The Earth Is Drying Out and We Need to Act Urgently
Measurements from NASA's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment satellites suggest the continents have been losing fresh water at an alarming rate since 2002, according to a recent study in the journal Science Advances. Some parts of the planet are becoming wetter, especially in the tropics, but the drying parts are drying more quickly than the increasingly wet parts are getting wet. The drying parts are also spreading, gaining roughly two Californias' worth of land every year and recently merging into 'mega-drying' regions sprawling across vast stretches of continents.
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Fox News
18 minutes ago
- Fox News
Inside NASA's fast-track plans for lunar nuclear power and new space stations to outpace global rivals
Amid significant budget cuts, NASA is fast-tracking the development of nuclear reactors on the moon and next-generation space stations with one clear objective: beating U.S. adversaries in the new space new memos signed by interim NASA chief and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy outline a bold strategy to secure strategic ground on the moon. The centerpiece of this effort is a lunar nuclear reactor, a renewable and stable power source to support long-term exploration."The goal is to power everything," a senior NASA official told Fox News Digital. "Our systems, habitats, rovers, robotic equipment, even future mining operations — everything we want to do on the moon depends on this."The moon's environment makes this a necessity. Its month-long day cycle — two weeks of daylight followed by two weeks of darknessc — renders solar power unreliable. A reactor would allow missions to function around the SECRETARY DUFFY TO ANNOUNCE NUCLEAR REACTOR DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR THE MOONNASA officials warn that China and Russia have publicly announced plans for a joint lunar nuclear project by the mid-2030s. If they succeed first, they could establish exclusive control over the moon's most valuable areas, locations with the most light and access to water and ice."They could set up a 'keep-out zone' in the prime locations," the NASA official financial constraints, Duffy's leadership signals a renewed priority to lunar and Martian exploration. "China has already landed on the far side of the moon. We never have," the official added. "They're moving on a steady path to dominate this domain."The new directive solicits proposals for a 100-kilowatt nuclear reactor — enough to power about 80 homes — with a target launch date of 2030. It also requires NASA to appoint a dedicated program many robotic spacecraft operate at just a few watts, the equivalent of a couple of light bulbs, which severely limits scientific capabilities. While the ISS uses solar panels, that model doesn't work on the moon or Mars, where sunlight is too weak or second memo shifts focus to replacing the aging and leaking International Space Station (ISS), which is scheduled to be retired in 2030. Without a successor, China would become the only country with a permanently crewed station in now plans to select two commercial partners within six months of issuing new requests for proposals. Under Duffy's direction, the agency is moving away from traditional fixed-price contracts and will instead use flexible Space Act Agreements, which give companies more freedom in how they build stations while saving time and SATELLITES COMPLETE GROUNDBREAKING MISSION 22,000 MILES ABOVE EARTH"We're telling companies what we need," a senior NASA official said. "But we're not prescribing how they must do it. That flexibility saves us both time and resources."NASA wants the new station to be cheaper and easier to maintain than the ISS. Originally, it envisioned a platform that could host two astronauts for six months. But, under the revised plan, the minimum requirement is four astronauts for just one Commercial Low Earth Orbit Destination (CLD) initiative, launched in 2021, was structured in two phases:Duffy's directive calls for skipping fixed-price contracts in Phase 2 and continuing with Space Act Agreements, in line with tightening budget to the Trump administration's fiscal 2026 budget proposal, NASA's overall budget would drop from $24.8 billion to $18.8 billion, a 25% cut. The Science Mission Directorate, which oversees research in planetary science, astrophysics, Earth observation and heliophysics, would face a nearly 50% reduction. However, human spaceflight programs are slated for increased has also confirmed that nearly 4,000 employees — about 20% of its workforce — have taken voluntary buyouts in recent these setbacks, agency officials remain optimistic. "Multiple companies tell us they can deliver a station within two years," one senior official said. "Timelines are always challenging, but we believe we can meet these goals — even on a leaner budget."
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
RBL LLC secures investment from Modi Ventures
- Strategic investment to support RBL's mission to launch and scale breakthrough startups - Founder and general partner of Modi Ventures, Sahir Ali, to join RBL board of directors - Modi Ventures' Ali, RBL managing partner Wotton to speak on venture creation at Canaccord Genuity Growth Conference Aug. 12 HOUSTON, Aug. 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- RBL LLC, a pioneering biotech venture creation studio dedicated to rapidly building companies based on breakthrough medical technologies, announced that it has secured an investment from Modi Ventures to support its mission to launch and scale breakthrough startups into clinical-stage companies. In addition, RBL has announced the appointment of Sahir Ali to its board of directors. Ali is the founder and current general partner of Modi Ventures, a leading venture capital firm investing in biology and technology based in Houston. Ali's experience as an accomplished technology and health care leader, investor and adviser will be instrumental in bridging the gap between academic biotech discoveries and the clinical care market. "This investment by Modi Ventures will be instrumental to RBL's growth as it reinforces confidence in our venture creation model and accelerates our ability to develop successful biotech startups," said Paul Wotton, RBL's managing partner. "Sahir's addition to the board will also amplify this collaboration with Modi. His strategic counsel and deep understanding of field-defining technologies will be invaluable as we continue to grow and deliver on our mission." "The bold thinking and entrepreneurial initiatives coming out of RBL represent an important cornerstone of the rapidly evolving Houston life sciences scene, and I am honored to contribute to this growth by joining this exceptional board," Ali said. "Partnering my new role at RBL with the investment made by Modi can truly help not only build companies but also shape the future of patient care in a collaborative and more efficient way." "Modi Ventures' investment is a strong signal of market validation for the acceleration model we've built into RBL," said Paul Cherukuri, board member of RBL and chief innovation officer of Rice University. "It reflects growing investor confidence in RBL's ability to turn breakthrough science into real-world therapies and in Houston's rise as a global force in biotech innovation." Modi Ventures employs a proprietary financial engineering framework grounded in modern portfolio theory and efficient frontier principles. With $134 million under management, Modi Ventures backs category-defining companies advancing artificial intelligence (AI)-driven drug discovery, diagnostics and engineered therapeutics. The firm also invests in leading funds across the biotech and technology spectrum. A parallel entrepreneur, scientist and innovator, Sahir has led transformative work and built companies across AI, cloud computing and precision medicine. Sahir serves on the board of directors of the Drug Information Association, a leading global life science membership association driving collaboration in drug, device and diagnostics development in pursuit of a healthier world. Sahir will join existing board members Wotton, Cherukuri, Omid Veiseh, Rima Chakrabarti, John Jaggers, Devyn Smith and James Watson, an accomplished group of leaders with deep expertise in biotech innovation, clinical translation and venture building who together provide strategic guidance to help drive RBL's continued growth and success. Wotton and Ali will participate in a panel discussion at the Canaccord Genuity 45th annual Growth Conference Aug. 12 to discuss the future of biotech venture creation and the evolving role of academic innovation in company formation. About RBL LLC: RBL LLC is a pioneering biotech venture creation studio based in Houston that is dedicated to accelerating the development of breakthrough medical technologies and therapies through company formation. RBL provides entrepreneurs, researchers and innovators with infrastructure, financial support and strategic guidance as well as access to laboratory space and shared resources in the Texas Medical Center Helix Park. For more information, please visit Media Contact: Russo PartnersDavid Schull or Liz Phillips(347) View original content: SOURCE RBL LLC
CBS News
2 hours ago
- CBS News
A comet going 130,000 mph is visiting our solar system from another star. The Hubble telescope just took its picture.
The Hubble Space Telescope has captured the best picture yet of a high-speed comet visiting our solar system from another star. NASA and the European Space Agency released the latest photos Thursday. Discovered last month by a telescope in Chile, the comet known as 3I-Atlas is only the third known interstellar object to pass our way and poses no threat to Earth. Astronomers originally estimated the size of its icy core at several miles across, but Hubble's observations have narrowed it down to no more than 3.5 miles. It could even be as small as 1,000 feet, scientists say, according to a new paper published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters. The comet is hurtling our way at 130,000 mph, but will veer closer to Mars than Earth, keeping a safe distance from both. It was 277 million miles away when photographed by Hubble a couple weeks ago. The orbiting telescope revealed a teardrop-shaped plume of dust around the nucleus as well as traces of a dusty tail. NASA previously said the comet will make its closest approach to the sun in late October, scooting between the orbits of Mars and Earth. The agency said 3I/ATLAS should remain visible to telescopes through September, but then it will pass too close to the sun to observe. It is expected to reappear on the other side of the sun by early December, allowing for renewed observations. According to Las Cumbres Observatory in Chile, the object is named "3I" because it is the third such interstellar object to be found, following 1I/'Oumuamu in 2017 and 2I/Borisov in 2019. "All three appear to be quite dark and red, reflecting only about 5% of the sunlight that hits them, which is similar in reflectivity to asphalt," the observatory said last month. "Unlike 1I/'Oumuamu, 3I does not change much in brightness as it rotates, indicating that it is more likely to be spherical." Los Cumbres Observatory created an animation of image data from its telescope as it tracked the new interstellar on July 4 2025:
