Public land-grant research university in Westwood, established 1881
Firefighters have established containment lines around Spokane-area blazes, with cooler weather offering limited relief. Thousands remain evacuated as investigations probe arson and natural causes amid a record-breaking Northwest fire season.
A series of reports shows Colorado marmots fattening up for winter as Fat Marmot Week launches to raise funds for long-running marmot research amid federal funding cuts. Last winter’s low snowpack increased marmot deaths and shifting social dynamics are visible in alpine colonies across the region.
The Gibbon Conservation Center in Santa Clarita has cared for about 40 gibbons across five species for five decades. Directors say captive breeding and research on vocalizations offer vital insights for conservation as habitat loss and wildlife trafficking threaten wild populations.
A review of mobility and balance assessments shows they indicate functional health and fall risk, not life expectancy. Tests like sit-to-stand and Timed Up and Go help identify weaknesses and guide care, while researchers note variability across populations.
Government data shows July arrests have risen sharply, continuing a months-long push toward mass deportations. Texas and Florida account for nearly 20,000 of the arrests, with ICE expanding its workforce as part of a multi-year crackdown.
Rains driven by El Niño have intensified at Bright Angel Creek, triggering a deadly flood near the Grand Canyon. The event follows drought and a megafire that scarred the area, with authorities warning debris flows and ongoing risk as crews assess damages.
Regulators have opened an audit into Tesla’s Cybercab self-certification after Austin deployments, as the company expands its steering-wheel-free robotaxi service. NHTSA is examining if the vehicle’s lack of traditional controls complies with FMVSS while Tesla argues it meets applicable standards.
OpenAI has announced a solution to the Navier-Stokes existence and smoothness problem, one of the Millennium Prize Problems. The company says its latest model solved the complex equations describing fluid motion, a claim analysts are scrutinizing. OpenAI emphasizes that it did not train on user data to reach the solution, and notes that anonymized data could have been used to improve models.
The Department of Justice and Education Department have opened a joint investigation into the University of California, Berkeley School of Law, alleging that the admissions process discriminates on race and uses essay prompts to group applicants by identity. Berkeley says it complies with Prop. 209 and federal law, and will provide evidence of compliance. The probe follows a Supreme Court decision on race-conscious admissions and may impact future diversity policies in higher education.
Scientists have identified a 222‑metre‑wide, up to 43‑metre‑deep crater on the Moon formed in spring 2024 and first spotted in LRO images in 2025. The impact churned material across more than 100 km, produced a roughly 7‑km cold spot and has provided rare data scientists say will inform risk assessments for planned lunar bases.
Scientists have used tooth enamel chemistry to estimate Tyrannosaurus rex’s body temperature at about 36°C, placing it among warm‑blooded animals. The research, based on clumped isotope thermometry, is published in Science Advances and relies on enamel from three teeth from Hell Creek Formation fossils.
A California arbitration has held Uber liable for the actions of its driver, ruling the company is vicariously liable for a passenger-killing incident in Orange County. The arbitrator described Uber as more than a platform, and the award is not binding beyond this case.
A Novig campaign starring Sydney Sweeney has provoked athletes to push back after the actress appears nude or minimally clothed while posing with sports equipment. Competitors including Amy Hunt and Ariarne Titmus have posted training footage and criticised the ad for sexualising women and diverting attention from athletic achievement. Novig and Sweeney have defended the campaign.
Federal investigators have found that several U.S. medical schools discriminate in admissions by race, with Black and Hispanic applicants having higher acceptance odds than white and Asian applicants despite similar credentials. The findings cover UCLA, UC San Diego, and UCSF for classes from 2023–2025, and flag allegedly two-tier admissions that shift based on race. The case could lead to voluntary resolutions or legal action.
Protesters at UCLA mark the third anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, with SJP describing escalating Palestinian resistance. The event follows related talks at UC Berkeley and Claremont Colleges and ongoing campus tensions over Israel-Hamas coverage and safety.
President Donald Trump has publicly endorsed Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of Israel’s Oct. 27 election, offering a “complete and total endorsement” and calling him a “Great Warrior Prime Minister.” Multiple outlets report Israeli officials asked Trump for added statements and media outreach; Likud has denied those reports. Partial returns have left Netanyahu’s bloc short of a Knesset majority.
Frontier AI labs have published machine-generated proofs that they say resolve major problems across mathematics, computer science and physics. OpenAI and Anthropic have each released claims — including a refutation of the Exponential Time Hypothesis and solutions to long-standing conjectures — and researchers are racing to verify the results and debate how AI should be used in research.
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has recognised Robert Hall and Michael Woodford for developing microeconomic foundations of macroeconomic stabilisation, enabling policymakers to smooth business cycles. The prize highlights New Keynesian models that connect household and firm decisions to policy tools, with forward guidance becoming a central instrument.
Vice President J.D. Vance has declined to endorse Benjamin Netanyahu after President Donald Trump publicly backed the Israeli prime minister ahead of Israels 27 October election. Vance has said he will focus on endorsing American candidates in the U.S. midterms and will not get involved in Israeli elections, while previously backing foreign leaders such as Hungarys Viktor Orbn.
The Guardian, France 24, BBC Business and France 24 report the death of Tom Skerritt at 93 from natural causes. His six-decade career spanned M*A*S*H, Top Gun, A River Runs Through It and Picket Fences, earning him an Emmy and multiple film roles.
Late-stage trials show sacituzumab tirumotecan improves median overall survival to 19 months versus 12.1 months with chemotherapy, but with notable side effects. New ovarian cancer therapy rinatabart sesutecan also demonstrates a strong progression-free survival benefit. Other programs in the field report positive results, signaling a robust biotech landscape but with continued safety concerns.
The Golden State Valkyries have won their first WNBA championship, defeating the Atlanta Dream 68-63 in Game 7. Gabby Williams leads with 30 points in the second half and earns Finals MVP as the franchise becomes the fastest to claim a title by an expansion team. Natalie Nakase spearheads the win after guiding a roster built without stars to the top of the league.
The Justice Department has sought to pause or adjust how California handles ballots linked to a list the administration says flags noncitizens. Courts have rejected last-minute demands to segregate or purge ballots. California maintains the list is flawed and unreliable as millions of ballots are counted.
A federal judge has dismissed the Justice Department's lawsuit that sought applicant‑level admissions records from Harvard, ruling the agency did not take required administrative steps to secure voluntary compliance. The ruling rests on narrow procedural grounds and does not resolve whether Harvard has discriminated or whether agencies can ultimately obtain the data.