Many wars on Earth start over territorial disputes. In order to avoid such disputes in outer space, nations should consider enacting national laws that specify the extent of each settler’s authority in outer space and provide a process to resolve conflicts.
Space is an international area, and companies and individuals are free to land their space objects – including satellites, human-crewed and robotic spacecraft and human-inhabited facilities – on celestial bodies and conduct operations anywhere they please. This includes both outer space and celestial bodies such as the Moon.
Space objects include landers, rovers, satellites and other objects on the surface of or in orbit around a celestial body. Stocktrek Images/Stocktrek Images via Getty Images
The 1967 Outer Space Treaty prohibits territorial claims in outer space and on celestial bodies in order to avoid disputes. But without national laws governing space settlers, a nation might attempt to protect its citizens’ and companies’ interests by withdrawing from the treaty. They could then claim the territory where its citizens have placed their space objects.
Nations enforce territorial claims through military force, which would likely cost money and lives. An alternative to territorial claims, which I’ve been investigating and have come to prefer, would be to enact real property rights that are consistent with the Outer Space Treaty.
Territorial claims can be asserted only by national governments, while property rights apply to private citizens, companies and national governments that own property. A property rights law could specify how much authority settlers have and protect their investments in outer space and on celestial bodies.
The Outer Space Treaty
In 1967, the Outer Space Treaty went into effect. As of January 2025, 115 countries are party to this treaty, including the United States and most nations that have a space program. https://www.youtube.com/embed/NUCZt5OcszY?wmode=transparent&start=0 The Outer Space Treaty is the main international agreement governing outer space. However, it is not self-executing.
Advertisement
The Outer Space Treaty outlines principles for the peaceful exploration and use of outer space and celestial bodies. However, the treaty does not specify how it will apply to the citizens and companies of nations that are parties to the treaty.
For this reason, the Outer Space Treaty is largely not a self-executing treaty. This means U.S. courts cannot apply the terms of the treaty to individual citizens and companies. For that to happen, the United States would need to enact national legislation that explains how the terms of the treaty apply to nongovernmental entities.
One article of the Outer Space Treaty says that participating countries should make sure that all of their citizens’ space activities comply with the treaty’s terms. Another article then gives these nations the authority to enact laws governing their citizens’ and companies’ private space activities.
This is particularly relevant to the U.S., where commercial activity in space is rapidly increasing.
UN Charter
It is important to note that the Outer Space Treaty requires participating nations to comply with international law and the United Nations Charter.
In the U.N. Charter, there are two international law concepts that are relevant to property rights. One is a country’s right to defend itself, and the other is the noninterference principle.
The international law principle of noninterference gives nations the right to exclude others from their space objects and the areas where they have ongoing activity.
Advertisement
But how will nations apply this concept to their private citizens and companies? Do individual people and companies have the right to exclude others in order to prevent interference with their activities? What can they do if a foreign person interferes or causes damage?
The noninterference principle in the U.N. Charter governs relations between nations, not individuals. Consequently, U.S. courts likely wouldn’t enforce the noninterference principle in a case involving two private parties.
So, U.S. citizens and companies do not have the right to exclude others from their space objects and areas of ongoing activity unless the U.S. enacts legislation giving them that right.
The accords explain how important components of the Outer Space Treaty will apply to private space activities. One section of the accords allows for safety zones, where public and private personnel, equipment and operations are protected from harmful interference by other people. The rights to self-defense and noninterference from the U.N. Charter provide a legal basis for safety zones.
Aside from satellite and rocket-launch regulations, the United States has enacted only a few laws – including the Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act of 2015 – to govern private activities in outer space and on celestial bodies.
As part of this act, any U.S. citizen collecting mineral resources in outer space or on celestial bodies has a right to own, transport, use and sell those resources. This act is an example of national legislation that clarifies how the Outer Space Treaty applies to U.S. citizens and companies.
Advertisement
Property rights
Enacting property rights for outer space would make it clear what rights and obligations property owners have and the extent of their authority over their property.
All nations on Earth have a form of property rights in their legal systems. Property rights typically include the rights to possess, control, develop, exclude, enjoy, sell, lease and mortgage properties. Enacting real property rights in space would create a marketplace for buying, selling, renting and mortgaging property.
Because the Outer Space Treaty prohibits territorial claims, space property rights would not necessarily be “land grabs.” Property rights would operate a little differently in space than on Earth.
Property rights in space would have to be based on the authority that the Outer Space Treaty gives to nations. This authority allows them to govern their citizens and their assets by enacting laws and enforcing them in their courts.
Space property rights would include safety zones around property to prevent interference. So, people would have to get the property owner’s permission before entering a safety zone.
If a U.S. property owner were to sell a space property to a foreign citizen or company, the space objects on the property would have to stay on the property or be replaced with the purchaser’s space objects. That would ensure that the owner’s country still has authority over the property.
Also, if someone transferred their space objects to a foreign citizen or company, the buyer would have to change their objects’ international registration, which would give the buyer’s nation authority over the space objects and the surrounding property.
Advertisement
Nations could likely avoid some territorial disputes if they enact real property laws in space that clearly describe how national authority over property changes when it is sold. Enacting property rights could reduce the legal risks for commercial space companies and support the permanent settlement of outer space and celestial bodies.
U.S. property rights law could also contain a reciprocity provision, which would encourage other nations to pass similar laws and allow participating countries to mutually recognize each other’s property rights.
With a reciprocity provision, property rights could support economic development as commercial companies around the world begin to look to outer space as the next big area of economic growth.
(Family Features) They may be cute, fluffy and friendly, but some dogs also have an important job: protecting America’s food supply.
By deploying specially trained beagles, Labrador retrievers and Jack Russell terriers, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal Plant Health Inspection Services’ (APHIS) Detector Dog Program puts elite canines to work on the front lines at international airports, mail facilities and border crossings throughout the nation. These furry sleuths maneuver between passengers and luggage to search, locate and respond to the presence of banned fruits, plants and meats that may harbor damaging insects and diseases that threaten the country’s agricultural production and natural resources.
The program was started in 1984 and soon grew in demand. By 2009, APHIS opened a 17-acre National Detector Dog Training Center near the Atlanta International Airport. At the center, dogs and their handlers go through an 8-10-week training program to learn how to inspect passenger luggage and handbags for agricultural goods such as fruits, vegetables, beef and pork.
Detector dogs patrol ports of entry, borders and airports to keep harmful pests, like invasive fruit flies, out of the country. For example, labrador retrievers and their handlers protect the nation’s fruit by patrolling citrus orchards along the Texas-Mexico border in search of infested or diseased crops.
Safeguarding U.S. agriculture and natural resources is part of the program’s mission, but APHIS’ Detector Dog Program also partners with countries like Canada and Taiwan to supply guidance, training and testing of canine detection. There are even detector dog teams on the job at cargo airports throughout countries in the Pacific, tasked with identifying invasive species and stopping them from reaching Hawaii. The work these dogs and their handlers do is critical to help stop the spread of invasive plant and animal pests and diseases that could ravage America’s agriculture.
A detector dog’s career spans 6-8 years before they retire at 9 years old. At retirement age, 90% of dogs are adopted by their handler. In the rare case they are not, the handler will recommend a good home and a successful adoption program ensures all dogs are well placed.
Constantly on the lookout for new pups, APHIS works closely with animal shelters, rescue groups and private individuals to find the right dogs for the job from anywhere in the country. New recruits are 1-3 years old, heartworm negative, have high food drive and are environmentally and socially friendly. The ideal candidate is often that high-energy, hard-to-handle pooch who simply needs a job and a purpose.
If you or someone you know would like to help the program grow its squad of super sniffers, email usdacanineadoptions@usda.gov, call (887) 797-3899 or learn more at aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/planthealth/ppq-program-overview/nddtc.
Content courtesy of USDA
SOURCE:U.S. Department of Agriculture
A new era of seamless airport connectivity arrives in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA – The wait is finally over. After years of anticipation, the LAX/Metro Transit Center officially opened its doors on June 6, 2025, marking a transformative moment for Los Angeles transportation infrastructure. This isn’t just another transit station – it’s a game-changer that connects the sprawling metropolis directly to one of the world’s busiest airports.
From LA to LAX, Seamlessly
The new LAX/Metro Transit Center represents more than just concrete and steel; it’s the realization of a long-held dream for car-free airport access in Los Angeles. The station creates a direct connection between Metro’s C Line (Green) and K Line (Crenshaw/LAX) to LAX terminals via free airport shuttles, offering travelers a faster, more convenient alternative to navigating LA’s notorious traffic.
“No traffic, no hassle” – that’s the promise this new facility delivers to the millions of passengers who pass through LAX annually. For residents across LA County, this means saying goodbye to expensive parking fees, ride-share surge pricing, and the stress of driving in airport traffic.
A Transit Hub with Artistic Soul
The centerpiece of the LAX/Metro Transit Center is “The Distance of the Sun,” a breathtaking sculpture by artist Glenn Kaino. Suspended above the escalators, this spiral of real and imagined spacecraft symbolizes our collective dreams of exploration and connection – a fitting metaphor for a facility that literally connects ground to sky.
The artwork transforms what could have been just another utilitarian transit space into something that speaks to the human spirit of adventure and discovery. It’s these thoughtful touches that elevate public infrastructure from merely functional to truly inspiring.
What This Means for LA Communities
The opening of the LAX/Metro Transit Center extends far beyond convenience for air travelers. This facility represents a significant investment in sustainable transportation, reducing vehicle emissions and traffic congestion throughout the region. For communities along the C and K Lines, it opens up new employment opportunities at LAX and related businesses.
The economic ripple effects are substantial. Workers living in areas served by these rail lines now have direct, affordable access to one of LA’s largest employment centers. Similarly, tourists and business travelers can now explore neighborhoods throughout LA County without needing a rental car.
Getting There: Your Connection Options
The LAX/Metro Transit Center is accessible via:
Metro Rail Lines:
C Line (Green Line)
K Line (Crenshaw/LAX Line)
Metro Bus Lines: Multiple bus routes connect to the station, creating a comprehensive network that serves communities across LA County.
Other Transportation Services: The station also accommodates various other bus services, making it a true multimodal transportation hub.
What Travelers Can Expect
The facility features modern amenities designed with the traveler in mind:
Security cameras and enhanced lighting for safety
Real-time train arrival information
Clean, comfortable restrooms
A bike hub for cyclists
Climate-controlled waiting areas
Location: 9225 Aviation Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90045
A Celebration Worth Noting
To mark this historic opening, Metro offered free rides system-wide from Friday through Sunday during the opening weekend – a gesture that allowed the entire community to experience this new connection firsthand.
Looking Forward
The LAX/Metro Transit Center represents more than just improved airport access; it’s a symbol of Los Angeles’ commitment to sustainable, equitable transportation solutions. As the region continues to grow and evolve, infrastructure projects like this demonstrate how thoughtful planning can create connections that benefit entire communities.
For frequent flyers, daily commuters, and occasional travelers alike, the LAX/Metro Transit Center offers something that seemed impossible just a few years ago: a stress-free way to get to and from LAX. In a city where traffic is legendary, that’s nothing short of revolutionary.
The LAX/Metro Transit Center is located at 9225 Aviation Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90045. For trip planning and current schedules, visit metro.net.
STM Daily News is a vibrant news blog dedicated to sharing the brighter side of human experiences. Emphasizing positive, uplifting stories, the site focuses on delivering inspiring, informative, and well-researched content. With a commitment to accurate, fair, and responsible journalism, STM Daily News aims to foster a community of readers passionate about positive change and engaged in meaningful conversations. Join the movement and explore stories that celebrate the positive impacts shaping our world.
Green sea turtles, like this hatchling in Florida, are endangered due in part to habitat destruction and fishing nets.
Keenan Adams/USFWSMariah Meek, Michigan State University and Karrigan Börk, University of California, Davis
It wouldn’t make much sense to prohibit people from shooting a threatened woodpecker while allowing its forest to be cut down, or to bar killing endangered salmon while allowing a dam to dry out their habitat.
But that’s exactly what the Trump administration is proposing to do by changing how one word in the Endangered Species Act is interpreted: harm.
For 50 years, the U.S. government has interpreted the Endangered Species Act as protecting threatened and endangered species from actions that either directly kill them or eliminate their habitat. Most species on the brink of extinction are on the list because there is almost no place left for them to live. Their habitats have been paved over, burned or transformed. Habitat protection is essential for their survival.
The golden-cheeked warbler breeds only in Texas, primarily in Texas Hill Country. It has been losing habitat as development expands in the region.Steve Maslowski/USFWS, CC BY
As an ecologist and a law professor, we have spent our entire careers working to understand the law and science of helping imperiled species thrive. We recognize that the rule change the Trump administration quietly proposed could green-light the destruction of protected species’ habitats, making it nearly impossible to protect those endangered species.
The legal gambit
The Endangered Species Act, passed in 1973, bans the “take” of “any endangered species of fish or wildlife,” which includes harming protected species.
Since 1975, regulations have defined “harm” to include habitat destruction that kills or injures wildlife. Developers and logging interests challenged that definition in 1995 in a Supreme Court case, Babbitt v. Sweet Home Chapter of Communities for a Great Oregon. However, the court ruled that the definition was reasonable and allowed federal agencies to continue using it.
In short, the law says “take” includes harm, and under the existing regulatory definition, harm includes indirect harm through habitat destruction.
Critical habitat throughout the U.S., including many coastlines and mountain areas. Note: Alaska is not to scale.U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
The Trump administration is seeking to change that definition of “harm” in a way that leaves out habitat modification.
This narrowed definition would undo the most significant protections granted by the Endangered Species Act.
Why habitat protection matters
Habitat protection is the single most important factor in the recovery of endangered species in the United States – far more consequential than curbing direct killing alone.
A 2019 study examining the reasons species were listed as endangered between 1975 and 2017 found that only 17% were primarily threatened by direct killing, such as hunting or poaching. That 17% includes iconic species such as the red wolf, American crocodile, Florida panther and grizzly bear.
In contrast, a staggering 81% were listed because of habitat loss and degradation. The Chinook salmon, island fox, southwestern willow flycatcher, desert tortoise and likely extinct ivory-billed woodpecker are just a few examples. Globally, a 2022 study found that habitat loss threatened more species than all other causes combined.
As natural landscapes are converted to agriculture or taken over by urban sprawl, logging operations and oil and gas exploration, ecosystems become fragmented and the space that species need to survive and reproduce disappears. Currently, more than 107 million acres of land in the U.S. are designated as critical habitat for Endangered Species Act-listed species. Industries and developers have called for changes to the rules for years, arguing it has been weaponized to stop development. However, research shows species worldwide are facing an unprecedented threat from human activities that destroy natural habitat.
Under the proposed change, development could be accelerated in endangered species’ habitats.
Gutting the Endangered Species Act
The definition change is a quiet way to gut the Endangered Species Act.
It is also fundamentally incompatible with the purpose Congress wrote into the act: “to provide a means whereby the ecosystems upon which endangered species and threatened species depend may be conserved [and] to provide a program for the conservation of such endangered species and threatened species.” It contradicts the Supreme Court precedent, and it would destroy the act’s habitat protections.
Northern spotted owls, like these fledglings, living in old growth forests in the Pacific Northwest are listed as threatened species because of habitat loss.Tom Kogut/USFS, CC BY
Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum has argued that the recent “de-extinction” of dire wolves by changing 14 genes in the gray wolf genome means that America need not worry about species protection because technology “can help forge a future where populations are never at risk.”
But altering an existing species to look like an extinct one is both wildly expensive and a paltry substitute for protecting existing species.
The Catalina Island fox is endemic to Catalina Island. Habitat loss, diseases introduced by domestic dogs, and predators have diminished the population of these small foxes to threatened status.Catalina Island Conservancy/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA
The administration has also refused to conduct the required analysis of the environmental impact that changing the definition could have. That means the American people won’t even know the significance of this change to threatened and endangered species until it’s too late, though if approved it will certainly end up in court.
The ESA is saving species
Surveys have found the Endangered Species Act is popular with the public, including Republicans. The Center for Biological Diversity estimates that the Endangered Species Act has saved 99% of protected species from extinction since it was created, not just from bullets but also from bulldozers. This regulatory rollback seeks to undermine the law’s greatest strength: protecting the habitats species need to survive.
Congress knew the importance of habitat when it passed the law, and it wrote a definition of “take” that allows the agencies to protect it.Mariah Meek, Associate Professor of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University and Karrigan Börk, Professor of Law, University of California, Davis
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Rod: A creative force, blending words, images, and flavors. Blogger, writer, filmmaker, and photographer. Cooking enthusiast with a sci-fi vision. Passionate about his upcoming series and dedicated to TNC Network. Partnered with Rebecca Washington for a shared journey of love and art.
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here:
Cookie Policy
(Family Features) They may be cute, fluffy and friendly, but some dogs also have an important job: protecting America’s food supply.
By deploying specially trained beagles, Labrador retrievers and Jack Russell terriers, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal Plant Health Inspection Services’ (APHIS) Detector Dog Program puts elite canines to work on the front lines at international airports, mail facilities and border crossings throughout the nation. These furry sleuths maneuver between passengers and luggage to search, locate and respond to the presence of banned fruits, plants and meats that may harbor damaging insects and diseases that threaten the country’s agricultural production and natural resources.
The program was started in 1984 and soon grew in demand. By 2009, APHIS opened a 17-acre National Detector Dog Training Center near the Atlanta International Airport. At the center, dogs and their handlers go through an 8-10-week training program to learn how to inspect passenger luggage and handbags for agricultural goods such as fruits, vegetables, beef and pork.
Detector dogs patrol ports of entry, borders and airports to keep harmful pests, like invasive fruit flies, out of the country. For example, labrador retrievers and their handlers protect the nation’s fruit by patrolling citrus orchards along the Texas-Mexico border in search of infested or diseased crops.
Safeguarding U.S. agriculture and natural resources is part of the program’s mission, but APHIS’ Detector Dog Program also partners with countries like Canada and Taiwan to supply guidance, training and testing of canine detection. There are even detector dog teams on the job at cargo airports throughout countries in the Pacific, tasked with identifying invasive species and stopping them from reaching Hawaii. The work these dogs and their handlers do is critical to help stop the spread of invasive plant and animal pests and diseases that could ravage America’s agriculture.
A detector dog’s career spans 6-8 years before they retire at 9 years old. At retirement age, 90% of dogs are adopted by their handler. In the rare case they are not, the handler will recommend a good home and a successful adoption program ensures all dogs are well placed.
Constantly on the lookout for new pups, APHIS works closely with animal shelters, rescue groups and private individuals to find the right dogs for the job from anywhere in the country. New recruits are 1-3 years old, heartworm negative, have high food drive and are environmentally and socially friendly. The ideal candidate is often that high-energy, hard-to-handle pooch who simply needs a job and a purpose.
If you or someone you know would like to help the program grow its squad of super sniffers, email 
Mariah Meek, Associate Professor of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University and Karrigan Börk, Professor of Law, University of California, Davis
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
