Life

3 lunar events expected on Jan. 31; entire eclipse to be seen in Manila

(Eagle News)– Expect three rare lunar events on Jan. 31. According to the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, a lunar eclipse, a blue moon and a supermoon will occur at the same time, an event called a “super blue blood moon.” PAGASA said the eclipse will begin at 6:49 p.m., Philippine Standard Time, and will   end at 12:09 a.m., Feb. 1. Spectators can see the entire eclipse by 9:29 p.m. in Manila, PAGASA […]

Rare Picasso painting in Hong Kong ahead of historic auction

HONG KONG, China (AFP) — A rare Picasso painting on auction for the first time made its debut in Hong Kong at the start of a global tour on Tuesday and is expected to fetch $50 million, auction house Sotheby’s said. The painting — “Femme au beret et a la robe quadrillee (Marie-Therese Walter)” — is a colorful and angular depiction of Picasso’s French lover with a dark silhouette looming behind her face. “Of all of the […]

When Greeks were less fond of Alexander the Great

by John HADOULIS Agence France Presse ATHENS, Greece (AFP) — To modern Greeks, Alexander the Great is an integral part of their rich heritage — one of history’s greatest conquerors who toppled the hated Persian Empire and took Greek culture as far as Egypt and India. But ancient Greek city-states, who spent more than a decade fighting against Alexander’s father Philip II of Macedon, were probably less enthusiastic. A skilled general and diplomat who transformed […]

Facebook to deliver more local news to US users

SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Facebook said Monday it has decided to deliver more local news to US users, in its latest effort to manage the flow of information on the enormously-influential social network. Earlier this month, Facebook announced it will ask its two billion users to rank their trust in news sources as part of an effort to combat the spread of misinformation. The changes come as the online giant seeks to address […]

Mammals more likely to survive climate change: study

PARIS, France (AFP) — Mammals and birds stand the best chance of all animals of surviving Earth’s rapidly changing climate, researchers said Monday. An analysis of how nearly 11,5000 species fared over 270 million years of hot-and-cold fluctuations showed that warm-blooded creatures cope better with change than reptiles and amphibians, a team reported in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution. “We see that mammals and birds are better able to stretch out and extend their […]

Human genome decoded with pocket-sized device

by Marlowe HOOD Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — Scientists used a portable device no bigger than a cellphone to sequence the most complete human genome ever assembled with a single technology, according to a study published Monday. The breakthrough, detailed in the journal Nature Biotechnology, brings us closer to the day when family doctors will order up genome scans during a regular check-up along with blood work, the authors suggested. “We are definitely approaching […]

‘Disturbingly high’ rates of diabetes in India: study

MIAMI, United States (AFP) — India is facing an epidemic of diabetes and high blood pressure, often called “silent killers” because they lead to heart disease, said a report Monday involving more than 1.3 million people. The rate of diabetes in India is over six percent, while around one quarter of people have high blood pressure, said the first nationally representative figures on the topic, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) […]

German carmakers under fire for tests on humans, monkeys

by Michelle FITZPATRICK Agence France-Presse FRANKFURT AM MAIN, Germany (AFP) — German carmakers came under fire Monday following revelations they helped finance experiments that saw humans and monkeys exposed to diesel fumes that have been linked to asthma, lung diseases and heart attacks. The disclosures sparked widespread outrage, led by Chancellor Angela Merkel who strongly condemned the latest controversy to engulf the nation’s powerful but scandal-tainted auto industry. “These tests on monkeys or even humans […]

In the Galapagos, an idyllic hammerhead shark nursery

by Jordi MIRO Agence France-Presse SANTA CRUZ, Ecuador (AFP) — For millions of years, new-born hammerhead sharks have grown up in nurseries sheltered by the mangrove swamps and reefs of the Galapagos Islands, safe from all human threat. But until November, biologists had no idea the sharks had their own hideaway that could hold some of the final secrets of this remote archipelago 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) off South America’s Pacific coast. “It was quite […]

Exercise tracking app reveals details of military sites

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A map showing paths taken by users of an exercise tracking app reveals potentially sensitive information about American and allied military personnel in places including Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. While some bases are well known to groups that want to attack them, the map also shows what appear to be routes taken by forces moving outside of bases — information that could be used in planning bombings or ambushes. The […]

Rare ‘super blood blue moon’ visible on Jan 31

by Kerry SHERIDAN Agence France Presse MIAMI, United States (AFP) — A cosmic event not seen in 36 years — a rare “super blood blue moon” — may be glimpsed January 31 in parts of western North America, Asia, the Middle East, Russia and Australia. The event is causing a buzz because it combines three unusual lunar events — an extra big super moon, a blue moon and a total lunar eclipse. “It’s an astronomical […]

Chinese volunteers spend 200 days on virtual ‘moon base’

BEIJING, China (AFP) — Chinese students spent 200 continuous days in a “lunar lab” in Beijing, state media said Friday, as the country prepares for its long-term goal of putting people on the moon. Four students crammed into a 160-square-metre (1,720-square-foot) cabin called “Yuegong-1” — Lunar Palace — on the campus of Beihang University, testing the limits of humans’ ability to live in a self-contained space, the official Xinhua news agency said. The volunteers lived […]