Study: A third of Africa’s great apes at risk from mining of transition metals

Study: A third of Africa’s great apes at risk from mining of transition metals

Rising demand for the metals needed to power the global renewable energy transition potentially threatens more than a third of Africa’s great apes. Nearly 180,000 gorillas, chimpanzees and bonobos face potential fallout from current and future mining projects for these transition metals, particularly in West Africa. Direct and indirect potential impacts from mining on apes include habitat destruction, health threats from light pollution and disease transmission, […]

July 1, 2024 31

Africa

Kenyan farmers turn to WhatsApp & AI tools to combat crop diseases

Farmers in Kenya and other countries are using online chat groups and artificial intelligence (AI) tools to help combat crop losses due to pests and diseases. New research shows chat groups modeled on those used in human health care can offer benefits to farmers and enhance their communication with plant doctors. Organizations such as PlantVillage and CABI are using such digital tools and chat groups to expand their […]

June 27, 2024 37

Environment

Elon Musk could avert global species extinction with only a portion of his wealth

A new study has pinpointed the most crucial areas around the world for protecting Earth’s rarest and most endangered species, the vast majority of which are found in tropical and subtropical moist forests. Just five countries — the Philippines, Brazil, Indonesia, Madagascar and Colombia — contain 59% of all identified sites globally. Only 7% of land protected over the past five years overlapped with these critical […]

June 26, 2024 26

Environment

The role and importance of farmers’ associations

By Erastus Ngaruka: Technical Advisor – Livestock & Rangeland Management The agricultural sector in Namibia is the backbone of the country’s economy through its three main pillars, namely, food production, employment creation, and income generation. The sector faces endless challenges associated with climate, market, technologies, inputs, and conflicts amongst others. These are hindering sustainable crop and livestock production in the country at all scales in […]

June 26, 2024 49

Environment

What the 3.2 million-year-old Lucy fossil reveals about nudity and shame

Popular renderings of Lucy tend to dress her in thick, reddish-brown fur. Dave Einsel/Getty Images By Stacy Keltner, Kennesaw State University Fifty years ago, scientists discovered a nearly complete fossilized skull and hundreds of pieces of bone of a 3.2-million-year-old female specimen of the genus Australopithecus afarensis, often described as “the mother of us all.” During a celebration following her discovery, she was named “Lucy,” […]

June 24, 2024 17

Africa

Elephants use the tips of their trunks to grasp things with great precision – how this can help robotic design

By Pauline Costes, Sorbonne Université An elephant uses its trunk for eating, drinking water, communicating, exploring the environment, social behaviour, and making and using tools. The trunk, which contains six muscle groups, is not only very strong – it can uproot a tree – but can be used with great precision. Elephants use a number of techniques to grasp objects, including suction, pinching […]

June 21, 2024 33

Environment

Drought response to cost N$ 1.3 billion

Following President Nangolo Mbumba’s declaration of a national emergency due to severe drought induced by El Nino, the government has allocated N$825 million for relief efforts, but Deputy Prime Minister John Mutorwa says a funding gap of N$482 million, with the total needed at N$1.307 billion. Relief efforts include food aid for nearly 342,000 households, livestock support, and water provisions. Executive Director in the Office of the Prime Minister, I-Ben […]

June 20, 2024 36

Africa

Nigeria’s mountain streams are a haven for special creatures – they need protection

By Emmanuel O. Akindele, Obafemi Awolowo University Nigeria has many freshwater ecotourism attractions. Among them are the Ikogosi warm spring, the Osun-Osogbo river, and the Olumirin, Owu, Arinta and Ekor waterfalls. Their scenic beauty and lush forests make these sites popular, but the impacts of human activities are likely to pose a growing threat to once-pristine freshwater systems. The biodiversity and conservation value of […]

June 20, 2024 21

Environment

Floating solar panels could provide much of Africa’s energy – new research

By Iestyn Woolway, Bangor University and Alona Armstrong, Lancaster University New research has found that several countries could meet all their energy needs from solar panel systems floating on lakes. Climate, water and energy environmental scientists R. Iestyn Woolway and Alona Armstrong analysed how much energy could be produced by floating solar panels on just 10% of the water surface of one million bodies of […]

June 19, 2024 36