24/7 News Coverage
December 29, 2016
SPACE MEDICINE
From outer space to inner eye



Paris (ESA) Dec 26, 2016
Contact lenses, spectacles and eye implants are now being made more accurately thanks to research instruments flying on the International Space Station. With the competitive lens market offering increasingly complex products such as varifocal and high-definition contact lenses, precisely shaping a lens is critical. Every lens must be thoroughly checked to ensure it has been made according to the patient's prescription. Belgian company Lambda-X came up with a space-inspired device to do just ... read more

INTERN DAILY
Bacteria evolving more sophisticated antibiotic resistance
Researchers recently found evidence that bacteria can use antibiotic resistance to protect more vulnerable neighbors. ... more
EPIDEMICS
Hong Kong records winter's first bird flu death
An elderly man has died of bird flu in Hong Kong in the city's first human case of the disease this winter, authorities said Tuesday. ... more
EPIDEMICS
Angola declares end to deadly yellow fever epidemic
Angola on Friday declared the end of a yellow fever outbreak that killed at least 400 people, after an emergency United Nations vaccination campaign covering 25 million people. ... more
TECH SPACE
Mind-controlled toys: The next generation of Christmas presents?
The next generation of toys could be controlled by the power of the mind, thanks to research by the University of Warwick. Led by Professor Christopher James, Director of Warwick Engineering i ... more
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INTERNET SPACE
Researchers achieve meter-scale optical coherence tomography for first time
An industry-academic collaboration has achieved the first optical coherence tomography (OCT) images of cubic meter volumes. With OCT's ability to provide difficult-to-obtain information on material ... more
SPACE MEDICINE
Electrical signaling in heart and nerve cells using graphene
Scientists have enlisted the exotic properties of graphene, a one-atom-thick layer of carbon, to function like the film of an incredibly sensitive camera system in visually mapping tiny electric fie ... more
EPIDEMICS
Paris seeks high ground in fight to keep rats underground
Gazing upward to take in the majesty of the Eiffel Tower, visitors to Paris may be astonished to learn that a vicious war, pitting Man against Rat, is unfolding at their feet. ... more
SPACE MEDICINE
Seven Ways Astronauts Improve Sleep May Help You Snooze Better on Earth
The hazards of lost sleep can range from on-the-job errors to chronic disease. People all around the world experience disruptions in circadian rhythm, or the body's natural regulator for sleep and w ... more
SPACE MEDICINE
BodyCap's wearable health monitors being used aboard ISS
BodyCap has announced that two of its wearable health monitoring devices are currently being used by European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Thomas Pesquet aboard the International Space Station (ISS) ... more


Cow gene study shows why most clones fail

EPIDEMICS
Smallpox, once thought an ancient disease, may have emerged in more recent times
New genetic research from an international team including McMaster University, University of Helsinki, Vilnius University and the University of Sydney, suggests that smallpox, a pathogen that caused ... more
DISASTER MANAGEMENT
Urgent appeal for supplies after strong Indonesia quake
Aftershocks rattled the survivors of a devastating Indonesian earthquake that killed more than 100 people, as officials urgently appealed Thursday for medicine and doctors to treat the hundreds injured. ... more


US prosecutors ask Alexa: whodunit?
Amazon's connected personal assistant Alexa may have witnessed a murder. But will she talk? Investigators in Arkansas recovered the Amazon Echo speaker infused with artificial intelligence from a murder scene, and want to know what Alexa heard, according to lawyers on both sides. The case centers around Victor Collins, 47, who was found strangled in November 2015 in a bathtub of the Bent ... more
'Tiny earthquakes' help scientists predict mountain rock falls

58,000 people died on Chinese roads in 2015: report

66,000 workplace deaths in China last year: report

Austrian cows swap bells from 'hell' for GPS
A farmer's cows in western Austria will swap their traditional bells for GPS trackers after the owner of a holiday home complained that the noise was irritating his guests. Some might think the gentle clonk of cowbells is as much a part of the Alpine landscape as soaring peaks and wooden chalets, but the noise drove landlord Guenter Frick to bring charges against farmer Engelbert Laengle las ... more
Russia, China Making Progress in Synchronization of GLONASS, BeiDou Systems

Alpha Defence Company To Make Navigation Satellites For ISRO

Europe's own satnav Galileo goes live

Daily Newsletters - Space - Military - Environment - Energy

Chimpanzees are 'indifferent' when it comes to altruism
New research into chimpanzees suggests that, when it comes to altruistically helping a fellow chimpanzee, they are 'indifferent'. The paper, published in Nature Communications, found no evidence that chimpanzees had a tendency to help others - or conversely to be spiteful - when there was no anticipated benefit to themselves. In two experiments, chimpanzees could determine whether or ... more
Earliest evidence discovered of plants cooked in ancient pottery

Dental hygiene, caveman style

Neurons paralyze us during REM sleep

Ant-like bees among newly discovered desert species
Researchers at Utah State University have discovered nine new desert bee species, including two featuring males that look very much like ants. "It's unclear why these males have this unique form, but it could indicate they spend a lot of time in the nest," entomologist Zach Portman said in a news release. "We may find more information as we learn more about their nesting biology." ... more
Cheetahs 'sprinting' towards extinction: wildlife study

Scientists decipher meaning in bat calls

Baby orangutans rescued in Thai police sting



Hong Kong records winter's first bird flu death
An elderly man has died of bird flu in Hong Kong in the city's first human case of the disease this winter, authorities said Tuesday. The 75-year-old was diagnosed following a visit to neighbouring Guangdong province in mainland China, where he bought a chicken from a market. He died on Sunday after testing positive for the H7N9 strain of bird flu, health officials said. More than 50 ... more
Angola declares end to deadly yellow fever epidemic

Paris seeks high ground in fight to keep rats underground

Smallpox, once thought an ancient disease, may have emerged in more recent times

Nine 'rebel' villagers jailed in China
Nine residents of the Chinese "rebel" village of Wukan have been jailed for "disrupting social order" after September protests against officials turned violent, leading police to shut down the settlement and impose a media blackout. Wukan, a 13,000-strong fishing village in the southern province of Guangdong, became a symbol of resistance against corruption after a mass uprising over alleged ... more
Hong Kong's ousted anti-China lawmakers make final appeal over ban

Born again: baby boom after China ends one-child rule

Dalai Lama will not visit Mongolia again: govts

Daily Newsletters - Space - Military - Environment - Energy

African leaders tackle piracy, illegal fishing at Lome summit
Stemming the astronomical losses caused by crime in the oceans surrounding Africa is the focus of a major continental summit on Saturday in the Togolese capital, Lome. "Over recent decades, the accumulated revenue losses resulting directly from illegal activities in the African maritime sector add up to hundreds of billions of US dollars, without counting the loss of human lives," the Africa ... more
US to deport ex-navy chief drug trafficker to Guinea-Bissau

Gunmen ambush Mexican military convoy, kill 5 soldiers

Mexican army to probe killings of six in their home

Property and credit booms stablise China growth
Chinese growth stabilised in the third quarter, data showed Wednesday, as ample credit and hot property markets propped up the world's second-largest economy. But while the forecast-beating reading was in line with state targets, it came as experts warned that authorities have relied too much on easy credit, which has in turn increased financial risks. The economy grew 6.7 percent in Jul ... more
China data and US banks propel equities higher

No debt-for-equity cure for zombie firms, says China

China's ranks of super-rich rise despite economic slowdown



New UN chief wants to meet Trump 'as soon as possible'
Incoming UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he wants to meet Donald Trump "as soon as possible" and is "determined to establish a constructive dialogue with the new US administration". Guterres, who met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the end of last month, said he hoped for a similar outcome with the American President-elect. The former Portuguese prime minister takes o ... more
India bans foreign funds of 20,000 charities: official

China and Sao Tome restore diplomatic ties in snub to Taiwan

This is a drill: British army returns to Hong Kong

MIT researchers reveal new technique for measuring gravity
Researchers have found a way to improve atom interferometers, the most common and precise tool for measuring gravity. Atom interferometers measure difference in wave characteristics between atomic matter. They rely on an exotic state of matter called Bose-Einstein condensates. Researchers in MIT have found a way to improve the precision of atom interferometers by augmenting the condensa ... more
A population of neutron stars can generate gravitational waves continuously

LISA Pathfinder's pioneering mission continues

Magnetic mirror could shed new light on gravitational waves

Daily Newsletters - Space - Military - Environment - Energy

Thai junta chief hits back at web censorship critics
Thailand's junta chief on Tuesday defended amendments to a cyber security law that boosts censorship powers, slamming social media as a hotbed of immorality that needs policing. Changes agreed to last week broaden the scope of the Computer Crime Act, which hands up to five years in prison for anyone found guilty of sharing "distorted" information online. The toughened law has drawn a str ... more
China rights website founder held over 'state secrets': Amnesty

Britain's ministry of defence loses hundreds of laptops

Egypt blocks encrypted messaging app: company

Iraq forces in 'second phase' of east Mosul battle: commander
Iraqi forces launched the multi-pronged "second phase" of the battle to retake eastern Mosul from jihadists on Thursday, a top commander said. Iraqi forces punched into eastern Mosul after the massive operation to recapture the northern city from the Islamic State group was launched on October 17, but progress slowed to a crawl. "The second phase of liberating the left bank in Mosul was ... more
Iraq PM says needs three months to eliminate IS

Bittersweet Christmas for Iraqi Christians near Mosul

Iraqi air force drops 4 million letters on Mosul: coalition



China police kill three over Xinjiang attack: report
Chinese police have shot dead three people who allegedly attacked a Communist Party office in the restive Xinjiang region on Wednesday, state media said, in the bloodiest such incident in months. The three "rioters" drove up to a local party office in Moyu County and "detonated (an) explosive device", killing two and injuring three others, the official Xinhua news agency reported, citing a s ... more
India accuses Pakistani Islamist over airbase attack

Pentagon confirms death of two Qaeda leaders in Afghanistan

Kurdish-Shiite row erupts at Iraqi football match

Norway fund blacklists more coal groups over climate concerns
Norway's sovereign wealth fund, the world's largest, has barred 15 more companies linked to coal operations, most of them American and Asian, the Norwegian central bank said on Wednesday. Norway's parliament voted in June 2015 to pull the fund out of coal, requiring it to sell its holdings in mining and power companies that generate more than 30 percent of their output or revenue from the po ... more
Black coal, thin pickings: China's miners face decline

Coal demand shifting to Asia, IEA says

China halts North Korean coal imports

China's Sichuan cannot get enough spicy marinated rabbit heads
Chinese diners greedily crack open delicate rabbit skulls and slurp down their contents, tucking into a delicacy so popular in one province that it has to import supplies from France. Sichuan is renowned for its spicy, peppery local dishes: one of its favourites are bunny brains, often eaten as a late night treat on the streets of its capital, Chengdu. At the "Shuangliu Laoma Tutou", a w ... more
After Asia, palm oil faces backlash in Africa

Myanmar farmers reap rewards from 3D printing

China's giant cow farms leave neighbours up milk creek

PANIC Lander to Revolutionize Asteroid Research
A US-German team of researchers has proposed to develop a micro-scale low-cost surface lander for the in situ characterization of an asteroid. The tiny spacecraft, called the Pico Autonomous Near-Earth Asteroid In Situ Characterizer (PANIC), could be a breakthrough for the scientific community, offering simple and cheap solutions for asteroid research. The concept of the PANIC mission envi ... more
The case of the missing diamonds

Ceres Offers Insight Into Prospects For Life in Early Solar System

Studies refute hypothesis on what caused abrupt climate change thousands of years ago



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