What made Mount Etna’s latest eruption so rare
The defining event of Monday’s eruption wasn't visible from a distance.
Science
How a new planetarium show helped scientists unlock a cosmic secret
Scientists have unlocked one of the solar system’s many secrets from an unexpected source.
Northern lights could be visible again in some US states after weekend solar storms
The sun burped out a huge burst of energy last week.
Milky Way’s chance of colliding with galaxy billions of years from now? New study puts odds at 50-50
Past theories put a galaxy collision as probable if not inevitable.
UC San Diego to simulate massive earthquakes at its outdoor shake table
The testing is meant to determine if it's safe to use cold-formed steel in buildings...
Why cats are orange (and tortoiseshell and calico)
Stanford Medicine researchers discover mechanisms of sex-linked genetic mutation giving rise to ginger felines.
Astronomers discover strange new celestial object in our Milky Way galaxy
This celestial object is emitting X-rays around the same time it’s shooting out radio waves.
SpaceX launches another Starship rocket after back-to-back explosions, but it tumbles out of control
After back-to-back explosions, SpaceX launched its mega rocket Starship again.
Is there life after extinction? Some scientists and conservationists are trying to find out
Local thinkers are pushing for de-extinction, and the slate of tools and tricks that accompany...
Birch Aquarium’s new ‘Living Seas’ exhibit offers a glimpse into the noisy, mesmerizing deep
Several new habitats offer a broader, more detailed look at life in the Pacific.
More tornadoes and fewer meteorologists make for a dangerous mix that’s worrying US officials
The U.S. is on track to have its second-busiest tornado year ever.
These surreal trees survived for centuries. Scientists worry for their future
Dragon’s blood tree have long captured imaginations.
Trump budget would cut ocean data and leave boaters, anglers and forecasters scrambling for info
The IOOS system launched about 20 years ago.
How ancient reptile footprints are rewriting the history of when animals evolved to live on land
New fossil tracks date to around 350 million years ago.
Bright auroras on Jupiter are captured by Webb Space Telescope
Jupiter’s dazzling auroras are hundreds of times brighter than those seen on Earth.
The researchers charged with defending the planet against asteroids
Though astronomers have known about the threat posed by near-Earth objects since the 1970s, efforts...
Chimpanzees drum with regular rhythm when they beat on tree trunks, a form of ancient communication
Previous research has shown that chimps have their own signature drumming style.
Famed research sub Alvin arrives in San Diego after crew witnesses volcanic eruption in Pacific
The three-person submersible was 8,200 feet deep in the Pacific when its occupants saw flashes...
US infant mortality dropped in 2024. Experts partly credit RSV shots
Infant mortality is the measure of how many babies die before their first birthday.
7 San Diego scholars elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Their achievements have affected everything from drug development to the evolution of language.
Famous geneticist moving research institute to RaDD project on San Diego Bay
J. Craig Venter Institute, now in La Jolla, has leased 50,000 square feet of space...
Europe launches a drive to attract scientists and researchers after Trump freezes US funding
The European Union is launching a drive to attract scientists and researchers affected by Trump...
Fleet Science Center loses $3.7M grant, adding to its financial woes, as NSF slashes funding
The museum was already reporting higher expenses than revenue in recent years. Other local institutions...
Scientific societies say they’ll do national climate assessment after Trump dismissed report authors
A report required by law is suddenly in question and being reassessed by Trump.
How to catch the Eta Aquarid meteor shower, debris of Halley’s comet
Viewing lasts until May 28.
Soviet-era spacecraft is set to plunge to Earth a half-century after its failed launch to Venus
It’s too early to know where the half-ton mass of metal might come down.
NASA astronauts step outside space station to perform the 5th all-female spacewalk
The spacewalkers prepared the station for another set of solar s and moved an antenna.
Eerie ‘doomsday fish’ stirring interest at La Jolla’s Birch Aquarium
Scientists at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography were able to preserve an 11-foot, 2-inch oarfish...
Amazon launches its first internet satellites to compete against SpaceX’s Starlinks
Amazon’s first batch of internet satellites rocketed toward orbit Monday.
A 10-foot microscope reveals big lessons about the tiniest threats to the human body
A technological revolution is helping Scripps Research scientists see the molecules that undermine human health,...
Bonobos in Congo form girl groups to fend off male aggression, study says
Scientists have long wondered why bonobos live in generally female-dominated societies.
Trump science cuts roil university labs, targeting bird feeder research, AI literacy work and more
The loss of funding has roiled academic labs that rely on NSF grants to conduct...
Beyond Ivy League, RFK Jr.’s NIH slashed science funding across states that backed Trump
An analysis found terminations are sparing no part of the country, politically or geographically.
A colossal squid is caught on camera for the first time in the deep sea
A colossal squid has been caught on camera for the first time.
Tatooine-like planet outside the solar system may orbit two failed stars, scientists say
Scientists know of over a dozen planets that orbit twin stars like the fictional “Star...
Harvard stands to lose $2.2 billion in federal funding. Researchers fear science will suffer
The impact will be felt most immediately by researchers at the Ivy League school.
A strong solar storm heads to Earth. Here’s what to know about northern lights
The sun earlier this week burped out huge bursts of energy called coronal mass ejections.
‘Elephants are so amazing’: Safari Park video from earthquake draws cheers
The video shows the elephants coming together to form a tight circle around a young...
Magnitude 5.2 earthquake northeast of San Diego shakes most of Southern California
The temblor's epicenter was immediately south of the Elsinore fault zone
Blue Origin launches an all-female celebrity crew with Katy Perry, Gayle King and Lauren Sanchez
The only other all-female crew in 64 years of human spaceflight was back in 1963.
A micromoon will grace the night skies this weekend
The change may be tricky to spot with the naked eye this weekend.
Billionaire spacewalker highlights Mars trip for astronauts in his bid to become NASA’s next chief
Jared Isaacman said he would prioritize sending astronauts to Mars.
Across San Diego, students, parents and educators raise alarm over funding cuts to schools, research
As UCSD faces massive budget cuts, some students there say they have already started to...
Scientists genetically engineer wolves with white hair and muscular jaws like the extinct dire wolf
Colossal Biosciences said the wolf pups range in age from three to six months old...
Four space tourists return to Earth after a private flight over the poles
The quartet, who rocketed from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, returned off the Southern California coast.
San Diego Natural History Museum gets $10M from Irwin Jacobs for research, conservation
An announcement this week said the 'transformational' gift would bolster the Nat's research and conservation...
UCSD braces for possible $500M in annual cuts, shelves some building plans
Reductions on that scale would seriously hurt research and threaten jobs at the region's second-largest...
Einstein called it his “biggest blunder.” Now a Berkeley Lab breakthrough is shedding light on the mysteries of dark energy and cosmic expansion
If dark energy were a universal constant, then the separation between galaxies would be uniform...
Scientist renowned for study of adolescent brains named president of J. Craig Venter Institute
Anders Dale says he will move roughly $10 million in NIH funding from UCSD to...
Scientists release plans for an even bigger atom smasher to address the mysteries of physics
The blueprint lays out the proposed path, environmental impact, scientific ambitions and project cost.
In research-rich San Diego, Trump cuts hit studies of HIV, domestic violence and more
The Union-Tribune interviewed local researchers who have had funding cut or are at risk of...
What’s in store for UCSD? With campus leaders largely mum, faculty and students are on edge
'There's so much that's unknown here, it's like we don't know what to be most...
Eye in the sky: California spending $100M to track methane emissions with satellites
The project's money comes from the state's cap and trade revenue.
This new molecule could point the way to safe disposal of nuclear waste
In the future, berklocene may help humanity to safely dispose of nuclear waste.
Webb Space Telescope captures a star in the making and a galaxy far, far away
The outflow is about 625 light-years from Earth.
A NASA spacecraft will make another close of the sun
Parker is the fastest spacecraft built by humans.
NASA websites no longer promote ‘first woman’ on the moon for Artemis
NASA websites have dropped references to landing the first woman on the moon as part...
Venus es between the Earth and sun this weekend — but don’t count on seeing it
Venus will between the Earth and sun during what’s called an inferior conjunction.
European telescope studying the dark universe unveils new images of distant galaxies
The mission hopes to capture glamour shots of over 1.5 billion galaxies.
The spring equinox is here. What does that mean?
The vernal equinox arrives on Thursday, the start of Northern Hemisphere's spring season.
Blue Ghost lander captures stunning sunset shots on the moon before falling silent
Firefly's Blue Ghost kept taking pictures before it died for lack of solar energy.
EPA plans to eliminate scientific research team, could fire more than 1,000 employees
As many as 1,155 chemists, biologists, toxicologists and other scientists could be laid off.
Boeing Starliner astronauts back on Earth after SpaceX ride home
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams splashed down off Florida’s Gulf Coast near Tallahassee...
WATCH: South Americans gather to observe the red ‘blood moon’ lunar eclipse
Moongazers gathered in Chile, Argentina and Venezuela to observe a total lunar eclipse.
SpaceX scrubs Crew-10 launch attempt delaying trip to the space station
If SpaceX can solve the problem, the crew could come back for another launch attempt...
What you should know about the ‘invisibility cloak,’ according to the award-winning physicist who studies them
During a visit to San Diego, John Pendry said that scientists lack the specific materials...
The US agency that monitors weather will cut another 1,000 jobs, AP sources say
The new cuts come after earlier rounds of firings and encouraged retirements at NOAA.
Study says climate change will even make Earth’s orbit a mess
Global warming could reduce available space for satellites by up to 82%.
Watch the moon turn red during a total lunar eclipse in March
Lunar and solar eclipses happen anywhere from four to seven times a year.
UCSD neurosurgeon rallies broad national in fight to save research funding
45 medical associations and societies sign on to Dr. Alex Khalessi's defense of indirect cost...
Your questions about cats and bird flu risk, answered
Cats are susceptible to avian flu, heightening concerns about bird flu spreading from stray and...
Out of the lab and into the streets, researchers and doctors rally for science against Trump cuts
Stand Up For Science rallies were planned in more than 30 U.S. cities.
Daylight saving time is bad for you. Here’s what you can do to soften the blow
A NASA expert on astronaut sleep shares tips.
Private lunar lander is declared dead after landing sideways in a crater near the moon’s south pole
Intuitive Machines announced the news Friday, less than 24 hours after the lander missed its...
SpaceX’s latest Starship test flight ends with another explosion
The 403-foot rocket blasted off from Texas a little before sunset.
First national analysis finds America’s butterflies are disappearing at ‘catastrophic’ rate
Scientists blame insecticides, climate change and habitat loss.
2nd moon lander in a week touches down, but unclear if still upright
Its final moments before touchdown and status after landing remained unclear.
Jobs lost in every state and lifesaving cures not discovered: Possible impacts of research cuts
Ripple effects of the Trump istration's crackdown on U.S. medical research promise to reach every...
NASA powers down two instruments on twin Voyager spacecraft to save power
The twin spacecraft launched in 1977 and are currently in interstellar space.
Scientists genetically engineer mice with thick hair like the extinct woolly mammoth
Scientists edited seven genes in mice embryos to create mice with long, thick, woolly hair.
Boeing Starliner astronauts on space station near trip home with SpaceX after 9 months
Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams could be flying home this month.
Robots and experiments spark inspiration at San Diego Festival of Science and Engineering
More than 100 exhibitors set up hands-on learning experiences throughout Petco Park
Clouds could make it hard to see ‘parade of planets’ from San Diego on Friday evening
A low-pressure system will be pumping moist air into Southern California, helping to hide the...
Asteroid 2024 YR4 is no longer a threat to Earth, scientists say
NASA and the European Space Agency scientists have finally given the all-clear to Earth from...
Every planet of our solar system is lining up in the February night sky
Six planets were visible in January, and now a dim Mercury s the gang.
Huge cuts in National Institutes of Health research funding go before a federal judge
The new policy would strip research groups of funding that covers so-called indirect expenses.
UC San Diego, bracing for more than $200M in funding cuts, freezes faculty hiring
'This is the biggest financial challenge in UCSD's history,' said Terry Gaasterland, a longtime faculty...
San Diego State University s Harvard, Caltech and UCSD on list of nation’s elite research schools
SDSU's big research funding and doctoral programs earned the school a Research 1 ranking from...
Federal health agencies restore webpages and datasets following judge’s order
A judge’s order brought back public access to information that had been removed.
NASA’s 2 stuck astronauts may return to Earth sooner under new plan
The astronauts should have returned in June after what should have been a weeklong mission.
Space telescope spots rare ‘Einstein ring’ of light around galaxy in our cosmic neighborhood
The halo, known as an Einstein ring, encircles a galaxy 590 million light-years away.
HIV infections could jump over 6 times if US is dropped and not replaced, UNAIDS chief says
U.N. AIDS leader pleaded with the Trump istration not to abruptly cut off funding.
What’s it like to use Elon Musk’s brain chip? How does it work? ‘Like using the Force’
Musk wants to merge humans with AI, a goal that starts with a brain chip.
Telescopes spy a monster radio jet streaming from a bright and early object in the universe
The double-sided radio wave is estimated to be at least 200,000 light-years across.
Torrey Pines research campus trades hands for $159M
Life science real estate developer Breakthrough Properties bought the three-building Muse complex at 3030, 3040...
Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin mimics the moon’s gravity for NASA experiments during spaceflight
Jeff Bezos' rocket company has given NASA a brief taste of the moon's gravity without...
How an ancient asteroid strike carved out 2 grand canyons on the moon
The findings were reported in the journal Nature Communications.
Trump istration’s data deletions set off ‘a mad scramble,’ researcher says
Researchers were alarmed when they discovered that vital federal datasets were inaccessible.
Newly spotted asteroid has a tiny chance of hitting Earth in 2032
First spotted last month by a telescope in Chile, the near-Earth asteroid — designated 2024...
NASA’s 2 stuck astronauts take their first spacewalk together
Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore floated out Thursday to perform maintenance work.