A "historic" and potentially deadly heat wave is on tap for the Pacific Northwest into southwestern Canada this weekend into early next week, with never-before-seen temperatures possible in cities like Portland, Ore., and Spokane, Wash.
Why it matters: The heat wave will affect a region where many people lack central air conditioning, raising the likelihood for public health impacts. In addition, power demand is likely to spike at a time when hydropower resources are running relatively low due to drier than average conditions.
An intense and expansive heat wave has gripped parts of Siberia, northwestern Russia and Scandinavia, inducing a record plunge in sea ice cover in the Laptev Sea, which is part of the Arctic Ocean.
Why it matters: Due largely to human activities such as fossil fuel burning and deforestation, the Arctic is warming at a rate more than twice as fast as the rest of the globe.
Scientists have confirmed the discovery of a strange galaxy 72 million light-years from Earth that appears to be missing its dark matter.
Why it matters: It's long been thought that dark matter — the invisible stuff that makes up much of matter in the universe — is a key ingredient for galaxies, but the discovery complicates that picture.
The race between billionaires Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson to make suborbital space tourism a viable business is heating up.
Why it matters: The disagreements between Bezos and Elon Musk capture the limelight, but the competition between Bezos' Blue Origin and Branson's Virgin Galactic could soon make space a destination for ordinary citizens.
The Great Barrier Reef should be included in a list of World Heritage Sites that are "in danger" from climate change, a United Nations committee said in a report Tuesday.
Yes, but: Australia's government said it will "strongly oppose" the recommendation by UNESCO's World Heritage Committee.
A lifesaving operation to save endangered Tasmanian devils by transferring them to Australia's Maria Island inadvertently led to the devastation of the local penguin population, the Washington Post reports.
Why it matters: The decision to move 28 Tasmanian devils to the island has had a “catastrophic ecological impact on the bird fauna" there, Eric Woehler, the convenor of BirdLife Tasmania, told the Guardian.
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