Tag: science
SpaceX rocket launch marks the beginning of the private era in space
Tuesday's launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket marks the first commercial flight for a spacecraft bound to the International Space Station, perhaps the opening salvo of a new, private era of space exploration....
Bioethicist sees promise in home HIV test, but raises serious questions
The FDA is considering whether to approve the use of an at-home HIV test. But, as a bioethicist points out, the test doesn't come with counseling for people who test positive or negative and it's only 93 percent accurate....
Mongolian way of life threatened by dramatic climate change
The average annual temperature has risen more in Mongolia than any other place on earth almost, about 4 degrees. The rain patterns have changed. In fact, some 60 to 70 percent of the country is at risk of desertification. If that happens, the country's nomadic herders will have to give up their herds and their traditional way of life....
Whooping cough epidemic reported in Washington State
Whooping cough is not a disease many Americans worry about. It's become extremely rare because of agressive vaccination efforts. But, now, for a variety of reasons, a new outbreak has emerged in Washington State, which has left doctors scrambling to contain it....
FDA panel recommends approval of prophylactic use of HIV prevention drug
Truvada, long used to treat people already infected with HIV, may soon be available as another means of preventing initial HIV infection. That was the recommendation of an FDA advisory panel that has been looking into the idea....
Extended periods of sitting can present major health risks, study finds
Heart disease is the leading killer of men and women in America. A recent culprit in a growing list of heart disease risk factors is the simple act of sitting. Even for people who regularly exercise, a day of sitting at the office can negate those active hours. ...
Antibiotic use fuels drug resistant superbugs from India
Some of modern medicine’s most important drugs are losing their potency. Antibiotics are failing as disease-causing bacteria become resistant. It’s happening all over, but India may play an especially big role in fueling the problem....
Florida alligator farm provides safe home for hundreds of birds
Birds have to worry about a bevy of predators when keeping their nests safe. There are opossum, rodents, snakes and large cats, like bobcats. But at an alligator farm in Florida, the birds have discovered they're safe from their ground-based predators. But there is a cost there as well....
Fears increase of big earthquake near Tokyo in the foreseeable future
A prominent Japanese seismologist rattled some nerves when he declared there was a 70 percent chance of a major earthquake in or around Tokyo -- in the next four years. Government scientists had proclaimed a similar risk, but over a longer timeframe, 30 years....
Cryptozoologist explains his studies of mysterious creatures — like the Loch Ness Monster
The first reported sighting of the Loch Ness Monster made the local news May 2, 1933. Since then, more than 40 sightings have been reported. But that's not the only mysterious sea creature that has been reported but never conclusively proven to exist....
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