Categories of hurricane: Here’s what hurricane ratings mean

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The Atlantic hurricane season begins on June 1 and runs through Nov. 30. Hurricanes are rated on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, which includes five categories based on the storm’s sustained wind speeds. It also estimates possible damage to property, ranging from “some damage” to “catastrophic.” The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has predicted an “above average” … Read more

How a Smithsonian lab is helping threatened species get off the endangered list

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The animals that live on the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute’s sprawling 32,000 acres in Northern Virginia are connected by one thing: the threat of extinction. Tucked away in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, more than 20 species at risk of extinction, including Mongolia’s Przewalski’s horse, which disappeared from the wild at the end of … Read more

World’s first commercial carbon storage facility begins operations, injecting CO2 deep under North Sea seabed

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Oslo —The world’s first commercial service offering carbon storage off Norway’s coast has carried out its inaugural CO2 injection into the North Sea seabed, the Northern Lights consortium operating the site said Monday. The project by Northern Lights, which is led by oil giants Equinor, Shell and TotalEnergies, involves transporting and burying CO2 captured at smokestacks … Read more

Stone Age settlement lost to rising seas 8,500 years ago found off Denmark coast

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Bay of Aarhus, Denmark — Below the dark blue waters of the Bay of Aarhus in northern Denmark, archaeologists search for coastal settlements swallowed by rising sea levels more than 8,500 years ago. This summer, divers descended about 26 feet below the waves close to Aarhus, Denmark’s second-biggest city, and collected evidence of a Stone Age … Read more

“Punk rocker” dinosaur was covered in long spikes and armor, newly discovered fossils show

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A dinosaur dubbed one of the “strangest” ever found boasted an elaborate armory of long bony spikes and a tail weapon, according to findings published in the science journal Nature. Spicomellus, which roamed the Earth 165 million years ago, is the world’s oldest ankylosaur, a herbivorous group of dinosaurs known for their tank-like bodies. Palaeontologists’ … Read more

North Texas nonprofit transforms lives by bringing technology to the blind

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In a world driven by screens, one North Texas nonprofit is making sure no one gets left behind. Computers for the Blind, based in Dallas, is opening doors for people across the country who are blind or visually impaired.  The nonprofit refurbishes donated computers and equips them with powerful accessibility software, providing life-changing technology to … Read more

SpaceX launches Super Heavy-Starship in test flight amid concerns over space race

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SpaceX on Tuesday launched its Super Heavy-Starship, the most powerful rocket in the world, for a test flight after three other flights failed earlier this year. NASA hired SpaceX to build a lunar lander version of Starship to carry astronauts to the moon. Despite the successful launch, there is rising concern that China’s space program … Read more