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China's persistent food and drug safety problem![]() Beijing (AFP) July 24, 2018 Chinese authorities are scrambling to defuse public outrage over a safety scandal involving rabies vaccines, just one of a string of food and drug scares to hit the country in recent years. Despite the country's stunning growth over the past four decades, many consumers in the world's second-largest economy still live in fear of consuming toxic food or dangerous or ineffective medicines. Following are some of the biggest scandals to emerge over the past decade: July 2018: The Chinese manuf ... read more |
Ancient farmers transformed Amazon and left an enduring legacy on the rainforestExeter UK (SPX) Jul 24, 2018 Ancient communities transformed the Amazon thousands of years ago, farming in a way which has had a lasting impact on the rainforest, a major new study shows. Farmers had a more profound effec ... more
We can feed the world if we change our waysLancaster UK (SPX) Jul 24, 2018 Current crop yields could provide nutritious food for the projected 2050 global population, but only if we make radical changes to our dietary choices, a new study shows. Researchers from Lanc ... more
Environmental changes in the Mekong Delta spell trouble for farmersUrbana IL (SPX) Jul 24, 2018 The Mekong Delta is home to 15 million people, many of whom rely on the delta's rich soil and water resources for farming and fishing. But their livelihoods are being threatened by rising sea levels ... more
Dying groundskeeper links Monsanto's Roundup to cancerSan Francisco (AFP) July 24, 2018 A California groundskeeper dying of cancer said Monday he would "never" have used Monsanto weed killer Roundup, had he known it could lead to his terminal illness. ... 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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Cameroon's anglophone crisis hits palm oil, cocoa productionLibreville (AFP) July 18, 2018 The crisis in anglophone Cameroon is damaging the Southwest Region's economy, with palm oil plantations closing and the cocoa trade tumbling, an NGO report said Wednesday. ... more
Using 'shade balls' in reservoirs may use up more water than they saveLondon, UK (SPX) Jul 19, 2018 Preventing reservoir evaporation during droughts with floating balls may not help conserve water overall, due to the water needed to make the balls. During droughts, communities may rely on wa ... more
Researchers engineer bacteria to create fertilizer out of thin airSaint Louis MO (SPX) Jul 19, 2018 In the future, plants will be able to create their own fertilizer. Farmers will no longer need to buy and spread fertilizer for their crops, and increased food production will benefit billions of pe ... more
European heatwave brings drought, wildfiresLondon (AFP) July 20, 2018 Wildfires in the Arctic Circle, drought-stricken farmers and a spike in hospital treatment for sunburn: an unusually long heatwave this summer has northern Europe in its grip. ... more
Archaeologists discover bread that predates agriculture by 4,000 yearsCopenhagen, Denmark (SPX) Jul 19, 2018 At an archaeological site in northeastern Jordan, researchers have discovered the charred remains of a flatbread baked by hunter-gatherers 14,400 years ago. It is the oldest direct evidence of bread ... more |
![]() In India, swapping crops could save water and improve nutrition
Tainted water exhibition roves around Beijing after initial shutdownBeijing (AFP) July 14, 2018 At first glance, it may seem like just a black truck filled with bottles of water, but a closer look reveals a darker - or rather murkier - side to what's sloshing around inside. ... more |
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Stormwater ponds not a major source of greenhouse gas emissionsDurham NC (SPX) Jul 16, 2018 Stormwater retention ponds, a ubiquitous feature in developed landscapes worldwide, are not a significant source of climate-warming nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions, a new Duke University-led study fin ... more
China chili fest gets off to scorching startNingxiangpu, 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. ... 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
Zimbabwe launches space agencyHarare (AFP) July 10, 2018 Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa Tuesday launched a space agency, hailing it as a "milestone" as he campaigns ahead of elections at the end of the month. ... 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 |
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Preparing to fly the wind mission Aeolus Kourou, French Guiana (ESA) Jul 25, 2018
The launch of Aeolus - ESA's mission to map Earth's wind in real-time - is getting tantalisingly close, with the satellite due for lift-off on 21 August from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. With the wind in their sails, mission teams are busily preparing this unique satellite for its upcoming journey.
Aeolus will carry a sophisticated atmospheric laser Doppler instrument, dubb ... more |
Arianespace orbits four more Galileo satellites, as Ariane 5 logs its 99th mission Kourou, French Guiana (ESA) Jul 26, 2018
Arianespace has successfully launched four more satellites in the Galileo constellation. Liftoff was at 8:25 a.m. (local time) July 25, 2018 from the Guiana Space Center, Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.
Today's launch was the 99th mission by the Ariane 5 heavy launcher. It was carried out on behalf of the European Commission as part of a contract with the European Space Agency ... more |
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In Mozambique, a joint fight against climate change and forest loss Gile, Mozambique (AFP) July 23, 2018 From a distance, the Gile National Reserve in northern Mozambique is a vast, dense ocean of green that reaches as far as the horizon.
Bigger than Luxembourg, the 2,800-square-kilometre (1,080-square-mile) forest seems to be reassuringly preserved, its hardwood treasure placed by Mozambique under legal protection.
Close up though, the forest bears deep scars from bouts of rampant logging ... more |
Feeding plants to this algae could fuel your car Los Alamos NM (SPX) Jul 19, 2018
Researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory and partner institutions have provided the first published report of algae using raw plants as a carbon energy source.
The research shows that a freshwater production strain of microalgae, Auxenochlorella protothecoides, is capable of directly degrading and utilizing non-food plant substrates, such as switchgrass, for improved cell growth and l ... more |
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NRL increases UAV endurance with Solar Soaring technology Washington DC (SPX) Jul 26, 2018
Researchers at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory are developing technology for unmanned aerial vehicles that has given them the ability to fly for more than 12 hours by harvesting energy from the atmosphere and the sun.
Solar-Soaring is a pair of endurance enhancer technologies. They aid the warfighter by enabling a UAV to fly longer without carrying extra weight in batteries.
"One ... more |
Searching for wind for the future Thuwal, Saudi Arabia (SPX) Jul 19, 2018
Using outputs from a high-resolution regional climate model, KAUST researchers have confirmed the potential for wind as a significant energy resource across the Arabian Peninsula. This is an important first step in developing a strategy for Saudi Arabia's wind energy sector.
As part of an ongoing collaboration with the University of Notre Dame in the United States, Marc Genton's research g ... 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 |
Tibet bans religious activities for students Beijing (AFP) July 24, 2018
Students in Tibet have been banned from taking part in religious activities over the summer holidays, Chinese state media reported Tuesday.
The ban will fall hard on Tibet's large Buddhist community, already under pressure as Chinese President Xi Jinping tightens controls over religious observance.
The school regulations apply to all "underage students" in Tibet, the state-run Global Tim ... more |
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If only AI had a brain Pittsburgh PA (SPX) Jul 24, 2018
Digital computation has rendered nearly all forms of analog computation obsolete since as far back as the 1950s. However, there is one major exception that rivals the computational power of the most advanced digital devices: the human brain.
The human brain is a dense network of neurons. Each neuron is connected to tens of thousands of others, and they use synapses to fire information back ... more |
China steps up controls on maritime emissions Washington (UPI) Jul 24, 2018
China's decision to regulate maritime fuels could have a significant impact on international efforts to lower emissions from shipping, analysis finds.
Following its so-called Blue Sky initiative, the Chinese Ministry of Transport announced extensions to emission control areas along the coastline. Yujiao Lei, a regional consultant for Wood Mackenzie, said in an emailed report the latest ... more |
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Local Winds Play Key Role in Some Megafires Pasadena CA (JPL) Jul 26, 2018
Although drought and overgrown forests are often blamed for major fires in the western United States, new research using unique NASA before-and-after data from a megafire site indicates that highly localized winds sometimes play a much larger role - creating large, destructive fires even when regional winds are weak.
The study was led by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) ... more |
In the ocean's twilight zone, tiny organisms may have giant effect on Earth's carbon cycle Tallahassee FL (SPX) Jul 19, 2018
Deep in the ocean's twilight zone, swarms of ravenous single-celled organisms may be altering Earth's carbon cycle in ways scientists never expected, according to a new study from Florida State University researchers.
In the area 100 to 1,000 meters below the ocean's surface - dubbed the twilight zone because of its largely impenetrable darkness - scientists found that tiny organisms calle ... more |
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'Unprecedented' Japan heatwave kills 65 in one week Tokyo (AFP) July 24, 2018 An "unprecedented" heatwave in Japan has killed at least 65 people in one week, government officials said Tuesday, with the weather agency now classifying the record-breaking weather as a "natural disaster."
In the week to Sunday at least 65 people died of heat stroke while 22,647 people were hospitalised, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said in a statement.
Both figures are "the ... more |
China's Xi holding up deal to resolve trade dispute: Trump adviser Washington (AFP) July 18, 2018
A senior economic adviser to President Donald Trump on Wednesday said Chinese President Xi Jinping was blocking an agreement to resolve the trade dispute with the United States.
"I think Xi is holding the game up," said Larry Kudlow, director of the White House National Economic Council. "I don't think President Xi has any intention of following through on the discussions we've made."
Tr ... more |
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Discovering Structure in the Outer Corona Greenbelt MD (SPX) Jul 19, 2018
In 1610, Galileo redesigned the telescope and discovered Jupiter's four largest moons. Nearly 400 years later, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope used its powerful optics to look deep into space - enabling scientists to pin down the age of the universe.
Suffice it to say that getting a better look at things produces major scientific advances.
In a paper published on July 18 in The Astroph ... more |
2,700 scientists warn US-Mexico wall endangers wildlife Tampa (AFP) July 24, 2018
More than 1,000 species of animals would face serious threats to their survival if US President Donald Trump's proposed border wall with Mexico is built, scientists warned on Tuesday.
Iconic creatures such as the Peninsular Bighorn sheep, Mexican gray wolf and the Sonoran pronghorn antelope - all of which are already endangered - would see their populations dangerously fragmented by a wall ... more |
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