Science & Tech

PAHO: H5N1 Spreads Widely in Animals Across the Americas, but Human Cases Remain Rare

PAHO reports H5N1 entrenched in birds and mammals across the Americas, yet only 75 human cases. Experts warn infections in workers may go unseen.

#h5n1, #avianinfluenza, #publichealth, #dairy, #surveillance

FTC Deal Forces Express Scripts to Delink Fees From Drug List Prices in Insulin Pricing Crackdown

A 10-year FTC consent order targets Express Scripts’ insulin rebates, requires net-price cost sharing and bans spread pricing in a new plan option.

#insulin, #drugprices, #pbm, #ftc, #expressscripts

Reanalysis of Landmark LIGO Signal Suggests Black Hole–Neutron Star Crash Had an Oval Orbit

A new study finds GW200105 kept a surprisingly eccentric orbit before merging, pointing to formation in dense clusters or triple-star systems.

#gravitationalwaves, #ligo, #blackholes, #neutronstars, #astrophysics

War Around Strait of Hormuz Forces Halt to Meta’s 2Africa Internet Cable Extension

Alcatel Submarine Networks cites safety risks and declares force majeure, pausing work on Meta-backed 2Africa “Pearls” as Gulf conflict threatens data routes.

#subseacables, #internetinfrastructure, #straitofhormuz, #meta, #iran

Google Closes $32 Billion Wiz Deal, Making Cloud Security a Centerpiece of Its AI Push

Alphabet’s Google finalizes its $32B cash purchase of Wiz, betting on multi-cloud security to boost Google Cloud and deepen its AI strategy.

#google, #cybersecurity, #cloud, #mna, #ai

India’s ‘Sovereign AI’ Goes Global as Sarvam Releases Open-Weight Models

State-backed startup Sarvam AI unveils Indus chatbot and releases 30B and 105B models under an open license, testing India’s “sovereign AI” push.

#india, #artificialintelligence, #opensource, #sarvamai, #sovereignty

Finerenone Cuts Proteinuria in Type 1 Diabetes Kidney Disease Trial, but Long-Term Benefit Unproven

A phase 3 trial found finerenone lowered urine protein in adults with type 1 diabetes and CKD—raising hopes, but leaving outcome questions.

#diabetes, #kidneydisease, #clinicaltrials, #finerenone, #nephrology

A ‘Hostless’ Gamma-Ray Burst Traced to a Tiny Galaxy in Tidal Debris, Shedding Light on Gold’s Origins

Astronomers used Chandra and Hubble to trace a 2023 short gamma-ray burst to a faint mini-galaxy in a tidal tail, reshaping ideas on hostless blasts and gold.

#astronomy, #gammarayburst, #neutronstars, #hubble, #chandra

TELUS Digital probes suspected cloud data theft as ShinyHunters claims massive trove

TELUS Digital says it is investigating unauthorized access after ShinyHunters claimed a near‑petabyte cloud theft tied to earlier supply‑chain breaches.

#cybersecurity, #databreach, #telus, #cloudsecurity, #privacy

Oracle says AI customers are footing the bill as it posts fastest growth in a decade

Oracle’s Q3 results and a $90B 2027 target highlight a new AI cloud model: customers prepay or bring GPUs, easing Oracle’s cash burden.

#oracle, #ai, #cloud, #datacenters, #earnings

Meningitis cluster linked to University of Kent prompts mass antibiotics drive as two die

Thirteen invasive meningococcal cases linked to Canterbury spark a major UKHSA response, campus antibiotics clinics and fresh scrutiny of student vaccine gaps.

#meningitis, #university, #ukhsa, #vaccines, #canterbury

Climate change is measurably slowing Earth’s rotation, researchers find

A new geophysics study links ice melt and sea-level rise to a tiny but measurable lengthening of Earth’s day—at a pace unmatched in 3.6 million years.

#climatechange, #earthrotation, #icemelt, #sealevel, #timekeeping

Net Zero Is Not the Finish Line: Studies Say Carbon Removal Must Continue for Centuries

New IIASA-led research finds that even meeting Paris targets and net zero by 2050 won’t stop sea-level rise and permafrost thaw without centuries of net-negative CO₂.

#climatechange, #netzero, #carbonremoval, #sealevel, #permafrost

Marine heatwaves spread across key oceans, from the Mediterranean to the Southern Ocean

A new Copernicus bulletin shows sustained marine heatwaves intensifying in the Mediterranean, Pacific and Southern Ocean, raising ecological and economic risks.

#climatechange, #oceanwarming, #marineheatwave, #mediterranean, #copernicus

King Penguins Are Laying Eggs Earlier—and Raising More Chicks, Study Finds

A 24-year study on a remote French sub-Antarctic island finds king penguins now breed nearly three weeks earlier, boosting chick survival.

#climatechange, #penguins, #antarctic, #wildlife, #oceans