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US government to become a shareholder in battery maker EOS

EOS Energy Enterprises Inc. is the latest public company that will have the U.S. government as a shareholder.

The zinc-based battery manufacturer, whose main factory is in Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania, said Tuesday that it signed an agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy to issue the government warrants — vouchers to buy stock — for 570...Read more

Kevin Clark/The Seattle Times/TNS

University of Washington pumps $10 million donation into AI

The University of Washington unveiled its new initiative Tuesday to spearhead the college's approach to artificial intelligence.

The initiative, AI@UW, was made possible in part through a $10 million donation by Charles and Lisa Simonyi, a husband-wife pair of philanthropists, according to a news release shared with The Seattle Times.

Charles ...Read more

California Department of Fish and Wildlife/California Department of Fish and Wildlife/TNS

California has a new wolf pack after another was euthanized

LOS ANGELES — California wildlife officials have confirmed there’s a new wolf pack in the northern part of the state, as the population of the endangered canids — and the number of livestock they have preyed on — continues to rise.

The freshly minted Grizzly pack is roaming southern Plumas County and consists of at least two adults and ...Read more

DREAMSTIME/TNS

Companies are warming up to saying AI is the reason for job cuts

In late September, the German airline Deutsche Lufthansa AG told analysts and investors that it planned to eliminate 4,000 administrative positions by the end of the decade. Among the reasons it cited was “the increased use of artificial intelligence.”

Weeks later, Dutch lender ING Groep NV said nearly 1,000 positions were at risk from “...Read more

Handout/Whoosh/TNS

Gadgets: Solar speaker

A category on the Victrola site referred perfectly to their new Victrola Zen wireless outdoor Bluetooth solar speaker as "The Art of Outdoor Listening." This speaker not only has powerful, crystal-clear sound but also is a beautifully designed piece of art that delivers all-day, solar-powered playback.

The somewhat rounded, stone-colored ...Read more

Jim Rossman/Jim Rossman/TNS

Jim Rossman: New Wi-Fi? Better let Alexa know

This week we help my mom.

She did some research and found out she could save $70 per month if she changed her TV and Internet service over to her local cable company.

She made the change, and the installer came last week to set it all up, which went off without a problem.

He set up her TVs and iPad and iPhone on the new wireless network, ...Read more

Max Chesnes/Tampa Bay Times/TNS

After 'alarming' Guana land swap idea, Florida lawmaker files bill for more transparency

When Florida’s government unveiled a proposal this summer to trade 600 acres of a beloved St. Johns County wilderness preserve, Floridians of all political backgrounds felt blindsided.

Though the plan was scrapped after widespread protest, including from President Donald Trump’s chief of staff, questions remained about how an idea to give ...Read more

Richard Tribou/Orlando Sentinel/TNS

Blue Origin's 1st recovered New Glenn booster arrives to Port Canaveral

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — There are tall, pointy metal tubes aplenty at Port Canaveral, but one is extra large.

The first-ever recovered first-stage booster for Blue Origin’s massive New Glenn rocket arrived to the port Tuesday morning five days after its launch from nearby Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Launch Complex 36 on the NG-2 ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Google launches new Gemini AI model with interactive answers

Alphabet Inc.’s Google debuted an updated version of its artificial intelligence model, Gemini, that executives said represents a “massive jump” in reasoning and coding ability.

The new model, Gemini 3, will be available immediately across all of Google’s major products, including search, and can answer questions with interactive ...Read more

An Amazon climate summit built on contradiction, creating unease for California delegates

BELÉM, Brazil — Two stark-white cruise ships loomed over a muddy Amazonian estuary, an odd sight from a beach where two children waded in the water.

The diesel-powered vessels towered over the impoverished riverfront neighborhood where trash littered the ground and a rainbow sheen from household and street runoff glistened on top of rain ...Read more

Christopher Furlong/Getty Images Europe/TNS

How little plastic does it take to kill marine animals? Scientists have answers

Ocean plastic kills sea creatures. It can obstruct, perforate or twist their airways and gastrointestinal tracts.

Now new research shows it takes just 6 pieces of ingested rubber the size of a pencil eraser to kill most sea birds.

For marine mammals, 29 pieces of any kind of plastic — hard, soft, rubber or fishing equipment — are often ...Read more

Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images North America/TNS

Biofuels standards put farm, oil state members on opposite sides

WASHINGTON — The perennial battle over EPA’s biofuels mandates is coming to a head soon as the agency works on finalizing updates to the Renewable Fuel Standard’s blending obligations.

So far, the EPA’s proposal for the 2026 and 2027 RFS mandates has drawn the support of farm-state lawmakers — who often find themselves at odds with ...Read more

Mauro Pimentel/AFP/GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/TNS

An Amazon climate summit built on contradiction, creating unease for California delegates

LOS ANGELES — Two stark-white cruise ships loomed over a muddy Amazonian estuary, an odd sight from a beach where two children waded in the water.

The diesel-powered vessels towered over the impoverished riverfront neighborhood where trash littered the ground and a rainbow sheen from household and street runoff glistened on top of rain ...Read more

Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Five Native tribes are coming together to protect a California cultural landscape

Chuckwalla National Monument is more than an epic expanse of towering rocks, hidden canyons, ghost flowers, smoke trees and its namesake lizard. One of America’s newest protected public lands is a birthplace, a crossroads, a beloved relative and a historical document to the tribes of the California desert.

Stretching across 624,000 acres from...Read more

Libby O'Neill/Boston Herald/TNS

Massachusetts water resources body punts on permanently dumping sewage into Charles River

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority may have been caught loving that dirty water a little too much, as its board has halted a proposal that clean water advocates fear would dump sewage into the Charles River forever.

The MWRA Board of Directors has tabled its upcoming vote, scheduled for Wednesday, on whether to reclassify ...Read more

Ye Aung Thu/GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/TNS

How can Minnesotans watch the Leonids meteor shower this weekend?

MINNEAPOLIS — Stargazers are in for a treat this weekend as an annual meteor shower streaks across Minnesota skies.

NASA officials predict the Leonids meteor shower will peak overnight Sunday and early Monday morning. It is active until Dec. 2.

The display comes after ribbons of green, pink, and red aurora lights dazzled Minnesotans earlier ...Read more

Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Kids most affected by climate change explore jobs to fix it at the Future Green Leaders Summit

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. — At the 2025 Future Green Leaders Summit, middle school students designed fire-resistant homes using AI, learned about jobs that support the climate and environment, and cheered on superheroes dressed as “Wind,” “Solar,” “Ethanol” and other energy sources as they squared off in a rap and dance battle.

The ...Read more

Handout/Second Dinner/TNS

‘Marvel Snap’ slings new Spider-verse cards with Arachnid Anarchy season

October was a mixed bag for “Marvel Snap” fans. The Undead Horde season was disappointing with its Season Pass card. The Horde archetype, focusing on creating a massive zombie card, wasn’t as powerful as expected, but it introduced new additions such as Headpool and and Colonel America that will have life outside of the spooky month.

...Read more

Pedro Pardo/Getty Images North America/TNS

Chinese astronauts return to Earth after being stuck in space

Three Chinese astronauts who were stuck in space after debris crashed into their spacecraft have returned to Earth.

The Shenzhou-20 crew successfully landed in Inner Mongolia at 4:40pm local time on Friday, state broadcaster China Central Television reported. The astronauts are in good physical condition and used the Shenzhou-21 spacecraft —...Read more

Saeed Khan/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

Australia and Turkey at loggerheads over 2026 climate summit

Australia and Turkey are vying to host the annual United Nations climate summit next year, a contest that on Thursday broke into full view at the current talks in Brazil.

Advocates supporting Australia’s bid mounted a news conference to make their case outside the country’s pavilion at COP30 — in an awkward twist, just steps away from ...Read more