Africa

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Ingenious Method Helps Track Elephant Killers

Fake tusk is implanted with GPS device in Africa

(Newser) - A National Geographic reporter looking into the increasing slaughter of elephants in Africa struck upon a great way to track the illegal trade of their ivory tusks: Bryan Christy enlists a world-class taxidermist to create fake tusks embedded with GPS devices. Christy's team then plants them in the black...

US Huntress Poses With Her Kills

Sabrina Corgatelli defends the hunting of animals in Africa

(Newser) - A huntress from Idaho has added her two cents to recent stories about Americans accused of hunting illegally in Africa—and attracted her share of outrage in return, the Telegraph reports. On July 25, Sabrina Corgatelli responded to the story of Cecil the lion's death by posting photos on...

Obama: 'I Think if I Ran, I Could Win'

But presidents aren't above the law, he tells African leaders

(Newser) - The quote about the 2016 election getting the most attention today comes from a guy who can't even run: "I actually think I'm a pretty good president—I think if I ran, I could win—but I can't." President Obama made the joke while addressing...

Earth Has Just 2 Giant Forests Left
 Earth Has Just 2 
 Giant Forests Left 
STUDY SAYS
Mar 24, 2015 10:40 AM CDT

Earth Has Just 2 Giant Forests Left

The only 2 unfragmented forest habitats are the Amazon, Congo

(Newser) - To see the Earth's ecology forest for its trees, first we have to acknowledge there aren't many large, intact forests around. In fact, according to a new study published in Science Advances , there are only two such continuous forests left: in South America and Africa, Christian Science Monitor ...

Whale Fossil Provides Clues on Human Origins

Discovery sheds light on when uplift of African continent began

(Newser) - An ancient whale with a bad sense of direction is helping researchers figure out when the landscape of Africa changed in a way that drove the evolution of humans. The beaked whale in question apparently took a wrong turn into a river and swam into modern-day Kenya about 17 million...

How Slave Skeletons Were Finally Traced to Their Home

Tiny bits of DNA extracted from tooth roots helped identify 3 slaves

(Newser) - Though upward of 12 million Africans were enslaved and shipped to the Americas between 1500 and 1850, tracing their roots back home has been famously difficult—with poor record-keeping and poorly-preserved DNA samples partly to blame. Now researchers from Stanford University and the University of Copenhagen report in the Proceedings ...

The World Is Running Out of Chocolate

Two chocolate makers warn of huge annual deficit

(Newser) - Like grabbing a Snickers on the run or savoring a little dark chocolate in the evening? Then brace yourself, because chocolate production is failing to keep up with worldwide consumption and could fall behind by 2 million metric tons annually by 2030, two big chocolate makers tell the Washington Post...

Bill Gates' Hunger Fight Is Deeply Flawed: Report

Hardly any money goes directly to African groups

(Newser) - Though the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has spent $3 billion to fight hunger in poor countries, most of that money has gone to groups based in wealthy countries, a new report finds. Just 10% of the money has gone to African organizations, while more than 80% has headed to...

Spain: Nurse Wins Battle With Ebola

Blood test shows no signs of virus in Teresa Romero

(Newser) - An initial test shows that a nursing assistant who became infected with Ebola in Spain is now clear of all traces of the virus nearly two weeks after she was hospitalized, authorities said today. Teresa Romero, 44, is the first person known to have contracted the disease outside West Africa...

The Ebola Outbreak: It's Time for 'Plan C'

We need 500M doses of a vaccine we don't have: Michael Osterholm

(Newser) - Plan A for stopping Ebola calls for shutting it down where it's already occurring, and that's not working. There's no Plan B in place to prevent it from expanding even further, especially if it hits a busy area with limited health care. So it's time for...

To Fight Ebola, Sierra Leone Set for 'Lockdown'

Locals barred from going out for 3 days

(Newser) - After hundreds of deaths in the country due to Ebola , Sierra Leone is heading for a lockdown. That means that for at least three days, starting Sept. 19, locals won't be able to leave the vicinity of their homes, Reuters reports. The goal is to spot people in the...

World 'Losing' Ebola Battle: Doctors Without Borders

Top doc tells UN world has done nothing to stem spread

(Newser) - The picture of Ebola in West Africa is apocalyptic: Infected bodies decompose in the street, 150 health workers have died, overflowing clinics turn away the sick, to say nothing of food shortages and riots. And the disease is spreading at an unprecedented rate , Doctors Without Borders President Joanne Liu told...

To Detect TB, Researchers Turn to Rats

Creatures sniff out the disease in Mozambique

(Newser) - The system used to detect tuberculosis in Mozambique is more than a century old—so researchers are asking some furry friends for help. Scientists have been teaching African giant pouched rats to alert them to infected mucus samples, National Geographic reports. The researchers slide the samples into the rats' cage,...

More Elephants Being Killed Than Born

35K killed annually since 2010; deaths driven by illegal ivory trade

(Newser) - A new study tallying the African elephant population has made a stark finding: If poaching continues at its current rate, the animal may be extinct in a century, the BBC reports. "We are shredding the fabric of elephant society and exterminating populations across the continent," says the study'...

Africa Fights Ebola With Black Death Tactic

Enforced boundary around infected area being put in place

(Newser) - The Ebola outbreak is spreading so fast that governments are putting into place "cordon sanitaire"—a tactic once used to contain the Black Death, the New York Times reports. The idea is to draw a boundary around the infected area and not allow anybody out. In this case,...

Ebola Killed 45 in 3 Days; Toll Nears 1K

Virus has now claimed 932, with 1.7K cases: WHO

(Newser) - The death toll from the Ebola outbreak in West Africa has risen to 932, the World Health Organization says. Most of the new deaths are coming from Liberia and Sierra Leone. The outbreak emerged in March in Guinea and shows no sign of slowing down. Among the latest news:
  • Nigeria
...

Why Can't Everyone Try Experimental Ebola Drug?

Distribution could 'do more harm than good': expert

(Newser) - Two Americans suffering from Ebola have been treated with an experimental drug, and they've reportedly seen big improvements. Is it time to try sending ZMapp to West Africa to aid the hundreds suffering from the disease? No, experts tell the Los Angeles Times . Drugs require extensive testing in order...

Obama Offers Rare Personal Toast on Africa

Speaks of family history at US-Africa Summit dinner

(Newser) - President Obama isn't known for getting particularly personal at the podium, Politico notes, but in a speech at the US-Africa Summit , he offered up his own story. "I stand before you as the president of the United States and a proud American. I also stand before you as...

Michelle Obama: 'Blood of Africa' in My Veins

First lady urges young African leaders to focus on women's rights

(Newser) - Her husband didn't dwell much on his African heritage when he addressed a group of young leaders from the continent this week in DC, but first lady Michelle Obama took the opposite approach today, reports Reuters . “The blood of Africa runs through my veins, and I care deeply,...

'Tip of Iceberg'? Ebola Toll Passes 500

Aid group blames 'gross misjudgement in gauging severity'

(Newser) - Deep in the forests of southern Guinea, the first victims fell ill with high fevers. People assumed it was the perennial killer malaria and had no reason to fear touching the bodies. Some desperate relatives brought loved ones to the distant capital in search of better medical care, unknowingly spreading...

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