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MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, September 21st 2024 - 09:25 UTC

Health & Science

  • Monday, May 13th 2024 - 10:36 UTC

    Recipient of modified pig kidney dies 7 weeks after procedure

    Slayman had been the first person alive to receive such an organ after several trials on brain-dead bodies

    Rick Slayman, a 62-year-old man who had received a genetically modified pig kidney on March 16 at Massachusetts General Hospital, died this weekend. He had terminal kidney disease when he received the organ during a four-hour operation that was considered a scientific milestone. The transplantation of organs from one species to another is a growing field known as xenotransplantation.

  • Monday, May 13th 2024 - 01:30 UTC

    A case of classical 'mad cow' (BSE) confirmed in a farm in Scotland

    The case was identified as a result of routine surveillance and stringent control measures, the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) said.

    A case of classical bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), 'mad cow' has been confirmed on a farm in Ayrshire, Scotland, with movement restrictions in place on four farms. The case was identified as a result of routine surveillance and stringent control measures, the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) said.

  • Friday, May 10th 2024 - 10:40 UTC

    India will host significant Antarctica research and environmental meetings

    India’s first Antarctic research station, Dakshin Gangotri, was established in 1983. At present, India operates two year-round research stations: Maitri (1989) and Bharati (2012).

    India through the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), will host the 46th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM 46) and the 26th Meeting of the Committee for Environmental Protection (CEP 26) from May 20 to 30, 2024, in Kochi, Kerala. This is in line with India’s poise to facilitate constructive global dialogue on environmental stewardship, scientific collaboration, and cooperation in Antarctica.

  • Thursday, May 9th 2024 - 18:34 UTC

    New FLiRT variants of SARS-Cov-2 spreading in US

    The FLiRT variants have two additional mutations that set them apart from JN.1

    Health authorities in the United States are warning about the latest version of Covid-19 with the appearance of the so-called FLiRT variations, which represent the new version of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which was detected the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in sewage samples. Between April 14 and 27, a FLiRT variant called KP.2 accounted for around 25% of the detections, up from about 10% in the previous two-week period ending April 13.

  • Tuesday, May 7th 2024 - 10:37 UTC

    Paraguayan health authorities warn of another disease transmitted by mosquitoes

    Oropouche causes a condition similar to that of dengue

    Paraguayan health authorities said the number of dengue cases was declining. Still, they told the population to look out for oropouche, another mosquito-borne virus that causes symptoms similar to those of dengue. Instead of the Aedes Aegypti, or pouches is carried by the Culicoides Paraensis mosquito.

  • Sunday, May 5th 2024 - 12:03 UTC

    Campaign in several US states to ban sale of lab-grown “cultivated” meat

    Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has banned lab-grown meat, saying he will “save our beef” from the “global elite” and its “authoritarian plans”.

    Several US states, spear headed by Florida are on a campaign to ban the sale and distribution of lab-grown or “cultivated” meat. The process of making cultivated meat involves extracting cells from an animal, which are then fed with nutrients such as proteins, sugars and fats, and they were first cleared for consumption in the US in 2022. The end product is genetically indistinguishable from traditionally produced meat.

  • Friday, May 3rd 2024 - 20:48 UTC

    Uruguay launches app to involve people in fight against dengue-spreading mosquito

    “Uruguay has a culture of using networks and managing information through smartphones” that can be useful in this case, Rando stressed

    Uruguay's Health Ministry Friday launched the application “Mosquito Alert” and urged the population to use it so that authorities can better fight the Aedes Aegypti mosquito which is behind the spread of dengue, zika, and chikungunya, it was reported in Montevideo.

  • Thursday, May 2nd 2024 - 10:24 UTC

    Dengue fever causes over 2,000 deaths so far this year in Brazil

    Federal health authorities will be deploying a biotechnological tactic to disarm the Aedes Aegypti mosquito

    Dengue fever has killed over 2,000 people in Brazil while almost 4.2 million cases of the malady have been confirmed this year in South America's largest country. The incidence rate of the disease is 2,056.9 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.

  • Wednesday, May 1st 2024 - 14:30 UTC

    Panama Canal Authority to explore desalinization plant's potential

    The Panama Canal uses freshwater from two local lakes to fill the locks through which vessels cross from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific and vice versa

    The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) announced Tuesday that a pilot plan to test the viability of implementing a desalination process was to be carried out in a move to keep the century-old structure fully operational while maintaining the quality of water for human consumption.

  • Tuesday, April 30th 2024 - 04:06 UTC

    Falklands launches a scientific mental health awareness survey

    The survey includes completing a short questionnaire, which should only take about 10 minutes.

    The Falkland Islands King Edward Memorial Hospital, KEMH, Public Health Unit is asking the public's views on mental health to better understand awareness, perceptions and attitudes related to mental health among the Islands residents.