U.S. health officials on Friday approved a closely watched Alzheimer’s drug that’s been shown to modestly slow the early stages of the brain-robbing disease, albeit with potential safety risks that doctors and patients will have to weigh carefully. The drug, Leqembi, is the first that’s been convincingly shown to slow the decline in memory and … continue reading -> “US Approves Alzheimer’s Drug That Modestly Slows Disease”
The Biden administration is proposing tougher standards for a deadly air pollutant, saying that reducing soot from tailpipes, smokestacks and wildfires could prevent thousands of premature deaths a year. A proposal released Friday by the Environmental Protection Agency would set maximum levels of 9 to 10 micrograms of fine particle pollution per cubic meter of … continue reading -> “EPA Moves to Toughen Standards for Deadly Soot Pollution”
India has announced a $2.3 billion plan to promote “green hydrogen” — hydrogen produced with renewable energy — which experts say could be the clean fuel of the future. The initiative could help the world’s third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases reach its goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2070. A series of incentives are … continue reading -> “India Makes $2.3 Billion Green Hydrogen Push to Meet Climate Goals”
The world’s glaciers are shrinking and disappearing faster than scientists thought, with two-thirds of them projected to melt out of existence by the end of the century at current climate change trends, according to a new study. But if the world can limit future warming to just a few more tenths of a degree and … continue reading -> “Study: Two-thirds of Glaciers on Track to Disappear by 2100 “
In a move that amplifies the debate over access to abortion in the United States, the Food and Drug Administration this week ruled that a drug used in the majority of abortions in the country can be dispensed by retail pharmacies to individuals with valid prescriptions. Until the ruling, that drug, mifepristone, could be dispensed … continue reading -> “FDA Allows Broader Access to Abortion Pills”
With Russian rockets targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and electrical grid, scientists in the city of Sumy near Kyiv are hoping to start mass producing solar technology that could keep the lights on. Olena Adamenko has the story, narrated by Anna Rice. Camera: Mykhailo Zaika Produced by: Mykhailo Zaika …
The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday finalized a rule change that allows women seeking abortion pills to get them through the mail, replacing a long-standing requirement that they pick up the medicine in person. The Biden administration implemented the change last year, announcing it would no longer enforce the dispensing rule. Tuesday’s action formally … continue reading -> “FDA Finalizes Rule Allowing Mail-Order Abortion Pills”
Walter Cunningham, the last surviving astronaut from the first successful crewed space mission in NASA’s Apollo program, died Tuesday in Houston. He was 90. NASA confirmed Cunningham’s death in a statement but did not include its cause. Spokespersons for the agency and Cunningham’s wife, Dot Cunningham, did not immediately respond to questions. Cunningham was one … continue reading -> “Apollo 7 Astronaut Walter Cunningham Dead at 90”
A top health official in China has said that the fatalities from the latest surge in COVID-19 cases are “increasing” but within the normal range for mortality. In an interview with state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV), Jiao Yahui, a National Health Commission official, said, “We have a huge base, so what people feel is … continue reading -> “Top China Health Official Says COVID Deaths Increasing in ‘Normal’ Range”
Advocates for education and health care in Malawi are criticizing the government’s decision to close schools in two cities to try to contain a cholera outbreak. The Presidential Taskforce on Coronavirus and Cholera said in a statement Monday that the suspension is applied to all primary and secondary schools in the capital, Lilongwe, and commercial … continue reading -> “Experts Criticize Malawi Government for Closing Schools over Cholera Outbreak”
A new report by the Africa Center for Strategic Studies says “once in a hundred years” floods will become more common in coastal communities due to rising sea levels caused by climate change. As a stretch of West Africa’s coast is set to become the world’s largest megalopolis and an economic powerhouse, academics worry rising … continue reading -> “Report: 100-year Coastal Floods in Africa Now Happen Every 40 Years”
A new year is around the corner. And many use this time to make New Year’s resolutions. Why do people do that, you might ask? “It’s a new calendar year,” said Mandy Doria, a certified counselor at the University of Colorado, speaking with The Associated Press. ‘We have a chance to leave behind all of … continue reading -> “An Annual Battle: Keeping New Year’s Resolutions ”
Howard Fischer, a 63-year-old investor living north of New York City, has a wish for when he dies. He wants his remains to be placed in a vessel, broken down by tiny microbes and composted into rich, fertile soil. Maybe his composted remains could be planted outside the family home in Vermont, or maybe they … continue reading -> “New York OKs Human Composting Law; 6th State in US to Do So”
New Year’s Eve in China prompted an outpouring of reflection online, some of it critical, about the strict zero-COVID policy the country adhered to for almost three years and the impact of its abrupt reversal this month. The sudden change to live with the virus has prompted a wave of infections across the country, a … continue reading -> “New Year Eve Spurs Hope in China Even as Censors Target Online COVID Content”
The World Health Organization met Chinese officials for talks on Friday about the surge in COVID-19 cases, urging them to share real-time data so other countries could respond effectively. The rise in infections in China has triggered concern around the globe and questions about its data reporting, with low official figures for cases and deaths … continue reading -> “Share Data, WHO Urges China at COVID Surge Talks”
In 2022, photographers with The Associated Press captured signs of a planet in distress as climate change reshaped many lives. That distress was seen in the scarred landscapes in places where the rains failed to come. It was felt in walloping storms, land-engulfing floods, suffocating heat and wildfires no longer confined to a single season. … continue reading -> “In 2022, AP Photographers Captured Pain of a Changing Planet”
As COVID-19 infections surge in China, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is considering sampling wastewater taken from international aircraft to track any emerging new variants, the agency told Reuters. Such a policy would offer a better solution to tracking the virus and slowing its entry into the United States than new travel … continue reading -> “US Considers Airline Wastewater Testing as COVID Surges in China”
The world is getting warmer, winters included. The United States, however, has experienced severe winter storms in recent years, and experts are taking a closer look at the link between these extreme cold events and climate change. While the link between global warming and heat waves is very direct, the behavior of winter storms is … continue reading -> “Scientists Study Link Between Winter Storms and Global Warming”
The U.S. Justice Department is suing one of the largest U.S. drug distributors for failing to report suspicious orders of prescription opioids, saying the company’s “years of repeated violations” contributed to the deadly U.S. opioid epidemic. In a civil lawsuit filed Thursday, the department alleges that AmerisourceBergen and two subsidiaries violated the Controlled Substances Act … continue reading -> “US Lawsuit Claims Pharma Distributor Worsened Opioid Epidemic”
For many outside China, this was the year that the term “surveillance state” became something they understood. Western media reported in April on what were thought to be government-operated drones whirring through a locked-down Shanghai, China’s most populous city, where authorities reported a record 22,000 new cases of COVID-19 on a single day. In an … continue reading -> “COVID Controls Offer Insight Into China’s Surveillance Network”
The United States earlier this month announced a contract worth up to $29 million to clean up dioxin contamination at the Bien Hoa Air Base in southern Vietnam, near Ho Chi Minh City, a consequence of U.S. use of the herbicide Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. The move is the most recent attempt to … continue reading -> “US Pays to Clean Up Agent Orange on Vietnam War Anniversary”
Countries are imposing or considering imposing curbs on travelers from China amid a COVID-19 surge there after authorities relaxed “zero-COVID” rules. They cite a lack of information from China on variants and are concerned about a wave of infections. China has rejected criticism of its COVID data and said it expects future mutations to be … continue reading -> “Fact Box: COVID Rules For Travelers From China Around the World”
NASA is exploring whether SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft can potentially offer an alternative ride home for some crew members of the International Space Station after a Russian capsule sprang a coolant leak while docked to the orbital lab. NASA and Russia’s space agency, Roscosmos, are investigating the cause of a punctured coolant line on an … continue reading -> “NASA Mulls SpaceX Backup Plan for Crew of Russia’s Leaky Soyuz Ship”
Italy is making coronavirus tests for visitors from China mandatory following an explosion in cases in China, the health minister said Wednesday. “I have ordered mandatory COVID-19 antigenic swabs, and related virus sequencing, for all passengers coming from China and transiting through Italy,” minister Orazio Schillaci said. The measure was “essential to ensure the surveillance … continue reading -> “Italy to Screen All China Arrivals for COVID”
Chinese and international airlines are reviewing schedules and coping with a flood of inquiries about travel to China following this week’s announcement that strict quarantine requirements for arriving travelers will be dropped early next month. According to the Chinese state-run media the Beijing News and Cailian Press, data from the Chinese travel website “Ctrip” shows … continue reading -> “Easing of Quarantine Sparks Surge of Interest in China Travel”