Sitting on a 7,000-hectare stretch of land in southwest Florida, Babcock Ranch has made a name for itself as the first solar-powered town in the United States. Its power comes from nearly 700,000 solar panels that supply energy to more than 2,000 homes and other buildings, including a health center and schools. Syd Kitson, founder of … continue reading -> “Solar-Powered US Town Successfully Weathers Hurricane”

Astronomers have observed the brightest flash of light ever seen, from an event that occurred 2.4 billion light-years from Earth and was likely triggered by the formation of a black hole.  The burst of gamma rays — the most intense form of electromagnetic radiation — was first detected by orbiting telescopes Sunday, and its afterglow … continue reading -> “Astronomer Captivated by Brightest Flash Ever Seen”

Young researchers and students are competing in a disaster challenge at a natural hazards forum in the Australian city of Brisbane. The government-funded organization Natural Hazards Research Australia has said more Australians “than ever before are exposed to the damage and destruction of floods, bushfires, cyclones, heatwaves and storms.” It reported that Australia has experienced … continue reading -> “Disaster Challenge Aids Australia’s Response to Natural Hazards”

Europe faces a higher-than-usual chance of a cold blast of weather before the end of the year, but the winter overall is likely to be warmer than average, the continent’s long-range weather forecaster said Thursday. Temperatures this winter will be crucial for homeowners worried about the record cost of heating their homes, and for European … continue reading -> “Warmer-Than-Average Winter Ahead for Europe, Forecaster Says”

The Antarctic ozone hole last week peaked at a moderately large size for the third straight year — bigger than North America — but experts say it’s still generally shrinking despite recent blips because of high altitude cold weather. The ozone hole hit its peak size of more than 26.4 million square kilometers on October … continue reading -> “Ozone Hole Grows This Year but Still Shrinking in General”

Still, just 6.9% of those eligible have gotten the omicron-tailored vaccine …

A monkeypox outbreak has been confirmed in the town of Mbonge, health authorities in Cameroon say, but armed separatists are preventing workers from investigating suspected cases. Cameroon government officials say health workers have been deployed to the districts of Kumba and Mbonge to communicate to hundreds of civilians with suspected monkeypox infections to immediately isolate … continue reading -> “Cameroon: Armed Separatists Prevent Health Workers From Assisting Monkeypox Patients”

As Australia prepares to end mandatory coronavirus isolation rules Friday, new research shows that almost a third of adults have had symptoms of long COVID. In Canberra, a parliamentary health committee has heard clinics are being contacted by more patients struggling with ongoing ailments. COVID-19 cases reported in Australia continue to fall, but the consequences … continue reading -> “Australia Investigates Impact of Long COVID”

Taiwan lifted all its COVID-19 entry restrictions Thursday, allowing tourists unfettered access to the self-ruled island after more than 2 1/2 years of border controls. Hong Kong and Taiwan, together with mainland China, required most visitors to complete a mandatory quarantine period throughout the pandemic, even as most countries reopened their borders to tourists. Visitors … continue reading -> “Tourists Flock to Taiwan as COVID Entry Restrictions Ease”

Early in World War II, the U.S. Navy battled Nazi U-boats off the East Coast of the United States in an area that came to be known as the “Graveyard of the Atlantic.” For VOA, Genia Dulot takes us on an underwater tour of some of those wrecks, which are now artificial reefs popular with … continue reading -> “World War II Ships Sunk Off the US Coast Now Artificial Reefs”

Case numbers in the global monkeypox outbreak have now topped 70,000, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced Wednesday as it warned that a decline in new cases did not mean people should drop their guard.  The WHO said that case numbers last week were on the rise in several countries in the Americas and it … continue reading -> “Worldwide Monkeypox Cases Surpass 70,000, WHO Says”

The U.S. on Wednesday authorized updated COVID-19 boosters for children as young as 5, seeking to expand protection ahead of an expected winter wave. Tweaked boosters rolled out for Americans 12 and older last month, doses modified to target today’s most common and contagious omicron relative. While there wasn’t a big rush, federal health officials … continue reading -> “FDA Clears Updated COVID Boosters for Kids as Young as 5”

Scientists have transplanted human brain cells into the brains of baby rats, where the cells grew and formed connections. It’s part of an effort to better study human brain development and diseases affecting this most complex of organs, which makes us who we are but has long been shrouded in mystery. “Many disorders such as … continue reading -> “Scientists Grow Human Brain Cells in Rats to Study Diseases”

The White House on Tuesday said eligible Americans should get the updated COVID-19 boosters by Halloween to have maximum protection against the coronavirus by Thanksgiving and the holidays, as it warned of a “challenging” virus season ahead. Dr. Ashish Jha, the White House COVID-19 coordinator, said the U.S. has the tools, both from vaccines and … continue reading -> “White House: Get New Booster by Halloween for Safer Holidays”

A spacecraft that plowed into a small, harmless asteroid millions of miles away succeeded in shifting its orbit, NASA said Tuesday in announcing the results of its save-the-world test. The space agency attempted the first test of its kind two weeks ago to see if in the future a killer rock could be nudged out … continue reading -> “Smashing Success: NASA Asteroid Strike Results in Big Nudge”

Energy infrastructure will become more vulnerable to extreme weather such as heatwaves and hurricanes, the World Meteorological Organization warned on Tuesday, with a senior official saying that climate change poses as big a threat to global energy security as the war in Ukraine. This year was illustrative of what the WMO says are the challenges … continue reading -> “Climate Extremes Pose as Big a Threat to Power System as Ukraine War, WMO Says”

Malawi’s health ministry says it will soon roll out Africa’s first malaria vaccine for children under age five. The RTS,S vaccine, which was tested in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi, took more than 30 years to develop. While the vaccine has a relatively low level of effectiveness, it has raised hopes of saving some of the … continue reading -> “Malawi Announces Rollout of Africa’s First Children’s Malaria Vaccine”

As awareness grows around the world about the problem of food waste, one culprit in particular is drawing scrutiny: “best before” labels. Manufacturers have used the labels for decades to estimate peak freshness. Unlike “use by” labels, which are found on perishable foods like meat and dairy, “best before” labels have nothing to do with … continue reading -> “‘Best Before’ Labels Scrutinized as Food Waste Concerns Grow”

Monday is World Mental Health Day. To mark the day, the World Health Organization has launched a campaign to “raise awareness and spur action” in regions where there are high rates of death by suicide. The world health body said that the pandemic has created “a global crisis for mental health,” in a statement Monday, … continue reading -> “World Mental Health Day Marked on Monday”

Older people with limited mobility and those with chronic health conditions requiring the use of electrically powered medical devices were especially vulnerable when Hurricane Ian slammed into Southwest Florida, and experts warn such risks to society’s oldest are growing as disasters increase with the impact of climate change. Almost all of the dozens of people … continue reading -> “Disasters Like Ian Pose Extra Risk for Fragile Older People”