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Earth Science

A New Astronaut Camp

Alabama is set to host a unique training program for the next generation of female astronauts—one that doesn’t just celebrate space exploration, but the cultural visionaries who helped make it more inclusive. The Nichelle Nichols Space Camp, held at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, is named after the trailblazing actress who redefined representation in science fiction. While Nichols didn’t go to space herself, she pioneered a powerful idea: that outer space was a place where racial and gender barriers didn’t exist.

Nichols, who passed away in 2022, became the first Black woman to star in a primetime American television show through her iconic role as Lieutenant Nyota Uhura on Star Trek. As a bridge officer, Uhura wasn’t just visible—she was vital, serving as a translator, polyglot, and communications expert. “I just saw a Black woman on television; and she ain’t no maid!” Whoopi Goldberg once said of seeing Nichols on screen. Her presence inspired countless African American women to envision themselves in space, including future astronaut Sally Ride. The new weekend-long camp for girls aged 14 to 18 will blend NASA-style astronaut training with themes drawn from Star Trek—including lessons on the Vulcan principle of “Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations” and first-contact mission scenarios inspired by Uhura’s role.

Perhaps none of this would’ve happened without a pivotal conversation Nichols had with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In 1967, she planned to leave Star Trek after its first season—until Dr. King convinced her to stay. He told her it was his favorite show to watch with his children and that her role represented a vision of racial harmony that America needed. If she left, King warned, her groundbreaking role might be recast—possibly not even with a Black woman. Nichols stayed, and in doing so, helped break barriers both on screen and off. In the 1968 episode “Plato’s Stepchildren,” she and Captain Kirk shared one of American television’s first interracial kisses. The network wanted a version without it—but Nichols and William Shatner deliberately flubbed every alternate take, leaving them no choice but to air the kiss. The new Space Camp, costing $2,000 with scholarships available, stands as a tribute to Nichols’ legacy—and to a vision of space that’s as inclusive as it is infinite.

World News

Hidden Dino Rewrites Lineage

Paleontology may be entering a new era—one defined not only by fresh fossil finds, but by decades-old misidentifications finally being corrected. A striking example is the recently named Khankhuuluu mongoliensis, or “Dragon Prince of Mongolia,” a small, early tyrannosaurid that had been mislabeled for nearly 50 years. Originally filed away in the Mongolian Academy of Sciences as Alectrosaurus, the two partially complete skeletons were rediscovered by University of Calgary Ph.D. student Jared Voris, who noticed inconsistencies in the classification.

Led by Professor Darla Zelenitsky, the team reexamined the fossils and confirmed they represented a new species—one that sheds light on the early evolution of Tyrannosaurids. “It is quite possible that discoveries like this are sitting in other museums that just have not been recognized,” Zelenitsky told AFP. Weighing roughly as much as a show jumping horse, K. mongoliensis lived 86 million years ago and was just one-eighth the size of T. rex. Its discovery helps fill a key gap in the fossil record between Asia and North America. During the Cretaceous period, a land bridge across the Bering Strait allowed early tyrannosaurids to migrate and diversify. K. mongoliensis may have been part of that movement—ultimately leading, millions of years later, to the emergence of Tyrannosaurus rex.

Only a week later, on June 25th, London’s Natural History Museum announced another reclassification: a fossil originally purchased at auction as a Nanosaurus turned out to be a new dinosaur species altogether. Now named Enigmacursor mollyborthwickae, or “mystery runner,” the dinosaur lived between 152 and 145 million years ago on Late Jurassic floodplains. Nanosaurus, coined in 1877, had become a classic “wastebin taxon”—a name used for poorly understood fossils that didn’t fit elsewhere. “It just goes to show how much paleontology has changed in the past 150 years,” said Professor Susannah Maidment, co-lead author of the new study. “Now... the fossils of Nanosaurus just aren’t that useful, let alone enough to name a species with.” With hundreds of small dinosaur species now known, the need for reclassification is growing—and museum drawers around the world may hold even more forgotten clues to the ancient past.

Environment

Protecting 15,000 Forest Miles

Four years after its launch, the World Wildlife Fund’s Forests Forward initiative is showing powerful results. The program, designed to help corporations reduce deforestation and improve forest management, now includes 26 global partners positively impacting over 15,000 square miles of forest—an area roughly the size of Switzerland (4 million hectares or 10 million acres). With members like Nike, Costco, HP, PepsiCo, and Procter & Gamble, the program highlights how private sector leadership can make a tangible difference in environmental protection.

More than half of the world’s forests are at least partially managed for production, meaning businesses have an outsized role in driving forest outcomes. The Forests Forward report shows that seven million acres of impacted forest are already certified by the Forest Stewardship Council—or are on track to become certified—signaling strong progress toward sustainable forest management. In addition to responsible sourcing, these 26 companies from nine different industries are actively backing conservation projects across nearly 3 million acres of critical habitats, including tropical rainforests and other vulnerable ecosystems.

“Now more than ever, companies understand that better forests mean better business,” said Linda Walker, a senior director at WWF-US. “From building responsible supply chains to supporting nature-based solutions like forest restoration, Forests Forward partners have demonstrated that leadership is essential to sustaining thriving forests.” WWF International Director General Dr. Kirsten Schuijt echoed the sentiment: “Together, our innovative approaches and positive impacts are proving that conserving forests is not only beneficial for the planet but also a wise and sustainable business strategy.” U.S.-based participants include Costco, HP, International Paper, Kimberly-Clark, Nike, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, Sylvamo, and Williams-Sonoma. As HP’s Alex Michalko put it, “We are focused on large-scale innovative solutions to prioritize the needs of local communities and ecosystems.” IKEA, another long-time WWF partner, added, “It doesn’t end with our own supply chain. We are proud to have supported WWF’s conservation efforts over 23 years in a total of 22 countries.”

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