Go to cnn.com/cnn10 for the latest video
Monday, November 30, 2020
The holiday weekend was expected to be the busiest day for air travel since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the US. Although the Wednesday before Thanksgiving saw less than half the air travel from the same time in 2019, it was the highest it's been all year. A poll of Americans found that most people would not be changing holiday plans because of the pandemic, and numbers are expected to be even higher for Sunday. Due to the pandemic, around 50 million people in America will go hungry this year. That's nearly on par with the 2008 recession. Part of the 2.2 trillion dollar relief package passed in March will go toward feeding those in need. In terms of the economy, analysts expected higher Black Friday sales than last year. This is partially because they expect people will be willing to spend more in order to offset the psychological difficulty of the pandemic. However, some people are out of jobs, which could negatively impact shopping. Some sellers also have disruptions in the supply chain, which could lead to fewer sales due to less availability. Sarah Fuller made history on Vanderbilt's football team. She played because some specialist kickers were out over coronavirus concerns, and became the third woman to play NCAA Division I and the first to play in the Power 5 when she kicked off the second half. An animal bridge has been built over a Utah highway and is already being used by some animals. It was expected to take years, but apparently the animals like it.
Tuesday, December 1, 2020
Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, the alleged head of Iran's nuclear program, was assassinated last week while traveling east of Tehran. Differing reports have surfaced from the Iranian government, which says that the weapons were remote-controlled, and Iranian news agencies, some of which have said that he was shot from a nearby car. Iran says that the attack was Israeli and that the weapons used were from Israel. No images were provided to validate the claim, and Israel has not responded to these accusations. There is a concern as well that the US could get involved if the conflict escalates as it is an ally of Israel and an enemy of Iran. Most countries in Europe are in various degrees of coronavirus lockdown. With Christmas on the way, many governments are wondering which lockdowns they should lift and when. People are still encouraged to stay home, but many are undoubtedly wanted to see family and friends. Air travel has changed during the pandemic, and some airlines are beginning to require negative results from rapid COVID tests. Although these tests are not as good as PCR tests, they are fast and can be done at the airport.
Wednesday, December 2, 2020
A group of US health experts has been trying to determine who will get COVID-19 vaccines first. There are a variety of groups that are high priority: front-line healthcare workers, essential workers, and those with pre-existing health conditions. All of those groups have a high probability of catching or having severe reactions to the virus. The CDC reports that 40% of those who get the virus don't show symptoms and that over 99% survive. Two US vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna are currently in the FDA for approval. Once a vaccine is made, there are also logistical challenges. Many vaccines currently in development require sub-zero temperatures in transport, so many airports and shipping companies are developing storage solutions (
vials are also a challenge). A company has developed AI facial-recognition software for bears. It says that it is a non-invasive way to track bear populations, but it has sparked concerns over poachers gaining access to the data and using it to illegally hunt bears. A more controversial app is Clearview AI. It keeps images of people posted on social media even after accounts are deleted. This raises privacy concerns, although the company does say its product is intended for law enforcement.
Thursday, December 3, 2020
Australia is in its bushfire season, and it's also experiencing extreme heat. Last year, the country suffered its worst season yet. On Fraser Island, a wildfire started by an illegal campfire has been burning for weeks. It's a popular vacation spot and the world's largest sand island - a rainforest growing on sand. Some residents have already been told to evacuate. Unfortunately, the heat and the spreading fire have threatened to make things worse. In the US, demand for seafood has gone down this year due to the pandemic. But a new grant has enabled a California nonprofit to help both consumers in need and fishermen. The fishermen are being paid for any extra fish that they have and the Monterey Bay Fisheries Trust is getting them to food banks. Stuart Bee's boat capsized during the night off of Florida's coastline. The only part not submerged was the bow, to which he clung until a passing cargo ship rescued him in the nick of time. Poinsettias are popular Christmas time plants that originated in Mexico. But what you might not have known is how big they can get. They are classified as shrubs and can grow up to 13 feet tall.
Friday, December 4, 2020
For the first time in decades, a spacecraft has collected rocks from the Moon using a two-meter long drill and a robotic scooper. It was an unmanned mission from China, and it went to an area that had not been explored by the US or the former Soviet Union, which were to last two to do this. It could carry new information about the Moon and is a demonstration of China's growing space program. A new exoplanet, or a planet that orbits a different star from Earth, has been discovered. Lava Planet K2-141B is on the outer edges of our galaxy. Scientists identified it from the way it blocked light from its star, although it's too far away to see directly. It's called a lava planet because it's so close to its star that it probably has lava oceans. It is also gravitationally synchronized with its star, so it doesn't rotate on its axis. Because of this, one side is freezing cold, while the other is so hot that rocks on its surface vaporize and rain down. Farmers in Utah are using a new type of growing for animal feed. Crates on vertical racks are grown under LED light and produce crops very quickly. Some say that growing without soil is inorganic and this could be expensive at the beginning, but the Utah farmers believe it has a future. A new Polish swimming pool has broken the world record for the deepest pool at 45 meters. It has a variety of caves and exploration areas for diving practice, and even an underwater hotel.
No comments:
Post a Comment