A Chinese spacecraft took samples of the moon’s surface Wednesday as part of a mission to bring lunar rocks back to Earth for the first time since the 1970s, the government said, adding to a string of successes for Beijing’s increasingly ambitious space program. The Chang’e 5 probe touched down Tuesday on the Sea of … continue reading -> “China Spacecraft Collects Moon Samples to Take Back to Earth”
Healthcare workers and nursing home residents should be among the first Americans to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, members of a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory committee determined Tuesday. The panel voted 13-1 to give a vaccine, as soon as it’s approved, to the some 24 million Americans who are healthcare workers or nursing … continue reading -> “US CDC Advisers Prioritize Health Care Workers, Nursing Home Residents for Vaccine”
A huge, already damaged radio telescope in Puerto Rico that has played a key role in astronomical discoveries for more than half a century completely collapsed on Tuesday. The telescope’s 900-ton receiver platform and its Gregorian dome — a structure as tall as a four-story building that houses secondary reflectors — fell onto the northern portion … continue reading -> “Huge Puerto Rico Radio Telescope, Already Damaged, Collapses”
The China National Space Administration (CNSA) has announced its Chang’e-5 spacecraft, designed to collect lunar samples and return them to Earth, successfully landed on the near side of the moon. China state media report the spacecraft arrived at the preselected landing area Tuesday and sent back images to the CNSA. The spacecraft – composed of orbiter, lander, … continue reading -> “China Space Agency: Lunar Probe Successfully Lands on Moon”
Climate change, voracious beetles and disease are imperiling the long-term survival of a high-elevation pine tree that’s a key source of food for some grizzly bears and found across the West, U.S. officials said Tuesday.A Fish and Wildlife Service proposal scheduled to be published Wednesday would protect the whitebark pine tree as a threatened species … continue reading -> “US: Mountain Pine Tree That Feeds Grizzlies Is Threatened”
Facebook’s oversight board has announced the first cases it’s going to examine to determine if it will overturn the social media giant’s decisions to delete content. Created in October, the board’s apparent role will be to assess cases of Facebook and Instagram users who say their content was wrongly removed. “As the Board cannot hear every appeal, … continue reading -> “Facebook Oversight Board Announces First Six Cases”
Affordable treatment will soon be available for children living with HIV in low- and middle-income countries thanks to an agreement between the global health agency UNITAID and the Clinton Health Access Initiative, or CHAI.The pediatric treatment has been available in wealthy countries but out of reach for children in poor countries. A new agreement with … continue reading -> “Affordable Treatment Available Soon for Children Living With HIV in Poor Countries”
Members of a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory committee meet Tuesday to determine who should get inoculated first against the coronavirus once a vaccine receives final approval.The CDC’s Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices wants to inform the public about its recommendation before a decision is announced by the U.S. Food and Drug … continue reading -> “US Center for Disease Control Advisers Meet to Prioritize Coronavirus Vaccine Distribution”
All Europeans want is a merry and bright Christmas season, just like the ones they used to know. And under public pressure some governments are easing their pandemic restrictions in a bid to salvage something of the holiday spirit.But as some governments plan to soften restrictions by increasing the number of separate households permitted to … continue reading -> “Most European Governments to Ease Pandemic Rules Over Christmas Holiday, But Fearfully”
The European Union said Tuesday it could be vaccinating citizens against COVID-19 by the end of the month if medical officials grant emergency approval of two vaccines candidates. European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen told reporters in Brussels EU member states are working on logistics for the distribution of millions of doses of COVID-19 … continue reading -> “EU Leader Hopes COVID-19 Vaccinations Start in December”
Facebook and Google are becoming “zones without human rights” in Vietnam, Amnesty International warned Tuesday, accusing the tech giants of helping to censor peaceful opposition and political freedom in the country. Amnesty warned that although they were “once the great hope for the rise of freedom of expression in the country, social media platforms are rapidly … continue reading -> “Facebook, Google ‘Zones Without Human Rights’ in Vietnam, Amnesty Says”
Joseph Varon, a doctor treating coronavirus patients at a Texas hospital, was working his 252nd day in a row when he spotted a distraught elderly man in the COVID-19 intensive care unit. Varon’s comforting embrace of the white-haired man on Thanksgiving Day was captured by a photographer for Getty Images and has gone viral around the … continue reading -> “Photo of Texas Doctor Comforting Elderly COVID-19 Patient Goes Viral”
China has provided North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his family with an experimental coronavirus vaccine, a U.S. analyst said Tuesday, citing two unidentified Japanese intelligence sources. Harry Kazianis, a North Korea expert at the Center for the National Interest think tank in Washington, said the Kims and several senior North Korean officials had been … continue reading -> “China Gave COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate to N. Korea’s Kim, US Analyst Says”
The World Health Organization says it is very worried about the rapidly growing surge of coronavirus cases in in Brazil and Mexico.WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters at his regular briefing in Geneva on Monday, “I think Brazil has to be very, very serious,” in combating the surge there. He echoed the same concern … continue reading -> “WHO Raises Alarm Over Virus Spread in Brazil, Mexico”
From instant coffee to Cheetos, packaged cookies and energy bars, the U.S. military helped invent many of the snacks Americans love to eat. The effort accelerated during World War II, when military scientists needed to develop compact yet nutritional ways to feed the troops. “There was a tremendous need for the military to develop modern rations, … continue reading -> “How US Military Invented America’s Favorite Snacks “
Drugmaker Moderna said Monday it is seeking emergency authorization in the United States and Europe to distribute its coronavirus vaccine after tests showed it is 94% effective.The U.S. biotechnology company’s request could mean that health workers will be able to inoculate patients against the virus as soon as mid-December with either of two coronavirus preventatives … continue reading -> “Moderna to Seek Quick Approval of Coronavirus Vaccine in US, Europe”
As French authorities prepare to roll out their COVID immunization strategy this week, they face skepticism in a country where surveys show many people do not trust the vaccine.France was among the nations of Europe taking the heaviest hit from the COVID-19 outbreak as more than 50, 000 people died of the virus.Like the rest … continue reading -> “In France, Public Resistance to COVID Vaccine”
An electric “aero-ambulance” that is estimated to be faster, safer and quieter than a helicopter has been developed by researchers in Australia. The aero ambulance is called Vertiia. It is an electric, vertical takeoff and landing aircraft designed to get patients to the hospital quicker and more safely. It is set for commercial release in 2023, … continue reading -> “Australia Develops ‘Revolutionary’ Electric Air Ambulance”
On World Malaria Day, the World Health Organization is calling on countries to step up the fight against malaria, saying the coronavirus pandemic threatens to reverse important gains made in efforts to control this deadly disease. Since 2000, the U.N.’s World Health Organization reports 1.5 billion malaria cases and 7.6 million deaths have been averted globally. … continue reading -> “WHO: Coronavirus Threatens to Reverse Gains Made in Malaria Control”
The World Health Organization is urging people to get moving and keep moving for better health. The U.N. health agency says physical activity can avert the deaths of up to 5 million people annually. WHO statistics show 1 in 4 adults and 80% of adolescents do not do enough physical activity, and women and girls … continue reading -> “UN Agency: Physical Activity Can Save Up to 5 Million Lives a Year “
Two top U.S. coronavirus experts assured Americans Sunday that vaccines against the pandemic would soon become available but warned that not taking precautions against the spread of the virus before then could prove disastrous. “We should have enough vaccine by the end of the year to immunize 20 million Americans and we have to immunize for … continue reading -> “US Health Experts: Coronavirus Vaccines on the Way, but Precautions Still Paramount “
Jim, from Taiwan, slipped a face mask inside the greeting card he sent to Santa and marked “I (heart) u.” Alina, 5, asked in her Santa letter written with an adult’s help that he please use the front door when he drops in, because the back door is reserved for Grandma and Grandpa to minimize … continue reading -> “In Santa’s Mailbag, a Peek into Children’s Pandemic Worries”
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is asking lawmakers to support new, tiered restrictions to keep the nation’s hospitals from becoming overwhelmed before a vaccine for the coronavirus can be approved and distributed.The new measures would put 99% of the country under the two highest restriction levels when the current rules end Tuesday. The new restrictions … continue reading -> “Britain’s Johnson Asks Lawmakers to Back a Tougher Lockdown”
A surge in new coronavirus cases has led California’s Los Angeles County to issue a new three-week, stay-at-home order which will go into effect Monday.The county had said previously that it would issue the restrictive order when new COVID-19 cases reached an average of 4,500 per day over a five-day period.On Friday, the five-day average … continue reading -> “Los Angeles Issues Stay-at-Home Order to Curb COVID”
Denmark’s government said on Friday it wants to dig up mink that were culled to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, after hundreds resurfaced from mass graves.Denmark ordered all farmed mink to be culled early this month after finding that 12 people had been infected by a mutated strain of the virus that causes COVID-19, … continue reading -> “Hundreds of ‘Zombie Mink’ Resurfacing from Mass Graves”