Science
Business InsiderI lost 35 pounds during the pandemic after a health scare that had nothing to do with COVID. Here's how I did it while also building Insider's new DC bureau.
The story of how my health took such a dramatic turn for the better amid the coronavirus lockdown dovetails with another healthy change in my life.
Business InsiderNASA's Perseverance rover captured more striking photos of Martian territory in recent weeks
From snapshots of Jezero Crater to 360-degree panoramas, here are some of the highlights captured by the US space agency's rover.
BBCJohn Kerry: US climate envoy criticised for optimism on clean tech
John Kerry told the BBC technologies that don't yet exist will play a huge role in stabilising the climate.
Associated PressSharks use Earth's magnetic field as a GPS, scientists say
Sharks use the Earth's magnetic field as a sort of natural GPS to navigate journeys that take them great distances across the world's oceans, scientists have found. Researchers said their marine laboratory experiments with a small species of shark confirm long-held speculation that sharks use magnetic fields as aids to navigation — behavior observed in other marine animals such as sea turtles. “We know that sharks can respond to magnetic fields," Keller said.
Business InsiderSpaceX blasted another 52 Starlink internet satellites and 2 payloads into orbit on a Falcon 9 rocket, which landed perfectly
A Falcon 9 SpaceX rocket shot up from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida at 6:56 p.m. EDT.
Associated PressUS climate envoy Kerry meets with pope on climate crisis
John Kerry, President Joe Biden’s climate envoy, met privately with Pope Francis on Saturday, afterward calling the pope a “compelling moral authority on the subject of the climate crisis” who has been “ahead of the curve.” The former U.S. Secretary of State told Vatican News that the pope's embrace of climate issues “hopefully can push people to greater ambition to get the job done.”
Associated PressRacist attacks revive Asian American studies program demand
As Dartmouth College sophomore Nicholas Sugiarto flipped through the course catalog last semester, two words caught his eye: “Asian American.” The 19-year-old Chinese Indonesian American didn't know Asian American-focused classes were even an option at the Hanover, New Hampshire, campus. The biomedical-engineering major ended up enrolling in “Gender and Sexuality in Asian American Literature" and now wishes he could minor in Asian American studies.
Business InsiderLife detected on Mars might have actually originated in NASA labs, according to an Ivy League scientist
Microbes that may accidentally have been brought to the Red Planet could potentially wreak havoc, according to scientist Christopher Mason
GeekWireBlackSky Earth-observing satellites lost due to anomaly during Rocket Lab launch
Two satellites for BlackSky’s Earth observation constellation were lost today when the second stage of Rocket Lab’s Electron launch vehicle suffered an anomaly, just minutes after liftoff from New Zealand. Rocket Lab said the mission failure was under investigation. “The issue occurred shortly after stage two ignition,” the company said in a tweet. The live stream for launch showed what appeared to be a successful launch at 11:11 p.m. New Zealand time (4:11 a.m. PT), followed by a stage separation that went according to plan. However, it looked as if the second stage’s rocket engine shut down and failed to… Read More
Associated PressHeart study: Low- and regular-dose aspirin safe, effective
An unusual study that had thousands of heart disease patients enroll themselves and track their health online as they took low- or regular-strength aspirin concludes that both doses seem equally safe and effective for preventing additional heart problems and strokes. “Patients basically decided for themselves” what they wanted to take because they bought the aspirin on their own, said Dr. Salim Virani, a cardiologist at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston who had no role in the study. Aspirin helps prevent blood clots, but it’s not recommended for healthy people who have not yet developed heart disease because it carries a risk of bleeding.
ReutersItalian study shows COVID-19 infections, deaths plummeting after jabs
COVID-19 infections in adults of all ages fell by 80% five weeks after a first dose of Pfizer, Moderna or AstraZeneca vaccine, according to Italian research published on Saturday. The first such study by a European Union country on the real-world impact of its immunisation campaign was carried out by Italy's National Institute of Health (ISS) and the Ministry of Health on 13.7 million people vaccinated nationwide.
Business InsiderOne bite from this tick could ruin red meat for you - or even kill you
A single lone star tick bite could cause hives, shortness of breath, or even death. And it's making Americans allergic to red meat.
BBCChina lands its Zhurong rover on Mars
The six-wheeled robot has made the hazardous descent to the surface of the Red Planet, China announces.
Business InsiderChina has landed a spacecraft on Mars for the first time, delivering a water-hunting rover to the red planet
The Zhurong rover is almost ready to start scanning Mars' volcanic-rock fields for hidden water ice. Such reserves could help future Mars astronauts.
Associated PressChina lands on Mars in major advance for its space ambitions
China landed a spacecraft on Mars for the first time on Saturday, a technically challenging feat more difficult than a moon landing, in the latest step forward for its ambitious goals in space. It will join an American rover that arrived at the red planet in February. China’s first Mars landing follows its launch last month of the main section of what will be a permanent space station and a mission that brought back rocks from the moon late last year.
Associated PressCuba rolls out mass vaccines while awaiting study results
The jab didn't even hurt, and Mabel Aguilera figures it may finally let her see granddaughters on the other side of Cuba who she hasn't glimpsed during many months of pandemic restrictions. Aguilera is among hundreds of thousands of Cubans who have begun receiving new, locally produced vaccines against COVID-19 in the past few days as the socialist government has ramped up an inoculation campaign — even before releasing formal Phase III data on the vaccines' effectiveness and safety. The campaign is being closely watched by many across Latin America and the world who see Cuba's vaccines as a possible way to ease global shortages.
BBCWinchcombe meteorite to go on public display
A chunk of priceless space rock that fell on the UK will showcase at the Natural History Museum.
GeekWireSeattle’s satellite industry plays leading role in BlackSky’s Earth-observing network
Update for 6:30 a.m. PT May 15: Two BlackSky satellites were lost when the second stage of Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket suffered an anomaly, minutes after liftoff from New Zealand. “We are deeply sorry to our customers Spaceflight Inc. and BlackSky for the loss of their payloads,” Rocket Lab said in a statement. The cause of the anomaly is under investigation. Check out this story for updates. Previously: Satellites for BlackSky’s constellation of Earth-watching spacecraft may be launched from as far away as New Zealand, but their path to orbit features prominent stops in the Seattle area. BlackSky’s Global satellites… Read More
Business InsiderChina plans to attempt an ambitious Mars landing as early as Friday, dropping both a lander and a rover to the red planet
China's Tianwen-1 mission could be the first to deploy an orbiter, lander, and rover all at once. But only half of Mars landings have succeeded.
Business InsiderEarth's stratosphere has been shrinking for 40 years. That could one day screw with orbiting satellites.
The stratosphere - the layer of Earth's atmosphere between 7.5 and 31 miles up - is shrinking due to greenhouse-gas emissions, a new study found.
Business InsiderIf you want to eat like your paleo ancestors, stop cutting out all carbs, a new study suggests
Advocates of the paleo diet assume that our human ancestors had a meat-heavy, low-carb diet. But research shows Neanderthals ate many starchy foods.
BBCWastewater is 'polluting rivers with microplastic'
"Frequent releases" of sewage create microplastic hotspots in UK rivers.
Business InsiderCDC director says she sees a 'great endpoint in sight' after relaxing mask advice for vaccinated people
The CDC changed its guidance to say fully vaccinated people could take off their masks indoors and outdoors in most settings.
Business InsiderChina says its first Mars landing - of both a lander and a rover - is happening as early as Saturday
China's National Space Administration said its Tianwen-1 spacecraft is expected to land on Mars between May 15 and May 19 local time.
Associated PressChina Mars rover to land between Saturday and Wednesday
China says its Mars probe and accompanying rover are expected to land on the red planet sometime between Saturday and Wednesday Beijing time. The China National Space Administration said in a brief notice that the Tianwen-1 probe has collected a large amount of scientific data since entering Mars orbit on Feb. 10 and the window for setting down on an icy area of the planet known as Utopia Planitia was determined by “current flying conditions.” The mission is the first attempt at a soft landing on Mars by a Chinese spacecraft.
“If Facebook lets Trump back on Facebook and Instagram, he'll assuredly restart his assault on democracy.”
“Facebook should have known better than to believe that it could limit speech on its platform without setting a terrible precedent.”
“Providing a microphone and an amplifier for deceit isn't fighting the good fight for free speech.”
“It’s no defense of Mr. Trump’s conduct to say that the digital public square shouldn’t suppress speech by political leaders.”
“The former president no longer gets the ‘head of state’ exception to terms of service.”