Saturday 7 September 2019

Hurricane Dorian death toll climbs to 43, expected to rise 'significantly'

The death toll from Hurricane Dorian's devastating rampage across the Bahamas rose to 43 Friday, a number authorities said is likely to climb "significantly," even as rescuers plucked desperate survivors from the debris.

Like meat, but not meat—the latest tech advances

Meaty mushrooms, printed 'steaks' and NASA discoveries—the latest array of meat alternatives has been showcased at the Good Food Conference in San Francisco.

US opens probe of 4 automakers over California emissions pact

The US Department of Justice is probing California's agreement with four automakers on fuel efficiency standards, automakers said Friday, while the Trump administration called on the state to spike the mileage plan.

Google bans ads for 'unproven' therapies, including stem cells

Google said Friday it was banning online ads for unproven medical treatments including most stem cell and gene therapy.

At least five dead in US from vaping-related lung disease

At least five people have died in the United States after vaping, officials said Friday, in an outbreak that has sickened hundreds with severe pulmonary disease and left several teens in induced comas.

Carnegie Mellon senses traffic using advanced vehicle-based sensor data

Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering collaborated with Uber Advanced Technologies Group (Uber ATG) to better understand how advanced vehicle-based sensor data can inform high resolution traffic flow measurements.

GPM satellite finds heavy rainfall on northern side of typhoon Lingling

The Global Precipitation Measurement mission or GPM core satellite analyzed the rainfall rates happening within Typhoon Lingling and found the heaviest precipitation on its northern side.

NASA finds classic comma-shape in tropical storm Faxai

NASA's Aqua satellite passed over the Northwestern Pacific Ocean and looked at comma-shaped Tropical Storm Faxai in infrared light.

NASA examines Dorian's rainfall, temperatures along Carolina coast

As Hurricane Dorian continued to lash the coast of the Carolinas NASA's IMERG assessed the rainfall the storm generated and NASA's Aqua satellite provided a look at the temperatures of the cloud tops to assess strength.

Climate change water variability hurts salamander populations

New research from the University of Montana suggests that streamflow variability brought on by climate change will negatively affect the survival of salamanders.

Player athleticism increases head impact exposure in youth football

Speed, agility and strength are definitely assets on the football field. But when it comes to hits to the head, those talents may actually increase exposure for the young athletes who account for about 70% of this country's football players.

Gender discrimination holding women back in veterinary practice

Women face discrimination and occupy fewer places in the higher reaches of the veterinary profession, even as they begin to outnumber men in the field.

Study locates brain areas for understanding metaphors in healthy and schizophrenic people

Scientists have used MRI scanners to discover the parts of the brain which understand metaphors, in both healthy volunteers and people with schizophrenia. They found that people with schizophrenia employ different brain circuits to overcome initial lack of understanding. The researchers hope this identification of brain reactions and affected areas may help people with schizophrenia to better comprehend metaphors in everyday speech. This work is presented at the ECNP congress in Copenhagen.

Heating pads may lower blood pressure in people with high blood pressure when lying down

Applying a heating pad overnight may help people with supine hypertension, a condition that causes their blood pressure to increase when they lie down including during sleep, according to preliminary results presented at the American Heart Association's Hypertension 2019 Scientific Sessions.

High blood pressure affects young, healthy medical students

Almost two-thirds of medical students had above-normal blood pressure and were more than twice as likely to experience clinically high blood pressure compared to the general public, according to a study presented at the American Heart Association's Hypertension 2019 Scientific Sessions.

NASA finds a weaker hurricane Juliette

Hurricane Juliette has been weakening and NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite provided a look at the strength of storms within.

Meat-free champions lick their lips as market booms

Beef-free burgers, egg-free omelettes and milk-free ice cream—meat and dairy alternatives have shot to the top of the menu, and producers are facing up to the challenges of going mainstream.

Apple: Security report on iPhone hack created 'false impression'

Apple hit back Friday at a Google research report suggesting iPhones may have been targeted by a long-running hacking operation, calling it inaccurate and misleading.

Voice-command ovens, robots for pets on show at Berlin's IFA tech fair

Europe's biggest tech fair, Berlin's IFA, is showcasing a flood of product launches until Wednesday. Here are five trends and gadgets making waves.

Flies overwhelm Pakistan's Karachi in monsoon 'hell'

Swarms of flies are descending on Pakistan's commercial capital in what residents say are record numbers this rainy season, adding to the misery of Karachi's monsoon "hell".

DoJ seeks Google records as US states launch antitrust probe of Big Tech

The US Department of Justice has asked Google to provide records on past investigations, as part of its extensive probe of tech giants over possible anti-competitive practices, the internet titan said Friday.

Boeing suspends testing of long-haul 777X aircraft

Boeing has suspended testing on its new long-haul 777X aircraft, the company said Friday, a setback that comes as it battles to rebound from the crisis surrounding the 737 MAX.

India loses contact with Moon lander

India's space programme suffered a huge setback Saturday after losing contact with an unmanned spacecraft moments before it was due to make a historic soft landing on the Moon.