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Issam AHMED
For Issam AHMED's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
SpaceX's next-generation Starship spacecraft, atop its powerful Super Heavy rocket, lifts off on its third launch from the company's Boca Chica launchpad on an uncrewed test flight, near Brownsville, Texas, on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 15, 2024
SpaceX rocket makes successful test flight but is lost in descent
SpaceX's prior attempts have ended in spectacular explosions — but the company says this is an acceptable cost in its rapid trial-and-error approach.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from launchpad SLC-40 at the Kennedy Space Center on NASA's PACE mission in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Feb. 8.
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Feb 13, 2024
Apollo to Artemis: Why America is betting big on private space
While it has seen some successes, the move could put the U.S. at risk of falling behind its principal space rival, China, in achieving major milestones.
Members of the media take pictures of the ULA's new rocket Vulcan Centaur, which is set to make its maiden flight Monday with a payload that includes a private lunar lander, as well as the cremated remains of several people associated with the original "Star Trek" series, including creator Gene Rodenberry and cast member Nichelle Nichols, who portrayed the character Uhura.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 8, 2024
Private industry leads America's first moon landing since Apollo
A soft landing on the moon has only been accomplished by few national space agencies
Scientists announced on Wednesday that they have identified genetic variations associated with human bisexual behavior.
WORLD / Science & Health
Jan 4, 2024
Scientists discover genetic underpinnings of bisexuality
Data has revealed the proportion of people reporting both bisexual and homosexual behavior has been rising for decades.
Climate activists protest against fossil fuels at the COP28 conference in Dubai on Tuesday.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Dec 14, 2023
'Many will die': Climate scientists slam COP28's limited ambition
Last-minute compromises on wording described as 'devastating' and a 'death knell' for averting the worst impacts of long term planetary heating.
With a year left until the 2024 presidential election, Arab and Muslim American support for U.S. President Joe Biden threatens to plummet over his Middle East policy — a factor that could even swing certain states.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 3, 2023
Muslim anguish over Gaza holds electoral risks for Biden
While Muslims account for a small fraction of the U.S. population, the election could swing on votes in a few close races.
This undated handout photo provided by the Michigan Technological University shows a M93, "Old Gray Guy," the larger and lighter colored wolf in the front and center.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife
Sep 1, 2023
How a lone 'immigrant' wolf revived a forest ecosystem
By the 1980s, the wolves were in trouble due to the arrival of canine parvovirus which drove their numbers down from a high of 50 to around 12.
Flames reach upward along the edge of a wildfire near Mistissini, Quebec, in June.
ENVIRONMENT
Aug 23, 2023
As wildfires multiply, a new era of air pollution
The average American had already been exposed to 450 micrograms of smoke per cubic meter by early July, worse than from 2006-2022.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Jun 29, 2023
Living near green space makes you biologically 2.5 years younger, study shows
Exposure to green spaces has previously been linked with better cardiovascular health and lower rates of mortality.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jun 22, 2023
U.S. grants first ever approvals for sale of lab-grown chicken as food
With the move, the U.S. becomes only the second country to allow meat grown in a laboratory to be offered to consumers.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jun 21, 2023
Washington recruits dogs and cats in war on rodents
There were nearly 13,400 calls to a city hotline for rat issues in 2022, up around 2,000 on the year before, according to local media reports. Now, some residents are fighting back.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Jun 3, 2023
Breast cancer drug shown to reduce recurrence risk
Even when the disease is caught early, breast cancer recurrence is relatively common — and for survivors, the prospect can be daunting.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 20, 2022
How Chinese diplomacy helped seal historic COP15 biodiversity deal
Beijing, which held the presidency of the talks, at first appeared to have a hands-off approach.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Oct 15, 2022
Brain cells in dish learn to play video game
Neuroscientists have shown that lab-grown brain cells can learn to play the classic video game Pong, and could be capable of 'intelligent and sentient behavior.'
Japan Times
WORLD
Sep 26, 2022
Why some climate activists are calling for reparations
Pakistan's floods have led to renewed calls for rich polluting nations, which grew their economies through heavy use of fossil fuels, to compensate developing countries.

Longform

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