Chimpanzees live only in African rainforests and woodlands. Orangutans live only in the jungles of Indonesia. But humans live pretty much everywhere. Our species has spread across frozen tundras, settled on mountaintops and called other extreme environments home. Scientists have historically seen this adaptability as one of the hallmarks of modern humans and a sign … Read more
More Americans are surviving cancer, but the disease is striking young and middle-aged adults and women more frequently, the American Cancer Society reported on Thursday. And despite overall improvements in survival, Black and Native Americans are dying of some cancers at rates two to three times higher than those among white Americans. These trends represent … Read more
The Energy Department said on Thursday that it planned to offer $22.9 billion in loan guarantees to help eight electric utilities around the country modernize their power grids, add large amounts of renewable energy — and pass along any resulting savings to customers. The deals amount to one of the biggest commitments ever made by … Read more
It’s not exactly the best moment to pitch ultraprocessed foods as healthy and delicious, but that’s exactly what two major producers of plant-based meat are trying to do. Beyond Meat wants to convince people that its vegan versions of meat products are good for you. So does its competitor, Impossible Foods, which recently changed its … Read more
Of all the government agencies that President-elect Donald J. Trump has threatened to shrink or eliminate, perhaps none has been a greater target than the Environmental Protection Agency. During the first Trump administration, the nation’s top regulator of air and water pollution and industrial chemicals saw its budget slashed, leading to an exodus of employees … Read more
Walleye cakes, peach cobbler and wine provided by North Dakota’s top energy lobbying group were on the menu in May when Doug Burgum, then the governor, invited oil and gas executives to his official residence. The guest of honor: Harold Hamm, the billionaire founder of Continental Resources, one of the leading independent oil companies in … Read more
Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket is poised upright at Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Preparations began in earnest several hours before launch when liquid hydrogen started flowing into New Glenn’s propellant tanks. At 10 minutes before liftoff time, the launch director will conduct a “go poll,” asking people whether … Read more
President Biden ran for the White House promising to be a transitional figure, then once he got there began thinking of himself as a transformational one. But after a tumultuous four years in office, it turns out he was really neither. Instead, Mr. Biden will end up in the history books as an interregnum between … Read more
Armed with two garden hoses hooked up to a sputtering tap, Matthew Craig battled fire and smoke to save his house from the onslaught of flames that devastated much of Altadena, a once leafy corner of Los Angeles County. The wind felt like dragon’s breath, he said, and “we were all eating smoke.” But even … Read more
After disasters like the Los Angeles wildfires, the Federal Emergency Management Agency offers different types of financial assistance. The fastest is what FEMA calls “serious needs assistance,” which is a one-time payment of $770. That money is meant to be used for immediate needs, such as food or other supplies, for people who had to … Read more