North Korea's first international commercial flight in three years landed in Beijing on Tuesday morning, the Global Times learned from flight information provider VariFlight.  Air Koryo flight JS151 from Pyongyang was believed to have arrived at Beijing Capital Airport at 9:17 am, according to a screenshot provided by VariFlight on Tuesday.  It was North Korean flag […]

COVID-19 is still the number one infectious disease in Beijing, said Beijing health officials on Thursday, noting that EG.5, a sublineage of the Omicron variant, is currently the dominant strain across China, accounting for over 70 percent of COVID-19 infections. According to the 33rd weekly report in 2023 released by the Beijing health commission, the […]

In a wide-ranging and compelling new book, science journalist Jo Marchant explores whether the mind can heal the body. The question is polarizing: Conventional doctors dismiss the power of the mind as New Age hooey, while alternative medicine advocates are quick to claim miracle cures for whatever ails you. The murky middle ground between these […]

Be wary, wine lovers: Climate change can muck with your merlots. By tracking the timing of French and Swiss grape harvests from 1600 through 2007, scientists have discovered that the link between high temperatures and drought conditions — a combination crucial for fine wine production — has broken down since 1980. Warm temperatures hasten grape […]

An ancient snakeskin preserves the bright green coloration of its wearer, researchers report March 31 in Current Biology. In the early 20th century, miners discovered the fossilized remains of an 11.2-million- to 8.7-million-year-old snake in northeastern Spain. Modern researchers have managed to reconstruct the snake’s coloration, thanks to the presence of skeletons of the animal’s […]

Researchers in China have edited the genes of human embryos to make cells resistant to HIV infection. It’s the second reported case of using molecular scissors called CRISPR/Cas9 to alter genes in human embryos. In the new work, published April 6 in the Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics, the researchers snipped a gene called […]

ATLANTA — Homo naledi, a rock star among fossil species in the human genus, has made an encore. Its return highlighted debate over whether this hominid was a distinct Homo species that purposefully disposed of at least some of its dead. H. naledi made worldwide headlines last year when researchers announced the discovery of an […]

Iron, says aging expert Naftali Raz, is like the Force. It can be good or bad, depending on the context. When that context is the human brain, though, scientists wrangle over whether iron is a dark force for evil or a bright source of support. Some iron is absolutely essential for the brain. On that, […]

In case there were any lingering doubts, three new studies published May 11 could cement the theory that Zika virus infection in utero causes birth defects. One shows that mice engineered to be susceptible to Zika can pass the virus to offspring via the placenta. In these pregnant mice, which have severely crippled immune systems, […]

A new study sounds a cautionary note for a controversial procedure used in creating “three-parent babies.” That procedure replaces defective mitochondria, the energy-generating organelles in cells, with healthy ones. But even a tiny amount of defective mitochondria may replicate and take over the cell, researchers report online May 19 in Cell Stem Cell. Exactly which […]