Health & Science

• Thursday, October 1st 2015 - 08:19 UTC

  Argentina launches the three-ton ARSAT-2 telecommunications satellite

  

  Argentina on Wednesday launched the ARSAT-2 spacecraft from a site in French Guyana, with the goal of providing telecommunication services across much of the Western hemisphere. ARSAT (Argentine Satellite Solutions), a state-owned company created in 2006, monitored the launch and operation of ARSAT-2 from the Benavídez Ground Station in northern Buenos Aires province.

• Thursday, September 24th 2015 - 07:41 UTC

  Brazil and UK joint research of critical elements in the deep northeast Atlantic

  

  Scientists from the U.K. and Brazil will work together to study the formation of ocean minerals essential for new technology, particularly environmental technology such as photovoltaic cells.

• Friday, September 18th 2015 - 14:27 UTC

  Falklands' Fortuna Ltd. sponsors research on southern blue whiting

  

  Falkland Islands fishing company Fortuna Ltd has become a sponsor and research partner in a PhD student ship on southern blue whiting. The Falkland Islands Government fisheries Department (FIFD) and the South Atlantic Environmental Research Institute (SAERI) are also collaborators in this research project.

• Thursday, September 17th 2015 - 07:56 UTC

  Major offshore earthquake hits Chile; felt in Argentina, Peru and Brazil

  

  A major earthquake just offshore rattled Chileans, killing at least five people and shaking the earth so strongly the tremor was felt in Argentina, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay and even Brazil. Authorities worked into the early hours on Thursday assessing damage in several coastal towns that saw flooding from small tsunami waves set off by the quake.

• Sunday, September 13th 2015 - 12:42 UTC

  Researchers develop molecular test which calculates “biological age”

  

  Researchers have developed a new molecular test designed to calculate an individual's “biological age” as opposed to their “chronological age.” They believe the test could lead to improvements in how age-related diseases are managed.

• Sunday, September 13th 2015 - 12:23 UTC

  Sperm whales are highly communicative but have different 'dialects'

  

  Sperm whales are very social marine animals and they travel in close groups and communicate by using a pattern of clicks, also known as codas. Similar to humans, the whales use varying dialects worldwide. A recent study of two sperm whale clans living in fairly close proximity off the Galápagos Islands sheds light on animal cultures.

• Wednesday, August 19th 2015 - 07:30 UTC

  US approves a libido-enhancing drug for women, to be marketed as “Addyi”

  

  The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a libido-enhancing drug for women that has been dubbed “Female Viagra”. Flibanserin, a drug produced by Sprout Pharmaceuticals, recently passed an FDA advisory committee meeting.

• Friday, August 7th 2015 - 05:18 UTC

  Scottish lab identifies “super-algae” to make bio-fuels for vehicles and aircraft

  

  Researchers at the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) have unlocked a treasure chest of ‘super-algae’ that could provide a previously untapped source of oil. Using a newly devised technique, scientists examined micro-algae strains in the Culture Collection of Algae and Protozoa (CCAP), an internationally important algal store based at SAMS in Oban, to find out which ocean-based strains had the highest oil content.

• Friday, July 24th 2015 - 00:23 UTC

  World Health Organization calls for urgent action to curb hepatitis

  

  On World Hepatitis Day (28 July) the World Health Organization highlights the urgent need for countries to enhance action to prevent viral hepatitis infection and to ensure that people who have been infected are diagnosed and offered treatment. This year, the Organization is focusing particularly on hepatitis B and C, which together cause approximately 80% of all liver cancer deaths and kill close to 1.4 million people every year.

• Wednesday, July 8th 2015 - 01:05 UTC

  WHO: Stepped up government tax action needed to curb tobacco epidemic

  

  Too few governments levy appropriate levels of tax on cigarettes and other tobacco products. They therefore miss out on a proven, low-cost measure to curb demand for tobacco, save lives and generate funds for stronger health services, according to the World Health Organization’s Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic-2015.