Author: quannd

As avian flu spreads beyond Central Valley dairy herds to farms in southern California, Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency Wednesday to bolster and streamline the state’s response to the virus.“This proclamation is a targeted action to ensure government agencies have the resources and flexibility they need to respond quickly to this outbreak,” Newsom said in a statement.The emergency declaration allows the governor to release state funds and other resources to help state and local authorities hire staff and issue contracts to combat the contagion. If needed, it grants the governor broad power to issue mandates intended to…

Each year, scientists break new ground in their quest to understand life and the mysteries of the cosmos. Here are eight milestones in 2024 that caught our attention Reading a fruit fly’s mind The first complete map of a fruit fly’s brain details all 139,255 nerve cells and the 54.5 million connections between them. It’s the largest brain map made of any animal, even though the fruit fly’s brain is poppy seed–sized (SN: 11/2/24, p. 32). The map could lead to a deeper understanding of how information flows in the brain. Nuclear timekeeping Scientific clockmakers debuted the world’s first prototype…

Israel’s attorney general has ordered police to open an investigation into Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s wife on suspicion of harassing political opponents and a witness in the Israeli leader’s corruption trial.The Israeli Justice Ministry made the announcement in a terse message late Thursday, saying the investigation would focus on the findings of a recent report by the “Uvda” investigative program into Sara Netanyahu.The program uncovered a trove of WhatsApp messages in which Mrs. Netanyahu appears to instruct a former aide to organize protests against political opponents and to intimidate Hadas Klein, a key witness in the trial.The announcement did not…

Over and over, the numbers tell the same story: 2024 was Earth’s hottest year on record, knocking the previous record holder — 2023 — out of the top spot (SN: 12/6/23). But temperatures alone can’t describe the human cost: humidity that challenges the body’s ability to cool itself; nighttime temps that rob people of sleep; power outages; wildfire smoke; ruined crops; rising cases of mosquito-borne disease (SN: 9/20/24). Meanwhile, record-breaking water temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico fueled hurricanes Helene and Milton (SN: 10/9/24). Helene’s torrential rains caused flooding across six states in the U.S. Southeast,…

Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi presented state awards and departmental insignia to servicemen of artillery units engaged in combat operations in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation. Syrskyi posted this on Facebook, Ukrinform reports. The awards were presented on the occasion of the Day of Missile Forces and Artillery. The Commander-in-Chief congratulated the artillery soldiers on their professional holiday and thanked them “for the courage, fortitude and heroism they show every day, defending the state, destroying enemy armored vehicles and personnel on its soil.” “Thanks to you, we managed to destroy the aggressor’s plans to…

Jan Christen has extended his contract at UAE Team Emirates XRG through 2030, securing one of the longest deals in professional cycling.The Swiss super-talent joins the best rider in the world, Tadej Pogačar, and Spanish climbing sensation Pablo Torres as riders confirmed on the Emirati team for the next six seasons. UAE also have young stars Isaac Del Toro and Juan Ayuso signed on lengthy deals until 2029 and 2028 respectively.Across the sport, only Wout van Aert potentially has a longer contract after signing a unique career-long deal at Visma-Lease a Bike back in September. “I’m very grateful for the team…

Six-time elite world cyclocross champion Mathieu van der Poel is expected to peak later this cross season after dominating the World Cup round in Zonhoven.Starting from the third row, the 29-year-old burst through the outside of the pack and took the lead just one minute and 12 seconds into the race.Van der Poel’s lead stretched throughout the race to win by 1:30, as fellow multi-discipline rider Thibau Nys (Baloise Trek Lions) was left chasing alone behind.Van der Poel finished his road season with bronze at the world championships at the end of September before winning the Gravel World Championship the…

The Israeli military said airstrikes in Yemen on Thursday targeted the Houthi rebel-held capital of Sanaa and the port city of Hodeida. The World Health Organization’s director-general said the bombardment occurred as he was about to board a flight in Sanaa, injuring a crew member.  Israel’s army later told The Associated Press it wasn’t aware that the WHO chief was at the location.”The air traffic control tower, the departure lounge — just a few meters from where we were — and the runway were damaged,” WHO’s Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X, adding that he and his colleagues were…

You probably hear this at least twice a year, if not more: “You can’t drive electric vehicles in the winter.” And it is certainly and unfortunately true that EVs lose range when it gets cold outside. That’s because of the extra energy needed to run systems like cabin heaters and defrosters, but also because the chemical reaction inside the lithium-ion battery slows down when temperatures drop. Some EVs are also better at maintaining winter range than others. But on the whole, it’s fairly common knowledge these days that winter may mean shorter road trips with longer pit stops for charging.…

The Philippine military deployed a navy ship and air force planes to shadow a Russian submarine, which passed through the South China Sea off the country’s western coast last week, a security official said Monday. One official said the navy was surprised to see the vessel because it was a “very unique submarine.”The Russian submarine identified itself in response to a Philippine navy two-way radio inquiry, saying it was en route home to Russia’s eastern city of Vladivostok after joining an exercise with the Malaysian navy, Jonathan Malaya, assistant director-general of the National Security Council, said.The submarine, like other foreign…