NASA Cuts Boeing Starliner Missions as SpaceX Pulls Ahead 
How to create a thriving forest, not box-checking ‘tree cover’ 
The UK is surprisingly short of water – but more reservoirs aren’t the answer 
Fertile land for growing vegetables is at risk — but a scientific discovery could turn the tide 
SpaceX’s Starship Completes 11th Test Flight, Paving Way for Moon and Mars Missions 
FDA Lifts REMS Requirement for CAR-T Cell Cancer Therapies 
Drug pollution in water is making salmon take more risks – new research 
SpaceX Starship Explodes in Texas During Test, Citing Nitrogen Tank Failure 
Ukraine minerals deal: the idea that natural resource extraction can build peace has been around for decades 
Burkina Faso and Mali’s fabulous flora: new plant life record released 
LA fires: Long-term exposure to wildfire smoke is poorly understood − and a growing risk 
Fungi are among the planet’s most important organisms — yet they continue to be overlooked in conservation strategies 
Astronomers have discovered another puzzling interstellar object − this third one is big, bright and fast 
How is Antarctica melting, exactly? Crucial details are beginning to come into focus 
Climate change has affected parts of the world such as Antarctica and Greenland the most, with animals that reside in these icy regions also suffering from its effects. A new study has revealed how migration patterns of the animals in the Arctic have changed because of the changing temperatures.
A study by the NASA Arctic-Boreal Vulnerability Experiment found that the change in migration patterns of the animals in the Arctic has become more prominent. The scientists used the data from the Arctic Animal Movement Archive with NASA’s data on temperature, rainfall, snowfall, and topographic data and found that the migration patterns are shifting in a way that could be dangerous to certain ecosystems. This suggests a more extreme indication of climate change is happening in the Arctic region. Other signs include the melting of sea ice, varying amounts of both rainfall and snowfall, and shades of green present in the Arctic tundra.
Aside from the overall weather, the scientists also used the data to learn how certain predator-prey species cope with the changing climate. They found some species tend to move more during the hotter temperatures while others move less. Animals such as moose and wolves move less in winters with more snowfalls, yet increased rainfalls did not affect their movement. Overall, the scientists found that predatory species cope with climate change differently than species that are considered prey.
Aside from climate change, recent observations made by NASA found that there has been a reduction of air pollutants following the lockdowns imposed all over the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With people forced to stay indoors and keep travel at a minimum, NASA saw a drop in carbon emissions due to human activity by 20 percent.
The scientists simulated how the world in 2020 would look had there been no pandemic and found that humans are still the biggest contributors to the nitrogen dioxide present in the atmosphere. However, some countries have already previously pledged to lower their nitrogen dioxide emissions, which added to the slight drop in emissions.
“We all knew the lockdowns were going to have an impact on air quality,” said NASA researcher Christoph Keller, who is also the project leader. “In some ways I was surprised by how much it dropped. Many countries have already done a good job in lowering their nitrogen dioxide concentrations over the last decades due to clean air regulations, but what our results clearly show is there is still a significant human behavior-driven contribution.”
