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"Inside the race to spot wildfires before they spiral out of control."

Views expressed in this science and technology update are those of the reporters and correspondents. Accessed on 20 July 2026, 2313 UTC.

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Russ Roberts (https://hawaiisciencemonitor.blogspot.com).

Today

Inside the race to spot wildfires before they spiral out of control

Finding wildfires before they explode in size could save countless lives each year. Decades of technology development may finally make that possible

A SpaceX rocket is about to crash into the moon—scientists will be watching

Falcon9 stage may hit Moon

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Astronomers have a plan to observe an errant piece of a SpaceX rocket as it hits the moon to better understand impact events

The Southern Delta Aquariids and Alpha Capricornids meteor showers are about to peak

Summer meteor showers peak

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11h

These meteor showers occur around the same time every year, with their peaks taking place over four days at the end of July

Neanderthals may have been just as smart as modern human peers

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A new skull-based analysis of Neanderthal brains suggests that these ancient hominins’ range of intelligence largely overlapped with our own

Yesterday

America is embarking on a risky experiment with GLP-1s and aging

Are GLP-1s for life? What we know about getting older on weight-loss drugs

Jul 18, 2026

Accidental mix-ups of sounds reveal how the brain produces speech

Spoonerisms are among the most well-known speech errors, and for linguists and psychologists they offer a glimpse into how our brains produce speech

Why New York State imposed a data center moratorium

The nation’s first statewide moratorium on new hyperscale facilities gives officials up to one year to work out how to measure their environmental effects amid the AI building boom

Jul 17, 2026

U.S. cities have the worst air quality in the world right now—here’s how to stay safe

Canadian wildfire smoke chokes US

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Wildfire smoke may be as much as 10 times more dangerous than other forms of air pollution, research suggests

See unprecedented images of Sunda clouded leopards, the ‘ghosts of the forest’

New, never-before-seen images provide a glimpse into the secretive lives of a clouded leopard species found in the dense rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra

What’s the longest total solar eclipse?

Duration, location, aviation: What makes the best possible view of a total solar eclipse?

Permanent daylight savings is bad for Americans’ health—here’s what science says could be better

House to vote permanent DST

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More sunlight in the evenings doesn’t always equate to better health

Jul 16, 2026

Cyclospora outbreak linked to iceberg lettuce supplied to Taco Bell

Cyclospora outbreak linked to lettuce

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U.S. officials have traced an explosive-diarrhea-causing parasite outbreak in five states to shredded lettuce served at this popular fast-food chain

Ancient Egyptian princesses were ‘powerful’ weapon users, new analysis suggests

Egyptian princesses used weapons

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These findings challenge a long-held belief about weapons found in female burial sites

SpaceX’s latest Starship launch attempt ends in a scrub

SpaceX schedules Starship launch

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SpaceX’s first attempt to launch the company’s Starship megarocket on the vehicle’s 13th flight test ended before it could properly begin, aborting just before liftoff

A super-Earth exoplanet’s leaking helium could be evidence of a complex atmosphere

LHS1140b atmosphere detected

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The planet LHS 1140 b lies in its star’s habitable zone, which already made it a prime candidate as a possible host for life

Speeding may be costing drivers far more than a ticket

Speeding wastes fuel and time

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Shaving under a minute off our daily commutes costs Americans $22 million daily

U.S. approval of giant ‘space mirror’ satellite alarms astronomers

FCC approves mirror satellite

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A controversial new ruling from the Federal Communications Commission leaves no one responsible for regulating light pollution and other ill effects from skyrocketing numbers of satellites

FDA approves cholesterol pill more powerful than statins

FDA approves oral PCSK9 pill

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Most adults have levels of a dangerous type of cholesterol that are above 100, but this new drug can reduce levels to around 50

Watch SpaceX’s Starship Flight 13 launch tonight

SpaceX schedules Starship launch

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SpaceX is launching the latest version of its Starship megarocket for a test flight that—if all goes to plan—should look a lot like the last one

The Perseid meteor shower aligns with a total solar eclipse this year—here’s how to see it

Spain total solar eclipse August

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Skygazers are in for a treat in August, as one of the most spectacular meteor showers coincides with a total solar eclipse

Jul 15, 2026

Scientists discover a ‘remarkable’ new monkey species with orange lips and a froglike roar

New Congo colobus monkey discovered

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The new species, Colobus congoensis , may already be endangered

How to avoid getting cyclosporiasis—and why washing lettuce may not be enough

Lettuce linked to cyclosporiasis outbreak

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Case numbers of this parasite-caused illness have exploded in the last week. An expert explains how to try and stay safe

Mathematicians are closing in on the hidden order inside chaos

A new breakthrough pushes the limits of randomness, bringing a decades-old mathematical mystery closer to resolution

Why have there been so many record-breaking heat waves this summer?

Record heatwave hits US north

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Record-breaking heat waves are beginning to blur together—here’s why and what’s making them so unbearable

Trump’s latest CDC chief pick Erica Schwartz faces Senate confirmation hearing

CDC nomination amid leadership vacuum

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The White House nominated Erica Schwartz, a former deputy surgeon general, to head the nation’s top public health agency

Indonesia’s new capital is changing the Borneo rainforest forever. Science is listening to the change

Indonesia is building a new capital city in the heart of Borneo to replace sinking Jakarta. As construction transforms one of the world’s most biodiverse rainforests, scientists and their Indigenous collaborators are racing to record the sounds of the forest—and preserve generations of ecological knowledge before it’s lost.

See the first x-rays of humans taken in space

First diagnostic space X rays

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Equipping spacecraft with x-ray machines could boost safety for long-duration spaceflights—like a crewed mission to Mars

Astronomers just accidentally spotted the faintest exoplanet ever seen from Earth

Beta Pictoris d discovered

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Beta Pictoris d is more than twice the size of Jupiter, but it is a baby compared to its humongous neighbors

August's solar eclipse inspires science involving jets, balloons and Einstein’s general theory of relativity

Spain total solar eclipse August

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