Dangerous | Common News Update

Aug52020 by adminNo Comments

Beirut blast: What is ammonium nitrate and why is it so dangerous?

If, as seems to be the case, the Beirut explosion was caused by thousands of tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored in a warehouse, the blast demonstrates the deadly potential of this common agricultural chemical. What is ammonium nitrate? With the chemical formula NH4NO3, ammonium nitrate is a naturally occurring, highly soluble white crystalline solid, more commonly known as saltpetre.The largest deposits are found in the Atacama Desert in Chile, from where it was mined. These days almost 100% of the chemical that is used is synthetic, produced by reacting ammonia with nitric acid. ...

May162020 by adminNo Comments

Coronavirus: A third of hospital patients develop dangerous blood clots

Health

Up to 30% of patients who are seriously ill with coronavirus are developing dangerous blood clots, according to medical experts.They say the clots, also known as thrombosis, could be contributing to the number of people dying.Severe inflammation in the lungs - a natural response of the body to the virus - is behind their formation.Patients worldwide are being affected by many medical complications of the virus, some of which can be fatal.Back in March, as coronavirus was spreading across the globe, doctors started seeing far higher rates of clots in patients admitted to hospital than they would normally expect.And there have been other surprises, including the discovery of hundreds of micro-clots in the lungs of some patients.The...

Apr262020 by adminNo Comments

Predator-packed Sahara was most dangerous place on Earth 100M years ago

Science

April 24 (UPI) -- Today, the Sahara is one of the most unforgiving places on Earth. It is hot, barren and host to blinding dust storms. More than 100 million years ago, the Sahara was equally dangerous -- the most dangerous place on the planet, new research suggests -- but for much different reasons. Recent excavations of Cretaceous rock formations in southeastern Morocco have revealed the remains of dozens of ferocious predator species, including flying reptiles and crocodile-like carnivores. The remains belong to portion of the fossil record that paleontologist call the Kem Kem Group. At the beginning of the Late Cretaceous period, 100 million years ago, the Sahara was home to a vast river system, providing habitats for a diversity of terrestrial and aquatic species. As scientists det...

Apr152020 by adminNo Comments

Coronavirus: Trump’s WHO de-funding ‘as dangerous as it sounds’

World

Media playback is unsupported on your device US President Donald Trump has been heavily criticised for halting funding for the World Health Organization (WHO) amid the global coronavirus pandemic.Philanthropist Bill Gates, a major funder of the WHO, said it was "as dangerous as it sounds".President Trump said on Tuesday that the body had "failed in its basic duty" in its response to coronavirus.The head of the WHO said it was reviewing the cuts' impact "to ensure our work continues uninterrupted"."We regret the decision of the President of the United States to order a halt in the funding to the WHO," Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a press conference, adding that the US has been "a long-standing and generous friend... and w...

Dec302019 by adminNo Comments

Iraq says US airstrikes ‘will have dangerous consequences’

World

Iraq condemned the United States on Monday for launching airstrikes against an Iranian-backed militia on its soil and warned the action could damage relations.The country's National Security Council said it would have to reconsider working with the US-led coalition against Islamic State. US, British and other foreign troops are only able to operate in Iraq with the permission of the government. Any review of the relationship could lead to permission being withdrawn.The warning came as US forces in Iraq were on alert for possible reprisal attacks war planes targeted the Kataib Hezbollah militia group on Sunday night in an escalation of tensions.A military officer told the Reuters news agency: "I think they will retaliate." Advertisem...