‘Trees vanished in seconds’: Canadian wildfires spread as smoke prompts air quality alerts in 18 states

Air quality alerts are in place on Thursday across at least 18 states, from Minnesota to New Hampshire to Virginia, as dangerous smoke continues to waft into the U.S. from Canadian wildfires, including more than 100 blazes burning out of control. Smoke from at least 850 active wildfires in Canada is traveling more than a thousand miles to reach U.S. locations including New York City . At least

California sends 400 goats and sheep after yellow star thistle, a weed that can worsen wildfires

Around 180 acres of the San Joaquin River Conservancy are at risk because of the vegetation, including invasive species. That's why the Sierra Resource Conservation District is partnering with the City of Fresno to launch the first phase of a habitat restoration effort. A grazing project partially aimed at eliminating harmful plants is now underway at the San Joaquin Conservancy's Jensen River R

Desert storm: Can data centres slake their insatiable thirst for water?

Aerial view of the Apple Data Center in Mesa near Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. REUTERS/Jim Todd Purchase Licensing Rights December 16 - Surging use of AI has led to a frenzy of construction activity to build new data centres, particularly in the U.S. Estimates put the total number of these facilities in operation worldwide this year at 6,111, with upwards of 2,000 more set to come online b

At least 20,000 hogs killed in Simcoe, Ont., barn fire

Dozens of Norfolk County firefighters work to extinguish massive fire in extreme heat Norfolk County fire crews on the scene of a hog barn fire near Simcoe, Ont., Tuesday morning. (Submitted by Norfolk County Fire Department) Flames billow from a hog barn near Simcoe, Ont., Tuesday as firefighters battle a blaze that left at least 20,000 hogs dead. Norfolk County firefighters responded t

Texas Bans Lab-Grown Meat, Citing Consumer Protection and Agricultural Interests

The state becomes the seventh in the United States to prohibit the sale of meat cultivated from animal cells. Credit:  Food & Wine / Getty Images Texas has passed a law banning lab-grown meat: Governor Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 261, which prohibits the sale of cell-cultured protein in the state starting September 1, 2025. Supporters point to safety and agricultura

Australian doctor who underwent world-first brain tumour treatment dies

Tim Bauer Richard Scolyer is globally recognised for his pioneering work on melanoma treatment Pioneering Australian doctor Richard Scolyer has died, three years after being diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour. Scolyer, 59, made global headlines for his decision to undergo a risky world-first experimental treatment for his glioblastoma at the hands of his fri

Keystone pipeline operator agrees to pay $26.9m penalty over Kansas oil spill

Proposed legal settlement over 2022 oil spill would resolve allegations that South Bow violated clean water laws This photo taken with a drone shows the area where the ruptured Keystone pipeline dumped oil into a creek in Washington county, Kansas, on 9 December 2022.  Photograph: AP A proposed legal settlement with the US government would require the Keystone pipelin

World First: Scientists Witnessed a Piece of Earth’s Oceanic Crust Being Born

Bathymetry of the seafloor around the Southeast Indian Rift where two tectonic plates abruptly opened a portal to the magmatic underworld in April 2024. (Royer et al., Nature, 2026) Most of our planet's crust is forged in a thalassic factory human eyes never see. Across 65,000 kilometers (40,400 miles) of the ocean floor, a system of mid-ocean ridges marks the boundaries where Earth's

After Refusing $26M to Turn Farm Into AI Data Center, Mom and Daughter Join Fight Against Mysterious Fortune 100 Company

The spread of data centers is roiling communities nationwide. In Kentucky, Ida Huddleston and Delsia Bare are holding tight to their ancestral land From left: Ida Huddleston and Delsia Bare and their farm in Kentucky.Credit : Glenn Hartong (2) Starting at age 11, Delsia Bare had a routine after school. She would saddle up her horse and ride along the perimeter of her famil

$130 billion in AI data centers has been blocked or delayed this year; here’s what you need to know

The first quarter of 2026 saw the most blocked and delayed data center projects on record A generic photo of a data center (Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston - All rights reserved.) The booming AI data center industry has been fraught with controversy and growing resistance, with seven in 10 Americans reportedly against constructing them in their area, nearly half of whom were strong