On Jan. 2, 1959, the Soviet spacecraft Luna 1 launched, becoming the first spacecraft to escape Earth’s gravity.
Today in History: Soviet spacecraft Luna 1 launched
Category: Science
Joliet library one of 10 in US to host NASA exoplanet exhibit
The only place in Illinois to see a NASA exhibit on the search for life on alien planets is the Joliet Public Library. And it’s free.
How to catch the Quadrantids, the first meteor shower of 2025
When the Quadrantid meteor shower peaks on Friday, it will be the first chance of 2025 to see fireballs in the sky.
Illinois at the forefront of research and treatment for turtles infected with rare fungus
Early discovery of the fungus in Illinois put the state in an unusual position to be a world leader in containing and treating it.
Today in History: First American ‘test-tube’ baby born
On Dec. 28, 1981, Elizabeth Jordan Carr, the first American “test-tube” baby, was born in Norfolk, Virginia.
FDA proposes new testing rules to ensure cosmetics are asbestos-free
Cosmetic companies would have to take extra steps to ensure that any products containing talc are free of asbestos under a federal rule proposed Thursday.
Dreaming of a white Christmas? Chicago forecast narrows already slim chances
The city has only experienced one white Christmas in the past six years. It was 2022, and even then it barely qualified with 1 inch of snow.
North Lawndale middle schooler helps make scientific discovery of molecule with cancer-fighting properties in goose poop
Camarria Williams, 13, is listed as a co-author in a published scientific study about a new cancer-fighting compound she discovered by isolating bacteria from goose poop that she found in Garfield Park.
LA Zoo hatches first-ever perentie lizards, one of largest lizard species in the world
Two new baby lizards have hatched at the Los Angeles Zoo, the first of their species to be bred there, zoo officials said Thursday.
Giant sloths and mastodons lived with humans for millennia in the Americas, new discoveries suggest
Sloths weren’t always slow-moving, furry tree-dwellers. Their prehistoric ancestors were huge — up to 4 tons — and when startled, they brandished immense claws.