NASA announces plan to test nuclear rocket engine for possible Mars mission

NASA says they are testing the rocket engine with a plan to have an in-space demonstration by 2027. This technology could help astronauts travel to and from planets faster.

Feds deny emergency request for ship-speed restrictions to protect whales

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is considering new rules designed to stop large ships from colliding with North Atlantic right whales.

Nearly two-thirds of coral reef sharks threatened with extinction from overfishing as main cause, study finds

The study, published in Nature Communications, shows that 59% of the 134 coral-reef associated shark and ray species are being threatened with extinction, making them the most threatened groups found on coral reefs alongside marine mammals.

Dinosaur fossils unearthed in Chile may give insight into deadly asteroid strike

The new fossils are from birds and killer dinosaurs, such as the megaraptor, and provide clues about their life before — and after — the fatal asteroid strike.

Massive seal running amok in Australia town

A large seal was captured on video running through a small town in Australia this month. 

Dolphins spotted in Bronx River

Experts said the dolphins appeared "happy," and were likely searching for fish to eat.

First Native American woman in space steps out on spacewalk

Nicole Mann, a Marine colonel and test pilot, rocketed into orbit last fall with SpaceX, becoming the first Native American woman in space. She is a member of the Wailacki of the Round Valley Indian Tribes in Northern California.

Watch: Drone video captures the world’s largest hatching of baby turtles

Between mid-December and early January, millions of baby river turtles emerged from the sandy beaches of the Amazon’s Guaporé/Inténez River.

Watch: Boston Dynamics robot shows off eerily human-like moves in new video

The robot helps a construction worker in a simulated site get his tool bag before pulling off an impressive parkour-style flip as the cherry on top.

Flashes of light may help scientists predict when solar flares may explode from the sun

Researchers used data collected from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory to identify small signals of the sun’s atmosphere that will help to identify which regions on the sun were more likely to produce solar flares.

Groups: 'No evidence' offshore wind killing whales in New Jersey/New York

Environmental and fishing groups say there's “no evidence” that site preparation work for offshore wind farms in New Jersey and New York is responsible for a spate of whale deaths in the two states.

‘The Last of Us’ zombie fungal parasite is real and causes ants to commit suicide

If you thought fictional zombies walking around on film were scary, the condition that turns creatures into mindless eating machines actually exists in nature.

Alligator found abandoned in New Jersey

Someone abandoned an alligator in a plastic container in an empty lot in New Jersey.

Humpback whale that washed ashore in NJ likely struck by vessel: Officials

The Marine Mammal Stranding Center said that preliminary results of a necropsy on the whale indicate that the animal had “blunt trauma injuries consistent with those from a vessel strike.”