Sci/Tech

Dear Friends,

More than two decades ago, scientists digging in Central Africa unearthed the 7-million-year-old remains of what may be one of the earliest known human ancestors.

It’s dusk, and you’re outside taking down the last of the Christmas decorations. Suddenly, you hear what sounds like a ping-pong ball that just got dropped. It starts out slow, accelerates in tempo and then lowers in pitch before coming to a stop.

Spokane has one last chance for grace from a state program that penalizes the city’s solid waste emissions unlike anywhere else in Washington. Without action from the state, the city could be forced to shell out millions annually because of the carbon emissions from its energy-generating trash incinerator.

With plans to launch the massive Starship from Florida next year, SpaceX defended its commitment to airspace safety after a Wall Street Journal article claimed an explosive mission in early 2025 was a greater danger to some flights than previously reported.

Splish-splash. Could the water-loving mallard be any merrier this time of year?

“Dr. Christmas Tree” is a weighty title to bestow on someone.

NASA has lost contact with its MAVEN spacecraft that has been orbiting Mars for more than a decade.

Dr. Universe: Why do we have fingerprints? – Kaylen, 11, North Carolina

Maggots may be the key to more accurately determining when people died, according to Florida researchers, pointing to the genetic makeup of larvae.

The Bennu asteroid, a space rock not too far from Earth that is rich in carbon, continues to be a trove of information for scientists keen to learn about how life may have begun in our solar system.

Dear Dr. Universe: Can humans live in space for a month? – Maya, 11, Seattle

It’s the bird with bloomers.

Three Chinese astronauts were stuck aboard the Tiangong space station this month when their return craft sustained damage. They eventually made it home on the vehicle that brought up their replacements - leaving the next trio of astronauts in the same predicament. They are far from alone: Russian and U.S. spacefarers have also been delayed in space in recent years, for months at a time.

Is art uniquely human?

Dear Dr. Universe: What’s the hardest math equation in the world? – James, 6, Washington state

If you head into your backyard this weekend and set up your telescope, the giant planet Saturn will be there for you to see.

Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket is powerful, but Jeff Bezos’ rocket company wants more. After completing a successful second mission of New Glenn, including a launch from Cape Canaveral and landing and the return of its first-stage booster, Blue Origin announced upgrades coming to the heavy-lift rocket as soon as mission No. 3.