Life

80 percent of world’s city dwellers breathing bad air: UN

GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — Over 80 percent of the world’s city dwellers breathe poor quality air, increasing their risk of lung cancer and other life-threatening diseases, a new World Health Organization (WHO) report warned Thursday. Urban residents in poor countries are by far the worst affected, WHO said, noting that nearly every city (98 percent) in low- and middle-income countries has air which fails to meet the UN body’s standards. That number falls to 56 […]

Solar Impulse 2 set for next leg in round-the-world flight

LOS ANGELES , United states (AFP) — The Solar Impulse 2 will resume its record-breaking quest Thursday to circle the globe without consuming a drop of fuel, with a flight from Arizona to Oklahoma. The experimental sun-powered plane, piloted by Swiss adventurer Bertrand Piccard, is set to take off from Phoenix at 3:00 am (1000 GMT). “After sustained efforts from the entire team, at the Mission Control Center and on the ground, we have found […]

Colourful jellyfish wows ocean researchers

  Reuters — Colorful jellyfish were captured on camera at a depth of 3,700 meters (12,139 feet) on April 24 in waters off south-east Asia. Stunning footage showed two luminous creatures swimming in the dark waters around the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument, east of the Philippines. The footage was captured by a remotely operated vehicle “Deep Discoverer” which holds 20 LED lights and nine video cameras. In an operation running from April 20 to […]

Heavier is now ‘healthier’ than in 1970s: study

by Kerry SHERIDAN MIAMI, United States (AFP) — Being on the heavier side may not be as dangerous as it was in the 1970s, at least when it comes to the risk of dying, according to a study Tuesday. The optimum ratio of weight and height — known as body mass index or BMI — is now on the upper side of the healthy range, according to the report in the Journal of the American […]

Axe fragment found in Australia ‘world’s oldest’

SYDNEY , Australia (AFP) — A rock flake found in Australia is believed to be from the world’s oldest known axe and likely dates from just after humans arrived in the country around 50,000 years ago, scientists said Wednesday. The fragment, about the size of a thumbnail, was found in Western Australia’s sparsely populated Kimberley region and its age indicates that early indigenous technology was novel and inventive. “This is without doubt the oldest axe […]

A breath test for malaria

Diagnosing malaria may soon be as easy taking a simple breath test, according to researchers. “We really envision this working just like a breathalyzer test when you get pulled over for drunk driving,” said Dr. Audrey Odom, an assistant professor of pediatrics and molecular biology at Washington University in St. Louis. The breathalyzer test, still in its developmental phase, would be comparable in cost or less expensive than current diagnostic tools such as a Malaria […]

NASA says 1,284 new planets found by Kepler telescope

    by Kerry Sheridan MIAMI, United States (AFP) —  NASA announced Tuesday the discovery of 1,284 new planets outside our solar system, more than doubling the number of exoplanets found with the Kepler space telescope. “This gives us hope that somewhere out there, around a star much like ours, we can eventually discover another Earth,” said Ellen Stofan, chief scientist at NASA headquarters in Washington. The unmanned Kepler space observatory, which launched in 2009, […]

Russia wins annual Battle of Nations championship

PRAGUE, Czech Republic (Reuters) — Fully equipped with armor and weapons, men and women from all over the world traveled back in time for the World Championships in Full Contact Medieval combat. The participants use weapons from the Middle ages in the championship, held in the Czech capital this year. The goal is to recreate the rawness of the medieval battle. Replicas of historical weapons like swords, axes or halberds are needed. The only difference […]

Bison officiallly designated national mammal of U.S.

Reuters — President Barack Obama on Monday (May 9) officially designated the American bison as the national mammal of the United States, elevating the stature of the once almost extinct mammal to highlight its cultural and economic importance. The American bison, the majestic, wooly creature that roamed the Great Plains by the millions before it was hunted to the brink of extinction in the late-1800s, will now share the rarefied air enjoyed by other national […]

Large tornado hits south of Oklahoma City, one death

  (REUTERS) A large and violent tornado hit an area south of Oklahoma City on Monday, causing at least one death and reducing at least three homes to splinters. The hardest-hit areas were about 70 to 80 miles southeast of Oklahoma City, where a tornado reported to be more than a mile wide ripped through the area. One person was killed in Garvin County, about 60 miles south of Oklahoma City, when a home was […]

Study suggests fake sweetener link to infant size, obesity

MIAMI, United States (AFP) — Pregnant women who drink artificially sweetened beverages may be more likely to have overweight infants than women who do not, a study suggested on Monday. Researchers found that daily consumption of artificially sweetened beverages was linked to a two-fold higher risk of having an infant who was overweight at age one, compared to women who drank no artificially sweetened beverages at all. “To our knowledge, we provide the first human evidence […]

‘Second skin’ may eliminate wrinkles, eye bags

MIAMI, United States (AFP) — US scientists have developed a new, transparent polymer material that temporarily tightens sagging skin and eliminates eye bags, according to research published on Monday. While the product is a long way from being on store shelves, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology said it could one day offer more than just cosmetic lifts, but also protect sensitive skin from the ravages of eczema and dermatitis. “It’s an invisible layer that can […]