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Give it the plasma treatment: strong adhesion without adhesives![]() Osaka, Japan (SPX) Dec 27, 2018 Polymers containing plastics are essential in modern life. Being lightweight, strong and unreactive, a vast range of technologies depend on them. However, most polymers do not adhere naturally to other materials, so they need adhesives or corrosive chemical treatments to be attached to other materials. This is a problem in areas like food and medicine, where contamination must be avoided at all costs. A clean way to make industrial polymers adhesive is urgently needed. Now, a team at Osaka Univers ... read more |
Sick, hungry Indonesia tsunami survivors cram sheltersCarita, Indonesia (AFP) Dec 25, 2018 Desperately-needed aid flowed into a stretch of Indonesia's tsunami-struck coastline Tuesday, but humanitarian workers warned that clean water and medicine supplies were dwindling as thousands crammed makeshift evacuation centres. ... more
Pitt chemical engineers develop new theory to build improved nanomaterialsPittsburgh PA (SPX) Dec 17, 2018 Thanks in part to their distinct electronic, optical and chemical properties, nanomaterials are utilized in an array of diverse applications from chemical production to medicine and light-emitting d ... more
Google 'must scrap censored Chinese search plans': NGOsHong Kong (AFP) Dec 11, 2018 Google must abandon its development of a censored search engine for China, dozens of NGOs demanded Tuesday, warning personal data would not be safe from Beijing authorities. ... more
Russian Scientists Reveal How Mars Mission Will Impact Astronauts' LifespansMoscow (Sputnik) Dec 11, 2018 Russia's Roscosmos, NASA, the European Space Agency, and China's National Space Administration have all made plans to send manned missions to the Red Planet sometime in the next few decades. However ... more |
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| Previous Issues | Dec 28 | Dec 27 | Dec 26 | Dec 25 | Dec 24 |
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What are the ethics of baby gene-editing?Paris (AFP) Dec 1, 2018 A Chinese scientist's stunning claim he has pioneered the world's first genetically modified baby has suddenly made the eternal debate over ethics and emerging scientific capabilities pressing and real. ... more
China scientist defends gene-editing babies as trial pausedHong Kong (AFP) Nov 28, 2018 The Chinese scientist who claims to have created the world's first genetically-edited babies defended the highly controversial procedure Wednesday, but announced a halt to the trial following an international outcry. ... more
Gene-edited babies and cloned monkeys: China tests bioethicsHong Kong (AFP) Nov 27, 2018 A Chinese scientist's claim that he created the world's first genetically-edited babies has shone a spotlight on what critics say are lax regulatory controls and ethical standards behind a series of headline-grabbing biomedical breakthroughs in China. ... more
ISS microbes should be monitored to avoid threat to astronaut healthLondon, UK (SPX) Nov 26, 2018 Strains of the bacterium Enterobacter, similar to newly found opportunistic infectious organisms seen in a few hospital settings, have been identified on the International Space Station (ISS). The s ... more
Making an eye for youKyoto, Japan (SPX) Nov 26, 2018 If you want to build an organ, such as for transplant, you need to think in 3D. Using stem cells, scientists for some time have been able to grow parts of organs in the lab, but that is a far ... more |
![]() China confirms first swine fever cases in Beijing
Human images from world's first total-body scanner unveiledDavis CA (SPX) Nov 20, 2018 EXPLORER, the world's first medical imaging scanner that can capture a 3-D picture of the whole human body at once, has produced its first scans. The brainchild of UC Davis scientists Simon Ch ... more |
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Researchers a step closer to understanding how deadly bird flu virus takes hold in humansNathan, Australia (SPX) Nov 21, 2018 New research has taken a step towards understanding how highly pathogenic influenza viruses such as deadly bird flu infect humans. Researchers at Griffith's Institute for Glycomics and the Uni ... more
Doubly-excited electrons reach new energy statesWashington DC (SPX) Nov 15, 2018 Positrons are short-lived subatomic particle with the same mass as electrons and a positive charge. They are used in medicine, e.g. in positron emission tomography (PET), a diagnostic imaging method ... more
'Very serious': African swine fever spreads in ChinaShanghai (AFP) Nov 15, 2018 African swine fever has spread rapidly to more than half of China's provinces despite measures to contain it, the government said, warning that a situation previously described as under control had become "very serious." ... more
Small tissue chips in space a big leap forward for researchHouston TX (SPX) Nov 12, 2018 A small device that contains human cells in a 3D matrix represents a giant leap in the ability of scientists to test how those cells respond to stresses, drugs and genetic changes. About the size of ... more
China mulls $720,000 fine for faking vaccine tests after scandalBeijing (AFP) Nov 12, 2018 Chinese vaccine manufacturers who falsify test results or break other rules could be fined up to $720,000 under a new law proposed after a scandal that fulled public fears over domestically made medicine. ... more |
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Volunteers strive to stave off shutdown chaos at US parks Twentynine Palms, United States (AFP) Dec 31, 2018
Sabra Purdy is just back from Joshua Tree National Park in southern California, which was crammed with tourists. It is high season, and to prevent chaos from the partial shutdown of the US federal government, she put on her gloves, cleaned toilets and picked up trash.
The 40-year-old businesswoman joined other members of the business community who benefit from park-related tourism, and toge ... more |
First GPS III satellite launched, moving toward operational orbit Washington (UPI) Dec 26, 2018
The first of a next-generation global positioning satellite, offering security, longer life and greater connectivity, was successfully launched this week and is preparing to take its place among the current GPS constellation.
The GPS III SV01 satellite, built by Lockheed Martin, lifted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Sunday. Once operational it will join 31 other satellites ... more |
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Genetic polymorphisms and zinc status Washington DC (SPX) Dec 28, 2018
Zinc is one of the essential components in the diet of all living organisms. It is the second most abundant biological trace element after iron. Zinc is of great importance in various metabolic functions and its deficiency can cause many problems.
It is involved in cellular metabolism, growth, development, cellular physiology, and immune function. Approximately 300 enzymes and 100 transcri ... more |
Historical genomes reveal recent changes in genetic health of eastern gorillas Uppsala, Sweden (SPX) Dec 28, 2018
The critically endangered Grauer's gorilla has recently lost genetic diversity and has experienced an increase in harmful mutations. These conclusions were reached by an international team of researchers who sequenced eleven genomes from eastern gorilla specimens collected up to 100 years ago, and compared these with genomes from present-day individuals. The results are now published in Current ... more |
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An ancient strain of plague may have led to the decline of Neolithic Europeans Washington DC (SPX) Dec 07, 2018
A team of researchers from France, Sweden, and Denmark have identified a new strain of Yersinia pestis, the bacteria that causes plague, in DNA extracted from 5,000-year-old human remains. Their analyses, publishing December 6 in the journal Cell, suggest that this strain is the closest ever identified to the genetic origin of plague. Their work also suggests that plague may have been spread amo ... more |
Arrests fuel anxieties among China Canadian expats Beijing (AFP) Dec 22, 2018 The arrest of a third Canadian in China has heightened anxiety even in an expatriate community accustomed to some level of fear and uncertainty.
Beijing on Thursday confirmed it arrested Canadian Sarah McIver for "working illegally" in the country, following the detention of two other Canadians on national security grounds.
While Canadian authorities said the latest detention appears to ... 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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After Mattis, Shanahan takes Pentagon helm at critical time Washington (AFP) Dec 31, 2018
Patrick Shanahan, who on Tuesday becomes the acting US secretary of defense, takes the helm of America's massive military machine at a critical time.
Shanahan is moving up from his position as deputy defense secretary to the top spot following the resignation of Jim Mattis, who quit over long-running - and ultimately irreconcilable - disagreements with President Donald Trump.
Little kn ... more |
New squeezing record at GEO600 gravitational-wave detector Hannover, Germany (SPX) Dec 17, 2018
The detection of Einstein's gravitational waves relies on highly precise laser measurements of small length changes. The kilometer-size detectors of the international network (GEO600, LIGO, Virgo) are so sensitive that they are fundamentally limited by tiny quantum mechanical effects.
These cause a background noise which overlaps with gravitational-wave signals. This noise is always presen ... more |
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Britain voices 'grave' concerns over China's Huawei London (AFP) Dec 27, 2018
British Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson has warned of his "very deep concerns" about Chinese technology giant Huawei being involved in the use of 5G on Britain's mobile network, The Times reported Thursday.
"I have grave, very deep concerns about Huawei providing the 5G network in Britain. It's something we'd have to look at very closely," Williamson was quoted as saying by the newspaper ... more |
US-Iraq relations since 2003 Baghdad (AFP) Dec 27, 2018
President Donald Trump's surprise troop visit to Iraq triggered criticism in the country still deeply divided over US influence.
Here are key dates since the US-led invasion in 2003:
- Invasion -
On March 20, 2003, a US-led invasion of Saddam Hussein's Iraq is launched after claims his regime is harbouring weapons of mass destruction.
On April 9, US forces take control of Baghdad ... more |
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Pakistan FM in China to talk about US Afghan pullout Beijing (AFP) Dec 25, 2018
The US decision to pull nearly half its troops from restive Afghanistan was high on the agenda at a meeting between the Pakistani and Chinese foreign ministers on Tuesday.
As China looks to expand its role as a peace broker in South Asia, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi met with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi during an official visit to Beijing.
"The two sides agreed tha ... more |
With final goodbye, Germany shutters last black coal mine Bottrop, Germany (AFP) Dec 21, 2018
Germany will close its last black coal mine on Friday, a milestone marking the end of a 200-year-old industry that once fuelled the country's economic growth but lost the battle against cheaper foreign competitors.
The remaining 1,500 workers of the Prosper-Haniel mine in Bottrop will make their final descent into the pit's belly, greeting each other one more time with the traditional "Gluec ... more |
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China customs gives green light for US rice imports Beijing (AFP) Dec 28, 2018
China's customs administration announced Friday it had approved US rice imports, a move that comes during a 90-day tariff truce between the two countries which are engaged in a bruising trade war.
US rice that meets inspection and quarantine requirements will be allowed to enter the country, according to a notice released by China's customs authority.
Requirements for US rice exporters ... more |
Holiday Asteroid Imaged with NASA Radar Pasadena CA (JPL) Dec 24, 2018
The December 2018 close approach by the large, near-Earth asteroid 2003 SD220 has provided astronomers an outstanding opportunity to obtain detailed radar images of the surface and shape of the object and to improve the understanding of its orbit.
The asteroid will fly safely past Earth on Saturday, Dec. 22, at a distance of about 1.8 million miles (2.9 million kilometers). This will be th ... more |
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