Washington DC (UPI) Apr 21, 2021 Diet and body mass are inextricably linked in vertebrates, but a 66-million-year-old relationship linked to animal evolution and survival is being interrupted by humans, according to new research. Animals that are exclusively herbivores or carnivores are generally much larger in size than omnivores or invertivores – animals that only eat invertebrates – according to the study, publishhttp://dlvr.it/SP336c Continue reading Study: Humans interrupting 66-million-year-old relationship among animals

Sydney (AFP) April 20, 2022 The Solomon Islands signed a security pact with China with its “eyes wide open”, the Pacific nation’s prime minister said Wednesday, despite strong US and Australian opposition to the deal. Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare said it was an “honour and privilege” to tell parliament the agreement had been signed by officials in Honiara and Beijing “a few days ago”. The … Continue reading Solomons signed China security pact ‘with our eyes wide open’: PM

Baghdad (AFP) April 20, 2022 Iraq was hit Wednesday by its third heavy dust storm in two weeks, temporarily grounding flights at Baghdad and Najaf airports, as the weather phenomenon grows increasingly frequent. The air in Baghdad was thick with a heavy sheet of grey and orange dust, while the state news agency INA cited the meteorological office as saying the latest storm was expected … Continue reading Third dust storm in two weeks sweeps through Iraq

Beijing (AFP) April 19, 2022 China said Tuesday it has sealed a wide-ranging security pact with the Solomon Islands, an agreement the United States and its regional allies fear could give Beijing a military foothold in the South Pacific. The confirmation came a day after Washington discouraged a security agreement between the countries, with top US diplomats headed to the South Pacific this week to … Continue reading China says it has signed security pact with Solomon Islands

Long Beach CA (SPX) Apr 20, 2022 Rocket Lab (Nasdaq: RKLB) has been selected by Virginia-based HawkEye 360 to launch three Electron missions for the radio frequency geospatial analytics provider. The first of the three missions is scheduled to be Rocket Lab’s inaugural Electron mission from Launch Complex 2 on Wallops Island, Virginia, ushering in an era of Rocket Lab launches from U.S. soil from … Continue reading Rocket Lab secures multi-launch contract with HawkEye 360

Karbala, Iraq (AFP) April 19, 2022 Envisioned as a lush fortress against worsening desertification and sand storms, the “green belt” of Iraq’s Karbala stands as a wilted failure. Sixteen years after its inception, only a fraction of the 76-kilometre (47-mile) crescent-shaped strip of greenery has materialised, though the years proved a deep need for protection against mounting environmental challenges. Eucalyptus, olive ghttp://dlvr.it/SNz28Q Continue reading Iraq ‘green belt’ neglected in faltering climate fight

Pasadena CA (JPL) Apr 19, 2022 With a plane crisscrossing the sky and researchers working on land and sea, the Surface Biology and Geology High-Frequency Time Series campaign (SHIFT) combines the ability of airborne science instruments to gather data over widespread areas with the more concentrated observations scientists conduct in the field to study natural environments. SHIFT is jointly led by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lhttp://dlvr.it/SNvMVd Continue reading California field campaign is helping scientists protect diverse ecosystems

Matadi, Dr Congo (AFP) April 19, 2022 Conservationists in DR Congo said Tuesday they would create a safe “corridor” for elephants in a district where one caused a commotion by entering a church’s grounds on Easter Sunday. District administrator Ferdinand Tshikala Etshindo told AFP the pachyderm had been spotted several days ago near Lukula in the west of the vast central African country. “On Easter … Continue reading DRCongo plans elephant safe-zone after church intrusion

Ravid, Israel (AFP) April 15, 2022 Israel, a leader in making seawater drinkable, plans to pump excess output from its desalination plants into the Sea of Galilee, depleted by overuse and threatened by climate change. Irregular rainfall, rising temperatures and intensive pumping have overtaxed the world’s lowest freshwater lake, which for decades has served as the Jewish state’s main sweetwater reservoir. Israel now planshttp://dlvr.it/SNvMVX Continue reading Israel to top up shrinking Sea of Galilee with desalinated water

Brasilia (AFP) April 19, 2022 Brazil’s indigenous reservations have acted as a barrier against deforestation over the past three decades, although destruction of the Amazon rainforest has accelerated recently under President Jair Bolsonaro, according to a study published Tuesday. Of the 69 million hectares (266,000 square miles) of native vegetation Brazil has lost in the past 30 years, just 1.6 percent was on indigenoushttp://dlvr.it/SNvMTM Continue reading Indigenous lands block Brazil deforestation: study