GREENLAND
Scientists spotted a 19-mile-wide crater hidden below Hiawatha Glacier in northwest Greenland. They believe it might represent a meteorite impact, but other experts say more evidence is needed to prove that the crater has an extraterrestrial origin.
U.S.
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Rising e-cigarette use, or vaping, among teenagers has prompted the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to beef up efforts to combat youth smoking. The agency aims to ban menthol cigarettes, remove flavored cigars from the market and restrict the sale of vape flavors.
CHILE
One of the driest places on earth, the Atacama Desert, is losing its microbial life because of unprecedented rains. Frequent rainfall for the past three years has caused the massive extinction of native bacterial species, research suggests.
EGYPT
An excavation near Cairo yielded dozens of mummified cats. Archaeologists also found two large mummified scarab beetles wrapped in linen and a rare collection of smaller scarab mummies.
PALAU
The tiny Pacific archipelago became the first country to prohibit the use of sunscreens containing coral-toxic ingredients, including oxybenzone and octinoxate. The measure follows a similar legislative decision in Hawaii that takes effect in 2021.
SOUTH AFRICA
Students in Cape Town made bricks using urine from men’s toilets, in a biochemical process involving bacteria, calcium and sand. The bricks offer a productive—and odorless—way to recycle human pee.