Archaeologists in Israel have discovered the oldest fossil of a modern human outside Africa. The fossil suggests that humans first migrated out of the continent much earlier than previously believed. The scientists were digging in a cave called Misliya, on the slopes of Mount Carmel on the northern coast of Israel. “The cave is one […]
The dollar staged a powerful late-day comeback Thursday after President Donald Trump said the U.S. currency would get “stronger,” appearing to contradict comments made only the day before by his Treasury secretary. The mixed messages from the administration sent the dollar on a wild ride over the past two trading sessions, first reeling against major […]
In an earnings call last night, United Airlines said it would add more “basic economy” fares in its bid to better compete with the new crop of low-cost carriers. The announcement sent the company’s stocks tumbling, but more distressingly, it will increase the likelihood that consumers will get lured in by the rock-bottom prices without […]
An analysis of fossils including the oldest-known Homo sapiens specimen has revealed that brain shape in our species evolved over time to become less elongated and more globular, a change that appears to have accommodated key advances in its function. Scientists said on Wednesday they examined brain size and shape based on 20 Homo sapiens […]
Toys R Us is moving ahead with plans to shut roughly 20 percent of its U.S. stores, or 180 locations, and some say this is just the beginning. “We see this as the first phase of a more robust real estate clean up effort at TRU,” Jefferies analyst Stephanie Wissink said. “The move has been […]
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said the company’s new Falcon Heavy rocket would soon launch for the first time, after months of pushing back its debut liftoff. Musk shared photos on Twitter Jan. 24 of an engine test-fire, showing clouds of smoke unfurling from underneath the rocket. “Falcon Heavy hold-down firing this morning was good,” Musk […]
Skywatchers in Alaska, the Hawaiian islands and the western part of North America will have the best view of the rare “Super Blue Blood Moon” in the early morning of Jan. 31. This spectacular lunar event features the second full moon of the month, also known as a Blue Moon. The event will coincide with […]
Two NASA astronauts embarked on a spacewalk today (Jan. 23) and successfully replaced a degraded robotic “hand” outside the International Space Station (ISS) despite a software glitch that left the team running behind schedule. Expedition 54 flight engineers Mark Vande Hei and Scott Tingle suited up early today and emerged from the Quest airlock at […]
Volcanic eruptions in Japan, the Philippines and Bali. Massive earthquakes in Alaska and Indonesia. The rash of natural disasters over the past two days have one common denominator: they all occurred along the so-called Ring of Fire, a sprawling horseshoe-shape geological disaster zone. At least five different events occurred on the Ring of Fire on […]
ANCHORAGE — The Alaskans, roused by a major earthquake and threatened by the specter of a tsunami, moved in the middle of the night. They shuffled into schools that had become evacuation centers. They parked their cars on higher ground at Safeway and Walmart stores. They rushed up Pillar Mountain. Then, mercifully, the big waves […]
NASA and the U.S. Air Force are expected to return to normal operations Tuesday after lawmakers passed a budget bill Monday evening, ending a government funding lapse that threatened to cut off live television coverage of an International Space Station spacewalk and interrupt SpaceX launch operations in Florida and California. Astronauts Mark Vande Hei and […]
The economy grew at better than a 3% annual pace in both the second and third quarters last year. Did it score a hat trick in the fourth quarter, taking another step toward President Trump’s promise of 3% growth for a full year (assuming his agenda is carried out)? Quite possibly, economist says. The week’s […]
