Positive

A collection of 21 posts

China-Made COVID Antiviral Pill Completes Trial

In a "phase 3" trial conducted in China, a new antiviral pill for the treatment of COVID was found to be as effective as Paxlovid against mild to moderate infection in people determined to be at high risk of severe disease.

Coronavirus

NASA Announces End of 'InSight' Mars Mission

After over four years of collecting data and science on Mars, NASA’s InSight lander mission has come to an end according to the agency.

United States

Over 150 New Geoglyphs Discovered in Peru's Nazca Plain

Earlier this month, researchers from Yamagata University [Japan] reported that, through aerial photos and drones, they discovered 168 new designs on Peru's Nazca Plain and surrounding areas.

World

Scientists Discover Hammerhead Shark Nursery In Ecuador's Galapagos

On Saturday, the Ecuadoran national park announced that a team of researchers had discovered a nursery of endangered hammerheads off Isabela Island in Ecuador's Galapagos archipelago.

Equador

Haiti Prepares Rollout of First Cholera Vaccines

The World Health Organization (WHO) and Haitian officials reported on Tuesday that the Haitian government is preparing to initiate a cholera vaccination program this week following the arrival of the initial shipment of vaccines.

Health

Israel: Gene-Edited Hens Only Lay Female Eggs

On Tuesday, researchers at the Israeli Agricultural Research Organization led by Dr. Yuval Cinnamon announced the development of genetically engineered hens that lay eggs that only hatch females — an advancement that scientists say may prevent the suffering of unwanted male chicks in the future.

Social issues

Moderna, Merck Vaccine Combo Cuts Melanoma Recurrence

On Tuesday, Moderna and Merck announced their co-developed, personalized skin cancer vaccine — based on individual tumor DNA — significantly reduced skin cancer recurrence in patients with phase three or four melanoma who had tumors removed in surgery.

Health

US to Announce Fusion Energy ‘Breakthrough'

The US Department of Energy has announced that a "major scientific breakthrough" has been made in the federal Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, with additional detail to be provided Tuesday.

United States

NASA's Orion Capsule Returns Safely to Earth

NASA brought home its Orion capsule astronaut craft on Sunday after a nearly 26-day mission to orbit the Moon. It landed in the Pacific Ocean after a fiery re-entry into Earth's atmosphere and descent by parachute.

United States

Base Editing: Revolutionary Therapy Clears Girl's Incurable Cancer

Alyssa, a 13-year-old girl from Leicester, England, who was diagnosed with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia last year, has been cleared of her incurable cancer after undergoing a base editing cell therapy at London's Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children.

Health

Study Identifies Neurons That Restore Walking After Paralysis

Following a study that saw nine paralyzed patients walk again after prolonged electrical stimulation to injured regions of the spine, researchers have identified neurons that could help restore the ability to walk in people suffering from paralysis.

Health

Study: Paxlovid May Reduce Long COVID Risk

Researchers from the US Veterans Health Administration have revealed the results of a new study showing that taking Paxlovid — a five-day course of antiviral pills — can reduce the risk of developing long COVID.

World

Greece: Power Grid Ran on 100% Renewables for First Time

For five hours last Friday, Greece's entire national grid ran on renewable energy. The news was announced by its independent electric utility operator, who hailed the achievement as a step toward adding more green energy to Greece's portfolio.

Weather

Angela Merkel Wins UN Refugee Prize

Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel was awarded the Nansen Prize by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) on Tuesday. She was recognized for accepting more than 1M mostly Syrian refugees and asylum seekers into Germany during her time in office.

World

Alec Baldwin Reaches Settlement with Halyna Hutchins' Family

The family of Halyna Hutchins — the cinematographer killed on the set of the movie "Rust" — and Alec Baldwin have reached an undisclosed settlement in the wrongful death lawsuit filed against Baldwin, the movie's production companies, producers, and other members of the crew.

Social issues

Pääbo's Evolution Research Wins Nobel Prize for Medicine

Swedish geneticist Svante Pääbo has been named the winner of the Nobel Prize in medicine for his work sequencing the first Neanderthal genome to reveal that Homo sapiens interbred with Neanderthals.

Health

World’s First All-Electric Passenger Plane Takes Flight

On Tuesday, a prototype all-electric nine-passenger commuter aircraft took off from Washington State's Grant County International Airport, marking a significant milestone for carbon-pollution-free aviation.

Money

China’s Mars Rover Finds Hints of Catastrophic Floods

In an analysis published in the journal Nature, China's "Zhurong" rover, which landed on Mars in 2021, may have uncovered evidence of two significant flood events from the planet's deep history.

China

NASA Successfully Crashes Spacecraft Into Asteroid

On Monday, NASA successfully crashed a spacecraft into an asteroid to test the agency's ability to defend Earth from dangerous asteroids. The spacecraft collided with the asteroid Dimporphos 6.8M miles from Earth at 15K mph in a mission known as DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test).

United States

Scientists Discover New Method to Break Down "Forever Chemicals"

After years of searching, a group of scientists at the University of California and Northwestern University has reportedly found a cheap and effective way of destroying PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), also called "forever chemicals."

United States

De-extinction Company to Work on Resurrecting Tasmanian Tiger

On Tues., Texas-based de-extinction company Colossal Biosciences announced they will attempt to resurrect the thylacine, or the Tasmanian Tiger - Australia's only marsupial apex predator.

United States