World News

Insect-inspired robots that can jump, fly and climb are almost here

Insect-inspired robots that can jump, fly and climb are almost here

Picture a robot. Did you envision a giant machine assembling cars, Data from “Star Trek,” C-3PO from “Star Wars” or “The Terminator”? Most of us would probably think of something massive — or at least human size. But a whole arm of robotics is focusing on bug-size ‘bots (and smaller). It’s not just the size…

Cardinal proclaims innocence after resigning in Vatican financial scandal

Cardinal proclaims innocence after resigning in Vatican financial scandal

One of the Vatican’s powerful cardinals has resigned from his post amid a growing financial scandal. Giovanni Angelo Becciu says he was accused of embezzlement and proclaimed his innocence during a press conference on Friday, the day after he was effectively fired by Pope Francis. Becciu served as the “substitute” in the Vatican’s Secretariat of…

Radiation on moon’s surface measured for the first time, study says

Radiation on moon’s surface measured for the first time, study says

When the next astronaut to reach the moon walks on the lunar surface in 2024, she’ll face radiation levels 200 times higher than on Earth. While Apollo mission astronauts carried dosimeters to the moon to measure radiation, the data was never reported. The first systematically documented measurements of radiation on the moon were undertaken in…

What you need to know about coronavirus on Friday, September 25

Europe is at a “decisive moment” in dealing with its second wave of Covid-19 infections, and the buck falls on its citizens to prevent the deaths and economically ruinous lockdowns seen this spring, the European Union’s Health Commissioner warned yesterday. A false sense of security has developed over the summer. Deaths are still well below…

China says US has ‘created enough troubles for the world’ as UN spat continues

China’s Ambassador to the United Nations said Thursday that the US has “created enough troubles for the world already” as the two nations continued to spar over the coronavirus pandemic during a tense meeting of the UN Security Council. US Representative to the UN Kelly Craft criticized China over what she said was a “decision…

Leaders spar at UN General Assembly amid global crisis

Leaders spar at UN General Assembly amid global crisis

World leaders gathered virtually Tuesday for this week’s United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), with the UN’s historic 75th anniversary overshadowed by strongmen leaders, fraying relations and a sense of intensifying international crisis. The summit was forced online this year due to the pandemic and the 14-day quarantine regulations in New York City. Covid-19 loomed heavily…

This bird tells rivals like it is by using its feathers to make a chirping noise

This bird tells rivals like it is by using its feathers to make a chirping noise

Birds can chirp, birds can fly and now scientists have new evidence that birds can communicate with each other using sound made with their feathers. A species called the fork-tailed flycatcher, or Tyrannus savanna, vibrate their feathers very quickly to produce a sound, according to a new study published Tuesday in the Integrative and Comparative…

What you need to know about coronavirus on Tuesday, September 22

What you need to know about coronavirus on Tuesday, September 22

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention abruptly dropped new guidance from its website about airborne transmission of the coronavirus yesterday, just days after publishing it. The agency said a draft version was posted in error, before it had gone through the normal review process, and reverted to its previous guidance, which does not…

Americans think the UN is doing a good job. Japanese people disagree

Americans think the UN is doing a good job. Japanese people disagree

As the United Nations turns 75, a majority of people in 14 developed nations approve of the international body’s work in eight key areas, including fighting coronavirus, promoting action on climate change and building peace. And despite years of UN-bashing by American politicians and pundits, it’s Japan, not the United States, that has the lowest…

What you need to know about coronavirus on Monday, September 21

What you need to know about coronavirus on Monday, September 21

“Airborne viruses, including COVID-19, are among the most contagious and easily spread,” the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says in an updated guidance page on its website. Scientists have noted the likelihood of the transmission of coronavirus through viral particles in the air for months, pushing health agencies to acknowledge it. The…

What to expect at the UN General Assembly in the time of Covid-19

What to expect at the UN General Assembly in the time of Covid-19

What if the world’s most powerful people threw a gigantic international party and no one showed up? This week is the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) — normally the Super Bowl of international diplomacy. But thanks to a global pandemic, make that “digital diplomacy” without star players in the corridors at UN headquarters in New…

Oldest animal sperm discovered in 100-million-year-old amber

Oldest animal sperm discovered in 100-million-year-old amber

Scientists have found the oldest sample of animal sperm, concealed in a 100 million-year-old piece of amber. Paleontologists discovered the sample in the reproductive tract of an ancient female crustacean encased in resin — one of several samples of ostracods from Myanmar. The previously unknown species of crustacean, now named Myanmarcypris hui, resembles a modern…

This is how we should build on Mars, scientists say

If we make it to Mars, we’re not going to be able to bring everything humankind needs to stay for an extended period of time — or to construct colonies on the red planet. In order to build shelters and manufacture tools, astronauts may only need to bring one key ingredient — with minerals in…

Giant planet found orbiting a dead white dwarf star

Giant planet found orbiting a dead white dwarf star

For the first time, a planet has been discovered orbiting a white dwarf, also known as a dead star. This exoplanet, a planet outside of our solar system, is the size of Jupiter and it’s known as WD 1586 b. This giant exoplanet zips around the star remnant, which is about the size of Earth,…