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.
It is barely 10am and the queue outside Onigiri Bongo already stretches around the block. Some of the 30 or so early-bird diners sit on stools, sipping green tea and poring over laminated menus. Further back it is standing-room only. “It’s always like this,” says Yumiko Ukon, who has run this modest rice ball shop and restaurant in the Otsuka neighbourhood of Tokyo for almost half a century. “But we never run out of rice,” she adds, seated in her office near a wall clock in the shape of a rice ball with a bite taken out. Bongo, opened in 1960 by
Common sense is not that common: a recent study from the University of Pennsylvania concludes the concept is “somewhat illusory.” Researchers collected statements from various sources that had been described as “common sense” and put them to test subjects. The mixed bag of results suggested there was “little evidence that more than a small fraction of beliefs is common to more than a small fraction of people.” It’s no surprise that there are few universally shared notions of what stands to reason. People took a horse worming drug to cure COVID! They think low-traffic neighborhoods are a communist plot and call
The sprawling port city of Kaohsiung seldom wins plaudits for its beauty or architectural history. That said, like any other metropolis of its size, it does have a number of strange or striking buildings. This article describes a few such curiosities, all but one of which I stumbled across by accident. BOMBPROOF HANGARS Just north of Kaohsiung International Airport, hidden among houses and small apartment buildings that look as though they were built between 15 and 30 years ago, are two mysterious bunker-like structures that date from the airport’s establishment as a Japanese base during World War II. Each is just about
Over the years, whole libraries of pro-People’s Republic of China (PRC) texts have been issued by commentators on “the Taiwan problem,” or the PRC’s desire to annex Taiwan. These documents have a number of features in common. They isolate Taiwan from other areas and issues of PRC expansion. They blame Taiwan’s rhetoric or behavior for PRC actions, particularly pro-Taiwan leadership and behavior. They present the brutal authoritarian state across the Taiwan Strait as conciliatory and rational. Even their historical frames are PRC propaganda. All of this, and more, colors the latest “analysis” and recommendations from the International Crisis Group, “The Widening
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