ESA moves forward with Destination Earth

Earth observation provides a wealth of information to benefit our daily lives. As the demand for satellite data grows to address the challenges of climate change and a growing population, ESA, under the leadership of the European Commission, along with its key European partners, are developing high precision digital models of Earth to monitor and simulate both natural and human activity, to enable more sustainable development and support European environmental policies.

You got your mother's eyes. Will you get her breast cancer?

Sometimes, when you look in the mirror you find your family looking back. It can be a source of pride—in some families, chins, noses, earlobes—even the way your brothers, sisters, aunts and uncles talk and laugh all seem to pass from generation to generation. But the possibility you might inherit the risk for developing breast or other cancers from your family is something no one wants to consider.

Citizen-generated data could be key to halting antimicrobial resistance

Citizen-generated data could help combat the misuse of medicines and prevent antimicrobial resistance (AMR), says a report by the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data (GPSDD).

A social species? Newly discovered fossils show early dinosaurs lived in herds

Were dinosaurs unfeeling scaly brutes or caring, well behaved and intelligent? This debate has continued since dinosaurs were first discovered 200 years ago, and has spilled over into the movies and popular consciousness.

Eliminating hepatitis C in Pakistan could yield a return-on-investment of US$9.10 billion

Pakistan has one of the highest rates of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in the world, accounting for over ten percent of global HCV infections. A new modeling study led by the University of Bristol, UK, suggests that achieving the World Health Organization goal of eliminating HCV as a public health problem by 2030 in Pakistan is likely to be highly cost-effective by 2030, cost-saving by 2031, and could deliver US$9.10 billion in savings to the Pakistan national economy by 2050.

Sodium-cooled fast reactors and the future of nuclear energy

A new paper by Technical Director of the Generation IV International Forum, Gilles Rodriguez, published in the open-access journal EPJ Nuclear Sciences & Technologies, provides a comprehensive review of joint research into sodium-cooled fast reactors undertaken by French and Japanese researchers.

New chiral nanostructures to extend the material platform

A research team transferred chirality from the molecular scale to a microscale to extend material platforms and applications. The optical activity from this novel chiral material encompasses to short-wave infrared region.

Ukraine posts record COVID deaths, cases for second day

Ukraine on Friday reported record coronavirus deaths and infections for the second day in a row as the capital Kiev is set to re-impose tough restrictions.

100s more archaeological sites found on Mexico train route

Mexican experts said Thursday they have detected the ruins of almost 2,500 pre-Hispanic structures and 80 burial sites on just one-sixth of the route of the president's controversial "Maya Train" project on the Yucatan peninsula.

NASA launches tool that measures Western water loss

NASA on Thursday launched an online platform with information on how much water evaporates into the atmosphere from plants, soils and other surfaces in the U.S. West, data it says could help water managers, farmers and state officials better manage resources in the parched region.

Amid air quality concerns, districts embrace electric buses

For several years, the Miami-Dade County Pubic Schools had toyed with replacing some of its 1,000 diesel buses with cleaner electric vehicles. But school leaders said the change would be too costly.

New Zealand sets 90% vaccine target to end lockdown

New Zealand set a 90-percent vaccination target Friday for scrapping lockdowns as Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern unveiled a plan to open up despite the stubborn grip of the Delta variant.

What is the 'delta plus' variant of the coronavirus?

What is the "delta plus" variant?

US intelligence services see security threat in climate change

US intelligence services said Thursday for the first time that climate change poses wide-ranging threats to the United States' national security and stability around the world.

As virus cases rise, so do pleas for Russians to get vaccine

As she stood in the courtyard of the morgue holding the body of her grandmother who died of COVID-19, Ramilya Shigalturina had a message for anyone still resisting vaccinations.

US seals agreement to end European digital taxes

The United States has resolved a key point of trade friction with Europe after inking a deal to end controversial digital services taxes on American tech giants.

Canada hospitals use drones to carry lungs for transplant

In the dark of night, a drone takes off from a Toronto hospital rooftop, the hum of its rotors barely audible over the bustling sounds of the cars and pedestrians below in Canada's largest metropolis.

Samsung SDI and Stellantis in vehicle battery deal

South Korean battery maker Samsung SDI will jointly produce electric vehicle batteries in the US with global carmaker Stellantis, the South Korean firm said Friday—its partner's second such deal in a week.

Fat cells found to play a central role in cognitive decline and neurodegeneration

Findings published this week reveal new insights into the role of fat cells in cognitive decline and neurodegeneration, according to a study that involves the oxidant amplification loop led by Marshall University scientists.

Shape-shifting materials with infinite possibilities

Researchers from the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have developed a shape-shifting material that can take and hold any possible shape, paving the way for a new type of multifunctional material that could be used in a range of applications, from robotics and biotechnology to architecture.