When Americans celebrated the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970, the planet's atmosphere was markedly different than it is today. Nearly 50 years ago, scientists measured Earth's levels of carbon dioxide — the planet's most important greenhouse gas — at around 325 parts per million, or ppm.

On 22 March 2015, NASA's Chandra X-ray observatory recorded a blip in its data. Not far from the southern constellation of Fornax, something brightened, then slowly faded away.

An international team of astronomers, including faculty and alumni from UNLV, has discovered a new way to spot when collisions occur in distant galaxies between two neutron stars - incredibly dense, city-sized celestial bodies that possess the most powerful magnetic fields in the universe.

In October 2017, astronomers announced the first detection of gravitational waves from the merger of two neutron stars earlier that year. The event also rung in the era of multi-messenger astronomy, as more than 70 telescopes observed the event’s afterglow in optical light, X-rays, gamma rays, and more. Now, an X-ray signal dubbed XT2 from a galaxy 6.6 billion light-years away has revealed another neutron star merger, which left behind a single, heavier neutron star with an incredibly powerful magnetic field: a magnetar.

This event likely signaled the merger of two neutron stars—dense stellar objects packed mainly with neutrons—and could give astronomers fresh insight into how neutron stars are built.

An international team of astronomers, including faculty and alumni from UNLV, has discovered a new way to spot when collisions occur in distant galaxies between two neutron stars - incredibly dense, city-sized celestial bodies that possess the most powerful magnetic fields in the universe.

A bright burst of X-rays has been discovered by NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory in a galaxy 6.6 billion light years from Earth. This event likely signaled the merger of two neutron stars — dense stellar objects packed mainly with neutrons — and could give astronomers fresh insight into how neutron stars are built. A paper describing the research, conducted by an international team of astronomers, including researchers and alumni from Penn State, appears in the journal Nature.

NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory has recently discovered a NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory in a galaxy 6.6 billion light years from Earth. This bright burst is nothing but the neutron star merger without an observed gamma-ray burst.

At last, members of Congress introduced legislation this week that will enable a seven-state Drought Contingency Plan (DCP) to use less water during shortages. The plan asks the states using the Colorado River to voluntarily cut back on their water use, something Nevada is already doing. The bipartisan bill is sponsored by all the senators that represent Colorado River states.

Water managers and scientists can’t say with 100 percent certainty what Arizona’s water supply will look like in the distant future. But of all the possible outcomes, one thing seems certain: A water shortage won’t solve itself.

Perspectives on sustainability and wellbeing are changing in response to health and environmental challenges, offering an opportunity to university-linked businesses.

Asbestos is no longer ubiquitous in building materials, and since it's proven to cause cancer, many Americans likely assumed the substance had been banned entirely. But not only is asbestos a naturally occurring mineral, it is also still used to make some household products. Science correspondent Miles O’Brien reports on "broken" U.S. regulation and why we continue to import the carcinogen.