By Ramishah Maruf, Brandon Miller, CNN Meteorologist (CNN) — An unsubstantiated conspiracy theory that claims the US government is controlling the weather, or its citizens, by spraying dangerous “chemtrails” from airplanes has now made its way into several state legislatures where it could manifest into real-life laws. It’s an example of how unproven and off-the-wall
Continue ReadingBy Jackie Wattles, CNN (CNN) — One of the most closely watched astronaut missions of recent memory came to a dramatic close this week as NASA’s Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore made their triumphant return from the International Space Station. Originally expected to spend just eight days in orbit, the duo ultimately stayed 286 days
Continue ReadingBy Julianna Bragg, CNN (CNN) — Around 34 million years ago, the ancestors of modern iguanas likely embarked on what may be the longest overwater journey undertaken by a nonhuman, land-dwelling vertebrate species. Starting off the epic trek from the western coast of North America, these iguanas traveled nearly 5,000 miles (8,000 kilometers) — one-fifth
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By Taylor Nicioli, CNN (CNN) — A remarkable Early Jurassic record has been hiding in plain sight for 20 years on a slab of rock displayed at a high school in Biloela, Australia, according to a new study. While researchers knew the 1.5-meter-long (about 5-foot-long) slab was around 200 million years old and home to
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By Ashley Strickland, CNN (CNN) — Astronomers have made the surprising discovery of oxygen and elements like heavy metals in the most distant known galaxy. The galaxy is 13.4 billion light-years away, meaning it formed in the early days of the universe. Astronomers believe the big bang created the universe 13.8 billion years ago. The
Continue ReadingBy Hilary Whiteman, CNN (CNN) — A report considered the world’s most trusted source of climate updates has laid out the parlous state of a planet that has recorded its 10 hottest years over the last decade. The World Meteorological Organization’s State of the Global Climate report lists alarming records that scientists say should shock
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CNN By Jackie Wattles and Ashley Strickland, CNN (CNN) — NASA’s Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore — who gained international attention as their planned short stay in space stretched into a more than nine-month, politically fraught mission — are finally home. Williams and Wilmore, alongside NASA’s Nick Hague and cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov of Russia’s Roscosmos
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By Jackie Wattles and Ashley Strickland, CNN (CNN) — NASA’s Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore — who gained international attention as their planned short stay in space stretched into a more than nine-month, politically fraught mission — are finally home. Williams and Wilmore, alongside NASA’s Nick Hague and cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov of Russia’s Roscosmos space
Continue ReadingBy Jackie Wattles, CNN (CNN) — Firefly Aerospace, the Texas-based company that conducted a pristine moon landing with its Blue Ghost spacecraft earlier this month, is declaring the historic mission over after achieving “100 percent” of its objectives. The feat marks the first “fully successful” commercial operation on the moon, the company said Monday. Blue
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By Ashley Strickland, CNN (CNN) — Archaeologists have uncovered a collection of bone tools in northern Tanzania that were shaped by ancient human ancestors 1.5 million years ago, making them the oldest known bone tools by about 1 million years, according to new research. Researchers have unearthed stone tools that date back to at least
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By Ella Nilsen and Rene Marsh, CNN (CNN) — Trump administration officials scrambled through the weekend amid a flood of criticism to claw back employees they fired Thursday evening at the National Nuclear Security Administration, four people familiar with the terminations — and their fallout — told CNN. More than 300 employees were initially fired
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CNN By Rene Marsh and Ella Nilsen, CNN (CNN) — Trump administration officials fired more than 300 staffers Thursday night at the National Nuclear Security Administration — the agency tasked with managing the nation’s nuclear stockpile — as part of broader Energy Department layoffs, according to four people with knowledge of the matter. Sources told
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