Featuring the latest in daily science news, Verge Science is all you need to keep track of what’s going on in health, the environment, and your whole world. Through our articles, we keep a close eye on the overlap between science and technology news — so you’re more informed.
The Trump administration is quietly weakening regulations meant to protect groundwater and limit radiation exposure to workers at new nuclear reactors, NPR reports. Trump has worked to speed up the deployment of new nuclear reactor designs to power AI data centers.
The ‘crisp and refreshing’ protein drink is a sign of a company running out of time to turn it around.
The company, which was led by ex-Tesla CTO JB Straubel, says it just closed its series E funding, including participation from Google and other investors. The money will be put toward building out Redwood Materials’ energy storage platform as well as its EV battery recycling and critical minerals business. And in a blog post, the company gestures at the current debate over AI data centers and electricity demand, saying:
As electricity demand surges—driven by AI, data centers, manufacturing and electrification—energy storage is no longer optional; it is essential infrastructure.
Mr. 420 hopes to raise $50 billion by taking SpaceX public with the largest initial public offering in history. The target date is mid-June, near Elon Musk’s 55th birthday on June 28th, and June 8th and 9th “when Jupiter and Venus will appear very close together, known as a conjunction, for the first time in more than three years.”
SpaceX wants the extra funds to help develop its beefier Starship rocket system, expand its Starlink constellation, and to put data centers into space.
Every time it gets really cold, the climate change deniers come out of the woodwork with their best “I am very intelligent” grins to sputter some version of “whither global warming?” Fortunately, The Verge’s senior science reporter Justine Calma knew to anticipate these inane inquiries in her story today about the approaching winter storm:
“People say, ‘Oh, well, it’s really cold or we’re getting a lot of snow — how is the world warming?’ Climate change is an increase in the baseline temperatures, but it’s also an increase in extremes from both ways,” says Kaitlyn Trudeau, a senior research associate at the nonprofit Climate Central. “It can make more extreme cold outcomes; it can make more extreme warm outcomes … judging climate change by a cold storm is like judging a baseball season by a single inning.”
President Trump has talked about dismantling FEMA as his administration slashes staff from federal agencies. But now, FEMA will “cease offboarding” workers, CNN reports. A major winter storm threatens to wreck power grids and make travel treacherous across much of the US over the weekend and into next week.
The search for the contents of my mystery “GLP-3” vial leads further into the wellness wild west.
The withdrawal from the World Health Organization makes good on an executive order Trump issued on his first day in office. Per The New York Times:
The up-in-the-air status of the flu vaccine is just one of countless global health matters that are left hanging in the balance by the United States’ withdrawal. Global health experts are deeply concerned that if a novel bug similar to the coronavirus emerges, a lack of international coordination will lead to death and disaster.
Scientists announced a new expedition to study the potential origin of ‘dark oxygen’ rising from the abyss, a recent discovery that’s been contested by some other researchers and mining companies seeking to exploit new sources of battery minerals along the seafloor.
The sets teach STEM concepts like programming, engineering, and now AI. They’re typically only sold to teachers and schools, but Lego’s Education division has created four new sets designed for learning at home. They’re launching today and are themed around space and animals
The Washington Post has an excellent piece (subscription required) debunking this viral theory. If the levels of EMF radiation measured at the 49ers’ practice facility weakened ligaments, we’d all have torn ACLs. When cornered, Peter Cowan, the self-proclaimed expert who popularized this theory, admitted he had no hard evidence and moved the goalposts:
In an interview, Cowan acknowledged he hadn’t seen any research specifically on EMF damage to muscles and tendons; he drew connections from other studies and his own observations as a clinician, he said. He also didn’t know the 49ers started practicing in Santa Clara so long ago. If he had, he would have broadened his research to track the rising number of cell towers in the area. He said he remains “confident” the substation contributed to the injuries.
Fighting fires before they ever start, developers and homeowners in California are on the offense.
Planet-heating carbon and methane pollution had actually fallen by around 20 percent over the past decade, but ticked back up again in 2025 as the Trump administration slashed environmental regulations.
The US Environmental Protection Agency also announced this week that it plans to stop calculating the economic benefits of improved health from cleaning up air pollution.
New US dietary guidelines promote more protein and beef tallow, potentially moving Americans further away from a low-carbon diet.
At least 25 were canceled last year in the US, according to an analysis by Heatmap Pro. It’s a significant increase from 2024 as local opposition to energy and water-intensive data centers grows across the nation.
Astronomers captured this image of a stunning shock wave around a dead star — a shock wave that, according to all known mechanisms, “shouldn’t be there.”
“We found something never seen before and, more importantly, entirely unexpected,” said co-lead author of the study, Simone Scaringi. “The surprise that a supposedly quiet, discless system could drive such a spectacular nebula was one of those rare ‘wow’ moments.”
The Wall Street Journal has a profile of Gwynne Shotwell, the longtime president of SpaceX, ahead of its potential IPO. It covers her “unusual relationship” with Elon Musk where she often plays the role of “Musk translator” and defender. But make no mistake, she’s in charge:
“The great thing about Gwynne is she’s always stepped in where she feels the company most needs help,” said Kathy Lueders, a former SpaceX executive who spent years as a high-ranking NASA official. “People would say, ‘We need to turn to Gwynne on this one.’ ”
NASA administrator Jared Isaacman said in a press conference that “a single crew member on board the [ISS] experienced a medical situation and is now stable,” but NASA is playing it safe and bringing Crew-11 home early.
A spacewalk was postponed on Wednesday due to the same unspecified medical concerns.
