German Scientists Discover Antibiotic in Human Nose
This undated photo provided by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) shows plates of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) in CDC’s healthcare-associated infections laboratory. (AP)
TT
TT
German Scientists Discover Antibiotic in Human Nose
This undated photo provided by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) shows plates of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) in CDC’s healthcare-associated infections laboratory. (AP)
The Nature Microbiology journal reported that scientists at the German University of Tübingen have discovered a novel antibiotic substance from the human nose that can be used against pathogenic bacteria.
“Named epifadin, the molecule is produced from specific strains of the bacterial species Staphylococcus epidermidis, which occur on the mucous membrane of the inside wall of the nose,” the journal added.
Epifadin constitutes a new, previously unknown class of antimicrobial compounds that kills microorganisms and could be used as a lead structure for the development of novel antibiotics.
Epifadin not only works against the bacteria that are locally in competition with Staphylococcus epidermidis, it is also effective against bacteria from other habitats such as the intestine and certain fungi.
The researchers found that it is especially effective against the potential pathogens Staphylococcus aureus, a hospital-acquired infection which is particularly dangerous in antibiotic-resistant form (MRSA). But, more research is needed to discover whether epifadin or its derivates can be used for therapy.
King Charles Hands Military Title to Son William in Rare Joint Appearancehttps://english.aawsat.com/varieties/5015206-king-charles-hands-military-title-son-william-rare-joint-appearance
Britain's King Charles III officially hands over the role of Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Corps to Prince William, The Prince of Wales in front of an Apache helicopter at the Army Aviation Center in Middle Wallop, England, Monday, May 13, 2024. (AP)
TT
TT
King Charles Hands Military Title to Son William in Rare Joint Appearance
Britain's King Charles III officially hands over the role of Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Corps to Prince William, The Prince of Wales in front of an Apache helicopter at the Army Aviation Center in Middle Wallop, England, Monday, May 13, 2024. (AP)
Britain's King Charles handed over a senior military role to his son Prince William at a ceremony on Monday, marking a rare joint appearance for the pair as the king steps up his return to public duties after his cancer diagnosis.
Charles presented William with the title of Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Corps, a position the 75-year-old monarch held for 32 years, in front of an Apache helicopter, and watched by service personnel at the Army Flying Museum in southern England.
"He's a very good pilot indeed," Charles said of his son, a former helicopter search and rescue pilot for Britain's Royal Air Force.
The visit was Charles' latest engagement since he returned to work at the end of April, almost three months after Buckingham Palace announced he was being treated for an unspecified type of cancer.
William, 41, had also taken a break from official duties for several weeks in March and April this year, choosing to spend time with and care for his wife after she revealed she was undergoing preventative chemotherapy for cancer.
He said on Friday she was "doing well".
At the handover ceremony, Charles said he was saying goodbye with "sadness", but the Army Air Corps would go from "strength to strength" under his son.
"Look after yourselves and I can't tell you how proud it has made me to have been involved with you all this time," Charles said.
The title transfer was announced last August after Charles' accession to the throne. William spent time with the Corps, viewing training, equipment and hearing from soldiers later on Monday.
Yellow Diamond Brooch Resembling Queen Elizabeth’s up for Auctionhttps://english.aawsat.com/varieties/5015201-yellow-diamond-brooch-resembling-queen-elizabeth%E2%80%99s-auction
The Allnatt, a 101.29-carat yellow diamond, mounted as a brooch by Cartier, is displayed ahead of auction, during a Sotheby's media preview in Geneva, Switzerland, May 13, 2024. (Reuters)
TT
TT
Yellow Diamond Brooch Resembling Queen Elizabeth’s up for Auction
The Allnatt, a 101.29-carat yellow diamond, mounted as a brooch by Cartier, is displayed ahead of auction, during a Sotheby's media preview in Geneva, Switzerland, May 13, 2024. (Reuters)
A golden-hued diamond brooch, similar to one worn by the late Queen Elizabeth, is expected to be sold for around $6 million at a Sotheby's auction in Geneva this week.
The "Allnatt" diamond, bearing the name of its first owner, a British sportsman, is a rare stone, fancy vivid yellow in color and weighing 101.29 carats.
It was mounted by Cartier into a floral design strongly resembling Queen Elizabeth's Williamson Pink diamond, given to her as a wedding gift in 1947.
An unmounted, internally flawless diamond weighing over 37 carats will also come up for sale at the same auction on Tuesday, Sotheby's said.
Indonesia’s Mount Ibu Erupts, Spewing Thick Ash and Dark Clouds Into the Sky https://english.aawsat.com/varieties/5014536-indonesia%E2%80%99s-mount-ibu-erupts-spewing-thick-ash-and-dark-clouds-sky%C2%A0
Mount Ibu spews thick smoke in Gam Ici, North Maluku, on May 13, 2024. (AFP)
TT
TT
Indonesia’s Mount Ibu Erupts, Spewing Thick Ash and Dark Clouds Into the Sky
Mount Ibu spews thick smoke in Gam Ici, North Maluku, on May 13, 2024. (AFP)
Mount Ibu, a volcano in Indonesia's North Maluku province, erupted on Monday, spewing thick grey ash and dark clouds 5,000 meters (16,400 feet) into the sky for five minutes, officials said.
“The volcanic earthquakes are still intense so there is a potential for a future eruption,” Hendra Gunawan, chief of the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation said.
After an eruption on Friday, the center raised the alert level for the volcano from 2 to 3, the second-highest level, which widens the radius of the area which should be vacated. Local authorities have prepared evacuation tents, but no evacuation order has been reported yet.
Officials advised residents and tourists not to conduct any activities within 5 kilometers (3 miles) of Mount Ibu's crater. More than 13,000 people live within a 5-kilometer (3-mile) radius of the northern side of the crater, Gunawan said.
The 1,325-meter (4,347-foot) volcano is on the northwest coast of the remote island of Halmahera.
Indonesia, an archipelago of 270 million people, has 120 active volcanoes. It is prone to volcanic activity because it sits along the “Ring of Fire,” a horseshoe-shaped series of seismic fault lines around the Pacific Ocean.
Cambodia's Famed Kampot Pepper Withers in Scorching Heatwavehttps://english.aawsat.com/varieties/5014511-cambodias-famed-kampot-pepper-withers-scorching-heatwave
Cambodia's Famed Kampot Pepper Withers in Scorching Heatwave
"It is so hot this year, no rains, and we have no water to water the pepper plants," says farmer Chhim Laem. TANG CHHIN Sothy / AFP
Farmer Chhim Laem shakes his head as he walks between long rows of dead bushes, their brown leaves scorched by heat and drought that have devastated Cambodia's famed Kampot pepper crop.
Known for its intense floral flavor, Kampot pepper is prized by top chefs around the world and sells for up to $200 per kilo.
Nurtured for generations in two provinces in southwest Cambodia, the pepper industry survived the genocidal Khmer Rouge and decades of instability, but now faces the threat of extreme weather driven by climate change.
"It is so hot this year, no rains, and we have no water to water the pepper plants," Laem told AFP. "So they all died."
South and Southeast Asia have sweltered in recent weeks under record temperatures, with governments closing schools, people dying of heatstroke and farmers praying for rain.
Scientists warn that human-induced climate change will produce more frequent, longer and more intense heatwaves.
In parts of Cambodia, the mercury nearly hit 43 degrees Celsius (109 Fahrenheit) in late April -- after a six-month drought that pushed farmers to a breaking point.
All 264 of Laem's pepper bushes perished, the 55-year-old explained, thanks to water shortages and hot weather.
Production has grown in recent years, boosted by the European Union granting the spice a "protected geographical indication" in 2016 -- meaning that only pepper grown in a designated area can be called Kampot.
The Kampot region produced about 120 tonnes of peppercorns last year, but farmers say that excessive heat and rain have made 2024 the worst on record.
Laem earned about $1,000 from his farm last year, but said he expects a fraction of that now.
"I am so sad, but I don't know what to do," he said.
'The worst year'
Nguon Lay is a fourth-generation pepper farmer, harvesting nine tonnes from his nearby five-hectare farm last year.
But the 71-year-old farmer expected to harvest nothing this year.
"This year we meet the biggest obstacle," he said, while examining a dying pepper bush.
Torrential rain destroyed the plants' flowers earlier in the season, with more dying in the prolonged drought that followed.
"So it is the worst year. We don't know what to do. We see problems, but we can't resolve them," Lay said.
Like other farmers, Lay said he knew the problems came from the weather and the environment.
Several ponds used to water his plants have dried up, and his workers only water the crop once every five days.
"We have been prepared. We know about climate change, we have stored water, we built roofs to protect our peppers from the hot weather, but it was not enough."
"So many pepper plants are dying," he said, adding that he no longer goes to his farms because it is too painful.
"This year we think we will get nothing," he said, adding that what little can be harvested is of lower quality because of the weather.
'Fight against nature'
Kampot pepper gained global acclaim during the French colonial occupation of Cambodia when it was exported widely, but the industry was nearly wiped out during the Khmer Rouge era.
In more recent years it has bounced back, gracing hip restaurant menus across the globe.
The pepper comes in green, black, red and white varieties -- the color changes as the corn ripens, with green the youngest and white the most mature.
Lay said consumers had no idea of the difficulties facing Kampot farmers, but they will soon see the effects.
"For 2024 and 2025, we won't have abundant pepper for them to eat," he said.
"It is zero!"
Kann Sinouch, president of the Kampot Pepper Promotion Association, said he expects this year's pepper yield to be halved -- and warned of an export shortage in 2025.
He told AFP the changing weather meant farmers were unable to expand their farms, and instead were stuck struggling to keep their existing plants alive.
But Chan Deng, who has been growing pepper since the 1960s, said he would not surrender to the unpredictable weather.
"This year, it is strangely hot," Deng, 67, said.
His pepper yield plummeted from 300 kilos last year to around 10 kilos in 2024, with 20 percent of his plants dying due to the hot weather.
But Deng said he will dig more ponds to store water, hoping that in three years a good yield will return.
In the meantime, he said, "we will fight against nature".
Saudi Science and Engineering Team Gears up for Regeneron ISEF 2024 in Los Angeleshttps://english.aawsat.com/varieties/5014426-saudi-science-and-engineering-team-gears-regeneron-isef-2024-los-angeles
The Saudi Science and Engineering Team is undergoing an intensive four-day training program in preparation for the upcoming Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF 2024) competition. (SPA)
Saudi Science and Engineering Team Gears up for Regeneron ISEF 2024 in Los Angeles
The Saudi Science and Engineering Team is undergoing an intensive four-day training program in preparation for the upcoming Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF 2024) competition. (SPA)
The Saudi Science and Engineering Team is undergoing an intensive four-day training program in preparation for the upcoming Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF 2024) competition, the Saudi Press Agency said.
During the program, team members will acquire skills related to showcasing and refining their scientific background. They will also participate in training sessions with experienced former judges familiar with the fair.
Additionally, the team will engage in various training sessions to address questions related to their projects.
A total of 35 male and female students will represent the Kingdom at ISEF 2024, the world's largest pre-college STEM competition, competing against 1,700 students from 70 countries worldwide.
The Kingdom's participation is facilitated by the King Abdulaziz and his Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity "Mawhiba" and the Ministry of Education.
This year marks the 18th consecutive participation of the Kingdom in the fair since 2007, as part of an annual program organized by Mawhiba in collaboration with the Ministry of Education.
Second Night of Auroras Seen ‘Extreme’ Solar Stormhttps://english.aawsat.com/varieties/5013006-second-night-auroras-seen-%E2%80%98extreme%E2%80%99-solar-storm
The Aurora Australis, also known as the Southern Lights, glow on the horizon over Punta Arenas, Chile, on May 10, 2024. (AFP)
TT
TT
Second Night of Auroras Seen ‘Extreme’ Solar Storm
The Aurora Australis, also known as the Southern Lights, glow on the horizon over Punta Arenas, Chile, on May 10, 2024. (AFP)
Auroras lit up skies across swaths of the planet for the second night in a row on Saturday, after already dazzling Earthlings from the United States to Tasmania to the Bahamas the day before.
A powerful solar storm -- which could continue into Sunday -- has triggered spectacular celestial shows usually confined to the far northern reaches of the planet, hence their nickname of the "northern lights."
"I have the sensation of living through a historic night in France... It was really charged, with solar particles and emotions," Eric Lagadec, an astrophysicist at the Observatoire de Cote d'Azur, wrote on social media after the first night.
"Find good spots, away from the lights, with a clear view to the north!"
Late Saturday evening, pictures again started trickling onto social media as people in the United States reported sightings, though not as strong as Friday night's.
The first of several coronal mass ejections (CMEs) -- expulsions of plasma and magnetic fields from the Sun -- came just after 1600 GMT Friday, according to the US-based National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)'s Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC).
It was later upgraded to an "extreme" geomagnetic storm -- the first since the "Halloween Storms" of October 2003 that caused blackouts in Sweden and damaged power infrastructure in South Africa.
Aurora Borealis or the Northern Lights are seen in Vancouver, B.C., Saturday, May. 11, 2024. (The Canadian Press via AP)
Friday's storm was listed as hitting level five geomagnetic conditions -- the highest on the scale. Saturday saw G3 to G5 conditions, with G4 or higher conditions predicted Sunday and G3 conditions possible into Monday.
But no major disruptions to power or communications networks appear to have been reported this time around, despite initial worries from authorities.
There have only been "preliminary reports of power grid irregularities, degradation to high-frequency communications, GPS and possibly satellite navigation," the SWPC said.
Elon Musk, whose Starlink satellite internet operator has some 5,000 satellites in low Earth orbit, said his satellites were "under a lot of pressure, but holding up so far."
However, China's National Center for Space Weather issued a "red alert" Saturday morning, warning the storm will impact communications and navigation in most areas of the country, state news agency Xinhua reported.
Auroras were visible in the northern half of the country, according to media reports.
Worldwide excitement
Excitement over the phenomenon -- and otherworldly photos pink, green and purple night skies -- popped up across the world, from Mont Saint-Michel on the French coast to Payette, Idaho -- in the western United States -- to Australia's island state of Tasmania.
Aurora Australis lights in Oatlands, Tasmania, Australia, 11 May 2024 (issued 12 May 2024). (EPA)
Unlike solar flares, which travel at the speed of light and reach Earth in around eight minutes, CMEs travel at a more sedate pace, with officials putting the current average at 800 kilometers (500 miles) per second.
The CMEs emanated from a massive sunspot cluster that is 17 times wider than our planet.
People with eclipse glasses can also look for the sunspot cluster during the day.
The Sun is approaching the peak of an 11-year cycle that brings heightened activity.
NOAA's Brent Gordon encouraged the public to try to capture the night sky with phone cameras even if they couldn't see auroras with their naked eyes.
"You'd be amazed at what you see in that picture versus what you see with your eyes."
Spacecraft and pigeons
Fluctuating magnetic fields associated with geomagnetic storms induce currents in long wires, including power lines, which can potentially lead to blackouts. Long pipelines can also become electrified, leading to engineering problems.
Spacecraft are also at risk from high doses of radiation, although the atmosphere prevents this from reaching Earth.
NASA has a dedicated team looking into astronaut safety and can ask astronauts on the International Space Station to move to places within the outpost that are better shielded.
Even pigeons and other species that have internal biological compasses could be affected. Pigeon handlers have noted a reduction in birds coming home during geomagnetic storms, according to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
The most powerful geomagnetic storm in recorded history, known as the Carrington Event after British astronomer Richard Carrington, occurred in September 1859.
A Fire Burns Down almost an Entire Shopping Center Housing 1,400 outlets in Warsawhttps://english.aawsat.com/varieties/5012926-fire-burns-down-almost-entire-shopping-center-housing-1400-outlets-warsaw
A Fire Burns Down almost an Entire Shopping Center Housing 1,400 outlets in Warsaw
Representation photo: Fire at a factory on the outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh, July 9, 2021. (Reuters)
A fire broke out on Sunday morning in a vast shopping center housing 1,400 shops and service outlets in the Bialoleka district in Poland's capital.
The fire brigade said more than 80% of the center was on fire, and rescue operations were being carried out by 50 teams, including chemical and environmental rescue specialists, The Associated Press said.
Footage aired by private broadcaster TVN24 showed thick black smoke rising over the area.
Authorities sent a text message warning Warsaw residents about the fire and to stay home with the windows closed.
A police spokesperson told the news agency PAP there were no injuries reported.
Shopping centers and large shops are usually closed on Sunday due to a ban on trade installed by the previous government which had close ties to the Catholic church, viewing it as a day of worship. Such outlets are exempt from the ban only about half a dozen Sundays a year, giving people the chance to shop ahead of Christmas and Easter and other events.
UK Mountaineer Logs Most Everest Climbs by a Foreigner, Nepali Makes 29th Ascenthttps://english.aawsat.com/varieties/5012886-uk-mountaineer-logs-most-everest-climbs-foreigner-nepali-makes-29th-ascent
A handout photo made available by Seven Summit Trek shows tents set up on a glacier at a base camp, 5,364 m (17,598 ft) above sea level, of Mt. Everest in Nepal, 30 April 2024 (issued 12 May 2024). (EPA/Seven Summit Trek / Handout)
TT
TT
UK Mountaineer Logs Most Everest Climbs by a Foreigner, Nepali Makes 29th Ascent
A handout photo made available by Seven Summit Trek shows tents set up on a glacier at a base camp, 5,364 m (17,598 ft) above sea level, of Mt. Everest in Nepal, 30 April 2024 (issued 12 May 2024). (EPA/Seven Summit Trek / Handout)
A British climber and a Nepali guide have broken their own records for most climbs of Mount Everest, the world's highest mountain, hiking officials said on Sunday.
Rakesh Gurung, director of Nepal's Department of Tourism, said Britain's Kenton Cool, 50, and Nepali guide Kami Rita Sherpa, 54, climbed the 8,849-metre (29,032 foot) peak for the 18th and 29th time, respectively.
They were on separate expeditions guiding their clients.
"He just keeps going and going... amazing guy!" Garrett Madison of the US-based expedition organizing company Madison Mountaineering said of the Nepali climber. Madison had teamed up with Kami Rita to climb the summits of Everest, Lhotse, and K2 in 2014.
K2, located in Pakistan, is the world's second-highest mountain and Lhotse in Nepal is the fourth-tallest.
Lukas Furtenbach of the Austrian expedition operator Furtenbach Adventures called Cool's feat remarkable.
"He is a fundamental part of the Everest guiding industry. Kenton Cool is an institution," Furtenbach, who is leading an expedition from the Chinese side of Everest, told Reuters.
Both climbers used the Southeast Ridge route to the summit.
Pioneered by the first summiteers, New Zealander Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay in 1953, the route remains the most popular path to the Everest summit.
Kami Rita first climbed Everest in 1994 and has done so almost every year since, except for three years when authorities closed the mountain for various reasons.
He climbed the mountain twice last year.
Mountain climbing is a major tourism activity and a source of income as well as employment for Nepal, home to eight of the world's 14 tallest peaks, including Everest.
Nepal has issued 414 permits, each costing $11,000 to climbers for the climbing season that ends this month.
Mystery of Where Mona Lisa was Painted Has Been Solvedhttps://english.aawsat.com/varieties/5012676-mystery-where-mona-lisa-was-painted-has-been-solved
Mystery of Where Mona Lisa was Painted Has Been Solved
The painting’s bridge, lake and rocks might have finally identified the landscape. Photograph: IanDagnall Computing/Alamy
A geologist and Renaissance art historian is claiming to have solved the centuries-old debate on the location of the Italian landscape behind Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa.
Ann Pizzorusso, the author of the 2014 book “Tweeting Da Vinci,” is claiming she cracked the case, The Guardian reported.
In her expert opinion, Leonardo portrayed parts of the city of Lecco, on the shore of Lake Como in the Lombardy region of northern Italy, in his 16th-century masterpiece.
Pizzorusso claims she pinpointed the bridge, mountain range and lake featured in the painting’s background as Lecco’s Azzone Visconti bridge, built in the 14th century, the Alps which overlook the area and Lake Garlate, located south of the city.
Leonardo is known to have visited the area about 250 miles north of his home region of Florence about 500 years ago.
“I’m so excited about this. I really feel it’s a home run,” Pizzorusso told The Guardian.
She credited her knowledge of both geology and art for the findings, saying, “Geologists don’t look at paintings and art historians don’t look at geology.”
Using her knowledge of rocks, she also identified the greyish-white ones in the artwork, which was painted between 1503 and 1519 and now hangs in the Louvre Museum in Paris, as limestone, which is prevalent in Lecco.
Tabuk Toyota Rally Ignites Passion for Motorsports in Young Peoplehttps://english.aawsat.com/varieties/5011961-tabuk-toyota-rally-ignites-passion-motorsports-young-people
Tabuk Toyota Rally Ignites Passion for Motorsports in Young People
The Tabuk Toyota Rally Championship is currently held at King Khalid Sports City - SPA
The Tabuk Toyota Rally Championship, currently held at King Khalid Sports City, has transformed a dedicated space into a "motorsport discovery zone" brimming with activities, igniting passion for motorsports in youngsters through interactive exhibits.
The zone catered specifically to young attendees, offering a variety of experiences to fuel their curiosity.
Children also have the chance to take the wheel of miniaturized rally vehicles at the Little Commander's Corner, feeling the thrill of being in control.
A virtual reality (VR) area is available to transport them to the heart of the race, providing an immersive electronic racing experience, while cinematic displays showcased the raw energy and drama of real-world rally racing, bringing the sport to life, SPA reported.
Youngsters had the opportunity to learn about the intricate components that make up high-performance rally vehicles, gaining a deeper understanding of the vehicles that tackle these demanding courses.
لم تشترك بعد
انشئ حساباً خاصاً بك لتحصل على أخبار مخصصة لك ولتتمتع بخاصية حفظ المقالات وتتلقى نشراتنا البريدية المتنوعة
