Life

Borneo orangutans dying off as forests are lost: study

MIAMI, United States (AFP) — The population of orangutans in Borneo has plummeted by more than half since 1999 — nearly 150,000 of the apes — largely due to chopping down forests for logging, paper, palm oil and mining, researchers said Thursday. Illegal hunting of the critically endangered apes is also a leading factor in their disappearance, said the study published in the journal Current Biology. “Our findings are alarming,” said the report, which estimated […]

Shellfish reefs: Australia’s untold environmental disaster

SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Virtually all of Australia’s shellfish reefs have disappeared, making them the country’s most threatened ocean ecosystem, scientists said Thursday, calling for more investment to rescue the important marine habitats. While recent global focus has been on the destruction of coral reefs, a study led by the Nature Conservancy found that between 90 and 99 percent of shellfish reefs have vanished since British colonisation 230 years ago. The reefs, formed by millions […]

Andromeda galaxy was formed in ‘recent’ star crash: study

PARIS, France (AFP) — The Milky Way’s neighboring galaxy, Andromeda, was formed in a colossal crash between two smaller star systems no more than three billion years ago when Earth already existed, researchers said Wednesday. Calculating the birth date of the galaxy has been a major challenge for astrophysicists given the vast age gap between the different stars it is made up of. For the latest study, French and Chinese researchers led by Paris Observatory […]

Extreme weather to rise even if Paris goals are met: study

by Kerry Sheridan Agence France Presse MIAMI, United States (AFP) — The risk of extreme weather such as heat waves, floods and drought will rise significantly even if the commitments in the 2015 Paris climate accord are met, a study warned on Wednesday. The report in the journal Science Advances analyzes the likelihood of hot spells, dry periods and excess rain in the coming years, all phenomena that are exacerbated by global warming and rising […]

Qualcomm mulls ‘next steps’ in Broadcom takeover bid

SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Qualcomm said Wednesday its board would “promptly” consider a hostile $121 billion takeover bid by Singapore-based Broadcom following a meeting of top executives of the two computer chipmaking giants. “We met with representatives of Broadcom for two hours earlier today, and listened carefully to what they had to say,” Qualcomm said in a statement. “The Qualcomm board will promptly meet to discuss the meeting and to determine next steps.” The meeting […]

Extreme weather to rise even if Paris goals are met: study

by Kerry Sheridan © Agence France-Presse MIAMI, United States (AFP) — The risk of extreme weather such as heat waves, floods and drought will rise significantly even if the commitments in the 2015 Paris climate accord are met, a study warned on Wednesday. The report in the journal Science Advances analyzes the likelihood of hot spells, dry periods and excess rain in the coming years, all phenomena that are exacerbated by global warming and rising seas. Already, the dire […]

Ants nurse wounded warriors back to health: study

by Mariette le Roux and Laurence Coustal Agence France Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — African Matabele ants dress the wounds of comrades injured during hunting raids and nurse them back to health, according to an “astonishing” discovery reported Wednesday. After collecting their wounded from the battlefield and carrying them back home, nestmates become medics, massing around patients for “intense licking” of open wounds, according to a study in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society […]

Russia launches cargo spacecraft after aborted liftoff

MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russia on Tuesday launched an unmanned Progress cargo ship to the International Space Station after a glitch led officials to postpone the planned liftoff two days earlier. The Soyuz rocket carrying the Progress ship took off from the snow-covered Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 11:15 am Moscow time (0815 GMT) and reached its designated orbit several minutes later, the Russian space agency said. “We have liftoff!” the Roscosmos space agency tweeted. […]

For global water crisis, climate may be the last straw

by Marlowe Hood Agence France Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — Before man-made climate change kicked in — and well before “Day Zero” in Cape Town, where taps may run dry in early May — the global water crisis was upon us. Freshwater resources were already badly stressed before heat-trapping carbon emissions from fossil fuels began to warm Earth’s surface and affect rainfall. In some countries, major rivers — diverted, dammed or over-exploited — no longer […]

UK navy works to remove WWII bomb after airport closed

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Bomb disposal experts from Britain’s Royal Navy were continuing in their efforts late Monday to remove a World War II bomb after its discovery closed London City Airport. The 500-kilogram (1,100-pound) German bomb was discovered early on Sunday morning in King George V Dock, during planned works near the runway of London’s most central airport. As experts worked to move the unexploded ordnance, the airport was shut down and a […]

Linger over lunch to lose weight: study suggests

by Mariëtte Le Roux Agence France Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — People who wolf down their food could lose weight simply by chewing longer and pausing between bites, study results suggested Tuesday. Research involving nearly 60,000 Japanese people showed a link between eating slower or faster, and losing or gaining weight. “Changes in eating speed can affect changes in obesity, BMI and waist circumference,” a research duo from Japan’s Kyushu University wrote in the journal […]

Sea level rise is accelerating: study

MIAMI, United States (AFP) — Sea level rise is accelerating and could reach 26 inches (66 centimeters) by century’s end, in line with United Nations estimates and enough to cause significant problems for coastal cities, a study said Monday. The past annual rate of sea level rise — about three millimeters (0.1 inches) per year — may more than triple to 10 millimeters per year by 2100, said the report in the Proceedings of the National Academy […]