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.

Inspired by battery fires in the Lehigh Valley and across the state, the bill would put the onus on manufacturers to provide safe recycling options for lithium ion batteries, as well as launch an education campaign for residents.

Lehigh Valley Transportation Study officials laid out the next steps to getting the process started for resuming passenger rail service in the Lehigh Valley — if that's what they choose to do.

The Da Vinci Science Center in Allentown is reopening next week and showing off a new 67,000-square-foot facility that includes cutting-edge technology and immersive experiences.

A program at Rodale Institute aims to develop a diverse pipeline of highly skilled professionals to serve the certified organic industry throughout the state. Pennsylvania is third in the nation for organic commodity sales.

East Stroudsburg University’s resident astronomer is leading a stargazing program at Louise W. Moore Park. It's is free and open to all ages 6 and up, but registration is required.

The parcel was manifested as “pieces of silk to be used in works." It was seized at Philadelphia International Airport and headed for northeast Pennsylvania.

While parts of the Lehigh Valley were able to get a glimpse of the Northern Lights over the weekend, weather conditions kept many from being able to enjoy the show. Now, the solar storm the pushed the aurora to the lower latitudes is waning.

WLVR’s Brad Klein reviews the week’s astronomical highlights with Bethlehem’s ‘Backyard Astronomy Guy,’ Marty McGuire. This week it's all about the star Regulus, which is part of the Leo constellation.

Christopher Sipos remembers his late-grandmother's love of birds but was pleasantly surprised to find her collection of antique baking soda trading cards that feature the feathered beauties.

Theis/Cornfeld Recycling Center in Bethlehem accepts recyclables not only from city residents, but the general public, too. There, residents can see how the process works, first-hand.

A handful of organic farms across the Lehigh Valley are welcoming residents and visitors this weekend to help their own gardens get growing.

State Sen. Lisa Boscola, D-Lehigh/Northampton, sponsored the bill. Any money collected will go toward bald and golden eagle conservation efforts.