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MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AFP) — Archaeologists who have been exploring the world’s largest underwater cave — recently discovered in Mexico — presented their findings Monday, including fossils of giant sloths and an elaborate shrine to the Mayan god of commerce. Researchers discovered last month that two large networks of underwater caves in Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula, the Sac Actun and Dos Ojos networks, are in fact connected, forming the largest such structure on Earth. Diving with […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Artificial intelligence and its impact on weapons of the future has made US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis doubt his own theories on warfare. A question on the subject prompted the retired Marine general to give an impromptu seminar on his theory of war Saturday to reporters returning with him from a week-long tour of Europe. Recalling his own writings, he differentiated between the essential nature of war, which is unchanging […]
by Juliette Michel © Agence France-Presse NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Blockchain, the technology behind the cryptocurrency bitcoin, is taking root in a sector far from finance: the world of humanitarian aid. By offering refugees a virtual identity, reassuring donors that their money is being well spent, or rushing funds where they are needed most, aid charities are experimenting with the technology in the hopes that it can improve their work. “We are at the very […]
by Miguel SANCHEZ Agence France-Presse PARANAL, Chile (AFP) – It seems nothing can escape the inexorable spread of light pollution — not even the giant telescopes probing the heavens above northern Chile, a region whose pristine dark skies, long considered a paradise for astronomers, are under increasing threat. The Atacama desert, 1,200 kilometers (750 miles) north of the capital Santiago, provides ideal conditions where astronomers study the stars in darkness so profound they appear like diamonds on […]
PARIS, France (AFP) — The Milky Way’s neighboring galaxy, Andromeda, was formed in a colossal crash between two smaller star systems no more than three billion years ago when Earth already existed, researchers said Wednesday. Calculating the birth date of the galaxy has been a major challenge for astrophysicists given the vast age gap between the different stars it is made up of. For the latest study, French and Chinese researchers led by Paris Observatory […]
SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Qualcomm said Wednesday its board would “promptly” consider a hostile $121 billion takeover bid by Singapore-based Broadcom following a meeting of top executives of the two computer chipmaking giants. “We met with representatives of Broadcom for two hours earlier today, and listened carefully to what they had to say,” Qualcomm said in a statement. “The Qualcomm board will promptly meet to discuss the meeting and to determine next steps.” The meeting […]
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russia on Tuesday launched an unmanned Progress cargo ship to the International Space Station after a glitch led officials to postpone the planned liftoff two days earlier. The Soyuz rocket carrying the Progress ship took off from the snow-covered Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 11:15 am Moscow time (0815 GMT) and reached its designated orbit several minutes later, the Russian space agency said. “We have liftoff!” the Roscosmos space agency tweeted. […]
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Bomb disposal experts from Britain’s Royal Navy were continuing in their efforts late Monday to remove a World War II bomb after its discovery closed London City Airport. The 500-kilogram (1,100-pound) German bomb was discovered early on Sunday morning in King George V Dock, during planned works near the runway of London’s most central airport. As experts worked to move the unexploded ordnance, the airport was shut down and a […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Could the International Space Station become a commercial venture run by private industry? That is the wish of the White House, which hopes to end funding for the costly program within a few years, The Washington Post reported Sunday. The US plan, the paper said, involves privatizing the ISS, a low-orbit space station piloted by the US space agency NASA and developed jointly with its Russian counterpart. The station has […]
GANGNEUNG, South Korea (AFP) — Billionaire Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma foresees an Olympics that is better for fans and athletes and is more economical — and hopes Beijing 2022 will be the pinnacle of that vision. Ma’s e-commerce giant in January launched a multimillion-dollar partnership until 2028 with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) designed to propel the Olympics headlong into the digital era. The deal was particularly significant with the 2022 Winter Olympics taking place on Alibaba’s […]
by Abhaya Srivastava Agence France-Presse NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — Electric cars bask in the limelight at India’s flagship auto show, where an ambitious plan to phase out polluting clunkers has manufacturers racing to lure millions of new drivers to their green vehicles. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government wants all new cars on India’s roads to be electric by 2030 to combat smog that routinely eclipses dangerous levels in the nation of 1.25 billion. Some […]
PARIS, France (AFP) — Virtual reality-based therapy combined with standard treatment reduced paranoia and anxiety in people with psychotic disorders, scientists reported Friday. In clinical trials involving 116 patients in the Netherlands, virtual reality exercises led to less fraught social interactions, a team wrote in The Lancet Psychiatry. More research is needed to confirm the long-term benefits of such technology, which gave the impression of being in an alternate reality populated by life-like avatars. Up […]
