Daily Archives: April 15, 2020

Renowned Sculptor Who Created Vietnam Women’s Memorial Dies

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Renowned sculptor and painter Glenna Goodacre, who created the Vietnam Women’s Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C, has died at age 80.Family members say Goodacre died of natural causes Monday night at her Santa Fe home. Born in Lubbock, Texas, Goodacre was known mainly for her sculptures. Her work included the Irish Memorial in Philadelphia and the Sacagawea Dollar Coin. She is survived by her husband, two children and five grandchildren. Funeral plans weren’t immediately available.     News of her death was posted to the Instagram  page …

NASA Scientists Operate Mars Rover From Home 

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Like so many other workers around the world affected by a COVID-19 lockdown, the team of scientists that operates the U.S. space agency (NASA) probe Curiosity — currently on the surface of Mars — has been forced to do its work from home. Since March 20, the team, normally based at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in southern California, has been forced to direct the rover while working separately from their homes. Programming each sequence of actions for the rover may involve 20 or so people developing and testing commands in one place while chatting with …

In the Times of COVID-19, It’s Robots to the Rescue

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When COVID-19 hit Washington, D.C., and health officials said people had to stay 2 meters apart, Broad Branch Market owner Tracy Stannard knew it meant an end to business as usual.Customers had been packing the store to stock up.”We realized that it was getting a little too risky to have so many people in the market,” Stannard said. “We wanted to keep people outside.”But she also wanted to keep selling groceries.So she turned to Starship Technologies’ delivery robots.”The bots seemed like a great option,” she said.At a time when human …

Germany Offers to Help Rebuild Fire-Damaged Notre Dame 

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Germany is offering to help rebuild parts of Notre Dame in Paris, a year after the famous cathedral was heavily damaged by fire. Officials suggested Wednesday that German craftsmen could remake some of the large clerestory windows located far above eye level and designed to let light and air into the cathedral. The German government said three glass-makers that conduct restoration work for cathedrals in Germany could offer “great expertise” to their French colleagues. Germany’s minister for culture, Monika Gruetters, said her country would shoulder the costs.   …

Asia Today: Japan Sees More COVID Patients And Dire Projection

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About 850,000 people could be seriously sickened by the coronavirus in Japan and almost half of them could die if no social distancing or other measures are followed, according to a government-commissioned estimate released Wednesday. Japan has the world’s oldest population, and the virus can be especially dangerous for the elderly. And there are concerns that Japan’s government has done too little to stave off high numbers of badly ill patients.   Japan’s current state of emergency is voluntary and doesn’t compensate workers for lost earnings. Japanese companies also have …

COVID-19 Could Be Robots’ Time to Shine

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At a time when human contact is considered a health hazard, robots may be more useful than ever. From helping with the shopping to keeping healthcare workers safe, the COVID-19 pandemic could be the moment for robots to shine. VOA’s Steve Baragona has more. …

Poll: Virus Spurs ASEAN Consensus Against Animal Trafficking

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More than nine out of 10 people in Southeast Asia want the state to end wildlife trafficking, according to a new poll from the World Wildlife Fund that shows unprecedented consensus after COVID-19 spread from animals to humans.    WWF International said that 93% of people polled in the region would like “action by their governments to eliminate illegal and unregulated wildlife markets,” which the organization said is the second biggest threat to global biodiversity, after habitat destruction.    Although COVID-19 is believed to have broken out at a meat …