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

Latest From The Los Angeles Post

Science

US engineers contributed to Missouri River flood damage and must pay landowners, court rules

The U.S. government may have to pay tens of millions of dollars — or more — to landowners along the Missouri River after a court ruled it worsened flooding there since 2007 that killed crops and wrecked homes and businesses. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit upheld a lower court’s 2020 ruling that the federal government must pay for the landowners’ loss of value to the land. But the appeals court went even further in its decision last Friday, saying that the government must also pay them for crops, farm equipment and buildings

US engineers contributed to Missouri River flood damage and must pay landowners, court rules
Science

Did initial delays in communication hamper tourist sub search?

Eight hours. And within them, many unanswered questions. About an hour and a half after it dipped below the North Atlantic, a submersible on an expedition to view the wreckage of the Titanic lost communication with the surface. It would take another nearly eight hours before the Canadian research icebreaker Polar Prince, supporting the Titan submersible, reported it missing to the Coast Guard — a report that triggered the international rescue effort that was ongoing Thursday. The time lag has yet to be explained by the company that owns the submersible, OceanGate Expeditions. Sean Leet, head of

Did initial delays in communication hamper tourist sub search?
Science

Nearly half of US honeybee colonies died last year. Struggling beekeepers stabilize population

America’s honeybee hives just staggered through the second highest death rate on record, with beekeepers losing nearly half of their managed colonies, an annual bee survey found. But using costly and Herculean measures to create new colonies, beekeepers are somehow keeping afloat. Thursday’s University of Maryland and Auburn University survey found that even though 48% of colonies were lost in the year that ended April 1, the number of United States honeybee colonies “remained relatively stable.” Honeybees are crucial to the food supply, pollinating more than 100 of the crops we eat, including nuts, vegetables, berries, citrus

Nearly half of US honeybee colonies died last year. Struggling beekeepers stabilize population
Science

Germany sees opportunity in nuclear fusion, but funding for research remains uncertain

The German government announced draft plans Thursday to boost domestic research into development of nuclear fusion, a technology some hope will provide abundant clean energy in the future, but left open how those efforts will be funded. Science Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger said that under the proposal, Germany will support all promising fusion technologies now being developed, including laser-based methods that achieved recent breakthroughs in the United States but aren’t widely researched in Europe. Another method, using powerful magnets, has already received significant support from Germany at both its own Wendelstein 7-X research reactor in the northern town

Germany sees opportunity in nuclear fusion, but funding for research remains uncertain
Science

Climate change leads to growing risk of mosquito-borne viral diseases, EU agency says

European Union officials warned Thursday there is a growing risk of mosquito-borne viral diseases such as dengue and chikungunya in Europe due to climate change. The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control said that because Europe is experiencing a warming trend, with heat waves and flooding becoming more frequent and severe, and summers getting longer and warmer, the conditions are more favorable for invasive mosquito species such as Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti. The Stockholm-based agency said in a report that Aedes albopictus is a known vector of chikungunya and dengue viruses and has been

Climate change leads to growing risk of mosquito-borne viral diseases, EU agency says
Science

Rescuers make last desperate push as final hours of oxygen on missing Titanic submersible tick down

The race against time to find a submersible that disappeared on its way to the Titanic wreckage site entered a new phase of desperation on Thursday morning as the final hours of oxygen possibly left on board the tiny vessel ticked off the clock. Rescuers have rushed more ships and vessels to the site of the disappearance, hoping underwater sounds they detected for a second straight day might help narrow their search in the urgent, international mission. But the crew had only a four-day oxygen supply when the vessel, called the Titan, set off around 6 a.m. Sunday. Even those

Rescuers make last desperate push as final hours of oxygen on missing Titanic submersible tick down
Science

World leaders, activists in Paris seek financial response to climate emergency, poverty

World leaders, heads of international organizations and activists are gathering in Paris for a two-day summit aimed at seeking better responses to tackle poverty and climate change issues by reshaping the global financial system. Developing nations point to an outdated system where the United States, Europe, China and other big economies that have caused most climate damage are leaving the poorest countries to deal with the consequences. The Paris talks also come as the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and a global debt crisis have led to a drop in life expectancy and an increase in

World leaders, activists in Paris seek financial response to climate emergency, poverty
Science

Is it chicken? Here's how the first bite of 'cell-cultivated' meat tastes

When I told friends and family I was reporting on the first chicken meat grown from animal cells, their first comment was “Eww.” Their second comment was: “How does it taste?” The short answer (you’ve probably heard this sentence before in other contexts): Tastes like chicken. The longer answer, which folds in the “Eww” response, is more nuanced. Yes, it’s strange to think of eating a totally new kind of meat — chicken that doesn’t come from a chicken, meat that will be sold as “cell-cultivated” chicken after the U.S. Agriculture Department on Wednesday gave the green light to two

Is it chicken? Here's how the first bite of 'cell-cultivated' meat tastes
Science

How search teams could use sound to find the Titan sub -- and why it's a challenge

Search teams racing to find the missing Titanic submersible have detected underwater noises in the area. But it won’t be easy to find the source of that sound in the ocean. “It’s not a simple problem,” said Matt Dzieciuch, an ocean acoustics expert at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. The ocean is a “noisy place,” Dzieciuch said. There are many other potential sources of sound under water, including from fish, other animals and of course human-made instruments, he explained. The Coast Guard said search teams heard banging noises at 30-minute intervals. But it’s still “speculative” whether the banging noises were

How search teams could use sound to find the Titan sub -- and why it's a challenge
Science

Proposed Minnesota nickel mine begins environmental review, would supply Tesla if approved

Talon Metals Corp. filed papers with Minnesota regulators Wednesday to launch the environmental review process for its proposed underground nickel mine near the northern town of Tamarack, which would supply nickel to Tesla for electric car batteries. The Department of Energy has already given the project a $114 million grant to build an ore processing plant in North Dakota, part of the Biden administration’s efforts to boost domestic production of nickel, lithium and other metals needed for electric vehicles and the fight against climate change. That funding contrasts with the administration’s efforts to kill another proposed mining

Proposed Minnesota nickel mine begins environmental review, would supply Tesla if approved
Science

US approves chicken made from cultivated cells, the nation's first 'lab-grown' meat

For the first time, U.S. regulators on Wednesday approved the sale of chicken made from animal cells, allowing two California companies to offer “lab-grown” meat to the nation’s restaurant tables and eventually, supermarket shelves. The Agriculture Department gave the green light to Upside Foods and Good Meat, firms that had been racing to be the first in the U.S. to sell meat that doesn’t come from slaughtered animals — what’s now being referred to as “cell-cultivated” or “cultured” meat as it emerges from the laboratory and arrives on dinner plates. The move launches a new era of meat production aimed

US approves chicken made from cultivated cells, the nation's first 'lab-grown' meat
Science

Paris summit aims to shake up the financial system. It will test leaders' resolve on climate

Heads of state, finance leaders and activists from around the world will converge in Paris this week to seek ways to overhaul the world’s development banks — like the International Monetary Fund and World Bank — and help them weather a warmer and stormier world. While restructuring debt and reducing poverty will be part of the summit Thursday and Friday, climate will be the main driver, with representatives from developing nations in Africa, Asia and elsewhere having a prominent seat at the table. The World Bank and IMF have been criticized for not factoring climate change into

Paris summit aims to shake up the financial system. It will test leaders' resolve on climate
Science

Young plaintiffs' attorney closes Montana climate change trial with call for action

An attorney for 16 young plaintiffs urged a judge Tuesday to strike down as unconstitutional a Montana law that prohibits state agencies from considering the environmental effects when it weighs permits allowing the release of greenhouse gases. Attorney Nate Bellinger made the plea in his closing argument at the end of a seven-day trial. Plaintiffs say state officials violated their right to a clean and healthful environment, part of the Montana Constitution, by allowing companies to build power plants and expand coal mines, among other things. “Like other monumental constitutional cases before, the state of Montana

Young plaintiffs' attorney closes Montana climate change trial with call for action
Science

Ending Nigeria's fuel subsidy pushes a shift to solar. Without a climate plan, progress is at risk

As soon as Bridget Mosanya went to get a book from her bag to study, it started to rain. The power immediately went out, as it virtually always does in Nigeria, even if it is barely drizzling. “NEPA has taken light,” the 17-year-old said in her now-dark room. She was referring to the National Electric Power Authority, a long-defunct public utility whose abbreviation is still the commonly used name for the intermittent power supply from Nigeria’s fragile electric grid. Her father, Tunde Mosanya, turned on the family’s small solar system, lighting up the living room, master

Ending Nigeria's fuel subsidy pushes a shift to solar. Without a climate plan, progress is at risk
Science

Death toll rises amid sweltering heat wave in 2 of India's most populous states

Nearly 170 people have died in two of India’s most populous states in recent days amid a sweltering heat wave, officials said Monday, as hospitals are overwhelmed with patients and routine power outages add to the challenges. In the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, 119 people have died from heat-related illnesses over the last several days while in neighboring Bihar state 47 people have died, according to local news reports and health officials. The largest hospital in Ballia district in Uttar Pradesh is unable to accommodate more patients, officials said, and its morgue was overwhelmed after

Death toll rises amid sweltering heat wave in 2 of India's most populous states
Science

Swiss vote on climate bill as Alpine nation's iconic glaciers succumb to warming

Swiss voters are going to the polls Sunday to decide on a bill aimed at introducing new climate measures to sharply curb the rich Alpine nation’s greenhouse gas emissions. The referendum was sparked by a campaign by scientists and environmentalists to save Switzerland’s iconic glaciers, which are melting away at an alarming rate. Campaigners initially proposed even more ambitious measures but later backed a government plan that requires Switzerland to achieve “net zero” emissions by 2050. It also sets aside more than 3 billion Swiss francs ($3.357 billion) to help wean companies and homeowners off fossil fuels.

Swiss vote on climate bill as Alpine nation's iconic glaciers succumb to warming
Science

Federal judge blocks much of Indiana's ban on gender-affirming care for minors

A federal judge issued an order Friday stopping an Indiana ban on puberty blockers and hormones for transgender minors from taking effect as scheduled July 1. The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana sought the temporary injunction in its legal challenge of the Republican-backed law, which was enacted this spring amid a national push by GOP-led legislatures to curb LGBTQ+ rights. The order from U.S. District Court Judge James Patrick Hanlon will allow the law’s prohibition on gender-affirming surgeries to take effect. Hanlon’s order also blocks provisions that would prohibit Indiana doctors from communicating with out-of-state doctors

Federal judge blocks much of Indiana's ban on gender-affirming care for minors
Science

Donald Triplett, the 1st person diagnosed with autism, dies at 89

The Mississippi man known as “Case 1,” the first person to be diagnosed with autism, has died. Donald G. Triplett was the subject of a book titled “In a Different Key,” a PBS documentary film, BBC news magazine installment and countless medical journal articles. But to employees at the Bank of Forest, in a small city about 40 miles (64 kilometers) east of Jackson, he was simply “Don,” WLBT-TV reported. Triplett died Thursday, confirmed Lesa Davis, the bank’s senior vice president. He was 89. Triplett worked for 65 years at the bank where his father Beamon

Donald Triplett, the 1st person diagnosed with autism, dies at 89
Science

Federal court sides with lobster fishers in whale protection case anchored off New England

A federal appeals court has sided with commercial fishermen who say proposed restrictions aimed at saving a vanishing species of whale could put them out of business. The fishermen harvest lobsters and crabs off New England and oppose tough new restrictions on the way they fish that are intended to protect the North Atlantic right whale. The whale numbers only about 340 in the world and it’s vulnerable to lethal entanglement in fishing gear. The fishermen and the state of Maine appealed their case to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit

Federal court sides with lobster fishers in whale protection case anchored off New England
Science

Roger Payne, who found out that whales could sing, dies at 88

Roger Payne, the scientist who spurred a worldwide environmental conservation movement with his discovery that whales could sing, has died. He was 88. Payne made the discovery in 1967 during a research trip to Bermuda in which a Navy engineer provided him with a recording of curious underwater sounds documented while listening for Russian submarines. Payne identified the haunting tones as songs whales sing to one another. He saw the discovery of whale song as a chance to spur interest in saving the giant animals, who were disappearing from the planet. Payne would produce the album “Songs of the Humpback

Roger Payne, who found out that whales could sing, dies at 88
Science

Germany says climate measures will narrow but not fully close the country's emissions gap by 2030

An array of climate measures being introduced by Germany’s government will bring the country closer but not all the way toward meeting its national goals for cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, officials said Wednesday. Germany’s Climate Ministry said that measures already in place or soon to become law will reduce emissions by about 900 million metric tons of carbon dioxide for the period from 2022 to 2030 — about 80% of the 1,100 million tons of the planet-warming gas the government is aiming to cut. An “emissions gap” of about 200 million tons of CO2 will

Germany says climate measures will narrow but not fully close the country's emissions gap by 2030
Science

Female Mexican gray wolf released into wild in Arizona in move to help wolf's recovery

A female Mexican gray wolf that a group of schoolchildren nicknamed Asha has been returned to the wilds of Arizona after she was found wandering in northern New Mexico outside of a zone set up for the recovery of her subspecies, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Wednesday. The wolf was headed north into the southern Rocky Mountains of New Mexico in January when the wildlife service captured her outside the recovery area. The Fish and Wildlife Service says it does not anthropomorphize wild animals by using human or pet names favored by the public and

Female Mexican gray wolf released into wild in Arizona in move to help wolf's recovery
Science

Confidence in science fell in 2022 while political divides persisted, poll shows

Confidence in the scientific community declined among U.S. adults in 2022, a major survey shows, driven by a partisan divide in views of both science and medicine that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, 39% of U.S. adults said they had “a great deal of confidence” in the scientific community, down from 48% in 2018 and 2021. That’s according to the General Social Survey, a long-running poll conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago that has monitored Americans’ opinions on key topics since 1972. An additional 48% of adults in the latest survey reported “only

Confidence in science fell in 2022 while political divides persisted, poll shows
Science

How to see 5 planets line up in the sky on Saturday morning

Wake up early this weekend to catch a celestial sight: Five planets will line up in the sky before sunrise on Saturday. Saturn, Neptune, Jupiter, Uranus and Mercury will appear together, weather permitting. Here’s how to spot the planet parade. WHEN AND WHERE CAN I SEE THEM? For the best views, seek a spot with little light pollution and a clear view of the horizon. Mercury will be the last to come into view, about an hour before sunrise. If you go outside at that time, you’ll be able to see all five planets stretching across

How to see 5 planets line up in the sky on Saturday morning
Science

Virgin Galactic to send Italian researchers to space, then regular commercial flights

Virgin Galactic announced Thursday that monthly commercial flights to the edge of space will begin for ticket-holders in August, following a research flight planned for the end of June. The space tourism company will be taking up a team of specialists with the Italian Air Force and the National Research Centre of Italy to conduct microgravity research. The window for that research flight will begin June 27 and span the next three days, with timing depending on the weather. After that, those who have been waiting more than a decade for their ride aboard Virgin Galactic’s

Virgin Galactic to send Italian researchers to space, then regular commercial flights

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