In 1823, British explorers Hugh Clapperton, Dixon Denham and Walter Oudney were some of the first Europeans to document the lake and the surrounding kingdoms. He was struck at the sight of one of Africa’s largest inland lakes. But two centuries later, about 905 of the lake’s surface area has shrunk, leaving only a sliver…
A wind farm is usually thought of as a place where moving air is turned into electricity. Yet the flow does not simply continue on its way once it has passed through the turbines. It changes, rises and mixes with layers of the atmosphere above, leaving behind an invisible trail that can stretch far beyond…
Image(s): Left/MSU/Right/Canva For decades, scientists have searched for cleaner alternatives to fossil fuels, looking everywhere from algae and bacteria to agricultural waste. In 2008, one of the most unexpected discoveries came from deep inside the South American rainforest. Researchers identified a microscopic fungus living quietly within the tissues of a tree that produced a mixture…
For years, the disappearance of the last woolly mammoths seemed to have a straightforward explanation. A tiny population became isolated, interbred for thousands of years and eventually reached a point where its own genetics made survival impossible. That idea found its way into documentaries, textbooks and scientific discussions alike. A study published in Cell, titled…
Every year, as the seasons change, millions of birds undertake one of nature’s greatest journeys. Some travel only a few hundred kilometres, while others fly thousands without recognising political borders or national boundaries. Instead, they follow ancient migration routes known as flyways, natural aerial corridors shaped by geography, climate and the availability of food and…
Image Credit: Fireballs Aotearoa A spectacular fireball passed over the night sky of New Zealand’s North Island with extreme speed, at approximately 10.26 pm on Tuesday, 28 July 2026. It was accompanied by thunderous rumbles and sharp sonic booms that shook windows and alarmed the livestock in the region. From Auckland down to the Wairarapa,…
The experiments prepared by 750 schoolgirls from India failed on their first try in 2022. But later, it transformed into a space education activity that has a satellite made by them orbiting the planet near the ISS. The information was released by ISRO, the Indian government’s space agency.Under the AzaadiSAT project, 75 schools across the…
The first place people consider when thinking about the source of the oxygen that humans breathe is usually the big rainforest areas like the Amazon. Although forests play a very important role in storing carbon and conserving biodiversity and climate, the oceans provide a greater share of the oxygen in the atmosphere than forests. Almost…
For many people, Lewis Howard Latimer is remembered for his later work on electric lighting and his association with Thomas Edison. Yet years before he became involved in the electrical industry, he helped solve a far more ordinary problem that affected railway passengers every day. Travelling by train in the nineteenth century was becoming increasingly…
Mosquitoes are among the world’s deadliest animals, spreading diseases such as malaria, dengue, Zika and yellow fever that affect hundreds of millions of people every year. While traditional mosquito control relies on insecticides, bed nets and habitat management, researchers are now exploring a high-tech alternative. An experimental autonomous drone uses ultrasonic phased-array sonar, artificial intelligence…
However, the construction industry accounts for a great part of the global CO₂ footprint due to massive emissions of carbon dioxide while producing cement and concrete. Although some success has been achieved by architects and engineers in the creation of alternatives, there is still no such type of sustainable building material that would not only…
Deep inside Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, far from crowded towns and city streets, scientists found a surprising pattern in the insects they were studying. Mosquitoes living in protected forest areas appeared to have been feeding on humans more often than expected, despite being surrounded by natural habitat. The discovery has raised questions about how environmental change…
