Detergent maker helps NASA explore space laundry

NASA astronaut Jessica Meir exercises in space in 2020, where doing laundry currently is impossible. Photo courtesy of NASA

ORLANDO, Fla., June 25 (UPI) -- A detergent maker and NASA are teaming up to research how astronauts could do laundry in space, especially on Deep Space missions, using minimal energy and water.

Procter & Gamble has signed a pact with NASA, known as a Space Act Agreement. Under the pact, NASA seeks laundry solutions in space, while the detergent, Tide, gains publicity and furthers product development. Both parties pay their own costs.

NASA wants to avoid shipping hundreds of pounds of clothing to astronauts, who wear them for a few days before discarding. The space agency eventually disposes of the worn clothing in a cargo spacecraft that burns up in the atmosphere, researcher Mark Sivik said in an interview.

"We can't continue to send out large quantities of garments, so we're researching ways to clean clothes more effectively," said Sivik, a staff scientist for Ohio-based Procter & Gamble. "NASA is asking, 'Are there ways to actually do laundry in space?'"

The company has taken on the project to gain knowledge and experience by testing potential new products in microgravity, Sivik said. Many firms pay NASA thousands of dollars to conduct such research in space.



Lack of gravity in space means water, clothes and soap don't behave the same as on Earth.

Since shipping water to the orbiting laboratory is expensive, water is recycled and conserved as a precious commodity, Sivik said. That would become nearly impossible on a long trip to Mars, which at a minimum is 34 million miles away.
Astronauts are required to exercise nearly two hours per day to offset the effects of microgravity on their muscles and bones, during which time their clothing gets sweaty, Sivik said.

The project will send to the space station in December a detergent that contains enzymes to break down dirt in clothes naturally -- to see how it behaves after six months in microgravity. Then, in May, a spacecraft will carry spot stain removal pens and wipes to determine their effectiveness in space.

At some point, the space agency hopes to test a washing machine in space, Sivik said.

"We've done a lot of development on the use of cold water and minimal water usage, and we're looking at using a machine that combines the washer and dryer in one unit," he said.

A laundry solution that uses less water in space could have benefits on Earth, as well, Mike Ewert, a NASA life support and thermal systems analyst, said in an email.

"Using less water in space is important for recycling reasons, and using less water on Earth is important as more areas become water stressed in the future," due to population growth and climate change, Ewert said.

Laundry machines for the surface of the moon or Mars may require only minimal alteration, while such machines may have to be drastically altered to function properly in microgravity, he said.

"A washer and dryer may be added to missions when the benefits, such as throwing away less clothing, outweigh the resources needed to clean them," Ewert said.

The crew of SpaceX's Dragon capsule Endeavour, seen in black shirts, boarded the International Space Station on April 24 boosting the population of the orbiting laboratory to 11 for the first time in years. Photo courtesy of NASA

CRIMINAL CAPITALI$M
Robinhood to pay $70M for 'misleading' customers, systems outages

FINRA said Robinhood changed the way stocks are traded, but failed to play by the rules. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

June 30 (UPI) -- The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority on Wednesday fined trading app Robinhood $57 million and ordered it to pay $12.6 million in restitution for "misleading" customers and systems outages last year.

The watchdog said Robinhood also approved trade options for customers even when it was "not appropriate" to do so.

"This action sends a clear message -- all FINRA member firms, regardless of their size or business model, must comply with the rules that govern the brokerage industry, rules which are designed to protect investors and the integrity of our markets," said Jessica Hopper, executive vice president and head of FINRA's Department of Enforcement.

"Compliance with these rules is not optional and cannot be sacrificed for the sake of innovation or a willingness to 'break things' and fix them later. The fine imposed in this matter, the highest ever levied by FINRA, reflects the scope and seriousness of Robinhood's violations, including FINRA's finding that Robinhood communicated false and misleading information to millions of its customers."

The Menlo Park, Calif.-based trading app was created in 2013 with an apparent mission to upend the status quo among U.S. trading companies. It began offering commission-free trades on its mobile app in 2015, forcing other companies to drop fees to compete.

The FINRA announcement noted outages on the Robinhood app between January 2018 and February 2021, most notably in March 2020.

"Robinhood's inability to accept or execute customer orders during these outages resulted in individual customers losing tens of thousands of dollars, and FINRA is requiring that the firm pay more than $5 million in restitution to affected customers," FINRA said.

The FINRA fines are unrelated to Robinhood's shuttering of trades earlier this year during the so-called meme stock trading involving GameStop shares.

Robinhood posted to its website Wednesday that it's made changes -- including adding more customer support and offering better information -- to its app and process.

"Our customers are at the forefront of every decision we make and we're committed to making continuous improvements so that investing can be accessible to all," the company said.

CRIMINAL CAPITALI$M
Juul agrees to pay $40M to settle accusations its ads targeted teens


As part of the settlement, Juul can only sell its products over-the-counter in North Carolina stores and must use third-party age verification systems for online sales. Photo by sarahjohnson1/Pixabay


June 28 (UPI) -- E-cigarette manufacturer Juul Labs has agreed to pay $40 million to the state of North Carolina to help mitigate vaping by underage users, according to a settlement announced Monday.

The settlement ends years of accusations by state officials that Juul, through its marketing practices, helped fuel a substantial increase in vaping among teenagers.

As part of the settlement, Juul can only sell its products over-the-counter in North Carolina stores and must use third-party age verification systems for online sales.

Also, Juul will no longer sell sweet or fruit-flavored vape pods in North Carolina -- and must send teen "mystery shoppers" to 1,000 stores each year to see if products are being sold to minors.

RELATED 'Ice' flavored e-cigarettes may increase nicotine dependence risk in vapers


"For years Juul targeted young people, including teens, with highly addictive e-cigarettes," North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein said in a statement.

As part of the deal, Juul does not admit to any wrongdoing.

"We seek to continue to earn trust through action," the company said in a statement.

RELATED Study: Youth vaping down, but 1 in 5 U.S. teens still using e-cigarettes

"This settlement is another step in that direction."

The settlement to North Carolina will be paid out over six years and go toward combating youth vaping.

"We support the [state's] desire to deploy funds to generate appropriate science to support North Carolina's public health interventions to reduce underage use," Juul added.

RELATED Investigation discredits studies suggesting lower COVID-19 risk for smokers

Dozens of prosecutors have investigated Juul and its marketing practices in recent years. The Federal Trade Commission is also suing Juul after Altria, the largest U.S. tobacco company, for withdrawing its e-cigarette Mark Ten from the market in exchange for part of Juul profits.

Thirteen states, including California and New York, have filed similar suits against Juul. The Food and Drug Administration is expected to announce in the coming months whether Juul vaping products are a danger to public health.

Amnesty: National Security Law turning Hong Kong into 'human rights wasteland'



Hong Kong enacted the Beijing-backed National Security Law on June 30, 2020, after protests erupted in the city in 2019. File Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo

June 30 (UPI) -- Hong Kong's National Security Law overrides existing protections in the city against civil rights violations and has led to more than 100 arrests since it was enacted a year ago, according to Amnesty International.

"In one year, the National Security Law has put Hong Kong on a rapid path to becoming a police state and created a human rights emergency for the people living there," said Yamini Mishra, Amnesty International's Asia-Pacific regional director.

"From politics to culture, education to media, the law has infected every part of Hong Kong society and fomented a climate of fear that forces residents to think twice about what they say, what they tweet and how they live their lives," Mishra said.

"Ultimately, this sweeping and repressive legislation threatens to make the city a human rights wasteland increasingly resembling mainland China."

Amnesty also said the law casts a long shadow over Hong Kong's existing laws designed to safeguard civil rights.

"There is clear evidence indicating that the so-called human rights safeguards set out in the NSL are effectively useless, while the protections existing in regular Hong Kong law are also trumped by it," the group said.

Hong Kong authorities have arrested hundreds of protesters since the law went into effect. Among those arrested 118 people have been detained for security law violations, according to Amnesty International.

Press freedoms came under attack this month when local authorities ordered the shutdown of newspaper Apple Daily and the arrests of its editor and top executives.

China's foreign ministry condemned the Amnesty International report Wednesday.

Chinese spokesman Wang Wenbin said the human rights watchdog had engaged in "malicious, deliberate smears and distortion of facts."

Hong Kong society has been "brought back to the right track" because of the law, Wang said.

The security law punishes activities considered "terrorism" and "collusion with foreign forces." Advocating for Hong Kong's independence can lead to life imprisonment.

China free of malaria for the first time since 1940s


The World Health Organization declared Wednesday that China is malaria-free after a 70-year effort of targeted action against the disease that reportedly affected 30 million in the 1940s. File Photo by Anawat Sudchanham/Shutterstock


June 30 (UPI) -- The World Health Organization declared Wednesday that China is malaria-free after a 70-year effort of targeted action against the disease that reportedly affected 30 million Chinese residents in the 1940s.

It's the first country in the WHO Western Pacific Region to receive the award in over three decades. Forty countries and territories globally have been granted malaria-free certification from the WHO.

"China's tireless effort to achieve this important milestone demonstrates how strong political commitment and strengthening national health systems can result in eliminating a disease that once was a major public health problem," Dr. Takeshi Kasai, regional director of the WHO Western Pacific Regional Office, said in a press release. "China's achievement takes us one step closer towards the vision of a malaria-free Western Pacific Region."

China started targeting the disease in the 1950s by providing antimalarial medicines for those at risk and treatment for those who contracted it. China also reduced mosquito breeding grounds and increased its use of insecticide spraying in homes.

The "523 Project" was launched in 1967, beginning research into new treatments for malaria. Over 500 scientist across 60 institutions were part of the project. In the 1970s, China discovered one of the most effect antimalarial drugs -- artemisinin.

China extensively tested insecticide-treated nets to prevent malaria in the 1980s. By 1988, more than 2.4 million nets were distributed nationwide, leading to substantial reductions in malaria.

Two years later, cases plummeted to 117,000 and deaths were reduced by 95%. Within another 10 years, the number of cases fell to 5,000.

China provides basic healthcare free of charge, allowing its residents to access affordable services for the diagnosis and treatment of malaria regardless of legal or financial status.

RELATED China firm wins patent on malaria vaccine

112-year-old Puerto Rican dubbed world's oldest living man


Puerto Rican man Emilio Flores Marquez was dubbed the world's oldest living man by Guinness World Records at the age of 112 years, 326 days. Photo courtesy of Guinness World Records

June 30 (UPI) -- Guinness World Records announced a new record holder for the world's oldest living man: 112-year-old Emilio Flores Marquez of Puerto Rico.

The record-keeping organization said Marquez, of Trujillo Alto, was issued a certificate as the world's oldest living man at age 112 years, 326 days.

Marquez was born Aug. 8, 1908, in Carolina, Puerto Rico. He was the second of 11 children born to his parents.

"My dad raised me with love and taught me to love everyone. He always told me and my brothers and sisters to do good, to share everything with others," Marquez said.

Marquez was married to Andrea Perez De Flores for over 75 years prior to her death in 2010. The couple had four children, two of whom are still living.

The record for oldest living man was previously held by Dumitru Comanescu, who died June 27, 2020, at age 111 years, 219 days. He had only held the record for under a month prior to his death.

Bubonic plague was killing people thousands of years earlier than known


The skull of a 5,000-year-old hunter-gatherer found in Latvia in the 1800s, pictured, contains the oldest strain of the bacteria causing bubonic plague ever found. Photo by Dominik Göldner/Berlin Society for Anthropology, Ethnology, and Prehistory

The Black Death was stalking people thousands of years earlier than previously known, new evidence reveals.

The oldest strain of Yersinia pestis -- the bacteria behind the bubonic plague that may have killed as much as half of Europe's population in the 1300s -- has been found in the remains of a 5,000-year-old hunter-gatherer, researchers report.

The skeleton of the 20- to 30-year old man was unearthed in the late 1800s in a region of Latvia called Rinnukalns. But the skeleton soon vanished, only to reappear in 2011 as part of an anthropologist's collection.

A genetic analysis revealed the presence of a strain of Y. pestis that likely killed the man, even though scientists think it was less contagious and less deadly than the medieval strain.

RELATED Plague transmission rates increased from the Black Death to the Great Plague

After comparing it to other ancient strains, the researchers concluded that the strain in this hunter-gatherer is the oldest found to date.

It likely belonged to a lineage that emerged about 7,000 years ago, a few hundred years after Y. pestis split from its predecessor, Yersinia pseudotuberculosis, according to the authors of the study published Tuesday in the journal Cell Reports.

"What's most astonishing is that we can push back the appearance of Y. pestis 2,000 years farther than previously published studies suggested," said senior author Ben Krause-Kyora, head of the aDNA Laboratory at the University of Kiel in Germany.

RELATED Think 2020 was bad? Historians say 536 was worst year ever to be alive

"It seems that we are really close to the origin of the bacteria," he added in a journal news release.

The researchers also found that the newly identified strain lacked the gene that enables fleas to act as vectors to spread the bacteria to and between humans. It likely took thousands of years for Y. pestis to develop all the mutations needed for flea-based transmission.

Learning more about the history of Y. pestis could provide new insight into human genetics, according to the researchers.

RELATED Study: Cancer far more common in medieval times than thought

"Different pathogens and the human genome have always evolved together. We know Y. pestis most likely killed half of the European population in a short timeframe, so it should have a big impact on the human genome," Krause-Kyora said.

"But even before that, we see major turnover in our immune genes at the end of the Neolithic Age, and it could be that we were seeing a significant change in the pathogen landscape at that time as well," he added.More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on plague.

Copyright © 2021 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

New beetle species found in the fossilized feces of ancient dinosaur ancestor

Scientists found several well preserved specimens of a new beetle species inside the fossilized feces of an ancient dinosaur ancestor. Photo by Qvarnström et al./Current Biology


June 30 (UPI) -- Scientists have discovered of a new beetle species preserved in fossilized feces deposited by Silesaurus opolensis, an ancient dinosaur ancestor. It's the first time scientists have found a new insect species inside a coprolite.

Researchers detailed the tiny beetle species, Triamyxa coprolithica, in a new paper, published Wednesday in the journal Current Biology.

Silesaurus opolensis lived some 230 million years ago, around the time some of the earliest dinosaur species appear in the fossil record.

The reptile was not itself a dinosaur, but a so-called dinosauriform. The slender, speedy reptile stood 7.5 feet tall and ate lots of insects, especially beetles.

The fossilized feces described in the new study, which scientists attributed to Silesaurus opolensis, featured numerous beetle parts and several intact specimens -- all representative of the same species.

The well-preserved specimens allowed scientists to compare the new beetle genus and species to more modern genera.

The analysis showed the beetles found in the coprolite belonged to a previously unknown extinct lineage of the suborder Myxophaga. Today, the new beetle's closest relatives colonize mats of algae in marshy environs.

"We were absolutely amazed by the abundance and fantastic preservation of the beetles in the coprolite fragment. In a way, we must really thank Silesaurus, which likely was the animal that helped us accumulating them," study co-author Martin Qvarnström, researcher at Uppsala University in Sweden, said in a press release.

Researchers linked the ancient fossilized feces with Silesaurus opolensis after analyzing the shape, size and contents of the coprolite. Silesaurus opolensis is one of the most well studied dinosauriforms. More than 20 specimens have been recovered from ancient deposits in Poland.

Paleontologists estimate the ancient dinosaur ancestor used its bird-like beak to rummage through the dirt in search of grubs and insects.

Because the newly named beetle species was so small, scientists suspect Silesaurus opolensis was likely targeting larger beetles species that happened to share habitat with Triamyxa coprolithica.

"I never thought that we would be able to find out what the Triassic precursor of the dinosaurs ate for dinner," study co-author Grzegorz Niedwiedzki, a palaeontologist at Uppsala University, said in the release.

Researchers said they hope the discovery will motivate other paleontologists to subject coprolites to advanced imaging and analysis.

Coprolites could help scientists reconstruct the evolution of ancient insects and provide new insights in the diets of extinction insectivores, they said.

BARBAROUS PRACTICE
Study: More evidence spanking kids doesn't work, causes harm

By Alan Mozes, HealthDay News

Is spanking good for parents? Is spanking good for kids? Is spanking good for anyone? No, no and no, according to a big new review of prior research.

"Zero studies found that physical punishment predicted better child behavior over time," said study co-author Elizabeth Gershoff, a professor of human development and family sciences at the University of Texas at Austin.

She and her team sifted through the findings of 61 U.S. studies and eight international investigations. All examined how childhood behavior changed -- for better or for worse -- after children were exposed to physical punishment of some sort, including spanking.

"We reviewed all studies of physical punishment that looked at children's behavior at two or more points in time," explained Gershoff.

RELATED  Spanking on the decline among American parents, survey says

"This allowed us to determine if physical punishment predicted changes in children's behavior. If physical punishment was effective, we would see improvements in children's behavior over time. Unfortunately, we found the opposite," she said.

"We found that physical punishment increases child aggression and other behavior problems over time," Gershoff said. "It does not improve children's attention, cognitive [thinking] abilities, social relationships or social skills."

The study team members said their conclusion held up regardless of a child's sex, race or ethnicity, and whether or not a caregiver also engaged in more positive parenting behaviors.

RELATED Pediatricians group strengthens recommendation against spanking

The team also concluded that more was worse: The more often a child is exposed to physical punishment, the greater the negative impact on their behavior and psyche.

The findings are clear, said Gershoff: "Physical punishment is harmful to children's development and well-being. There is no evidence that it has any positive outcomes whatsoever."

Many countries have already come to that conclusion. Sixty-two countries have banned the practice outright, in line with an advisory issued by the United Nations, according to the study authors.

RELATED Teen violence down in countries that ban spanking, study says

                  

Still, in many corners of the world, such behavior is commonplace. In the United States, it is legal for parents to punish their children physically in all 50 states, the authors said. And corporal punishment in schools remains legal across 19 states.

The study team also points out that globally 63% of all children between ages 2 and 4 -- roughly 250 million kids -- are routinely exposed to physical punishment by their caregivers.

But the review found that children are not the only victims in this dynamic. Caregivers who inflict physical punishment on children may see their own behavior deteriorate over time, as their physical interventions escalate and they become increasingly violent, the researchers said.

"The term 'discipline' comes from a Latin word meaning 'to teach,'" Gershoff said. "As parents, we have the important job of teaching children about the world, including guiding them to choose behaviors that do not harm others.

"Punishments of any kind do not on their own teach children how we want them to behave; that job requires the harder work of talking with children to explain what behaviors we expect of them and why," she added.

Dr. Robert Sege, a pediatrician specializing in child abuse, seconded those thoughts. He was not part of the study review.

"The most important relationship in our lives is typically between parent and child. And spanking introduces violence and fear into that relationship, where it's not called for and doesn't belong," said Sege, who is affiliated with Tufts Children's Hospital in Boston. He is also a spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics.

"Spanking is also ineffective. Numerous studies have shown that it doesn't really work," Sege added. Instead of promoting self-control, "spanking promotes children thinking how to avoid getting spanked," he said.

The pediatricians' group advises parents to talk to pediatricians about how to use effective discipline with their children, said Sege. "We advise parents not to spank their children, and not to belittle them verbally," he added.


The findings are in the this week issue of The Lancet.More information

There's more on spanking at the Global Partnership to End Violence Against Children.

Copyright © 2021 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

U.N. report: COVID-19 hit on global tourism worth $4 trillion for 2020, 2021

Travelers are seen at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv, Israel, on June 23. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo

June 30 (UPI) -- A lull in international tourism brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, which is costing global economies trillions of dollars, probably won't return to normal levels for another two years, according to a joint United Nations report published Wednesday.

The assessment, compiled by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and World Tourism Organization, projects that sagging tourism will amount to a combined total of $4 trillion in global economic losses for 2020 and 2021.

The report expects international tourism to stagnate for the rest of this year, except for a few Western markets. Further, it says a return to prepandemic tourism could take another two years, or more.

It notes that the rate of COVID-19 vaccinations is playing a major factor in the return to normal. The availability of coronavirus vaccinations remains uneven worldwide, which the report says could account for up to 60% of the economic losses.

"The world needs a global vaccination effort that will protect workers, mitigate adverse social effects and make strategic decisions regarding tourism, taking potential structural changes into account," UNCTAD Acting Secretary-General Isabelle Durant said in a statement.

The experts say vaccinations are limited in developing countries where tourism losses have worsened. Rates also widely vary from country to country; as high as 60% in some nations and less than 1% in others.

"Tourism is a lifeline for millions, and advancing vaccination to protect communities and support tourism's safe restart is critical to the recovery," UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said in a statement, emphasizing that most developing nations heavily rely on money generated from tourism.

RELATED U.S. economy grew 6.4% in 1st quarter; 2nd-largest gain of COVID-19 era

A loss in tourism also results in losses in other sectors like food, beverages, retail trade, communications and transport, the assessment says.

For example, international tourism in Turkey typically contributes to about 5% of its gross domestic product. With the disruption, it could see a loss of $33 billion. In 2020, foreign tourist arrivals in Turkey plummeted by almost 70%, the groups said.

The groups performed three simulations to show possible global tourism outcomes for 2021. The worst of the three shows an overall decline of 75%, worth $2.4 trillion. The best of the three showed a loss of $1.7 trillion.

The countries that performed the worst across all three simulations were Turkey, Ecuador, South Africa, Ireland and Switzerland. The regions that performed the worst were Central America, East Africa, Southeast Asia, North Africa and the eastern European Union.