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Secretive game developer codes hit 'Balatro' in Canadian prairie province

There are no photos or videos of LocalThunk, an anonymous computer programmer who lives in the vast and desolate prairies of Canada's Saskatchewan province, far from Silicon Valley.

Scientists observe 'negative time' in quantum experiments

Scientists have long known that light can sometimes appear to exit a material before entering it -- an effect dismissed as an illusion caused by how waves are distorted by matter.

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One million children lose mother to cancer a year: research

Around one million children worldwide lose their mother to cancer every year, often leaving orphans caught up in a "vicious cycle of disadvantage", researchers said Wednesday.

Record measurement of universe suggests 'something is fishy'

The most precise measurements ever made of the universe's composition and how fast it is expanding suggest "something is fishy" in our understanding of the cosmos, the astrophysicist who led the research said Wednesday.

US to offer leases for Pacific offshore wind energy platforms

The US Interior Department announced plans on Tuesday to offer leases for the first offshore wind energy platforms in the Pacific Ocean.

Life expectancies diverged in pandemic's second year: study

There was a dramatic divergence in the average life expectancy of people in different global regions during the second year of the pandemic, a study found Monday, as higher vaccination rates helped some nations recover far more quickly than others.

Russia's use of Iranian drones shows up domestic weakness

The use by Russia of Iranian drones in its war against Ukraine makes clear the weaknesses of its domestic industry and Tehran's growing claim on the market for unmanned aircraft, experts say.

Climate protesters scale major UK bridge

Two UK climate protesters scaled a major road bridge over the River Thames on Monday causing huge traffic delays, days after activists threw tomato soup over Vincent van Gogh's "Sunflowers" masterpiece.

Nigeria floods toll has passed 600: government

More than 600 people are now known to have perished in the worst floods in a decade in Nigeria, according to a new toll released Sunday.

Changing climate claims railways, houses and beaches in California

Steve Lang can see catastrophic erosion worsened by climate change happening in real time along one of the world's most scenic railroad lines, where the sea is swallowing homes, tracks and California's beautiful beaches.

Astronomers are captivated by brightest flash ever seen

Astronomers have observed the brightest flash of light ever seen, from an event that occurred 2.4 billion light years from Earth and was likely triggered by the formation of a black hole.

Court challenge in Kenya over GM crops

A Kenyan lawyer said Friday he has filed a court challenge to a decision by the new government to lift a decade-old ban on genetically modified crops.

Neanderthals, humans co-existed in Europe for over 2,000 years: study

Neanderthals and humans lived alongside each other in France and northern Spain for up to 2,900 years, modelling research suggested Thursday, giving them plenty of time to potentially learn from or even breed with each other.

5.3 billion cell phones to become waste in 2022: report

More than five billion of the estimated 16 billion mobile phones possessed worldwide will likely be discarded or stashed away in 2022, experts said Thursday, calling for more recycling of the often hazardous materials they contain.

World's first space tourist plans new flight to Moon with SpaceX

Dennis Tito, an American entrepreneur who in 2001 became the first person to pay for their own space voyage, said Wednesday he plans to fly with his wife Akiko on a future SpaceX mission around the Moon.

Brain cells in dish learn to play video game

Neuroscientists have shown that lab-grown brain cells can learn to play the classic video game Pong, and could be capable of "intelligent and sentient behavior."

Nigeria floods kill 500, displace 1.4 million people

About 500 people have died in Nigeria's worst floods in a decade and 1.4 million others been displaced from their homes since the start of the rainy season, the government said.

Human brain cells implanted in rats offer research gold mine

Scientists have successfully implanted and integrated human brain cells into newborn rats, creating a new way to study complex psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and autism, and perhaps eventually test treatments.

'Sentient' brain cells in dish learn to play video game: study

Brain cells living in a dish can learn to play the classic video game Pong, thus demonstrating "intelligent and sentient behavior," Australian neuroscientists argue in a new paper.

Japan space rocket ordered to self-destruct after failed launch

Japan's space agency said it sent a self-destruct order to its Epsilon rocket after a failed launch on Wednesday because of a problem that meant the craft could not safely fly.

NASA kicked asteroid off course in test to save Earth

NASA on Tuesday celebrated exceeding expectations during a mission to deflect a distant asteroid, in a sci-fi like test of humanity's ability to stop an incoming cosmic object from devastating life on Earth.

NASA spaceship deflected asteroid in test to save Earth

NASA on Tuesday said it had succeeded in deflecting an asteroid in a historic test of humanity's ability to stop an incoming cosmic object from devastating life on Earth.

British Museum hails Rosetta Stone's role in cracking hieroglyphs

The Rosetta Stone stars in a new exhibition opening Thursday at the British Museum marking one of the most significant dates in Egyptology -- 200 years after a French scholar finally cracked its code and deciphered hieroglyphs.

Iraq drought displaces 1,200 families in parched south

Some 1,200 Iraqi families have been forced out of southern marshes and farmlands over the past six months, a local official told AFP, as drought ravages swathes of the country.

Climate refugees flee as Bangladesh villages washed away

For generations Paban Baroi's family guarded a temple to Shiva, the Hindu god of destruction, until Bangladesh's mighty Padma river wreaked havoc of its own, wiping out the shrine, their home, and 200 other houses in their village.

Heat-resilient Red Sea reefs offer last stand for corals

Beneath the waters off Egypt's Red Sea coast a kaleidoscopic ecosystem teems with life that could become the world's "last coral refuge" as global heating eradicates reefs elsewhere, researchers say.

At the gateway to the Arctic, a world in turmoil

Sled dog breeder David Daley lives at the gateway to the Canadian Arctic, occupying a front-row seat to the march of global warming, and he senses calamity ahead.

To save California coasts, scientists turn to the humble oyster

There are no pearls growing on the oyster reefs in San Diego Bay, but scientists hope they will yield an even more valuable treasure: protection against coastal erosion wrought by rising sea levels.

Along US Gulf Coast, huge gas plants jostle for space

As war rages in Ukraine, and Europe thirsts for fuel, the liquified natural gas (LNG) industry along the US Gulf Coast is preparing to expand -- a distressing development to some nearby neighbors.

Ireland petrol station blast kills 10

Ten people including a schoolgirl were killed in an explosion at a petrol station in Ireland's northwest, police said on Saturday suggesting a "tragic accident" may have been to blame.

Scientists reach tallest tree ever found in Amazon

After three years of planning, five expeditions and a two-week trek through dense jungle, scientists have reached the tallest tree ever found in the Amazon rainforest, a towering specimen the size of a 25-storey building.

Deal reached for civil aviation to try for net-zero emissions by 2050

UN aviation agency members reached an agreement Friday to try to achieve by 2050 net-zero carbon emissions in air travel -- often criticized for its outsized role in climate change.

Egypt replants mangrove 'treasure' to fight climate change impacts

On Egypt's Red Sea coast, fish swim among thousands of newly planted mangroves, part of a programme to boost biodiversity, protect coastlines and fight climate change and its impacts.

US flies Russian cosmonaut to ISS as Ukraine conflict rages

A SpaceX capsule carrying a Russian crew member docked Thursday with the International Space Station on a NASA mission that carries significant symbolism amid the war in Ukraine.

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