Science news

• Nigerian launches offensive against militants in Delta oil hub

  27-08-2016 20:46
  By Tife Owolabi YENAGOA, Nigeria (Reuters) - Nigeria's military said on Saturday it had launched a new offensive against militants in the oil-producing Niger Delta, killing five and arresting 23. Armed groups have claimed responsibility for a series of attacks on oil and gas pipelines in the southern region, reducing the country's oil output by 700,000 barrels day. "In the course of the operation, five militants that attacked the troops were killed in action, while numerous others were injured a
  
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• Singapore confirms first case of locally transmitted Zika virus

  27-08-2016 20:25
  By Marius Zaharia SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore has confirmed its first case of a locally-transmitted Zika virus, which has been linked to microcephaly, a rare birth defect, in Brazil, the health ministry said. A 47-year-old Malaysian woman working in the city-state was confirmed with the virus, but was "well and recovering." As she had not travelled to Zika-affected areas recently, she was likely to have been infected in Singapore, the ministry said in a statement. Zika was detected in Brazil
  
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• U.N. Syria envoy presses for speedy Aleppo aid delivery

  27-08-2016 19:13
  The United Nations Special Envoy for Syria called for all warring sides to agree by Sunday to allow the first safe delivery of relief supplies to the divided city of Aleppo. The U.N. is seeking a weekly 48-hour humanitarian pause to deliver food, medicines and other aid to people in rebel-held eastern Aleppo as well as those in the government-controlled western part of Syria's second city. It also wants to repair the electricity system to deliver power and clean water supplies to 1.8 million peo
  
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• Juno probe makes close pass of Jupiter

  27-08-2016 18:31 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The US space agency’s Juno probe makes its first close approach to Jupiter since going into orbit in July.
  
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• Juppe pitches 'united France' in presidential bid launch

  27-08-2016 17:47
  By Ingrid Melander CHATOU, France (Reuters) - Alain Juppe kicked off his campaign to be the conservative candidate in France's presidential election on Saturday by pledging deep reforms "without exploiting fears", seeking to differentiate himself from hardline rival Nicolas Sarkozy. Over the past week, ex-president Sarkozy grabbed the headlines in France with the launch of his primary campaign on a tough law-and-order platform including warnings that France's identity is "at threat" from immigra
  
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• Juno Spacecraft Gets First Close-Up Look At Jupiter

  27-08-2016 17:45
  Juno, the spacecraft on a mission to Jupiter, has made an unprecedented close approach to the giant gas planet. Mission controllers at NASA said the robotic explorer had all its nine scientific instruments activated when it flew 2,500 miles above Jupiter's swirling cloud tops at around 130,000mph.
  
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• Dead Sea Transforms Deathly Dress Into Gorgeous Salt-Encrusted Jewel

  27-08-2016 17:23
  
  A gorgeous new exhibit reveals just how salty the Dead Sea is. Artist Sigalit Landau submerged a 1920s-style long, black dress in Israel's Dead Sea for two months in 2014. Landau has been inspired by the Dead Sea's unique environment for past artwork, including salt-crystal-encrusted lamps, a salty hangman's noose and a crystalline island made of shoes, according to the artist's website.
  
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• Rare Close Encounter of Venus & Jupiter Tonight Won't Happen Again Until 2065

  27-08-2016 13:52
  
  Just above the horizon, Venus and Jupiter will appear so close to each other that, from some locations, the two planets will almost seem to touch. The next time Venus and Jupiter will get this close will be in November 2065.
  
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• On the Road Again: SpaceX Reuses Shuttle Transporter for Falcon Stages

  27-08-2016 13:52
  
  SpaceX's new chariot for moving its rocket stages after they return to land is uniquely suited for the job, having been used to carry reusable space vehicles for close to 30 years. The company on Wednesday (Aug. 24) delivered its latest launched and recovered Falcon 9 first stage from the port at Cape Canaveral to a hangar at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida using a bright yellow, 76-wheel motorized vehicle. The specialized conveyor, which SpaceX acquired from NASA, was formerly employed t
  
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• 'Mars Spectacular' Is a Hoax; Red Planet Won't Look Like a Full Moon

  27-08-2016 13:52
  
  In recent weeks, many people have received an email, Facebook message or tweet titled "Mars Spectacular," originating from an anonymous source and passed on to others who couldn't resist forwarding it to their entire address book. The email declares that tonight (Aug. 27), Mars will be closer to Earth than it has been in the past 60,000 years, thereby offering spectacular views of the Red Planet. At New York's Hayden Planetarium, people call in, asking what part of the sky they should look at to
  
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• Archaeologists Identify More Than 150 Rock Art Paintings in Chile

  27-08-2016 13:00 via rss.sciam.com
  
  The designs, created between 2000 BC and 500 AD, would have served to mark territory
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• World's largest marine reserve created off Hawaii

  27-08-2016 08:28 via bbc.co.uk
  
  US President Barack Obama expands a national monument off Hawaii, creating the world's largest marine reserve.
  
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• Smartphone detects atrial fibrillation with existing hardware

  27-08-2016 06:00
  
  (European Society of Cardiology) Smartphones can be used to detect atrial fibrillation with existing hardware, according to research presented at ESC Congress 2016 today. A low-cost application has been developed that uses the phone's own accelerometer and gyroscope to check for atrial fibrillation.
  
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• Moderate physical activity linked with 50 percent reduction in cardiovascular death in over-65s

  27-08-2016 06:00
  
  (European Society of Cardiology) Moderate physical activity is associated with a greater than 50 percent reduction in cardiovascular death in over-65s, according to research presented at ESC Congress 2016 today. The 12-year study in nearly 2,500 adults aged 65 to 74 years found that moderate physical activity reduced the risk of an acute cardiovascular event by more than 30 percent. High levels of physical activity led to greater risk reductions.
  
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• Low socioeconomic status associated with higher risk of second heart attack or stroke

  27-08-2016 06:00
  
  (European Society of Cardiology) Low socioeconomic status is associated with a higher risk of a second heart attack or stroke, according to research presented at ESC Congress 2016 today. The study in nearly 30,000 patients with a prior heart attack found that the risk of a second event was 36 percent lower for those in the highest income quintile compared to the lowest and increased by 14 percent in divorced compared to married patients.
  
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• Alcohol-related hospitalization associated with doubled stroke risk in atrial fibrillation

  27-08-2016 06:00
  
  (European Society of Cardiology) Alcohol-related hospitalization is associated with a doubled risk of ischemic stroke risk in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation, according to a study presented at ESC Congress 2016 today by Dr. Faris Al-Khalili, cardiologist, Karolinska Institutet, Danderyd Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden. The observational study was conducted in more than 25,000 non-valvular atrial fibrillation patients at low risk of stroke.
  
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• Juno Spacecraft To Get First Close-Up Look At Jupiter

  27-08-2016 04:13
  Juno, the spacecraft on a mission to Jupiter, is due to make an unprecedented close approach to the giant gas planet today. Mission controllers at NASA said the robotic explorer will have all its nine scientific instruments activated when it flies 2,500 miles above Jupiter's swirling cloud tops at around 130,000mph. Principal investigator Dr Scott Bolton, of the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas, US, said: "This is the first time we will be close to 
  
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• Esports founder, team owner spar over mid-season rule changes ahead of Toronto finals

  27-08-2016 03:34 via cbc.ca
  
  Days before one of the biggest esports competitions takes place in Toronto's Air Canada Centre, a war of words between an owner and team manager brought to light lingering questions about how its ever-evolving rules put unique pressure on players forced to adapt or perish.
  
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• Alaskans live among bears _ both real and brightly colored

  27-08-2016 01:59
  
  ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Alaska's largest city is home to more than 300 grizzly and black bears — and now more than a dozen multicolored ones.
  
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• Correction: Hospital Superbug Outbreak story

  27-08-2016 01:40
  
  In a Feb. 20, 2015 story about an antibiotic-resistant "superbug" outbreak at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, The Associated Press mischaracterized a statement an expert made about proving ...
  
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• BC-US--Obama-Hawaii National Monument,DISREGARD, US

  27-08-2016 01:09
  
  EDITORS:
  
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