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Finding Sanctuary: Ranking the most wanted kelp forests

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Giant kelp and bull kelp forests create habitats that support an amazing diversity of sea life, and their floating canopies are a prominent feature at the surface of California coastal waters. Recently, satellite imagery has shown a dramatic decline in Northern California kelp forests, and a significant, though patchy, loss of kelp forests in central California. Because of cloud cover and the low resolution of satellite imagery, estimates of kelp coverage are inaccurate and smaller kelp canopies can be entirely missed. Kelp restoration efforts have begun to address some of the most obvious losses, but the scale of these human intervention activities is smaller than a football field and will never be able to fully compensate for regional losses of kelp. So, which kelp forests are most critical to restore, and which are worthy of high-resolution monitoring by drones? These and related questions are what Melissa Ashley, a California Sea Grant fellow with Monterey Bay National Marine San...
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NASA conducts second rocket fueling test that will decide when Artemis astronauts head to the moon

By MARCIA DUNN CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA took another crack at fueling its giant moon rocket Thursday after leaks halted the initial dress rehearsal and delayed the first lunar trip by astronauts in more than half a century. Related Articles Surprise shark caught on camera for first time in Antarctica’s near-freezing deep Moderna says the FDA will consider its new flu shot after resolving a public dispute To Bay Area aficionados, fungi are freaky, mystical and overlooked. They’re helping scientists learn more US Cancer Institute studying ivermectin’s ‘ability to kill cancer cells’ RFK Jr. pledged more transparency. Here’s what the public doesn’t know anymore For the second time this month, launch teams began pumping more than 700,000 gallons of supercold fuel into the rocket atop its launch pad. It’s the most critical and challenging part of the two-day practice countdown. The outcome will determine whether a March launch is possible for the Artemis II moon missio...
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To aficionados, fungi are freaky, mystical and overlooked. They’re helping scientists learn more

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By DORANY PINEDA, Associated Press ANGWIN — Jessica Allen crunched through fallen leaves among Manzanita trees hunting for something few have spotted before: the Manzanita butter clump — a rare and little-known yellow mushroom found, so far, only along North America’s Western coastlines. It was last seen here in California’s Napa County two years ago, and Allen, a fungi scientist, was keen to find it. But within minutes, something caught her attention. She knelt, pulled a hand lens to her eye, and peered nose-close into a rock: lichens — a type of fungi — bursting with dazzling shapes, textures and colors. RELATED:  Death cap mushroom toll climbs as California officials plead for halt to foraging “It’s so easy to get distracted, but there’s so many lichen!” she said excitedly. “That was a good rock,” said ecologist Jesse Miller, president of the California Lichen Society. “Ok, let’s go find some mushrooms,” she exclaimed. Allen and Miller are enchanted by what they describe ...
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New study reveals wildfire smoke linked to staggering 24,100 deaths annually in the U.S.

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By DORANY PINEDA, Associated Press Chronic exposure to pollution from wildfires has been linked to tens of thousands of deaths annually in the United States, according to a new study. The paper, published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances, found that from 2006 to 2020, long-term exposure to tiny particulates from wildfire smoke contributed to an average of 24,100 deaths a year in the lower 48 states. RELATED: How a new system of drones and low-cost sensors can protect communities from air pollution “Our message is: Wildfire smoke is very dangerous. It is an increasing threat to human health,” said Yaguang Wei, a study author and assistant professor in the department of environmental medicine at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Other scientists who have studied the death toll from wildfire smoke were not surprised by the findings. “The estimates they’re coming up with are reasonable,” said Michael Jerrett, professor of environmental health science at the Universit...
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NASA delays astronauts’ lunar trip until March after hydrogen leaks mar fueling test

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By MARCIA DUNN, Associated Press CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA’s long-awaited moonshot with astronauts is off until at least March because of hydrogen fuel leaks that marred the dress rehearsal of its giant new rocket. Related Articles Here’s a look at the significance of sending animals to space We’ve got rhythm — but why? What science can explain about dance Bay Area lab’s new model for forecasting wildfires could change how they’re fought — and save lives US life expectancy hit an all-time high in 2024, CDC says Regenerative vineyards can pay their way, new Bay Area study finds It’s the same problem that delayed the Space Launch System rocket’s debut three years ago. That first test flight was grounded for months because of leaking hydrogen. NASA announced the news Tuesday, shortly after the critical fueling test ended at Kennedy Space Center. Until the exasperating hydrogen leaks, the space agency had been targeting as soon as this weekend for humanity’s first trip ...
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Here’s a look at the significance of sending animals to space

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Ham it up Jan. 31 marks the day Ham, a chimpanzee, was launched into sub-orbital space in a Mercury capsule aboard a Redstone rocket to become the first great ape in space. Related Articles Disney child star-turned-CEO raises $100 million for California space-antenna firm NASA plane makes fiery belly landing at Houston airfield A lost map of the stars. A medieval manuscript. And a Menlo Park machine powerful enough to bring it back. Astronauts say space station’s ultrasound machine was critical during medical crisis NASA sends 4 astronauts back to Earth in first medical evacuation On May 5, 1961, Alan Shepard became the first American in space. However, three months earlier NASA had launched “Number 65” on a mission that helped pave the way for Shephard’s momentous flight. Number 65 was a male chimpanzee born in 1957 in the French Cameroons in West Africa. After being captured by trappers, he was sent to a rare bird farm in Florida. In 1959, he was sold to the U.S. Air Forc...
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Opinion: New federal dietary guidelines mark troubling retreat on alcohol

The Trump administration’s recently updated Dietary Guidelines for Americans mark a troubling retreat from the best available science about alcohol consumption. At a time when alcohol-related fatalities have increased 30% over the last decade — now claiming approximately 178,000 American lives annually — the federal government has missed a critical opportunity to safeguard the nation’s health. Alcohol hasn’t changed, but our understanding of its risks has evolved considerably. Decades of research and federal advisory findings indicate that no amount of alcohol is truly safe for health, yet the updated dietary guidelines fail to clearly warn the public or provide sufficient information for people to make informed choices. Some omissions are stark. For example, the updated dietary guidelines fail to address the well-established link between alcohol and cancer risk. Alcohol is a known carcinogen linked to several types of cancer, including breast, colon and liver cancer. Related ...
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