Mystery of Big Bang persists as scientists discover ‘early dark energy’ of the expanding Universe
There are hints of a previously unknown, primordial form of the substance could explain why the cosmos now seems to be expanding faster than theory predicts. Cosmologists have found signs that a second type of dark energy – the ubiquitous but enigmatic substance that is pushing the current Universe’s expansion...
Scientists warn the world should brace for more coronavirus-like infections as others emerge from bats
Only two new coronaviruses have spread globally the past two decades: SARS-CoV, which caused an outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2003 and SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19. But that may just be the tip of the iceberg of undetected infections with related viruses emerging from bats,...
Burundi genocide: A guard walked over to lift the security barrier; I was looking at the man who tried to stab me two decades earlier
In the northern province of Kirundo, I met the daughter of a Tutsi army corporal – Emmanuel Ndahigeze – killed for the crime of feeding Hutu prisoners. And in Makamba, Hutu residents told me about a Tutsi pastor who challenged soldiers carrying a list of Hutus to be killed in...
Burundi: Ethnic violence never used to be a problem, differences in class were less about Hutus and Tutsis
In September 2020, I met Jean Marie, a young man who was patiently exhuming a grave in southern Burundi’s Makamba province, where I was born. He told me the events of 1972 had trapped his family in decades of hardship. His grandfather – the main breadwinner – was killed during...
Demand for exotic pets and human-wildlife conflict driving cheetah numbers in eastern Africa to extinction
Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) has warned that the cheetah population in the Horn of Africa is hurtling towards extinction as demand for the big cats rises in the Middle East and human-wildlife conflict escalate in source countries in Eastern Africa. Data tallied by CCF show that 300 cheetah cubs were...
Burundi: On his way to execution, a well-known Hutu priest and philosopher sang hymns saying, ‘We are going to our father’s house’
In 1972, they blocked journalists who tried to investigate the killings, they prevented people from mourning the dead Burundian reporter’s notebook: On his way to execution, a well-known Hutu priest and philosopher, kept chanting hymns saying ‘We are going to our father’s house’ I learned about what happened from my...
Burundian reporter’s notebook: I feel sorrow for the death of my father, but joy at finally seeing his remains
Editor’s note: The bouts of violence that have shaken Burundi since the 1960s received little attention compared to events in neighbouring Rwanda. So, when a truth and reconciliation commission began digging up mass graves to investigate atrocities, journalist Désiré Nimubona picked up his notebook. For more than a year, he...
Opening economies: ‘Zero Covid’ countries unsure if they can keep the virus at bay if they reopen
Some of the countries that have been most successful at keeping Covid-19 at bay are now seeking ways to gingerly lower the barriers that protect them while minimising the risk that the disease will become endemic. China, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Taiwan all closed their borders last year and...
G20 nations talk about climate change, but lack plan for their 2015 Paris Accord obligations
None of the world’s major economies – including the entire G20 – have a climate plan that meets their obligations under the 2015 Paris Agreement, according to an analysis published on Wednesday, despite scientists’ warning that deep cuts to greenhouse gas emissions are needed now. The watchdog Climate Action Tracker...
As cows learn and get used to using toilets, some 670m humans still practise open defecation
A herd of cows has been “potty-trained” in an experiment that scientists say could pave the way for more environmentally friendly farms. Waste from cattle farms often contaminates soil and waterways and contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and the acidification of soil. For this reason, toilet-training cattle has long been...
