Life

Paying to preserve trees helps fight warming: study

MIAMI, United States (AFP) — Paying small amounts of cash to convince landowners not to cut down their trees is a highly effective strategy for reducing carbon emissions that drive climate change, researchers said Thursday. Trees are important because they absorb lots of carbon dioxide, which is a by-product of fossil fuel burning and is the primary of driver of global warming. The analysis of a system called “Payments for Ecosystems” in Uganda showed its […]

Bronze sculpture exhibit highlights art shaped from the hands of immigrants

By: Abigail S. Vital EBC New York Bureau NEW YORK (Eagle News) – Art has always been an important part of history, through its means of communicating the culture of a group of people, or simply a means of expressing oneself. Whether it is a painting, a drawing, or a sculpture, art is a medium that can be used to tell stories from different perspectives. One exhibit in New York City combines both history and […]

Scientists create paper that can be erased and reprinted up to 80 times

CALIFORNIA, United States (Reuters) —  Scientists in California have created rewritable paper, printed using light instead of ink, that can be erased and reused up to 80 times. In the United States alone, about 70 million tons (63.5 million metric tons) of paper and paperboard are used each year, with more than 350 million magazines and 24 billion newspapers published, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency. The chemists at the University of California, Riverside, […]

Stunning view of Johnsonville, Connecticut which was recently bought by the Iglesia Ni Cristo

  These are just some of the fantastic views of the 62-acre town of Johnsonville, Connecticut, which was once a thriving mill community, a Victorian Era tourist attraction, that had been abandoned for years. The beautiful abandoned old town was featured in an episode of the National Geographic TV series “Abandoned.”  It was put up for sale at an online auction on October 28, 2014. The Iglesia Ni Cristo is now the new owner of […]

What makes a dog man’s best friend? It’s in the genes

by Kerry Sheridan Agence France-Presse MIAMI, United States (AFP) – Dogs that are extra friendly share certain genetic similarities with people who are born with a developmental disorder sometimes called the “opposite of autism,” which makes them hyper social, researchers said Wednesday. The report in the journal Science Advances pinpointed changes in two genes that are related to extreme social behavior in dogs, and also in people who are born with Williams-Beuren Syndrome. People with this […]

Want to escape Sao Paulo’s traffic? Take a flying taxi

by Paula RAMON Agence France-Presse SAO PAOLO, Brazil (AFP) — While Uber has changed ground transport in many cities, Sao Paulo’s infernal traffic jams have sparked a new app that opens the sky to commuters: Voom, a helicopter taxi service that charges according to distance and the passenger’s weight. It’s a godsend for those in a rush — but only if the weather permits. Gustavo Boyde, a Brazilian living in the United States who goes […]

World’s first child hand transplant a ‘success’

WASHINGTON DC, United States (AFP) – The first child in the world to undergo a double hand transplant is now able to write, feed and dress himself, doctors said Tuesday, declaring the ground-breaking operation a success after 18 months. The report in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health provides the first official medical update on 10-year old Zion Harvey, who underwent surgery to replace both hands in July 2015. “Eighteen months after the surgery, the […]

Microsoft cloud to help Baidu self-driving car effort

SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) – Microsoft’s cloud computing platform will be used outside China for collaboration by members of a self-driving car alliance formed by Chinese internet search giant Baidu, the companies announced on Tuesday. The US software giant is one of more than 50 entities that have joined an Apollo alliance created by Baidu in April. Microsoft will enable alliance members to collaborate, share information and tap into the analytic power of Azure […]

World’s northernmost coral reef in Japan bleached

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Bleaching has damaged the world’s northernmost coral reef in Japan, a researcher said Tuesday, the latest example of a global phenomenon scientists have attributed to high ocean temperatures. Healthy coral reefs protect shores from storms and offer habitats for fish and other marine life, including ecologically and economically important species. After coral dies, reefs quickly degrade and the structures that coral build erode. While coral can recover from mild bleaching, severe […]

Size key to top speed in animals: study

by Marlowe Hood Agence France Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — It’s not quite E=mc2, but scientists unveiled Monday a simple, powerful formula that explains why some animals run, fly and swim faster than all others. Call it the “speed rule”: strength alone does not determine top velocity because land mammals, birds and fish can only accelerate for as long as they can draw from available energy stored in muscle tissue. An intermediate body size — […]

Michael Dell takes long view with ‘Dell 2.0’

ASPEN, United States (AFP) — His first company became the world’s largest maker of personal computers. Now Michael Dell says he is building a broader technology firm with similar ambitions. Dell Technologies is the result of the private buyout of the original Dell computer firm, bolstered by the massive $67 billion deal for computer storage firm EMC and other software and services acquisitions. Interviewed at the Fortune Brainstorm Tech conference Monday in Aspen, Colorado, Dell […]