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Bob Wick/Bureau of Land Management/TNS

Trump administration moves to pull restrictions on oil and gas development in National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska

The Interior Department is taking additional steps to enable oil and gas drilling in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, revoking Biden-era documents that called for expanding "Special Areas" that receive extra protection and are known for their unique wildlife and subsistence values.

The move continues the yearslong back-and-forth that has ...Read more

Rokas Tenys/Dreamstime/TNS

Microsoft nears OpenAI agreement for ongoing tech access

Microsoft Corp. is in advanced talks to land a deal that could give it ongoing access to critical OpenAI technology, an agreement that would remove a major obstacle to the startup’s efforts to become a for-profit enterprise.

The companies have discussed new terms that would let Microsoft use OpenAI’s latest models and other technology even ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Baited camera films one of 'the world's rarest shark species' off Wales

Off the western coast of the United Kingdom, conservationists attached some bait to an underwater camera, dropped the contraption to the seabed and waited. When they eventually watched the footage, it left them stunned.

They’d filmed one of “the world’s rarest shark species.”

A team of researchers set out to investigate “dolphin ...Read more

Alex Kormann/Minneapolis Star Tribune/TNS

U of M study: Wakeboats stir up lakebed sediments when operated in shallow water

Wakeboats in surfing mode should operate in at least 20 feet of water to avoid stirring up sediment in a way that’s harmful to water quality, according to a study by the University of Minnesota.

The study, made public Tuesday, found that wakeboats cruising at surf speed can trigger a complex set of waves that stir sediment. In turn, the motor...Read more

Apu Gomes/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

Perseid meteor shower: When it peaks and what could spoil the party

LOS ANGELES -- When it comes to meteor showers, the Perseids pop. It's not just about the quantity of meteors (as many as 100 per hour) and their showy quality (fireballs!) but also their superb timing.

The annual shower hits its peak on warm, laid-back August nights as the Earth crosses paths with the dust cloud left by comet Swift-Tuttle on ...Read more

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images North America/TNS

EPA set to unravel US authority to regulate greenhouse gases

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is set to announce its plans to abolish the U.S. government’s authority to regulate greenhouse gases, threatening to strike a deep blow at Washington’s ability to fight climate change.

The Environmental Protection Agency will unveil a proposal as early as Tuesday to scrap a landmark determination ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Trump official, Idaho Republicans clash over Snake River dam removal

BOISE, Idaho — At a visit to a Nez Perce Hatchery near Lewiston, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. spoke of a future without dams on the Snake River.

The Nez Perce traditionally relied on salmon as a critical part of their diet, and the tribe for years has advocated for dams to be breached because they impede salmon migration to and from the ocean. On ...Read more

Sam Morris/Las Vegas Review-Journal/TNS

Las Vegas leaders are banking on trees for cooling. The science is complicated

As extreme heat claims more lives during ruthless summers in the region, Southern Nevada is upping the ante in its tree planting efforts. But a new study suggests trees alone may not be enough to make a meaningful difference in the daytime.

While Las Vegas’ trees can cool surrounding air temperatures up to nearly 35 degrees at night and shade...Read more

Bryant Turffs/The Florida Manta Project/TNS

Florida allowed capture of threatened giant manta ray for overseas aquarium

ORLANDO, Fla. — Denis Richard watched five men heave a giant manta ray from the waters off Panama City Beach and plop it into a pool on their boat deck.

“Let him go,” he yelled. “You ought to be ashamed of yourselves.”

Richard, a dolphin tour boat operator, was outraged that a threatened species often called the “angel of the sea�...Read more

Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times/TNS

LA may not have flying cars, but more food delivery bots are coming

The robot invasion is coming to Los Angeles neighborhoods.

Coco Robotics, a startup born on the UCLA campus, is about to carpet-bomb the city with hundreds of additional adorable delivery bots recently enhanced with some of the same AI that powers ChatGPT.

The company has been testing bots around the city for years, and it is at last confident...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Rare purple sea creature found on SoCal beach. Could warming waters be why?

LOS ANGELES -- Oceanographer Anya Stajner was recently enjoying a sunset walk along the La Jolla Shores beach when a vibrant violet pop of color caught her eye in the sand.

She got down on her hands and knees and was astonished to realize she had stumbled upon a rare species of sea snail, Janthina janthina.

These creatures, more commonly ...Read more

Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times/TNS

EPA commits to '100% cleanup' of chronically polluted Tijuana River in memo of understanding with Mexico

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin committed the Trump administration to “a permanent, 100% solution to the decades-old Tijuana River sewage crisis” in a new agreement signed with Mexico on Thursday.

“I smelled for myself that foul smell that so many residents of Southern California have been complaining about for so...Read more

Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times/TNS

State board backs California Gov. Gavin Newsom's plan to give water agencies more leeway in meeting rules

California regulators are supporting a controversial plan backed by Gov. Gavin Newsom — and opposed by environmental groups — that would give water agencies more leeway in how they comply with water quality rules.

The Newsom-backed approach is included as part of a proposed water plan for the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, released by ...Read more

Colorado Parks and Wildlife/Colorado Parks and Wildlife/TNS

Colorado's wolves roam farther into northwest corner of state, new map shows

DENVER — At least one of Colorado’s collared wolves moved deeper into the northwest corner of the state in July, a new map released by state wildlife officials shows.

The wolf or wolves traveled broadly in Moffat County, from watersheds near the Wyoming border to the dry, rolling hills northwest of Craig along U.S. 40, according to the ...Read more

RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post/TNS

Groups escalate fight against Trump administration's order for west Michigan coal plant

Environmental groups have escalated their fight against the U.S. Department of Energy's order requiring Consumers Energy to extend the life of the coal-fired J.H. Campbell power plant in west Michigan.

Nine environmental groups led by Sierra Club and the nonprofit law firm Earthjustice filed a petition for review Thursday at the U.S. Court of ...Read more

NASA/NASA/TNS

With delay until 2026, Boeing Starliner next flight may not carry humans, NASA says

As SpaceX prepares to send up its 19th Dragon spacecraft with humans on board, the Boeing Starliner — which has only completed half of a crewed mission to date — remains in fix-it mode.

Its next launch is scheduled for no earlier than 2026, and then maybe not even one with crew, according to NASA.

In a press conference for the SpaceX Crew-...Read more

Georgia Tech/Georgia Tech/TNS

Georgia Tech is building a $20 million AI supercomputer

Georgia Tech has received a $20 million federal grant to build a powerful new supercomputer in Midtown that will harness artificial intelligence to boost the work of scientists across the nation.

Researchers hope the supercomputer, which Georgia Tech is calling Nexus, can lead to scientific breakthroughs like designing quantum materials and ...Read more

Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images North America/TNS

Tech companies want to move fast. Trump's 'AI Action Plan' aims to remove 'red tape'

The Trump administration on Wednesday laid out a plan that aims to make it easier for companies to quickly develop and deploy artificial intelligence technology.

The initiative shows how Silicon Valley tech executives who backed Trump during the election are shaping federal policy that will impact their businesses as they compete globally to ...Read more

JIM ROSSMAN/TNS

Tech review: Big sound, small package

My wife is a preschool music teacher, and a big part of her curriculum is playing music in class.

She used to carry a small boombox about the size of a cigar box to play music from CDs.

Today she carries all her music on her phone and plays it wirelessly through a speaker connected via Bluetooth.

As the wife of a tech reviewer, she is my main...Read more

Kevin Clark/The Seattle Times/TNS

Tally of Microsoft victims surges to 400 as hackers exploit SharePoint flaw

The number of companies and organizations compromised by a security vulnerability in Microsoft Corp.’s SharePoint servers is increasing rapidly, with the tally of victims soaring more than six-fold in a few days, according to one research firm.

Hackers have breached about 400 government agencies, corporations and other groups, according to ...Read more