Mbata, Central African Republic (AFP) April 6, 2023 “We are just living with the last remaining trees,” Eugene Omokomi said sadly, scanning a broad sweep of his tropical forest home that has been devastated by industrial logging and illegal woodcutters. Since he was a child, the 55-year-old Aka pygmy has lived in the Mbata forest, in a community around 110 kilometres (65 miles) from Bangui, … Continue reading Forest plundering threatens Aka pygmies of Central Africa

Paris (AFP) April 7, 2023 From Covid-19 to monkey pox, Mers, Ebola, avian flu, Zika and HIV, diseases transmitted from animals to humans have multiplied in recent years, raising fears of new pandemics. – What’s a zoonosis? – A zoonosis (plural zoonoses) is a disease or infection transmitted from vertebrate animals to people, and vice versa. The pathogens involved can be bacteria, viruses or parasites. … Continue reading Why are animal-to-human diseases on the rise?

Boston MA (SPX) Mar 21, 2023 When a family of five-ton elephants stomps and chomps its way through your crops, there’s only one winner. And in the central African nation of Gabon, farmers are getting fed up with the giant animals trampling their fields-and their livelihoods. In conservation terms, Gabon is a success story-protected areas and tough anti-poaching measures have allowed the numbers of critically … Continue reading How do we make farming better for the planet? Ask women

Beijing, China (SPX) Mar 21, 2023 Global fires have widespread impacts on global carbon cycle and atmospheric environment with immediate direct carbon emissions. Fire carbon emission has substantial spatiotemporal variabilities and contributes significantly to the dynamics of global CO2 distributions and variances. Quantifying the impacts of fire carbon emissions on atmospheric CO2 concentrations is the basis for clarifying thehttp://dlvr.it/SlCxbB Continue reading Global fire carbon emissions contribute to increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations

Quito (AFP) March 19, 2023 The death toll after a 6.5 magnitude earthquake in Ecuador and Peru, has risen to 15, authorities said Sunday. Saturday’s quake, whose epicenter was in the Ecuadoran municipality of Balao, near the border with Peru, left 14 dead in the southwestern provinces of El Oro and Azuay. On the Peruvian side of the border, a four-year-old girl died after being … Continue reading Ecuador, Peru quake victim death toll rises to 15

Glasgow, Scotland (SPX) Mar 14, 2023 New research suggests that around 0.5% of global carbon emissions could be captured during the normal crushing process of rocks commonly used in construction, by crushing them in CO2 gas. The paper ‘Mechanochemical processing of silicate rocks to trap CO2’ published in Nature Sustainability says that almost no additional energy would be required to trap the CO2. 0.5% of … Continue reading New process could capture carbon dioxide equivalent to forest the size of Germany

Tripoli (AFP) March 15, 2023 Youssef Jira, a fresh-faced 18-year-old in a hoodie, has big ambitions in a Libyan society where youthful creativity has long been sacrificed to dictatorship and violence. He wants to encourage other young people to use hi-tech to help modernise the divided and conflict-scarred country. Jira, with a bandana around his head, is one of a group of young tech fanatics … Continue reading In troubled Libya, young robotics fans see hope in hi-tech

Tucson AZ (SPX) Mar 19, 2023 A detailed “body scan” of Malaspina Glacier, one of Alaska’s most iconic glaciers, revealed that its bulk lies below sea level and is undercut by channels that may allow ocean water to gain access, should its coastal barrier erode. This makes the glacier more vulnerable to seawater intrusion than previously thought and may cause it to retreat faster than … Continue reading 3D radar scan provides clues about threats to iconic Alaskan glacier

Sarasota, United States (AFP) March 19, 2023 With its brilliant sun, white sand and turquoise water, Lido Key Beach would make for a perfect postcard of Florida beaches if it weren’t for the dozens of dead fish lying on the shore, killed by a toxic algae bloom known as red tide. The bloom usually hits Florida’s Gulf Coast in the summer, but this year it … Continue reading Unwanted visitor ruins spring break in Florida – toxic algae

Cuenca, Ecuador (AFP) March 19, 2023 At least 14 people were killed, several were wounded and buildings were damaged in a powerful earthquake that shook Peru and Ecuador Saturday, authorities said. Destroyed buildings, crushed vehicles and debris could be seen in cities such as Machala and Cuenca in Ecuador, as rescue officials rushed to lend aid and panicked residents ran into the streets. The quake, … Continue reading At least 14 killed as strong quake jolts Ecuador and Peru