Health & Science

• Saturday, December 23rd 2017 - 09:46 UTC

  Chemicals less and less effective against Asian rust in Brazil's soybean fields

  

  Over almost two decades, a plant disease known as Asian rust has infiltrated soybean fields across Brazil -- the world’s biggest exporter of the versatile oilseed used in countless consumer products. But the pathogen has become so resistant to chemicals meant to kill it that many farmers spray several times during their growing seasons, and still endure output losses.

• Friday, December 22nd 2017 - 10:36 UTC

  Falklands included in US universities and NASA project to keep track of kelp floating forests

  

  Kelp forests grow along coastlines worldwide, largely hidden from view. Like rainforests, they're among the planet's most important ecosystems: beautiful but fragile habitats for a wide array of plant and animal species. But scientists believe kelp forests are being threatened by climate change. Now, researchers from UCLA and seven other universities have an improved tool for tracking these shifting ecosystems, the largest of which is about 5 miles long.

• Wednesday, December 20th 2017 - 10:11 UTC

  Acute intoxication with cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins in Montevideo beaches

  

  An acute case of intoxication with cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins in recreational exposure during an algal bloom in Montevideo beaches, Malvin and Carrasco, was reported in the US National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.

• Monday, December 18th 2017 - 13:47 UTC

  Half of the world population without health services, says WHO/World Bank report

  

  At least half of the world’s population cannot obtain essential health services, according to a new report from the World Bank and WHO. And each year, large numbers of households are being pushed into poverty because they must pay for health care out of their own pockets.

• Monday, December 18th 2017 - 07:23 UTC

  Norovirus strikes again: Royal Caribbean's “Independence of the Seas” en route to Jamaica

  

  Passengers of Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas expressed relief early Saturday as they returned to Florida after more than 200 people fell ill aboard the five-night cruise. Royal Caribbean said 220 passengers came down with a gastrointestinal illness during the cruise, which left Fort Lauderdale's Port Everglades last Monday for Labadee and Jamaica.

• Friday, December 15th 2017 - 07:01 UTC

  Argentina prepares to fight Zica with sterile mosquitoes by radiation

  

  After its success in controlling a devastating fruit fly with nuclear technology, Argentina is gearing up to fight a new enemy: mosquitoes that transmit Zika, in addition to dengue and chikungunya. The method applied in both cases is the sterile insect technique, SIT, an insect birth control method that uses irradiation to sterilize and release insects to suppress pest populations.

• Thursday, December 14th 2017 - 10:58 UTC

  Up to 650 000 people die of respiratory diseases linked to seasonal flu each year

  

  Up to 650 000 deaths annually are associated with respiratory diseases from seasonal influenza, according to new estimates by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US-CDC), the World Health Organization and global health partners.

• Thursday, December 14th 2017 - 04:30 UTC

  Mt Hope is the tallest mountain in the British Antarctic Territory with 3.239 meters

  

  Britain has a new highest mountain after new data showed measurements from old overland surveys were inaccurate. It was thought until this point that Mount Jackson was the tallest mountain in the British Antarctic Territory at 3,184m above sea level. However, new satellite data by British Antarctic Survey (BAS) shows Mount Hope is the tallest mountain, at 3,239m.

• Wednesday, December 13th 2017 - 23:59 UTC

  Nobel Prizes criticize current US policy during the awards gala banquet

  

  A United States researcher who shared this year's Nobel Prize for medicine bluntly criticized political developments in the US in his address at the awards' gala banquet Sunday night. Michael Rosbash, who was honored for his work on circadian rhythms — commonly called the body clock — expressed concern that U.S. government support such as that received by him and colleagues Jeffrey Hall and Michael Young is endangered.

• Wednesday, December 13th 2017 - 22:08 UTC

  “Ground break” in tackling protein defect that causes Huntington's disease

  

  Scientists have for the first time corrected a protein defect that causes Huntington's disease, by injecting a drug into the spine, offering new hope for patients with the devastating genetic disease. Lead researcher Sarah Tabrizi, professor of clinical neurology at University College London, said the ability of the drug to tackle the underlying cause of Huntington's by lowering levels of a toxic protein was “ground-breaking”.