Latest news on Russia’s war in Ukraine

Dmytro Kuleba gives his remarks at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on July 18. Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/VIEWpress Russia’s conditions to revive the Black Sea grain deal amount to “blackmail,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told national news agency Ukrinform on Monday.  The deal “must be restored,” but not “at the…

Blowing snow contributes to Arctic warming

When it comes to global warming trends, the Arctic is a troubling outlier. The Arctic warms nearly four times faster than the global average, and aerosols play an important role in that warming. Scientists have long known that pollutants from other regions can accumulate in the Arctic atmosphere where they…

Most species are rare, but not very rare

More than 100 years of observations in nature have revealed a universal pattern of species abundances: Most species are rare but not very rare, and only a few species are very common. These so-called global species abundance distributions have become fully unveiled for some well-monitored species groups, such as birds.…

Extreme El Niño weather saw South America’s forest carbon sink switch off

Hot and dry conditions resulted in increased tree death Evidence that most forest areas withstand periods of severe drought Greatest impact in forests with drier climates Tropical forests in South America lose their ability to absorb carbon from the atmosphere when conditions become exceptionally hot and dry, according to new…

ChatGPT is debunking myths on social media around vaccine safety, say experts

ChatGPT could help to increase vaccine uptake by debunking myths around jab safety, say the authors of a study published in the peer-reviewed journal Human Vaccines and Immunotherapeutics. The researchers asked the artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot the top 50 most frequently-asked Covid-19 vaccine questions. They included queries based on myths…

Better cybersecurity with new material

Digital information exchange can be safer, cheaper and more environmentally friendly with the help of a new type of random number generator for encryption developed at Linköping University, Sweden. The researchers behind the study believe that the new technology paves the way for a new type of quantum communication. In…

Causes of the Qing Dynasty’s collapse: Parallels to today’s instability

The Qing Dynasty in China, after over 250 years, crumbled in 1912. Led by the Complexity Science Hub (CSH), an international research team has pinpointed key reasons behind the collapse, revealing parallels to modern instability and offering vital lessons for the future. China is considered today to be the world’s…

First-in-class targeted microRNA therapy slows cancer tumor growth

A new cancer therapy developed by Purdue University researchers attacks tumors by tricking cancer cells into absorbing a snippet of RNA that naturally blocks cell division. As reported today in Oncogene, tumors treated with the new therapy did not increase in size over the course of a 21-day study, while…

Live updates: Russia’s war in Ukraine

Russian forces attacked Ukrainian port facilities on the Danube River used for food exports on Sunday, a day before Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to discuss reviving a grain export deal with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. At least two people were injured in the strikes, a regional military…

Fire consumes oil depot in St. Petersburg | CNN

CNN  —  Dozens of firefighters are working to put out a blaze that is burning at an oil depot in St. Petersburg, Russian authorities said. Videos from the area posted on social media show a large plume of black smoke rising as explosions ring out. The fire was first reported…

Live updates: Russia’s war in Ukraine

Ukrainian servicemen are seen at their positions at a front line near the village of Robotyne, Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine, on August 25. Viacheslav Ratynskyi/Reuters “Consolidation” remained the watchword for the Ukrainian Armed Forces on Saturday following recent modest gains in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, while political figures in Kyiv, as well as…

Zelensky: Despite what ‘anyone says’ counteroffensive is pushing forward | CNN

CNN  —  Ukraine’s counteroffensive is “moving forward” after Kyiv made some headway in its campaign to recapture territory seized by Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday. “Ukrainian forces are moving forward. Despite everything and no matter what anyone says, we are advancing, and that is the most important…

Latest news on Russia’s war in Ukraine

Ambassadors from Russia and Belarus have been invited back to the Nobel Prize banquet after being excluded last year because of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Nobel Foundation said. The foundation said it is “broadening our invitations” to involve even those who do not share the values of the Nobel Prize. “It is clear that…

Outrage as mother of biscuit-stealing bear cub shot dead in Italy | CNN

Rome CNN  —  The cold-blooded killing of a mother bear known as Amarena has angered animal rights groups and local politicians in Italy. The brown bear was shot by a local resident of San Benedetto dei Marsi just outside the national park of Abruzzo in central Italy, the park confirmed…

Software analyzes calcium ‘sparks’ that can contribute to arrhythmia

A team of UC Davis and University of Oxford researchers have developed an innovative tool: SparkMaster 2. The open-source software allows scientists to analyze normal and abnormal calcium signals in cells automatically. Calcium is a key signaling molecule in all cells, including muscles like the heart. The new software enables…

New research explains ‘Atlantification’ of the Arctic Ocean

New research by an international team of scientists explains what’s behind a stalled trend in Arctic Ocean sea ice loss since 2007. The findings indicate that stronger declines in sea ice will occur when an atmospheric feature known as the Arctic dipole reverses itself in its recurring cycle. The many…