repaired | Common News Update

Nov52018 by adminNo Comments

Ozone hole above Antarctica could be repaired by 2060

Technology

Amid all the bad news about the environment there is one chink of light - the Earth's ozone layer is healing, scientists say. And the good news includes the huge hole above Antarctica, which is expected to completely vanish by the 2060s.According to a UN report, the upper layer of ozone over the northern hemisphere will be repaired by 2030, and the damage over the southern hemisphere will be back to normal by the middle of the century.The ozone layer's increasing health has been put down to the 1987 Montreal Protocol - an international treaty banning ozone-depleting chemicals, including chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), alongside new technology. Image: The banning of CFCs has helped to repair the ozone hole above Antarctica ...

Two unborn babies' spines repaired in womb in UK surgery first

Health

Two unborn babies have had their spines repaired by surgeons - weeks before they were born.The operations - which are the first ever of their kind in the UK - were carried out by a team of 30 doctors at University College Hospital in London.The babies had spina bifida, a condition when the spinal cord fails to develop properly and has a gap in it.It is usually treated after birth, but the earlier it is repaired the better for long-term health and mobility.During the 90-minute surgery carried out this summer, doctors cut an opening in the womb and then stitched together the baby's gap in the spine.The procedure is risky and can cause premature labour, but researchers are exploring less invasive keyhole methods."We put the mum on some drugs that help relax ...

Damage to pipeline that spilled oil last week in Texas repaired

Business

July 17 (UPI) -- Repairs to a pipeline that ruptured last week in Texas and spilled 1,200 barrels of oil have been completed and the line is back in service, the operator said.A handful of homes were evacuated Thursday after the release from the Longhorn pipeline system, operated by Magellan Midstream Partners. The company said a contractor working on the pipeline struck a fitting during routine maintenance activities, causing the spill."The release, which occurred on the morning of July 13th, was not a pipeline rupture," the company explained in an emailed statement. "It is clear that the release was caused by a contractor striking a below ground fitting on Magellan's Longhorn Pipeline with construction equipment."In an emailed update, the company said repairs were completed and the line ...