The Columbian

Science & Technology

The PowerRoam 1200 Portable Power Station with the 200W solar panels.

Tech review: Ugreen power station is feature packed and not too heavy

July 2, 2023, 6:02am Business

I’ve reviewed my share of portable power stations, and when I receive a new one to test, I like to sit down and figure out the target market. Read story

FILE - Virgin Galactic's VSS Unity departs Mojave Air & Space Port in Mojave, Calif., for the final time as Virgin Galactic shifts its SpaceFlight operations to New Mexico, Feb. 13, 2020. Virgin Galactic announced Wednesday, June 14, 2023, that monthly commercial flights to the edge of space will begin for ticket-holders in August, following a research flight planned for the end of June.

Italian researchers reach the edge of space, flying aboard Virgin Galactic’s rocket-powered plane

June 29, 2023, 10:40am Business

A team of Italian researchers expects to reach the edge of space Thursday morning, flying aboard Virgin Galactic’s rocket-powered plane as the company prepares for monthly commercial flights. Read story

Toxic algae suspected in deaths of sea lions and dolphins on Southern California coast

June 21, 2023, 4:22pm Life

Marine mammal rescue organizations have been swamped with reports of sick and dead sea lions and dolphins along the Southern California coast this month, and experts believe a bloom of harmful algae is to blame. Read story

FILE - Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan speaks at the University of Maryland, May 11, 2023, in College Park, Md. The Biden administration on Wednesday increased the amount of biofuels that must be blended into the nation's fuel supplies over the next three years, but held production totals steady for corn-based ethanol, disappointing the biofuel industry and farm advocates. Regan said the final rule would reduce U.S. reliance on oil and support continued growth of biofuels that help combat global warming.

EPA boosts use of biofuels but holds steady for corn-based ethanol production

June 21, 2023, 4:21pm Nation & World

The Biden administration on Wednesday increased the amount of biofuels that must be blended into the nation’s fuel supplies over the next three years, but held production totals steady for corn-based ethanol, disappointing the biofuel industry and farm advocates. Read story

Entomology researcher Eric Burkness checked raspberry plants growing in a hoop house for signs of spotted wing drosophila in Rosemont, Minn.

Researchers battle berry-busting fruit flies with sterilization

June 20, 2023, 6:03am Life

Paul Nelson is used to doing battle with an invasive fruit fly called the spotted wing drosophila, a pest that one year ruined more than half the berries on the Minnesota farm he and his team run. In recent years, they’ve cut their losses closer to 5 percent, but it’s… Read story

FILE - In this May 22, 2019, file photo, a shark warning warns beachgoers at Lecount Hollow Beach in Wellfleet, Mass. Scientists monitoring the white shark population in the waters off Cape Cod are stepping up their game by attaching more highly sophisticated sensors that include cameras to the predators to help keep beachgoers informed and safe, researchers said Tuesday, June 13, 2023.

Scientists upgrade sensors to track Cape Cod’s sharks

June 19, 2023, 6:00am Life

Scientists monitoring the white shark population in the waters off Massachusetts’ Cape Cod are attaching improved sensors, including cameras, to the predators to help scientists keep track of their whereabouts and to keep beachgoers informed and safe, researchers said Tuesday. Read story

Hazel Dell Elementary School students reenact the explosion of Mount St. Helens on May 23 at the Science and Learning Center at Coldwater. At top, Mount St. Helens erupts on May 18, 1980.

Let’s get ready to rumble: Mount St. Helens Institute to expand outdoor education at Coldwater

June 17, 2023, 6:10am Clark County News

MOUNT ST. HELENS NATIONAL VOLCANIC MONUMENT — Amid children’s excited chatter and giggles, the first signs of a volcanic eruption — harmonic tremors — spread at the base of Mount St. Helens. Read story

FILE - People look up to the sky at an observatory near the village of Avren east of the Bulgarian capital Sofia, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009. There's another chance to see five planets lined up in the sky, weather permitting. Saturn, Neptune, Jupiter, Uranus and Mercury will appear together before sunrise on Saturday., June 17, 2023. Jupiter and Saturn will be bright in the sky and easiest to see. Mercury will be the lowest to the horizon and harder to spot. And you'll need to break out binoculars or a telescope to find Neptune and Uranus.

How to see 5 planets line up in the sky on Saturday morning

June 15, 2023, 3:02pm Life

Wake up early this weekend to catch a celestial sight: Five planets will line up in the sky before sunrise on Saturday. Read story