Biologists often form deep bonds with the species they study. For some, that relationship begins early in their careers and shapes decades of research. The connection can be personal, even affectionate, but it can also create tensions when others set their sights on the same species. In biology, certain plants and animals are considered “charismatic…
Almost 2 million years ago, a young ancient human died beside a spring near a lake in what is now Tanzania, in eastern Africa. After archaeologists uncovered his fossilized bones in 1960, they used them to define Homo habilis – the earliest known member of our own genus. Paleoanthropologists define the first examples of the…
Witness History looks back at the 2003 discovery of the Homo floresiensis on the Indonesian island of Flores.
Georgina Rannard Climate and science correspondent Michael Brown Giraffes in Uganda’s Kidepo Valley Giraffes are one of the world’s most distinct and well-loved creatures, always thought to be one species. But now scientists at the International Union for Conservation of Nature say we can welcome three more species of the world’s tallest mammal. It’s not…
In Togo and much of west Africa, wild meat remains an important part of daily life, valued for its taste, cultural traditions, and as a source of income for those who sell it. It is often seen as a luxury food in urban centres, commanding higher prices than domesticated meat. This risks driving higher demand….
The African Plant Database lists 65,000 species of flowering plants, ferns and conifers found on the African continent and Madagascar. Since 2006, every plant species ever documented in Africa and Madagascar has been included in the massive online database, with about 200 new species added every year. Cyrille Chatelain is a curator at the Geneva…
