Science & Technology

/

Knowledge

Leon Neal/Getty Images North America/TNS

US officials used Signal to share war plans. What is the messaging app and is it safe?

Senior government officials mistakenly invited the editor in chief of the Atlantic to a group chat on the messaging app Signal, where the focus of conversation was U.S. airstrikes against rebel groups in Yemen. The app’s use by high-ranking national security officials has raised the question: Just how secure is Signal anyway?

On March 11, ...Read more

Sammy Fretwell/The State/TNS

South Carolina could lose 1 million acres of wetlands as federal protections vanish, report says

As flood threats rise, wetlands across South Carolina could play an important role in fending off high water before it soaks homes, businesses, roads and other property that people depend on.

But wetlands that control flooding and shelter wildlife are in substantial jeopardy as a result of a 2023 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that limited federal ...Read more

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images North America/TNS

Signal app prized by activists central to Houthi chat uproar

The messaging app Signal that Trump administration officials used to discuss an attack on Yemen’s Houthi rebels was created by a one-time anarchist to help activists, journalists and others communicate beyond the prying eyes of government intelligence agencies — not to plan government military operations.

Launched by American cryptographer...Read more

NASA/Frank Michaux/NASA/TNS

NASA puts biggest rocket pieces together for Artemis II moon mission

The slow race of getting NASA’s Space Launch System rocket pieced together for next year’s Artemis II moon mission jumped a big hurdle over the weekend.

The 212-foot-tall core stage was placed Sunday alongside two solid rocket boosters at Kennedy Space Center’s Vehicle Assembly Building — meaning the rocket that provides the oomph for ...Read more

Mario Tama/Getty Images North America/TNS

Mexican delegation meets with Gov. Gavin Newsom to advance new climate partnership

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Mexican governor Alfonso Durazo Montaño met with Gov. Gavin Newsom in Sacramento last week to advance a new climate partnership between California and the Mexican state of Sonora.

Newsom and Durazo Montaño signed on March 17 a new partnership advancing cross-border action for cleaner air and clean energy.

The four-year...Read more

Handout/National Reconnaissance Office/TNS

SpaceX launches classified NROL-69 mission from Cape Canaveral

SpaceX sent up a classified payload for the National Reconnaissance Office from the Space Coast on Monday afternoon.

A Falcon 9 rocket on the NROL-69 mission lifted off at 1:48 p.m. Eastern time from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40.

The first-stage booster flew for the second time and made a recovery landing at ...Read more

Drew A. Kelley/The Orange County Register/Drew A. Kelley

Surge in poisoned sea lions threatens beachgoers, burdens rescuers in Southern California

LOS ANGELES — Sea lions and other ocean mammals in Southern California are falling victim to a poisoning event that a local expert calls the worst in recent memory. It is stranding the mammals along the coast as warnings are issued to beachgoers of the threat posed by animals that are transformed by their illness.

A surfer reported an attack...Read more

National monuments have grown and shrunk under US presidents for over a century thanks to one law: The Antiquities Act

America’s public lands, from its majestic national parks to its vast national forests, are at the heart of the country’s identity.

They cover more than a quarter of the nation and large parts of the West. Some are crisscrossed by hiking trails and used by hunters and fishermen. Ranchers graze cattle on others. In many areas, the ...Read more

Handout/National Reconnaissance Office/TNS

SpaceX set to launch NROL-69 mission with sonic booms possible today

SpaceX is set to send up a classified payload for the National Reconnaissance Office from the Space Coast that could bring sonic booms across Central Florida on Monday.

A Falcon 9 rocket on the NROL-69 mission is targeting a 1:48 p.m. liftoff from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40, with a backup possible Tuesday at ...Read more

Richard Tribou/Orlando Sentinel/TNS

SpaceX targets end of month for private astronaut polar orbit mission Fram2

With the drama around the first human spaceflight of the year behind it, SpaceX is back to the business of sending private customers to space.

The Fram2 mission headed by a Chinese-born cryptocurrency entrepreneur and three of his friends is targeting Monday, March 31, for liftoff from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad 39-A.

It would be the ...Read more

Bill Pugliano/Getty Images North America/TNS

California banned polystyrene. So why is it still on store shelves?

LOS ANGELES — Styrofoam coffee cups, plates, clamshell takeout containers and other food service items made with expanded polystyrene plastic can still be found in restaurants and on store shelves, despite a ban that went into effect on Jan. 1.

A Smart and Final in Redwood City was brimming with foam plates, bowls and cups for sale on ...Read more

Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Faced with soaring landslide costs, Palos Verdes considers toll on iconic coastal road

LOS ANGELES — Motorists love it for its rugged cliffs and stunning coastal vistas, but this Southern California highway is also a critical evacuation route for thousands of Palos Verdes Peninsula residents — not to mention a key artery for commuters and emergency vehicles.

Yet maintaining scenic Palos Verdes Drive South has become an ...Read more

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images North America/TNS

AI could take your next drive-through order. Taco Bell parent Yum Brands and Nvidia's partnership explained

Fast food customers might find themselves talking to an artificial intelligence voice the next time they order tacos or pizza at a drive-through.

Yum Brands Inc., the parent company of Irvine-based Taco Bell and other popular fast food chains such as Pizza Hut, KFC and Habit Burger & Grill, has teamed up with tech juggernaut Nvidia to advance ...Read more

Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel/TNS

NASA websites no longer promote 'first woman' on the moon for Artemis

NASA websites have dropped references to landing the first woman on the moon as part of the goals for its Artemis program.

As of Friday, updated pages for the program no longer feature the statement: “NASA will land the first woman, first person of color, and first international partner astronaut on the moon using innovative technologies to ...Read more

Alejandro Tamayo/The San Diego Union-Tribune/TNS

Trump moves to close gaps in San Diego border fence, but environmental concerns linger

SAN DIEGO — The border wall system running through San Diego County has been one of the most fortified stretches in the southwest for decades, beginning with a border security push in the 1990s and continuing with miles of replacement fencing constructed during President Donald Trump’s first administration.

But some spots remain where there...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Endangered gray wolfr found dead, officials say. $30.5K reward offered

An endangered gray wolf was found illegally killed in Oregon, wildlife officials said.

Now, a combined reward of $30,500 is being offered to anyone who has “information that leads to an arrest, criminal conviction or civil penalty assessment,” the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service said in a March 19 news release and the Center for Biological ...Read more

Colorado Parks and Wildlife/TNS

Federal agency kills collared Colorado wolf suspected of killing sheep in Wyoming

DENVER — A federal agency killed one of Colorado’s newest collared wolves after the apex predator wandered into Wyoming and was suspected of killing sheep, government officials confirmed Thursday.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services shot and killed the wolf on Saturday after connecting it to a report of livestock ...Read more

After Massachusetts fishermen were seen 'targeting' white sharks, state looks to better restrict shore-based shark fishing

BOSTON — It’s already illegal for fishermen to attract or capture a great white shark, but Bay State officials are proposing new rules to better restrict shore-based shark fishing after anglers were seen “targeting” the protected species along Cape Cod.

The white shark fishing issue came to a head last September when fishermen at a ...Read more

Anker/Anker/TNS

Tech review: New Anker laptop chargers bring small size but plenty of power

As device charging becomes more important to our daily lives, I’m drawn to better and smarter chargers.

When I leave town, I’m usually carrying a laptop, my phone, an iPad and my watch. Now add my wife’s laptop and phone and her Fitbit and we have a serious nightly charging requirement.

I’m the kind of person who puts together a ...Read more

NASA/NASA/TNS

TV meteorologist in Boston under fire for saying SpaceX splashdown had 'strong hints of AI'

BOSTON — Pete Bouchard, the chief meteorologist at Boston's NBC10, has created quite a splash for another comment that’s landed flat on social media.

Bouchard, after the NASA astronauts who were stuck in space for 9 months finally returned to Earth, said the SpaceX splashdown had “strong hints of AI enhancement.”

The meteorologist ...Read more