Life

Plastic threatens migratory species in Asia-Pacific: UN

by Kelly MACNAMARA PARIS, France (AFP) — From endangered freshwater dolphins drowned by discarded fishing nets to elephants scavenging through rubbish, migratory species are among the most vulnerable to plastic pollution, a UN report on the Asia-Pacific region said Tuesday, calling for greater action to cut waste. Plastic particles have infiltrated even the most remote and seemingly-pristine regions of the planet, with tiny fragments discovered inside fish in the deepest recesses of the ocean and […]

Continue Reading →

S.Africa scientists monitoring new coronavirus variant

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AFP) — Scientists in South Africa are monitoring a new coronavirus variant with an unusually high mutation rate, and whose frequency has gradually increased in recent months, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases said Monday. The variant, known as C.1.2., was flagged last week by the KwaZulu-Natal Research and Innovation and Sequencing Platform in a preprint study that has yet to be peer reviewed. While the majority of South Africa’s coronavirus cases […]

Continue Reading →

Japanese giant wants soy sauce to be the ‘ketchup of India’

Every dish tastes better with a dash of soy sauce, even dessert: that’s the ambitious pitch of Japanese food giant Kikkoman, hoping to persuade Indians to use it in curries, sweets and everything in between. Convincing 1.3 billion people to add a staple of East Asian cuisine to their butter chicken and samosas is no cakewalk but it will likely be easier than the brand’s 1960s push into the United States. “When we entered the […]

Continue Reading →

Researchers discover world’s ‘northernmost’ island

Scientists have discovered what is believed to be the world’s northernmost landmass — a yet-to-be-named island north of Greenland that could soon be swallowed up by seawaters. Researchers came upon the landmass on an expedition in July, and initially thought they had reached Oodaaq, up until now the northernmost island on the planet. “We were informed that there had been an error on my GPS which had led us to believe that we were standing […]

Continue Reading →

Has Delta killed the herd immunity dream?

  by Françoise KADRI / Paul RICARD Agence France Presse As the Delta variant continues its global surge, experts are questioning whether the long-held goal of achieving herd immunity from Covid-19 through vaccination is still viable. Herd immunity is achieved when a certain threshold of the global population has either been inoculated against a pathogen or has recovered from infection. But whether or not it is achievable with Covid-19, with the regular emergence of more […]

Continue Reading →

Experts estimate endangered Galapagos pink iguana population at 211

QUITO, Ecuador (AFP) — Scientific experts sent to the Galapagos Islands to count a critically endangered lizard species estimate there to be just 211 pink iguanas left, local authorities said Friday. Around 30 scientists and Galapagos park rangers took part in the expedition this month on Wolf Volcano, in the north of Isabela Island — the largest on the archipelago. “In the census, 53 iguanas were located and (temporarily) captured, 94 percent of which live […]

Continue Reading →

Covid: Delta doubles hospital risk vs Alpha variant

by Marlowe HOOD PARIS, France (AFP) — The Delta variant of the virus that causes Covid-19 doubles the risk of hospitalization compared to the Alpha variant it has supplanted as the dominant strain worldwide, researchers reported Saturday in The Lancet. Only 1.8 percent of the more than 43,000 Covid cases assessed in comparing the two variants were in patients who had been fully vaccinated. Three-quarters were completely unvaccinated, and 24 percent had only received one […]

Continue Reading →

Massive “solar tsunami” observed after sunspot eruption; solar flare, coronal mass ejection observed

Solar storm cloud “appears to be heading for earth” says space weather monitoring site   (Eagle News) – Space weather observers noted a “massive solar tsunami” across the sun caused by the eruption of a sunspot that happened on Thursday, Aug. 26, according to a website monitoring the sun’s activity. Spaceweather.com said that this solar tsunami could cause a coronal mass ejection (CME). In fact, coronagraphs of the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), already detected […]

Continue Reading →

Covid symptoms last a year for many patients: study

PARIS, France (AFP) — Fatigue and shortness of breath still afflict many patients a year after their hospitalization for Covid-19, according to a new Chinese study calling for a better understanding of the pandemic’s long-term health effects. Around half of the patients discharged from hospital for Covid still suffer from at least one persistent symptom — most often fatigue or muscle weakness — after 12 months, said the study published in British medical journal The […]

Continue Reading →

Ocean surface climates may disappear by 2100: study

by Patrick GALEY PARIS, France (AFP) — Up to 95 percent of Earth’s ocean surface will have changed by the end of the century unless humanity reins in its carbon emissions, according to research published Thursday. Ocean surface climates, defined by surface water temperature, acidity and the concentration of the mineral aragonite — which many marine animals use to form bones and shell — support the vast majority of sea life. The world’s seas have […]

Continue Reading →

Malaria trial shows 70% reduction in severe cases

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A new approach using existing medicines to prevent malaria has been shown to reduce severe cases of parasitic disease among infants by more than 70 percent in sub-Saharan Africa, according to a study. The “dramatic” results, published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday, came from combining booster shots of an antimalarial vaccine ahead of the rainy season together with preventative drugs. Malaria kills more than 400,000 people […]

Continue Reading →

Vaccine protection of Pfizer, AstraZeneca wanes within 6 months: phone app study

  LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Protection from two doses of the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines wanes within less than six months, according to a study of phone app data Wednesday, suggesting that booster shots may be needed to ensure prolonged coverage. The latest finding comes as several countries are rolling out additional jabs for the fully vaccinated, a move slammed by the World Health Organization as millions in the world have yet to receive […]

Continue Reading →
1 … 195 196 197 198 199 … 729