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China chili fest gets off to scorching start![]() Ningxiangpu, China (AFP) July 9, 2018 An annual chili pepper festival kicked off Monday in central China's spice-loving Hunan province with a chili-eating contest in which the winner set a blistering pace by downing a gut-busting 50 peppers in just over a minute. Local boy Tang Shuaihui took home a 3-gramme 24-karat gold coin for winning the competition, which is put on by a local theme park in the county of Ningxiang and now in its second year. With doctors on hand just in case, ten contestants each held plates heaped with 50 Tabas ... read more |
Expansion of agricultural land reduces CO2 absorptionKarlsruher, Germany (SPX) Jul 10, 2018 Climate change is heavily related to the increase of CO2 in the atmosphere. During photosynthesis, plants absorb some of the industrial CO2 emissions from the atmosphere, making them contribute sign ... more
As trial opens, man dying of cancer blames Monsanto's RoundupSan Francisco (AFP) July 9, 2018 A lawyer for a California groundskeeper dying of cancer took aim at Monsanto Monday as a jury began hearing the lawsuit accusing the chemical giant of ignoring the health risks of its top-selling weed killer Roundup. ... more
As trial opens, man dying of cancer blames Monsanto's RoundupSan Francisco (AFP) July 10, 2018 A lawyer for a California groundskeeper dying of cancer took aim at Monsanto Monday as a jury began hearing the lawsuit accusing the chemical giant of ignoring health risks of its top-selling weed killer Roundup. ... more
Taiwan issues warning as Typhoon Maria approachesTaipei (AFP) July 9, 2018 Ferries were suspended and farmers rushed for last-minute harvests Monday as Taiwan braced for Typhoon Maria, with warnings of possible mudslides and flooding as the storm nears. ... more |
Philippines digs out from Typhoon Fung-wong as death toll climbs
Philippines digs out from Typhoon Fung-wong as death toll climbs to 18 Three Vietnam men survive 40 hours at sea after typhoon Typhoon Fung-wong floods Philippine towns, leaves 5 dead in its wake Typhoon Fung-wong leaves flooded Philippine towns in its wake Typhoon exposes centuries-old shipwreck off Vietnam port Weakening Typhoon Fung-wong exits Philippines after displacing 1.4 million Super Typhoon Fung-wong makes landfall in Philippines Over 1 million evacuate as deadly Super Typhoon Fung-wong nears Philippines Dam reservoir levels drop below 3% in Iran's second city: media |
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| Previous Issues | Jul 12 | Jul 11 | Jul 10 | Jul 09 | Jul 07 |
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The tow-an-iceberg plan being floated to ease Cape Town droughtCape Town (AFP) July 3, 2018 It is a plan as crazy as the situation is desperate - towing an iceberg from Antarctica to Cape Town to supply fresh water to a city in the grip of drought. ... more
Ancestral people of Chaco Canyon likely grew their own foodCincinnati OH (SPX) Jul 04, 2018 Researchers think they have a better understanding for how ancient North Americans thrived for centuries in northwestern New Mexico's arid desert. A multidisciplinary team of experts from the ... more
Water compresses under a high gradient electric fieldUrbana IL (SPX) Jul 03, 2018 Modern civilization relies on water's incompressibility - it's something we take for granted. Hydraulic systems harness the virtual non-compressibility of fluids like water or oil to multiply mechan ... more
New water pollution protests hit southwest IranTehran (AFP) July 2, 2018 Protesters clashed with security forces in southwestern Iran late Sunday, a day after several demonstrators were injured in nighttime skirmishes over water pollution, Iranian state media reported. ... more
Utah soil's slippery grip on nutrientsSalt Lake City UT (SPX) Jul 03, 2018 Lawns in the Salt Lake Valley up to 100 years old are not yet saturated in the nutrient nitrogen, which is added by fertilizer, according to a new study from University of Utah researchers. The resu ... more |
![]() Mesopotamians were drinking beer from individual vessels 3,500 years ago
Latvia declares state of disaster over droughtRiga (AFP) June 26, 2018 Latvia's government on Tuesday declared a national state of disaster in its agricultural sector as a result of a prolonged drought that has affected most of the Baltic state and which some call the worst in decades. ... more |
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Early detection of 'olive tree leprosy' with dronesParis (AFP) June 25, 2018 A bacterial infection ravaging olive orchards in southern Europe can be detected from small planes or drones well before symptoms appear, offering panicky growers the prospect of an early warning system, scientists said Monday. ... more
US trial over Roundup cancer link set to openSan Francisco (AFP) June 28, 2018 A first of its kind trial over whether Monsanto herbicide Roundup caused a groundskeeper's lethal cancer is scheduled to begin here on July 9 with opening remarks by attorneys. ... more
Nestle suspended from 'sustainable' palm oil bodyGeneva (AFP) June 28, 2018 Swiss food giant Nestle confirmed Thursday the suspension of its membership in a body aimed at ensuring sustainable palm oil production and use, blaming "fundamental differences" in theories on how to reach that goal. ... more
China lifts ban on import of British beefLondon (AFP) June 27, 2018 China has lifted a ban on importing British beef lasting more than 20 years that was triggered by the "mad cow disease" outbreak, the UK government said on Wednesday. ... more
Industrial microbes could feed cattle, pigs and chicken with less damage to the environmentPotsdam, Germany (SPX) Jun 26, 2018 Deforestation, greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity loss, nitrogen pollution - today's agricultural feed cultivation for cattle, pigs and chicken comes with tremendous impacts for the environment ... more |
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Copernicus Sentinel-5P releases first data Paris (ESA) Jul 12, 2018
Following months of tests and careful evaluation, the first data on air pollutants from the Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite have been released. These first maps show a range of trace gases that affect air quality such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and ozone.
Launched on 13 October 2017, Sentinel-5P is the first Copernicus satellite dedicated to monitoring our atmosphere. It is part ... more |
Love navigated by Beidou Beijing (XNA) Jul 12, 2018
They provide positioning and navigation to vehicles, ships, shared bicycles and drones, as well as tracking wild animals, and China's Beidou satellites have also guided a young couple to love.
Ten years ago, Cui Bo, a designer for the Beidou power system, wrote a poem lauding those dedicated to space exploration to mark the 40th anniversary of the founding of the China Academy of Space Tec ... more |
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NASA Surveys Hurricane Damage to Puerto Rico's Forests Greenbelt MD (SPX) Jul 12, 2018
On Sept. 20, 2017, Hurricane Maria barreled across Puerto Rico with winds of up to 155 miles per hour and battering rain that flooded towns, knocked out communications networks and destroyed the power grid. In the rugged central mountains and the lush northeast, Maria unleashed its fury as fierce winds completely defoliated the tropical forests and broke and uprooted trees. Heavy rainfall trigge ... more |
Finding the right balance for catalysts in the hydrogen evolution reaction Tsukuba, Japan (SPX) Jul 11, 2018
Hydrogen produced from water by the hydrogen evolution reaction is an attractive clean fuel source. Production of hydrogen on a large scale at low cost is necessary to realize its viability as an alternative energy source to fossil fuels. To achieve this goal, durable, inexpensive catalysts are required. Most present catalysts based on non-precious metals suffer from instability in the acidic so ... more |
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New world record for direct solar water-splitting efficiency Berlin, Germany (SPX) Jul 11, 2018
Teams from the California Institute of Technology, the University of Cambridge, Technische Universitaet Ilmenau, and the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE participated in the development work. One part of the experiments took place at the Institute for Solar Fuels in the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin.
Photovoltaics are a mainstay of renewable-energy supply systems, and sunlight ... more |
Clock starts for Germany's next wind farm Washington (UPI) Jul 5, 2018
German energy company E.ON said Thursday the start of turbine installation at the Arkona wind farm in the Baltic Sea sets the clock ticking for a 2019 launch.
The company said it started installing the first of the 60 turbines planned for the 385 megawatt facility in the German waters of the Baltic Sea. Once completed, Arkona will have enough power to meet the annual power demand of aro ... more |
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Miner Yancoal seeks dual listing in Hong Kong Sydney (AFP) July 2, 2018
Australia's largest pure-play coal producer Yancoal said on Monday it would apply for a dual listing on the Hong Kong stock exchange alongside a capital raising as it looks to increase its shares' liquidity.
China-based Yancoal trades on the Australian Securities Exchange and recently expanded its holdings of local mines by buying most of Rio Tinto's domestic coal assets for US$2.45 billion. ... more |
Chinese democracy activist sentenced to 13 years for 'subversion' Beijing (AFP) July 11, 2018
A prominent Chinese political campaigner was sentenced to 13 years in jail on Wednesday, a court in central China said.
Qin Yongmin was found "guilty of subversion of state power," the Wuhan City Intermediate People's Court said on its official website.
According to court records, it appears to be the heftiest sentence handed down in China for "subversion" in the past 15 years.
The ... more |
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MIT's Cheetah 3 robot avoids obstacles without the help of vision Washington (UPI) Jul 5, 2018
Cheetah 3, a robot designed by engineers at MIT, can run, jump and climb across complex terrain, avoiding obstacles along the way - all without the benefit of sight.
Researchers have dubbed the robot's technological abilities "blind locomotion."
Robots with similar maneuverability rely on cameras or some other kind of sensor to "see" the world, but Cheetah 3 is effectively blind ... more |
Singapore rolling out thermal cameras to nab illegal smokers Singapore (AFP) July 10, 2018
Lighting up will soon get tougher in Singapore, with the government planning to roll out 300 high definition thermal cameras to catch and fine illegal smokers.
The city-state already has some of the world's strictest anti-tobacco laws and smoking is banned in most public places, with errant puffers handed a fine of up to Sg$1,000 ($740) if caught. E-cigarettes are also banned outright.
A ... more |
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Californian wildfires spreading rapidly San Francisco (AFP) July 3, 2018
A Californian wildfire that began on the weekend has rapidly spread across 70,000 acres (28,000 hectares), authorities said Tuesday, with a growing number of areas affected by mandatory evacuation orders.
The County Fire was sparked in the northern Yolo County on Saturday, fanned by high winds and hot temperatures.
An update by Cal Fire on Tuesday said the potential for growth remains h ... more |
China eyes Pacific summit as N.Z. warns of power vacuum Wellington (AFP) July 10, 2018 China is planning a summit of Pacific island leaders in November, Papua New Guinea has revealed, as New Zealand warned Tuesday Beijing was attempting to fill a "vacuum" in the long-neglected region.
President Xi Jinping wants to hold the meeting ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Port Moresby from November 12-18.
"(I) invite you to attend a Pacific Island lead ... more |
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Canada heat wave death toll hits 54: officials Montreal (AFP) July 6, 2018 The death toll in a week-long eastern Canadian heat wave has reached 54, officials said on Friday.
Most of the victims linked to the "overwhelming heat" were in the Montreal area, which recorded 28 fatalities, metropolitan health authorities told AFP in an email.
The other victims were reported in the southwest of the French-Canadian province, the Quebec health ministry said.
On Thur ... more |
Flood-postponed EU-Japan summit moved to Tokyo Brussels (AFP) July 9, 2018
Tokyo will now host an EU-Japan summit on July 17 to sign a free trade accord after the Japanese premier cancelled the talks in Brussels because of deadly floods at home, the European Commission said Monday.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called off the trip this week to Belgium and three other countries as the death toll from flooding and landslides caused by record rains hit 100.
T ... more |
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Plasma Jets Foretell Unequal Activity of the Sun's Two Hemispheres Kolkata, India (SPX) Jul 13, 2018
The Sun's activity waxes and wanes periodically and holds sway over our space environment. Sunspots, strongly magnetized blotches on the solar surface, sometimes release fierce storms in space that severely impact our satellite based communication and navigational systems and occasionally, render satellites useless.
However, a complete understanding of all aspects of the sunspot activity c ... more |
Cross-species gene transfer is a major driver of evolution, study claims Washington (UPI) Jul 9, 2018
New research suggests horizontal gene transfer between different species is a major driver of evolution.
Scientists at the University of Adelaide traced the origins of two different jumping genes, self-replicating DNA sequences, across 759 species of plants, animals and fungi.
The results of the survey, published this week in the journal Genome Biology, suggest the genomes of mos ... more |
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