3,699 articles frome SEPTEMBER 2019

What is a Category 5 storm?

Hurricane Dorian has slammed into the northern Bahamas, one of the strongest storms to make landfall in history. It's also the fifth Category 5 storm to form in the Atlantic in the past four years. Here are some facts about what makes a Category 5 storm and what to expect as climate change supercharges our weather.

Record-setting Hurricane Dorian keeps pounding north Bahamas

McLEAN'S TOWN CAY, Bahamas (AP) — In a slow, relentless advance, a catastrophic Hurricane Dorian kept pounding at the northern Bahamas early Monday, as one of the strongest Atlantic storms ever recorded left wrecked homes, shredded roofs, tumbled cars and toppled power poles in its wake. The storm's top sustained winds decreased slightly to 165 mph (265 kph) as its westward movement slowed,...

The Latest: Hurricane Dorian keeps pounding north Bahamas

Hurricane Dorian is crawling westward at just 1 mph (1.6 kph) as it lashes the northern Bahamas with destructive winds. According to a 4 a.m. update from the National Hurricane Center in Miami, the Category 5 storm's top sustained winds have decreased to 165 mph...

Could language be the key to detecting fake news? | David Shariatmadari

Purveyors of disinformation can be caught out by the particular words they use, according to new researchThe internet represents the biggest explosion of data in human history. There’s more out there, and more access to it than ever before. The information ecosystem is a bit like a tropical rainforest: luxuriant, dense and fiercely competitive. As such, it contains its fair share of predators...

NASA checks SpaceX’s potential Starship landing sites on Mars, with water in mind

NASA is helping SpaceX get a fix on potential landing sites on Mars for its Starship super-spaceship, with an emphasis on Arcadia Planitia and Amazonis Planitia, regions where deposits of water ice may be found. Another focus of NASA's reconnaissance campaign in Phlegra Montes, a mountainous area just west of Arcadia Planitia in Mars' northern hemisphere. Pictures of the candidate sites...

Scientists isolate drought-resistant gene in barley

Research led by Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, will help crops resist global heatingThe discovery of a gene in barley responsible for drought resistance will help future-proof crops against some of the effects of climate change, scientists believe.Researchers spent nearly five years isolating the specific gene – HvMYB1 – from more than 39,000 genes in barley. Tests proved that plants in...

What is a Category 5 storm?

Hurricane Dorian has slammed into the northern Bahamas, one of the strongest storms to make landfall in history. It's also the fifth Category 5 storm to form in the Atlantic in the past four years. Here are some facts about what makes a Category 5 storm and what to expect as climate change supercharges our...


SUNDAY 1. SEPTEMBER 2019


Starwatch: young moon heads for encounter with Jupiter and Saturn

As the moon passes its first quarter phase this week, it will share the sky with the two largest planets in the Solar SystemAt the beginning of this week, keep a watch out for a young moon. The lunar month began on 30 August, and from tonight it should be relatively easy to see a thin crescent moon. It will appear low in the west shortly after sunset. Find an unobstructed western horizon,...

Why don’t doctors trust women? Because they don’t know much about us | Gabrielle Jackson

The medical community have known for a century that women are living in constant pain. They’ve done nothing about itIt’s frustrating to have questions that don’t get answered. It’s altogether disturbing to find out that those questions haven’t even been asked.When I was diagnosed with endometriosis at age 23, I didn’t know enough to ask the right questions. I assumed my gynaecologist...

Research finds extreme elitism, social hierarchy among Gab users

Despite its portrayal as a network that "champions free speech," users of the social media platform Gab display more extreme social hierarchy and elitism when compared to Twitter users, according to a new study published in the September edition of the online journal "First Monday." Researchers found a small number of Gab users hold a large amount of influence, sharing more homogeneous content...

Inspired by teen climate activist Thunberg, Latin American activists converge in Chile

Inspired by Swedish teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg, a group of young activists from several Latin American countries have converged in Chile to exchange ideas on how to battle climate change. In a mountainous area on the outskirts of Santiago, representatives of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Paraguay and Uruguay exchanged ideas for actions to...

Inspired by teen climate activist Thunberg, LatAm activists converge in Chile

Inspired by Swedish teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg, a group of young activists from several Latin American countries have converged in Chile to exchange ideas on how to battle climate change.     In a mountainous area on the outskirts of Santiago, representatives of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Paraguay and Uruguay exchanged ideas for...

Early education, relationship with teachers paramount for children success, study says

To many, it may not come as a surprise that children who receive education such as basic vocabulary and math skills early in life, starting in preschool, are more likely to develop life-long skills that help them do well in school for years to come, especially those in low-income communities. “Behavior management and teachers’ health help create a quality program for children” Dr. Dana...

Pope Francis trapped in Vatican lift for 25 minutes

It has long been claimed by supporters of the Catholic faith that God moves in mysterious ways.  But so, apparently, does Pope Francis's personal lift in the Vatican - which broke down on Sunday, trapping the world's most powerful clergyman inside for 25 minutes.  The 82-year-old pontiff had to be freed by Vatican firefighters after an electrical fault brought his tiny private lift to a...