Global efforts to limit climate change require deep cuts to carbon emissions. However, global emissions are still growing. Currently, we emit roughly 42 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide from fossil fuel use and land use changes every year. To achieve the targets of the Paris Agreement, which included a long-term commitment to limit global warming…
Baobabs aren’t supposed to fall. They can live for up to 2,500 years. Famous for their resilience, these huge trees have stood tall across Africa, weathering droughts and winds that flatten everything else. A small population of 102 baobabs is also found in Oman on the south-eastern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, where baobabs were…
Adolescents are known for risky behavior, with teenagers in the U.S. more likely than younger children to die from injury. But what’s responsible for this uptick in risk-taking around puberty? Our new observations of physical risk-taking in chimpanzees suggests that the rise in risk-taking in human adolescence isn’t due to a new yen for danger….
Palm trees grace the landscape across Africa, thriving in environments as diverse as deserts and rainforests. Central Africa holds the richest variety, home to 52 species, while west Africa has 38 and east Africa 18. They form part of a global family of 2,600 palm species. Africa is home to relatively few palm species when…
Firefighters in Oregon are racing to save the Doerner Fir – one of the world’s tallest and oldest trees – from a fire that has been burning since Saturday. The giant fir, more than 325ft (99m) tall and estimated to be over 450 years old, has already lost about 50ft to the blaze, which may…
Some fig trees don’t just grow fruit, they grow stone, too. By converting carbon dioxide into calcium carbonate, they may offer a powerful, long-lasting way to trap carbon. Credit: Shutterstock By PATRICK MAYOYO [email protected] In a surprising twist of nature, certain fig trees in Kenya are doing more than just bearing fruit, they’re capturing carbon…
