Europe's produce at stake in Spain's water war
Spanish farmer Juan Francisco Abellaneda's salads and watermelons fill the shelves of European supermarkets winter and summer.. But many farmers are not convinced.
Environment
Conservation groups sue US regulator over SpaceX launches
US conservation groups on Monday announced they are suing the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for not doing enough to protect the environment from SpaceX's Starship program.. But these mitigation measures are not enough, according to the conservation groups, who are calling for a full environmental review.
Why does your life flash before your eyes near death?
Survivors of close calls with death often recall extraordinary experiences: seeing light at the end of a tunnel, floating outside their own bodies, encountering deceased loved ones or recapping major life events in an instant.. One way to do so might be to create an experiment that simulates a near-death experience while the patient is being monitored under lab conditions. ia/nro/bfm
Mexican rescue dogs prepare for next emergency mission
A rescue dog and its handler abseil down a ravine during a drill in Mexico aimed at preparing for international emergencies like the devastating earthquake that struck Turkey in February.. July found six bodies in the rubble after the February 6 earthquake in Turkey that claimed more than 50,000 lives -- her first international deployment.
Scientists use brain scans and AI to 'decode' thoughts
Scientists said Monday they have found a way to use brain scans and artificial intelligence modelling to transcribe "the gist" of what people are thinking, in what was described as a step towards mind reading.. This brings us closer to a future in which machines are "able to read minds and transcribe thought," he said, warning this could possibly take place against people's will, such as when they are sleeping.
Solo rower launches Europe trek to expose river pollution
An intrepid French traveller embarked on Monday on a solo rowing expedition from Poland to France to shed light on the pollution of waterways of Europe.. - Environmental disasters - For Denis Duclos, the museum's director of European and international relations, the expedition offers insight into the condition of Europe’s main waterways.
Germany hopes to help climate with discount travel card
Germany launches on Monday a new flat-rate public transport ticket valid across the country, but the 49-euro ($54) price point has raised doubts about the pass's potential impact.. The 49-euro ticket will particularly benefit "urban residents who already have a more expensive subscription", transport expert Oliver Wittig told AFP. Germany is not alone in its efforts to boost rail use in order to reduce emissions from transport.
Costa Rican sloth antibiotics offer hope for human medicine
The fur of Costa Rican sloths appears to harbor antibiotic-producing bacteria that scientists hope may hold a solution to the growing problem of "superbugs" resistant to humanity's dwindling arsenal of drugs.. However, microbial resistance to antibiotics has been a growing problem, meaning some medicines no longer work to fight the infections they were designed to treat.
New Zealand fights to save its flightless national bird
New Zealand's treasured kiwi birds are shuffling around Wellington's verdant hills for the first time in a century, after a drive to eliminate invasive predators from the capital's surrounds.. The project laid a huge network of 4,500 traps over an area equivalent to nearly 43,000 football pitches on the hills surrounding Wellington.
Clouds carry drug-resistant bacteria across distances: study
For a team of Canadian and French researchers, dark clouds on the horizon are potentially ominous not because they signal an approaching storm -- but because they were found in a recent study to carry drug-resistant bacteria over long distances.. "We found that they are carried by the wind into the atmosphere and can travel long distances -- around the world -- at high altitudes in clouds," he told AFP. The discovery was published in last month's edition of the journal Science of The Total Environment.
