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China fines pharma firm $1.3 billion in vaccine scandal![]() Beijing (AFP) Oct 16, 2018 Chinese authorities have slapped penalties totalling a whopping $1.3 billion on a pharmaceutical company over a vaccine scandal that fuelled public fears of domestically-made medicine, drug regulators said Tuesday. The massive fine and asset seizure is the latest move by authorities to punish Changchun Changsheng Biotechnology company, based in northeast Jilin province, over the faulty rabies vaccine. The firm's chairwoman and 14 other people were arrested in connection with the scandal in July, ... read more |
Biomaterials with 'Frankenstein proteins' help heal tissueDurham NC (SPX) Oct 17, 2018 Biomedical engineers from Duke University and Washington University in St. Louis have demonstrated that, by injecting an artificial protein made from a solution of ordered and disordered segments, a ... more
New model helps define optimal temperature and pressure to forge nanoscale diamondsWashington DC (SPX) Oct 16, 2018 Nanodiamonds, bits of crystalline carbon hundreds of thousands of times smaller than a grain of sand, have intriguing surface and chemical properties with potential applications in medicine, optoele ... more
Discovering New Molecules for Military ApplicationsWashington DC (SPX) Oct 10, 2018 The efficient discovery and production of new molecules is essential for a range of military capabilities-from developing safe chemical warfare agent simulants and medicines to counter emerging thre ... more
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 publi ... more |
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Foreign drugs rare commodity in sanctions-hit IranTehran (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
Researchers develop microbubble scrubber to destroy dangerous biofilmsChampaign 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
With genetic tweak, mosquito population made extinctParis (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
China's doctor shortage prompts rush for AI health careShanghai (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
Trump unveils revised US biodefense strategyWashington (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 |
![]() UBC breakthrough opens door to $100 ultrasound machine
Indonesia's quake-hit Lombok battles with malaria, 137 infectedMataram, 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 |
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Artificial synaptic device simulating the function of human brainSeoul, 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
Deadly 'rat fever' in flood-ravaged Indian stateKochi, 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 DNAWashington (UPI) Sep 4, 2018 Sometimes a virus lies dormant inside a host cell. Other times, the virus destroys everything. ... more
UN emergency talks to head off swine fever spread in AsiaBangkok (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
Deadly 'rat fever' in flood-ravaged Indian stateKochi, 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 |
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Malta takes migants after Italy stand-off Valletta (AFP) Oct 17, 2018
Migrants rescued at sea by a merchant vessel are being taken to Malta after two days in limbo following Italy's refusal to accept them, the Maltese armed forces said Wednesday.
The Just Fitz III plucked 44 migrants from a rickety wooden boat late Monday after they ran into difficulty during the perilous crossing from North Africa.
The Marshall Islands-flagged vessel, which had been heade ... more |
China launches twin BeiDou-3 satellites Xichang (XNA) Oct 16, 2018
China sent twin BeiDou-3 navigation satellites into space on a Long March-3B carrier rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, in Sichuan Province, at 12:23 p.m. Monday.
The satellites are the 39th and 40th of the BeiDou navigation system, and the 15th and 16th of the BeiDou-3 family.
The launch was the 287th mission of the Long March carrier rocket series.
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Lifespan 2040 ranking: US down, China up, Spain on top Paris (AFP) Oct 17, 2018
Life expectancy in 2040 is set to rise at least a little in all nations but the rankings will change dramatically, with Spain taking the top spot while China and the United States trade places, researchers said Wednesday.
With a projected average lifespan of nearly 85.8 years, Spain - formerly in 4th place - will dethrone Japan, which sits atop the rankings today with a lifespan of 83.7 ye ... more |
Mammals cannot evolve fast enough to escape current extinction crisis Aarhus, Denmark (SPX) Oct 18, 2018
We humans are exterminating animal and plant species so quickly that nature's built-in defence mechanism, evolution, cannot keep up. An Aarhus-led research team calculated that if current conservation efforts are not improved, so many mammal species will become extinct during the next five decades that nature will need 3-5 million years to recover.
There have been five upheavals over the p ... more |
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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 |
China propaganda chief warns Hong Kong media over 'interference': reports Hong Kong (AFP) Oct 17, 2018
China's propaganda chief has reportedly warned Hong Kong's senior media executives not to allow the city's newsrooms to "become a base for interfering with mainland politics" as Beijing ramps up pressure on challenges to its authority.
Concerns about press freedom in Hong Kong have intensified after the government denied a visa to a British journalist, who had chaired a talk by an independen ... more |
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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 |
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Japan protests China ships near disputed isles ahead of Abe visit Tokyo (AFP) Oct 17, 2018
Tokyo lodged an official protest with Beijing Wednesday after Chinese ships cruised around disputed islands, days before a historic summit between the leaders of the Asian rivals.
Japan's top government spokesman Yoshihide Suga called the intrusion "extremely regrettable" but said Tokyo was nonetheless hoping to "take Japan-China relations to the next level".
The complaint, which is only ... more |
RUDN mathematicians confirmed the possibility of data transfer via gravitational waves Moscow, Russia (SPX) Oct 15, 2018
RUDN mathematicians analyzed the properties of gravitational waves in a generalized affine- metrical space (an algebraic construction operating the notions of a vector and a point) similarly to the properties of electromagnetic waves in Minkowski space-time.
It turned out that there is the possibility of transmitting information with the help of nonmetricity waves and transferring it spati ... more |
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Twitter releases 10 million tweets from foreign influence efforts Washington (AFP) Oct 17, 2018
Twitter on Wednesday released data on foreign influence campaigns on its platform showing some 10 million tweets, mostly from Russia, dating back as far as 2009.
California-based Twitter said it was releasing detailed data on previously disclosed misinformation efforts to allow researchers to gain more insight into the campaigns.
"In line with our strong principles of transparency and wi ... more |
Syria, Iraq say joint border crossing to re-open soon Damascus (AFP) Oct 15, 2018
A border crossing between Syria and Iraq is to re-open soon, Damascus and Baghdad's top diplomats said Monday, hours after other Syrian frontier posts reopened with Jordan and the Israeli-occupied Golan.
"We are now looking at the interest of the Syrian and Iraqi people in opening up the Albu Kamal crossing... as soon as possible," Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said at a press confer ... more |
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Three million Afghans in 'urgent' need of food: UN Kabul (AFP) Oct 15, 2018
At least three million Afghans are in "urgent" need of food and could face famine if they do not get help, the United Nations warned Monday, as the war-torn country battles the worst drought in living memory.
A dry spell mainly across northern and western Afghanistan has devastated crops, livestock and water supplies, forcing hundreds of thousands of people from their homes.
The drought ... more |
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 |
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Diversity is key to sustainability for local chicken farming in Africa Liverpool UK (SPX) Oct 18, 2018
Adopting a more local and flexible approach to sustainable development could be key to boosting the productivity of small-scale chicken farms in Africa, a new study reports.
Research led by the University of Liverpool, in collaboration with UK and African partners, reveals village chicken populations in Ethiopia to be genetically diverse and highly adapted to their local physical, cultural ... more |
The Asteroids are Coming Bethesda, MD (SPX) Oct 17, 2018
This isn't just "buzz" to get you excited about a new movie coming; we really are being buzzed by asteroids and other NEOs (Near Earth Objects), and one day these conjunctions could become collisions! There are lots of NEOs out there orbiting the sun.
Some, like comets, are less worrisome since they are composed primarily of ice and small, rocky particles that dissipate upon entering Earth ... more |
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