ExplainerHurricane Milton: Climate Change Under the Spotlight

This is Beirut 12/10 10:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

United States Milton Climate change

The rainfall from Hurricane Milton, which resulted in the deaths of at least 16 people in the United States, is estimated to be 20% to 30% higher due to climate change, while the hurricane's winds were approximately 10% stronger. These findings come from a preliminary analysis by the scientific network World Weather Attribution (WWA), published on ...

ExplainerNobel Prize in Chemistry: The Revolution of 'Smart' Proteins

Alain E. Andrea 10/10 12:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Nobel Chemistry

On October 9, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences honored Americans David Baker and John Jumper, alongside Briton Demis Hassabis, for their exceptional contributions in the field of proteins. According to the Academy's statement, Baker received half of the prize for his method of "computational protein design," which involves using computer ...

ExplainerNobel Prize in Physics: A New Era Beyond Human Intelligence

Alain E. Andrea 08/10 17:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Nobel Physics Artificial intelligence

The 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics has been awarded to British-Canadian John Hopfield (born 1933) and American Geoffrey Hinton (born 1947) for their fundamental discoveries that paved the way for "machine learning" through "artificial neural networks." Their work, conducted since the 1980s, highlights the importance of theoretical physics in the rise ...

ExplainerNobel Prize in Medicine 2024: A Great Reward for a Small Regulator

Alain E. Andrea 07/10 15:40 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Nobel Medicine

On October 7, the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine to Victor Ambros (born 1953) and Gary Ruvkun (born 1952), two American biologists, for their "discovery of microRNAs and their role in the post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression." This discovery, made in 1993, profoundly ...

Explainer Mpox in Africa: Preventing a Pandemic at All Costs

Alain E. Andrea 07/10 12:45 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Mpox Africa WHO

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRG) has recently reached a significant turning point in its fight against mpox, a potentially deadly viral disease. On October 5, the DRC launched a vaccination campaign in response to a concerning epidemic that has impacted the African continent, particularly the Congo Basin region. However, mpox is not a new ...

Meta Unveils AI That Turns Photos into Videos

This is Beirut 05/10 11:55 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Meta on Friday provided a look at a generative artificial intelligence model it is working on that lets people create short videos, complete with audio, from text prompts and photos. The tech titan touted "Meta Movie Gen" as a "breakthrough" when it comes to using an AI engine to crank out video and audio. Meta said it will get feedback from ...

And What if Fungi Had a Musical Ear?

This Is Beirut 03/10 18:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Researchers have uncovered a fascinating link between sound and soil health, revealing that exposure to monotone sounds can enhance the growth of a beneficial fungus This discovery suggests a novel approach to soil restoration amidst environmental challenges. Researchers at Flinders University in Australia have made an intriguing discovery: the ...

Tracing Ancient Genomes in Africa

This Is Beirut 23/09 18:37 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Researchers from the prestigious Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology have reconstructed the oldest known human genomes from southern Africa, revealing genetic continuity spanning nearly 10,000 years. Scientists recently pieced together the oldest human genomes from South Africa, dating back nearly 10,000 years. These DNA sequences ...

Historic Private Astronaut Mission Splashes Down off Florida

This Is Beirut 15/09 12:08 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

The SpaceX Polaris Dawn mission, which made history when its crew conducted the first spacewalk by non-government astronauts, splashed down off the coast of Florida early Sunday. The Dragon spacecraft landed in the ocean at 3:37 AM, a webcast of the splashdown showed, with a recovery team deploying in the pre-dawn darkness to retrieve the ...

June-August 2024 Were Hottest Ever Recorded

This Is Beirut 06/09 11:46 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

The 2024 northern summer saw the highest global temperatures ever recorded, beating last year's record and making this year likely Earth's hottest ever, the European Union's climate monitor said on Friday. The data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service followed a season of heatwaves around the world that scientists said were intensified by ...

Boeing’s Starliner Spaceship to Return to Earth Without Crew

This Is Beirut 06/09 10:12 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Boeing's problem-plagued Starliner is set to finally depart the International Space Station (ISS) on Friday, returning to Earth without astronauts after NASA deemed the risk too great. The century-old aerospace giant's reputation has taken a hammering over the thruster malfunctions and helium leaks its spaceship encountered on its way up to the ...

Europe’s Vega Rocket Launches in French Guiana

This Is Beirut 05/09 11:46 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Europe's Vega rocket launched on Wednesday from French Guiana, an AFP journalist said, carrying a satellite that will help combat natural disasters. Delayed by a day due to "electrical issues on the ground links," according to French firm Arianespace, the launch in Kourou finally took place at 10:50 PM (01:50 GMT, Thursday). "Successful lift-off ...