CLIMATE

May 16 2026HEALTH

Heat and Early Births: A Growing Global Concern

Around the world, rising temperatures might be silently pushing more babies into early arrivals. A wide study covering 13 countries found links between extreme heat and premature births. But most past research only looks at one place at a time or mixes many small studies together. That leaves big qu

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May 15 2026SCIENCE

Can sprinkling dust in the sky really help fight global warming?

Scientists are exploring wild ways to cool down Earth as burning coal, oil and gas keeps heating the planet. One company now says tiny particles spread high in the air could bounce some sunlight back into space. Their idea isn’t magic—it’s a high-tech plan borrowed from how volcanoes naturally cool

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May 15 2026ENVIRONMENT

How Alaska’s Changing Seasons Explain Why You Should Care About Wildfires

Alaska doesn’t ease into wildfire season gradually—it jumps in fast. While the state still fights leftover winter melts in March and early April, the real shift happens as snow disappears and spring winds kick in, turning last year’s dry grass into kindling. Most Alaskans know the risks by now: one

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May 14 2026ENVIRONMENT

Stuck in a weather rut: why the Northeast can’t shake off the gray skies

A stubborn weather pattern is keeping the Northeast stuck between low pressure and endless clouds. Instead of warm spring days, the region is facing a stretch of cool, damp weather thanks to what’s called an Omega block—a high-pressure ridge squeezing a low-pressure system in place. This setup acts

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May 14 2026BUSINESS

Why Businesses Are Packing Up and Leaving Washington State

For over fifty years, Delta Camshaft kept its operations running smoothly in Washington. But now, after decades of service, the company’s future is moving elsewhere. The main reasons? Rising costs, constant crime struggles, and a shifting political scene that’s making business tougher. The owner, Jo

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May 13 2026OPINION

Oregon’s Economy: A Call to Adapt or Stay Stuck

The Prosperity Council is shifting from listening to giving advice, and two very different viewpoints are now in the spotlight. One side says Oregon’s economy is already solid, so we should keep raising wages and protecting public services. The other argues that the state is entering a new era where

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May 12 2026WEATHER

How the Pacific\'s shifting waters could shape our year ahead

The Pacific Ocean is quietly undergoing a major shift that could reshape weather patterns across America. Deep beneath the surface, a growing mass of unusually warm water is making its way eastward, pushed by shifting winds. When it reaches the central Pacific later this year, it could trigger one o

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May 12 2026HEALTH

Can Climate Shifts Spread Hantavirus?

A recent cruise ship disaster shows how diseases can travel in surprising ways. Three people died and others got sick from hantavirus during a trip from Argentina to the Cape Verde islands. The outbreak started on a ship sailing through one of the most extreme environments on Earth. Antarctica isn’t

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May 12 2026ENVIRONMENT

How Climate Shifts Can Tip the Balance Toward Conflict

Scientists have found that not all climate changes affect violence the same way. Two well-known patterns—the Pacific warming called El Niño and the Indian Ocean temperature flip called the Indian Ocean Dipole—can quietly push societies toward fighting, even when people don’t immediately notice the d

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May 10 2026HEALTH

Why coffee is getting a health upgrade (and how to drink it right)

Coffee used to get a bad rap. Doctors once warned pregnant women to avoid it and linked it to scary diseases like cancer. But those old warnings mostly came from studies that mixed up coffee with smoking—people often lit up while sipping their brew, making it hard to tell what was really causing har

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