NSF Announces Winners of U.S. Critical Minerals Challenge for Domestic Supply Chain Security

• Carrie Wolinetz warns in a March 24, 2026, viewpoint that firing credible scientists and dismantling U.S. health agencies poses severe risks to public health and scientific integrity. • The article highlights the broader implications for national research capacity amid ongoing policy shifts affecting federal science funding and personnel. • Such actions undermine peer-reviewed findings and U.S. leadership in health research, potentially delaying responses to emerging threats.

• NASA released initiatives on March 24, 2026, to advance America's National Space Policy, including an RFI for payloads supporting 2027-2028 lunar flights and the Rosalind Franklin Rover launch to Mars in 2028 with a mass spectrometer for organic matter analysis. • A new Earth science mission launching next year will measure convective storm dynamics to predict extreme weather up to six hours in advance; near-term lunar payloads include VIPER rover and LuSEE-Night, with up to 30 robotic landings from 2027. • These efforts ensure U.S. presence in low Earth orbit, expedite lunar science via commercial partnerships, and release new Saturn images from James Webb and Hubble telescopes, underpinning future Moon and Mars exploration.

• The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) filed a lawsuit on March 24, 2026, against the Trump administration as part of a coalition for removing scientific signage on climate change impacts from U.S. national parks like Glacier National Park. • Signs detailing climate effects on iconic landscapes, such as retreating glaciers, were censored, preventing public education on environmental changes documented as part of parks' missions. • The suit, represented by Democracy Forward Foundation, demands restoration of accurate climate and historical information to promote scientific literacy and protect public lands for future generations.

• UL Research Institutes’ Chemical Insights scientists deliver over 16 presentations at the Society of Toxicology’s 65th Annual Meeting and ToxExpo in San Diego starting March 23, 2026. • Key posters cover topics like PFAS exposure disrupting melanin synthesis in melanocytes, inhalation risks from 3D printing resins in dentistry, and thyroid hormone disruption using new approach methodologies. • Findings aim to provide decision-ready evidence on chemical health risks, as stated by VP Russell Thomas: 'Generating practical, decision-ready evidence about chemical exposures and health risks.'

• The National Academies of Sciences hosts Space Science Week 2026 from March 23-27, gathering leaders in planetary protection, astrophysics, Earth science, and space applications. • Annual event explores cutting-edge developments and future directions across space science disciplines. • Occurring in the U.S., it highlights ongoing advancements relevant to national space priorities and research funding.

• NASA holds a public event at Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters in Washington on March 24, 2026, at 9:00 am to detail accelerated preparations for America's return to the Moon's surface by 2028. • The 'Ignition: NASA’s Plan for the Moon' coverage focuses on agency strategies for lunar missions under the Artemis program. • This announcement underscores NASA's commitment to rapid progress in space exploration amid U.S. leadership in returning humans to the Moon after over 50 years.

• Peer-reviewed research in Science Advances identifies 155,000 uncounted COVID-19 deaths in 2020-2021, raising official U.S. toll from 840,000 to nearly 1 million that period. • AI analysis of mortality data shows 16% undercount, totaling 1.2 million U.S. COVID deaths over six years. • Undercounts disproportionately affect Hispanic and communities of color, often from non-hospital deaths, impacting public health policy accuracy.

• American Geophysical Union (AGU) hosts a virtual Biogeosciences Early Career Open House on March 24, 2026, from 12:00-1:00 PM ET. • Event targets early-career scientists in biogeosciences, a key area of Earth and climate studies. • Provides networking and opportunities in U.S.-based research community focused on interdisciplinary environmental science.

• Scientists from Oregon State University and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research have identified 16 'tipping elements' across Earth's systems, including the Greenland Ice Sheet, Amazon rainforest, and Atlantic Ocean's overturning current, that could trigger a 'hothouse Earth trajectory' if pushed past critical temperature thresholds. • Atmospheric CO2 has reached 422.5 parts per million, about 50% higher than pre-industrial levels, with researchers warning that triggering one tipping element could push others closer to their own thresholds in a cascading effect. • The study, published in One Earth, distinguishes between a 'hothouse trajectory'—a direction of travel that could theoretically be interrupted—and a 'hothouse state,' where the planet would be locked into extreme, sustained heat and seas many meters higher.

• Common PFAS 'forever chemicals' exposure linked to reduced bone density in children, potentially causing lifelong skeletal weakness. • Peer-reviewed study from The Endocrine Society shows early-life contamination disrupts bone development before adulthood. • Prevalent in U.S. water supplies and consumer products, PFAS affect 99% of Americans, raising public health alarms per CDC data.

• University of Utah geophysicists used electromagnetic data from airborne surveys to identify a newly discovered freshwater reservoir under the Great Salt Lake's Farmington Bay, marking a first-of-its-kind breakthrough. • The reservoir, located in a key area of the lake, could potentially alleviate Utah's ongoing water scarcity issues amid prolonged drought conditions. • This finding matters as it reveals untapped groundwater resources critical for the western U.S., where the Great Salt Lake has shrunk by nearly 50% since 1980 due to overuse and climate change.