|
|
Rutgers scientists identify protein that may have existed when life began![]() New Brunswick NJ (SPX) Sep 04, 2018 How did life arise on Earth? Rutgers researchers have found among the first and perhaps only hard evidence that simple protein catalysts - essential for cells, the building blocks of life, to function - may have existed when life began. Their study of a primordial peptide, or short protein, is published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the chemist Gunter Wachtershauser postulated that life began on iron- and sulfur-containing rocks in the oc ... read more |
Mammal forerunner that reproduced like a reptile sheds light on brain evolutionAustin TX (SPX) Sep 04, 2018 Compared with the rest of the animal kingdom, mammals have the biggest brains and produce some of the smallest litters of offspring. A newly described fossil of an extinct mammal relative - and her ... more
Ocean satellite Sentinel-6A beginning to take shapeFriedrichshafen, Germany (SPX) Sep 04, 2018 The integration of Sentinel-6A, the first of two satellites to continue measuring sea levels from 2020, has reached a new milestone and its critical phase: the propulsion module has been "mated" wit ... more
China is hot spot of ground-level ozone pollutionBoulder CO (SPX) Sep 04, 2018 In China, people breathe air thick with the lung-damaging pollutant ozone two to six times more often than people in the United States, Europe, Japan, or South Korea, according to a new assessment. ... more
Archived heat has reached deep into the Arctic interiorNew Haven CT (SPX) Sep 04, 2018 Arctic sea ice isn't just threatened by the melting of ice around its edges, a new study has found: Warmer water that originated hundreds of miles away has penetrated deep into the interior of the A ... more |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

| Previous Issues | Sep 03 | Aug 31 | Aug 30 | Aug 29 | Aug 28 |
|
Hong Kong dim sum favourite faces uncertain futureHong Kong (AFP) Sept 2, 2018 Impatient diners crowd around carts of steaming dim sum steered by fierce "trolley aunties" at Hong Kong's Lin Heung Tea House, one of the city's most famous restaurants, now fearing for its future. ... more
France's ban on bee-killing pesticides begins SaturdayParis (AFP) Aug 30, 2018 A ban on five neonicotinoid pesticides enters into force in France on Saturday, placing the country at the forefront of a campaign against chemicals blamed for decimating critical populations of crop-pollinating bees. ... more
Brazil court lifts ban on glyphosate weedkillerBras�lia (AFP) Sept 3, 2018 An appellate court on Monday lifted a court-ordered suspension of licenses in Brazil for products containing glyphosate, an industrial weedkiller in common use in Latin America's agricultural powerhouse. ... more
Angry French farmers sow Chinese-owned field in investor protestChatillon-Sur-Indre, France (AFP) Aug 30, 2018 Mounted on tractors and wielding flares, angry farmers came from all corners of France to say to Chinese investors: get off our land. ... more
Strongest typhoon in quarter century hits JapanTokyo (AFP) Sept 4, 2018 The strongest typhoon to hit Japan in 25 years made landfall Tuesday, with more than a million people urged to evacuate to escape violent winds and heavy rainfall. ... more |
![]() Deadly 'rat fever' in flood-ravaged Indian state
Israelis selling bulletproof backpacks in US after shootingJulis, Israel (AFP) Aug 30, 2018 An Israeli firm says it has sold US customers hundreds of its bullet-proof schoolbags, introduced in the wake of the Parkland school massacre. ... more |
|
US firefighters battle suicidal thoughts after the blazeYorba Linda, United States (AFP) Sept 3, 2018 Matt Shobert opens his eyes and wishes he was dead, a recurrent thought that started four years ago when the former firefighter first contemplated taking his own life. ... more
Boko Haram military base attack death toll hits 48Kano, Nigeria (AFP) Sept 3, 2018 Forty-eight soldiers were killed in a Boko Haram attack in remote northeast Nigeria, military sources said on Monday, in the latest strike that raises questions about the group's apparent resurgence and troops' ability to fight back. ... more
Hong Kong ushers mainland workers into new stationHong Kong (AFP) Sept 4, 2018 Staff from mainland China quietly took up their posts at a new high-speed rail station in Hong Kong Tuesday in a move criticised by opponents as giving away the city's territory. ... more
China's Xi says 'no strings attached' to Africa investmentsBeijing (AFP) Sept 3, 2018 President Xi Jinping told African counterparts and business leaders Monday that China's investments on the continent have "no political strings attached", even as Beijing is increasingly criticised over its debt-heavy projects abroad. ... more
Japan braces for 'very strong' typhoonTokyo (AFP) Sept 2, 2018 Japan on Sunday braced for a "very strong" typhoon, with authorities warning of high waves, floods and landslides, including in areas hit by deadly flooding earlier this year. ... more |
|
|
|
|
US firefighters battle suicidal thoughts after the blaze Yorba Linda, United States (AFP) Sept 3, 2018
Matt Shobert opens his eyes and wishes he was dead, a recurrent thought that started four years ago when the former firefighter first contemplated taking his own life.
He is not the only one: some of his comrades suffer in silence, and some end up committing suicide.
Fighting forest fires such as those that have ravaged the western regions of the United States this summer means days that ... more |
New compact hyperspectral system captures 5-D images Washington DC (SPX) Aug 30, 2018
Researchers have developed a compact imaging system that can measure the shape and light-reflection properties of objects with high speed and accuracy. This 5D hyperspectral imaging system - so-called because it captures multiple wavelengths of light plus spatial coordinates as a function of time - could benefit a variety of applications including optical-based sorting of products and identifyin ... more |
|
|
Shedding light on shallow waters Paris (ESA) Aug 28, 2018
Keeping an eye on our waters is more important than ever, as widespread drought continues to sweep Europe this summer.
Earth's changing sea levels are crucial indicators of how our environment is fairing, but monitoring it manually can be a labour-intensive, expensive, and at times even dangerous task.
Coastal areas provide additional complications, as shifting seabeds and currents m ... more |
Archived heat has reached deep into the Arctic interior New Haven CT (SPX) Sep 04, 2018
Arctic sea ice isn't just threatened by the melting of ice around its edges, a new study has found: Warmer water that originated hundreds of miles away has penetrated deep into the interior of the Arctic.
That "archived" heat, currently trapped below the surface, has the potential to melt the region's entire sea-ice pack if it reaches the surface, researchers say.
The study appears o ... more |
|
|
Brazil court lifts ban on glyphosate weedkiller Bras�lia (AFP) Sept 3, 2018
An appellate court on Monday lifted a court-ordered suspension of licenses in Brazil for products containing glyphosate, an industrial weedkiller in common use in Latin America's agricultural powerhouse.
Federal appeals court judge Kassio Marques ruled that "nothing justified" the suspension by a lower court, saying it had been abruptly imposed "without previous analysis of the grave impact ... more |
Strongest typhoon in quarter century hits Japan Tokyo (AFP) Sept 4, 2018
The strongest typhoon to hit Japan in 25 years made landfall Tuesday, with more than a million people urged to evacuate to escape violent winds and heavy rainfall.
Typhoon Jebi, with winds of up to 216 kilometres (135 miles) per hour, made landfall around midday in southwestern Japan near areas still recovering from deadly record rain earlier this summer.
It was moving fast on a northea ... more |
|
|
China hosts African leaders amid aid criticism Beijing (AFP) Sept 3, 2018
China hosts African leaders Monday for a summit aimed at promoting Beijing's vision for development on the continent, even as it finds itself increasingly criticised over its debt-heavy approach to foreign aid.
President Xi Jinping and leaders from across the continent will meet at the two-day Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), with talks expected to focus on Xi's cherished "Belt and ... more |
Newly-sequenced genome sheds light on interactions between recent hominins Leipzig, Germany (SPX) Aug 31, 2018
Together with their sister group the Neandertals, Denisovans are the closest extinct relatives of currently living humans. "We knew from previous studies that Neandertals and Denisovans must have occasionally had children together", says Viviane Slon, researcher at the MPI-EVA and one of three first authors of the study. "But I never thought we would be so lucky as to find an actual offspring of ... more |
|
|
Can crunch talks bring the Paris climate treaty to life? Paris (AFP) Sept 2, 2018
As the pace of global warming races ahead of efforts to tame it, diplomats from more than 190 nations begin crunch UN climate talks in Bangkok Tuesday to breathe life into the Paris Agreement.
This year is the deadline to finalise the "rule book" for the 2015 treaty, which calls for capping the rise in global temperatures at "well below" two degrees Celsius, and 1.5 C if possible.
The pa ... more |
UB scientists await launch of NASA ice-monitoring satellite Buffalo NY (SPX) Aug 31, 2018
As the Sept. 15 launch date for NASA's new ice-monitoring satellite approaches, University at Buffalo scientists are among many worldwide who are counting down the days.
They're excited, but nervous, too. That's what happens when your future research is reliant on equipment that's going to be hurled, atop a flaming rocket, into the harsh environs of outer space. Or when - as in the case of ... more |
|
|
Laughing gas may have prevented Earth's oceans from freezing over Washington (UPI) Aug 28, 2018 Laughing gas may explain why Earth's oceans didn't freeze over during the so-called Boring Billion, between 1.8 billion and 800 million years ago.
Jennifer Glass, an assistant professor at Georgia Tech, doesn't care for the term Boring Billion.
"Earth was a dynamic place during this period," Glass told UPI.
This maligned period of Earth's history is of particular interest ... more |
Electricity crisis leaves Iraqis gasping for cool air Baghdad (AFP) Aug 1, 2018
As the stultifying summer heat sends Iraqis in search of cool spots, restaurateur Ali Hussein provides sanctuary - even though it means hooking up to an expensive generator.
"The clients must be comfortable when they eat," said Hussein, who stakes his reputation on ensuring customers are constantly blasted by air conditioning.
Outside, temperatures at this time of year can reach 50 degr ... more |
|
|
Device harvests energy from low-frequency vibrations University Park PA (SPX) Sep 03, 2018
A wearable energy-harvesting device could generate energy from the swing of an arm while walking or jogging, according to a team of researchers from Penn State's Materials Research Institute and the University of Utah. The device, about the size of a wristwatch, produces enough power to run a personal health monitoring system.
"The devices we make using our optimized materials run somewher ... more |
Sri Lanka probes deaths of wild elephants Colombo (AFP) Sept 3, 2018
Sri Lankan authorities on Monday began investigating the deaths of wild elephants in the east of the island after pulling seven carcasses out of a marsh, a minister said.
Wildlife Minister Palitha Thewarapperuma said six out of the seven animals found in the swamp were young - below the age of 12 - and he suspected that many more may have died there.
"We have wildlife experts and vets ... more |
|
|
Hong Kong ushers mainland workers into new station Hong Kong (AFP) Sept 4, 2018 Staff from mainland China quietly took up their posts at a new high-speed rail station in Hong Kong Tuesday in a move criticised by opponents as giving away the city's territory.
Hong Kong enjoys rights unseen on the mainland - including freedom of speech - as part of a handover deal between Britain and China, but there are fears those liberties are increasingly under threat from Beijing. ... more |
Species-rich forests better compensate environmental impacts Zurich, Switzerland (SPX) Aug 31, 2018
Forest ecosystems are elementary for a climatic balance. Countries such as China have recognized this fact; for years, they have been conducting extensive afforestation programs to compensate their rising CO2 emissions.
As part of the global carbon cycle, forests take up about 45 percent of the carbon from the environment and bind it in the soil and as biomass over long periods of time. At ... more |
|
| Buy Advertising | Media Advertising Kit | Editorial & Other Enquiries | Privacy statement |
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2018 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement |