Like people in a pandemic winter, periodical cicadas are waiting for the warmer weather of spring.
What's happening: In a few weeks, billions of the insects are predicted to emerge in parts of the eastern U.S. after 17 years — and the vast majority of their life — underground.
A leading synthetic biology company is using bioengineering to try to create more resilient crops.
Why it matters: Extreme weather and a 7.8 billion-and-growing global population are ratcheting up pressure on an already fragile food system — and the environments that support it.
Companies are rapidly designing private space stations that could one day dominate operations in orbit around Earth.
Why it matters: NASA is hoping private industry will start to take over operations in low-Earth orbit once the International Space Station comes to an end, creating a robust commercial market in that part of space.
