Breaking News, Latest Philippines Headlines, World, Entertainment, Politics, Weather & Video News
by Patrick GALEY Agence France Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — The known Universe just got a lot bigger. A new map of the night sky published Tuesday charts hundreds of thousands of previously unknown galaxies discovered using a telescope that can detect light sources optical instruments cannot see. The international team behind the unprecedented space survey said their discovery literally shed new light on some of the Universe’s deepest secrets, including the physics of black […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — With an eye on the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Japanese researchers are developing a new system to accurately forecast torrential downpours — known in Japan as ‘guerilla rainstorms’ — 30 minutes before they strike. Scientists have created a high-tech radar capable of producing a three-dimensional map of a rain cloud in 30 to 60 seconds. They say this is a significant improvement on existing systems that measure only parts of a cloud […]
by Natsuko FUKUE Agence France-Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — As spring approaches in Japan, the country’s weather forecasters face one of their biggest missions of the year: predicting exactly when the famed cherry blossoms will bloom. Japan’s sakura or cherry blossom season is feverishly anticipated by locals and visitors alike. Many tourists plan their entire trips around the blooms, and Japanese flock to parks in their millions to enjoy the seasonal spectacle. “People pay more […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The position of the Earth’s magnetic North Pole — used in navigation systems such as smartphones — is moving far faster than it has, sending scientists scrambling to put out a new model this week. The magnetic North is the point at which the planet’s magnetic field points vertically down. The World Magnetic Model is critical to sea and military navigation — as well as our ubiquitous smartphones. It normally […]
by Marlowe HOOD Agence France Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — Scientists have long known that some beaked whales beach themselves and die in agony after exposure to naval sonar, and now they know why: the giant sea mammals suffer decompression sickness, just like scuba divers. At first blush, the explanation laid out Wednesday by 21 experts in the Royal Society journal Proceedings B seems implausible. Millions of years of evolution have turned whales into perfectly […]
by Patrick GALEY Agence France Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — Leaf-cutter ants build superhighways to transfer food and building materials hundreds of meters without communicating with each other, scientists claimed Wednesday, in findings that could prompt a rethink about how some insect communities organize themselves. Each leaf-cutter colony can carve out nearly three kilometers of trails from the forest floor every year, investing an average of 11,000 hours into constructing and maintaining them. It had […]
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — A 30-second time-lapse reveals the changing face of the “super blood wolf Moon.” An unusual set of celestial circumstances came together for sky-watchers in Europe, Africa and the Americas, where a total lunar eclipse offered a view of a large, red Moon.
An unusual set of celestial circumstances comes together Sunday for skywatchers in Europe, Africa and the Americas, where a total lunar eclipse may be glimpsed, offering a view of a large, red Moon. The full Moon will appear bigger than normal because it is closer to the Earth — about 222,000 miles (358,000 kilometers) away — which earns it the nickname “super Moon.” Other monikers include a “Wolf Moon,” a traditional way of coining an […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — A cotton seedling that sprouted on the moon has been left to die as China’s historic lunar lander continues a freezing night-time nap that will last as long as two earth weeks, scientists said. The Chinese space agency announced earlier this week that the seed had germinated inside a special canister aboard the Chang’e-4 probe, after the spacecraft on January 3 made the first-ever landing on the far side of the […]
by Patrick GALEY Agence France Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — Traditional white-striped bodypainting practiced by indigenous communities mimics zebra stripes to reduce the number of potentially harmful horsefly bites a person receives by up to 10-fold, according to new research published Wednesday. Tribes in Africa, Australia and southeast Asia have practiced bodypainting in cultural ceremonies for generations. Traditionally mixed from clay, chalk, ash and cattle dung, the white or grey paint is widely thought to […]
by Jerome TAYLOR Agence France Presse HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Hong Kong scientists claim they have made a potential breakthrough discovery in the fight against infectious diseases — a chemical that could slow the spread of deadly viral illnesses. A team from the University of Hong Kong described the newly discovered chemical as “highly potent in interrupting the life cycle of diverse viruses” in a study published this month in the journal Nature Communications. […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — People in North and South America, a large part of Europe and Africa may get a glimpse of a total lunar eclipse overnight from January 20 to 21, the last such event until 2022. For those in Europe and Africa, the total eclipse will unfold shortly before sunrise. For those in North and South America, the eclipse can be viewed at the beginning or in the middle of the night. […]
