ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE
Panda fans can tune in to watch the charismatic pair, bringing the wonder of these beloved animals anywhere
The San Diego Zoo launched its giant panda live camera, enabling people around the globe to virtually connect with Xin Bao and Yun Chuan. Viewers can enter their world and marvel as the pandas tumble, climb, explore, nap, and munch on bamboo across their dynamic habitats.
Xin Bao and Yun Chuan have acclimated beautifully to their expansive, bamboo-filled homes and now their playful antics and natural behaviors can be observed from anywhere, offering a unique glimpse into the lives of these charismatic giants. Plus, with the giant panda cam available 24/7, viewers can enjoy a front-row seat to Xin Bao and Yun Chuan’s daily adventures at any time.
Xin Bao, a four-year-old female panda born at Wolong Shenshuping Panda Base, is easily recognized by her large, round face and big ears. She is very active and alert and is an excellent climber. Yun Chuan, a five-year-old male, is the grandson of Bai Yun and Gao Gao, two giant pandas that thrived at the San Diego Zoo for decades. His mother Zhen Zhen was born at the Zoo in 2007. He’s identifiable by his long, slightly pointed nose.
Viewers can head to sandiegozoo.org/pandacam to access the giant panda cam, now live. Guests planning a trip to visit the duo in person at Panda Ridge can find out more information on how to see them at sdzwa.org/giantpandas.
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The Virginia National Guard is helping Florida respond to Hurricane Milton while it winds down its support for victims of Hurricane Helene in Virginia
The Virginia National Guard is helping Florida respond to Hurricane Milton while it winds down its support for victims of Hurricane Helene in Virginia.
The VNG sent a Black Hawk helicopter to Florida and is mustering approximately 225 Soldiers and Airmen to provide engineer, transportation and general support capabilities.
“I really appreciate the great team effort of the Virginia National Guard Joint Staff coordinating with Florida to determine their needs and the capabilities we could provide,” said Brig. Gen. Todd Hubbard, VNG director of the joint staff. “… I know if the situation was reversed, we could count on Florida or other states to come and help us out in Virginia.”
The VNG also has approximately 10 Soldiers assessing damage to a water pipeline in the Abingdon, Virginia, area. As many as 40 Soldiers were on duty in the area, providing high-mobility transport, clearing debris with chainsaws and distributing food and water.
The VNG is supporting Florida with capabilities requested through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact.
A VNG Black Hawk helicopter crew and members of the Chesterfield County Fire and Emergency Medical Services Scuba Rescue Team deployed Oct. 8 from Sandston and arrived in Florida to provide rescue hoist capabilities.
The Virginia Army National Guard…
Army Reserve engineers support Helene emergency efforts
Hurricane Helene made landfall along Florida’s coastal bend as a powerful Category 4 storm before weakening to a tropical storm and continuing northward into Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee. The storm brought severe flooding, strong winds, and widespread power outages, leaving many communities in dire need of assistance.
The 357th Engineer Company, an U.S. Army Reserve unit based in Asheville, North Carolina, played a crucial role in the recovery, clearing roads, removing debris, and helping to restore critical infrastructure. Their efforts included using bulldozers to push aside fallen trees and broken asphalt and transporting quarry rocks to stabilize damaged roads and foundations.
The 357th Engineer Company responded after a call for assistance from Yancey County, where the Sheriff’s Department requested engineer support. In response, the Army Reserve engineers sprang into action.
“Our first priority was making sure we had full accountability of our Soldiers,” explained Staff Sgt. Parker Kessel, the senior noncommissioned officer on the ground in Yancey County. “The storm caused major disruptions, including a loss of cell service and blocked roads, but we ensured everyone in our unit was accounted for.”
“Once we gained accountability, we were on-site within two hours,” said Kessel. After communication was re-established, the unit began holding…
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By Steve Arnett / Newsdesk StaffOn behalf of the Honda family of companies in the U.S., Honda is donating $500,000 in needed disaster relief funds to the American Red Cross to support those impacted by Hurricane Helene. The donation will enable the American Red Cross to respond to and help people recover from this disaster across the affected region, which is home to Honda manufacturing operations and its associates. North Carolina-based Honda Aircraft is providing HondaJet to transport humanitarian relief aid to the hard-hit areas of the region.
In addition to the corporate disaster recovery donation, Honda and Acura Financial Services are offering payment extensions and lease deferrals to customers impacted by the natural disaster.
Honda is also offering its associates an opportunity to join the hurricane relief effort through its matching fund and volunteer programs. Honda will match eligible donations on a dollar-for-dollar basis, up to a maximum of $1,000. Additionally, the company will provide up to $200 in grants to eligible organizations when associates volunteer.
Honda started operations in the United States with American Honda Motor Co., Inc. in 1959. Today, Honda employs over 30,000 associates in America engaged in the development, manufacturing, sales and service support of Honda and Acura automobiles, Honda power equipment, Honda powersports products and the HondaJet advanced light jet.
Based on its longstanding commitment to build products close to the customer, Honda operates 12 major U.S. manufacturing facilities, working with 620 U.S. suppliers to produce a diverse range of Honda products using domestic and globally sourced parts. Honda has built automobiles in America for over 40…
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UC Riverside-led team developed the tool through an international virtual research group
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Most recently, the team applied this new computational tool to analyze pollutants in seawater in Southern California. The team swiftly captured the chemical profiles of coastal environments and highlighted potential sources of pollution.
“We are interested in understanding how such pollutants get introduced in the ecosystem,” said Daniel Petras, an assistant professor of biochemistry at UC Riverside, who led the research team. “Figuring out which molecules in the ocean are important for environmental health is not straightforward because of the ocean’s sheer chemical diversity. The protocol we developed greatly speeds up this process. More efficient sorting of the data means we can understand problems related to ocean pollution faster.”
Petras and his colleagues report today in the journal Nature Protocols that their protocol is designed not only for experienced researchers but also for educational purposes, making it an ideal resource for students and early-career scientists. This computational workflow is accompanied by an accessible web application with a graphical user interface that makes…
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