Today: September 20, 2024
Today: September 20, 2024

Science

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

June 16, 2023
Virgin Galactic to send Italian researchers to space, then regular commercial flights
Science

Archeologists find mummy surrounded by coca leaves on hilltop in Peru's capital

Archeologists have found a pre-Hispanic mummy surrounded by coca leaves on top of a hill in Peru’s capital next to the practice field of a professional soccer club. A team from The Associated Press on Thursday viewed the skeleton with long black hair lying face up with its lower extremities tied with a rope braided from vines of vegetable origin. Stones surrounded the mummy buried one meter (three feet) down. Miguel Aguilar, a professor of archeology at Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, said the mummy was buried in a ritual that included coca leaves and

June 16, 2023
Archeologists find mummy surrounded by coca leaves on hilltop in Peru's capital
Science

Central Park birder Christian Cooper is turning his viral video fame into a memoir and TV show

There’s nothing that can keep Christian Cooper from enjoying his “happy place,” the bird-friendly Ramble of Central Park — not even his tense, viral video encounter three years ago with a woman walking her dog off leash in his refuge. Cooper is a lifelong birder, and Black, a relative rarity for the pastime. The dog owner is Amy Cooper, who is white and no relation. His video of her pleading with a 911 operator to “send the cops” because, she falsely claimed, an African American man was threatening her life has been viewed more than 45

June 16, 2023
Central Park birder Christian Cooper is turning his viral video fame into a memoir and TV show
Science

Popular 'low T' treatment is safe for men with heart disease, but doctors warn it's no youth serum

Testosterone replacement therapy is safe for men with “low T” who have heart disease or are at high risk for it, a new study suggests. But doctors warn the popular treatment is no “anti-aging tonic.” The research, published Friday in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that heart attacks, strokes and other major cardiac issues were no more common among those using testosterone gel than those using a placebo. That implies the gel is also safe for men without cardiovascular problems who have low T, said Dr. Steven Nissen, a cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic and senior author of

June 16, 2023
Popular 'low T' treatment is safe for men with heart disease, but doctors warn it's no youth serum
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

June 17, 2023
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

June 17, 2023
Federal court sides with lobster fishers in whale protection case anchored off New England
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

June 17, 2023
Federal judge blocks much of Indiana's ban on gender-affirming care for minors
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.

June 18, 2023
Swiss vote on climate bill as Alpine nation's iconic glaciers succumb to warming
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

June 19, 2023
Death toll rises amid sweltering heat wave in 2 of India's most populous states
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

June 20, 2023
Ending Nigeria's fuel subsidy pushes a shift to solar. Without a climate plan, progress is at risk
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

June 21, 2023
Young plaintiffs' attorney closes Montana climate change trial with call for action
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

June 21, 2023
Paris summit aims to shake up the financial system. It will test leaders' resolve on climate
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

June 21, 2023
Proposed Minnesota nickel mine begins environmental review, would supply Tesla if approved
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

June 21, 2023
How search teams could use sound to find the Titan sub -- and why it's a challenge
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

June 21, 2023
US approves chicken made from cultivated cells, the nation's first 'lab-grown' meat
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

June 22, 2023
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

June 22, 2023
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

June 22, 2023
Is it chicken? Here's how the first bite of 'cell-cultivated' meat tastes
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

June 22, 2023
Climate change leads to growing risk of mosquito-borne viral diseases, EU agency says
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

June 22, 2023
Germany sees opportunity in nuclear fusion, but funding for research remains uncertain
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

June 22, 2023
Nearly half of US honeybee colonies died last year. Struggling beekeepers stabilize population
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

June 22, 2023
Did initial delays in communication hamper tourist sub search?
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

June 22, 2023
US engineers contributed to Missouri River flood damage and must pay landowners, court rules
Science

With the fate of those on Titanic-bound submersible known, focus turns to cause of fatal implosion

The search for a missing Titanic-bound submersible has become an investigation and salvage mission that will take an indefinite amount of time, officials said, as tributes from around the world poured in for the five people killed when the vessel imploded deep in the North Atlantic. The announcement Thursday that all aboard perished when the submersible imploded near the site of the iconic shipwreck brought a tragic end to a five-day saga that included an urgent around-the-clock search and a worldwide vigil for the vessel known as the Titan. The investigation into what happened was already underway and would continue

June 23, 2023
With the fate of those on Titanic-bound submersible known, focus turns to cause of fatal implosion
Science

NASA opposes lithium mining at tabletop flat Nevada desert site used to calibrate satellites

Environmentalists, ranchers and others have fought for years against lithium mining ventures in Nevada. Yet opposition to mining one particular desert tract for the silvery white metal used in electric car batteries is coming from unusual quarters: space. An ancient Nevada lakebed beckons as a vast source of the coveted metal needed to produce cleaner electric energy and fight global warming. But NASA says the same site — flat as a tabletop and undisturbed like none other in the Western Hemisphere — is indispensable for calibrating the razor-sharp measurements of hundreds of satellites orbiting overhead. At

June 23, 2023
NASA opposes lithium mining at tabletop flat Nevada desert site used to calibrate satellites

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