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by Sara HUSSEIN Agence France-Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Scientists had nicknamed it “The Thing” — a mysterious football-sized fossil discovered in Antarctica that sat in a Chilean museum awaiting someone who could work out just what it was. Now, analysis has revealed the mystery fossil to be a soft-shelled egg, the largest ever found, laid some 68 million years ago, possibly by a type of extinct sea snake or lizard. The revelation ends nearly […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Doctors in Japan have successfully transplanted liver cells derived from embryonic stem cells into a newborn baby, in a world first that could provide new treatment options for infants. The newborn was suffering from urea cycle disorder, where the liver is not capable of breaking down toxic ammonia. But the six-day-old was too small to undergo a liver transplant, generally not considered safe until a child weighs around six kilogrammes (13 […]
by Paul HANDLEY Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US authorities warned Wednesday that Chinese hackers were attempting to steal coronavirus data on treatments and vaccines, adding fuel to Washington’s war with Beijing over the pandemic. The FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) said organizations researching COVID-19 were at risk of “targeting and network compromise” by China. They warned that Chinese government-affiliated groups and others were attempting to obtain “valuable […]
GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — More than 130 therapies are being investigated as possible treatments for the coronavirus, a leading pharmaceutical industry association said Thursday. Unprecedented efforts to collaborate across the pharmaceutical industry have significantly accelerated the search for safe and effective treatments for the novel coronavirus, the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations said. “Over 130 COVID-19 therapeutics are under investigation,” IFPMA director Thomas Cueni told a virtual briefing, along with a number of pharmaceutical […]
by Issam AHMED Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US Department of Homeland Security revealed to AFP on Tuesday new technical details regarding its highly anticipated study into how ultraviolet radiation destroys the new coronavirus, saying that its experiment had accurately mimicked natural sunlight. A summary of the research was presented last week at the White House, with some scientists calling for caution until a more comprehensive report was made public. US […]
by Sylvain PEUCHMAURD Agence France-Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Oxford University is launching a human trial of a potential coronavirus vaccine, with the daunting aim of making a successful jab available to the public later this year. Of the more than 100 research projects around the world to find a vaccine — described by the United Nations as the only route back to “normality” — seven are currently in clinical trials, according to the London […]
GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — Researchers said Thursday they had begun collecting blood samples and interviewing people across Switzerland to determine what proportion of the population has antibodies to the novel coronavirus, and their level of immunity. The new research programme, called “Corona Immunitas”, said in a statement that over the next six months it would collect epidemiological data on immunity to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19. The deadly disease has so far killed nearly […]
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Australian scientists are using the largest particle accelerator in the southern hemisphere to help fast-track the hunt for a vaccine against COVID-19, researchers said Tuesday. The Australian Synchrotron in Melbourne uses intense X-rays emitted by electrons coursing through the accelerator to examine key proteins in the virus, program director Andrew Peele told AFP. Acting as a kind of microscope, the accelerator lets the researchers construct atomic-level 3-D maps of the proteins […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The novel coronavirus can survive on surfaces or in the air for several hours, according to a US-government funded study published Tuesday. Scientists found that the virus that causes the COVID-19 disease had similar levels of viability outside the body to its predecessor that caused SARS. This means that factors like greater transmission between people with no symptoms might be why the current pandemic is far greater than the SARS […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A helmet used by French soldiers in World War I provided better protection from overhead blasts than a modern American model, according to a US university study. Biomedical engineers from North Carolina’s Duke University tested the performance of several models of World War I helmet and the US Advanced Combat Helmet by subjecting them to shock waves. “While we found that all helmets provided a substantial amount of protection against […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — A new strain of coronavirus that emerged in China may have originated in bats or snakes, according to genetic analysis of the virus that has so far killed 17 people. The theories are based on examination of the genome sequence of the virus released by authorities in the wake of the outbreak, with two studies pointing to the likely role of bats in the outbreak. One study, published Tuesday in the […]
PARIS, France (AFP) — The European Union on Tuesday announced 200 million euros ($222 million) of funding for the Ariane 6 rocket launcher and for small and medium-sized space technology companies. Half the money is in the form of a loan for the new Ariane 6 heavy launcher programme, a collaboration between the European Space Agency program and the ArianeGroup. The other 100 million euros go towards a venture capital program to “support innovation and […]
