It was long shrouded in mystery, called ‘the Dark Continent’ by Europeans in awe of its massive size and impenetrable depths. Then its wondrous natural riches were revealed to the world. Now a third image of Africa and its environment is being laid before us – one of destruction on a vast and disturbing scale. Using ‘before and after’ satellite photos, taken in all 53 countries, UN geographers have constructed an African atlas of environmental change over the past four decades – the vast majority of it for the worse. In nearly 400 pages of dramatic pictures, disappearing forests, shrinking lakes, vanishing glaciers and degraded landscapes are brought together for the first time, providing a deeply disturbing portfolio of devastation. The atlas, compiled by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) at the request of African environment ministers, and launched yesterday simultaneously in Johannesburg and London, underlines how extensively development choices, population growth, regional conflicts and climate change are impacting on the natural world and the nature-based assets of the continent. The satellite photos, some of them spanning a 35-year period, offer striking snapshots of environmental transformation in every country. The purpose of the atlas is […]
There are vast amounts of water on earth. Unfortunately, over 97% of it is too salty for human consumption and only a fraction of the remainder is easily accessible in rivers, lakes or groundwater. Climate change, droughts, growing population and increasing industrial demand are straining the available supplies of fresh water. More than 1 billion people live in areas where water is scarce, according to the United Nations, and that number could increase to 1.8 billion by 2025. One time-tested but expensive way to produce drinking water is desalination: removing dissolved salts from sea and brackish water. Its appeal is obvious. The world’s oceans, in particular, present a virtually limitless and drought-proof supply of water. ‘If we could ever competitively-at a cheap rate-get fresh water from salt water,’ observed President John Kennedy nearly 50 years ago, ‘that would be in the long-range interest of humanity, and would really dwarf any other scientific accomplishment.’ According to the latest figures from the International Desalination Association, there are now 13,080 desalination plants in operation around the world. Together they have the capacity to produce up to 55.6m cubic metres of drinkable water a day-a mere 0.5% of global water use. About […]
Israel and militant group Hamas have agreed to end months of bitter clashes with a six-month truce starting on Thursday, Palestinian officials say. A Hamas official said he was confident all militant groups in Gaza would abide by the agreement, brokered by Egypt. Israeli officials said they were ‘looking to see if this is serious’. Earlier at least six Palestinians were reportedly killed in Israeli air strikes in southern Gaza. Israel said it had targeted ‘terror operatives’. Islamic Jihad said a missile struck a car carrying five of its members near Khan Younis. A sixth man died in a separate strike nearby. Two-stage deal Hamas took over Gaza in June 2007, driving out forces loyal to Fatah, the political faction led by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. Since then, Israel, the Palestinian Authority and the international community have sought to isolate Hamas. Israel declared the territory a ‘hostile entity’ and has blockaded it in an attempt to pressure Hamas into stopping rocket fire from the strip into Israel. Over the past seven days, more than 20 people have died in Gaza as a result of Israeli military action. In the same […]
MRI and PET scan studies are showing remarkable similarities between the brains of gay men and straight women, and between those of lesbians and straight men. For example, the brains of straight men and of gay women share certain common features: both are slightly asymmetric, with the right hemisphere larger than the left, say the Swedish researchers. On the other hand, the brains of gay men and straight women are both symmetrical. Similar trends emerged when scientists tracked connectivity in the amygdala, the region of the brain involved in emotional learning and in activating the fight-or-flight response. They noted strong similarities between gay men and straight women, and lesbians and straight men. The findings are published in the current issue of theProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. ‘This is a very interesting study demonstrating a possible neurobiological relationship in brain size between gay men and straight women,’ said Paul Sanberg, distinguished professor of neurosurgery and director of the University of South Florida Center for Aging and Brain Repair in Tampa. ‘I do think this is pointing to some type of neurobiological underpinning [to sexual orientation],’ added Keith A. Young, associate professor of psychiatry […]
Remote Viewing the Year 2060
