Today: October 12, 2024
Today: October 12, 2024

Latest From The Los Angeles Post

Science

Much of Florida under state of emergency as possible tropical storm forms in Gulf of Mexico

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency Saturday for most of the state’s Gulf coast as forecasters say a weather system off the coast of Mexico could soon become a tropical storm and start moving toward the area. DeSantis’ declaration covers the Gulf coast from the southwestern city of Fort Myers north through Panama City in the Panhandle. Thirty-three of the state’s 67 counties are covered in the declaration. The National Hurricane Center says there’s a 70% chance the system will become a tropical storm by Monday and a 90% chance overall. Currently,

Much of Florida under state of emergency as possible tropical storm forms in Gulf of Mexico
Science

A broad genetic test saved one newborn's life. Research suggests it could help millions of others

Brynn Schulte nearly died twice when she was a baby, at one point needing emergency surgery for massive bleeding in her brain. No one knew what was wrong until a test that looked at her full genetic blueprint found a rare bleeding disorder called factor XIII deficiency — an early diagnosis that saved her life. “You have this hopeless feeling when you don’t really know what’s going on,” said her father, Mike Schulte. “Casting a wide net really made a world of difference figuring this out quickly and getting her the right care that she needed almost

A broad genetic test saved one newborn's life. Research suggests it could help millions of others
Science

India's lunar rover keeps walking on the moon, days after spacecraft's historic touchdown

India’s lunar rover continued its walk on the moon Friday after the historic touch-down of India’s spacecraft near the moon’s south pole earlier this week, the country’s space agency said. The rover’s data collection and experiments could help determine if there is oxygen and hydrogen on the moon. The Chandrayan-3 Rover is expected to conduct experiments over 14 days, including an analysis of the mineral composition of the lunar surface, the Indian Space Research Organization has said. “The rover has successfully traversed a distance of about 8 meters (26.2 feet),” ISRO said Friday. “All payloads on

India's lunar rover keeps walking on the moon, days after spacecraft's historic touchdown
Science

Launch of 4 astronauts to space station bumped to Saturday

NASA and SpaceX halted the countdown late Thursday for the launch of four astronauts to the International Space Station. Mission managers rescheduled the liftoff for early Saturday morning, giving them an extra 24 hours to close out lingering issues, officials said. Nearly ideal weather was expected. The four astronauts, representing four countries, had not yet headed to the SpaceX Falcon rocket awaiting them on the pad. They are expected to spend six months at the space station, replacing four astronauts who have been there for half a year. A NASA astronaut is leading the new

Launch of 4 astronauts to space station bumped to Saturday
Science

India's lunar rover goes down a ramp to the moon's surface and takes a walk

A lunar rover slid down a ramp from the lander of India’s spacecraft within hours of its historic touch-down near the moon’s south pole, Indian space officials said Thursday, as the country celebrated its new scientific accomplishment. “India took a walk on the moon,” the state-run Indian Space Research Organization said, adding that the Chandrayan-3 Rover would conduct experiments over 14 days, including an analysis of the mineral composition of the lunar surface. Residents of the world’s most populous country had crowded around televisions in offices, shops, and restaurants on Wednesday and erupted into clapping, dancing,

India's lunar rover goes down a ramp to the moon's surface and takes a walk
Science

Study reveals how much carbon damage would cost corporations if they paid for their emissions

The world’s corporations produce so much climate change pollution, it could eat up about 44% of their profits if they had to pay damages for it, according to a study by economists of nearly 15,000 public companies. The “corporate carbon damages” from those publicly owned companies analyzed — a fraction of all the corporations — probably runs in the trillions of dollars globally and in the hundreds of billions for American firms, one of the study authors estimated in figures that were not part of the published research. That’s based on the cost of carbon dioxide pollution that the United

Study reveals how much carbon damage would cost corporations if they paid for their emissions
Science

Loss of Antarctic ice hurting survival of emperor penguin chicks, study says

The loss of ice in one region of Antarctica last year likely resulted in none of the emperor penguin chicks surviving in four colonies, researchers reported Thursday. Emperor penguins hatch their eggs and raise their chicks on the ice that forms around the continent each Antarctic winter and melts in the summer months. Researchers used satellite imagery to look at breeding colonies in a region near Antarctica’s Bellingshausen Sea. The images showed no ice was left there in December during the Southern Hemisphere’s summer, as had occurred in 2021. Researchers said it is likely that no chicks

Loss of Antarctic ice hurting survival of emperor penguin chicks, study says
Science

London Zoo's animals, from tarantulas to tigers, get their annual weigh-in

Staff at London Zoo got the measure of giant gorillas, plump penguins and skinny stick insects at the zoo’s annual animal weigh-in on Thursday. Zookeepers tempted squirrel monkeys onto scales, totted up tarantulas and used a curry-scented measuring stick to coax Sumatran tigers to stretch out. Staff at the zoo, which is home to some 14,000 animals, will take several days to weigh and measure every mammal, bird, reptile, fish and invertebrate in its care. The results go into a database that is shared with zoos around the world. Angela Ryan, head of zoological operations at London

London Zoo's animals, from tarantulas to tigers, get their annual weigh-in
Science

New gas pipeline rules floated following 2018 blasts in Massachusetts

Federal regulators are proposing a series of rules changes aimed at toughening safety requirements for millions of miles of gas distribution pipelines nationwide following a string of gas explosions in Massachusetts in 2018. These proposed changes are designed to improve safety and ease risk through the improvement of emergency response plans, integrity management plans, operation manuals and other steps, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. This proposal was prompted by the series of blasts that ripped though parts of the Merrimack Valley region of Massachusetts. The explosions and fires in

New gas pipeline rules floated following 2018 blasts in Massachusetts
Science

As research grows into how to stop gun violence, one city looks to science for help

“That’s where I got shot,” said Rashaad Woods, nodding toward a convenience store in Knoxville’s “gun zone.” There were bullet holes in a church’s walls. Nearby was a shuttered nightclub where some people were killed. “There was a point in time I wasn’t comfortable standing here,” said Kodi Mills, 45. “But that time is passing.” The men work for Turn Up Knox, a year-old outreach program that mentors kids and defuses situations that could escalate into violence. It’s a centerpiece of the Tennessee city’s attempt to follow a science-based playbook in fighting a surge in shootings.

As research grows into how to stop gun violence, one city looks to science for help
Science

The Fukushima nuclear plant is ready to release radioactive wastewater into sea later Thursday

The operator of the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant will begin releasing the first batch of treated and diluted radioactive wastewater into the Pacific Ocean later Thursday, utility executives said. Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings executive Junichi Matsumoto said its final preparations and testing have cleared safety standards and the release will begin in the early afternoon. The release will begin more than 12 years after the meltdowns of three reactors at the plant that was heavily damaged by the massive earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan’s northeastern coast on March 11, 2011. Radioactive water

The Fukushima nuclear plant is ready to release radioactive wastewater into sea later Thursday
Science

Tropical storm hits Caribbean, wildfires rage in Greece. What to know about extreme weather now

Flames devoured forests and homes as dozens of wildfires raged across Greece Wednesday, leaving 20 people dead over the past three days, while major blazes burned in northwestern Turkey near the Greek border and on Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands. A major blaze on the northwestern fringe of Athens was torching homes and heading into Parnitha national park, one of the last green areas near the Greek capital. Associated Press photographer Achilleas Chiras captured the march of fire Wednesday through a forest near the village of Sykorrahi in the northeastern Evros region. Here’s what else is happening related to extreme

Tropical storm hits Caribbean, wildfires rage in Greece. What to know about extreme weather now
Science

Deep-sea 'hot tubs' help octopus moms hatch their eggs faster

Most octopuses lead solitary lives. So scientists were startled to find thousands of octopus huddled together, protecting their eggs at the bottom of the ocean off the central California coast. Now researchers may have solved the mystery of why these pearl octopus congregate: Heat seeping up from the base of an extinct underwater volcano helps their eggs hatch faster. “There are clear advantages of basically sitting in this natural hot tub,” said Janet Voight, an octopus biologist at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago and co-author of the study, which was published Wednesday in Science

Deep-sea 'hot tubs' help octopus moms hatch their eggs faster
Science

India's spacecraft is preparing to land on the moon in the country's second attempt in 4 years

India was counting down to landing a spacecraft near the moon’s south pole Wednesday — an unchartered territory that scientists believe could hold important reserves of frozen water and precious elements. A lander with a rover inside was orbiting before attempting to touch down on the lunar surface, creating an agonizing wait for India’s space scientists in the southern city of Bengaluru. India is making its second attempt in four years to join the United States, the Soviet Union and China in achieving the landmark. India unexpectedly got into a race with Russia, which had planned

India's spacecraft is preparing to land on the moon in the country's second attempt in 4 years
Science

Climate change doubled chance of weather conditions that led to record Quebec fires, researchers say

Climate change more than doubled the chances of the hot, dry weather that helped fuel the unprecedented wildfire season in eastern Canada that’s driven thousands from their homes and blanketed parts of the U.S. with choking smoke, according to an analysis released Tuesday. What’s more, human-caused climate change made the fire season in Quebec — from May through July — 50% more intense than it otherwise would have been and increased the likelihood of similarly severe fire seasons at least sevenfold, researchers said. “The biggest takeaway is, this is because of us that we have seen so many fires this

Climate change doubled chance of weather conditions that led to record Quebec fires, researchers say
Science

A failed lunar mission dents Russian pride and reflects deeper problems with Moscow's space industry

An ambitious but failed attempt by Russia to return to the moon after nearly half a century has exposed the massive challenges faced by Moscow’s once-proud space program. The destruction of the robotic Luna-25 probe, which crashed onto the surface of the moon over the weekend, reflects the endemic problems that have dogged the Russian space industry since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union. Those include the loss of key technologies in the post-Soviet industrial meltdown, the bruising impact of recent Western sanctions, a huge brain drain and widespread corruption. Yuri Borisov, the head of the state-controlled space corporation

A failed lunar mission dents Russian pride and reflects deeper problems with Moscow's space industry
Science

How a mix of natural and human-caused caused factors cooked up Tropical Storm Hilary's soggy mess

A natural El Nino, human-caused climate change, a stubborn heat dome over the nation’s midsection and other factors cooked up Tropical Storm Hilary’s record-breaking slosh into California and Nevada, scientists figure. Cooked up is the key phrase, since hot water and hot air were crucial in rapidly growing Hilary and then steering the storm on an unusual path that dumped 10 months of rain in a single weekend in normally bone-dry places. Nearly a foot of rain fell along a couple Southern California mountains while cities smashed summertime records. “It was a combination of sort of a perfect situation of

How a mix of natural and human-caused caused factors cooked up Tropical Storm Hilary's soggy mess
Science

Russian space agency chief blames decades of inactivity for Luna-25 lander's crash on the moon

The head of Russia’s space agency said Monday that the Luna-25 spacecraft crashed into the moon after its engines failed to shut down correctly, and he blamed the country’s decades-long pause in lunar exploration for the mishap. The pilotless Luna-25 had been scheduled to land Monday while aiming to become the first spacecraft to touch down on the south pole of the moon, an area where scientists believe important reserves of frozen water and precious elements may exist. Roscosmos Director General Yury Borisov said the spacecraft’s engines were turned on over the weekend to put Luna-25 into

Russian space agency chief blames decades of inactivity for Luna-25 lander's crash on the moon
Science

Japan govt makes final plea to gain fisheries' understanding for Fukushima plant water release

Japanese government officials sought understanding from fisheries groups Monday for the impending release of treated radioactive wastewater from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea and pledged to support their livelihoods throughout the process that will take decades. Economy and Industry Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura met with the head of the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives and promised that the government is doing everything it can to ensure the safety of the release and prepared measures to protect the fisheries industry’s reputation. Nishimura told the fisheries official, Masanobu Sakamoto, that the water release is essential for the

Japan govt makes final plea to gain fisheries' understanding for Fukushima plant water release
Science

How a family's choice to donate a body for pig kidney research could help change transplants

Mary Miller-Duffy was dazed and grieving. Her brother suddenly collapsed and days later was brain-dead. Now she faced a tough question: Would she donate his body for research? That’s how the body of Maurice “Mo” Miller started its journey to a sunny corner of NYU Langone Health’s intensive care unit — and became part of the quest to one day ease the nation’s transplant shortage with organs from animals. “He always wanted to help people,” said Miller-Duffy, who struggled with the choice but is proud of her brother’s last act. “This tragic death, this fast short

How a family's choice to donate a body for pig kidney research could help change transplants
Science

Stem cells from one eye show promise in healing injuries in the other

Phil Durst recalled clawing at his face after a chemical from a commercial dishwashing machine squirted into his eyes, causing “the most indescribable pain I’ve ever felt — ever, ever, ever.” His left eye bore the brunt of the 2017 work accident, which stole his vision, left him unable to tolerate light and triggered four to five cluster headaches a day. Then he underwent an experimental procedure that aims to treat severe injuries in one eye with stem cells from the other. “I went from completely blind with debilitating headaches and pondering if I could go another day — like

Stem cells from one eye show promise in healing injuries in the other
Science

NASA’s Psyche mission is going to unlock the secrets of our planet!

An illustration of the asteroid Psyche, orbiting between Mars and Jupiter. 24K-Production/iStock via Getty Images Plus French novelist Jules Verne delighted 19th-century readers with the tantalizing notion that a journey to the center of the Earth was actually plausible. Since then, scientists have long acknowledged that Verne’s literary journey was only science fiction. The extreme temperatures of the Earth’s interior – around 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit (5,537 Celsius) at the core – and the accompanying crushing pressure, which is millions of times more than at the surface, prevent people from venturing down very far. Still, there are a few things known

NASA’s Psyche mission is going to unlock the secrets of our planet!
Science

A Nigerian forest and its animals are under threat. Poachers have become rangers to protect both

Sunday Abiodun, carrying a sword in one hand and balancing a musket over his other shoulder, cleared weeds on a footpath leading to a cluster of new trees. Until recently, it had been a spot to grow cocoa, one of several plots that Abiodun and his fellow forest rangers destroyed after farmers cut down trees to make way for the crop used to make chocolate — driving away birds in the process. “When we see such a farm during patrol, we destroy it and plant trees instead,” Abiodun said. It could take more than

A Nigerian forest and its animals are under threat. Poachers have become rangers to protect both
Science

New study finds far more hurricane-related deaths in US, especially among poor and vulnerable

Hurricanes in the U.S. the last few decades killed thousands more people than meteorologists traditionally calculate and a disproportionate number of those victims are poor, vulnerable and minorities, according to a new epidemiological study. A team of public health and storm experts calculated that from 1988 to 2019 more than 18,000 people likely died, mostly indirectly, because of hurricanes and lesser tropical cyclones in the continental United States. That’s 13 times more than the 1,385 people directly killed by storms that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration figures, but the study authors said those numbers aren’t directly comparable. Instead of

New study finds far more hurricane-related deaths in US, especially among poor and vulnerable
Science

US looks to ban imports, exports of a tropical fish threatened by aquarium trade

The federal government is looking to ban importation and exportation of a species of a tropical fish that conservation groups have long said is exploited by the pet trade. The fish is the Banggai cardinalfish, a small striped saltwater fish native to Indonesia. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration listed the species as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 2016, saying that the main threats to the fish included harvest for ornamental aquariums. The agency proposed on Tuesday to apply prohibitions under the Endangered Species Act that would make it unlawful to import or export the species in the

US looks to ban imports, exports of a tropical fish threatened by aquarium trade

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