Mark New, Director, African Climate and Development Initiative, Univ. of Cape Town As someone who has been working on climate change detection and its causes for over 20 years I was both surprised and not surprised that I was asked to write on this topic by The Conversation. For nearly all climate scientists, the case […]
Knowing what black mamba venom does to the human body could be crucial
Ryan Blumenthal, Senior Specialist, University of Pretoria Black mambas are extremely dangerous reptiles – in fact, many consider the species to be one of the world’s deadliest snakes. They are found in southern and eastern Africa, and are shy, evasive creatures. They won’t seek out human interaction. But if cornered or confronted, they will strike. […]
DOGS and Separation Anxiety
ASPCA One of the most common complaints of pet parents is that their dogs are disruptive or destructive when left alone. Their dogs might urinate, defecate, bark, howl, chew, dig or try to escape. Although these problems often indicate that a dog needs to be taught polite house manners, they can also be symptoms of […]
Ships’ risky fuel transfers are threatening African Penguins
The two oils spills – one in 2016 and the other in July this year – near St Croix have affected at least 220 African Penguins and there are about 15,000 in the colony. Peter Ryan, Director, FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town; Katrin Ludynia, Honorary Research Associate and Research Manager at […]
First fossil trails of baby sea turtles found in South Africa
Charles Helm, Research Associate, African Centre for Coastal Palaeoscience, Nelson Mandela University and Martin Lockley, Professor of Geology, University of Colorado Denver Baby sea turtles are cute. They fascinate us as they dig out of their sandy nests and make a run for the sea. But they face instant danger from voracious birds and other […]
Meet the super corals that can handle acid, heat and suffocation
Emma F Camp, DECRA & UTS Chancellor’s Research Fellow, Climate Change Cluster, Future Reefs Research Programe, University of Technology Sydney and David Suggett, Associate Professor in Marine Biology, University of Technology Sydney Climate change is rapidly changing the oceans, driving coral reefs around the world to breaking point. Widely publicised marine heatwaves aren’t the only […]
Nipping and Biting in Puppies
ASPCA Puppies spend a great deal of time playing, chewing and investigating objects. All of these normal activities involve using their mouths and their needle-sharp teeth. When puppies play with people, they often bite, chew and mouth on hands, limbs and clothing. This kind of behaviour may seem cute when your puppy is seven weeks […]
Dogs and Babies – a guide for parents
Emily Birch, Research Fellow in Human Canine Interactions, Nottingham Trent University It goes without saying that having a baby is a life changing event. Thankfully, there is a wealth of information about how best to raise this new tiny human and get through the early days in one – albeit sleep deprived – piece. However, […]
Plants can tell time, here’s how
Mark Greenwood, PhD Researcher in Cellular Biology, University of Cambridge and James Locke, Research Group Leader in Systems Biology, University of Cambridge Anyone who has travelled across multiple time zones and suffered jet lag will understand just how powerful our biological clocks are. In fact, every cell in the human body has its own molecular […]
Chimpanzees’ working memory is remarkably similar to our own
Our study provides evidence that chimpanzees possess similar working memory abilities to humans. They’re able to perform at a level comparable to seven-year-old children in a working memory task that requires them to constantly update their memory. Chimpanzees are one of our closest relatives. (Sharon Morris/Shutterstock) Christoph Völter, Scientist, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna Working […]