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Deere puts spotlight on high-tech farming![]() Las Vegas (AFP) Jan 10, 2019 It has GPS, lasers, computer vision, and uses machine learning and sensors to be more efficient. This is the new high-tech farm equipment from John Deere, which made its first Consumer Electronics Show appearance this week to highlight the importance of tech in farming. Deere brought its massive agricultural combine and GPS-guided tractor to the Las Vegas technology event, making the point that farming is more than sticking a finger up to gauge the weather. The machines are guided by enhanced GP ... read more |
Kosher high-tech office lures Jerusalem's ultra-OrthodoxJerusalem (AFP) Jan 9, 2019 The office in central Jerusalem at first glance resembles many other start-ups - until you notice the religious books and entrepreneurs in traditional black suits. ... more
US startup eyes next generation of burgers with relishLas Vegas (AFP) Jan 9, 2019 Can a "high-tech" burger help save the planet? ... more
Engineers, zoologists reveal how gulls 'wing morph' for stable soaringToronto, Canada (SPX) Jan 03, 2019 A unique collaboration between University of British Columbia (UBC) zoologists and U of T Engineering's aviation expert Professor Philippe Lavoie provides new insights into how gulls configure their ... more
Bricked in by poverty, Cambodia's farmers fight debt bondagePhnom Penh (AFP) Jan 2, 2019 Bopha should be in school but instead toils seven days a week in a searing brick kiln on the outskirts of Phnom Penh - a 14-year-old trapped in debt bondage in a boom industry preying on the poverty of Cambodia's farmers. ... more |
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 Philippines evacuates one million, woman dead as super typhoon nears Japan observes tiny tsunami following 6.7 magnitude quake Philippines evacuates hundreds of thousands as super typhoon nears |
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| Previous Issues | Jan 09 | Jan 08 | Jan 07 | Jan 04 | Jan 03 |
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Bricked in by poverty, Cambodia's farmers fight debt bondagePhnom Penh (AFP) Jan 2, 2019 Bopha should be in school but instead toils seven days a week in a searing brick kiln on the outskirts of Phnom Penh - a 14-year-old trapped in debt bondage in a boom industry preying on the poverty of Cambodia's farmers. ... more
Scientists: 'Time is ripe' to use big data for planet-sized plant questionsGainesville FL (SPX) Jan 01, 2019 A group of Florida Museum of Natural History scientists has issued a "call to action" to use big data to tackle longstanding questions about plant diversity and evolution and forecast how plant life ... more
Iran sees 'revival' of imperilled Lake UrmiaMiandoab, Iran (AFP) Dec 30, 2018 It is one of the worst ecological disasters of recent decades, but the shrinking of Iran's great Lake Urmia finally appears to be stabilising and officials see the start of a revival. ... more
China customs gives green light for US rice importsBeijing (AFP) Dec 28, 2018 China's customs administration announced Friday it had approved US rice imports, a move that comes during a 90-day tariff truce between the two countries which are engaged in a bruising trade war. ... more
Tree-ring analysis explains physiology behind drought intoleranceCorvallis OR (SPX) Dec 27, 2018 Tree rings tell the story of what's happening physiologically as fire suppression makes forests more dense and less tolerant of drought, pests and wildfires, new research shows. Scientists at ... more |
![]() Health checkups for alpine lakes
Collecting clean water from air, inspired by desert lifeColumbus OH (SPX) Dec 27, 2018 Humans can get by in the most basic of shelters, can scratch together a meal from the most humble of ingredients. But we can't survive without clean water. And in places where water is scarce - the ... more |
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New management strategies may help Los Angeles avoid future water crisesWashington (UPI) Dec 19, 2018 Los Angeles' population continues to grow, putting added pressure on the city's water supply. ... more
Seismic study reveals huge amount of water dragged into Earth's interiorWashington DC (SPX) Dec 19, 2018 Slow-motion collisions of tectonic plates under the ocean drag about three times more water down into the deep Earth than previously estimated, according to a first-of-its-kind seismic study that sp ... more
NGOs launch legal action against France over climateParis (AFP) Dec 18, 2018 A group of NGOs including Greenpeace and Oxfam have launched a lawsuit against the French state accusing it of taking insufficient action to tackle climate change. ... more
Sphinx molecule to rescue African farmers from witchweedNagoya, Australia (SPX) Dec 19, 2018 An interdisciplinary team led by researchers at Nagoya University has discovered a highly potent and selective molecule, SPL7, that can lead seeds of the noxious parasitic weed Striga to suicide ger ... more
Understanding food's carbon footprintDurham NC (SPX) Dec 19, 2018 Most people don't realize how much food production contributes to climate change - especially meat. "Beef is the SUV of food," said Rick Larrick, a professor of management and organizations at Duke' ... more |
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Satellite images reveal global poverty Aarhus, Denmark (SPX) Jan 08, 2019
How far have we come in achieving the UN's sustainable development goals that we are committed to nationally and internationally? Yes, it can be difficult to make a global assessment of poverty and poor economic conditions, but with an eye in the sky, researchers are able to give us a very good hint of the living conditions of populations in the world's poor countries.
If we are to achieve ... more |
GPS-denied navigation on small unmanned helicopters Madrid, Spain (SPX) Jan 09, 2019
Drone usage is expected to soar over the next several years. As legal regulations evolve, many industries will embrace drones for a multitude of tasks from infrastructure inspections to commercial fishing and beyond. And despite the potential for enormous growth, this revolutionary technology has an Achilles heel that is rarely mentioned- it is fully dependent on Global Navigation Satellite Syst ... more |
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Beech trees are dying, and nobody's sure why Columbus OH (SPX) Jan 10, 2019
A confounding new disease is killing beech trees in Ohio and elsewhere, and plant scientists are sounding an alarm while looking for an explanation.
In a study published in the journal Forest Pathology, researchers and naturalists from The Ohio State University and metroparks in northeastern Ohio report on the emerging "beech leaf disease" epidemic, calling for speedy work to find a culpri ... more |
Green catalysts with Earth-abundant metals accelerate production of bio-based plastic Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Jan 08, 2019
Scientists at Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech) have developed and analyzed a novel catalyst for the oxidation of 5-hydroxymethyl furfural, which is crucial for generating new raw materials that replace the classic non-renewable ones used for making many plastics.
It should be no surprise to most readers that finding an alternative to non-renewable natural resources is a key topic ... more |
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Seawater turns into freshwater through solar energy Turin, Italy (SPX) Jan 08, 2019
According to FAO estimates, by 2025 nearly 2 billion people may not have enough drinking water to satisfy their daily needs. One of the possible solutions to this problem is desalination, namely treating seawater to make it drinkable. However, removing salt from seawater requires 10 to 1000 times more energy than traditional methods of freshwater supply, namely pumping water from rivers or wells ... more |
Upwind wind plants can reduce flow to downwind neighbors Golden CO (SPX) Dec 19, 2018
New National Science Foundation and Department of Energy-funded research highlights a previously unexplored consequence of the global proliferation of wind energy facilities: a wake effect from upwind facilities that can reduce the energy production of their downwind neighbors.
In collaboration with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), faculty at the University of Colorado Boul ... more |
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Trump officially taps former coal lobbyist to lead EPA Washington (AFP) Jan 9, 2019
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday formally nominated Andrew Wheeler, a former coal industry lobbyist, to lead the Environmental Protection Agency.
The nomination of Wheeler, who is currently the acting EPA chief, requires Senate confirmation.
Wheeler, 54, has been the interim agency administrator since Scott Pruitt resigned in July amid a flurry of ethics scandals, including over ex ... more |
Chinese ambassador accuses Canada of 'white supremacy' in Huawei case Ottawa (AFP) Jan 9, 2019
A Chinese envoy on Wednesday accused Canada and its allies of "Western egotism and white supremacy" for demanding the immediate release of two Canadians held for alleged spying.
In a letter published by The Hill Times newspaper, China's ambassador to Canada Lu Shaye also criticized the "groundless" detention of a top Chinese tech executive at the request of the United States.
China detai ... more |
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Breadmaking robot startup eyes fresh connections Las Vegas (AFP) Jan 7, 2019
The robot breadmaker came to Las Vegas this week, aiming to bring some freshness to a sector that may be ready for disruption.
Wilkinson Baking Company unveiled its BreadBot at the Consumer Electronics Show, a machine that mixes and bakes up to 235 loaves a day.
Chief executive Randall Wilkinson said the device can lower costs and produce fresher breads than are available in most America ... more |
Safer mining practices reduce hazardous exposures in small-scale mining in Nigeria San Francisco CA (SPX) Jan 09, 2019
A pilot program to reduce lead poisoning in Nigerian gold mining communities has brought extraordinary improvements to an area where hundreds of children had died from lead poisoning according to a study published this week. The study authors concluded that a two-year effort to introduce safer mining practices was effective at preventing deaths and reducing lead poisoning in highly exposed villa ... more |
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Trump threatens to axe emergency fire aid for California Washington (AFP) Jan 9, 2019
President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he is cutting emergency federal aid sent to help California after devastating wildfires unless the Democratic-led state gets its "act together."
"Billions of dollars are sent to the State of California for Forrest fires that, with proper Forrest Management, would never happen," Trump tweeted, initially misspelling the word forest before repeating the ... more |
Cold reminders of Earth's last great cold snap revealed in the deep Pacific Washington DC (SPX) Jan 04, 2019
Chilly reminders of a centuries-long cold snap can be found deep within the Pacific, a new study finds.
According to the results, ongoing cooling observed in Pacific deep-ocean temperatures indicates that the deep Pacific is still adjusting to the surface cooling that occurred during the Little Ice Age, which began nearly 1,000 years ago.
The common-era climate anomaly known as the L ... more |
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Koala drinks from water bottle in Australia heatwave Sydney (AFP) Jan 1, 2019
As Australia swelters in an extreme heatwave, a video of a woman in the state of Victoria pouring water into the mouth of a thirsty koala has melted hearts online.
The vast continent has experienced intense heat over the past week, with the mercury up 16 degrees Celsius (60 degrees Fahrenheit) higher than usual for this time of year in southern Australia.
Numerous towns set new December ... more |
China says US trade talks 'laid foundation' to resolve concerns Beijing (AFP) Jan 10, 2019
China said Thursday that trade talks in Beijing with a US negotiating team had "laid the foundation" to resolve concerns held by both sides in a bruising trade war.
US officials visited Beijing from Monday to Wednesday for the first sit-down talks since President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping agreed on December 1 to a three-month truce in the escalating trade spat.
World mar ... more |
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Five things to know about January's total Lunar eclipse Syracuse NY (SPX) Jan 10, 2019
This month's rare total eclipse will be the last one visible from the United States until 2022.
Walter Freeman is an assistant teaching professor in the Physics Department at Syracuse University. Freeman answers five questions about the upcoming eclipse.
Freeman says: What should those in the viewing area of the Jan. 20-21 total lunar eclipse expect to see?
"Viewers will see a ... more |
Protesters urge end to wild boar 'massacre' in Poland Warsaw (AFP) Jan 9, 2019
Hundreds of protesters rallied in Warsaw on Wednesday demanding an end to a mass cull aimed at wiping out Poland's entire wild boar population in what authorities insist is a bid to fight a disease threatening the pork industry.
Environmentalists and scientists warn that the cull could upset the ecosystem and even inadvertently spread African swine fever (ASF), which is deadly to pigs. The d ... more |
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