San Diego, California - The San Diego Zoo’s giant panda conservation program was awarded a first-of-its-kind certificate of appreciation from the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda (CCRCGP), for “significant contribution to giant panda conservation.” The San Diego Zoo is the first U.S. based conservation organization to receive this honor.

Gaithersburg, Maryland - “In experimental fire research, some of the most compelling data you can get is the visual data from video and photography,” says Matt Hoehler, a research structural engineer at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg, Maryland. “So we’re always trying to get closer to the fire.”

Washington, DC - Following a public comment period, the Federal Trade Commission has approved a final order settling charges that the acquisition by Tronox Limited of competitor Cristal would violate the antitrust laws by significantly reducing competition for chloride process titanium dioxide in the United States and Canada.

Dallas, Texas - Drinking 32 ounces of an energy drink in a short timespan may increase blood pressure and the risk of electrical disturbances in the heart, which affect heart rhythm, according to a small study published in Journal of the American Heart Association, the Open Access Journal of the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.

West Lafayette, Indiana - New platforms like home- and  ride-sharing services often are praised for leveling the playing field, cutting out the middle man and boosting the economy.

Dallas, Texas - With a better understanding of how various heart conditions are inherited, and the availability of faster and less expensive genetic testing, there is need for more specialized multidisciplinary clinical programs that combine focused expertise in heart disease and genetics, according to a new statement from the American Heart Association, the world’s leading voluntary organization focused on heart and brain health. The statement is published in the Association’s journal Circulation: Genomic and Precision Medicine.