Leipzig, Germany (SPX) May 18, 2022 Humans are the only species on earth known to use language. We do this by combining sounds to form words and words to form hierarchically structured sentences. The question, where this extraordinary capacity originates from, still remains to be answered. In order to retrace the evolutionary origins of human language, researchers often use a comparative approach – they compare … Continue reading Chimpanzees combine calls to form numerous vocal sequences

Vienna, Austria (SPX) May 18, 2022 A small group of researchers including Dennis Kurzbach from the Faculty of Chemistry of the University of Vienna just published in Nature Protocols an advanced NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) method to monitor fast and complicated biomolecular events such as protein folding. For example, protein folding was long considered as one of the great mysteries of modern research. This crucial … Continue reading Magnetic resonance makes the invisible visible

Exeter UK (SPX) May 18, 2022 Much of the “excess heat” stored in the subtropical North Atlantic is in the deep ocean (below 700m), new research suggests. Oceans have absorbed about 90% of warming caused by humans. The study found that in the subtropical North Atlantic (25 N), 62% of the warming from 1850-2018 is held in the deep ocean. The researchers – from the … Continue reading Deep ocean warming as climate changes

New York NY (SPX) May 17, 2022 Satellogic Inc. (NASDAQ: SATL), a leader in sub-meter resolution Earth Observation (“EO”) data collection, announced that it has entered into a teaming agreement with Mayday.ai (“Mayday”), a German-based provider of real-time risk and disaster intelligence, to improve and democratize data intelligence for risk and disaster management. The combined technological capabilities of the two comphttp://dlvr.it/SQWZ6F Continue reading Mayday and Satellogic collaborate to modernize risk and disaster intelligence

Jacobabad, Pakistan (AFP) May 16, 2022 By the time Pakistani schoolboy Saeed Ali arrived at hospital in one of the world’s hottest cities, his body was shutting down from heatstroke. The 12-year-old collapsed after walking home from school under the burning sun, his day spent sweltering in a classroom with no fans. “A rickshaw driver had to carry my son here. He couldn’t even walk,” … Continue reading Extreme temperatures compound poverty in Pakistan’s hottest city

Shanghai (AFP) May 17, 2022 Shanghai on Tuesday declared it had achieved “zero-Covid” across all its districts, sparking derision on social media as millions in China’s biggest city remained under lockdown. Confronted with its worst outbreak since the beginning of the pandemic, China – the last major economy still closed off to the world – put the city of 25 million under heavy restrictions in … Continue reading Shanghai says ‘zero-Covid’ achieved but millions still in lockdown

Nairobi (AFP) May 16, 2022 Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, who won Sunday’s long-overdue presidential election in Somalia, takes charge as the troubled nation reels from drought, looming famine, political and economic strains, and a violent insurgency. – Mending fences – The Horn of Africa country was supposed to choose a new leader in February 2021 but missed the deadline as Somalia’s political leaders squabbled over thehttp://dlvr.it/SQWZ5m Continue reading Jihadists, drought and distrust: the crises facing Somalia’s new president

Harare (AFP) May 16, 2022 Zimbabwe on Monday sought the support of the European Union to sell off US$600 million worth of ivory it has accumulated due to the global ban on the sale of tusks. International trade in ivory has been banned since 1989 under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management … Continue reading Zimbabwe seeks EU backing to sell $600-mln worth of ivory

Washington DC (The Conversation) May 16, 2022 As the world’s need for large amounts of portable energy grows at an ever-increasing pace, many innovators have sought to replace current battery technology with something better. Italian physicist Alessandro Volta tapped into fundamental electrochemical principles when he invented the first battery in 1800. Essentially, the physical joining of two different materials, usually metals, genehttp://dlvr.it/SQRBpp Continue reading Electric eels inspired the first battery two centuries ago

Shanghai (AFP) May 15, 2022 Shanghai announced a gradual reopening from Monday of businesses, though it remains unclear when the millions of people still locked down in China’s economic capital will finally be allowed out of their homes. Confronted with its worst Covid-19 outbreak since the beginning of the pandemic, China – the last major economy still closed off to the world – put the … Continue reading Covid-hit Shanghai announces gradual reopening of businesses