It was a rough weekend for climate change concerns. Efforts to curb fossil fuel use at the United Nations climate summit in Poland took some serious lumps when the Trump Administration continued its petulant denial of the scientific consensus on the role modern energy sources play. In this case, the differing views came down to semantics. The United States joined Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait in calling for a U.N. report released by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to be “noted” and not “welcomed.” Had the parties “welcomed” the report critical of fossil fuels, some of its findings would be accepted as suggestions for future policy. http://bit.ly/2Ux5yU2
China’s Offline-Online medical service WeDoctor is attempting to address the shortage of doctors and medical resources in remote areas through digital technology. The parent company, WeDoctor Group China, is founded my Jerry Liao. The platform provides online and offline services like follow up consultations and drug prescriptions using Big Data, AI, and virtual appointments. The platform connects with more than 2700 hospitals, 260,000 doctors, and more than 20,000 pharmacies through the cloud hospital information systems (HIS). http://bit.ly/2UAMNz0
There are storm clouds over the generic pharmaceutical industry. Officials in multiple states are accusing them of conducting illegal price-fixing schemes of massive proportion. What started out as an antitrust lawsuit against two drugs in 2016 has exploded into a massive investigation involving at least 16 pharmaceutical companies and 300 drugs. Word on the street has it the generic industry is rattled. https://wapo.st/2UzVpG8
Museums around the world are hoping to create a “global digital library.” Museums such as London’s Natural History Museum and the Smithsonian in Washington DC have taken the lead in digitizing the treasure trove of specimens they possess but are difficult to access. The Smithsonian alone has over 40 million fossil samples. They estimate that it will take roughly 50 years to digitize all of them.https://bbc.in/2UEBhD4
The future is now. Eindhoven University plans to construct five 3D-printed houses in a new residential district of Bosriijk. Project Milestone, as it is called, was first announced during Dutch Design Week in 2016. http://bit.ly/2UAMVhY
IMAGE SOURCE: Creative Commons
The Scientific Inquirer needs your support. Please visit our Patreon page and discover ways that you can make a difference. http://bit.ly/2jjiagi