Life

Pike to help fight algal bloom in Baltic Sea

VARMDO, Sweden (Reuters) — Swedish wetlands near the capital Stockholm are being kept saturated for longer to increase the numbers of pike coming to spawn in warm, sheltered waters in the spring. The pike “factory” not only helps restore biodiversity in the wetland, it also helps reduce algal bloom in the Baltic Sea as increased numbers of the predator allow smaller organisms to eat the algal bloom. The conservation effort began in 2013, with shrubs […]

Dutch open ‘world’s largest offshore’ wind farm

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AFP) — Dutch officials on Monday opened what is being billed as one of the world’s largest offshore wind farms, with 150 turbines spinning in action far out in the North Sea. Over the next 15 years, the Gemini windpark, which lies some 85 kilometers (53 miles) off the northern coast of The Netherlands, will meet the energy needs of about 1.5 million people. At full winds the windpark has a generating […]

Japan House opens in Brazil

SAO PAULO, Brazil (Reuters) — In an initiative developed by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and creatively directed by Muji art director Kenya Hara, Japan House is set to open in Brazil’s largest metropolis Sao Paulo on Sunday (May 6), with the idea of creating a hub to connect culture from the eastern country to the western world. The striking four-story space designed by Kengo Kuma features the architect’s signature style with a multi-layered […]

Wolves return to Denmark for first time in 200 years

STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AFP) — At least five wolves, including one female, have returned to Denmark for the first time in two centuries, a zoologist who has obtained DNA evidence said on Thursday. The predators came from Germany to settle in western Denmark’s agricultural region, the least densely populated in the Scandinavian country. Peter Sunde, scientist at the University of Aarhus, told AFP the wolves must have walked more than 500 kilometres (310 miles). “We think […]

Twin polar bear cubs born at Sea World in Australia

GOLD COAST, Australia (Reuters) — Sea World Australia released video footage on Tuesday (May 2) of two new born polar bear cubs feeding from their mother inside their den. Sixteen-year-old mother Liya delivered her second litter on April 26, and the cubs, which still have to be named, weighed about 600 grams with a height of 15 centimetres. Fully grown they could stand as tall as 11 feet (3.35 meters) and weigh up to 1,400 […]

‘Smart’ denim promises touchscreen tech clothes

by Anne-Laure Mondesert Agence France Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — A young man in a white T-shirt pulls on a dark blue denim trucker jacket, tucks his smartphone in an inside pocket and puts in-ear headphones in his right ear. He mounts a fixed-gear bike with flat, slightly curved wide handlebars. Riding through the streets of San Francisco, he occasionally taps or swipes his right hand over the left cuff of his jacket, as the […]

Underground tunnels fight traffic in Elon Musk’s new venture

Reuters — An Elon Musk founded venture called The Boring Company has uploaded a video showing an innovative underground car tunneling system to beat traffic. The animation published on April 28 illustrates a prototype for the idea, showing cars being taken underground via slots that transport them across extensive tunnel networks at speeds of 200km/h. Musk sent out a tweet on December 17, 2016, that reads: “Traffic is driving me nuts. Am going to build […]

Doctors use virtual reality to help patients suffering from neurological balance problems

NEW YORK, United States (Reuters) — New York University researchers have developed a system combining virtual reality with a pressure sensing mat they say could help people with vestibular dysfunction, which affects parts of the inner ear and brain and results in problems with balance and those suffering from vertigo or dizziness as a result of a brain injury. Mary-Lynn Musco got into a near-fatal car crash more than a decade ago and receives physical […]

Noise pollution risks animals’ survival in the wild: study

MIAMI, United States (AFP) — Human noise is polluting more than half of natural protected areas in the United States, to such an extent that it could interfere with animals’ ability to hunt and survive, researchers said Thursday. Sounds were recorded at 492 sites meant as havens for biodiversity across the country, said the report in the journal Science. Researchers found that background noise exceeded three decibels (dB) in 63 percent of protected areas, it […]

Rare albino orangutan rescued on Borneo island

(AFP) — A rare albino orangutan has been rescued on the Indonesian part of Borneo island where villagers were keeping the white-haired, blue-eyed creature in a cage, a protection group said Tuesday. In an extremely unusual discovery, authorities picked up the female, estimated to be five years old, in a remote village in Kapuas Hulu district. The Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOSF), which is caring for the critically endangered ape — believed to be albino […]

Tesla revenues surge as it ramps for Model 3 launch

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Tesla said Wednesday that revenues more than doubled in the past quarter compared with a year ago, as the electric carmaker prepared for production of its new mass-market vehicle. In its update for the first quarter Tesla said its Model 3 development “is nearly complete.” The company expects to produce 5,000 of these cars per week at some point this year and 10,000 per week in 2018. The California firm led […]