Sea turtles in South Africa are getting smaller – and scientists are trying to find out why, and how this will affect future populations. “What we are finding is that the size at reproduction of individual loggerhead and leatherback turtles is getting smaller over time, and we are gearing our research to find out what could be the cause,” said NMMU’s Head of Zoology, … [Read more...]
Why the longnecks are becoming extinct in Africa
A researcher from the University of the Free State (UFS) played a role in the important new film Last of the Longnecks which was screened at the US Environmental Film Festival. Dr Francois Deacon, lecturer and researcher in the Department of Animal, Wildlife and Grassland Sciences at the UFS, who also has a role in the film, attended the preview at the Carnegie Institution … [Read more...]
Antarctic Expedition to show how we’re destroying the planet
The Antarctic circumnavigation expedition (ACE) ended when the Russian research vessel Akademik Treshnikov sailed into Cape Town last week. But the real work has only just begun. That was the consensus as some of the scientists involved gathered at the first workshop on results on a quayside at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town on the afternoon of Monday March 20. David … [Read more...]
How hard is climate change affecting the world’s poorest nations?
When Nicholas Herold was hunting for data on how much climate change was affecting the world's poorest nations, he was surprised when he couldn't find answers in the published research. "Everyone's spoken for years about how poor countries are going to suffer more – or are suffering more – and I couldn't find one figure actually showing this," the research fellow at the … [Read more...]
‘Unprecedented’ polar melting unfolds amid climate change denial
There was a moment in early January when it was colder in Seattle (27F) than it was on the North Slope of Alaska in the Arctic town of Barrow (30F). On the day that this occurred, Barrow, whose normal high temperature for that day was negative 5 degrees, saw a record high temperature of 33 degrees above zero. This unprecedented phenomenon sums up the direction of this … [Read more...]
Australia must choose between coal and coral as Reef disaster looms
The Great Barrier Reef needs far more help than Australia claims in its latest reports to Unesco. At first glance, the progress reports on the Great Barrier Reef released last week by the Australian and Queensland governments might seem impressive. The update on the Reef 2050 Plan suggests that 135 of the plan’s 151 actions are either complete or on track. The … [Read more...]
The Great Barrier Reef is dead at 25 million years old
The Great Barrier Reef has been declared dead by scientists at 25 million years old — bringing an end to the colorful life of the world’s largest single structure of living organisms. The incredible Coral Sea wilderness, which stretches for roughly 1,400 miles over an area of roughly 133,00 square miles, has finally succumbed to bleaching. The icon of the natural world is … [Read more...]
Scientists accidentally discover efficient process to turn CO2 into ethanol
If scientists can figure out how to convert atmospheric carbon dioxide into fuel - and do it at an industrial scale - it would, quite literally, change the world. Last month, we hit the highest levels of atmospheric CO2 in 4 million years, and it’s now permanent, meaning we’ll never be able to drop to 'safe' levels again. But if we can turn CO2 into a fuel source, we can at … [Read more...]
Why mammography screening has been abolished in Switzerland
In 2013, the Swiss Medical Board, an independent health technology assessment initiative, was requested to prepare a review of mammography screening. The team of medical professionals included a medical ethicist, a clinical epidemiologist, a pharmacologist, an oncologic surgeon, a nurse scientist, a lawyer, and a health economist. Two of those members, Nikola Biller-Andorno, … [Read more...]
How indigenous Australian storytelling accurately records ancient sea level rise
Indigenous stories of dramatic sea level rises across Australia date back more than 7,000 years in a continuous oral tradition without parallel anywhere in the world, according to new research. Sunshine Coast University marine geographer Patrick Nunn and University of New England linguist Nicholas Reid believe that 21 Indigenous stories from across the continent faithfully … [Read more...]
One of the earth’s most regular climate cycles has been disrupted
Scientists discover unprecedented atmospheric behaviour has disrupted one of world's the most repeatable atmospheric patterns. The normal flow of air high up in the atmosphere over the equator, known as the Quasi-Biennial Oscillation, was seen to break down earlier this year. These winds in the stratosphere are found high above the tropics, their direction and strength … [Read more...]
South Africa: Stop this criminal devastation of the Transkei ecology
Now you can voice your concern about the toxic spraying in the Transkei. In 1995, the South African Police Service (SAPS) began the aerial spraying of cannabis in the rural former Transkei. Every year since 2000, three SAPS Air Wing squirrel helicopters (donated by the American DEA) arrive at a luxury resort in Port St Johns on the Eastern Cape’s Wild Coast. For 3 - 4 weeks, … [Read more...]
Antarctic ice sheet instability to cause 10cm sea level rise
The past, present and long term future of the Antarctic ice sheet and its surrounding ice shelves have been news over the past few months. A new study predicting its future has been published in Nature. You might think: what’s new? Our understanding of Antarctica is changing at an ever faster rate. For most of the time since discovering the continent we’ve thought of the ice … [Read more...]
