“Surely this is the most solitary organism in the world,” wrote palaeontologist Richard Fortey in his book about the evolution of life. He was talking about Encephalartos woodii (E. woodii), a plant from South Africa. E. woodii is a member of the cycad family, heavy plants with thick trunks and large stiff leaves that form a majestic crown. These resilient survivors have outlasted dinosaurs and multiple mass extinctions. Once widespread, they are today one of the most threatened species on the planet. The only known wild E. Woodii was discovered in 1895 by the botanist John Medley Wood while he…
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Visitors to Lake Kariba – the world’s largest man-made lake, along the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe – come to enjoy the abundant wildlife, fine fishing or spectacular scenery. However, in 2017, our crew of palaeontologists came to Zimbabwe to hunt game of a different kind: dinosaurs. Many of our discoveries are still under study, but the team has just announced its first new dinosaur, dubbed Musankwa sanyatiensis. At first sight, it’s unremarkable – just a few bones from a single hind leg. It was found with the thigh, shin and ankle bones still connected, but weathering out on the…
Special EventsWOMEN FOLKWomen Folk is set to be a beguiling and magical evening on the night of the summer solstice, celebrating the often overlooked contribution of women in traditional Irish music. It will feature live singing from Rois, Catriona Gribben and Stephanie Makem, the great-granddaughter of Sarah Makem, the renowned traditional source singer and subject of a David Hammond film which will also feature at the event in Rosemary St Church.June 21, Rosemary Street Church, 9pm; £12/£10.ASIF KAPADIA: IN CONVERSATIONOscar- and Bafta-winning director Asif Kapadia takes part in a special ‘In Conversation’ event at Queen’s Film Theatre, Belfast, with filmmaker…
Today at the Digital Ocean Forum (DOF) 2024, European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, Iliana Ivanova and other high-level representatives from Belgium, France and the European Commission unveiled the first pre-operational platform of the European Digital Twin Ocean (EU DTO).The European Digital Twin of the Ocean (EU DTO), announced by President von der Leyen at the One Ocean Summit in Brest in February 2022, is a key deliverable of the EU Mission Restore our Ocean and Waters. Its purpose is to provide ocean communities with actionable knowledge and to support them in their daily decisions and planning, to ensure a…
SAN JACINTO, CA – A federal judge has reaffirmed the U.S. Department of Labor’s finding that a Nebraska construction company operating in Southern California blatantly and willfully discriminated against U.S. workers by bringing Mexican workers to the U.S. under false pretenses, shortchanging their wages and putting their safety and health at risk in substandard living conditions. The department’s Office of Administrative Law Judges ordered Randy and Kary Christo — owners and operators of R&R Christo Construction LLC of Fremont — to pay $288,719 in wages to 43 agricultural workers and $63,813 in penalties after the department’s Wage and Hour Division confirmed…
Practically speaking, Russians who wish to join this group would be required to sign the Berlin Declaration, which sets out the key principles for a Ukrainian victory and a Russia without Putin. After passing the necessary checks, signatories would then be issued documents recognizing them as members of a “Free Russia,” which would allow them to obtain visas and enter all countries participating in the agreement. This would create a powerful incentive for more Russians to disavow Putin and emigrate. Many of the over one million citizens who have already departed the Russian Federation are highly educated. And the more that…
Posing as a “Christian conservative” at the Supreme Court Historical Society’s members-only, black-tie gala, liberal journalist and filmmaker Lauren Windsor secretly recorded her conversations with Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, Justice Samuel Alito and Alito’s wife, Martha-Ann Alito. The event on June 3, 2024, was not open to journalists. The nature of the remarks in the surreptitiously obtained recordings has renewed discussion about Justice Alito’s impartiality – Windsor’s goal in making the recording – and raised questions about journalistic ethics. But the recordings also highlight two significant problems society faces. First is the reality of pervasive, electronic surveillance today:…
PM to call for peaceful, stable, prosperous world economy at G7. Millions of development funding to help tackle climate change in Africa. New programme to fund safe and responsible AI projects across the globe. During a global outreach session focused on Artificial Intelligence and Energy, and Africa and the Mediterranean, he will argue that this means reforming the international financial system to unlock the finance we need to accelerate progress against the Sustainable Development Goals, strengthening the voices of the most vulnerable at the top table of international politics. He will outline the importance of supporting countries in delivering their own clean…
Berlin, 13 June – The Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC) concluded in Berlin yesterday with a commitment between the International Organization for Migration (IOM), 14 countries and a range of development institutions and international organizations to renew support for recovery, reconstruction and reform in Ukraine. IOM Deputy Director General for Management and Reform Irena Vojáčková-Sollorano underscored IOM’s unwavering commitment to the people of Ukraine and appreciation to the Government of Germany for its continued support to IOM. “We must do all we can to help all those affected by the war, particularly the most vulnerable,” said Vojáčková-Sollorano. “Empowering local communities and authorities to…
NASA has set its sights on the Moon, aiming to send astronauts back to the lunar surface by 2026 and establish a long-term presence there by the 2030s. But the Moon isn’t exactly a habitable place for people. Cosmic rays from distant stars and galaxies and solar energetic particles from the Sun bombard the surface, and exposure to these particles can pose a risk to human health. Both galactic cosmic rays and solar energetic particles, are high-energy particles that travel close to the speed of light. While galactic cosmic radiation trickles toward the Moon in a relatively steady stream, energetic…