It's only early July, and already California is baking under a scorching heat wave, while massive wildfires are burning in the central part of the state.
Other fires are burning in Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and other states. Now the heat wave that has roasted the Midwest, Ohio Valley, and East Coast is shifting west, setting the stage for a blistering weekend from Los Angeles to Sacramento, along with parts of the interior West.
What this means: The National Weather Service has issued its most severe heat warning category — an excessive heat warning — for parts of the Los Angeles basin, while much of the rest of the state is under other heat alerts for Friday and Saturday.
Scientists for the first time spotted a new planet being born while nestled within the dusty disk surrounding a young dwarf star. The findings are detailed in two studies describing an exoplanet in its early state of formation and include the first-known clear image of a young planet forming.
Why it matters: If confirmed through subsequent research, the discovery could teach researchers about how other planets, including ones in our solar system, formed.
Across the Northern Hemisphere, several regions saw some of the hottest temperatures on record this week, according to information compiled by the Washington Post. Apart from the U.S. and Canada, these temperatures were not the result of one single heat wave, but rather several different weather systems.
Our thought bubble, from Axios Science Editor Andrew Freedman: "July is typically Earth’s hottest month, so heat records falling now is not unexpected. But so many rare milestones being set or tied worldwide does point to the influence of a warming world, given that the link between heat waves and climate change is robust, according to scientific studies."
