About 30 million people are under excessive heat warnings or advisories as a heat wave sweeps the Western United States, bringing more record-high temperatures on Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.
Why it matters: The heat wave comes after some regions in the Pacific Northwest saw temperature records shattered last month, with the same "heat dome" weather pattern that is engulfing the West now. Human-caused climate change has exacerbated the frequency, severity and intensity of these extreme heat events.
Billionaire Richard Branson flew on a suborbital mission to the edge of space with his company, Virgin Galactic, on Sunday, beating fellow space billionaire Jeff Bezos to the punch in the process.
Why it matters: This very public moment of success could help buoy the company as it pushes to begin commercial service next year and attract new customers.
More than 30 million Americans were under excessive heat warnings or advisories across the West on Saturday, as forecasters warned of more record high temperatures.
Of note: McCarran International Airport tied Las Vegas' all-time record highest temperature of 117°F on Saturday evening, per a National Weather Service statement. Flights were canceled at the airport Friday as the temperature hit 116°F.
The synchronized flashing of fireflies is a summertime wonder — and a scientific mystery. New research maps the flashes in a swarm and suggests how these glowing displays are coordinated.
The big picture: Synchronization occurs in many systems — from the cells in our heart that contract at the same time to pump blood and neurons in the brain that synchronize at the onset of seizures.
The heat wave that ravaged the Pacific Northwest signaled trouble for winemakers in Oregon and Washington, who fear the high temperatures could return and spur dangerous wildfires, AP reports.
Driving the news: The grapes suffered little, if any, damage in June, when temperatures hit 120 degrees Fahrenheit. "Earlier or later in the growing season, it could have been disastrous," AP writes. Wineries in the Pacific Northwest intend to shield their crops from being toasted.
The public's interest in space coverage has exploded leading up to the historic space race between billionaire space entrepreneurs Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos.
Why it matters: Bezos and Branson are both hoping to make space tourism a big business, and their billionaire space race is sparking widespread interest in spaceflight that could ultimately translate into future customers.
