Sharks are rarely seen at almost one in five of the world’s coral reefs, a major study has found. The crash in shark numbers, caused largely by over-fishing, could have dire consequences for corals struggling to survive in a changing climate, researchers have said. Sharks are top predators, playing a […]
Science & Technology
WENCHANG: China launched an unmanned probe to Mars on Thursday (Jul 23) in its first independent mission to another planet, a journey coinciding with a similar US mission as the powers take their rivalry into deep space. The two countries are taking advantage of a period when Earth and Mars […]
BUENOS AIRES: Scientists have discovered an active methane seep from Antarctica’s sea bed that could shed light on the potent greenhouse gas trapped beneath frozen continent. Marine ecologist Andrew Thurber first glimpsed what a colleague described as a “microbial waterfall” during a dive in the icy waters of the Ross […]
Scientists have deciphered the genetic blueprints of six of the world’s bats. Their codes of life contain genetic clues to their “exceptional immunity”, which protects them against deadly viruses. Researchers hope to use the information to crack the secrets of how bats carry coronaviruses without getting sick. They say this […]
Humans settled in the Americas much earlier than previously thought, according to new finds from Mexico. They suggest people were living there 33,000 years ago, twice the widely accepted age for the earliest settlement of the Americas. The results are based on work at Chiquihuite Cave, a high-altitude rock shelter […]
Renewable power has taken up a record share of global electricity production since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a Reuters review of data, suggesting a transition away from polluting fossil fuels could be accelerated in the coming years. LONDON: Renewable power has taken up a record share […]
WASHINGTON: Scientists have known for several months the new coronavirus can become suspended in microdroplets expelled by patients when they speak and breathe, but until now there was no proof that these tiny particles are infectious. A new study by scientists at the University of Nebraska that was uploaded to […]
Apple has announced a target of becoming carbon neutral across its entire business and manufacturing supply chain by 2030. The company says the commitment means its devices will have had “zero climate impact” at point of sale. It told BBC News any company hoping to become a supplier would have […]
PARIS: Climate change is starving polar bears into extinction, according to research published on Monday (Jul 20) that predicts the apex carnivores could all but disappear within the span of a human lifetime. In some regions they are already caught in a vicious downward spiral, with shrinking sea ice cutting […]
LONDON: AstraZeneca’s experimental COVID-19 vaccine was safe and produced an immune response in early-stage clinical trials in healthy volunteers, data showed on Monday (Jul 20). The vaccine is called AZD1222 and is being developed by AstraZeneca and scientists at Britain’s University of Oxford. It did not prompt any serious side […]