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.
June 2 to June 8 Taiwan’s woodcutters believe that if they see even one speck of red in their cooked rice, no matter how small, an accident is going to happen. Peng Chin-tian (彭錦田) swears that this has proven to be true at every stop during his decades-long career in the logging industry. Along with mining, timber harvesting was once considered the most dangerous profession in Taiwan. Not only were mishaps common during all stages of processing, it was difficult to transport the injured to get medical treatment. Many died during the arduous journey. Peng recounts some of his accidents in
“Why does Taiwan identity decline?”a group of researchers lead by University of Nevada political scientist Austin Wang (王宏恩) asked in a recent paper. After all, it is not difficult to explain the rise in Taiwanese identity after the early 1990s. But no model predicted its decline during the 2016-2018 period, they say. After testing various alternative explanations, Wang et al argue that the fall-off in Taiwanese identity during that period is related to voter hedging based on the performance of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). Since the DPP is perceived as the guardian of Taiwan identity, when it performs well,
A short walk beneath the dense Amazon canopy, the forest abruptly opens up. Fallen logs are rotting, the trees grow sparser and the temperature rises in places sunlight hits the ground. This is what 24 years of severe drought looks like in the world’s largest rainforest. But this patch of degraded forest, about the size of a soccer field, is a scientific experiment. Launched in 2000 by Brazilian and British scientists, Esecaflor — short for “Forest Drought Study Project” in Portuguese — set out to simulate a future in which the changing climate could deplete the Amazon of rainfall. It is
The Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) on May 18 held a rally in Taichung to mark the anniversary of President William Lai’s (賴清德) inauguration on May 20. The title of the rally could be loosely translated to “May 18 recall fraudulent goods” (518退貨ㄌㄨㄚˋ！). Unlike in English, where the terms are the same, “recall” (退貨) in this context refers to product recalls due to damaged, defective or fraudulent merchandise, not the political recalls (罷免) currently dominating the headlines. I attended the rally to determine if the impression was correct that the TPP under party Chairman Huang Kuo-Chang (黃國昌) had little of a
RSS