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Deep-sea mining is the extraction of minerals from the seabed in the deep ocean. Most of the interest is in what are known as polymetallic nodules, which are potato-sized mineral deposits that have built up in layers over thousands of years. Found miles below the ocean’s surface, these nodules contain valuable metals used in batteries and electronics, but mining them could harm fragile and largely unexplored deep-sea ecosystems.

Everything in nature comes and goes—stars, planets, even our bodies—but what truly endures is repetition. The universe moves to a rhythm: the Sun brings the year’s shortest day on December 21 and its earliest sunset on December 7; the Moon cycles through fullness every 29½ days and repeats its elevation pattern every 18.6 years, reaching an extreme this year. Venus, fading from the morning sky, will return as a brilliant evening star later this winter—part of its elegant 8-year cycle. Saturn’s rings, now edgewise, won’t appear this way again until 2044. Even Earth’s poles follow a 26,000-year rhythm, and we’re now living in the rare moment when Polaris serves as the most perfectly placed North Star in that grand celestial cycle.

As autumn colors reach their peak, it's natural to wonder if the sky can show vivid hues too. Stars emit blue, red, and green light, but our eyes usually see them as white due to the mix. Cooler stars appear redder, while hotter ones lean blue, but the difference is subtle. Stars like Antares (red), Arcturus (orange), and Vega (blue-white) show noticeable color shifts. More intense colors appear when the Sun or Moon is low or during meteor showers, with green shooting stars standing out. The solar maximum has also triggered bright auroras, mostly green but occasionally red, with our eyes more sensitive to green in low light.

While childhood fears like nyctophobia—the fear of the dark—are common, even the Pleiades star cluster, traditionally linked to ominous folklore, adds to the eerie atmosphere as it rises each Halloween. But the real cosmic fright comes from science: in 1998, astronomers discovered that the universe’s expansion is accelerating—driven by a mysterious force called dark energy. With galaxies racing apart in an inexplicable frenzy, the universe may be headed toward a cold, empty end. Fittingly, it’s all part of the mystery in the Halloween night sky.

(Airs 10/31/25 @ 10 p.m.) The Legislative Gazette is a weekly program about New York State Government and politics. On this week’s Gazette: Local lawmakers urge Governor Hochul to sign legislation streamlining the program for Minority and Women owned Businesses in the construction industry, we’ll speak with the coalition director for the Patients’ Rights Action Fund, who are opposed to Medical Aid in Dying legislation, and we’ll take you to a small town in the eastern Adirondacks – an unexpected home to military exercises.

PFAS – per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances – otherwise known as forever chemicals – are man-made chemicals known for their extreme persistence. They resist breaking down in the environment and in the human body and have led to widespread contamination in water, soil, and unfortunately in human blood. They are used in non-stick cookware, waterproof clothing, food packaging, and firefighting foams. PFAS have been linked to serious health issues like cancers, thyroid disease, and reproductive problems.

On this week's 51%, we speak with author and playwright Quiara Alegría Hudes about her debut novel, The White Hot. Hudes is the Pulitzer-Prize winning playwright of Water by the Spoonful and the musical In the Heights, which she also adapted for the screen. The White Hot takes the form of a letter written by a mom to her 18-year-old daughter, explaining — but not apologizing for — why she suddenly abandoned her nearly a decade prior. WAMC’s Sarah LaDuke speaks with Hudes about why she decided to write the tale, an unflinching exploration of one mom’s rage and journey toward self-discovery.

The United States and China are considered to be the two superpowers vying for world dominance in the current era. Unlike the Cold War period in which military strength and then spaceflight was at the center of the competition, these days economic strength and domination of the energy future are the main focal points.

The Best of Our Knowledge explores topics on learning, education, and research.Scientists have discovered a distant planet that resembles a lemon.And while studying a mysterious cloud of hot dust 70 light-years away, researchers have found an unusual star.

In mid-December, the Trump administration ordered a halt to the five offshore wind projects currently being built in the United States, a major blow to the American power-generating industry at a time when electricity consumption is increasing rapidly.