9:56pm Northwest

The question of where Mid-Columbia monarch butterflies migrate in the West isn’t a question anymore, thanks to a Prosser researcher. Read story

Nonstick chemicals raise alarm

For decades, U.S. consumers have been buying water-resistant packaging and clothing, stain-resistant carpets and Teflon cookware, but there is growing alarm that the chemical components that give those products their appeal are ending up in the water supply.

June 28, 2018, 10:06am Life

For decades, American consumers have been buying water-resistant packaging and clothing, stain-resistant carpets and Teflon cookware. Now there is growing alarm that the chemical components that give those products their appeal are ending up in the water supply. Read story

Banned pesticide blamed in deaths of 13 bald eagles in Md.

This bald eagle was one of 13 found dead on a farm near Federalsburg, Md., in 2016.

June 28, 2018, 6:05am Life

The 13 bald eagles were found lifeless on a Maryland farm more than two years ago, many with wings splayed, bodies intact, and talons clenched. Several were too young to have their species’ distinctive white heads. And at least six, according to a federal lab report, had ingested a highly… Read story

Scientists finally find ‘mother of all lizards’

June 21, 2018, 6:02am Life

Here’s a fact you should know about the world in which you live: It’s home to more kinds of scaly reptiles than all the mammal families combined. The reptile order Squamata, which includes snakes, lizards and legless worm-looking creatures known as amphisbaenians, is the largest order of living land vertebrates… Read story