Science

China Tests Building Moon Base With Lunar Soil Bricks
SpotlightChina Tests Building Moon Base With Lunar Soil Bricks

China is expected to push forward in its quest to build the first lunar base on Friday, launching an in-space experiment to test whether the station's bricks could be made from the Moon's own soil. Brick samples will blast off aboard a cargo rocket heading for China's Tiangong space station, part of Beijing's mission to put humans on the Moon by ...

Launch of National Immunization Campaign to Protect Children Amid Crisis
Launch of National Immunization Campaign to Protect Children Amid Crisis

In a major initiative to protect children from infectious diseases, the Ministry of Public Health in Lebanon launched a nationwide vaccination campaign on Thursday targeting polio, measles, rubella and varicella. Supported by UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Lebanese Association of Pediatricians, the campaign took place at the ...

Gasping for Air: Respiratory Issues Soar Amid Relentless Beirut Raids
Gasping for Air: Respiratory Issues Soar Amid Relentless Beirut Raids

Since September, Israeli raids have targeted Lebanese territory almost daily, leaving behind a dense cloud of smoke for people to inhale. Combined with existing pollution from Lebanon’s overreliance on generators, the smoke is slowly endangering the health of the Lebanese population. Breathless in Beirut Manal lives in Ain El Remmaneh, a ...

UK Faces Avian Flu Outbreak as H5N5 Strain Spreads
UK Faces Avian Flu Outbreak as H5N5 Strain Spreads

In northern England, Yorkshire is now facing an avian flu outbreak following the detection of the H5N5 strain in poultry, marking the first cases recorded in farming since the beginning of the autumn season, the UK government announced on Tuesday. The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) confirmed that all poultry at the farm ...

 Climate Change: “The Wasted Time Has Been Paid in Lives”
Spotlight Climate Change: “The Wasted Time Has Been Paid in Lives”

The 2024 Lancet Countdown report on health and climate change reveals that global warming poses an increasingly significant threat to public health. Compiled annually by researchers from various universities and UN agencies, the study highlights the multiple dangers facing the global population. “Data in this year’s report show that people all ...

Polio: The Aborted Eradication of a Preventable Disease
ExplainerPolio: The Aborted Eradication of a Preventable Disease

Poliomyelitis, or polio, is a viral disease caused by the poliovirus, which invades the nervous system and spreads primarily through contaminated water or food. Highly contagious, it affects mainly unvaccinated children under five, with symptoms ranging from mild fevers to irreversible paralysis and death. Despite extensive global efforts, polio ...

Malaria: Egypt Eradicates the Pharaohs' Disease
SpotlightMalaria: Egypt Eradicates the Pharaohs' Disease

In Egypt, malaria has long been a public health scourge. It intensified in the 20th century to become a major health issue, particularly in the rural areas of the Nile Delta, where environmental conditions favored the spread of the disease. However, a significant event occurred recently. On October 20, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced ...

 Food Poisoning: The Fear on Our Plates!
Spotlight Food Poisoning: The Fear on Our Plates!

In recent weeks, Lebanon has seen a notable rise in food poisoning cases, a phenomenon that cannot be separated from the socio-economic conditions burdening the country. The war context alone increases these risks, as we will explain later. However, other factors also play a role. First, the chronic lack or shortage of electricity severely ...

Mpox Crisis: Over 1,100 Lives Lost in Africa
Mpox Crisis: Over 1,100 Lives Lost in Africa

The mpox epidemic, formerly known as monkeypox, continues to wreak havoc in Africa. On October 17, the health agency of the African Union reported a tragic toll of 1,100 deaths on the continent since the beginning of the year. With a total of 42,000 cases recorded, the situation risks becoming “out of control,” in the words of the agency, ...

Clean Energy Era Approaching Though Fossil Fuels Set to Peak
Clean Energy Era Approaching Though Fossil Fuels Set to Peak

More than half of the world's electricity will be generated by low-emission sources before 2030 but the deployment of clean energy is "far from uniform" across the globe, the International Energy Agency said Wednesday. Demand for oil, gas and coal is still projected to peak by the end of the decade, possibly creating a surplus of fossil fuels, ...

Baltic Sea: A European Effort to Reoxygenate an “Ecological Desert”
Baltic Sea: A European Effort to Reoxygenate an “Ecological Desert”

In the heart of the Baltic Sea, bordered by nine Northern European countries, an alarming phenomenon is unfolding: the gradual disappearance of fish, a direct consequence of oxygen depletion. This ecological disaster, leading to an invaluable loss of biodiversity, has prompted two startups and European researchers to unite in an effort to restore ...

The War in Lebanon: A Catalyst for Infectious Diseases
SpotlightThe War in Lebanon: A Catalyst for Infectious Diseases

With the intensification of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, Lebanon finds itself at a critical juncture for multiple reasons. This crisis has resulted in devastating consequences for the country, characterized by massive material destruction, a relentless exodus of residents from war-affected areas, and an alarming decline in living ...