Always a drag: It may be the Summer of Space in the United States, but it is looking increasingly unlikely that America will be able to send humans back to the moon within the four and a half year deadline set by President Donald Trump. At this point, just about everything is lacking. A lunar lander. A rocket designed to enter deep space. A feasible plan. Looming large among obstacles — American politicians. “Then there is Congress,” Nature says. “Which controls NASA’s budget and seems increasingly uninterested in paying for the Moon mission.” https://go.nature.com/2xHDovr
At they get it: Over a million people are set to be vaccinated against cholera in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is the second phase of the largest oral vaccination campaign undertaken in history. This second dose is expected to confer “lasting immunity against cholera, and is being targeted at 1 235 972 people over 1 year of age.” http://bit.ly/2S42U7q
A healthy Hajj: With the annual pilgrimage to Mecca for the Hajj just around the corner, the European Centers for Disease Control has issued its risk assessment for people planning to attend. According to the ECDC, the risk of “citizens to become infected with communicable diseases during the 2019 hajj is considered low, thanks to the vaccination requirements for travelling to Makkah (Mecca).” The report goes on to suggest health precautions to be taken while in Saudi Arabia. http://bit.ly/2xDrX8b
AMR on the road: As we’ve established previously, international travelers transport more than their luggage and tacky souvenirs when they shuttle between countries. A new study reinforces this notion by pointing out that their microbiomes carry bacterial stowaways as well. Those unwanted passengers are also carrying antibiotic resistance genes. http://bit.ly/2XgPZVT
Not horsing around: The remains of a Neanderthal era horse was discovered in Iran. According to senior archaeologist Hamed Vahdatinasab, the animal remains dates back 45,000 years. The joint Iranian-French exploration team also found evidence that suggests the horse was hunted by Neanderthals. http://bit.ly/2xFq8aD
IMAGE SOURCE: Creative Commons
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