Science & Technology

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — German automaker Volkswagen said Tuesday it plans to ramp up its production of electric vehicles over the next ten years to 22 million and reduce its carbon footprint over vehicle life cycles by 30 percent.

Previously, the company said it would aim for 15 million. That was ambitious in itself given that it made fewer than 50,000 battery-only vehicles last year.

The company is pivoting to electric vehicles as it seeks to comply with new limits on carbon dioxide emissions in Europe, and a push by China for more low-emission vehicles.

11 Mar 2019; DW: Boeing's new passenger aircraft has crashed twice within the space of a few months, raising a number of safety questions. So far, the 737 has been the backbone of many fleets globally.

JERUSALEM, March 11 (Xinhua) -- Mellanox Technologies, an Israel-based chip maker, said on Monday that U.S. computer giant Nvidia Corporation agreed to buy it for about 6.9 billion U.S. dollars in cash.

"Nvidia and Mellanox today announced that the companies have reached a definitive agreement under which Nvidia will acquire Mellanox," Mellanox said in a statement.

Paris, Mar 11 (AFP) Crude production is set to continue expanding in the United States thanks to shale oil, with the country becoming a net exporter from 2021, a development which should reinforce global energy security, the IEA said Monday.

"The second wave of the US shale revolution is coming," Fatih Birol, the executive director of the International Energy Agency, said in a statement.

HAIKOU, March 10 (Xinhua) -- China's science ship Tansuo-1 loaded with the manned submersible Shenhai Yongshi (Deep Sea Warrior) returned to its home harbor in Sanya, south China's Hainan Province, on Sunday, after finishing its first expedition in the Indian Ocean.

The manned submersible can reach a depth of 4,500 meters. The 121-day expedition trip organized by the Chinese Academy of Sciences began Nov. 10, 2018. Scientists from 10 Chinese and foreign research institutes were invited to join the deep-sea research trip.

XICHANG, March 10 (Xinhua) -- China has made significant progress in the development of the key technologies of the heavy-lift carrier rocket, the Long March-9, which is expected to make its maiden flight around 2030.

The development of the heavy-lift rocket will greatly improve China's capacity of entering outer space. The Long March-9 rocket will support China's space industry development, utilization of space resources and deep space exploration, said experts from the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology.

New York, AP: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the first immunotherapy drug for breast cancer.

Swiss drugmaker Roche’s Tecentriq was OK’d Friday for treating advanced triple-negative breast cancer, which accounts for about 15 percent of cases. It’s to be given with chemotherapy, the standard treatment.

Mount Sinai breast cancer specialist Dr. Amy Tiersten in New York called it “tremendously exciting news.”

Approved for two other cancers, Tecentriq works by boosting the immune system’s ability to spot and kill cancer cells.

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. regulators on Friday gave the green light to salmon genetically modified to grow about twice as fast as normal, but the company behind it may face legal challenges before the fish can be sold domestically.

09 Mar 2019; AFP: SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean on Friday, completing a NASA demonstration mission that paves the way for the resumption of manned space flights from the US.

After hours of suspense, the Dragon spacecraft touched down at 8:45 am (1345 GMT) some 230 miles (370 kilometers) off the coast of the US state of Florida.

ABOARD XUELONG, March 8 (Xinhua) -- China's icebreaker Xuelong, also known as the Snow Dragon, is on its way back home from its 35th Antarctic research mission.

Crew members have made a series of research advances during the four-month-long journey, such as the completion of new buildings and supporting facilities in research bases, marine species surveys, underwater robot tests, and installation of new radar and solar telescopes.