President Donald Trump’s goal of appointing a majority of the Federal Reserve’s board of governors faced a setback Tuesday when a court blocked his unprecedented attempt to fire Lisa Cook
Appeals court rules Trump doesn’t have the authority to fire Copyright Office director
A divided appeals court has ruled President Donald Trump doesn’t have the authority to unilaterally remove and replace the director of the U.S. Copyright Office
‘Good for the soul’: public urged to look up with Saturn on show
Saturn will be highly visible all September and scientists say gazing at planets and stars lets us see ‘the biggest picture’ It has baffled minds as great as Galileo’s, inspired composers and fuelled sci-fi fantasies, but while Saturn will be on show all September, is anyone watching? The ringed gas...
Unusual compounds in rocks on Mars may be sign of ancient microbial life
Surface spots and nodules on rocks in ancient river valley are described in new study as ‘potential biosignatures’ Unusual features found in rocks on Mars may be the handiwork of ancient microbial life that eked out an existence on the red planet billions of years ago. The rocks were spotted...
Shrinking states: a positive future with fewer people? – podcast
The fertility rate in England and Wales has fallen for the third year in a row – a trend mirrored across the world, with two-thirds of the global population now living in countries with below-replacement-level fertility. In the second episode of a two-part series, Madeleine Finlay speaks to Dean Spears,...
Weatherwatch: Forecasting’s astrological origins
Weather forecasting was still banned under the 1735 Witchcraft Act when the Met Office was founded in 1854 Forecasting the weather used to be less scientific and more magical, to the point that practitioners could be accused of witchcraft. The mathematician and astronomer Ptolemy of Alexandria drew up tables of...
US drugmaker Merck scraps £1bn London research centre and cuts 125 science jobs
New blow to UK’s key life science sector as industry body says country is losing ground on investment and research The US drugmaker Merck has scrapped a £1bn London research centre and is laying off 125 scientists in the capital this year, in a big blow to the UK’s important...
Princeton doctoral student kidnapped in Iraq has been freed. ‘We both started sobbing,’ sister says
An Israeli-Russian doctoral student from Princeton University who was kidnapped in Iraq has been released
US and European officials meet to discuss new sanctions on Russia
U.S. and European officials have met at the U.S. Treasury Department to discuss economic pressure on Russia, including new sanctions and tariffs on Russian oil
A firefighter dies after a cardiac emergency in the line of duty at the Grand Canyon
A firefighter has died after suffering a cardiac emergency while working at the site of a wildfire at the Grand Canyon