What is bigger: A ronna or a quetta? Scientists meeting outside of Paris on Friday — who have expanded the world’s measuring unit systems for the first time this century as the global population surges past 8 billion — have the answer. Rapid scientific advances and vast worldwide data storage on the web, in smartphones … continue reading -> “New Measures for Size, As World’s Population Surpasses 8 Billion”
A last-minute fight over emissions cutting and the overall climate change goal is delaying a potentially historic deal that would create a fund for compensating poor nations that are victims of extreme weather worsened by rich countries’ carbon pollution. “We are extremely on overtime. There were some good spirits earlier today. I think more people … continue reading -> “Last-Minute Objections Threaten Historic UN Climate Deal”
Wildlife conservationists are heartened by a rare sighting of a snow leopard in what they say is the first member of the endangered species to be captured on camera in Indian-administered Kashmir. The adult animal was identified from images taken last month using infrared camera traps in a remote region some 3,500 to 3,800 meters … continue reading -> “Snow Leopard Photographs Cheer Wildlife Conservationists in Kashmir”
China’s zero-COVID policy prompted hundreds of Chinese citizens to march in the streets in Guangzhou this week after hearing that ongoing lockdowns had been extended. In videos shared on Chinese social media and later on Twitter, demonstrators were seen tearing down COVID lockdown barriers in the streets and chanting slogans such as “don’t test anymore” … continue reading -> “Protests, Online Dissent Daily Occurrence in China, Report Says”
Pfizer said Friday that its updated COVID-19 booster may offer some protection against newly emerging omicron mutants, even though it’s not an exact match. Americans have been reluctant to get the updated boosters rolled out by Pfizer and rival Moderna, doses tweaked to target the BA.5 omicron strain that until recently was the most common … continue reading -> “Pfizer Booster Spurs Immune Response to New Omicron Subtypes”
As Americans head into the holiday season, a rapidly intensifying flu season is straining hospitals already overburdened with patients sick from other respiratory infections. More than half the states have high or very high levels of flu, unusually high for this early in the season, the government reported Friday. Those 27 states are mostly in … continue reading -> “Early Flu Adding to Woes for US Hospitals “
NASA’s Webb Space Telescope is finding bright, early galaxies that until now were hidden from view, including one that may have formed a mere 350 million years after the cosmic-creating Big Bang. Astronomers said Thursday that if the results are verified, this newly discovered throng of stars would beat the most distant galaxy identified by … continue reading -> “Webb Space Telescope Spots Early Galaxies Hidden from Hubble”
A global wildlife summit in Panama took an important step Thursday toward upgrading protection for sharks, the ancient ocean vertebrates targeted for their fins used in a status-symbol soup. A committee voted to approve a proposal to include requiem and hammerhead sharks on Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). … continue reading -> “Sharks Move Closer to More Protections as Wildlife Summit Takes Action”
Malawi is struggling to contain one of the worst cholera outbreaks in years. It has spread nationwide, killing more than 250 people and infecting more than 8,000. Authorities and aid groups have stepped up cholera vaccination and hygiene campaigns, as Lameck Masina reports from Blantyre, Malawi. …
Uganda’s tourism sector is once again being hit by effects from a deadly disease. In 2021, it was the COVID-19 pandemic. This time, it’s the Ebola outbreak, with 141 confirmed cases and 55 deaths. President Yoweri Museveni said Tuesday in his address to Ugandans that he had been informed that tourists are canceling trips … continue reading -> “Tourists Canceling Trips to Uganda Over Ebola Fears”
Heavy rains behind floods that killed more than 600 people in Nigeria this year were about 80 times likelier because of human-induced climate change, scientists reported Wednesday. The floods mainly struck Nigeria but also Niger, Chad and neighboring countries, displacing more than 1.4 million people and devastating homes and farmland in a region already vulnerable … continue reading -> “Climate Change Fueled Rains Behind Deadly Nigeria Floods, Study Finds”
After mechanical issues and inclement weather forced a series of delays, NASA’s Artemis 1 mission to the moon finally took off from Kennedy Space Center early Wednesday morning. VOA’s Kane Farabaugh has more from Florida. Camera: Adam Greenbaum …
NASA’s new Artemis moon rocket blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on its debut flight with three test dummies aboard early Wednesday. The launch brings the United States a big step closer to putting astronauts back on the lunar surface for the first time since the end of the Apollo program 50 … continue reading -> “NASA’s New Moon Rocket Blasts Off”
Chinese authorities locked down a major university in Beijing on Wednesday after finding one COVID-19 case as they stick to a “zero-COVID” approach despite growing public discontent. Peking University students and faculty were not allowed to leave the grounds unless necessary and classes on the main campus — where the case was found — were … continue reading -> “In ‘Zero-COVID’ China, 1 Case Locks Down Peking University”
The world’s population is projected to hit an estimated 8 billion people on Tuesday, according to a United Nations projection, with much of the growth coming from developing nations in Africa. Among them is Nigeria, where resources are already stretched to the limit. More than 15 million people in Lagos compete for everything from electricity … continue reading -> “World Population Hits 8 Billion, Creating Many Challenges”
Malaria exploded this year in the Ethiopian city of Dire Dawa, which saw more than 10 times as many cases between January and May as it did in all of 2019. What made this spike in cases unusual is that it happened outside the rainy season, when malaria typically surges across Africa, and in an … continue reading -> “Invasive Mosquito Threatens Malaria Control in Africa”
Several Chinese cities began cutting routine community COVID-19 testing on Monday, days after China announced an easing of some of its heavy-handed coronavirus measures, sparking worry in some communities as nationwide cases continued to rise. In the northern city of Shijiazhuang, some families expressed concern about exposing their children to the virus at school, giving … continue reading -> “New China COVID Rules Spur Concern as Some Cities Halt Routine Tests”
An unmanned U.S. military space plane landed early Saturday after spending a record 908 days in orbit for its sixth mission and conducting science experiments. The solar-powered vehicle, which looks like a miniature space shuttle, landed at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Its previous mission lasted 780 days. “Since the X-37B’s first launch in 2010, it … continue reading -> “Unmanned, Solar-powered US Space Plane Back After 908 Days”
The 10 women gathered on yoga mats in a New Orleans suburb, the lights dimmed. “I’d like to invite you to close your eyes,” instructor Stephanie Osborne said in a soothing voice from the front of the room. The only other noises were the hum of the air conditioner and the distant sounds of children … continue reading -> “After Hurricanes, Program Aims to Help Alleviate Stress”
As Ugandan farmer Bonaventura Senyonga prepares to bury his grandson, age-old traditions are forgotten and fear hangs in the air while a government medical team prepares the body for the funeral — the latest victim of Ebola in the East African nation. Bidding the dead goodbye is rarely a quiet affair in Uganda, where the … continue reading -> “‘Death Every Day’: Fear and Fortitude in Uganda’s Ebola Epicenter”
The U.N. climate talks in Egypt have reached the halfway mark, with negotiators still working on draft agreements before ministers arrive next week to push for a substantial deal to fight climate change. The two-week meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh started with strong appeals from world leaders for greater efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions and … continue reading -> “UN Climate Talks Reach Halftime with Key Issues Unresolved”
As Uganda struggled to control the spread of the deadly Ebola virus, Health Ministry officials said Friday the cases are gradually stabilizing. This comes after media reports that some leaked documents show the disease could claim 500 lives by next April. The country has recorded 137 Ebola cases and 54 deaths since the outbreak began … continue reading -> “Uganda’s Health Ministry Says Ebola Cases Stabilizing, Despite Reports to Contrary”
On a beach in Senegal with so much plastic trash that much of the sand is covered, one man is trying to raise awareness about the dangers of plastics — by wearing many of the bags, cups and other junk that might just as soon be part of trash piles. Environmental activist Modou Fall, who … continue reading -> “‘Plastic Man’ in Senegal on Mission Against Trash”
Heavy rain from the remnants of Hurricane Nicole covered the eastern United States from Georgia to the Canadian border Friday while hundreds of people on a hard-hit stretch of Florida’s coast wondered when, or if, they could return to their homes. As Nicole’s leftovers pushed northward, forecasters issued multiple tornado warnings in the Carolinas and … continue reading -> “Rains From Nicole Douse Eastern US From Georgia to Canadian Border”
The United States will keep in place the public health emergency status of the coronavirus pandemic, allowing millions of Americans to still receive free tests, vaccines and treatments until at least April of next year, two Biden administration officials said Friday. The possibility of a winter surge in COVID-19 cases and the need for more … continue reading -> “US COVID Public Health Emergency to Stay in Place”