Illicit reptile trade: Currently, only 21 species available in private sanctuaries
Netherlands-based herpetologist Jordi Janssen says that rediscovered species are highly prized, which is why traffickers always on the lookout for new research reports where they can extract information and useful to leads to newly profiled reptiles. “Last year there was a paper on a lizard from Sumatra, which had not...
How reptile traffickers scour wildlife reports for ‘new’ species, rake in profits
The descriptions and locations of new reptile species featured in scientific literature are frequently being used by traders to quickly hunt down, capture and sell these animals, allowing them to be monetised for handsome profits and threatening biodiversity. New reptile species are highly valued by collectors due to their novelty,...
Can grit, ambition that Francis Kadenge epitomised inspire tottering AFC Leopards Sports Club?
After AFC Leopards SC, one of Kenya’ most successful football clubs, was humiliated by a nondescript Bidco FC on May 30, the team’s supporters have expressed strong reservations about its current players and management’s commitment to success. “They fear success” is the refrain in every conversation. Given its history as...
‘They’re killing all Black people’, 107-year-old granny remembers Tulsa massacre
Seven-year-old Viola Fletcher was awakened by her parents 100 years ago today and told they had to leave home. Angry, gun-toting white mobs had set out under the cover of nightfall in her hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma, to kill Black people and destroy Black America’s economic mecca. Now 107, Fletcher...
Gigo: Science grapples with tonnes of gibberish ‘research’ literature
Nonsensical research papers generated by a computer programme are still popping up in the scientific literature many years after the problem was first seen, a study has revealed. Some publishers have told Nature they will take down the papers, which could result in more than 200 retractions. The issue began...
Lifting mask mandates: How proper messaging rallied world against Covid
A sign is still posted on the front door of the Wolfeboro Food Co-op that reads, “Face masks required.” Until recently, another sign had hung directly below it, explaining how the New Hampshire market was following federal policy. Erin Perkins, manager of the shop, removed that second sign on 14...
Optogenetics: Injection of light-sensitive proteins restores blind man’s vision
The first successful clinical test of a technique called optogenetics has allowed a person to see for the first time in decades, with the help of image-enhancing goggles. After 40 years of blindness, a 58-year-old man can once again see images and moving objects, thanks to an injection of light-sensitive...
Right to privacy: Human rights court rules UK spy laws violated ECHR convention
Surveillance laws permitting GCHQ to operate its Tempura dragnet mass surveillance system broke the law the European Court of Human Rights has ruled. The judgment, handed down on Tuesday morning in Strasbourg, vindicates the Edward Snowden revelations of 2013. The former NSA contractor in the united states revealed that Western...
Ndombe Opetum: DRC celebrates 9th anniversary of TPOK rumba ‘philosopher’
Nine years ago today, Kinshasa bade farewell to rumba legend Ndombe Opetum, the composer and songwriter whose song Nayebi Ndenge Bakolela Ngai had for nearly 30 years been the subject of intense discussion of what the composer intended to convey. It still is. As a result, there is still...
Wastewater gives clue of public health, South Africa narrowing it to unit area
The ability of wastewater testing technology to identify coronavirus hotspots is governed by the service area of the treatment plant: the wider the spread, the harder it is to pinpoint small outbreaks and at least one facility serves more than 850,000 people. The technology can provide an unbiased snapshot of...
