Fighting Drought in Texas Cotton Country

The computer scientist behind groundbreaking research that helped land Nasa's astronauts on the Moon, has died aged 90. Margaret Hamilton was a trailblazer in her field, leading the team who developed the software for Nasa's Apollo missions, which coined the term "software engineering". Hamilton's former employer, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), confirmed her death, adding she died on 30 September.

Bluefin tuna have returned in huge numbers off the British coast after almost disappearing from UK waters. The return of the giant predatory fish is one of several wildlife recoveries highlighted in a major new report from WWF, which it says shows conservation can work. However, the Living Planet Report 2026 also found that monitored wildlife populations around the world have fallen by an average of 73% since 1970.

A common vitamin D supplement may have an unexpected effect inside the body. Research published in 2025 found that taking vitamin D2 can reduce levels of vitamin D3, the form humans naturally make when skin is exposed to sunlight. Vitamin D is essential for helping the body absorb calcium and maintain healthy bones. It also plays roles in muscle, nerve, and immune function. In the UK, people are advised to consider taking 10 micrograms (µg) of vitamin D each day during the darker months, when sunlight is generally too weak for the skin to make enough of the vitamin.

NASA and SpaceX are targeting 6:33 a.m. EDT, Tuesday, Oct. 13, for the next launch to deliver science investigations, supplies, and equipment, including the final set of International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Arrays, to the space station. This is the 35th SpaceX commercial resupply services mission to the orbital complex for NASA. NASA also will host a media teleconference on Thursday, Oct. 8 that will preview the cargo resupply flight, as well as provide a post-splashdown update for the agency’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission, which will have returned to Earth from the space station Thursday morning.