Life

A whale chorus reveals how climate change may be shifting migration

by Sara HUSSEIN TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Eerie wails, explosive trumpets and ghostly moans. The sounds from the underwater recorders had a story to tell, even without a single intelligible word: the whales had stayed put. The recordings gathered during the 2018-2019 winter in the freezing cold Arctic waters off Canada proved that a population of bowhead whales had skipped their usual migration south. Scientists believe this behaviour — never previously detected — could be […]

PHL FDA issues EUA to J&J’s single-dose Janssen COVID-19 vaccine

  (Eagle News) – After careful consideration, the Philippine Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) to the “Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine” of Johnson and Johnson on Monday, April 19. The single dose vaccine can only be used for individuals aged 18 and above. The FDA said that Johnson and Johnson was able to provide all the supporting documents, and these had been reviewed by local experts. The EUA was issued amid a […]

Extreme melt reduced Greenland ice sheet storage: study

by Patrick GALEY PARIS, France (AFP) — The vast melting of Greenland’s ice sheet caused by unusually high temperatures in 2012 had a lasting impact on its ability to absorb and store future meltwater, new research showed Tuesday. Authors of the research said it was evidence of how one-off or rare weather events could have a lasting impact on Earth’s frozen spaces and a knock-on effect on global sea levels. In summer 2012, much of […]

Russia to launch own space station in 2025

MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russia’s space agency said Tuesday it hoped to launch its own orbital station in 2025 as Moscow considers withdrawing from the International Space Station programme to go it alone. Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin said work had begun on the fist module of a new station, after officials warned that Russia was considering pulling out of the ISS, one of the few successful examples of cooperation with the West. The announcement came […]

SpaceX set to take four astronauts to ISS Thursday

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — SpaceX is preparing to carry four astronauts to a crowded International Space Station on Thursday, in the second routine mission since the United States resumed crewed space flight, and the first with a European. Liftoff is planned for 6:11 am Eastern Time (1011 GMT) on April 22, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mission, called Crew-2, involves US astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, along with the Japan […]

Xbox cloud game world extends to Apple gadgets

SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Microsoft on Monday began a trial run of letting people play Xbox cloud games using Apple mobile devices as well as Windows-powered computers. The small test spread across 22 countries is a step by the Xbox maker to allow games typically confined to consoles to be played using smartphones, tablets or personal computers. The list of countries included the Britain, France and the United States. “This is an exciting […]

Elephants ‘trample’ rhino poacher to death in S. African park

  JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AFP) — Breeding elephants trampled a suspected rhino poacher to death at the weekend in South Africa’s famed Kruger National Park, an official said Monday. Rangers on routine patrol spotted three poachers who ran into the elephant herd while trying to flee. The rangers later discovered a “badly trampled” man who had succumbed to his injuries, according to South African National Parks (SANParks) spokesman Isaac Phaahla. Another man was also attacked […]

NASA aims for historic helicopter flight on Mars

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — NASA is hoping to make history early Monday when the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter attempts the first powered, controlled flight on another planet. The space agency had originally planned the flight for April 11 but postponed it over a software issue that was identified during a planned high-speed test of the aircraft’s rotors. The issue has since been resolved, and the four-pound (1.8 kilograms) drone could achieve its feat by around […]

Pfizer CEO: Vaccine third dose ‘likely’ needed within 12 months

  WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The head of Pfizer said in an interview aired Thursday that people will “likely” need a third dose of his company’s Covid-19 shot within six to 12 months of vaccination, while elsewhere defending the relatively higher cost of the jab. CEO Albert Bourla also said annual vaccinations against the coronavirus may well be required. “We need to see what would be the sequence, and for how often we need […]

Pfizer defends high cost of Covid vaccine

    The head of Pfizer said Thursday the company’s Covid vaccine, among the priciest on the market, is no more expensive than the cost of a meal and will not be sold to poor countries for a profit. The head of the US-based company defended the cost of the jabs, which he said are saving lives and can help countries emerge from the pandemic. “Vaccines are very expensive,” Albert Bourla said in an interview […]

The Brazil variant: what we know

by Louis GENOT RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AFP) — The “Brazil variant” — a more contagious mutation of the coronavirus that emerged in the Amazon late last year — is fueling fears the pandemic could flare anew, leading several countries to suspend flights from Brazil. Here is a rundown of what we know — and don’t — about the variant known as P1. Why is it worrying?  There are still a lot of unknowns about […]

Russia says Sputnik V vaccine does not cause blood clots

  MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — The developer of Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine said Wednesday its jab did not cause blood clots, a potential side effect that has disrupted rollouts in several Western countries. The United States has recommended pausing its rollout of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine after one person out of nearly seven million Americans died from a rare type of clot in the brain following inoculation . Denmark on Wednesday became the […]