Science

Far beneath the lush landscape of southern China, a sprawling subterranean laboratory aims to be the world's first to crack a deep scientific enigma.

China has emerged as a science powerhouse in recent years, with the country's Communist leadership ploughing billions of dollars into advanced research to contend with the United States and other rivals.

Mosquito-borne illnesses are a growing concern in Northeastern states, with health officials monitoring cases and advising residents to avoid outdoor activities near standing water and other environments prone to mosquito spread.

Of particular concern is eastern equine encephalitis, a rare disease that can lead to serious and fatal illness, caused by mosquitoes carrying the virus.

The robot artist Ai-Da, a humanoid powered by artificial intelligence, will be the first of its kind to have a painting sold at a major auction house, organisers said Wednesday.

The work, due to go under the hammer at Sotheby's in London next month, is described as a "haunting" portrait of the English mathematician Alan Turing, considered one of the fathers of modern computing.

Viewed from above, Canada's newest Marine Protected Area (MPA) is deceptively simple: stretches of blue Pacific Ocean waters and a few patches of green forest.

But beneath the surface of the area known as the Great Bear Sea, off Vancouver Island, lies an area so rich in biodiversity it has been dubbed the "Galapagos of the North." It may also serve as a model for how to protect marine life elsewhere.

Some approaches to tackling global warming can have unintended knock-on consequences for nature and the protection of biodiversity, say scientists urging a more coordinated effort on these challenges.

"Sometimes by trying to find a solution to a problem, we risk creating damage elsewhere," Anne Larigauderie at the Intergovernmental Scientific and Political Platform on Biodiversity (IPBES), an expert independent body, told AFP.

More than half of the world's electricity will be generated by low-emission sources before 2030 but the deployment of clean energy is "far from uniform" across the globe, the International Energy Agency said Wednesday.

Demand for oil, gas and coal is still projected to peak by the end of the decade, possibly creating a surplus of fossil fuels, the IEA said in its annual World Energy Outlook.

Billions of years of evolution have made modern cells incredibly complex. Inside cells are small compartments called organelles that perform specific functions essential for the cell’s survival and operation. For instance, the nucleus stores genetic material, and mitochondria produce energy.

Another essential part of a cell is the membrane that encloses it. Proteins embedded on the surface of the membrane control the movement of substances in and out of the cell. This sophisticated membrane structure allowed for the complexity of life as we know it. But how did the earliest, simplest cells hold it all together before elaborate membrane structures evolved?

Only 37 percent of Europe’s surface waters are in good condition, warns the European Environment Agency. Climate change, habitat degradation, freshwater overuse and pollution are key threats. "Our waters face unprecedented challenges," said EEA Executive Director Leena Yla-Mononen, highlighting risks to Europe's water security.

Pollution, habitat degradation, climate change and over-use of freshwater resources are putting a strain on Europe, with only a third of its surface water in good health, the European Environment Agency warned on Tuesday.

A lone catamaran named "Silky" patrols waters around the remote island of Malpelo, a refuge that is protected yet full of peril for endangered marine species in the Colombian Pacific.

Its crew of environmentalists is the terror of boats illegally fishing for sharks inside the reserve some 500 kilometers (310 miles) off mainland Colombia -- one of the richest countries in terms of marine fauna.

Clinging to a fluffy toy twice her size, orphaned koala joey Ajooni made a snuffling noise as she drank milk from a tiny syringe.

Weighing about the same as a mango, she was found by the side of a Sydney road where her mother was hit by a car and died.

A section of Hong Kong's oldest zoo closed on Monday after eight monkeys, including three from a critically endangered species, were found dead, a government statement said.

Zoo officials were investigating what caused the deaths of the monkeys, which included a De Brazza's Monkey, one Common Squirrel Monkey, three Cotton-top Tamarins and three White-faced Sakis, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) said in a statement.

SpaceX on Sunday successfully flew the first-stage booster of its Starship megarocket back to the launch pad after a test flight, a technical tour de force that furthers the company's quest for rapid reusability.

The "super heavy booster" had blasted off attached to the uncrewed Starship rocket minutes earlier, then made a picture-perfect controlled return to the same pad in Texas, where a pair of huge mechanical "chopsticks" reached out from the launch tower to bring the slowly descending booster to a halt, according to a livestream from Elon Musk's SpaceX company.

Is there anywhere else in our solar system that could support life? An imposing NASA probe is due to lift off on Monday on a five-and-a-half-year journey to Europa, one of Jupiter's many moons, to take the first detailed step toward finding out.

The Europa Clipper mission will allow the US space agency to uncover new details about the moon, which scientists believe could hold an ocean of liquid water beneath its icy surface.