Environment & Science

SpaceX’s capsule Polaris Dawn splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico in the predawn darkness early Sunday. Returning to Earth were two SpaceX engineers, a former Air Force Thunderbird pilot and tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman of the Lehigh Valley. Isaacman became only the 264th person to perform a spacewalk.

A Lehigh University graduate last year recorded a new species of mushroom at Wildlands Conservancy's South Mountain Preserve.

Monarch butterflies are starting to migrate through the Lehigh Valley. An annual tagging program, held at Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center, helps conservation efforts.

Testimony that will help a Northampton County judge decide if a lawsuit against the Bethlehem Landfill and Lower Saucon Twp. can move forward continued Friday, and will stretch into a third day.

Called the Recovery in Nature initiative, two state departments have joined forces to create regional-specific partnerships to bolster substance use recovery efforts while strengthening all residents’ connection to nature.

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America released its report of the most challenging places to live with asthma. The release coincides with peak asthma season in September.

Early Tuesday, Jared Isaacman, a billionaire entrepreneur who has a home in the Lehigh Valley, launched into space for a second time as part of a mission dubbed Polaris Dawn. The launch was visible in the area.

Awardees of the state Department of Education’s Environmental Repairs Grant program were announced Monday. It focuses on eliminating lead, mold, asbestos and other environmental hazards from school buildings.

Brad Klein reviews the week’s astronomical highlights with Bethlehem’s ‘Backyard Astronomy Guy,’ Marty McGuire. This week should be a good one for viewing the planet Saturn.

Easton's Nurture Nature Center has been recommended for conditional approval for its proposed planetarium, or "immersive dome," intended to expand programming capabilities.

Four of the 5 candidates participated in the 1st major debate of the Democratic primary.

State environmental officials have found PFAS in one-third of Pa. water systems.

Joro spiders are known for their 10-foot webs, among other things.

The problem will not be solved quickly or easily, some say.

Trout season opens across Pennsylvania on Saturday, April 2.

The case stems from the Clean Power Plan created during the Obama administration but never enacted.

Experts say vertical agriculture could be a key to future food security.

Carbon and Schuylkill are among the 43 counties that will benefit from the federal funding.

The plan uses the sale of credits for solar projects to plug oil and gas wells.

Drillers are expected to pay about $234M -- $90 million more than the year before.

Grants will go toward replacing gasoline- or diesel-fueled vehicles.

The 3-state panel is tasked with protecting resources of the Chesapeake Bay.