Breaking News, Business, Financial and Economic News, World News from EconoTimes

Become a contributor

Bookmark Econotimes

Thu, Aug 13, 2026 12:02 AM All times are UTC

Follow Series

©Econometrics LLC . All Rights Reserved.

Chris Impey

University Distinguished Professor of Astronomy, University of Arizona
Chris Impey is a University Distinguished Professor of Astronomy at the University of Arizona. He has over 180 refereed publications on observational cosmology, galaxies, and quasars, and his research has been supported by $20 million in NASA and NSF grants. He has won eleven teaching awards, and has taught three massive open online classes with over 180,000 enrolled. Impey is a past Vice President of the American Astronomical Society and he has been an NSF Distinguished Teaching Scholar, Carnegie Council’s Arizona Professor of the Year, and most recently, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor. He’s written over 70 popular articles on cosmology and astrobiology, two introductory textbooks, a novel called Shadow World, and eight popular science books: The Living Cosmos, How It Ends, Talking About Life, How It Began, Dreams of Other Worlds, Humble Before the Void, Beyond: The Future of Space Travel, and Einstein’s Monsters: The Life and Times of Black Holes.

The Mars Sample Return mission has a shaky future, and NASA is calling on private companies for backup

Apr 26, 2024 01:33 am UTC| Insights & Views Science

A critical NASA mission in the search for life beyond Earth, Mars Sample Return, is in trouble. Its budget has ballooned from US$5 billion to over $11 billion, and the sample return date may slip from the end of this...

Space Science Series

Exploding stars are rare but emit torrents of radiation − if one happened close enough to Earth, it could threaten life on the planet

Apr 01, 2024 11:05 am UTC| Science

Stars like the Sun are remarkably constant. They vary in brightness by only 0.1% over years and decades, thanks to the fusion of hydrogen into helium that powers them. This process will keep the Sun shining steadily for...

Orbital resonance − the striking gravitational dance done by planets with aligning orbits

Feb 05, 2024 07:17 am UTC| Science

Planets orbit their parent stars while separated by enormous distances in our solar system, planets are like grains of sand in a region the size of a football field. The time that planets take to orbit their suns have no...

Space Science Series

Why isn't there any sound in space? An astronomer explains why in space no one can hear you scream

Dec 05, 2023 05:40 am UTC| Science

In space, no one can hear you scream. You may have heard this saying. Its the tagline from the famous 1979 science fiction movie Alien. Its a scary thought, but is it true? The simple answer is yes, no one can hear you...

Space Science Series

NASA report finds no evidence that UFOs are extraterrestrial

Sep 18, 2023 05:52 am UTC| Science

NASAs independent study team released its highly anticipated report on UFOs on Sept. 14, 2023. In part to move beyond the stigma often attached to UFOs, where military pilots fear ridicule or job sanctions if they...

Space junk in Earth orbit and on the Moon will increase with future missions − but nobody's in charge of cleaning it up

Sep 01, 2023 01:38 am UTC| Science

Theres a lot of trash on the Moon right now including nearly 100 bags of human waste and with countries around the globe traveling to the Moon, theres going to be a lot more, both on the lunar surface and in Earths...

Economy

Asian Currencies Steady Ahead of US CPI as Oil Prices Rise

Asian currencies were mostly unchanged against the U.S. dollar on Wednesday as investors awaited key U.S. inflation data that could shape expectations for the Federal Reserves next interest-rate decision. Meanwhile, rising...

Canada, US Hold Fresh Trade Talks as August 19 Tariff Deadline Nears

Canada and the United States held another round of high-level trade talks on Tuesday as Ottawa seeks to prevent new U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods from taking effect on August 19. Dominic LeBlanc, Canadas minister...

Australia Sets New Minimum Pay, Insurance Rules for Gig Workers

Australias Fair Work Commission (FWC) has approved new minimum standards for food and grocery delivery workers, giving gig economy workers higher pay and greater protection against workplace injuries. Under the new rules,...

Gold Price Holds Near $4,400 as Hormuz Risks and CPI Drive Markets

Gold prices climbed on Wednesday, remaining close to the $4,400-an-ounce mark as uncertainty surrounding the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz boosted oil prices and kept investors focused on the Federal Reserves...

Oil Prices Rise as Hormuz Tensions Threaten Global Supply

Oil prices climbed on Wednesday, approaching a two-week high as uncertainty over the Strait of Hormuz and fresh attacks on shipping raised concerns about prolonged disruptions to global crude supplies. Brent crude oil...

Politics

Peggy Flanagan Wins Minnesota Democratic Senate Nomination

Minnesota Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan has secured the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate, setting up a closely watched general election contest against Republican nominee Michele Tafoya. U.S. media outlets...

U.S. Military Operations Killed 153 Civilians in 2025, Pentagon Says

U.S. military operations killed 153 civilians and wounded another 243 in 2025, according to Pentagon assessments cited by a U.S. official, marking a sharp increase from the civilian casualty figures reported for 2024. The...

Bashar al-Assad Sentenced to Death After Syria Regime Collapse

Bashar al-Assads 24-year rule over Syria ended dramatically in December 2024 after rebel forces launched a rapid offensive that overwhelmed his weakened military. With Russia focused on its war in Ukraine and Iran weakened...

Trump Signs Order to Cut Routine Childhood Vaccines

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order seeking to reduce the number of routine childhood vaccinations recommended in the United States and directing the Justice Department to challenge certain state vaccine...

Wisconsin Democratic Primary Tests Progressive Appeal

Democratic socialist Francesca Hong and moderate David Crowley remained locked in a tight race Tuesday in Wisconsins closely watched Democratic gubernatorial primary, offering an important test of progressive candidates...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

OpenAI Executive Brad Lightcap to Leave for New AI Venture

Brad Lightcap, one of OpenAIs most senior executives and its former chief operating officer, is leaving the artificial intelligence company to launch a new venture, adding to a series of major leadership changes across the...

Anthropic Signs $9.1B AI Data Center Deal With Riot Platforms

Anthropic has reportedly signed a $9.1 billion long-term agreement with Riot Platforms (NASDAQ: RIOT) to secure large-scale AI computing capacity, marking another major investment by the Claude developer as demand for...

Trump Media Says Truth API Draws 10+ Customers as Conflict Concerns Grow

Trump Media Technology Group said Monday that more than 10 customers have signed up for its upcoming Truth API, a real-time data service designed to provide rapid access to posts from prominent Truth Social accounts,...

Nvidia Secures $500 Billion AI Infrastructure Push With Wall Street Giants

Nvidia is expanding its influence beyond semiconductors after announcing agreements aimed at mobilizing up to $500 billion in third-party capital for artificial intelligence infrastructure. The move brings the AI chip...

SEC Clears Path for Data Center Securitizations as AI Financing Demand Surges

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has provided regulatory clarification that could make it easier for data center owners and operators to access capital markets as the artificial intelligence boom drives...