Sci-tech
Airbus is building the next Mars rover
Airbus has won two studies from the European Space Agency (ESA) to design a Sample Fetch Rover and an Earth Return Orbiter . One thing very high on the bucket list of any space scientist is getting one's hands on a sample of Martian soil. [Full Article...]
From space the Kepler telescope runs out of fuel
The space agency has put the satellite into a form of hibernation until August 2, when there's time booked on the Deep Space Network-a global array of receivers for space missions-to download data from its 18th observational mission. NASA has announced that its Kepler team has put the spacecraft into a state similar to hibernation. This artist's concept illustrates the two Saturn-sized pla... [Full Article...]
Earth's Oldest Color Dates Back More Than 1 Billion Years
The extraction of the pigments required the billion-year-old rocks to be crushed into a powder. In concentrated form, the fossils range in color from deep blood red to a deep purple. The new findings shed new light on the evolution of life on Earth. The team of researchers from Australia, Japan and the US also were able to use the pigments to confirm that ancient marine ecosystems were dominat... [Full Article...]
Starbucks announces plans to go strawless by 2020
If a strawless lid sounds a bit funky to you, you can start trying it today. To comply with the July 1 plastic straw ban, Starbucks stores in Seattle are offering customers new compostable straws, splash sticks and cutlery. Seattle and Vancouver, BC will be the first cities to sip on their iced drinks without straws, with other locations launching the new lids through 2020. [Full Article...]
TS Chris begins NE path in Atlantic Ocean
Chris will begin a northeastern course from late Tuesday off the U.S. Atlantic coast, the center said, adding that projections showed it possibly making landfall in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia late on Wednesday or early on Thursday. [Full Article...]
Starbucks to ban plastic straws worldwide by 2020
The coffee-shop giant announced Monday that it will use recyclable strawless lids and an alternative-material straw option in its more than 28,000 stores around the world. Other communities across the country, including Sanibel Island, located in Florida, are also on the list of places considering a ban on these plastic products. [Full Article...]
Democrats seek probe of EPA's Pruitt meeting records
Pruitt's management of the agency has prompted a series of investigations. Pruitt is the seventh person to leave a Cabinet-level post in the Trump administration. Although Pruitt has always been known for his high-profile appearances dating back to his successful run for Oklahoma attorney general, reports paint Wheeler as a quieter political actor. [Full Article...]
Tropical Storm Chris to avoid New England
A tropical watch remained in effect for Dominica Sunday evening, according to the NHC. Meteorologist Marshall Alexander told The Associated Press that officials were anxious about those still living with tarps on their roofs after Maria slammed into Dominica as a Category 5 storm previous year, killing dozens of people. [Full Article...]