Sea transport experiencing boom in ships that fly ‘fake’ flags, pollute environment
Ships transport 90 per cent of the world’s traded cargo, so are crucial to the global economy. But when tankers and other large vessels are demolished, they generate huge amounts of marine pollution, particularly if it happens in countries where environmental regulations for ship-breaking yards are lax. Research now shows...
With over four million people living around it, Lake Kivu a potential deadly natural disaster
If Kivu were to experience a limnic eruption, says limnologist Sally MacIntyre, “it would be completely catastrophic.” And the spread of the lava from Mt Nyiragongo that erupted recently is testimony to the fears expressed by MacIntyre, a researcher at the University of California, Santa Barbara. This isn’t just a...
Recent Mt Nyiragongo eruption has switched attention to the dangers lurking in Lake Kivu
Kivu is no ordinary lake, with dense depths packed with methane and carbon dioxide gas. Its features hold aquatic puzzles, explosive hazards and the capacity to provide valuable energy. The unique makeup of Africa’s Lake Kivu prevents the mixing typically seen in other deep lakes, leading to unusual stratification of...
When a rogue president is in power, the very essence of being a Kenyan’s at stake
As a Kenyan human rights lawyer whose activism has been shaped very much by my Christian faith and inspired by the example of Christians elsewhere who have used their faith to push for social change, I like to share some of my personal experiences of speaking truth to power in...
How cartoonist shifted to bioinformatics on his way to doctorate in plant genetics
Ed Himelblau was a cartoonist before he learnt to write code. Now, the geneticist hopes his drawings will help others who embrace bioinformatics later in their careers. Here is his story: My career began in the early 1990s, when computers were just a convenience in the biological sciences. Now, they’re...
Is Covid part of superpower germ warfare? Top doctor admits US funded Wuhan virus project
In a Senate hearing late last month, top doctor Anthony Fauci told lawmakers the US granted $600,000 in funding to the Wuhan Institute of Virology over a five-year period, but documents provided by the Department of Health and Human Services Friday show the actual number was a third higher. Reports...
Tech transfer: Ensuring food security with Zimbabwe’s first private research institute
I study the interactions between cell proteins and DNA. I want to understand how the gene-editing tool CRISPR makes unintended changes to organisms’ DNA. I have a faculty appointment at Leipzig University in Germany. But in March 2021, I took parental leave, which will probably become permanent leave and came...
Day Prince Harry said: It’s fine to feel low, it’s okay to cry, it’s okay to be sad; we’re all in this, we all do
Meghan Markle smiled through the pain of not being accepted by the royal family and made the right choice to walk away, her cookbook friend has revealed. Grenfell fire survivor Munira Mahmoud still hears from the Duchess of Sussex from Los Angeles and tells OK! “I’m so proud of her...
WHO approves a ‘weak’ Chinese vaccine for emergency use against coronavirus
The World Health Organization (WHO) has approved a second Chinese vaccine for emergency use. CoronaVac was found to be 51 per cent effective at preventing Covid-19 in late-stage trials and researchers say it will be key to curbing the pandemic. This overall protection is lower than that provided by the...
European media investigations detail how the US spied on German Chancellor Merkel
Denmark’s complicity in the NSA spying scandal against German politicians has been revealed in a joint European media investigation. Denmark’s secret service helped the US National Security Agency (NSA) spy on EU leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, a European media investigation published on Sunday revealed....
