Pineapple holds promise for cancer treatment
Australian scientists have discovered that certain molecules found in pineapples can act as powerful anti-cancer agents and said the research could lead to a new class of cancer-fighting drugs. Scientists at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research said their work centered on two molecules from bromelaine, an extract derived from crushed pineapple stems that is used to tenderize meat, clarify beers and tan hides. One of the molecules, CCZ, stimulates the body's immune system to target and kill cancer cells, the other, CCS, blocks a protein called Ras, which is defective in 30 percent of all cancers.
Giant panda cub born at National Zoo in Washington
A giant panda cub was born early on Saturday at the US National Zoo, the first for the endangered bears now living there, the zoo said. Mother and cub are doing well, having survived the first few crucial hours after birth.
US losing lead in science and engineering: study
More than half a century of US dominance in science and engineering may be slipping as America's share of graduates in these fields falls relative to Europe and developing nations like China and India, a study says. The study, written by Richard Freeman at the National Bureau of Economic Research in Washington, warned that changes in the global science and engineering job market may require a long period of adjustment for US workers.
Norway fjords, Egypt desert head for shelter list
Some of the world's deepest Norwegian fjords and a fossil-strewn Egyptian desert are set to join the UN's heritage site protection list, a key conservation agency said. The Swiss-based IUCN said the sites -- Norway's Gerangerfjord and Naeroyfjord plus Egypt's Wadi Al-Hitan, or Whale Valley -- are among eight it has recommended for approval at a meeting of the World Heritage Committee in South Africa next week.
Unusual number of wildfires scorch Alaska coast
Rising temperatures in Alaska have sparked an unusual number of storms along the state's south-central coast this summer, officials say, and the multitude of lightning strikes and resulting fires have burned more than 400,000 hectares. In recent weeks, there have been thunderstorms nearly every day along the normally temperate south-central coastline, said Sharon Alden, manager of Alaska's fire weather program.
Burgers from a lab? US study says it's possible
Laboratories using new tissue engineering technology might be able to produce meat that is healthier for consumers and cut down on pollution produced by factory farming, researchers said. While NASA engineers have grown fish tissue in lab dishes, no one has seriously proposed a way to grow meat on commercial levels.
Bacteria linked with dangerous mouth cancer
Three different types of mouth bacteria are associated with the most common form of oral cancer, researchers said in a discovery that may lead to a simple test for the often-fatal tumor. The study, published in the Journal of Translational Medicine, also suggests the bacteria may play a role in causing the cancer, called oral squamous cell carcinoma, the researchers said.
Brush fires caused Australian extinctions: study
A study of ancient eggshells and teeth supports the controversial theory that early humans caused the extinction of many of Australia's huge animals by setting brush fires, researchers said on Thursday. The study also showed why it sometimes does not pay to be a picky eater -- the giant birds that were more choosy about their diets perished, while the indiscriminate emu survived.
Weakness found in deadly Nipah virus
The deadly Nipah virus, which devastated Malaysian swine herds in 1999, uses a protein key to the development of embryos to get into the cells it infects, two teams of US scientists reported. They hope to use their findings to find a way to defend against the virus, which is not only dangerous to livestock but is considered a potential biological weapon. More than 100 people died and 1 million pigs were culled in 1999 because of an outbreak of Nipah, a never-before-seen virus eventually traced to fruit bats.
In late October of 1873 the government of Japan decided against sending a military expedition to Korea to force that nation to open trade relations. Across the government supporters of the expedition resigned immediately. The spectacle of revolt by disaffected samurai began to loom over Japanese politics. In January of 1874 disaffected samurai attacked a senior minister in Tokyo. A month later, a group of pro-Korea expedition and anti-foreign elements from Saga prefecture in Kyushu revolted, driven in part by high food prices stemming from poor harvests. Their leader, according to Edward Drea’s classic Japan’s Imperial Army, was a samurai
The following three paragraphs are just some of what the local Chinese-language press is reporting on breathlessly and following every twist and turn with the eagerness of a soap opera fan. For many English-language readers, it probably comes across as incomprehensibly opaque, so bear with me briefly dear reader: To the surprise of many, former pop singer and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) ex-lawmaker Yu Tien (余天) of the Taiwan Normal Country Promotion Association (TNCPA) at the last minute dropped out of the running for committee chair of the DPP’s New Taipei City chapter, paving the way for DPP legislator Su
It’s hard to know where to begin with Mark Tovell’s Taiwan: Roads Above the Clouds. Having published a travelogue myself, as well as having contributed to several guidebooks, at first glance Tovell’s book appears to inhabit a middle ground — the kind of hard-to-sell nowheresville publishers detest. Leaf through the pages and you’ll find them suffuse with the purple prose best associated with travel literature: “When the sun is low on a warm, clear morning, and with the heat already rising, we stand at the riverside bike path leading south from Sanxia’s old cobble streets.” Hardly the stuff of your
Located down a sideroad in old Wanhua District (萬華區), Waley Art (水谷藝術) has an established reputation for curating some of the more provocative indie art exhibitions in Taipei. And this month is no exception. Beyond the innocuous facade of a shophouse, the full three stories of the gallery space (including the basement) have been taken over by photographs, installation videos and abstract images courtesy of two creatives who hail from the opposite ends of the earth, Taiwan’s Hsu Yi-ting (許懿婷) and Germany’s Benjamin Janzen. “In 2019, I had an art residency in Europe,” Hsu says. “I met Benjamin in the lobby