The Columbian

Science & Technology

NASA's new moon rocket lifts off from Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39-B Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022, in Cape Canaveral, Fla.

NASA capsule on way to moon after launch by giant new rocket

November 16, 2022, 10:30am Latest News

A space capsule hurtled toward the moon Wednesday for the first time in 50 years, following a thunderous launch of NASA’s mightiest rocket in a dress rehearsal for astronaut flights. Read story

Confidence in science plummeted in pandemic

November 15, 2022, 6:40am Life

At the start of the pandemic, concerned friends and family turned to Jennifer Dixon for all of their COVID-19 questions: Should I wipe down my groceries? Are packages from China dangerous? Read story

NASA's new moon rocket sits on Launch Pad 39-B Monday, Nov. 14, 2022, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. NASA's 21st-century moon-exploration program, named Artemis after Apollo's mythological twin sister. NASA is targeting an early Wednesday morning launch attempt.

Moon rocket launch looms as NASA evaluates hurricane damage

November 14, 2022, 9:22am Life

NASA started the countdown Monday for this week’s planned liftoff of its new moon rocket, although hurricane damage could cause yet another delay for the test flight. Read story

Lou Perrotti, the director of conservation programs at Roger Williams Park Zoo, holds a musk turtle in quarantine after it was confiscated in a wildlife bust, Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2022, in Providence, R.I. Scores of turtle species are under threat from poaching. The plight of turtles is expected to get plenty of attention at a wildlife trade conference in Panama in November.

Turtles in demand as pets, leading to a spike in poaching

November 9, 2022, 8:51am Life

Swimming in two plastic bins inside a brightly lit and sterile quarantine room at a Rhode Island zoo, 16 quarter-sized turtle hatchlings represent a growing worry for conservationist Lou Perrotti. Read story

This photo provided by NASA shows a Northrop Grumman cargo ship about to be captured by the International Space Station's robot arm on Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2022. The capsule delivered more than 8,000 pounds of supplies to the International Space Station on Wednesday, despite a jammed solar panel.

Cargo ship reaches space station despite jammed solar panel

November 9, 2022, 8:30am Nation & World

A Northrop Grumman capsule delivered several tons of supplies to the International Space Station on Wednesday despite a jammed solar panel. Read story

FILE - The NASA moon rocket slated for the Artemis mission to the moon rolls back to the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2022, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. On Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022, NASA announced it is again postponing the launch of its new moon rocket because of a storm threatening the Florida coast. NASA was aiming for a launch attempt this weekend -- just after midnight on Sunday.

NASA launch of moon rocket delayed again by tropical weather

November 9, 2022, 8:26am Nation & World

NASA is again postponing the launch of its new moon rocket because of a storm threatening the Florida coast. Read story

Cassandra Hatton, senior vice president, global head of department, Science & Popular Culture at Sotheby's, touches the tooth of a Tyrannosaurus rex skull excavated from Harding County, South Dakota, in 2020-2021, in New York City on Friday, Nov. 4, 2022. When auctioned in December, the auction house expects the dinosaur skull to sell for $15 to $25 million.

T rex skull unearthed in South Dakota to be auctioned in NY

November 8, 2022, 8:14am Nation & World

A Tyrannosaurus rex skull unearthed in South Dakota is expected to sell for $15 million or more at auction in New York next month, officials with Sotheby’s said Tuesday. Read story

State of Utah Department of Natural Resources geologists Paul Inkenbrandt, left, and Jeremiah Bernau walk along the Bonneville Salt Flats on Aug. 29, 2022, near Wendover, Utah. The glistening white salt of the world famous area is shrinking near the Utah-Nevada line.

Search for solutions drives race to save Utah salt flats

November 8, 2022, 6:00am Life

In the Utah desert, a treeless expanse of pristine white salt crystals has long lured daredevil speed racers, filmmakers and social media-obsessed tourists. It’s so flat that on certain days, visitors swear they can see the curvature of the earth. Read story

Northrup Grumman's Antares rocket lifts off the launch pad at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility Monday, Nov. 7, 2022, in Wallops Island. Va. The rocket is scheduled to deliver a supply capsule to the International Space Station.

Solar panel trouble on cargo capsule bound for space station

November 7, 2022, 1:58pm Life

A Northrop Grumman cargo capsule ran into trouble with a solar panel after Monday’s liftoff to the International Space Station. Read story

Seattle Aquarium’s Ocean Pavilion will transform its focus and the waterfront

November 7, 2022, 6:02am Life

You have to squint and use your imagination to visualize the finished product, but a transformation is underway on Seattle’s central waterfront. Where the Alaskan Way Viaduct once loomed, a walkway connecting Pike Place Market to Puget Sound is taking shape. The outlines of parks, playgrounds, bike lanes and a… Read story