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HOW DEADLY FUNGAL MENINGITIS SPREADS IN THE BRAIN, AND IT’S BRUTAL

29 APR 2022 Disease-causing pathogens are notoriously dangerous foes that have evolved many tricks to thwart the body’s immune system. Among the most terrifying are ones that can sneak into the nervous system, even infecting the brain. Now, a new study from researchers in the UK, Australia, and Singapore has …

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ON EARTH DAY, ACTIVISTS CALL FOR FASTER ACTION ON SHIPPING EMISSIONS

28 APR 2022  Activists in three West Coast cities took to the streets on Earth Day to ask shipping to accelerate its plans for climate action – not by pressuring ship owners, but by appealing to their customers.  Working on the understanding that shipping responds to shippers, climate activists from …

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SOUTH ASIAN SHIPBREAKING SOARS, BUT ACCIDENTS CONTINUE

27 APR 2022  Fatal accidents and injuries continue to characterize shipbreaking in South Asia, where 73 percent of all end-of-life ships were beached for dismantling in the first quarter of this year. The NGO Shipbreaking Platform reports that a total of 13 workers suffered accidents on South Asia’s shipbreaking beaches last …

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SURPRISING UPSIDE TO IMPOSTER SYNDROME, RESEARCH SHOWS

26 APR 2022 Many of us are familiar with imposter syndrome: feelings of doubt about our skills and intelligence, and a sense that we’re going to get exposed as frauds at any moment. It can be a debilitating mental condition, but new research has found a positive angle. It turns out …

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ARE WE FACING THE END OF A PANDEMIC-DRIVEN SHIPPING BOOM?

25 APR 2022  For the past two years, it has been a roller coaster ride in the ocean freight business. After the early-pandemic slowdown in 2020, demand soared in 2021, resulting in massive profits for ocean carriers. But we may be nearing the end of the late-pandemic boom. As consumers …

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REGULAR BLOOD DONATIONS HAVE A STRANGE HIDDEN BENEFIT WE NEVER KNEW ABOUT

24 APR 2022 It’s no exaggeration to say that donating blood can save lives. Now, researchers have found a curious benefit for the donor: regular trips to the blood bank appear to reduce the amount of certain ‘forever chemicals’ swimming around in the bloodstream. While scientists aren’t sure just how …

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THESE MICROBES BREATHE METHANE AND TURN IT INTO ELECTRICITY IN A WEIRD LIVING BATTERY

23 APR 2022 As far as greenhouse gases go, methane is the quiet villain that could stealthily drag us ever deeper into the climate crisis. In our atmosphere, it is at least 25 times more effective at trapping heat than carbon dioxide. It’s also not that efficient – through burning, less than half of …

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CROWLEY TAKES DELIVERY OF POWERFUL TIER IV HARBOR TUG ‘ATHENA’

22 APR 2022 U.S.-based shipping company Crowley has taken delivery of its fourth and most powerful Tier IV ship assist and harbor escort tug. The 77-foot Athen’s compact size provides agility without compromising power, with the most bollard pull of any tug under 80 feet in the market. The vessel …

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HOW WOULD THE RUSSIAN NAVY FIGHT IN A FULL-SCALE CONFLICT?

21 APR 2022  How might Russian maritime forces be brought to bear against the United States and its allies? This question is particularly critical as fears of inadvertent escalation in Ukraine increase. Understanding the answer requires a close reading of what Russian military theorists themselves write about warfare, matched with an examination …

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SHOULD WE BE WORRIED ABOUT XE, NEW COVID HYBRID?

20 APR 2022 A new hybrid COVID-19 variant dubbed XE has sparked fresh concerns recently. XE is a combination of the highly transmissible BA.1 and BA.2 Omicron variants and was first detected in the UK in mid-January. Its spike protein derives from BA.2, which is potentially good news for New Zealand since this is the dominant …

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