How Biden's infrastructure plan addresses the climate crisis

It's no coincidence US President Joe Biden chose manufacturing hub Pittsburgh to unveil his $2 trillion green infrastructure plan, a bold pitch to Americans used to hearing that climate action will wreck industry.

Israel's dilemma: Can the unvaccinated return to workplaces?

After spending much of the past year in lockdown, Tel Aviv makeup artist Artyom Kavnatsky was ready to get back to work. But when he showed up for a recent photo shoot, his employer turned him away. The reason? He had not been vaccinated against the coronavirus.

China aims to vaccinate entire city in 5 days after outbreak

A Chinese border city hit by a fresh outbreak of COVID-19 began a five-day drive Friday to vaccinate its entire population of 300,000 people.

China vaccine maker Sinovac says doubles production capacity

Chinese biopharmaceutical firm Sinovac said Friday a third production line for its COVID-19 vaccine has been put into use, doubling its annual capacity of the jabs to two billion doses.

The road not taken: South Korea's self-driving professor

Decades before the race to build a self-driving car became a multi-billion-dollar contest between tech giants such as Tesla and Google, a South Korean professor built an autonomous vehicle and test-drove it across the country—only for his research to be consigned to the scrapheap.

Travel rebound: United plans to hire about 300 new pilots

United Airlines said Thursday it plans to hire about 300 pilots, another sign that airlines feel more confident that a recent increase in travel will continue.

COVID overwhelms ICUs in Syrian capital

Inside the emergency room of a hospital of the Syrian capital, an elderly woman with COVID-19 waited for a bed at an intensive care unit packed with coronavirus patients.

US looks to keep critical sectors safe from cyberattacks

A top Biden administration official says the government is undertaking a new effort to help electric utilities, water districts and other critical industries protect against potentially damaging cyberattacks.

Biden aims to juice EV sales, but would his plan work?

Dangling tax credits and rebates in his drive to fight climate change, President Joe Biden wants you to trade your gas-burning car, truck or SUV for a zero-emissions electric vehicle.

South America tightens restrictions, closes borders as virus cases surge

South America moved to put the brakes on surging coronavirus cases Thursday, as Chile closed all its borders for the month of April, Bolivia shuttered its frontier with Brazil and Peru went into Easter lockdown.

Groups urge pressure on Mexico to save tiny vaquita porpoise

Environmental groups called Thursday for an international ban on trade in a range of Mexican seafood and wildlife, seeking to force Mexico to do more to save the vaquita marina porpoise, the world's most endangered marine mammal.

Operation Cleanup on plastic-polluted Lagos beach

In blistering heat, several dozen volunteers are busy collecting plastic bottles, bags and polystyrene boxes as they launch a cleanup of the longest beach in Lagos.

New method uses device cameras to measure pulse, breathing rate, could help personalized telehealth

Telehealth has become a critical way for doctors to still provide health care while minimizing in-person contact during COVID-19. But with phone or Zoom appointments, it's harder for doctors to get important vital signs from a patient, such as their pulse or respiration rate, in real time.

Study finds significant vaccine distrust within incarcerated populations, increasing risks

Fewer than half of inmates in jails and prisons surveyed in a study by the CDC and University of Washington said they would accept a COVID-19 vaccine, while the majority either said they wanted to wait before getting the vaccine or would refuse one.

Evidence of Antarctic glacier's tipping point confirmed for first time

Researchers have confirmed for the first time that Pine Island Glacier in West Antarctica could cross tipping points, leading to a rapid and irreversible retreat which would have significant consequences for global sea level.

Consumers are searching online but not buying. Why?

Online marketers have seen the pattern: 95%-98% of online visitors search for something, but the search never converts into a purchase and they leave the site without buying. For marketers, this results in speculation and assumptions that can lead to wasted time and investments in ineffective marketing programs.

Consumer resistance to sustainability interventions

Researchers from University of Queensland, University of Melbourne, and Universidad Finis Terrae published a new paper in the Journal of Marketing that studies consumer resistance to a nationwide plastic bag ban implemented in Chile in 2019.

Whole-body screening and ed. in melanoma-prone families may improve early detection rates

Among patients at high risk of melanoma, those who received routine skin cancer screening and education about skin self-exams were significantly more likely to be diagnosed with thinner and earlier stage melanomas, according to results published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.

Reverse-order heart-liver transplant helps prevent rejection for certain patients

All too often, patients with high levels of antibodies face major challenges getting a transplant. These highly sensitized patients have a much higher risk of death while waiting for suitable organs they are less likely to reject. But there is new hope for highly sensitized patients in need of a combined heart and liver transplant, thanks to an innovative surgical approach at Mayo Clinic.

Diversity can prevent failures in large power grids

The recent power outages in Texas brought attention to its power grid being separated from the rest of the country. While it is not immediately clear whether integration with other parts of the national grid would have completely eliminated the need for rolling outages, the state's inability to import significant amounts of electricity was decisive in the blackout.

New risk factors linked to increased risk of COVID-19 infection

As the COVID-19 pandemic lingers, researchers have found associations between certain lifestyle factors and a person's risk of getting infected. While it has already been established that those with Type II diabetes and a high body mass index (BMI) are at greater risk of experiencing hospitalizations and other severe complications related to COVID-19, they are also at greater risk of getting symptomatic infection in the first place. That is the finding of a recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine that was published today in the journal PLoS ONE.

Studying Shakespeare could help medical students connect with patients

A palliative care doctor has suggested that studying Shakespeare's plays could help medical students connect more closely with their patients. Writing in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine Dr. David Jeffrey, of the Department of Palliative Medicine at the University of Edinburgh, investigates how the playwright's empathic approach—the ability to understand and share the feelings of another—can enhance the patient-doctor relationship.

Study finds airborne release of toxin from algal scum

A dangerous toxin has been witnessed—for the first time—releasing into the air from pond scum, research published in the peer-reviewed journal Lake and Reservoir Management today shows.