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NASA and DOE planning nuclear reactor on the moon in 4 years

NASA and the US Department of Energy (DOE) announced an agreement on Jan. 13 to establish a nuclear reactor on the surface of the moon by 2030. The agencies plan to partner on research and development of a fission power system that would provide continuous power for lunar bases for years and support future missions to Mars.

The agreement follows an executive order signed by President Donald J. Trump in December to ensure US leadership in space by returning to the moon by 2028, establishing a permanent lunar outpost by 2030, and laying the foundation for Mars exploration.

“Achieving this future requires harnessing nuclear power,” said NASA administrator Jared Isaacman in a press release. Lunar-surface reactors could operate continuously for years without the need to refuel and without being affected by weather or sunlight conditions.

NASA and the DOE have a decades-long history of partnership developing power sources and propulsion technologies for space exploration. The agencies did not share any details on a budget for the project, choice of reactor technology, or how the reactor would be transported or built.

Russia and China, meanwhile, have also announced plans to collaborate on building a nuclear reactor on the lunar surface.

—Prachi Patel

EPA to reassess paraquat safety

Lee Zeldin, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator, took to the social media platform X on Jan. 9 to announce that his agency will be reassessing the safety of paraquat dichloride.

“When new science raises questions, the Trump EPA will not look the other way,” Zeldin wrote. “EPA is requiring paraquat manufacturers to thoroughly prove that current uses are safe in real-world conditions.”

The EPA issued an interim registration-review decision for the pesticide, commonly called just paraquat, in 2021. In November, the agency released an updated review—based on a new study from the manufacturer Syngenta—finding that paraquat’s potential to evaporate from treated fields is more uncertain than previously thought.

The EPA is now requiring manufacturers to conduct new studies to show how much paraquat evaporates into the air, and the agency will update its analysis of how the pesticide affects people’s health through breathing exposure, according to a statement from press officer Jeffrey Landis. “The EPA will publish all their findings and if these new studies reveal additional risk, EPA is prepared to tighten protections, require tougher rules, or limit or revoke uses, including where that may be disruptive, because safety must come first,” he wrote.

Paraquat is sprayed on corn, cotton, soy, and other crops. Studies have linked exposure to the pesticide to Parkinson’s disease, although some scientists believe the evidence is inconclusive.

Syngenta says it “rejects the claims of a causal link between paraquat and Parkinson’s disease because it is not supported by scientific evidence,” citing a 2024 preliminary report (PDF) by California’s Department of Pesticide Regulation that determined that existing findings “do not demonstrate a direct causal association with exposure to paraquat and the increased risk of developing Parkinson’s disease.” The report did find, however, “a possible role for paraquat exposure when considered in tandem with other exposures or predisposing factors.”

Paraquat is currently banned in more than 70 countries, including Brazil, China, and the European Union.

—Delger Erdenesanaa

New Jersey bans PFAS in cosmetics, food packaging, and more

New Jersey is the latest state to enact legislation phasing out per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from many consumer products. On Jan. 12, Governor Phil Murphy signed the Protecting Against Forever Chemicals Act, which requires manufacturers to stop adding PFAS to cosmetics, carpet and fabric treatments, and food packaging sold in the state by January 2028. The legislation also requires cookware manufacturers to label any products containing intentionally added PFAS by then.

A dozen other states already have laws restricting PFAS in food packaging, according to tracking by the Safer States alliance, and several also have laws restricting PFAS in carpets, fabric treatments, and personal care products.

“We know the damaging effect these substances have on the human body and our environment, so we are acting to remove them from consumer products that pose the greatest risk of direct exposure,” state senator Linda Greenstein, one of the sponsors of the bill, said in a statement on Monday.

The Protecting Against Forever Chemicals Act also appropriates an initial $5 million for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to develop a program focused on reducing sources of PFAS contamination. The program will include research as well as ongoing monitoring and testing of PFAS in the air, water, soil, and wildlife.

—Delger Erdenesanaa

US strikes on Venezuela damage the country’s key research institute

Venezuelan minister for science and technology Gabriela Jiménez Ramírez said that the Venezuelan Institute of Scientific Research (IVIC) was struck by two US missiles during a Jan. 3 military operation to capture Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and first lady Cilia Flores.

In her statement, published on the social media site Telegram, Jiménez Ramírez said that five of the major research institute’s 24 centers were damaged in the attack: the centers of chemistry, ecology, mathematics, nuclear technology, and physics.

Of those, the mathematics center—which housed servers and other essential equipment—was “completely destroyed,” Jiménez Ramírez said. She did not specify how much damage the other four centers sustained.

Jiménez Ramírez condemned the attacks, calling them an “act of imperial aggression without precedent.” She added that there is no justification for attacking “a sanctuary of science,” which she says is vital for training professionals who will go on to help sustain the health and oil sovereignty of the country.

Following the capture of Maduro, US president Donald J. Trump discussed the US military operation in Venezuela in a press conference but did not mention the missiles that hit the IVIC. The US Department of Defense declined to comment on the situation.

Since the incident, the former vice president and current acting Venezuelan president Delcy Rodríguez has ordered that the reconstruction of the five IVIC centers begin immediately.

—Krystal Vasquez