CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — More than one-third of the world’s population can no longer see the Milky Way because of man-made lights. Among those missing out on awe-inspiring Milky Way views: nearly 80 percent of North Americans and 60 percent of Europeans. These are the findings of a new global atlas of light pollution, … Continue reading
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — When John Couch is certain a storm will hit Hatteras Island, he goes into action, moving merchandise in his auto parts store from bottom shelves to top ones and hauling away the most valuable items. But at 64 years old, Couch is less and less enamored of spending eight hours packing … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal health officials failed to force a recall of peanut butter and almond products for three months after advanced DNA testing confirmed salmonella contamination, government investigators reported Thursday. Despite new legal powers to compel recalls and sophisticated technology to fingerprint pathogens, the Food and Drug Administration allowed some food-safety investigations to drag … Continue reading
PALMETTO, Fla. (AP) — Now that Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus has retired its iconic elephants, executives under the big top say they must do more to draw a younger generation of fans, many of whom are glued to their smartphones and screens. So Feld Entertainment, the company that owns the circus, is rolling … Continue reading
PHOENIX (AP) — An expert in meteorites says a bright flashing light and loud boom over the skies in metro Phoenix looks like a single meteor burning up as it entered the Earth’s atmosphere at thousands of miles per hour. Radar footage shows that meteorites — black rocks ranging in size from a pea to … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — Treating hearing loss shouldn’t be such a pricey hassle. That’s the message from a prestigious government advisory group that’s calling on Medicare and other agencies to find ways to make better hearing more affordable and accessible for millions of older Americans. One proposal: Allow over-the-counter sales of simple devices for mild hearing … Continue reading
AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AP) — The pilot of a U.S. Air Force Thunderbird ejected safely into a Colorado field Thursday, June 2, crashing the fighter jet moments after flying over a crowd watching President Barack Obama’s commencement address for Air Force cadets. A short helicopter ride later, the pilot found himself shaking hands with … Continue reading
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — A heat wave in large parts of the West and Southwest has many scattering for reprieve from the sun. In places like Arizona, the triple-digit temperatures are a way of life, but many still seek ways to escape it. Most are also equipped with cold air conditioning. The heat wave is … Continue reading
PHOENIX (AP) — The mother of a slain Arizona woman says her daughter had recently revived an online dating profile in search of fairy tale romance, but was instead lured to an apartment by a man now accused of killing her and leaving the body in a shallow desert grave. Police found 24-year-old Angela Russo’s … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — Two state-of-the-art airport towers due to go into operation this fall in San Francisco and Las Vegas are designed for electronic tracking of planes as they taxi and takeoff. But union officials say the towers will have to be extensively remodeled before they can open to accommodate older technology that uses paper … Continue reading
GENEVA (AP) — Just like Hannibal in ancient times, Swiss engineers have conquered the Alps. More than 2,200 years after the commander from the ancient North African civilization of Carthage led his army of elephants and troops over Europe’s highest mountain chain, the Swiss have completed another gargantuan task: Burrowing the world’s longest railway tunnel … Continue reading
CAIRO (AP) — What mysteries might still be hidden under Egypt’s pyramids? A team accompanied by Egypt’s former antiquities minister and famed archaeologist Zahi Hawass are testing a new scanner on the Great Pyramid of Giza on Thursday, June 2, hoping that modern technology could help unlock ancient secrets buried deep beneath the stone. The … Continue reading
BERLIN (AP) — Scientists have found further evidence supporting the theory that some of the building blocks for life may have come to Earth from outer space. Using instruments aboard the European space probe Rosetta, researchers detected glycine and phosphorus in the dusty halo around a comet. Glycine is an amino acid, one of the … Continue reading
SYDNEY (AP) — Mass bleaching has killed more than a third of the coral in the northern and central parts of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, though corals to the south have escaped with little damage, scientists said on Monday, May 30. Researchers who conducted months of aerial and underwater surveys of the 2,300-kilometer (1,400-mile) reef … Continue reading
BEIJING (AP) — China’s decision to allow all married couples to have two children is driving a surge in demand for fertility treatment among older women, putting heavy pressure on clinics and breaking down past sensitivities, and even shame, about the issue.The rise in in vitro fertilization points to the lost dreams of many parents … Continue reading
Spartan Echo 