World

This summer, NASA awarded Clemson University researchers a three-year grant to study methods for transforming human waste into vitamins, plastics, and other useful materials for long-duration space flight. The South Carolina scientists will receive $200,000 per year for their research project, officially titled "Synthetic Biology for Recycling Human Waste into Food, Nutraceuticals, and Materials: Closing the Loop for Long-Term Space Travel." With the advanced alchemical process, the researchers say, they can use genetically engineered yeast to synthesize plastics from the waste. The plastics can then be used in 3D printing machines to make tools and parts on demand. NASA hopes the Clemson team can find new ways to recycle waste -- including carbon dioxide from human breathing, urine, and ...

In 2013, investigative journalism outfit ProPublica reported on the crusade of Dr. Daniel Budnitz, who wanted to save children from fatal medication poisoning. Dr. Budnitz is a scientist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and he believed a new plastic closure called a flow restrictor could stop kids from accidentally swallowing toxic amounts of medications like acetaminophen. Budnitz isn't just a professional epidemiologist; he's also a father. When he discovered that 74,000 kids like his end up in the emergency room each year from such poisonings, he made it his personal mission to reduce such drug overdoses. Because even more troubling, ProPublica revealed internal documents from Food and Drug Administration scientists who had been advocating behind-the-scenes for the ...

A giant abandoned termite mound was found in the Miombo forest area, located in central Africa. Scientists have predicted that the termite mound may be over 2,200 years old, making it the oldest termite structure ever dated. Another nearby mound was studied to ensure that the mound was not classified as an anomaly. This mound is at least 750 years old. Both mounds were built by a termite species known as Macrotermes falciger. These termites are native to the Lubumbashi region of Upper Katanga, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, as reported by BBC World. The age of this ancient mound suggests that termites use the same mound for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. New generations of termites continue to use these mounds even after the previous generation dies off. These mounds allow t...

A rhino has been hooked up to the Internet of Things. British nonprofit conservation organization Protect has developed RAPID -- Real-time Anti-Poaching Intelligence Device -- in order to put a stop to poaching. Already being trialled in South Africa, the rhino equipped with the innovative RAPID has a camera embedded in its horn, a GPS tracker around its neck, and a heart rate monitor to track its pulse. If the rhino's heart rate drops, the horn-mounted camera actives so that a control center can see what exactly is going on. If those in the control center suspect poachers are attacking the rhino, they can track it using the GPS, and send anti-poaching patrols. "Currently a rhino is butchered every six hours in Africa, the issues are many, but there's far too much money at stake to beli...

A new treatment for melanoma shows extraordinary promise, according to a recent medical study. Latinos Health reports that a study conducted by Dr. Julian Kim, the Chief Medical Officer of the University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center (UHSCC) in Cleveland, Ohio, found that T-cells from patients with melanoma can be used against the disease by providing a protective immunity response for the body. The study was published in the July/August issue of the Journal of Immunotherapy. T-cells are a kind of white blood cell that have the ability to "scan" the intracellular composition of a cell, detecting and destroying those cells that have been infected. T-cells can be used against cancerous cells under certain conditions. In the study, Dr. Kim and his team of researchers took active t-cells ...

After watching some of the world's most advanced aircraft take to the Paris skies, two major aircraft manufacturers come out on top by making $100 billion in orders. The National reports that Airbus and Boeing's sales jumped sky-high (no pun intended) during the biennial Paris Air Show. From June 15th to the 21st, aircraft manufacturers from all over the world congregated in the City of Lights to show off their latest models but it was Airbus and Boeing that reaped the most attention, garnering $107 billion over the course of the week. The two companies earned almost as much from their participation in the Farnborough Air Show last year in England. In all, Airbus managed to beat Boeing in terms of sheer numbers. By the 21st, Airbus secured contracts for 421 airplanes worth $57 billion t...

"The debt is not payable. There is no other option. I would love to have an easier option. This is not politics, this is math." Puerto Rico's governor, Alejandro García Padilla, said this to the New York Times in a shocking interview just last week where he revealed that the U.S. territory is so far into debt, it may have to default. The island nation, which has a mere 3.6 million people living within its borders, is over $72 billion in debt at the moment, and it's reliance on municipal bonds (which typically fund public projects like road construction and maintenance) has caused government spending to skyrocket. The real problem is that Puerto Rico isn't bringing in enough revenue to pay back its creditors, who happen to be sitting right on Wall Street. According to a report from Busi...

Natural gas has long been considered a more environmentally friendly fossil fuel than oil, coal and gasoline. However, a new study shows there is enough natural gas leaking across the globe to completely negate its climate benefits. The report, commissioned by the Environmental Defense Fund and carried out by environmental consulting group ICF International, looked at the amount of natural gas leaking from production sites on federal and tribal land throughout the U.S. It also examined phenomena like venting and flaring, processes in which natural gas producers purposely let gas leak into the atmosphere. According to the UK Guardian, the EDF found that a stunning 65 billion cubic feet had leaked into the air throughout 2013 -- amounting to $360 million in lost gas. “That’s a big waste ...

Colloquially known as the "City of Love," Paris removed a contemporary landmark of sorts that attracted thousands of star-crossed (and other) lovers. The New York Times reports that on June 1st, city workers removed thousands of padlocks attached to the wire mesh panels on the side of the Pont des Arts bridge across the Seine River. For about five years, couples from around the world expressed their affection for each other by attaching a padlock to the side of the Pont des Arts (typically with the couple's initials etched onto it) and then throwing the key down to the river below. Paris's deputy mayor in charge of culture, Bruno Julliard (a Parisian name if there ever was one), insisted that the city will still remain "the capital of love, the capital of romance." Despite the affectiona...

A new law in Ontario now prohibits the sale of e-cigarettes to anyone under 19, thereby making e-cig sales just as restricted as regular cigarettes. Additionally, it is now illegal to smoke e-cigarettes in public places where smoking has been prohibited under Canadian federal law. The official legislation is called the Making Healthier Choices Act, and it addressed several health issues, including the concern that more teens have taken up smoking as e-cigarettes have become more accessible. In the U.S., e-cigs have become popular alternatives to smoking regular tobacco -- between 2008 and 2012, sales of e-cigarettes increase from 50,000 to 3.5 million. The trend hasn't caught on quite so quickly in Canada, but Canadian officials have been much quicker to address concerns over whether e-...