Life

After stunning growth streak, Amazon ambitions seem boundless

by Julie Charpentrat Agence France-Presse SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Triumphant in online retail, cloud computing, organic groceries, and streaming television, Amazon founder and chief disruptor Jeff Bezos is turning his seemingly limitless ambition to health care. Amazon, launched as an internet bookseller nearly 24 years ago, has branched into offerings including voice-commanded speakers infused with Alexa artificial intelligence and original TV shows streamed online at its Prime subscription service. Health care now appears […]

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Coming decades vital for future sea level rise: study

by Marlowe Hood © Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — How quickly humanity draws down the greenhouse gases driving global warming will determine whether sea levels rise half-a-metre or six times that, even if Paris climate pact goals are fully met, researchers reported Tuesday in a study. “The trajectory of emissions in the next few decades will shape our coastlines in the centuries to come,” lead author Matthias Mengel, a scientist at the Potsdam Institute for Climate […]

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Singapore to impose carbon tax from 2019

SINGAPORE, Singapore (AFP) — Singapore said Monday it would impose a carbon tax from next year to cut its greenhouse gas emissions and make companies more competitive as global agreements on climate change take effect. Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat said the tax would be levied on all facilities producing 25,000 tons or more of greenhouse gas emissions a year. The tax, to be applied to all sectors, will be Sg$5.0 ($3.8) per ton of […]

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Archaeologists find fossils, Mayan relics in giant underwater cave in Mexico

MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AFP) — Archaeologists who have been exploring the world’s largest underwater cave — recently discovered in Mexico — presented their findings Monday, including fossils of giant sloths and an elaborate shrine to the Mayan god of commerce. Researchers discovered last month that two large networks of underwater caves in Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula, the Sac Actun and Dos Ojos networks, are in fact connected, forming the largest such structure on Earth. Diving with […]

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No-sweat exercise may prolong life for the elderly: study

by Marlowe HOOD Agence France Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — A few hours a week of light exercise — walking the dog, puttering about in the garden — lower the risk of death in older men, even if workouts are brief, researchers said Tuesday. Their findings, reported in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, challenge two long-held assumptions about the benefits of physical activity for the elderly. To improve health and reduce the risk of […]

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Artificial intelligence poses questions for nature of war: Mattis

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Artificial intelligence and its impact on weapons of the future has made US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis doubt his own theories on warfare. A question on the subject prompted the retired Marine general to give an impromptu seminar on his theory of war Saturday to reporters returning with him from a week-long tour of Europe. Recalling his own writings, he differentiated between the essential nature of war, which is unchanging […]

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Blockchain revolution comes to world of humanitarian aid

by Juliette Michel © Agence France-Presse NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Blockchain, the technology behind the cryptocurrency bitcoin, is taking root in a sector far from finance: the world of humanitarian aid. By offering refugees a virtual identity, reassuring donors that their money is being well spent, or rushing funds where they are needed most, aid charities are experimenting with the technology in the hopes that it can improve their work. “We are at the very […]

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Light pollution threatens Chile’s dark skies

by Miguel SANCHEZ Agence France-Presse PARANAL, Chile (AFP) – It seems nothing can escape the inexorable spread of light pollution — not even the giant telescopes probing the heavens above northern Chile, a region whose pristine dark skies, long considered a paradise for astronomers, are under increasing threat. The Atacama desert, 1,200 kilometers (750 miles) north of the capital Santiago, provides ideal conditions where astronomers study the stars in darkness so profound they appear like diamonds on […]

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Borneo orangutans dying off as forests are lost: study

MIAMI, United States (AFP) — The population of orangutans in Borneo has plummeted by more than half since 1999 — nearly 150,000 of the apes — largely due to chopping down forests for logging, paper, palm oil and mining, researchers said Thursday. Illegal hunting of the critically endangered apes is also a leading factor in their disappearance, said the study published in the journal Current Biology. “Our findings are alarming,” said the report, which estimated […]

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Shellfish reefs: Australia’s untold environmental disaster

SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Virtually all of Australia’s shellfish reefs have disappeared, making them the country’s most threatened ocean ecosystem, scientists said Thursday, calling for more investment to rescue the important marine habitats. While recent global focus has been on the destruction of coral reefs, a study led by the Nature Conservancy found that between 90 and 99 percent of shellfish reefs have vanished since British colonisation 230 years ago. The reefs, formed by millions […]

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Andromeda galaxy was formed in ‘recent’ star crash: study

PARIS, France (AFP) — The Milky Way’s neighboring galaxy, Andromeda, was formed in a colossal crash between two smaller star systems no more than three billion years ago when Earth already existed, researchers said Wednesday. Calculating the birth date of the galaxy has been a major challenge for astrophysicists given the vast age gap between the different stars it is made up of. For the latest study, French and Chinese researchers led by Paris Observatory […]

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Extreme weather to rise even if Paris goals are met: study

by Kerry Sheridan Agence France Presse MIAMI, United States (AFP) — The risk of extreme weather such as heat waves, floods and drought will rise significantly even if the commitments in the 2015 Paris climate accord are met, a study warned on Wednesday. The report in the journal Science Advances analyzes the likelihood of hot spells, dry periods and excess rain in the coming years, all phenomena that are exacerbated by global warming and rising […]

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