west Africa
Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine Center for Vaccine Development (CVD) have charted the extreme genetic differences that occur over time in the most dangerous malaria parasite in the world. While there is no approved vaccine for malaria, various experimental vaccines are in development.
BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA (23 September 2009) -- As climate change negotiators continue to skirt the role of agricultural land use in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, top scientists working on land management in the world's vast dry areas will gather this week in Buenos Aires, Argentina, determined to make the case that thwarting desertification in drylands is viable and also critical to the su
NAIROBI, KENYA (24 August 2009) -- Scientists said today at the 2nd World Congress of Agroforestry that a type of acacia tree with an unusual growth habit -- unlike virtually all other trees -- holds particular promise for farmers in Africa as a free source of nitrogen for their soils that could last generations.
A University of Calgary archaeologist who is one of the few researchers in the world studying the material culture of human beings' closest living relatives -- the great apes -- is joining his colleagues in creating a new discipline devoted to the history of tool use in all primate species in order to better understand human evolution.
Entangled with the national debate about the future of healthcare, there’s a personal debate about the future of medicine. Futuristic medicine will rely on personal genomics, because as consumer-patients, we will demand more integrated – more holistic -- less segmented medical care from our doctors. Personalized genomic medicine is not only our pipe dream for future, it is here, now. But, are we ready? Are our doctors ready? Are healthcare policy makers ready?
An international team of scientists has identified a nesting population of leatherback sea turtles in Gabon, West Africa as the world's largest. The research, published in the May issue of Biological Conservation, involved country-wide land and aerial surveys that estimated a population of between 15,730 and 41,373 female turtles using the nesting beaches.
New biotechnologies that allow scientists to quickly and accurately distinguish species based on a simple DNA analysis are being creatively deployed for the first time in the war against a major global disease.
BOULDER--Rivers in some of the world's most populous regions are losing water, according to a new comprehensive study of global stream flow.
Rivers in some of the world's most populous regions are losing water, according to a comprehensive study of global stream flows.
ABSTRACT:
The myth of the churning of the milk ocean is analyzed. The words given in the
myth are interpreted. The meaning of the names 'milk ocean', Badabaanala and Kala
Kuta are discussed. The meaning of the word Patala is explained. Mandara, the
greatest of the mountain ranges, is identified. Use of the expression 'the great
Despite recent improvements the locust threat remains serious in western Africa, vigilance and intensive control operations are still needed, and it will take another three months before the scale of any potential plague from the crop-devouring insects becomes clear, the United Nations warned today. 'Countries in West and North-West Africa have made great efforts in controlling the swarms coming out from the Sahel (Sahara border region), but only in March-April 2005 will it be possible to have clear indications on what scale breeding will occur and on what scale the Sahel will be reinvaded in summer,' United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said in its latest locust update.
The declining fish supply in the West African nation of Ghana, which once had a thriving fishing industry, has led to increased illegal hunting of wild game, or bushmeat, according to new research. Researchers say that dwindling marine resources for Ghanaians have led to the extinction of almost half the species studied in some reserves. It is the first study to provide empirical evidence of an association long suspected by many conservation groups.
A mystery lurking at the centre of our own Milky Way galaxy - an object radiating high-energy gamma rays - has been detected by an international team of astronomers. Their research, published today (September 22nd) in the Journal Astronomy and Astrophysics, was carried out using the High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.), an array of four telescopes, in Namibia, South-West Africa.
West Africa is facing a worsening locust crisis as more swarms of the crop-devouring insects arrive in Mauritania, Mali and Niger, with the threat of serious damage hanging over several other countries, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization reported today. In its latest update on the potential plague, the agency said it had so far received from international donors at most less than a quarter of the funding commitments - $14 million out of between $58 million and $83 million -- needed to control the upsurge.
With the summer season shaping up as vital in determining whether the locust infestation in West Africa turns into a plague, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is appealing to the global community for additional funds for massive national operations to control the crop-devouring insects. ''Donor support is urgently needed for targeted ground and aerial spraying and for environmental monitoring,'' the Rome-based agency said in a warning yesterday, the latest in a series it has issued over the past several months. Despite these calls, there remains a large shortfall in funds for a sustained control campaign.
