Woman Contracts Rare Bacterial Infection on 12-Hour Flight

 Posted on April 2, 2023  |  4 minutes  |  680 words  |  Trudie Dory

In a rare case, a woman contracted a potentially deadly bacterial infection while on a 12-hour flight from Japan to Germany, according to a new report. Called meningococcal disease, this bacterial infection is generally transmitted only through close contact, for example, by kissing or living in close quarters with someone who is sick, according to the World Health Organization. The new report is only the third case ever reported of this disease being transmitted on an airplane, said Yushi Hachisu, of the Chiba Prefectural Institute of Public Health in Chiba, Japan, who helped investigate the case. [Read More]

Zoo Elephants Die Very Young

 Posted on April 2, 2023  |  4 minutes  |  787 words  |  Patria Henriques

Elephants in European zoos live dramatically shorter lives than pachyderms in the wild, finds a new study. The research is based on health information for 4,500 Asian and African elephants living in some 270 European zoos between 1960 and 2005 and their counterparts living in the wild either in Kenya or as working animals in Myanmar. The wild creatures live decades longer, on average. The new information will shed light on a longstanding debate about the physical and mental well-being of zoo elephants. [Read More]

8 Influential Women Explorers

 Posted on April 1, 2023  |  7 minutes  |  1449 words  |  Arica Deslauriers

When we think of explorers, we tend to think of names like Christopher Columbus and James Cook — in other words, mostly of men. But many women have put their stamp on the exploration of the globe — and beyond. These fearless females have adventured and discovered the globe, and have inspired others to follow in their footsteps. Read on to find out more about the most influential female explorers of all time. [Read More]

Belly Up to the Bamboo Buffet: Pandas vs. Horses

 Posted on April 1, 2023  |  4 minutes  |  776 words  |  Fernande Dalal

This Behind the Scenes article was provided to Live Science in partnership with the National Science Foundation. 2014 is the year of Year of the Horse in China. But pandas, it turns out, aren't celebrating. Why not? Because livestock, particularly horses, have been identified as a significant threat to panda survival. The reason: Horses have been beating pandas to the bamboo buffet. Michigan State University (MSU) panda habitat experts revealed the oft-hidden, yet significant, conservation conflict between pandas and horses in a recent article in the Journal for Nature Conservation. [Read More]

Brrrr! Why It's So $#%*! Cold

 Posted on April 1, 2023  |  3 minutes  |  610 words  |  Arica Deslauriers

The "bomb cyclone," with its whipping winds and foot-plus snowdrifts, has passed, but even more teeth-chattering weather has blanketed the eastern U.S. in its wake. Temperatures of 20 to 30 degrees Fahrenheit (11 to 17 degrees Celsius) below normal are keeping people bundled up from the Midwest to the Northeast, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). With the blistering winds fueled by the storm, temperatures feel even colder still, with wind chills into the negative double-digits. [Read More]

Do Dogs Really Feel Guilt or Shame? (Op-Ed)

 Posted on April 1, 2023  |  4 minutes  |  768 words  |  Fernande Dalal

Marc Bekoff, emeritus professor at the University of Colorado, Boulder, is one of the world's pioneering cognitive ethologists, a Guggenheim Fellow, and co-founder with Jane Goodall of Ethologists for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Bekoff's latest book is Why Dogs Hump and Bees Get Depressed(opens in new tab) (New World Library, 2013). This Op-Ed is adapted from one that appeared in Bekoff's column Animal Emotions in Psychology Today. He contributed this article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. We've all seen the look on our dog's face that says, " [Read More]

Hoover Dam reservoir reaches record-low water levels

 Posted on April 1, 2023  |  2 minutes  |  393 words  |  Arica Deslauriers

Water levels in Lake Mead, the vital reservoir formed by the Hoover Dam, reached a new record low this week as the Western U.S. continues to suffer from a severe drought, according to news reports. On Wednesday (June 9), the reservoir's levels dropped to 1,071.56 feet (326 meters) above sea level — slightly lower than the previous record low of 1,074.6 feet (327 meters) set in 2016, according to Reuters. Overall, the reservoir has fallen 140 feet (43 m) in the past 21 years, Reuters reported. [Read More]

Iron Age arrow found on Norway mountain still has feather fletching on it

 Posted on April 1, 2023  |  3 minutes  |  593 words  |  Patria Henriques

A spectacularly preserved arrow from the Iron Age — complete with its iron arrowhead, sinew wrappings and aerodynamic feather fletching — is now in the hands of glacial archaeologists in Norway. It's rare for arrow fletching to preserve, as the delicate feathers that help guide the arrow in flight usually decay over time. The arrows of Ötzi the Iceman, who died about 5,300 years ago in what is now the Italian Alps, also have preserved fletching, although their condition isn't as good as that of this newly discovered 1,700-year-old arrow, the archaeologists said. [Read More]

Is There a Link Between Bacteria and Breast Cancer?

 Posted on April 1, 2023  |  4 minutes  |  792 words  |  Trudie Dory

There are bacteria living in women's breast tissue, and these microbes may affect women's health, a new study from Canada suggests. Researchers found that women with tumors in their breasts had a different mix of bacteria living in the tissue compared with woman who did not have tumors, according to the study. Although bacteria are much more abundant in other places in women's bodies — such as the mouth, gut and vagina — low numbers of bacteria are present in breast tissue as well, said Gregor Reid, a professor of microbiology and immunology at Western University in Ontario, Canada, and the senior author of the study. [Read More]

Israel's Oldest Glass Factory Discovered

 Posted on April 1, 2023  |  2 minutes  |  397 words  |  Patria Henriques

Archaeologists say they've have unearthed the oldest known glass factory in Israel, dating back to the fourth century A.D. The discovery of turquoise chunks of raw glass and collapsed, ash-covered kilns provide the first archaeological evidence of glass production in Israel during the Late Roman period. "We know from historical sources dating to the Roman period that the Valley of Akko was renowned for the excellent-quality sand located there, which was highly suitable for the manufacture of glass," [Read More]