The Owl · Evening Edition

Today, a cargo flight carries brain models, crops and bacteria samples to orbit, while a leftover storm batters the American Southwest.

2Stories

2Min read

No. 1Space science

NASA's CRS-35 flight carries four health experiments to the space station

SpaceX's 35th resupply mission for NASA will launch from Cape Canaveral with four biology investigations bound for the International Space Station. One sends lab-grown brain tissue models to orbit for five weeks, then compares them with identical models kept on Earth. Another tests whether crop diseases grow faster and worse in microgravity, using plants infected with a fungus. A compact plate reader will get its first test measuring biomarkers like antibodies and proteins, so samples need not return to Earth for analysis. The fourth study, in its final planned stay, tracks how antibiotic-resistant bacteria survive and evolve on station surfaces. Results are not in yet, so these are early steps rather than answers.

Why it mattersYou get a look at how research done in orbit could shape astronaut safety, disease-resistant crops and our understanding of superbugs on Earth.

Full story at NASA →

No. 2Weather

Storm Rachel's waves batter Southern California and flood Las Vegas streets

Large waves from Post-Tropical Cyclone Rachel battered homes across Southern California over the weekend. Some properties were left at risk of collapse. The storm also caused flash flooding in Las Vegas near the Strip, where water was knee-deep in some places. The source material we have is brief, so it does not say how many homes were affected or whether anyone was hurt. Further details on damage and recovery should follow as local officials assess the situation.

Why it mattersYou should know that even a weakened tropical system can bring dangerous surf and sudden flooding far from where it began.

Full story at BBC News →

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