Axios

NASA is preparing to launch the Roman Space Telescope, one of the agency's biggest and most promising scientific endeavors in years.

Why it matters: The Roman Space Telescope is designed to help answer some of science's most tantalizing mysteries, including questions around dark matter and dark energy.

• Researchers also hope to use it to discover a plethora of new exoplanets — worlds outside our own solar system.

Driving the news: Roman is set to launch on at least a five-year mission early Sunday, Aug. 30, from Florida's Kennedy Space Center aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket.

• It'll then travel about a million miles away to a spot called Lagrange Point 2, where it'll have an excellent view of deep space.
• It's named for Nancy Grace Roman, NASA's first chief of astronomy and first female executive.

How it works: Roman, about 42 feet long and 14 feet wide when operational, is carrying two scientific devices: the Wide Field Instrument and the Coronagraph Instrument.

• The first is a 300-megapixel near-infrared camera with a field of view 100x that of the esteemed Hubble Space Telescope — meaning a single image from Roman will contain the visual data of 100 Hubble pictures. The result: much faster data collection and discovery-making.
• The second will be used for high-contrast imaging and spectroscopy of nearby exoplanets to better understand them. (Spectroscopy is a way of studying planets and other objects based on their color.)

Stunning stat: Roman's primary mirror is about the same size as that of Hubble's, but at 80% less weight — reflecting huge tech advancements since Hubble was built in the 1970s.

Zoom in: Researchers hope that data from Roman can help answer lingering questions about two of the universe's least-understood phenomena: dark energy and dark matter.

• Scientists have proposed dark energy as the driving force behind the universe's accelerating expansion, making up nearly 70% of the cosmos.
• Dark matter is thought to be an invisible "glue" binding the universe together and accounting for 27% of the universe.

What they're saying: "I can't help but think that the biggest result from Roman 10 years from now is something that we just haven't thought of yet," Jeff Kruk, Roman's deputy senior project scientist, tells Axios.

• "I've now been doing science in one form or another for 50 years, and what we know about the universe has changed enormously in that time. So I can't help but think that Roman's going to take that next step."

What we're watching: NASA will carry the launch live on YouTube.

• As with all space launches, delays and setbacks are possible.

The bottom line: A new age for better understanding our shared cosmos is about to begin.

This year's tick season has been a doozy — and another peak is coming in the fall.

Why it matters: Tick bites can pose serious health risks, transmitting pathogens that cause illnesses including Lyme disease and triggering alpha-gal syndrome, an allergy to red meat.

RALEIGH, N.C. — Apprenticeships, skills-based training, technology and cross-sector partnerships are reshaping how employers identify, train and hire new talent.

Why it matters: The shift beyond four-year degrees is helping businesses build talent pipelines that can adapt faster to changing technology and workforce needs.

Axios' Zachery Eanes and Mary Helen Moore moderated the Aug. 25 roundtable discussion. The event was sponsored by Western Governors University.

5 big takeaways from the conversation:

1. AI could elevate employees rather than displace them, said SAS executive vice president and chief operating officer Gavin Day. "It's about teaching them how to embrace new technology."
2. Durable skills, or "soft skills" like adaptability and problem-solving, are increasingly important to landing a job and succeeding in it, Chegg Skills senior vice president and general manager Colin Coggins said.
3. It's time to "change the narrative" that everyone should go to college, ApprenticeshipNC director Chris Harrington said. "Only 30% of jobs in America require a four-year degree," he added. Pursuing other options isn't "an alternative pathway — it's just a different path."
4. There's a "significant shortage" of technology and cybersecurity workers in North Carolina, said Nate Denny, secretary and CIO of the N.C. Department of Information Technology. The department relies on "apprenticeship programs, on internships, to get folks outside of a traditional four-year institution" into agency roles.
5. Cross-sector collaboration can help shorten the timeline from education to employment, said Anke Kokrhoun, head HR at Siemens Electrification and Automation U.S. She points to relationships between businesses and schools that share grants, technology and training to prepare a new generation of workers.

Content from the sponsor's remarks:

In opening remarks, Ben Coulter, Southeast regional director for Western Governors University, said the organization is eager to contribute to the talent pipeline in North Carolina.

• "There's a lot of conversation about the merit and worth of a college degree versus certificate, shrinking the four-year degree down to three years — a lot of dynamics in higher education that we're involved with."

Hugging Face on Thursday announced "Microduck," a small, armless robot capable of waddling adorably and picking up small objects with an articulated beak that doubles as a gripper.

Why it matters: The move is an effort to put a friendly, approachable face on a robotics field dominated by attack dogs and humanoids.