Scientists Solve a Puzzle: What's Really in a Fatberg
LONDON -- When a giant fatberg was discovered in the sewer of a small coastal town in southwestern England last year, the company that manages the pipes was so mystified by the greasy mass of solidified fats and waste materials that it enlisted the help of scientists to discover what it was made of.The grisly results of an autopsy were made public Friday, and they were not pretty, but held some...
FDA Approves New HIV-Prevention Drug, but Not for Women
The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved a new drug, Descovy, for prevention of infection with HIV, only the second drug approved for this purpose.The first, Truvada, has become a mainstay of government efforts to turn back the HIV epidemic. But the FDA approved Descovy for use only in men and transgender women, because its maker, Gilead Sciences, tested it only in those groups.The...
Diseases like West Nile, EEE and flesh-eating bacteria are flourishing due to climate change
Climate change is altering the nation's environment and the microbes, viruses and insects that inhabit it, potentially increasing where diseases...
A 29-year-old mayor gave his city’s poorest residents $500 a month. Here's how they spent the money.
Most participants of a basic-income trial in Stockton, California, spent the money on food and...
Scientist Who Discredited Meat Guidelines Didn't Report Past Food Industry Ties
A surprising new study challenged decades of nutrition advice and gave consumers the green light to eat more red and processed meat. But what the study didn't say is that its lead author has past research ties to the meat and food industry.The new report, published this week in the Annals of Internal Medicine, stunned scientists and public health officials because it contradicted long-standing...
NASA picks 25 space technologies for testing by Blue Origin and other companies
NASA's Flight Opportunities program has selected 25 promising space technologies for testing aboard aircraft, high-altitude balloons and suborbital rocket ships — including Blue Origin's New Shepard spacecraft. Blue Origin, the space venture created by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and headquartered in Kent, Wash., will be involved in testing 11 of the technologies. The company has been...
NASA sets 1st all-female spacewalk after suit flap in spring
The first all-female spacewalk is back on, six months after a suit-sizing flap led to an embarrassing cancellation. NASA announced Friday that the International Space Station's two women will pair up for a spacewalk later this month. Astronauts Christina Koch and the newly arrived Jessica Meir will venture out Oct. 21 to plug in new, upgraded batteries for the solar power...
After spacesuit mix-up, NASA once again will attempt the first all-female spacewalk
With two medium-size spacesuits now available, Christina Koch and Jessica Meir are scheduled to embark on their spacewalk Oct. 21, NASA...