Science

WASHINGTON — NASA is ending financial support for several planetary science groups as part of a broader drawdown of the agency’s advisory structure. In a Jan. 16 letter, Louise Prockter, director of NASA’s Planetary Science Division (PSD), informed the leaders of eight organizations known as assessment or analysis groups — collectively called AGs — that

U.S. Capitol photo by the U.S. Air National Guard WASHINGTON — Congressional appropriators on Jan. 20 released a fiscal 2026 defense spending bill that funds the U.S. Space Force at $26 billion, matching the administration’s request, while faulting the Pentagon for failing to provide detail on its plans for the Golden Dome missile defense initiative.

The newly-discovered fossil — a 2.6-million-year-old partial lower jaw found in the Afar region of Ethiopia — represents the first known specimen of Paranthropus ever discovered there and is among the oldest remains attributed to this genus anywhere in Africa. The discovery is reshaping paleoanthropologists’ understanding of one of humanity’s ancient relatives, suggesting that a

At first glance, freediving looks deceptively easy – once you get past the breath-holding part, that is. Scroll through the underwater side of social media, and you’ll see freedivers gliding alongside turtles or floating weightlessly over pristine coral. It all looks so peaceful and graceful – but is freediving really as effortless as it seems?

KISS Rebreathers announced this week that its SIDEWINDER 2 has officially received CE approval. Unlike conventional CCR development paths, the SIDEWINDER 2 didn’t evolve from existing designs, according to the company. The project began with laboratory research focused on developing a fundamentally new scrubber concept. Only once this breakthrough was achieved did the team move

NAUI has announced the appointment of Ricki Oxford as its new executive director. Oxford will take up his role with NAUI from February 1, 2026.He has had an illustrious career in public health as well as being an experienced diver. Highlights of Oxford’s career include: More than 25 years of global public health leadership, Seasoned diver

The father of a teenager found dead at an Australian tourist spot says her family's "hearts are shattered" by the tragedy. Canadian backpacker Piper James, 19, was on a holiday on Queensland's K'gari when she went for an early morning swim on Monday. She hadn't returned, and her body was discovered a short time later

NSW's first female governor, Dame Marie Bashir, has died aged 95, and she's being remembered as one of the state's most respected public servants. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and NSW Premier Chris Minns are among those to have paid tribute to her, with the latter reflecting on her advocacy for mental health, education and social

The newly appointed NT Administrator, David Connolly, has been criticised for a slew of past social media posts in which he demeaned Aboriginal people and culture, shared transphobic claims, and levelled insults at Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. The former NT Cattleman Association President is set to be sworn in as the new NT Administrator next

Contentious reforms aimed at better protecting the Jewish community have passed parliament, but not without fierce political debate. The laws allow the government to forcibly shut down extremist organisations, and aim to curb the influence of antisemitic hate preachers and neo-Nazis in the wake of the Bondi Beach terror attack. Despite a split within the