Morgan McFall-Johnsen

The world’s energy choices between now and 2050 will determine so much about the future. Climate change, natural ecosystems, and economic development are all on the line. Add to that list 181 million years of healthy human life — annually.That’s how many years can be saved from death or disability by quickly ramping up renewable energy and dialing back fossil fuels, according to a new assessment published on Friday, from the nonprofit World Wildlife Fund and the Boston Consulting Group.The repor…

For the second year in a row, the Mississippi River water level is at an extreme low.The problem is thanks to an ongoing drought event. The river’s current levels are comparable to last October when barges got stuck on sandbars and US agricultural exports suffered.We’re already seeing those crises repeat themselves: This summer brought 40 days of river closures, meaning the boats that travel along the Mississippi river carrying roughly 60% of the country’s grain exports faced significant delays.…

Russia’s grand return to the moon ended with its robotic lander crashing and forming a crater. That doesn’t bode well for its lunar ambitions.

Let’s talk about space sex.So far there have been no reports of cosmic coitus, but more and more people are taking a pleasure cruise in Earth’s orbit. It may just be a matter of time until somebody starts the 250-mile-high club.Since billionaires Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson raced to the edge of space two years ago, orbital tourism has taken off.Branson’s company, Virgin Galactic, successfully flew its first space tourists on Thursday, and plans to conduct similar flights every month.SpaceX la…

A world of untapped energy is all around us. Excess heat from sewage, computers, buildings, and trains can be diverted to warm homes.

The EPA’s proposal to filter PFAS out of drinking water “just doesn’t go far enough,” researchers say. Banning the chemicals is the real solution.

A supermassive black hole may have been kicked out of its galaxy after two other black holes moved in. Its shock wave seems to be birthing new stars.

UK companies that tried the four-day workweek reported no drop in revenue, and employees said they had less stress, better sleep, and more time.

UFOs aren’t screaming “aliens” to scientists. Close calls in the hunt for extraterrestrials include loud radio blasts and surprise molecules on Venus.

Mystery flying objects shot down from US skies aren’t aliens. But if extraterrestrial life is real, NASA could discover evidence in your lifetime.

Russia kept the Kosmos 2499 satellite’s mission a secret, even after its bizarre maneuvers drew attention. Now it may have exploded in orbit.

I made a fool of myself trying to see the green comet so you don’t have to. First-time stargazers like me should plan ahead and practice at home.

Zombie fungus is real, but it’s not a threat to humans. Health experts are worried about a global rise in other fungal infections.

A drought along the Mississippi River may finally ease in February, which would end months of constant vacuuming of the riverbed for barges.

Håvard Grip wasn’t super into Mars or space as a kid, but now he flies the first interplanetary helicopter from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Night-sky photography is offering a sneak peek at the green-comet spectacle you could spy with binoculars or a telescope over the next two weeks.

President Joe Biden suggested singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to Arndrea Waters King, led the song onstage, and mumbled incomprehensibly through her name.

Multicolored algae have bloomed on glaciers since the Ice Age, but scientists think the patches of pink, purple, and green snow are getting bigger.

Beavers love the warming Arctic, so they’re re-landscaping it. Their dams change Alaska’s lakes and rivers so much you can see it from space.

Instead of Bolsonaro, a garbage collector gave Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva the presidential sash during his inauguration, The New York Times reported.