Lake Maracaibo: polluted by a permanent black tide

Smelling like an oil refinery, the vast expanse of Lake Maracaibo has become polluted by its own reserves of crude as Venezuela's economic collapse has left wells and pipelines in ruin.

Louisiana hopes to fight coast erosion by mimicking nature

Back when the Mississippi River flowed wild, its ever-shifting waters acted as a continent-sized earth mover, picking up sand and dirt from the North, depositing it in the Delta region and eventually creating the land that is now south Louisiana.

Vice Media to buy women's focused rival Refinery29

Vice Media said Wednesday it was acquiring rival Refinery29, an online outlet that targets young female readers, claiming the deal creates "the world's largest digital media business."

Killer Japanese fungus found in Australia

One of the world's deadliest fungi has been discovered in Australia's far north for the first time—thousands of miles from its native habitat in the mountains of Japan and Korea.

Bacteria-infected Brazilian mosquitoes pack a punch in dengue fight

Dengue-resistant mosquitoes breed in a Rio de Janeiro laboratory, producing offspring infected with bacteria packing a punch in the fight against the deadly virus, which is exploding across Brazil this year.

First Arab on ISS set for Earth return

An Emirati who made history as the first Arab to reach the International Space Station is set to return to Earth on Thursday following an eight-day mission that sparked euphoria in his homeland.

Six killed as typhoon lashes South Korea

At least six people were killed and several others missing after Typhoon Mitag lashed South Korea with heavy rain and strong winds, authorities said Thursday.

EPA issues violation notice to San Francisco

The Trump administration ratcheted up its feud with California on Wednesday as the Environmental Protection Agency issued a notice accusing San Francisco of violating the federal Clean Water Act.

Google to commit to White House job training initiative

Google is committing to a White House initiative designed to get private companies to expand job training for American workers.

Fathers-to-be should avoid alcohol six months before conception

Aspiring parents should both avoid drinking alcohol prior to conception to protect against congenital heart defects, according to research published today in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, a journal of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).

Machine learning predicts behavior of biological circuits

Biomedical engineers at Duke University have devised a machine learning approach to modeling the interactions between complex variables in engineered bacteria that would otherwise be too cumbersome to predict. Their algorithms are generalizable to many kinds of biological systems.

New guide offers support and advice to researchers experiencing online harassment

A newly redeveloped guide is setting out to help researchers across academia tackle the online harassment some face as they share their findings with the public on some of the world's most controversial, and vital, topics.

A tool to understand how ecosystems are responding to a changing climate

As climate change accelerates, recording shifts in plant flowering times is critical to understanding how changes in climate will impact ecosystem interactions. Currently, when researchers reconstruct historical flowering times using dried herbarium specimens, they estimate first or peak flowering time using the day of the year (DOY) of plant collection as a proxy. Because herbarium specimens are collected at many different stages of flowering and fruiting (called "phenological" stages), this practice of using the day of collection creates shaky data that limits our ability to estimate how ecosystems will respond to a shifting climate.

University Hospitals completes first Evolut™ PRO+ case in the world

Physicians at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center completed the first procedure in the world using Medtronic's new Evolut PRO+ TAVR System.

Grouping 'smart cities' into types may help aspiring city planners find a path

A comparative analysis of "smart cities" worldwide reveals four distinct types, according to an international team of researchers. The categories may help city planners to identify and emulate models that are close to their own socio-economic circumstances and policy aspirations.

Aspirin may prevent air pollution harms

A new study is the first to report evidence that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like aspirin may lessen the adverse effects of air pollution exposure on lung function. The team of researchers from the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, Harvard Chan School of Public Health, Boston University School of Medicine published their findings in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

A filament fit for space—silk is proven to thrive in outer space temperatures

Their initial discovery had seemed like a contradiction because most other polymer fibres embrittle in the cold. But after many years of working on the problem, the group of researchers have discovered that silk's cryogenic toughness is based on its nano-scale fibrills. Sub-microscopic order and hierarchy allows a silk to withstand temperatures of down to -200 C. And possibly even lower, which would make these classic natural luxury fibres ideal for applications in the depths of chilly outer-space.

In Russia, declines in alcohol consumption and mortality have gone hand in hand

Since the early 2000s, Russia has seen significant declines in overall alcohol consumption, and a new review shows that there has been a parallel, steep decline in the country's mortality rates as well.

High fiber diet associated with reduced CV risk in hypertension, type 2 diabetes patients

Patients with hypertension and Type 2 diabetes who consume a high fiber diet had improvement in their blood pressure, cholesterol and fasting glucose, according to a study presented at the American College of Cardiology (ACC) Middle East Conference 2019 together with the 10th Emirates Cardiac Society Congress. The conference is Oct. 3-5 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Tooth loss associated with higher risk of heart disease

Adults who have lost teeth due to nontraumatic reasons may have a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease according to a presentation at the American College of Cardiology Middle East Conference 2019 together with the 10th Emirates Cardiac Society Congress. The conference is Oct. 3-5 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.