U.S. officials have approved the first over-the-counter birth control pill, which will let American women and girls buy contraceptive medication from the same aisle as aspirin and eyedrops. The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday it cleared Perrigo’s once-a-day Opill to be sold without a prescription, making it the first such medication to be moved … continue reading -> “First Over-the-counter Birth Control Pill Gets FDA Approval”
It is possible to end AIDS by 2030 if countries demonstrate the political will to invest in prevention and treatment and adopt non-discriminatory laws, the United Nations said on Thursday. In 2022, an estimated 39 million people around the world were living with HIV, according to UNAIDS, the United Nations AIDS program. HIV can progress … continue reading -> “UN: AIDS Can Be Ended by 2030 with Investments in Prevention, Treatment”
Warmer, drier weather because of an earlier-than-usual El Nino is expected to hamper rice production across Asia, hitting global food security in a world still reeling from the impacts of the war in Ukraine. An El Nino is a natural, temporary and occasional warming of part of the Pacific that shifts global weather patterns, and … continue reading -> “El Nino Threatens Rice Crops Across Asia”
BEIJING — Employers across much of China were ordered Monday to limit outdoor work due to scorching temperatures, while the east and southwest were warned to prepare for torrential rain as the country struggled with heat, flooding and drought. Temperatures as high as 40 C (104 F) were reported in cities including Shijiazhuang, southwest of … continue reading -> “As China Struggles With Heat, Flooding and Drought, Employers Ordered to Limit Outdoor Work”
The Webb Space Telescope is marking one year of cosmic photographs with one of its best yet: the dramatic close-up of dozens of stars at the moment of birth. NASA unveiled the latest snapshot Wednesday, revealing 50 baby stars in a cloud complex 390 light-years away. The region is relatively small and quiet yet full … continue reading -> “Webb Space Telescope Reveals Moment of Stellar Birth”
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said on Tuesday it has extended its probe into Novo Nordisk’s diabetes drugs Ozempic and weight-loss treatment Saxenda, following two reports of suicidal thoughts, to include other drugs in the same class. The agency began its review on July 3 after Iceland’s health regulator flagged the reports of patients thinking … continue reading -> “EU Extends Ozempic Review to Include More Weight-loss, Diabetes Drugs “
Australian scientists say they have developed a special glue that can be used to repair parts of the World Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef. Researchers at the Queensland University of Technology believe the biodegradable putty has the potential to help the coral recover after it’s been damaged by cyclones, hit by boats or suffered bleaching. The … continue reading -> “Australian Researchers Develop Super Glue to Help Damaged Coral “
Humanity has etched its way into Earth’s geology, atmosphere and biology with such strength and permanence that a team of scientists figures we have shifted into a new geologic epoch — one of our own creation. It’s called the Anthropocene. A geologic task force recommends marking this new epoch’s start in the deep, pristine Crawford … continue reading -> “Scientists Want to Mark New Epoch of Human Impact on Earth in Canadian Lake”
Double Olympic champion runner Caster Semenya won an appeal against track and field’s testosterone rules on Tuesday when the European Court of Human Rights ruled she was discriminated against and there were “serious questions” about the rules’ validity. World Athletics, which enforces the regulations, said in reaction to the decision that its rules would remain … continue reading -> “Olympic Champion Caster Semenya Wins Appeal Against Testosterone Rules at Human Rights Court”
India will launch a mission to the moon later this week hoping to become the fourth country to land a craft on the lunar surface. So far only three countries — the United States, Russia and China — have achieved what is called a “soft landing” on the moon in which vehicles touch down without … continue reading -> “India to Take Second Shot at Moon Landing “
Astronomers have discovered the most distant black hole yet using NASA’s Webb Space Telescope, but that record isn’t expected to last. The black hole is at the center of a galaxy created a mere 570 million years after the Big Bang. That’s 100 million years closer to the beginning of the cosmos than a black … continue reading -> “Webb Space Telescope Spots Most Distant Black Hole Yet, More May Be Lurking”
Scientists say crushing temperatures that blanketed Europe last summer may have led to more than 61,000 heat-related deaths, highlighting the need for governments to address the health impacts of global warming. In their study, published Monday in the journal Nature Medicine, researchers examined official mortality figures from 35 European countries and found a marked increase … continue reading -> “As Temperatures Soared in Europe Last Year, So Did Heat-Related Deaths, Study Finds”
Meta Platforms’ Twitter rival Threads crossed 100 million sign-ups within five days of launch, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said on Monday, dethroning ChatGPT as the fastest-growing online platform to hit the milestone. Threads has been setting records for user growth since its launch on Wednesday, with celebrities, politicians and other newsmakers joining the platform seen by … continue reading -> “Meta’s Twitter Rival Threads Overtakes ChatGPT as Fastest-Growing Platform “
Health officials are reporting a deadly outbreak of cholera in the South African province of Gauteng Authorities say nearly 50 people have died, with most of the deaths concentrated in the Hammanskraal area. Cases have been reported in other areas as well. Medical officials have urged residents to be vigilant about what they consume … continue reading -> “Nearly 50 Cholera Deaths in South Africa”
Two years after Brazil began emerging from its pandemic horror show thanks to a massive immunization campaign, officials face a paradoxical predicament: vaccination rates have plunged, and not just for COVID-19. The troubling trend has left millions exposed to once-eradicated diseases. Doctors, public officials and UNICEF have sounded the alarm over collapsing immunization rates in … continue reading -> “Many Stop Getting Vaccinations in Brazil”
One person is dead and three missing in landslides in southwestern Japan, authorities said Monday, as the country’s weather agency warned of the “heaviest rain ever” in the region. A 77-year-old woman was confirmed dead in a landslide that entered her home overnight in rural Fukuoka, the local fire department told AFP. Her husband was … continue reading -> “One Dead as Japan Warns of ‘Heaviest Rain Ever’ in Southwest”
Natural disasters can be dramatic — barreling hurricanes, building-toppling tornadoes — but heat is more deadly. Chicago learned that the hard way in 1995. That July, a weeklong heat wave that hit 106 degrees Fahrenheit (41 degrees Celsius) killed more than 700 people. Most of the deaths occurred in poor and majority Black neighborhoods, where … continue reading -> “Are Cities’ ‘Extreme Heat’ Plans Enough for a Warming World?”
Partnership is opening eyes of students of color who never pictured themselves fighting forest fires …
RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva met Saturday with his Colombian counterpart, Gustavo Petro, to build momentum for an upcoming regional summit on the Amazon rainforest and enhance efforts for its protection. The meeting took place in Colombia’s Leticia, a town in the Amazon’s triple border region between Colombia, Brazil … continue reading -> “Leaders of Brazil, Colombia Meet to Build Momentum for Amazon Summit”
A solar storm forecast for Thursday is expected to give star gazers in 17 U.S. states a chance to see the northern lights, the colorful sky show that happens when solar wind hits the atmosphere. Northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, are most often seen in Alaska, Canada and Scandinavia, but an 11-year solar … continue reading -> “Solar Storm Likely to Make Northern Lights Visible in 17 US States”
WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Friday on dozens of countries to work together to combat synthetic drugs, but China — facing blame in Washington over an addiction epidemic — denounced the effort. Inaugurating a new U.S.-led “coalition” on the scourge, Blinken told ministers from more than 80 countries that the United States … continue reading -> “US Is ‘Canary in Coal Mine’ on Fentanyl, Blinken Tells New Coalition”
Officials in Cameroon say vaccine hesitancy is preventing them from inoculating millions of children for childhood diseases in the first major campaign since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The country has an outbreak of measles and rubella that has killed 18 children and sickened more than 4,000 this year. The public health ministry said several thousand … continue reading -> “Cameroon Vaccinates for Measles, But Says Hesitancy Persists”
Earth’s average temperature set a new unofficial record high on Thursday, the third such milestone in a week that already rated as the hottest on record. The planetary average hit 63 degrees Fahrenheit (17.23 degrees Celsius), surpassing the 62.9-degree mark (17.18-degree mark) set Tuesday and equaled Wednesday, according to data from the University of Maine’s … continue reading -> “For the Third Time This Week, Earth Sets an Unofficial Heat Record”
WASHINGTON – South Korean officials are seeking to tamp down domestic opposition to the likely release of treated wastewater from Japan’s Fukushima nuclear power plant. The release has the potential to undermine a recent warming of relations between the two countries in the face of an increasingly aggressive China, and some analysts worry that Beijing could … continue reading -> “Experts: China Sees Fukushima Water Release as Tool to Divide Seoul and Tokyo”
The chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency is visiting the Asia-Pacific region this week after giving Tokyo the green light on Tuesday to release more than 1 million metric tons of treated nuclear wastewater into the Pacific Ocean. The IAEA says the water is safe for release, but the decision has done little to … continue reading -> “Japan’s Radioactive Water Release Plan Safe, IAEA Chief Says”