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China-- Freezing spectacle seen under the frozen lake: Photos show translucent frozen bubbles spotted under a lake in NE China’s Greater Xing’an Mountain area, where the local temperature has already dropped to -30℃. The bubbles form when methane produced by underwater animals and plants freeze when they meet the frozen lake surface.

LONDON, Dec. 25  -- Greenland's ice sheet, the second largest of the world, is melting in winter due to wintertime heat from the ocean, according to a recent research of the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS).

Based on computer simulations, the research found that strong winter winds in the northeast Atlantic create warm waves below the surface of the Atlantic, which push relatively warm water up Greenlandic fjords, "melting hundreds of metres below the ocean surface."

In a paper published in the journal Nature earlier this month, scientists from the United States, Belgium and the Netherlands said the ice sheet in this region is melting at its fastest rate over at least the last 350 years and continued global warming will further accelerate the thawing process.

Covering 1,710,000 square km, roughly 80 percent of the surface of Greenland, the melting Greenland's ice sheet is thought to add 0.8 millimeters of water to global ocean levels annually, one of the biggest contributors to global sea level rise and ocean freshening.

Based near the town of Oban on the Scottish west coast, SAMS is Scotland's largest and oldest independent marine science organization.

SYDNEY, Dec. 18  -- Aussie astrologers have discovered an ancient relic of the Big Bang, giving them a glimpse 13.7 billion years into the past, research revealed on Tuesday.

Using the world's most powerful optical telescope, scientists from the Swinburne University of Technology (SUT) in Melbourne, identified a pristine gas cloud which they say, due to its condition, must have formed very close to or during the Big Bang.

"Everywhere we look, the gas in the universe is polluted by waste heavy elements from exploding stars," SUT PhD candidate and co-discoverer Fred Robert explained.

"But this particular cloud seems pristine, if it has any heavy elements at all, it must be less than 1/10,000th of the proportion we see in our Sun," Robert said.

That amount of heavy elements is extremely low -- compelling evidence that it is a leftover from the Big Bang.

Using twin 10 metre telescopes at the W.M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii, the team were able to distinguish the cloud's properties, due to the backdrop of a super bright quasar which allowed the spectral shadows of hydrogen in the gas cloud to be seen.

The discovery will help astrologers understand why after the Big Bang, some gas formed stars and galaxies, and others did not.

BEIJING, Dec 13  -- China's Chang'e-4 lunar probe successfully decelerated near the Moon and entered the lunar orbit, completing a vital step before making the first-ever soft landing on the far side of the Moon, space authorities announced on Wednesday.

After flying about 110 hours towards the Moon, the probe successfully conducted the "space braking" and entered an elliptical lunar orbit with the perilune at about 100 km at 4:45 p.m. Beijing time, said China National Space Administration (CNSA).

Perilune braking is a crucial orbital control during lunar probe flight. The probe decelerated near the Moon, making its velocity slower than the Moon's escape velocity before the lunar orbit insertion.

In line with instructions sent from a control center in Beijing at 4:39 p.m., an engine on the probe was ignited when it was 129 km above the surface of the moon. The engine shut down normally after five minutes.

The real-time telemetry data monitoring showed the Chang'e-4 probe has successfully entered the orbit.

The probe, including a lander and a rover, was launched by a Long March-3B carrier rocket last Saturday from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province, opening a new chapter in lunar exploration.

As the rocket was able to send the probe into orbit precisely as planned, the control center only adjusted the probe's orbit once on Sunday and also canceled two pre-planned orbit trimmings before the near-moon deceleration, CNSA said.

Next, the control center will adjust the probe's orbit around the moon and test the communication link between the probe and the relay satellite "Queqiao", which is operating in the halo orbit around the second Lagrangian (L2) point of the earth-moon system.

Afterward, the control center will choose a proper time to land the probe on the far side of the moon, according to CNSA.

The Chang'e-4 mission will be a key step in revealing the mysterious far side of the moon.

The scientific tasks of the Chang'e-4 mission include low-frequency radio astronomical observation, surveying the terrain and landforms, detecting the mineral composition and shallow lunar surface structure, and measuring the neutron radiation and neutral atoms to study the environment on the far side of the moon, according to CNSA.

China has promoted international cooperation in its lunar exploration program, with four scientific payloads of the Chang'e-4 mission developed by scientists from the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden and Saudi Arabia.

MANILA, Nov. 21  -- Visiting President Xi Jinping has called on legislative bodies from China and the Philippines to further exchange experience in state governance and push forward multilevel, multiform cooperation for the development of the two nations' bilateral ties.

Xi expressed the hope that the Philippines' top legislature will play a bigger role in promoting China-Philippines friendship, during a meeting with the Philippines' House of Representatives Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and President of the Senate Vicente Sotto III here on Wednesday.

Friendly exchanges between legislative bodies of both sides form an important part of the China-Philippines relations, which now stand at a new historic starting point and thus possess broad development prospect, Xi said.

In recent years, the China-Philippines relations have displayed new vitality and achieved leapfrog development, bringing benefits to the two peoples as well as encouraging regional peace and stability, according to the president.

The upgrade of the China-Philippines relations to comprehensive strategic cooperation had been jointly announced by Xi and his Philippine counterpart Rodrigo Duterte here on Tuesday.

"We must continue going on the right path, deepen practical cooperation, consolidate the material basis of the bilateral ties, expand people-to-people exchanges, cement public support, properly handle the South China Sea issue, stick to the right direction for the development of bilateral ties, and make good neighbors and partners that share the prosperity," Xi told Arroyo and Sotto.

The president praised them for being good and old friends of the Chinese people and contributing to the China-Philippines friendship for a long time. He also called for more support from the legislative bodies on practical cooperation, especially in areas of education, culture and tourism.

For their part, Arroyo and Sotto, while applauding the upgrade of the bilateral ties, both expressed their willingness to step up exchanges with Chinese legislative bodies and deepen practical cooperation in all fields, for the benefits of the two peoples and the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.

With all-round cooperation going well and China being one of the most important partners for the Philippines' economic development, the Philippines-China relations are now at the best period in history, said Arroyo and Sotto.

The Philippines would like to learn from China's success in achieving rapid economic and social development, push for more cooperation in trade and infrastructure, strengthen people-to-people exchanges and better benefit the two peoples, they added.

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 21 -- U.S. internet giant Google said Tuesday it has taken down more foreign-related accounts linked to coordinated influence operations targeting political content in the United States.

In an update to its crackdown on state-sponsored activity released on Aug. 23, Google said it has removed six G+ pages, one blog site and 34 YouTube channels identified as being engaged in Iran-linked operations.

These channels have achieved 20,794 total U.S. views on English-language political videos, Google said.

The Mountain View, California-based company accused Russian actors of running operations on one YouTube channel linked to the Internet Research Agency (IRA). The channel, which had only 94 views in the United States on one English-language video, was also removed immediately.

The IRA has previously named by two other tech giants Facebook and Twitter as "a bad actor" involved in "inauthentic accounts" aimed at spreading fake information on their platforms earlier this year.

Google has launched constant campaigns against online misinformation activities that used its services since early this year. It announced purging more than 100 fake accounts and pages for state-sponsored phishing attacks and coordinated influence operations in August.

A 36-year-old man restores a little peace to the families of the dead by rebuilding the faces of people normally too deteriorated to be exposed to open coffin.

Pierre-Maxime Fugère is not afraid of the dead, regardless of their condition. He is a thanatologist specialized in reconstructive surgery after death. His specialty is to reconstruct the skull by fixing the bones in the right places with wire or screws.

He has already spent more than 80 hours on one body.

"I always delivered the goods. There are cases that have marked me for life though, "he said in an interview with QMI Agency on Saturday.

He remembers, among other things, having replaced the skull of a woman beaten to death who had been beheaded, or cases of children.

"It's especially when I accompany the parents and bring them to see their child. It's all the time. We have our jaw so tight that we have the impression that the teeth will break us in the mouth, "said the man, who is exhibiting at the Montreal Death Show, which continues until Sunday at the Palais. congresses.

Pierre-Maxime Fugère has been working in the field since he was 14 years old and a traumatic situation at that time is at the origin of his company, PMFX Services.

Teenager

A teenager from his school had taken his life with a gun. Pierre-Maxime Fugère was standing at the foot of the coffin when the father of the deceased demanded to see his son. The thanatologist did not want to open the coffin, but the father said that since he had paid, he wanted to see his son.

"He looked at me and told me to open the coffin," he said.

The remains were in such a state of disrepair that the father became out of him.

"I was 14 years old and I saw his father go through a hysterical crisis. I left and cried in the bathroom. It was too intense, "he shared.

A year later, day by day, the father would die in the same circumstances as his son. This time, the family had chosen an urn.

"In my heart, I told myself that I was going to embark on the funerary field to change things. That's what I did, "said Pierre-Maxime Fugère.

High-flying

He now charges $ 85 an hour and says there are only two in Canada to offer this type of rebuilding. The man would be able to recover a head that spent two months in the water, through a process of dehydration.

He claims to do about once a month the "high flying" reconstruction.

"Relatives of missing persons often want to find the body to begin their grief, but when they find it, the conditions are not optimal," he said.

A teenage girl from Blainville suffered more than a year of leg pain that neither doctors nor exams could explain, until a surgeon discovered that she was struggling to walk because her bones were twisted.

Catherine Bélanger's disease, aged 16, was invisible. No X-ray could detect the problem. And as her condition worsened, doctor visits multiplied, but neither anti-inflammatory drugs nor physiotherapy could relieve her.

The teenager previously active, could not even reach the second floor of his house, without taking a break between the two levels.

Short of ideas, her doctors sent her to the Shriners Hospital for Children. It is thanks to this consultation with Dr. Mitchell Bernstein, a leader in North America to correct bone deformities, that the mystery has been solved.

Because even though his legs were "perfectly straight" on X-rays, Dr. Bernstein noticed that something was wrong with the teenager's approach.

"His feet were facing out and his knees were spinning on the wrong side," he says.

The femur in the thigh was too inward and the shin in the leg turned too far out.

Bones broken and turned

His shins had to be broken, then a metal fixator was screwed to his leg. For nearly a month, her parents had to turn the stems every day by one or two degrees for the bones to rotate.

The femurs, in the thigh, have meanwhile been detorsadés at once, and then screwed so that they stay in place.

"Ouch!" Says the mother of the teenager, Hélène Carra. It was her first reaction when she knew about the surgeries that were waiting for her daughter.

"It's surprising," she said, "but it was also a great relief, because at last we knew [what she was suffering]."

The young woman did not hesitate a single second when learning the only treatment available to her. Catherine Bélanger admits that she still refused to fear for her future.

"But it was coming ...", she blows.

She had signed up for a trip to Spain next summer. The itinerary includes several days of walking through the Pyrenees Mountains and, to his great relief, all indications are that she will be able to take part.

Catherine Bélanger's limb torsion is very rare, but also under-diagnosed, Dr. Bernstein fears.

In English, this syndrome is called "miserable malalignment" and it begins to be felt only after growth is over. Child, the body manages to compensate, says the expert.

Sensitization

"You can only find a problem if someone is there to see it," says the one who is one of the few orthopedic surgeons specialized in deformities.

Increasingly, medical students are becoming aware of the possibility of twisted bones.

Dr. Bernstein does not rule out that many may have suffered in the past, without knowing it, eventually having to move in a wheelchair.

Without treatment, the twisted bones will cause severe osteoarthritis, which can tear ligaments and lead to hip replacement.

Fortunately, once back in the right direction, the bones do not move.

A French study of more than 60,000 people shows that regular consumption of organic foods reduces the risk of cancer by 25%. The risk reduction would concern postmenopausal breast cancer and lymphoma (lymphatic system cancers). Interesting results but which do not constitute irrefutable proof ...

Summary

This large-scale study is the first to assess the link between regular consumption of organically produced foods and the risk of cancer. It was conducted on 68,946 people in France. The participants were followed from May 2009 to November 2016. They were invited to indicate via a questionnaire the frequency of their consumption of organic products (never, occasionally, often). The questionnaire covered 16 foods.

Pesticides again pointed the finger ...

The analysis of the responses shows that the risk of cancer is reduced by 25% among large consumers of organically labeled foods. "Our work has identified a lower risk associated with high consumption of organic foods, for postmenopausal breast cancer, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) and other lymphomas." This link has not been demonstrated. for other cancers, "says the authors of the study.

During the study, 1340 cancers appeared in the participants: 459 breast cancers, 180 prostate cancers, 135 skin cancers, 99 colorectal cancers, 47 non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, and 15 lymphomas.

Unsurprisingly, the ban on synthetic pesticides in organically labeled foods would explain this reduction in cancer risk. "Organic farming allows for less or no contamination of food by pesticides compared to conventional agricultural foods, but a 2015 study by the International Agency for Research on Cancer recognized the carcinogenic nature of some pesticides, "says the study. The authors of the study pointed out that diet is the main source of pesticide exposure in humans.

Promote organic food to prevent cancer?

Another French study published in early October established a link between domestic exposure of pesticides and increased risk of cancer in children (especially leukemias and brain cancers). Anti-mosquito products and pet treatments (against fleas and ticks) would be involved.

"This study, the results of which need to be confirmed by other studies, shows that the promotion of organically labeled foods to the general public could be a promising strategy for preventing cancer," suggests the researchers.

An additional argument in favor of organic, but not irrefutable proof

Although this is the first study to be carried out on a large cohort, these results must nevertheless be qualified. Some reservations in the study were advanced by the authors and highlighted in a commentary published in the same medical journal. Critics include:

Admittedly, this study constitutes an additional argument in favor of a consumption of organic products but it does not allow, either, to close the debate ...

Other good habits can reduce the risk of cancer: quitting, eating well, reducing alcohol use, and regular physical activity.

"It was hell in the house. The dishes everywhere, the emptying, even my personal hygiene, it was the least possible. All for not getting up. Guillaume has been an internet addict for more than 15 years.

Thanks to a therapy, he managed to get by. The team of the show "J.E." wanted to know how cyberdependence, now recognized as a real pathology, is treated.

In Quebec, nearly one in five teenagers admits to losing control of their internet consumption.

The team of "J.E." has had privileged access to a rehab of the virtual with young people between 12 and 17 years.

The Grand Chemin Center offers an eight-week closed therapy to help teens who can no longer get off their screens.

"J.E." was able to accompany two young people in their journey. Maryann and Alexis indulge without filter and with a great lucidity on their problem of cyberdependence.

"My cell was all my life! It was my best friend, an extension of me. I was never alone if I was on social networks, "says Maryann.

Marianne collected clicks. She was trying to provoke her virtual audience by posting all kinds of pictures of her.

"It could be explicit photos, in order to attract attention to feel less alone and fill the feeling of loneliness. I thought it was the world that I liked, but in fact I do not know them and I will never see them in my life, "adds the teenager.

Maryann's mother felt completely helpless in the face of her daughter's behavior. "When we see our children's eyes on their screens, all day we do not know what to do," says Maryann's mom.

The therapy offered by the Center le Grand Chemin focuses on the return of healthy lifestyle habits. "Young people must find a routine, a social life, set goals," says Annie Marcotte, coordinator center Le Grand Chemin.

"Going back to school, too, is important. Sharing life experiences among young people is also important, "says Marcotte.

Alexis has experienced bullying at the elementary level. Video games allowed him to escape and even feel stronger.

"It's like you're forgetting all around you. I did not spend more time with my family. My brother ended up telling me that it's as if I was dead for him, "says Alexis.

"When you're dependent on something, it's so hard to let go of it. It's like being told, "I'm going to cut off your arm and you have to live with it!" It's like cutting off a part of me. Even if it's just electronic, it does not matter. For me it's still an illness, it's like alcoholism or drug addiction, but it's more recent, "adds Alexis.

Teenagers with cyber addiction can spend 40 to 60 hours a week there.

"It must involve an obsession, a compulsion and consequences also on the rest of life, school, friends, less contact with the real world," says Magali Dufour, first researcher in Quebec to have painted a portrait of the situation among young people in Quebec.

"The use of digital technology stimulates the production of dopamine, a euphoric hormone, and that is what Internet addicts are looking for more and more," she says.

LONDON, Oct. 23  -- Auctioneer Christie's announced an online sale of 22 items from the late physicist Stephen Hawking on Monday.

The auction will include some of Hawking's complex scientific papers, one of his iconic wheelchairs and a script from the famous TV comedy show "The Simpsons."

The scientific papers, including one of five existing copies of Hawking's Ph.D. thesis in 1965 with an estimated price of 100,000 to 150,000 pounds (about 130,000 to 195,000 U.S. dollars), "trace the development of his thought-this brilliant, electrifying intelligence," said Thomas Venning, head of books and manuscripts at Christie's.

Venning said the Ph.D. thesis, signed by Hawking in handwriting made shaky by his illness, is both a key document in the physicist's scientific evolution and a glimpse into his personal story.

One of Hawking's high-tech wheelchairs will also be listed for sale, at a value of 10,000 to 15,000 pounds. Proceeds from the wheelchair will be donated to charities.

The sale will give "admirers of his work the chance to acquire a memento of our father's extraordinary life in the shape of a small selection of evocative and fascinating items," said Hawking's daughter Lucy.

As a part of a science sale including papers by Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin and Albert Einstein, the Hawking auction will open for bids on Oct. 31.

Hurricane Willa, heading north-west of Mexico from the Pacific, lost some strength late Monday on the way to Saffir-Simpson 4, but remains "extremely dangerous" , according to the American Hurricane Center (NHC).

At 8 pm, the hurricane was about 160 kilometers from the coast of Mexico and gusts of wind could reach 240 km / h.

The hurricane was rated a few hours earlier in category 5 - the highest on the Saffir-Simpson scale - before losing some of its power.

"Willa is an extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane," warned the US Meteorological Institute.

Willa, who was traveling at a speed of 13 km / h, should accelerate to reach the Mexican coast "in the afternoon or night of Tuesday," he added.

In the coastal areas of the three states of Sinaloa, Jalisco and Nayarit, schools were closed Monday and prevention messages were sent to the population.

The governor of Jalisco, Aristoteles Sandoval, ordered the evacuation of the hotels of the seaside resort of Puerto Vallarta, very appreciated notably of the North American tourists. The hurricane could be "very destructive," warned Sandoval.

"We have already prepared food and shelter, local and national emergency services are being prepared," he added.

In Mazatlan, beachfront hotels were almost empty on Monday, and staff were busy protecting the facilities with sandbags and wood panels.

The restorers of the beach and the fishermen set their equipment before the arrival of powerful gusts of wind, while a young man took advantage of the swell to ride the waves.

In the state of Michoacan, heavy rains caused the derailment of a freight train in the town of La Goleta, causing two injuries, according to the authorities.

Mexican authorities were also monitoring the progress of tropical storm Vicente. On Monday, she was 280 km south of Acapulco, in Guerrero State, and is also expected to hit the coast on Tuesday.

In September, at least 15 people died in flash floods related to heavy rains in the states of Sinaloa and Michoacan.

Last week, 11 people died in Oaxaca, including seven children, due to inclement weather.

The PlayStation 4 is targeted by a wave of malicious messages that has affected several users, according to reports from the specialized site Engadget. And the solution, it does not like the players.

Several users have received messages on the PlayStation Network (PSN) with shady characters that would derail their console. The best way to get by when touched? Reset the PlayStation to the default settings; the factory settings.

It was on Reddit that unlucky users initially gave details of the situation, also sharing screenshots. It is strongly advised to completely disable the messaging system, but, as the Gamejunkiey user indicates, a simple friend request containing the malicious message could cause the same problems.

This means that the mere receipt of the malicious message in question - without even being opened by the user - is enough to affect the operation of the console.

Sony has still not announced anything about it, but the company that produces the PS4 may launch an update to fix this problem soon.

At what time of the year is it recommended to get a flu shot? Can we still be vaccinated late in the season? Why redo the vaccine every year? Are we all concerned with influenza vaccination? Explanations and recommendations.

Summary

The vaccine against the flu: the vaccination calendar

Low temperatures, low humidity ... These are the weather conditions conducive to the circulation of viruses! In the Northern Hemisphere, the seasonal flu epidemic occurs in the fall and generally continues until the end of winter. To counter it, the influenza vaccination campaign starts in October and lasts four months. This vaccination schedule aims to anticipate the viral peak usually reached in January.

The health authorities recommend that the population be vaccinated each year, and at the earliest ... Preferably from mid-October or during the month of November.

For latecomers, it is still possible to get vaccinated against this virus late in the season. However, be aware that once the vaccine is administered, it will take a fortnight before the antibodies can take effect.

Why an annual vaccination?

Six to 9 months ... This is the length of time the antibodies will persist in your body. After this period, you will no longer be protected against the flu. This is the first reason why it is essential to renew this vaccine every year.

The second? New viral strains enter circulation each year. Seasonal influenza outbreaks are caused by viruses of type A and B, in constant mutation. The flu vaccine contains three or even four viral strains. These type A and B strains are selected each year by a group of scientific experts, depending on the viruses circulating in the year in question. The composition of the influenza vaccine varies from one year to the next.

What is the composition of the 2018-2019 flu vaccine?

This new trivalent vaccine distributed in the Northern Hemisphere will consist of three strains, including two strains of type A virus: a first H1N1 collected in 2015 in Michigan and already included in the composition of the vaccine version 2017-2018, and a second H3N taken in Singapore in 2016.

Regarding the strain of type B virus, scientists selected a virus collected in 2017 in Colorado.

Finally, an additional viral strain, type B will enter the composition of quadrivalent influenza vaccines (consisting of four strains, ed). This is a type B virus, collected in 2013 in Phuket, Thailand.

Who is affected by vaccination?

In France, every year, more than 2.5 million people are affected by this viral infection. An infection most often benign which is cured in a few days. The prescription is succinct: rest, rehydration and taking antipyretics in case of fever.

And yet, the flu is responsible each year for a large number of medical complications that can lead to death. In France, the 2016-2017 influenza epidemic has led to more than 1,500 resuscitation hospitalizations and nearly 14,400 deaths. Among the subjects most exposed to medical complications: people aged 65 and over, pregnant women, children under 5, obese individuals, those suffering from certain chronic diseases ...

Health authorities count nearly 12 million medically vulnerable French people because of a weakened immune system. In these individuals, the use of influenza vaccine is strongly recommended. To facilitate access to this preventive vaccination, they will receive at home a voucher for taking care of the vaccine by the Health Insurance.

As part of an experiment in force in certain regions of France, it is now possible to get vaccinated directly by its pharmacist. A device that remains reserved for people "at risk", with the exception of pregnant women.

Health authorities also insist on the high risk of transmission of the virus by air, in case of coughing or sneezing in particular. Thus, the flu vaccine remains recommended for people in regular contact with individuals at risk of complications. It is the same for health professionals.