Friday, May 26, 2006 Australian Minister for Education, Science and Training, Julie Bishop visited the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation in Lucas Heights, New South Wales today. The purpose of her visit was to inspect progress on Australia’s newest nuclear research reactor – OPAL. Whilst at the facility, she received a report on the…
On the campaign trail in the USA, June 2016
Sunday, July 17, 2016 The following is the second edition of a monthly series chronicling the U.S. 2016 presidential election. It features original material compiled throughout the previous month after an overview of the month’s biggest stories. In this month’s edition on the campaign trail: the effect of the Brexit vote on the US presidential…
Manitoba’s flood creating hazardous conditions
Tuesday, April 14, 2009 The Red River at Winnipeg is almost clear of ice blocks and ice jamming, however there are still dangers from the Red River flood. Ice blocks which were as high as two storey buildings were ripping out trees, fences and railway ties. “You’ll see huge pans of ice standing vertical, up…
Seeds placed in Norwegian vault as agricultural ‘insurance policy’
Wednesday, February 27, 2008 The Svalbard Global Seed Vault, a vault containing millions of seeds from all over the world, saw its first deposits on Tuesday. Located 800 kilometers from the North Pole on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen, the vault has been referred to by European Commission president José Manuel Barroso as a “frozen…
Ethics debate surrounds surgery to stunt disabled girl’s growth
Friday, January 5, 2007 An ethical controversy has surged in the United States and elsewhere around nine-year-old Ashley X (her family name has not been released). The disabled girl was operated upon at the request of her parents, to prevent her from growing, menstruating and developing breasts. The parents, who wish to remain anonymous, explain…
Wikinews’ overview of the year 2008
Wednesday, December 31, 2008 Also try the 2008 World News Quiz of the year. What would you tell your grandchildren about 2008 if they asked you about it in, let’s say, 20 years’ time? If the answer to a quiz question was 2008, what would the question be? The year that markets collapsed, or perhaps…
Wikinews interviews Aurélien Miralles about Sirenoscincus mobydick species discovery
Thursday, January 24, 2013 1 2 3 4 A group of researchers published a paper about their discovery of a new species of Madagascar mermaid skink lizards last December. The species is the fourth forelimbs-only terrestrial tetrapods species known to science, and the first one which also has no fingers on the forelimbs. The species…
State Farm Insurance allegedly destroying papers
Tuesday, April 11, 2006 Zach Scruggs, a lawyer for United States Senator Trent Lott, says that State Farm Insurance Company is destroying records related to claims for damage from Hurricane Katrina. The records allegedly contain information saying that State Farm fraudulently denied insurance claims made by its policy holders, including Lott, that had homes there…
Endangered Luzon Buttonquail photographed alive by Philippines documentary
Sunday, February 22, 2009 According to ornithologists, a rare Philippines buttonquail feared to have gone extinct was recently documented alive by a cameraman inadvertently filming a local market, right before it was sold and headed for the cooking pot. Scientists had suspected the species—listed as “data deficient” on the 2008 International Union for Conservation of…
Jindal signs Intelligent Design law
Saturday, June 28, 2008 Louisiana Republican Governor Bobby Jindal signed a controversial bill hailed by intelligent design supporters, such as the Discovery Institute, and Louisiana Family Forum, a creationist group. Critics of the bill, including several major science organizations, say it allows for the teaching of “creationism” in public schools. The law, Louisiana Science Education…