24/7 News Coverage
October 12, 2018
EPIDEMICS
A step towards biological warfare with insects?



Munich, Germany (SPX) Oct 10, 2018
Owing to present-day armed conflicts, the general public is well aware of the terrifying effects of chemical weapons. Meanwhile, the effects of biological weapons have largely disappeared from public awareness. A project funded by a research agency of the US Department of Defense is now giving rise to concerns about being possibly misused for the purpose of biological warfare. The programme called 'Insect Allies' intends for insects to be used for dispersing genetically modified viruses to agricul ... read more

EPIDEMICS
15 emerging technologies that could reduce global catastrophic biological risks
Baltimore MD (SPX) Oct 10, 2018
Strategic investment in 15 promising technologies could help make the world better prepared and equipped to prevent future infectious disease outbreaks from becoming catastrophic events. This ... more
EPIDEMICS
Vaccinating humans to protect mosquitoes from malaria
Buffalo NY (SPX) Oct 10, 2018
For decades, scientists have been trying to develop a vaccine that prevents mosquitoes from spreading malaria among humans. This unique approach - in which immunized humans transfer anti-malar ... more
EPIDEMICS
100 years on, Spanish Flu holds lessons for next pandemic
Paris (AFP) Oct 8, 2018
It was the disease to end all others, infecting a third of humanity, killing tens of millions in their beds and prompting panicked talk of the end of days across continents still reeling from war. ... more
NUKEWARS
US calls ruling a defeat for Iran, ends treaty
Washington (AFP) Oct 3, 2018
The United States on Wednesday called an international court ruling against its Iran sanctions a defeat for Tehran as it terminated a 1955 treaty on which the case was based. ... more


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SPACE MEDICINE
Animal study suggests deep space travel may significantly damage GI function in astronauts
Washington DC (SPX) Oct 02, 2018
Simulations with animal models meant to mirror galactic cosmic radiation exposure to astronauts are raising red flags for investigators at Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC) about the healt ... more
NUKEWARS
Foreign drugs rare commodity in sanctions-hit Iran
Tehran (AFP) Oct 4, 2018
"Talk of sanctions on Iran reemerged, and my essential medicine was no longer available," said Masoud Mir who suffers from thalassaemia, a genetic blood disease common in Iran. ... more
INTERN DAILY
Researchers develop microbubble scrubber to destroy dangerous biofilms
Champaign IL (SPX) Sep 26, 2018
Stiff microbial films often coat medical devices, household items and infrastructure such as the inside of water supply pipes, and can lead to dangerous infections. Researchers have developed a syst ... more
EPIDEMICS
With genetic tweak, mosquito population made extinct
Paris (AFP) Sept 24, 2018
Scientists said Monday they had succeeded for the first time in wiping out an entire population of malaria-carrying mosquitos in the lab using a gene editing tool to programme their extinction. ... more
INTERN DAILY
China's doctor shortage prompts rush for AI health care
Shanghai (AFP) Sept 20, 2018
Qu Jianguo, 64, had a futuristic medical visit in Shanghai as he put his wrist through an automated pulse-taking machine and received the result within two minutes on a mobile phone - without a doctor present. ... more
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EPIDEMICS
Trump unveils revised US biodefense strategy
Washington (AFP) Sept 18, 2018
US President Donald Trump unveiled a new strategy Tuesday aimed at reducing the risks of man-made and naturally occurring biological threats. ... more
SPACE MEDICINE
UBC breakthrough opens door to $100 ultrasound machine
Vancouver, Canada (SPX) Sep 17, 2018
Engineers at the University of British Columbia have developed a new ultrasound transducer, or probe, that could dramatically lower the cost of ultrasound scanners to as little as $100. Their patent ... more
EPIDEMICS
Indonesia's quake-hit Lombok battles with malaria, 137 infected
Mataram, Indonesia (AFP) Sept 16, 2018
A malaria outbreak has infected at least 137 people in Indonesia's West Lombok after the island was rocked by a series of earthquakes in recent months, an official said Sunday. ... more
SPACE MEDICINE
Artificial synaptic device simulating the function of human brain
Seoul, South Korea (SPX) Sep 13, 2018
A research team led by Director Myoung-Jae Lee from the Intelligent Devices and Systems Research Group at DGIST has succeeded in developing an artificial synaptic device that mimics the function of ... more
EPIDEMICS
Deadly 'rat fever' in flood-ravaged Indian state
Kochi, India (AFP) Sept 4, 2018
"Rat fever" and other diseases have killed 14 people in the southern Indian state of Kerala after the worst floods in almost a century, authorities said Tuesday. ... more


Virus' potency depends on the shape of its DNA

EPIDEMICS
UN emergency talks to head off swine fever spread in Asia
Bangkok (AFP) Sept 5, 2018
An emergency meeting to head off an outbreak of African swine fever across Asia opened in Bangkok on Wednesday, after a mass pig cull in China sparked fears of a potential pandemic. ... more
INTERN DAILY



EPIDEMICS
Deadly 'rat fever' in flood-ravaged Indian state
Kochi, India (AFP) Sept 4, 2018
"Rat fever" has killed at least 12 people with another 54 suspected fatal cases in the southern Indian state of Kerala since August, after the worst floods in almost a century, authorities said Tuesday. ... more
EPIDEMICS
China culls 38,000 pigs as swine fever spreads
Beijing (AFP) Sept 2, 2018
More than 38,000 pigs have been culled across China, state media said Sunday, as the world's largest pork producer scrambles to contain an outbreak of African swine fever. ... more
EPIDEMICS
NASA investment in cholera forecasts helps save lives in Yemen
Washington DC (SPX) Aug 29, 2018
For the first time ever, measurements from NASA Earth-observing research satellites are being used to help combat a potential outbreak of life-threatening cholera. Humanitarian teams in Yemen are ta ... more
EPIDEMICS
Temperature model predicts transmission of mosquito-borne virus
Washington (UPI) Aug 28, 2018
Scientists have designed a new model to predict how temperatures will impact the transmission patterns of the mosquito-borne Ross River virus. ... more
EPIDEMICS
China's swine fever outbreak may spread in Asia: FAO
Beijing (AFP) Aug 28, 2018
An outbreak of African swine fever in China may spread to other parts of Asia, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization warned Tuesday, as the world's largest pork producer scrambled to contain the disease. ... more
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Morocco navy fires on migrant boat, wounding one
Rabat (AFP) Oct 10, 2018
The Moroccan navy opened fire on a boat transporting migrants from the North African country, wounding one of them, a military source said on Wednesday. Despite warning shots, "the motorboat that was carrying 58 migrants hidden under tarpaulin made a hostile move which forced the coastguard to fire at the captain," said the source in Rabat, who spoke on condition of anonymity. One of the ... more
+ Thousands evacuated as explosions spark fire at Ukraine arms depot
+ Indonesia calls off grim search for dead in quake-tsunami
+ Cost of climate-linked disasters soars: UN
+ In quake-hit Haiti, hospital labors to treat the wounded
+ Haiti quake upends lives already stressed by poverty
+ Morocco navy says 615 migrants saved in weekend ops
+ International aid effort for Indonesia quake-tsunami swings into gear
Army researchers' technique locates robots, soldiers in GPS-challenged areas
Adelphi MD (SPX) Oct 10, 2018
Scientists at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory have developed a novel algorithm that enables localization of humans and robots in areas where GPS is unavailable. According to ARL researchers Gunjan Verma and Dr. Fikadu Dagefu, the Army needs to be able to localize agents operating in physically complex, unknown and infrastructure-poor environments. "This capability is critical to he ... more
+ Boeing to provide technical work on JDAM GPS-guided bombs
+ New Study Tracks Hurricane Harvey Stormwater with GPS
+ Lockheed awarded $1.4B for first GPS IIIF satellites
+ China launches twin BeiDou-3 satellites
+ First satellite for GPS III upgrades to launch in December
+ AF Announces selection of GPS III follow-on contract
+ Lockheed Martin preps ground support for GPS 3 sats and M-Code ops


Affable apes live longer, study shows
Edinburgh UK (SPX) Oct 11, 2018
Male chimps that are less aggressive and form strong social bonds tend to live longer, research suggests. A study of hundreds of captive chimpanzees showed that males that get along well with others - by being sensitive, protective and cooperative - outlived their less amiable peers. The team, led by researchers at the University of Edinburgh, found that, contrary to studies of human ... more
+ Rift Valley's drying climate inspired early human evolution
+ Dryer, less predictable environment may have spurred human evolution
+ Modern humans inherited viral defenses from Neanderthals
+ Neanderthal healthcare practices crucial to survival
+ Brain organizes forgettable, indelible memories during sleep
+ Viruses influenced gene sharing between Neanderthals and humans
+ Viruses affected gene flow between humans, Neanderthals
Lizards dream too, study suggests
Washington (UPI) Oct 11, 2018
Just like humans, lizards experience two different sleep states, suggesting the cold-blooded creatures dream. The brains of all animals perform important functions during sleep - memories get processed and organized, the metabolic trash gets taken out, neuronal energy reserves get replenished. But until now, scientists thought only land mammals and some birds experienced two different ... more
+ Leaders urge 'follow the money' to combat wildlife trafficking
+ India watches for deadly virus as lion deaths spike
+ More than 4 billion birds stream overhead during fall migration
+ Fad for 'lucky' tail hair threatens Vietnam elephants
+ Judge restores protections for Yellowstone grizzlies, hunts canceled
+ Climate change not main driver of amphibian decline
+ Male mosquitoes listen for approaching females using built-in amplifier
Daily Newsletters - Space - Military - Environment - Energy

15 emerging technologies that could reduce global catastrophic biological risks
Baltimore MD (SPX) Oct 10, 2018
Strategic investment in 15 promising technologies could help make the world better prepared and equipped to prevent future infectious disease outbreaks from becoming catastrophic events. This subset of emerging technologies and their potential application are the focus of a new report, Technologies to Address Global Catastrophic Biological Risks, by a team of researchers at the Johns Hopki ... more
+ Vaccinating humans to protect mosquitoes from malaria
+ A step towards biological warfare with insects?
+ 100 years on, Spanish Flu holds lessons for next pandemic
+ With genetic tweak, mosquito population made extinct
+ Trump unveils revised US biodefense strategy
+ Indonesia's quake-hit Lombok battles with malaria, 137 infected
+ Deadly 'rat fever' in flood-ravaged Indian state
Human rights situation 'dire' in China: US Congress
Washington (AFP) Oct 10, 2018
China is undertaking unprecedented repression of its ethnic minorities including Muslim Uighurs, with authoritarian tactics potentially constituting "crimes against humanity" as human rights conditions deteriorate, a damning US congressional report released Wednesday concluded. The bipartisan Congressional-Executive Commission on China said in its annual report repression has worsened in rec ... more
+ China's ultra wealthy buffeted as trade war bites
+ Hong Kong will 'fearlessly take action' against independence talk
+ China warns against foreign interference as Hong Kong bans journalist
+ Interpol's former Chinese chief accused of bribery
+ FT journalist given seven days to leave Hong Kong
+ Interpol's former Chinese chief accused of bribery
+ EU condemns Hong Kong's expulsion of British reporter


New president to inherit a Mexico plagued with grisly violence
Mexico City (AFP) Aug 7, 2018
In the middle of the street, corpses riddled with bullets. Underground, thousands of bodies heaped in clandestine graves. And in the mountains, drug gangs locked in armed conflict with the military. These grim scenes have increasingly become the norm in Mexico, a country gripped by violence stemming from its war on drugs which since 2006 has seen more than 200,000 murders and 30,000 people g ... more
+ Vessel tracking exposes the dark side of trading at sea
+ Three Mexican soldiers killed in ambush
+ US targets Chinese fentanyl 'kingpin' with sanctions
+ Singaporean guilty of sophisticated exam cheating plot
Daily Newsletters - Space - Military - Environment - Energy

British NATO troops to show post-Brexit 'commitment'
Hook Of Holland, Netherlands (AFP) Oct 10, 2018
A convoy of British troops landed in The Netherlands on Wednesday en route to NATO's largest exercise since the Cold War, pledging London's commitment to defend the continent despite Brexit. The contingent of some 150 soldiers on board 71 military vehicles rolled off a civilian passenger ferry in the Hook of Holland port after travelling overnight from Harwich. They are embarking on the ... more
+ Interpol saga hurts China's bid to lead global bodies: analysts
+ Sri Lanka says no Chinese military base at port
+ Argentina protests British military exercises in Falklands
+ Pence warns Central American leaders on China ties
+ Trump says China thinks US is 'stupid,' vows more pain
+ NATO flexes muscles in show of strength to Russia
+ Ukraine launches large-scale air exercises with NATO countries
GRACE-FO Satellite Switching to Backup Instrument Processing Unit
Pasadena CA (JPL) Sep 17, 2018
The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE-FO) mission team plans to switch to a backup system in the Microwave Instrument (MWI) on one of the twin spacecraft this month. Following the switch-over, GRACE-FO is expected to quickly resume science data collection. A month after launching this past May, GRACE-FO produced its first preliminary gravity field map. The mission ha ... more
+ Boosting gravitational wave detectors with quantum tricks
+ Household phenomenon observed by Leonardo da Vinci finally explained
+ GRAVITY Confirms Predictions of General Relativity Near Galactic Center
+ How to weigh stars with gravitational lensing
+ Could Gravitational Waves Reveal How Fast Our Universe Is Expanding?
+ Einstein's Theory of Gravity Still Passes the Test
+ VLT makes most precise test of Einstein's general relativity outside Milky Way


US arrests alleged Chinese spy after extradition from Belgium
Washington (AFP) Oct 10, 2018
US authorities said Wednesday they have arrested a Chinese intelligence agent after he was extradited from Belgium, accusing him of a state-sponsored effort to steal American trade secrets. The Justice Department said Xu Yanjun, an official of the Ministry of State Security, had plotted since 2013 to obtain trade secrets of GE Aviation and other companies. An indictment suggested he was ... more
+ Google says social network bug exposed private data
+ New Pentagon weapons systems easily hacked: report
+ Ahead of US election, angst over hacking threats
+ China used tiny chips on US computers to steal secrets: report
+ Amid Russia hacks, US offers cyber expertise to allies
+ US to let NATO use its cyber defence skills
+ UK, Australia blame Russian military for cyber attacks
Kurdish, Iraqi forces arrest IS financiers: coalition
Washington (AFP) Oct 11, 2018
Ten members of a key financial network for the Islamic State network have been arrested in Iraq, the US-led coalition fighting the jihadists announced Thursday. Iraqi commandos and Kurdish counter-terrorism forces arrested the members of the al-Rawi network in operations October 7-9 in Baghdad and Erbil in northern Iraq, the coalition said in a statement. According to the coalition comm ... more
+ In Iraq's city of bookshops, theology and poetry rub spines
+ PM-designate asks Iraqis to apply online for cabinet
+ Iraqi PM designate gets challenge of forming government
+ Murders of trailblazing Iraqi women spark conspiracy fears
+ Iraq court condemns to death 'deputy of IS leader'
+ Iran says US blame over Iraq protests 'astonishing'
+ Iraq parliament elects pro-Iran candidates
Daily Newsletters - Space - Military - Environment - Energy

China revises controversial anti-terror regulations
Beijing (AFP) Oct 10, 2018
Anti-terror efforts in controversial "reeducation centres" in China's Xinjiang region will be governed by new standardised rules, as international criticism mounts over the detention of as many one million in the restive far west. The revised rules, passed Tuesday, call on local governments to tackle terrorism by establishing "vocational education centres" that will carry out the "educationa ... more
+ Afghan casualties from air strikes up 39 percent: UN
+ China says US seeks to 'disturb' Xinjiang policies
+ Afghan farmers fleeing drought face more hardship in camps
+ China launches anti-halal crackdown in Xinjiang city
+ Kazakh families torn apart in China's Xinjiang crackdown
+ Iraqi Kurds vote for new parliament
+ Kurdish moderate Barham Saleh elected Iraq president
Thousands join German forest demo after court reprieve
Buir, Germany (AFP) Oct 6, 2018
Thousands of anti-coal demonstrators descended on Germany's Hambach forest Saturday, celebrating an unexpected court victory that suspended an energy company's planned razing of the woodland for a growing open-cast mine. The ancient forest near Cologne has been occupied by activists for the past six years, becoming a symbol of resistance against coal mining in Germany, a country that despite ... more
+ Weathering rates for mined lands exponentially higher than unmined sites
+ German police suspend anti-coal evictions after journalist dies
+ Japan's Marubeni to slash coal-fired power capacity
+ German police evict forest activists in anti-coal fight
+ Nine hurt in German police eviction of anti-coal protesters
+ Trump administration moves to relax coal pollution rules
+ Trump to roll back Obama-era guidelines on coal


Judge mulls slashing $290 mn award in Roundup cancer case
San Francisco (AFP) Oct 11, 2018
A judge on Wednesday was mulling whether to gut a jury order that Monsanto pay $290 million in damages for not warning a groundskeeper that its weed killer product Roundup might cause cancer. In motions filed after the historic August verdict, Monsanto urged the judge to strip away the $250 million punitive portion of the damages, arguing that a new trial was justified. Rival attorneys a ... more
+ When yesterday's agriculture feeds today's water pollution
+ Iran risks losing 70% of farmlands: environment chief
+ Australia farmers welcome rain relief amid severe drought
+ Farmers furious as France helicopters bear into Pyrenees
+ How fungi could help bees fight disease
+ Illinois research accurately predicts US end-of-season corn yield
+ Conflict and drought ravage Iraq's prized date palms
The threat of Centaurs for the Earth
Vienna, Austria (SPX) Oct 10, 2018
The astrophysicists Mattia Galiazzo and Rudolf Dvorak from the University of Vienna, in collaboration with Elizabeth A. Silber (Brown University, USA) investigated the long-term path development of Centaurs (solar system minor bodies which originally have orbits between Jupiter and Neptune). These researchers have estimated the number of close encounters and impacts with the terrestrial pl ... more
+ Japan delays touchdown of Hayabusa2 probe on asteroid: official
+ Vesta, Tell Us About the Childhood of the Solar System
+ MASCOT Lander Completes Exploration of Asteroid Ryugu's Surface
+ Polar Wandering on Dwarf Planet Ceres Revealed
+ MASCOT lands safely on Asteroid Ryugu
+ Shooting stars create their own aurora
+ Hayabusa-2 drops another lander on the surface of Ryugu
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