Axios

Record-setting heat and hazardous air have already consumed much of the U.S. this summer, and the worst may be yet to come.

The big picture: The effects of a warming climate are no longer happening in the background. They're actively dictating and shaping our lives.

A giant rockslide during medieval times may have taken hundreds of meters off a mountain peak high in the Himalayas, according to recent research.

The big picture: The finding provides new evidence about how the planet's highest peaks may evolve.

AI-enabled micro-measurements of animals running, hunting, preening and playing are unlocking troves of new data that scientists now want to use to simulate animals and test theories about behavior and the brain.

Why it matters: A primary function of the brain is to produce behavior and help animals move through the world — but there are questions about how that happens, with ramifications for medicine and efforts to create artificial general intelligence (AGI).

Today marks the 12th anniversary of the last Space Shuttle mission.

By the numbers: Over three decades, the five NASA space shuttles were launched on 135 flights to orbit. The shuttles collectively travelled more than 537 million miles and spent more than three and half years in orbit.

Earth recorded its hottest day on record on Thursday, making it the fourth straight to set or tie the record for warmest day globally.

Why it matters: The daily records are a symptom of the heat that human emissions of greenhouse gases are adding to the climate, combined with an El Niño event in the tropical Pacific Ocean.

At least 45% of U.S. tap water is estimated to be contaminated with "forever chemicals," according to new U.S. Geological Survey research.

Why it matters: Exposure to certain levels of these synthetic compounds, referred to collectively as PFAS, has been linked to adverse health effects in humans and animals, including an increased risk of cancer.