Passenger killed in fiery I-80 crash after driver swerves to avoid small animal

A passenger in a SUV died early Saturday morning after the driver swerved to avoid a small animal, while traveling westbound on Interstate 80 near San Pablo Dam Road.

Manned Virgin Galactic rocket ship ascends from New Mexico

Virgin Galactic on Saturday made its first rocket-powered flight from New Mexico to the fringe of space in a manned shuttle, as the company forges toward offering tourist flights to the edge of the Earth's atmosphere.

China deploys rover on Martian surface

China’s first Mars rover has driven down from its landing platform and is now roaming the surface of the red planet.

No necropsy for latest whale to wash ashore in Pacifica

A dead whale was spotted Friday afternoon at Pacifica State Beach, officials with the Marine Mammal Center confirms.

Video shows spherical UFO off California disappearing into ocean

U.S. Navy footage released by filmmaker Jeremy Corbell and confirmed as authentic by the Pentagon shows a spherical UFO flying off the coast of San Diego before mysteriously disappearing into the ocean.

California-based Rocket Lab's satellite launch from New Zealand site suffers anomaly

California-based Rocket Lab said a launch of satellites from its facility in New Zealand suffered an anomaly Saturday when ignition of the second stage failed.

Vandenberg Air Force Base to be renamed Vandenberg Space Force Base

California’s Vandenberg Air Force Base will be renamed to Vandenberg Space Force Base during an afternoon ceremony Friday. The Central California base tests ballistic missiles and conducts orbital launches for defense, science and commercial purposes.

Bear climbs backyard tree in San Anselmo, briefly causes shelter-in-place

A bear that climbed a tree in a backyard, causing a shelter-in-place in San Anselmo Thursday, came down on its own and was headed for open space, officials say. 

Rare fish that lives thousands of feet under the ocean washes ashore in California state park

The angler fish usually lives 3,000 feet under the ocean, and it's rare for humans to see one fully intact. But this deep sea fish with teeth "like pointed shards of glass" recently washed ashore at a California state park.

New White House task force to look at politicization of science within government

The effort was spurred by concerns that the Trump administration had politicized science in ways that put lives at risk, eroded public trust and worsened climate change.

China defends how it handled the rocket falling to Earth

The administrator of the American space agency and others accused Beijing of acting recklessly by allowing its rocket to fall to Earth seemingly uncontrolled Sunday.

China says most rocket debris burned up before crashing into Indian Ocean

China’s space agency says a core segment of its biggest rocket has reentered Earth’s atmosphere in the Indian Ocean above the Maldives.

3 more dead gray whales spotted in San Francisco Bay Area

Three more dead whales have been spotted in the San Francisco Bay in recent days, bringing the total to eight this year, experts said Friday.

Dead whale gets lodged between pilings at Port of Oakland

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says this makes the whale in Oakland the 10th whale in the last six weeks to show up dead; five of which were found in the Bay, the other five along the California Coast.