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Global Issues
Updated: 29 Oct 2004   
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Supernova
Frame from animation showing the explosion of Tycho’s Supernova in 1572. (NASA/ESA) Complete animation
Astronomers Identify Surviving Star of 1572 Supernova
NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope precisely measures star's motion

An international team of astronomers has identified the probable surviving companion star to a supernova explosion witnessed in 1572 by Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe and other astronomers of the era.

The discovery, announced October 27 in a press release from the Hubble European Space Agency (ESA) Information Centre, provides the first direct evidence supporting the long-held belief that Type Ia supernovae originate in binary star systems that contain a normal star and a burned-out white dwarf star. The normal star spills material onto the dwarf, eventually triggering an explosion. (complete text)



Scientists Decode Genome of Infectious Cryptosporidium Parasite
Parasite is a common cause of waterborne disease worldwide

Scientists have decoded the genome sequence of Cryptosporidium hominis, a parasite that is one of most common causes of waterborne diseases in humans and a potential bioterrorist agent, according to an October 28 press release from Tufts University in Massachusetts.

The highly contagious Cryptosporidium lives in the intestines of infected humans. Because there are no effective treatments, it is an ongoing public health concern. Supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the researchers report their findings in the October 28 issue of the journal Nature. (complete text)



U.S. Adopts Biometric Facial Recognition Standard
Homeland Security says biometric consistent with international standards

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced October 28 the adoption of its first biometric facial recognition standard, according to a DHS press release.

"This standard will help improve our long-term security by facilitating the interchange of digitally stored photographs, regardless of what equipment is used to take or to display the images," said Dr. Charles McQueary, DHS's under secretary for science and technology. (complete text)


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Topical Latest News
29 October 2004 - Afghan Narcotics Trafficking to Be Targeted in Coming Months
29 October 2004 - Nanotechnology Group Convenes to Plot Industry Future
29 October 2004 - Cassini Radar Shows Titan's Young, Active Surface
29 October 2004 - New Detection System Prevents Cold-Weather Aircraft Damage
29 October 2004 - Common Household Fragrances Might Harm Aquatic Life, Study Finds
29 October 2004 - Internet Broadens Users' Political Awareness, Survey Finds
29 October 2004 - U.S. Nanotechnology Project Targets Rapid Genetic Profiling
29 October 2004 - Scientists Decode Genome of Infectious Cryptosporidium Parasite
28 October 2004 - U.S. Adopts Biometric Facial Recognition Standard
28 October 2004 - FARC Terrorist Indicted for Attack on Americans in Colombia
28 October 2004 - Scientists Discover Enzyme Crucial to HIV Replication
28 October 2004 - Astronomers Identify Surviving Star of 1572 Supernova
28 October 2004 - Eurasian Media Join Campaign Against HIV/AIDS
28 October 2004 - Changes to U.S. Restrictions on Plant Imports Being Considered
28 October 2004 - Dolphin, Humans Share Similar Brain Size, Scientists Say
28 October 2004 - Genetically Altered Worm Might Replace Rats in Toxicology Testing
28 October 2004 - U.S. Officials Confirm Colombia Curtailing Narco-Terrorism
28 October 2004 - U.S. Authorities Prosecute Sham Marriages
28 October 2004 - International Spacecraft Peeks Below Cloud Shroud Around Titan
27 October 2004 - World Health Officials Launch Patient Safety Initiative
27 October 2004 - Ambassador Vershbow Urges Eurasian Media to Help Fight AIDS
27 October 2004 - Magnetic Imaging System Reveals Signs of Audiotape Tampering
27 October 2004 - U.S. Uncovers Conspiracy to Export Arms to Colombia, Venezuela
27 October 2004 - State Department Implements Biometric Visa Program
27 October 2004 - Cassini Completes First High-Resolution Reconnaissance of Titan
27 October 2004 - U.N. Urges More Cooperation in Fighting Western Hemisphere Fires
27 October 2004 - Microbes Could Clean Arsenic-Contaminated Water, Scientists Say
27 October 2004 - U.S., Pakistan Launch Cooperative Science and Technology Projects
26 October 2004 - North-South Agreement Within Grasp in Sudan, Crocker Says
26 October 2004 - Three Women from Jerusalem Tour America, Plead for Peace
26 October 2004 - Scientists Use New Technology to Study Mount St. Helens Crater
26 October 2004 - U.S. Funds Effort to Catalog Materials from Ancient Iraqi Site
26 October 2004 - U.S., Japanese Scientists Show How Plant Cells Communicate
26 October 2004 - United States Launches Plan to Target Synthetic Drug Trafficking
25 October 2004 - U.S. Deports Honduran Death Squad Leader Back to Honduras
25 October 2004 - New U.S. Citizens Could Play Deciding Role in 2004 Elections
25 October 2004 - U.S., German Scientists Find How Bacteria Survive Adverse Conditions
25 October 2004 - State's Dobriansky Says U.S.-Italy Climate Partnership a Model
25 October 2004 - NASA Helps Find Lifelong Gene Activity in Live Organisms
25 October 2004 - Foreign Visitors to United States Need Machine-Readable Passports
23 October 2004 - Secretary Rumsfeld, Defense Minister Yoon Kwang Ung Hold Annual Talks
22 October 2004 - New Passport Requirement Will Not Cause Border Disruption
22 October 2004 - United States To Allow One-Time Exemption for New Passports
22 October 2004 - Travelers to U.S. Need Visas or Machine-Readable Passports
22 October 2004 - International Consortium Awards $5.5 Million for DNA Encyclopedia
22 October 2004 - Latin America Publishing More Science, Engineering Articles
22 October 2004 - U.S. Continues Allowing Imports of Beluga Caviar
22 October 2004 - Earth Drags Space and Time as It Rotates, Scientists Say
22 October 2004 - American Astronaut Will Vote From Space on Election Day
21 October 2004 - U.N. Says Ecuador at "Appropriate Moment" to Act Against HIV/AIDS
21 October 2004 - Large-Scale Forces Shape Local Ocean Life, Global Study Shows
21 October 2004 - U.S. Breaks Up Mexican Drug-Trafficking Organization
21 October 2004 - U.S. Awards $75 Million to Hydrogen Fuel Research Projects
21 October 2004 - U.S. Labor Dept. Awards $18.65 Million to Fight Human Trafficking
21 October 2004 - Labor Dept. Awards $9 million for U.N. Workplace AIDS Programs
21 October 2004 - U.S. Drug Agency Breaks International Money, Drug Ring
21 October 2004 - Genetically Modified Parasite Helps Immune System Fight Invasion
21 October 2004 - International Consortium Describes Complete Human Genome Sequence
20 October 2004 - Coalition General Says Afghan Election Major Defeat for Taliban
20 October 2004 - Bush Renews Sanctions on Colombian Drug Trade
20 October 2004 - American Cancer Expert Raises Awareness of Breast Cancer in Oman
20 October 2004 - State Department Invests in Improving the Visa Process
20 October 2004 - World Bank Program Donates Computers to Latin American Children
20 October 2004 - Planets Born from Turbulence, Scientists Find
20 October 2004 - Early Stress Inhibits Brain-Cell Communication, Scientists Find
20 October 2004 - Agriculture Dept. Uses Light to Track Particles in Environment
20 October 2004 - Soy-Based Hydraulic Fluid Oils Statue of Liberty Elevator
20 October 2004 - U.S. Scientists to Study Oceans, Coasts from Space
19 October 2004 - Citizens in U.S., Islamic Countries Seek to Ease Tensions
19 October 2004 - Microscopic Sensor Monitors Glucose Levels, Scientists Say
19 October 2004 - NASA Scientists Predict Next Period of Minimum Solar Activity
19 October 2004 - Vietnam's National AIDS Strategy Praised
19 October 2004 - International Panel Looks at Illegal Internet Drug Sales
19 October 2004 - Drought Atlas Reconstructs North American Drought History
19 October 2004 - New Flexible Fibers Sense Light and Analyze its Colors
19 October 2004 - El Nino-Related Drought may have Caused Severe Moth Outbreak
19 October 2004 - U.S.-funded Study May Lead to New Volcano-Monitoring Tools
18 October 2004 - EPA Head Reaffirms Commitment to Water Protection
18 October 2004 - Scientists Prepare for Space Probe's Plunge into Titan Atmosphere
18 October 2004 - U.S. Dismantles Colombia-Based Drug Money-Laundering Organization
18 October 2004 - VOA's "Ejo Bite?" Radio Gives African Refugee Children a Voice
18 October 2004 - Scientists Report Success in Malaria Vaccine Trial
18 October 2004 - New Propulsion System Could Make Possible 90-Day Mars Round Trip
18 October 2004 - Open Skies Aircraft Might Be Used for Environmental Protection
17 October 2004 - Agriculture's Veneman Pledges Reduction in Chronic World Hunger
15 October 2004 - USDA's Veneman Stresses Need to Improve World Food Production
15 October 2004 - Global Survey Finds 32 Percent of Amphibians Face Extinction
15 October 2004 - Polio Campaign Targets 5 Percent of World Population
15 October 2004 - U.S. Issues Grants to Reduce Indoor Air Pollution Problems
15 October 2004 - U.S. Treasury Department Targets Colombian Drug Cartel
15 October 2004 - Small Increase in Ivory Trade Approved by Treaty Nations
15 October 2004 - United States Achieves Objectives at Endangered Species Meeting
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