Assisted coral fertilization offers hope in Dominican Republic

BAYAHIBE, Dominican Republic (AP) – Oxygen tank strapped to his back, Michael del Rosario moves his fins delicately as he glides along an underwater nursery just off the Dominican Republic coast, proudly showing off the “coral babies” growing on metal structures that look like large spiders. The conservationist enthusiastically points a finger to trace around the largest corals, just starting to reveal their vibrant colors.

Interstellar comet keeps its distance as it makes its closest approach to Earth

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) – A stray comet from another star swings past Earth this week in one last hurrah before racing back toward interstellar space. Discovered over the summer, the comet known as 3I/Atlas will pass within 167 million miles (269 million kilometers) of our planet on Friday, the closest it gets on its grand tour of the solar system.

Trump delays decision on federal protections for monarch butterflies

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – President Donald Trump’s administration has delayed a decision on whether to extend federal protections to monarch butterflies indefinitely despite years of warnings from conservationists that populations are shrinking.

EU eases 2035 ban on internal combustion cars as industry faces headwinds

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) – European officials on Tuesday moved to ease their ban on sales of cars with internal combustion engines by 2035, responding to pressure from governments and automakers who argued that the industry needed more flexibility in finding ways to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and help achieve EU climate goals.

Before megalodon, researchers say a monstrous shark ruled ancient Australian seas

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) – In the age of dinosaurs – before whales, great whites or the bus-sized megalodon – a monstrous shark prowled the waters off what’s now northern Australia, among the sea monsters of the Cretaceous period.

Conservationists connect with chimps in a Ugandan rainforest

KIBALE NATIONAL PARK, Uganda (AP) – The man tracking chimpanzee movements in a rainforest is required to follow the primates wherever they go – except up in the trees. Onesmas Ainebyona stalks the chimps with such spirtual determination that he’s been able to win the trust of a chimp leader named Jean, who came down a tree one recent morning as Ainebyona lingered nearby.

Hawaii's Kilauea displays 400 feet lava fountains

HONOLULU (AP) – The on-and-off eruption that’s been dazzling residents and visitors on Hawaii’s Big Island for nearly a year resumed Tuesday as Kilauea volcano sent fountains of lava soaring 400 feet (122 meters) into the air.

16,000 fossil footprints in central Bolivia reveal dinosaur behavior

TORO TORO, Bolivia (AP) – Legend once had it that the huge, three-toed footprints scattered across the central highlands of Bolivia came from supernaturally strong monsters – capable of sinking their claws even into solid stone.

Study finds humans were making fire 400,000 years ago, far earlier than once thought

LONDON (AP) – Scientists in Britain say ancient humans may have learned to make fire far earlier than previously believed, after uncovering evidence that deliberate fire-setting took place in what is now eastern England around 400,000 years ago.