‘California is meant to burn’: Experts teach landowners art of prescribed burns

By Nathan Frandino GEORGETOWN, California (Reuters) – The prescribed burn begins on a California hill with a drip torch to light brush, needles and fallen branches, the flames spreading out on the forest floor far below the tree canopy. Students on this Saturday class learn how to keep the burn under control, while others stand…

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FDA warns about safety risks of tailored weight-loss drugs

(Reuters) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned about the safety risks of using compounded or custom-made versions of popular weight-loss drugs such as Wegovy and diabetes drug Ozempic. The health regulator on Wednesday said it had received reports of adverse events after patients used compounded versions of semaglutide, the active ingredient in…

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What makes us human? Primate genome study offers some clues

By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The most comprehensive genomic study ever on primates – a group whose membership includes lemurs, monkeys, apes and people – has revealed pivotal genetic traits that are uniquely human while refining the timeline for our evolutionary lineage’s split from our closest cousins, the chimpanzees and bonobos. Researchers said on…

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NASA UFO panel in first public meeting says better data needed

By Joey Roulette and Steve Gorman WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Members of an independent NASA panel studying UFOs, or what the U.S. government now terms UAP for “unidentified anomalous phenomena,” said in their first public meeting on Wednesday that scant high-quality data and a lingering stigma pose the greatest barriers to unraveling such mysteries. The 16-member body,…

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New North Korean space rocket features engine from ICBMs, analysts say

By Josh Smith SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea’s latest space launcher appears to be a new design and most likely uses engines developed for the nuclear-armed country’s intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), analysts said on Thursday. The rocket, dubbed the Chollima-1, failed during its first launch attempt on Wednesday. It lifted off successfully but its second…

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Global airlines group to boost focus on non-CO2 emissions

By Joanna Plucinska LONDON (Reuters) – Global airlines are setting up a task force to deal with non-carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, stepping up efforts to tackle cloudy streaks formed by aircraft known as contrails, an environmental threat that until now has taken a backseat to carbon pollution in the response to global warming. The move…

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Private astronaut crew, including first Arab woman in orbit, returns from space station

By Steve Gorman (Reuters) -An all-private astronaut team of two Americans and two Saudis, including the first Arab woman sent into orbit, splashed down safely off Florida on Tuesday night, capping an eight-day research mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule carrying them parachuted into the Gulf of Mexico off…

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Evacuation alert, sirens cause panic in Seoul after North Korea launch

By Ju-min Park and Daewoung Kim SEOUL (Reuters) -Air raid sirens and a mobile phone alert calling for evacuations rattled residents of South Korea’s capital, Seoul, early on Wednesday after North Korea tried to launch what it said was a satellite. Nuclear-armed North Korea’s sixth satellite launch ended in failure, with the booster and payload…

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Cargill to sell China poultry unit to private equity firm DCP Capital

By Dominique Patton BEIJING (Reuters) – U.S. agribusiness giant Cargill said it is selling its poultry business in China to private equity firm DCP Capital, exiting a Chinese meat market that has become increasingly challenging, especially for foreign players. The sale of the unit known as Cargill Protein China is subject to regulatory approvals but…

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