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NASA cans lunar rover after spending $450 million building it
NASA announced Wednesday that cost overruns and delays have forced it to cancel a planned Moon rover it already spent $450 million to develop, marking a significant setback for the agency's lunar exploration program.
Dinosaur skeleton breaks auction record with $44.6 mn sale in New York
The largest stegosaurus skeleton ever found, nicknamed Apex, sold for a record breaking $44.6 million at auction in New York on Wednesday, Sotheby's said.
A bird? A plane? Meteor grazes skies above New York City: NASA
New York has been the backdrop to countless "end of the world" storylines in film and TV.
Musk to move companies out of California over transgender law
Elon Musk on Tuesday said he will move the headquarters of SpaceX and X to Texas after a California law blocked schools from forcing teachers to notify parents about changes to a student's gender identity.
France celebrates national day as political crisis rumbles on
France does not know where its government is headed and on Sunday the armed forces will also take an unusual detour at the start of their annual Bastille Day march.
SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket experiences rare failure
SpaceX's highly reliable Falcon 9 rocket has experienced a rare failure that means the latest batch of the company's Starlink satellites won't make it into orbit, the company said Friday, as regulators opened an investigation.
AI makes writing easier, but stories sound alike
Books and movies of the future could all start to feel the same if creative industries embrace artificial intelligence to help write stories, a study published on Friday warned.
UN says dust levels in air dropped slightly in 2023
The amount of dust in the air eased slightly in 2023, the United Nations said Friday, warning that poor environmental management was fuelling sand and dust storms.
3D genome extracted from 'freeze-dried' woolly mammoth
About 52,000 years ago, the skinned hide of a Siberian woolly mammoth was exposed to conditions so frigid that it spontaneously freeze-dried, locking its DNA fragments into place.
Nearby exoplanet could be first known ocean world: Webb telescope
A planet relatively close to Earth could be the first ever detected with a potentially life-sustaining liquid ocean outside our Solar System, according to scientists using the James Webb space telescope.
Musk's Neuralink eyes more test subjects for its brain tech
Elon Musk on Wednesday said his Neuralink startup is "moving on" to a second test patient as its tech for linking brains and computers improves.
Astronauts stuck on ISS 'confident' Starliner will bring them home
A pair of NASA astronauts left stranded on the International Space Station without a clear departure date expressed confidence Wednesday that their Boeing Starliner spaceship would soon bring them home.
Microsoft drops OpenAI board seat as scrunity increases
Microsoft has ditched plans to take up a non-voting position on the board of ChatGPT maker OpenAI, according to a letter seen by AFP on Wednesday, as regulators step up scrutiny of deals involving AI companies.
Microsoft gives up OpenAI board seat amid regulator scrutiny
Microsoft has ditched plans to take up an observer seat on the board of ChatGPT maker OpenAI, according to a letter seen by AFP on Wednesday, as antitrust regulators step up their scrutiny of the artificial intelligence market.
Eastern religions join call for ethical AI
Sect leaders from major Eastern religions on Wednesday signed on to a Vatican-led code for AI ethics that also includes major tech companies at a ceremony in the Japanese city of Hiroshima.
Key dates in Cyprus's post-independence history
This month marks 50 years since the dramatic events of 1974 left the Mediterranean holiday island of Cyprus divided to this day.
Europe's new Ariane 6 rocket blasts off for first time
Europe's new Ariane 6 rocket blasted off for the first time smoothly on Tuesday, carrying with it the continent's hopes of regaining independent access to space.
Countdown to first launch of Europe's Ariane 6 rocket
After four years of delays, Europe's new Ariane 6 rocket is set to blast off for the first time on Tuesday, carrying with it the continent's hopes of regaining independent access to space.
AI boom reshapes Wall Street as TSMC joins trillion-dollar club
The entry of Taiwanese chip giant TSMC into the elite club of the world's most valuable companies is further proof that the generative AI revolution is shaking up Wall Street.
'Ready to come out?' Scientists reemerge after year 'on Mars'
The NASA astronaut knocks loudly three times on a what appears to be a nondescript door, and calls cheerfully: "You ready to come out?"
Beryl foreshadows future hurricanes, says UN weather agency
The World Meteorological Organization, which is tracking Hurricane Beryl's deadly course through the Caribbean, told AFP that more storms with its hallmarks could be expected in the future.
Trafficked Cambodian artefacts returned from US
Buddhist monks in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh chanted blessings and threw flowers on Thursday to welcome 14 trafficked artefacts repatriated from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
Black British music in spotlight at new exhibition
What do a champagne bottle signed by Stormzy, Beethoven's tuning fork and a giant peacock Carnival costume have in common? They're all currently on display in a first-of-its-kind exhibition at the British Library.
Biden takes stage with Elton John to celebrate LGBTQ milestone
US President Joe Biden paid tribute to LGBTQ pioneers and British music legend Elton John performed his hits as the pair inaugurated on Friday a historical site in New York City celebrating the 1969 "Stonewall riots".
Experts press Swiss foundation over Nazi-era art collection
A Swiss foundation must do more to trace the provenance of works in a vast art collection acquired in questionable circumstances during World War II, a team of experts said Friday.
Meteorites strike Mars far more often than thought, probe finds
Mars is bombarded with basketball-sized meteorites on a nearly daily basis, fives times more often than previously estimated, seismic recordings from a NASA spacecraft have revealed.
How restoration can help coral reefs
Record-high sea temperatures are bleaching coral reefs worldwide and putting a new focus on attempts to restore these key marine ecosystems.
'Power rivalry in space': China lunar mission fuels US misinformation
A historic lunar mission has demonstrated China's growing scientific prowess, but the feat has set off a torrent of misinformation targeting the United States that researchers say reflects their bitter competition in space.
NASA picks SpaceX to carry ISS to its watery graveyard after 2030
NASA on Tuesday said it had picked SpaceX to build a vessel to carry the International Space Station back through Earth's atmosphere and on to a final resting place in the Pacific Ocean after it is retired in 2030.
'Wake-up call': third of adults not doing enough physical activity
Nearly a third of all adults are not doing enough physical activity, posing a growing threat to health across the world, a major study said on Wednesday.
German giant Siemens to revive historic base in Berlin
German industrial giant Siemens on Tuesday launched an urban development project worth 4.5 billion euros ($4.8 billion) in the area of Berlin known as Siemensstadt, where the company enjoyed its pre-war heyday.
US to launch satellite to better prepare for space weather
The United States is aiming Tuesday to launch a new satellite expected to significantly improve forecasts of solar flares and coronal mass ejections -- huge plasma bubbles that can crash into Earth, disrupting power grids and communications.