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Huge spiders to colonize US East Coast, but maybe it's a good thing
Big and scary-looking Joro spiders have spread from Asia to the southern United States and are now poised to colonize the country's cooler climes -- but they're nothing to fear and might end up actually helping local ecosystems.
New giant tortoise species found in Galapagos after DNA study
A new species of giant tortoise has been discovered in the Galapagos after DNA testing found animals living on one island had not yet been recorded, Ecuador's environment ministry said.
NASA opens sample taken from the Moon 50 years on
The Apollo missions to the Moon brought a total of 2,196 rock samples to Earth. But NASA has only just started opening one of the last ones, collected 50 years ago.
Grave mood at EU summit in gilded Versailles palace
Emmanuel Macron's presidency began with an invitation for Russian leader Vladimir Putin to the sumptuous former royal palace at Versailles. As his term draws to a close, European leaders are meeting in the same place to discuss Putin’s war on Ukraine.
Forget mammoths, study shows how to resurrect Christmas Island rats
Ever since the movie Jurassic Park, the idea of bringing extinct animals back to life has captured the public's imagination -- but what might scientists turn their attention towards first?
Buzz Aldrin's famous 1969 moon walk picture sells at auction
More than 70 original NASA photographs including a celebrated image of Buzz Aldrin's moon walk taken by Neil Armstrong were sold at auction in Copenhagen on Wednesday for more than 155,000 euros ($172,000).
Danish PM says sorry to Inuits forcibly moved to Denmark
Denmark's prime minister apologised in person Wednesday to six Greenlandic Inuits removed from their families and taken to Copenhagen more than 70 years ago as part of an experiment to create a Danish-speaking elite.
Shackleton's lost shipwreck discovered off Antarctica
One of the world's most storied shipwrecks, Ernest Shackleton's Endurance, has been discovered off the coast of Antarctica more than a century after its sinking, explorers announced Wednesday.
Uruguay's century-old Russian colony troubled over war from afar
Far away from Kyiv and even further from Moscow, residents of the small Uruguayan village of San Javier -- an old Russian settlement -- look on with dismay at the invasion of Ukraine.
Amazon nears climate 'tipping point' faster than expected
Hammered by climate change and relentless deforestation, the Amazon rainforest is losing its capacity to recover and could irretrievably transition into savannah, with dire consequences for the region and the world, according to a study published Monday.
North Korea claims new test of 'reconnaissance satellite' component
North Korea carried out "another important test" towards the development of a reconnaissance satellite, state media said Sunday, but analysts warned it was a thinly-veiled ballistic missile launch, just days before South Korea elects a new president.
Failure to launch: War scuppers Russia-West space collaboration
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has had repercussions not just around the world but beyond it, bringing to a grinding halt joint space projects between Moscow and the West that began in the aftermath of the Cold War.
How commercial satellites are shaping the Ukraine conflict
From a huge Russian military convoy snaking its way to Kyiv to missile strikes and refugee crossings, commercial satellite imagery of the Ukraine conflict is helping lift the fog of war, illuminating for the public what was previously the domain of spy agencies.
Heritage of Iraq's last few Jews at risk
In a busy district of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, there is little to distinguish the faded brick building, except for a Hebrew inscription above the entrance.
On land and sea, climate change causing 'irreversible' losses: UN
Climate change has already caused "irreversible losses" for Nature, UN experts have said, warning that if emissions are not cut quickly, warming could trigger chain reactions with potentially catastrophic effects for all species, including humans.
In Cameroon's arid north, climate stress boosts ethnic strife
Their homes are a scattering of huts made of branches and dry leaves that seem to almost dissolve into the arid landscape.
Toshiba: Japan's troubled megacorp
Once a symbol of Japan's advanced technology and economic power, Toshiba has been rocked by turbulence in recent years.
China backpedals on climate promises as economy slows
When China's President Xi Jinping issued his traditional Lunar New Year wishes from the country's coal heartland in January, the subtext was clear: Beijing is not ready to kick its coal addiction, despite promises to slash emissions.
Japan confirms cyberattack hit Toyota supplier
Japan's government said Tuesday that a cyberattack was behind disruption at a Toyota supplier that forced the top-selling automaker to halt operations at domestic plants for a day.
Tycoons bound for ISS aren't tourists, insists space company
Three tycoons and an ex-NASA astronaut are all set for the first fully private voyage to the International Space Station next month -- just don't call them tourists.
NASA exploring ways to keep ISS afloat without Russian help: official
NASA is exploring ways to keep the International Space Station in orbit without Russian help, but doesn't see any immediate signs Moscow is withdrawing from the collaboration following the invasion of Ukraine, a senior official said Monday.
UN report to lay bare harrowing scale of climate impacts
The devastating scale of climate change impacts will be unveiled Monday in a landmark UN report expected to show that warming already threatens billions of people and crucial ecosystems.
Russian official apologises for war in Ukraine at UN climate meet
The Russian head of delegation at a major UN climate conference apologised for his country's invasion of Ukraine on Sunday, which he said lacked justification, according to several sources who heard him speak at the virtual meeting.
US-Russia tensions spill into space, but ISS safe -- for now
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has placed a question mark over the future of the International Space Station, long a symbol of post Cold War cooperation, where astronauts and cosmonauts proudly live and work side-by-side.
Swiss fondue robot out to cause a stir in Paris
Switzerland's national dish is fondue, a simmering pot of heartwarming melted cheese -- that can now be prepared, stirred up and served by a robot, thanks to some hi-tech wizardry.
Dog kennel hit by meteorite sells at auction
A Christie's auction of rare meteorites Wednesday sold a rock from space that narrowly missed a German Shepherd when it smashed into his kennel in Costa Rica.
9,000-year-old ritual complex found in Jordan desert
Archaeologists deep in the Jordanian desert have discovered a 9,000-year-old ritualistic complex near what is thought to be the earliest known large human-built structure worldwide.
World must brace for more extreme wildfires: UN
The number of major wildfires worldwide will rise sharply in coming decades due to global warming, and governments are ill-prepared for the death and destruction such mega-blazes trail in their wake, the UN warned Wednesday.
Breeding ban for bulldogs and cavaliers in Norway
Cavalier King Charles Spaniels are known for their tiny heads, English bulldogs for their smushed wrinkled muzzles -- traits their owners love.
New name, little hope, in New York, Ukraine
The local billionaire's chemical plant stands on the edge of the frontline in New York, eastern Ukraine.
US climate envoy Kerry in Egypt to discuss COP27 summit
The United States and Egypt on Monday launched a working group to prepare for the COP27 climate summit this year, with US envoy John Kerry urging more countries to come on board.
Many anti-abortion Americans would still help friends and family seeking one
Almost half of Americans morally opposed to abortion would help a friend or family member with arrangements to get one, and a majority would offer emotional support, a new study said Friday.
Australia's largest coal-fired power plant to close
Australia's largest coal-fired power plant will shut in 2025 -- several years sooner than planned -- operators announced Thursday, saying the facility is no longer viable given the low cost of renewables.
Bananas to fish scales: fashion's hunt for eco-materials
Sneakers made from banana or pineapple leaves, dresses from nettles or fish scales -- the search for sustainable materials has taken the fashion industry to some wild places.
19th century all out: Lord's dumps Oxford v Cambridge, Eton v Harrow games
Two of English cricket's oldest fixtures, Oxford v Cambridge and Eton v Harrow, will no longer be staged annually at Lord's after this year.
How world's most precise clock could transform fundamental physics
US scientists have measured Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity -- which holds that gravity slows time down -- at the smallest scale ever, demonstrating that clocks tick at different rates when separated by fractions of a millimeter.
Virgin Galactic re-opens ticket sales for $450,000
Virgin Galactic, which last year flew its flamboyant founder Richard Branson to space, will re-open ticket sales to the general public starting Wednesday, for the sum of $450,000.
Plastic, chemical pollution beyond planet's safe limit: study
The torrent of man-made chemical and plastic waste worldwide has massively exceeded limits safe for humanity or the planet, and production caps are urgently needed, scientists have concluded for the first time.
Rocket set to hit Moon was built by China, not SpaceX, say astronomers
Astronomy experts say they originally misread the secrets of the night sky last month: it turns out that a rocket expected to crash into the Moon in early March was built by China, not SpaceX.