Home/Posts Tagged ‘South Africa’
Posts Tagged ‘South Africa’
Health, Science & Technology, Wildlife & Flora, Jun 27th, 2012,
I’ve heard that bananas lighten your mood because they contain B6, which stimulates serotonin production. I’ve even read that coffee can fight depression. Now daffodils can join the list of potential resources for battling the blues. A certain species of South African daffodils (as well as a species of snowdrops) anyway. The daffodils and snowdrops (Crinum and Cyrtanthus) don’t actually treat the depression, but they do contain compounds which “trick the blood brain-barrier”, allowing drugs to be absorbed by the brain, according to scientists at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. The blood-brain barrier makes it very difficult for most…
Tags: blood-brain barrier, daffodils, depression, snowdrops, South Africa, university of copenhagen
Nature, Weird Stuff, Wildlife & Flora, Jan 10th, 2012,
Late spring and early summer in the southern hemisphere is the perfect time for the growth of microscopic plants: phytoplankton. Stimulated by sunlight it spreads enormously. It has been photographed by a spectroradiometer (MODIS) attached to a NASA satellite. The blue vortex visible in the picture, is the phytoplankton in a background of the turquoise Indian Ocean waters off the Southern coast of South Africa. The picture was taken on 26th December. It is the time of late spring and early summer in the southern hemisphere. The warm rays of the sun stimulate the life of these microscopic plants, causing…
Tags: eye, ocean, phytoplankton, South Africa, Vortex
Climate Change, Politics, Dec 12th, 2011,
A last minute deal at COP17, the UN Climate Change Conference in Durban, South Africa, managed to secure a legally binding global treaty, even amongst those most reluctant to sign on: big polluters the US, China and India. But what does the deal entail and is it really any good? First of all, the treaty is to be signed in 2015 and enforced in 2020 – too little too late according to environmentalists and most climate scientists. But what the hell do they know? The climate ‘road map’ was the brainchild and goal of the European Union, who desperately tried…
Tags: China, climate, COP17, deal, Durban, emissions, environmentalists, India, reactions, scientists, South Africa, US
Climate Change, Politics, Pollution, Dec 7th, 2011,
In 2009 you heard the trite references to Shakespeare about something being ‘rotten in the state of Denmark’ during the COP15 United Nations Climate Change Conference. Well it wasn’t just the pickled herring. Nothing stinks worse than corruption, greed and short sightedness in the face of very real human and environmental threats, but toxic waste comes pretty close. Industrial solvents, benzene, dioxins, bleach and sulphides are just a fragrant after scent wafting through the air and just close enough that they might tickle the nose hairs of those ‘negotiating a binding climate deal’ in Durban, South Africa at this years…
Tags: Climate change, COP17, Durban, South Africa
Conservation, Nov 5th, 2011,
The Asian market for traditional bogus medicine continues to grow, causing unprecedented losses in endangered species like the African White Rhino. Two poachers from Thailand were recently arrested for poaching upon their arrival in South Africa as part of a recent crackdown on poaching gangs. From Reuters Africa: More rhinos have been killed in South Africa in the past 10 months than in all of 2010, the WWF reported this week, citing figures from the South Africa National Parks. The figure stands at 341 animals lost to poaching, compared with a record total of 333 last year. Another response…
Tags: African, horn, poaching, rhino, South Africa, white
Green living, Nature, Pollution, Science & Technology, Videos & Documentaries, Wildlife & Flora, Oct 22nd, 2011,
Abraham Ramonwana, head guide at Tuli Safari Lodge says: “if a mine develops in South Africa, it’s also going to affect Botswana and Zimbabwe”. The authorisation given to an Australian company called Coal of Africa Limited (CoAL) to construct an open-cast coal mine, called the Vele Colliery, just outside of the boundaries of the Mapungubwe National Park will affect this fragile natural harmony. To Abraham, “mining and industry is a short term plan, tourism is a long-term plan.” Abraham, like many others, believes that the Mapungubwe region should be preserved and protected from the impacts of infrastructural development, and allowed…
Tags: Abraham Ramonwana, coal, coal mining, Coal of Africa Limited, manungubwe, Pollution, South Africa
Conservation, Aug 22nd, 2011,
So far this year poachers have killed 265 rhinos in South Africa, quickly approaching last year’s record 333 killings. To put this number in perspective, only 13 rhinos were poached in 2007. The cause for this carnage is the skyrocketing trade in rhino horn, due to the false belief that it cures cancer, headaches and fever. This unscientific notion is widespread in China, as well as in some communities in South East Asia, where increased affluence is fueling the illegal rhino horn market. Poachers use sophisticated military equipment and helicopters to enter wildlife reserves, like Kruger National Park in South…
Tags: horn, Kruger, park, poachers, rhinos, South Africa, TCM
Conservation, Nature, Weird Stuff, Wildlife & Flora, Sep 20th, 2010,
Today’s Creature Feature takes us to the southern tip of Africa, where we will find a neat little insect. The Basking Malachite (aka, the Amatola Malachite) is an Endangered species. This insect can only be found near the Kubusi and Thorn River of South Africa. Scientists roughly estimate there are less than 1,000 adults per generation and the population is on the decline. Basking Malachites prefer wetlands or areas with shallow streams/creeks as their habitat. Unfortunately for them, cattle also prefer streams—or at least to trample along them—and fish prefer to eat these particular insects. In addition to that, they…
Tags: Amatola Malachite, Basking Malachite, bug, Creature Feature, damselfly, endangered species, insect, South Africa
Weird Stuff, Wildlife & Flora, Aug 31st, 2010,
Last month it was reported in the Telegraph how clever baboons in South Africa have learned to recognize the door-locking signal ‘beep’ before deciding whether or not to break into cars parked at a popular tourist spot in Cape Town. This month the buzz is that baboons are raiding the vineyards of Cape Town’s wine country on a daily basis and entering the city’s exclusive suburbs in search of easy pickings. Sometimes the baboons even gorge themselves on grapes that have partially fermented in the sun and become intoxicated. Of course this is a struggle between primates – and the…
Tags: baboons, Cape Point, Cape Town, exclusive, primates, South Africa, suburbs, vineyards
Videos & Documentaries, Wildlife & Flora, Jul 25th, 2010,
A photo showing a southern right whale breaching on top of a sailboat in South Africa was met with skepticism when it appeared in the media last week. Claims that the picture was ‘Photoshopped’ seem to have now been repudiated with the surfacing of a video of the breach. The video, shown on CBS News in the United States, clearly shows what the South African sailors, Paloma Werner and Ralph Mothes experienced when the 40-ton whale unexpectedly slammed into their boat, breaking the mast. The whale likely bruised and cut itself, but the sailors were unhurt. From a Los Angeles…
Tags: boat, breach, breaching, photo, Right, sailboat, sailors, South Africa, Southern, video, whale
Climate Change, Green living, Politics, Jun 26th, 2010,
The Guardian recently featured an opinion piece on the commodification of water, by Nestle bigwig and former CEO Peter Brabeck-Letmathe. The article basically questions the assumption that all water use should be considered a basic human right and argues that water use which goes ‘beyond basic sanitation, cooking and drinking’ should be charged for. The era of water at throwaway prices is coming to an end. I have long argued that we need to set a price that more accurately values our most precious commodity; the OECD and the World Bank are also moving in this direction, and have recently…
Tags: Brabeck-Letmathe, commodity, crisis, freshwater, global, Guardian, Nestle, Peter, resource, South Africa, water
Nature, Science & Technology, Wildlife & Flora, Feb 11th, 2010,
This is an article about an animal you may not hear about too often; at least, not as often as tigers, whales or polar bears. The African Penguin, or Black-footed Penguin, is found throughout 24 islands near South Africa. They are between 26-28 inches (68-70 cm) tall and weigh between 4 and 11 pounds (2 and 5 kg). Population numbers were estimated to be around 1.5 million in 1910; but now, only 10% of those numbers remain. Currently listed as a Vulnerable species, threats include egg harvesting, habitat disruption, and oil spills. Between 2001 and 2009, their population fell by…
Tags: African Penguin, Algoa Bay, Bird Island, Black-footed Penguin, endangered species, fishing, Nature, research, South Africa, St. Croix Island, study, trawling
Climate Change, Politics, Jan 14th, 2010,
The major developing nations of China, India, Brazil and South Africa will meet on January 24th in New Delhi to hash out a common position on emission reductions and climate aid. It is believed that once such an agreement is reached the block of powerful developing countries will then attempt to convince other nations to sign on to the Copenhagen accord, according to an article published in the Guardian. ‘Countries have until January 31 to sign up to the accord and provide the UN with information on the specific commitments and actions they plan to take to reduce emissions. But…
Tags: Bolivia, Brazil, China, Climate change, copenhagen, countries, developing, Evo Morales, Guardian, India, nations, New Delhi, South Africa
Uncategorized, Wildlife & Flora, ,
Cape Town, South Africa: favored by tourists, a vacation hotspot, and home of yet another fatal shark attack. Over the weekend, eight sharks were sighted near Fish Hoek beach, by the city’s Shark Spotters program. In the past six years, this program has recorded at least 570 shark sightings. It may have been helpful if the tourists were warned about the sharks, particularly a man from Zimbabwe, who was in the False Bay area, for it was he who became the shark’s latest meal. It is currently unknown what type of shark did the killing, although the blame is usually…
Tags: Cape Town, deadly, False Bay, fatal, Fish Hoek beach, Great White Shark, shark attack, South Africa, Zimbabwe tourist
Climate Change, Nov 19th, 2009,
Greenpeace now has a new director, and one with years of experience in the field. Kumi Naidoo, 44, is the first African director of this great organization and also the first executive director to come from outside of the organization (i.e. he wasn’t promoted from within). He is certainly passionate about the work he does, however. In an exclusive interview with The Associated Press, he said “we either get it right and all of humanity comes out on the other side with a new world, or we get it wrong and all the world is going to sink.” He also…
Tags: Apartheid, Climate change, copenhagen, environmental organizations, global warming, Greenpeace, Kumi Naidoo, South Africa
Wildlife & Flora, Nov 10th, 2009,
What do you get when humans deplete a bird’s main food source? An appetite for food chain destruction. This isn’t about any old bird, however, this is about the Great White Pelicans of Malgas Island in South Africa. You see, these pelicans love to eat fish, particularly sardine and anchovies. Unfortunately for them, people have been overfishing off the cost of South Africa. So, these birds need to adapt and find a new food source. Their next choice? Other birds. The main target in this battle for survival is the Cape Gannet (which is also part of the same family…
Tags: bird eating bird, Dassen, gannets, Malgas, pelicans, South Africa, survival
Nature, Wildlife & Flora, Oct 31st, 2009,
Old South African traditions certainly do die hard, and apparently so do their animals. Ritualistic animal slaughters are being planned by traditional leaders, to bless 10 stadiums for the 2010 World Cup tournament before the start of the event next June. “We must have a cultural ceremony of some sort, where we are going to slaughter a beast,” claimed Zolani Mkvia, chairman of the Makhonya Royal Trust. “We sacrifice the cow for this great achievement and we call on our ancestors to bless, to grace, to ensure that all goes well. It’s all about calling for the divinity to prevail…
Tags: animal ritual sacrifice, blessing ceremony, South Africa, World Cup
