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MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, April 19th 2024 - 06:59 UTC

Health & Science

  • Friday, November 11th 2016 - 19:43 UTC

    Samsung apologizes in US full page ads for its fire prone Note 7 phones

    “At Samsung, we innovate to deliver breakthrough technologies that enrich people’s lives,” wrote Gregory Lee, president of Samsung Electronics N America

    Samsung Electronics Co. took out full-page newspaper advertisements in the United States to apologize for its fire-prone Note 7 phones, seeking to restore its battered reputation. The message from the world’s largest smart-phone maker appeared in major publications, including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post and USA Today this week. A representative for the Suwon, South Korea-based company said it hasn’t decided whether to run more ads in other places.

  • Thursday, November 10th 2016 - 11:20 UTC

    HMS Protector opens 2016/17 season in South Georgia surveying 160 sq miles of seabed

    During her stint around South Georgia the Plymouth-based icebreaker/survey ship scanned 160 square miles of seabed – roughly the area of the Isle of the Wight. (Pic RN)

    Having spent last Antarctic summer celebrating the deeds of one British polar hero, the crew of Royal Navy icebreaker HMS Protector have opened the 2016-17 survey season honoring his rival. A century after Sir Ernest Shackleton landed at King Haakon Bay on South Georgia in a makeshift lifeboat – the James Caird – Protector entered the same fjord and sent her hi-tech survey launch – the James Caird IV – close to the identical spot.

  • Monday, November 7th 2016 - 21:57 UTC

    WHO/Europe report calls for urgent action to protect children from digital marketing of food

    Children ”are exposed to countless numbers of hidden digital marketing techniques promoting foods high in fat, sugar and salt,” said Dr Zsuzsanna Jakab

    For the first time, researchers and health experts have undertaken a comprehensive analysis of the concerning situation in the WHO European Region of digital marketing to children of foods high in fats, salt and sugars.

  • Tuesday, November 1st 2016 - 10:18 UTC

    Spinach effective in helping detect landmines, according to MIT field work

    To read the signal, the researchers shine a laser onto the leaf, prompting the embedded nanotubes to emit near-infrared fluorescent light.

    Scientists have transformed the humble spinach plant into a bomb detector. By embedding tiny tubes in the plants' leaves, they can be made to pick up chemicals called nitro-aromatics, which are found in landmines and buried munitions. Real-time information can then be wirelessly relayed to a handheld device.

  • Tuesday, November 1st 2016 - 09:48 UTC

    Norovirus outbreak in Massachusetts shellfish growing areas

    Sale of seed shellfish from Wellfleet Harbor for purposes of aquaculture or propagation is prohibited except for within Wellfleet Harbor.

    The norovirus which has caused havoc to the cruise industry had emerged in Massachusetts waters forcing the closure of shell fishing within Wellfleet Harbor. The ban imposed by the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) has been set since October 28, but does not include bay and sea scallop adductor muscles and carnivorous snails, including conchs and whelks.

  • Saturday, October 22nd 2016 - 09:20 UTC

    Diphtheria outbreak in Venezuela; CIA “germ warfare” claims the Chavista government

    Diosdado Cabello, a prominent Chavista, said Venezuela is the target of a “germ warfare orchestrated by the CIA labs.”

    Diphtheria, an extremely contagious disease that has been mostly eradicated worldwide through vaccination, has reappeared in Venezuela and so far has killed four children with another twenty cases reported in just one month. The reappearance of diphtheria, a disease not seen in Venezuela in more than 20 years, is yet the worst symptom of the country's collapsed health system.

  • Tuesday, October 18th 2016 - 18:58 UTC

    The tiny crustacean which plays a key role in fertilizing the Southern Ocean

    This natural iron fertilisation by krill stimulates the growth of phytoplankton and form the base of the Southern Ocean food web.

    Scientists have discovered that Antarctic krill – a tiny shrimp-like crustacean – plays a key role in fertilising the Southern Ocean with iron, which stimulates the growth of phytoplankton, the microscopic plants at the base of the marine food web. This finding is important for understanding the oceans’ capacity for carbon capture.

  • Monday, October 17th 2016 - 19:02 UTC

    TB remains the leading infection killer in the world; global efforts to end the epidemic are falling far short

    Dr Margaret Chan, WHO Director General: “There must be a massive scale-up of efforts, or countries will continue to run behind this deadly epidemic and these ambitious goals will be missed”

    New data published by the World Health Organization (WHO) in its 2016 Global Tuberculosis (TB) Report show that countries need to move much faster to prevent, detect and treat the disease if they are to meet global targets. Governments have agreed on targets to end the TB epidemic both at the World Health Assembly and at the United Nations General Assembly within the context of the Sustainable Development Goals.

  • Monday, October 17th 2016 - 06:28 UTC

    Uruguayan scientists on HMS Protector en route to Antarctica for a joint research project

    Federico Weinstein and Carolina Rodríguez are travelling on HMS Protector on a scientific cruise to Antarctica (Pics; British Embassy Uruguay)

    Two Uruguayan young scientists are on board Ice Patrol HMS Protector en route to the Falkland Islands and Antarctica and will be participating in a research program on human impact on the Antarctic marine environment including pollution mainly by plastic made products. Federico Weinstein and Carolina Rodríguez belong to the Faculty of Sciences and represent the resumption of long standing links between the Ice Patrol and Montevideo.

  • Thursday, October 13th 2016 - 10:19 UTC

    WHO proposes taxing sugary drinks to reduce obesity, diabetes and tooth decay

    “If governments tax products like sugary drinks, they can cut healthcare costs and increase revenues to invest in health services”, said Dr, Douglas Bettcher

    Taxing sugary drinks can lower consumption and reduce obesity, type 2 diabetes and tooth decay, says a new WHO report. Fiscal policies that lead to at least a 20% increase in the retail price of sugary drinks would result in proportional reductions in consumption of such products, according to the report titled “Fiscal policies for Diet and Prevention of No communicable Diseases (NCDs)”.