2024 Disasters in Numbers
<p>In 2024, the Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT) recorded 393 natural hazard-related disasters. These events caused 16,753 fatalities and affected 167.2 million people. Economic losses totaled US$241.95
United States Of America (US)
-
High power batteries
THE GAS-guzzlers of today may speed their way to extinction as the electric car of the future changes to fourth gear. USA's Advanced Battery Consortium -- formed by Ford, Chrysler and General
-
No fracture hormone
A RECENT study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine has established that women with osteoporosis suffered fewer fractures after treatment with estrogen. Osteoporosis is a potentially
-
Global warming causes extinction of species
Scientists warn a rise in temperature will reduce the habitable area in North America's mountains and cause a reduction in the number of mammal species.
-
Thriving on fat
A FAT-RICH diet, widely believed to be unhealthy, acts as an elixir for the Japanese, the world's longest-living people, claim old-age researchers. Before World War II, the lifespan of the
-
Heady music
HEAVY metal music buffs who are compulsive hand-bangers need beware because jerking the head to the beat could cause severe injury to their necks (New Scientist, Vol 139, No 1887). Marilyn
-
Dip and confim
A NEW rapid dipstick method to detect the presence of the malarial parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, could prove a boon to diagnosticians. The test, which has a sensitivity as high as 95 to 100 per
-
Bacterial flesh eaters
A carnivorous pack of bacteria has struck terror in parts of the US and Europe. Known as group A streptococcus, the bacteria, say researchers, can cause a fatal drop in blood pressure, toxic shock
-
Work outs that work
Medical researchers in the US now insist that previous regimens, prescribing heavy exercise for women, are actually harmful
-
Science shatters myth
Lightening never strikes in the same place twice, says a popular myth. But the scientists believe otherwise. They say lightening strikes actually depend on vegetation. D Dissing and David Verbyla,
-
Lethal consumption
Benzene eating microorganisms isolated