Utah & U.S. Science & Technology News
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Google Cloud outage hits platforms, including Spotify, Discord
Harshita Mary Varghese, Reuters | Posted June 12 - 3:02 p.m. | Save Story
Multiple platforms including music streaming service Spotify and instant messaging platform Discord were down for tens of thousands of users on Thursday after an outage at Alphabet's Google Cloud.
Utah State University researchers develop next generation of moon lander rocket motor
Mike Anderson, KSL-TV | Posted June 12 - 1:04 p.m. | Save Story
Researchers at Utah State University are working with NASA to develop a hybrid rocket motor that could help astronauts land on and take off from the moon in future Artemis missions.
Idaho-based energy company to bring 'transformative' nuclear reactor to Utah
Logan Stefanich, KSL.com | Posted June 11 - 7:52 a.m. | Save Story
A revolutionary fission nuclear microreactor capable of producing electricity and high-temperature heat is set for a test run at the Utah San Rafael Energy Lab.
Dozens of states sue to block sale of 23andMe personal genetic data without customer consent
Associated Press | Updated June 10 - 10:59 a.m. | Save Story
Twenty-seven states and the District of Columbia on Monday filed a lawsuit in bankruptcy court seeking to block the sale of personal genetic data by 23andMe without customer consent.
Whole Foods' primary distributor shuts down systems after a major cyberattack
Jordan Valinsky and Matt Egan, CNN | Updated June 10 - 6:47 a.m. | Save Story
United Natural Foods, Inc., one America's largest publicly traded health food wholesalers and the primary food distributor for Whole Foods, has taken some of its systems offline after a massive cyberattack.
Beta Technologies completes first passenger flight of all-electric aircraft coming to Utah
Logan Stefanich, KSL.com | Posted June 9 - 4:19 p.m. | Save Story
On-demand, electric air travel is inching closer and closer to becoming a reality in Utah after Beta Technologies landed a passenger-filled prototype last week in New York City.
AI analysis of ancient handwriting gives new age estimates for Dead Sea Scrolls
Jacopo Prisco, CNN | Posted June 7 - 2:00 p.m. | Save Story
Many of the Dead Sea Scrolls, some of the most widely known archaeological finds of all time, may be older than once thought, according to a new study.
North Korea hit by major internet outage, likely due to internal cause
Josh Smith and Jack Kim, Reuters | Posted June 7 - 10:41 a.m. | Save Story
North Korea's internet was hit by a major outage that lasted several hours on Saturday, severing the reclusive country from cyberspace.
BYU study examines why people are reluctant to use artificial intelligence
Logan Stefanich, KSL.com | Posted June 6 - 9:02 p.m. | Save Story
A new BYU study found that people who are reluctant to use AI are concerned with issues like trusting the results, missing the human touch or feeling unsure if it is ethical to use.
Trump signs orders to bolster US drone defenses, boost supersonic flight
David Shepardson, Reuters | Posted June 6 - 8:41 p.m. | Save Story
President Donald Trump on Friday signed executive orders to bolster drone defenses and to increase support for supersonic commercial aircraft, the White House said.
New Utah exhibit offers unique perspective on mammoth, other aspects of the ice age
Carter Williams, KSL.com | Posted June 6 - 3:03 p.m. | Save Story
Natural History Museum of Utah's newest temporary exhibit serendipitously offers a new lens on the state's newest mascot, and how ice changed Utah.
Private lunar lander from Japan crashes into moon in failed mission
Marcia Dunn, Associated Press | Posted June 5 - 10:01 p.m. | Save Story
A private lunar lander from Japan-based company ispace crashed while attempting a touchdown Friday, the latest casualty in the commercial rush to the moon.
FDA launches AI tool to reduce time taken for scientific reviews
Puyaan Singh, Reuters | Updated June 3 - 9:06 a.m. | Save Story
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Monday that it had launched a generative AI tool, Elsa, aimed at improving efficiency across its operations, including scientific reviews.
Musk's Neuralink raises $650M in latest funding as clinical trials begin
Puyaan Singh, Reuters | Posted June 2 - 9:14 p.m. | Save Story
Elon Musk's Neuralink said on Monday that it had raised $650 million in its latest funding round as its brain implant device enters clinical trials.
Milky Way has 50-50 chance of colliding with galaxy billions of years from now
Marcia Dunn, Associated Press | Posted June 2 - 10:30 a.m. | Save Story
It turns out that a looming collision between our Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies might not happen after all.
'The nutritional villain': BYU study says drinking sugar poses higher risk for diabetes than eating it
Gabriela Fletcher, KSL.com | Posted June 2 - 8:05 a.m. | Save Story
A study from Brigham Young University researchers found that consuming sugary drinks leads to a greater risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, and some forms of dietary sugar actually decrease the risk.
U. robotics team wins national competition at Kennedy Space Center
Gabriela Fletcher, KSL.com | Posted June 1 - 7:02 p.m. | Save Story
Engineering students from the University of Utah won the grand prize and several other awards at NASA's Lunabotics challenge in Florida, where they demonstrated the robot they built completing tasks in a moon-like environment.
Trump pulls Musk ally's NASA nomination, will announce replacement
Joey Roulette and Trevor Hunnicutt, Reuters | Posted June 1 - 3:00 p.m. | Save Story
The White House withdrew on Saturday its nominee for NASA administrator, Jared Isaacman, abruptly yanking a close ally of Elon Musk from consideration to lead the space agency.
Arctic warming seen at three times global average in years ahead, UN weather agency says
Olivia Le Poidevin, Reuters | Posted May 31 - 7:44 p.m. | Save Story
The world is expected to experience more record temperatures over the next five years, with Arctic warming predicted at more than three times the global average, a new report by the U.N. weather agency said on Wednesday.
Astronomers say new celestial object in our Milky Way galaxy producing radio waves
Marcia Dunn, Associated Press | Posted May 29 - 10:03 p.m. | Save Story
Astronomers have discovered a strange new object in our Milky Way galaxy. The celestial object is emitting X-rays around the same time it's shooting out radio waves.
SpaceX Starship rocket launches after back-to-back explosions, but tumbles out of control
Marcia Dunn, Associated Press | Posted May 28 - 7:00 a.m. | Save Story
After back-to-back explosions, SpaceX launched its mega rocket Starship again on Tuesday evening, but fell short of the main objectives when the spacecraft tumbled out of control and broke apart.
He once worked for Big Tech. Now this Utah lawmaker is leading efforts to regulate it
Bridger Beal-Cvetko, KSL.com | Posted May 26 - 7:03 p.m. | Save Story
Rep. Doug Fiefia's career working for Big Tech was the inspiration for his first-of-its-kind bill giving Utahns the right to control their data online.
Southern Utah honor student brings animatronic minotaur to life
Stephanie DeGraw, St. George News | Posted May 24 - 4:03 p.m. | Save Story
When ninth grader Tyson Duran was asked to build a minotaur prop for Vista School's theater production, he didn't just make a costume — he engineered a towering animatronic minotaur.
Trump to sign orders to boost nuclear power as soon as Friday, sources say
Timothy Gardner, Jarrett Renshaw and Gram Slattery, Reuters | Posted May 22 - 7:12 p.m. | Save Story
President Donald Trump will sign executive orders as soon as Friday that aim to jump-start the nuclear energy industry by easing the regulatory process on approvals for new reactors and strengthening fuel supply chains, four sources familiar said.
U. researchers unveil AI-powered tool for disease prediction with 'unprecedented accuracy'
Logan Stefanich, KSL.com | Posted May 17 - 3:01 p.m. | Save Story
University of Utah researchers have unveiled a new tool kit that uses AI to predict whether individuals will develop progressive and chronic diseases years before symptoms appear.
Spectrum owner Charter to buy Cox for $21.9B in mega cable deal
Aditya Soni, Jaspreet Singh and Milana Vinn, Reuters | Posted May 17 - 7:48 a.m. | Save Story
Charter Communications on Friday agreed to buy privately held rival Cox Communications for $21.9 billion, combining two of the largest U.S. cable and broadband operators.
Gene editing helped a desperately ill baby thrive. Scientists say it could someday treat millions
Laura Ungar, Associated Press | Posted May 16 - 2:33 p.m. | Save Story
A baby born with a rare and dangerous genetic disease is thriving after getting an experimental gene editing treatment made just for him.
Footage shows when dust impacted Salt Lake City air quality
Carter Williams, KSL.com | Posted May 13 - 5:34 p.m. | Save Story
A camera at the University of Utah captured the exact moment a cold front swept through Salt Lake City late Monday, and also how it dropped the city's air quality to unhealthy levels.
Apple introduces new accessibility features including braille note taker
Arsheeya Bajwa, Reuters | Posted May 13 - 9:29 a.m. | Save Story
Apple said on Tuesday it is bringing a host of new features later this year that are geared toward making its devices more accessible, including a braille note taker.
'Killer robot' talks at UN continues as regulation lags
Olivia Le Poidevin, Reuters | Posted May 12 - 8:32 p.m. | Save Story
Countries are meeting at the United Nations on Monday to revive efforts to regulate the kinds of AI-controlled autonomous weapons increasingly used in modern warfare.
Sen. Mike Lee wants a national definition of obscenity. Here's why
Cami Mondeaux, Deseret News | Posted May 11 - 12:18 p.m. | Save Story
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, is spearheading efforts in the Senate to adopt a national definition of obscenity to make it easier to crack down on online pornography.
Utah students test their knowledge with sci-tech activities at Lagoon's Physics Day
Brynn Carnesecca, KSL.com | Posted May 9 - 6:04 p.m. | Save Story
Physics Day allows students to visit Lagoon to work on projects and dive deeper into science. Unique and fascinating projects inspire students from all across the state.
Scientists search for meteor after reports of bright 'fireball' over the Salt Lake valley
Tamara Vaifanua and Michael Houck, KSL-TV | Posted May 6 - 9:06 a.m. | Save Story
Scientists across Utah are searching for a meteor that fell over the Salt Lake valley Saturday night.
He injected himself with snake venom hundreds of times. His blood could 'revolutionize' treatment
Katie Hunt, CNN | Posted May 5 - 8:04 p.m. | Save Story
Immunologist Jacob Glanville came across media of a man who had injected himself hundreds of times with the venom of some of the world's deadliest snakes. It sparked new treatment research.
BYU Rocketry Club reaches new heights with historic launch, recovery of hybrid rocket
Cassidy Wixom, KSL.com | Posted May 5 - 5:09 p.m. | Save Story
The BYU Rocketry Club is soaring to new horizons after the first successful launch and recovery of a hybrid motor rocket — a first for the state.
Sandy elementary school becomes steward of NASA moon tree
Gabriela Fletcher, KSL.com | Posted May 3 - 7:14 a.m. | Save Story
Sprucewood Elementary students planted a "moon tree" Tuesday, grown from seeds that flew on a spacecraft that circumnavigated the moon and was granted to them by NASA.
Following new Utah legislation, Sen. Mike Lee sponsors bill to protect kids online
Eva Terry, Deseret News | Posted May 2 - 6:24 p.m. | Save Story
Joined by Michigan Rep. John James, Utah Sen. Mike Lee this week introduced a bill that would work to increase safety for children online.
Democratic lawmakers call for review of Musk's role in Golden Dome missile defense shield
Marisa Taylor and Mike Stone, Reuters | Posted May 2 - 6:47 a.m. | Save Story
A group of 42 Democratic lawmakers has called for a review of Elon Musk's role in the bidding process for the "Golden Dome" missile defense shield, a project championed by President Donald Trump.
The home of Elon Musk's SpaceX could become an official Texas city called Starbase
Jim Vertuno, Associated Press | Posted April 30 - 12:58 p.m. | Save Story
Elon Musk has for years made Texas a business home and playground. Now a small patch of coastal South Texas — home to his rocket company SpaceX — could become a city known as Starbase.
Facebook parent Meta Platforms launches standalone AI assistant app
Reuters | Posted April 30 - 10:59 a.m. | Save Story
Facebook parent Meta Platforms on Tuesday launched a separate app for its Meta AI assistant, similar to those offered by Microsoft-backed OpenAI and Alphabet's Google.
Hawaii's 'bone collector' caterpillar wears the body parts of dead prey
Will Dunham, Reuters | Posted April 26 - 1:01 p.m. | Save Story
In a remote and lushly forested area of a single mountain range on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, scientists have discovered a carnivorous caterpillar species nicknamed the "bone collector."
NASA rover finds fresh evidence of the warm and wet Mars past
Will Dunham, Reuters | Posted April 26 - 7:57 a.m. | Save Story
A mineral called siderite found abundantly in rock drilled by a NASA rover on the surface of Mars is providing fresh evidence of the planet's warmer and wetter ancient past when it boasted substantial bodies of water and potentially harbored life.
Deseret News archives: When Hubble expanded our view of the universe on this day in 1990
Chris Miller, Deseret News | Posted April 24 - 4:01 p.m. | Save Story
The Hubble Space Telescope was launched into space on April 24, 1990, ushering an array of scientific discoveries for the past 35 years.
An astronaut's awe-inspiring views from life in space
Ashley Strickland, CNN | Updated April 20 - 5:44 p.m. | Save Story
Longtime NASA astronaut Don Pettit, who has ventured to space four times, returned to Earth Saturday from the International Space Station. He captured memorable views during his seven-month stay aboard the station.
University of Utah biochemist named one of Time's most influential people of 2025
Gabriela Fletcher, KSL.com | Posted April 19 - 9:02 p.m. | Save Story
A University of Utah professor is being recognized as one of Time's most influential people for his work in creating lenacapavir, a long-lasting HIV prevention and treatment drug.
How did crocodiles and alligators survive extinction? New Utah research may have the answer
Carter Williams, KSL.com | Posted April 19 - 12:01 p.m. | Save Story
Utah researchers say they believe they now know how existing crocodile, alligator and gharial species survived a pair of mass extinction events — information that could fuel future research.
Colossal squid caught on camera for first time in the deep sea
Christina Larson, Associated Press | Posted April 17 - 9:36 a.m. | Save Story
A colossal squid has been caught on camera for the first time in the deep sea by an international team of researchers steering a remotely operated submersible.
Health chief Kennedy targets 'environmental toxins' as cause of autism
Ahmed Aboulenein and Julie Steenhuysen, Reuters | Posted April 17 - 8:39 a.m. | Save Story
Environmental contributors to autism are behind its rising prevalence, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said on Wednesday without scientific evidence, adding he plans to look at everything from mold to medicine to identify them.
Meet the Utah tech company that just closed one of the biggest funding rounds in state history
Logan Stefanich, KSL.com | Posted April 17 - 6:18 a.m. | Save Story
In just over two years, Lehi-based SchoolAI has raised $32 million, driven largely by its latest funding round of $25 million.
A Zoom outage prevented thousands of people from joining meetings, using the website
Matthew Kaufman, CNN | Posted April 16 - 3:25 p.m. | Save Story
Tens of thousands of people likely got a break from their afternoon meetings on Wednesday when Zoom outages prevented users from joining meetings and accessing the website.
Blue Origin launches all-female celebrity crew with Katy Perry, Gayle King and Lauren Sanchez
Marcia Dunn, Associated Press | Updated April 14 - 9:42 a.m. | Save Story
Blue Origin has launched Jeff Bezos' fiancee, Lauren Sanchez, into space with an all-female celebrity crew that includes Katy Perry and Gayle King. The New Shepard rocket blasted off Monday from West Texas.
April's full moon is a 'micromoon.' Here's what that means
Kameryn Griesser and Ashley Strickland, CNN | Posted April 12 - 2:21 p.m. | Save Story
Sharp-eyed lunar lovers may notice April's full moon looks smaller than usual this month, and despite its "pink moon" namesake, the orb will have a white-golden hue.
Will Utah build the world's next AI hub? The governor's trade mission to Canada could open the door
Brigham Tomco, Deseret News | Posted April 11 - 8:06 a.m. | Save Story
Mila Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute boasts a catalog of nearly 2,600 scientific articles on AI since 2018. The secret they shared with Utah? Mastering AI's borderless potential requires bringing research and commercialization into close proximity — the tighter the better.
Weber State bets big on hypersonic research with MARS center upgrades
Collin Leonard, KSL.com | Posted April 9 - 8:05 a.m. | Save Story
Students at Weber State's MARS center have a chance to research and apply hypersonic materials — objects designed to travel at least five times the speed of sound.
Scientists genetically engineer wolves like the extinct dire wolf
Christina Larson, Associated Press | Posted April 8 - 7:42 a.m. | Save Story
Three genetically engineered wolves that may resemble extinct dire wolves are trotting, sleeping and howling in an undisclosed secure location in the U.S., according to the company that aims to bring back lost species.
Trump's NASA nominee backs US moon program in talks with lawmakers, sources say
Joey Roulette, Reuters | Updated April 7 - 9:36 p.m. | Save Story
President Donald Trump's pick to lead NASA has assured lawmakers that returning astronauts to the moon would remain the agency's main strategy.
Britain to invest up to $767M in new health data research
Reuters | Posted April 7 - 11:32 a.m. | Save Story
Britain will invest up to $767 million into a new health data research service to help boost scientific studies and cut the time it takes to carry out clinical trials, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday.
Judge foils FDA plan to regulate lab-developed tests
Lois M. Collins, Deseret News | Posted April 6 - 6:04 p.m. | Save Story
A U.S. district judge foiled the Food and Drug Administration's plan put forth under the Biden administration to regulate lab-developed tests like medical devices.
