MIAMI, United States (AFP) — Women who enter menopause early may age faster than women in whom menopause arrives later, said a study Monday that could help pinpoint women at highest risk of age-related diseases. The findings could settle a long-standing debate, said Steve Horvath, a professor of human genetics and biostatistics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles. “For decades, scientists have disagreed over whether menopause causes […]
Life
Solar Impulse 2: A shining global tour
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AFP) — Solar Impulse 2 took off on March 9, 2015 from Abu Dhabi for the first round-the-world flight using only solar energy, a huge bet on current technology. The bid was expected to last five months, cover 35,000-kilometers (22,000 miles) and comprise 25 days of actual flying before the craft returned to the United Arab Emirates. The project was beset by delays and the plane’s total traveled distance exceeded […]
Solar plane nears end of historic round-the-world trip
by Karim Abou Merhi ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AFP) — Solar Impulse 2 was on Monday approaching the end of its epic bid to become the first sun-powered airplane to circle the globe without a drop of fuel to promote renewable energy. When the experimental aircraft touches down in Abu Dhabi in the early hours of Tuesday it will cap a remarkable 42,000-kilometre (26,097 mile) journey across four continents, two oceans and three seas. […]
The Solar Impulse 2
(AFP) The Solar Impulse 2 has broken several records during its 35,400-kilometre round-the-world journey, completing the first solo transatlantic flight powered only by sunlight, and the longest uninterrupted journey in aviation history. David Lory / AFP Videographics / AFP
Russian wildfires put key climate resource at risk
by Maria ANTONOVA MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russia’s practice of leaving massive wildfires to burn out of control in sprawling stretches of Siberia puts at risk a key global resource for absorbing climate-warming emissions: its trees. The blazes are consuming millions of hectares of pristine Boreal forests in Russia, which are second only to the world’s tropical jungles in capturing planet-warming carbon emissions. At the same time, the drier and harsher conditions associated with a […]
Thousands sign petition to close Chinese aquarium holding polar bears captive
GUANGZHOU, China (Reuters) — More than 330,000 signatures have been collected calling for the closure of the Grandview Aquarium in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou, in which two polar bears and many other animals have been kept for visitors to take selfies with, Hong Kong-based charity Animals Asia said in a press release on July 13. The aquarium has been making headlines since it opened in January, after Chinese netizens posted photos of dead […]
Infant development should start with breast milk
BACOLOD CITY, July 21 (PIA6) – Parents should opt to feed their infants with breast milk for the first six months, followed by solid food under the basic food groups on the succeeding months to ensure proper development. This is according to Alita Vingno, Bacolod manager of Well-Family Midwife Clinics, who said parents should not solely focus on feeding infants for them to attain ideal weight, but must also see this time as a crucial […]
NASA marks 40th anniversary of Mars landing
REUTERS — National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) celebrated a historical milestone on Wednesday (July 20): the 40th anniversary of the first U.S. spacecraft to land on Mars. On July 20, 1976, NASA successfully reached the Martian surface with their Viking Lander 1. The Viking project – comprised of two separate spacecraft – together took more than 65,000 images of the planet and collected overwhelming amounts of data. The primary goal of the Viking mission […]
After warming fast, part of Antarctica gets a chill – study
REUTERS — The Antarctic Peninsula, among the fastest warming places on Earth last century, has since cooled due to natural swings in the local climate, scientists said on Wednesday (July 20), adding that the respite from the thaw is likely to be brief. Rapid warming until the late 1990s on the peninsula, which snakes up towards South America, triggered the break-up of ancient ice shelves, which are vast expanses of ice floating on the sea […]
Facebook Messenger hits one billion users
SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Facebook said Wednesday the number of users of its Messenger application had topped one billion, a key milestone as it seeks to expand the platform to new services. The growth in Messenger gives greater reach to Facebook, which is moving to create a “family” of applications beyond the social network. “As part of this journey to one billion, we focused on creating the best possible experiences in modern day […]
High stress levels, gaining weight are top health concerns of Philippine urban workforce – Survey
By Caesar Vallejos EBC Correspondent Office workers in the Philippines are concerned about high stress levels and gaining weight. These are their top health concerns according to the 2016 Nutrition At Work survey conducted to reveal the health and lifestyle trends of the Philippine urban workforce. Of the 500 office workers in the survey, 84% indicated that they are concerned about gaining weight while 67% mentioned that they are concerned about high stress levels. Having […]
70 whale corpses discovered in Chile
SANTIAGO, Chile (AFP) — Some 70 dead whales have been found in southern Chile less than a year after more than 330 whales washed up in a remote Patagonian inlet. The animals are not of the same species discovered in last December’s die-off, the biggest single event of its kind known to science, the Chilean fisheries service said. “They are smaller than those we saw last time,” national fisheries director Jose Miguel Burgos said. Teams […]
