NEWSWORTHY
Europe and Japan send spacecraft on seven-year journey to Mercury
The European and Japanese space agencies say an Ariane 5 rocket has successfully lifted a spacecraft into orbit for a joint mission to Mercury, the closest planet to the sun.
Panasonic Corp. said Wednesday that it will end production of its mercury lamp products, for use mainly at gymnasiums and factories, at the end of June 2020. The major electronics maker will make the move before the Minamata Convention on Mercury starts to prohibit the ...
Betty Grissom, widow of astronaut Virgil 'Gus' Grissom, dies at 91
Betty Lavonne Grissom, the widow of astronaut Virgil "Gus" Grissom who successfully sued a NASA contractor after his death in the 1967 Apollo launchpad fire, has died. She was 91. Mark Grissom said Wednesday that his mother had been in good health before her death ...
Mercury probes for Japan-Europe space mission to be launched from French Guiana in October
Two probes involved in BepiColombo, the joint mission to Mercury being conducted by Japan and Europe, will be launched from French Guiana in South America aboard an Ariane 5 rocket in October. Mercury, the closest planet to the sun, is 4,880 km (3,026 miles) in ...
Man arrested for lacing former employee's tobacco with mercury over pay dispute
The 36-year-old was arrested on suspicion of trying to kill his acquaintance with heat-not-burn tobacco laced with mercury. The victim was rushed to hospital with headaches, coughing and slurred speech.
An international anti-mercury pollution treaty will now go into force on Aug. 16 as the necessary number of countries have approved it, the secretariat of the pact said Thursday. Romania has joined the Minamata Convention on Mercury, becoming the 50th country to do so and ...
Excessive mercury found in air samples from new wholesale market
Mercury at 5 to 7 times the national standard was found in air samples in the basement of a building at the market built to replace the Tsukiji fish market.
Seminar seeks to shine spotlight on mercury-linked Minamata disease
Victims, researchers and academics will on Saturday gather in Bangkok for a seminar marking the 60th anniversary since the discovery of mercury poisoning malady Minamata disease. To be held at Chulalongkorn University, speakers will include Shinobu Sakamoto, a Kumamoto Prefecture native who contracted Minamata disease, ...
Peru declares jungle emergency over mercury contamination tied to wildcat gold mining
Peru's government declared an emergency across a broad jungle region Monday because of mercury contamination caused by wildcat gold mining. The 60-day decree affects 11 districts in the Madre de Dios region bordering Brazil where studies carried out by Stanford University and others have found ...
Sunday to see Mars, sun line up with Earth smack in the middle
Last week, Mercury stole the show. Now it's Mars' turn. On Sunday morning, Mars, Earth and the sun will line up perfectly in the sky. This once-every-two-years event is called Mars opposition. That's because Mars and the sun will be on opposite sides of Earth. Right ...
Mercury to be black speck as it makes rare transit of sun Monday
Earthlings are in for a treat Monday as Mercury makes a relatively rare transit of the sun. The solar system's smallest, innermost planet will resemble a black round dot as it passes in front of our big, bright star. The last time Mercury crossed directly ...
Sixty years on, justice eludes Minamata residents poisoned with mercury
In the early 1970s, when the country was gripped by student unrest, it was the sight of a sit-in by Minamata disease sufferers outside the headquarters of Chisso Corp. in central Tokyo that gave high schooler Yuta Jitsukawa his cause. The chemicals company had dumped ...
