Geoff Brumfiel
Stories
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Science
If daylight saving time seems tricky, try figuring out the time on the moon
Scientists are pondering how to tell time on other celestial bodies. It's a lot harder than you might think.
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Science
This selfie above China's balloon was taken over Missouri. Here's how we know that
The photo from aboard the Air Force's legendary U-2 spy plane shows the Chinese balloon. But where, exactly, was it taken? It's actually possible to answer that question using clues from the image.
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Europe
Russia says it will stop participating in its last nuclear treaty with the U.S.
Arms control experts warn that the suspension of the New START treaty is part of a troubling global rise in nuclear weapons.
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Science
Militaries have sought to use spy balloons for centuries. The real enemy is the wind
The U.S. government suspects that China's surveillance balloon may have blown off course. It wouldn't be the first time.
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Technology
We asked the new AI to do some simple rocket science. It crashed and burned
Computers traditionally excel at rocketry, so why do new artificial intelligence programs get it wrong?
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For space exploration, 2022 was a year full of cosmic milestones
Earthlings seemed to generate more good news in 2022 off the planet than on. From deflecting an asteroid to sending a camera deep into the universe, a look back on the year in space.
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Environment
U.S. reaches a fusion power milestone. Will it be enough to save the planet?
A giant laser facility in Livermore, Calif., says it has created net energy from nuclear fusion. It's an important breakthrough, but fusion power remains a distant dream.
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World
Trump tweeted an image from a spy satellite, declassified document shows
More than three years after his tweet, the U.S. government has formally declassified the image from one of its most powerful spy satellites.
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Health
Vaccines used to be apolitical. Now they're a campaign issue
Advocates for inoculation are distressed by what they see as a new political focus on an old public health measure.
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Science
Genetic sequencing gives us the first-ever look at a Neanderthal clan
"You know, this image of Neanderthals being brutes, is not quite accurate," says paleogenticist Laurits Skov. "The more we learn about them, the more like humans they appear to be."