The bog covers an area the size of England and is thought to contain billions of tonnes of peat.
Scientists say investigating the carbon-rich material could shed light on 10,000 years of environmental change in this little-studied region.
The discovery team, from the University of Leeds, the Wildlife Conservation Society-Congo and Congo-Brazzaville's Marien Ngouabi University, had to contend with dwarf crocodiles, gorillas and elephants as they explored the area. But they said the biggest challenge was soggy feet.
Dr Simon Lewis from the Univer sity of leeds, who was working with PhD student Greta Dargie, said: "You can only walk on these areas for a couple of months a year, right at the end of the dry season, so you have to time it right. Even then it is still wet every day.
The team estimates that the bog covers between 100,000 and 200,000 square kilometres (40,000 to 80,000 sq miles), with the peat-layer reaching up to 7m (23ft) beneath the ground. It spreads into the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Thursday, 29 May 2014
Sunday, 18 May 2014
Biggest ever Creature to walk the Earth found in Patagonia
Fossilised bones of a dinosaur believed to be the largest creature ever to walk the Earth have been unearthed in Argentina, palaeontologists say.
Based on its huge thigh bones, it was 40m (130ft) long and 20m (65ft) tall. Weighing in at 77 tonnes, it was as heavy as 14 African elephants, and seven tonnes heavier than the previous record holder, Argentinosaurus.
Scientists believe it is a new species of titanosaur - an enormous herbivore dating from the Late Cretaceous period.
By measuring the length and circumference of the largest femur (thigh bone), they calculatedthe animal weighed 77 tonnes.
This giant herbivore lived in the forests of Patagonia between 95 and 100 million years ago, based on the age of the rocks in which its bones were found.
But despite its magnitude, it does not yet have a name.
Based on its huge thigh bones, it was 40m (130ft) long and 20m (65ft) tall. Weighing in at 77 tonnes, it was as heavy as 14 African elephants, and seven tonnes heavier than the previous record holder, Argentinosaurus.
Scientists believe it is a new species of titanosaur - an enormous herbivore dating from the Late Cretaceous period.
By measuring the length and circumference of the largest femur (thigh bone), they calculatedthe animal weighed 77 tonnes.
This giant herbivore lived in the forests of Patagonia between 95 and 100 million years ago, based on the age of the rocks in which its bones were found.
But despite its magnitude, it does not yet have a name.
Friday, 16 May 2014
Water Extraction is Triggering Earthquakes in California
Extracting water for human activities is increasing the number of small earthquakes being triggered in California.
A new study suggests that the heavy use of ground water for pumping and irrigation is causing mountains to lift and valleys to subside. The scientists say this depletion of the water is increasing seismic activity along the San Andreas fault. They worry that over time this will hasten the occurrence of large quakes. So great is the demand that scientists estimate twice as much water is being consumed as is being returned through rain and snow.
All this extraction is having a significant impact on the shape of the Earth. The floors of the valleys are subsiding, the researchers found, while the surrounding mountains are on the rise.
"We are removing a weight from the Earth's crust and it is responding by flexing upwards and literally moving mountains," lead author Dr Colin Amos told BBC News.
Climate change is real, man made, and it is hitting almost every part of the US. And it is going to get a lot worse.
One of the areas that's likely to feel the full effects of warming is the second largest state: Texas. The report predicts more heat, more dry spells and more extreme weather events in a place that suffered record temperatures in 2011.
So desperate are they for water in the town of Wichita Falls, the locals are investigating the possibility of recycling toilet water for human consumption!
As Texas is the biggest emitter of carbon dioxide in the US, there is a certain synchronicity to the scale of the impacts the state is likely to endure.
A new study suggests that the heavy use of ground water for pumping and irrigation is causing mountains to lift and valleys to subside. The scientists say this depletion of the water is increasing seismic activity along the San Andreas fault. They worry that over time this will hasten the occurrence of large quakes. So great is the demand that scientists estimate twice as much water is being consumed as is being returned through rain and snow.
All this extraction is having a significant impact on the shape of the Earth. The floors of the valleys are subsiding, the researchers found, while the surrounding mountains are on the rise.
"We are removing a weight from the Earth's crust and it is responding by flexing upwards and literally moving mountains," lead author Dr Colin Amos told BBC News.
Climate change is real, man made, and it is hitting almost every part of the US. And it is going to get a lot worse.
One of the areas that's likely to feel the full effects of warming is the second largest state: Texas. The report predicts more heat, more dry spells and more extreme weather events in a place that suffered record temperatures in 2011.
So desperate are they for water in the town of Wichita Falls, the locals are investigating the possibility of recycling toilet water for human consumption!
As Texas is the biggest emitter of carbon dioxide in the US, there is a certain synchronicity to the scale of the impacts the state is likely to endure.
Friday, 2 May 2014
Female Insects with Penises have been Discovered
Female insects with "penises" have been discovered in a cave in eastern Brazil.
Scientists think they are the first example of animals with reversed genitalia.
The females of four species of Neotrogla insert their erectile organs into males' vagina-like openings.
The structure, known as a "gynosome", is used to suck out sperm and nutritious seminal fluids, which provide the females with food as well. This may be an important survival strategy as they live in a cave environment where food is scarce.
Copulation lasts an impressive 40-70 hours.
Once inside a male, the female gynosome inflates. It has numerous spines which anchor the two insects very firmly together.
When the researchers attempted to pull a male and female apart, the male's abdomen was pulled from its thorax without breaking the coupling.
Scientists think they are the first example of animals with reversed genitalia.
The females of four species of Neotrogla insert their erectile organs into males' vagina-like openings.
The structure, known as a "gynosome", is used to suck out sperm and nutritious seminal fluids, which provide the females with food as well. This may be an important survival strategy as they live in a cave environment where food is scarce.
Copulation lasts an impressive 40-70 hours.
Once inside a male, the female gynosome inflates. It has numerous spines which anchor the two insects very firmly together.
When the researchers attempted to pull a male and female apart, the male's abdomen was pulled from its thorax without breaking the coupling.
Sunday, 20 April 2014
Endangered hamster-sized deer born in zoo
A baby Java mouse-deer - one of the smallest hoofed animals in the world - has been born at a zoo in southern Spain.
The newborn deer is "no bigger than a hamster" and weighs about 100 grams, staff at Bioparc Fuengirola tell the El Pais newspaper. Adult Java mouse-deer are rarely bigger than rabbits or weigh more than 1kg (2.2lb).
They are also known to be fiercely intelligent, and the species represents wisdom in many local legends in its
native Java.
The future of the species is threatened by massive deforestation in South East Asia and the replacement of
jungles with oil palm plantations.
The newborn deer is "no bigger than a hamster" and weighs about 100 grams, staff at Bioparc Fuengirola tell the El Pais newspaper. Adult Java mouse-deer are rarely bigger than rabbits or weigh more than 1kg (2.2lb).
They are also known to be fiercely intelligent, and the species represents wisdom in many local legends in its
native Java.
The future of the species is threatened by massive deforestation in South East Asia and the replacement of
jungles with oil palm plantations.
Tuesday, 1 April 2014
Japan is to stop its program of whaling for "scientific research"
The UN's International Court of Justice (ICJ) has ruled that the Japanese government must halt its whaling
programme in the Antarctic.It agreed with Australia, which brought the case in May 2010, that the programme was not for scientific research as claimed by Tokyo.
Japan said it would abide by the decision but added it "regrets and is deeply disappointed by the decision".
Reading out the judgement on Monday, Presiding Judge Peter Tomka said the court had decided, by 12 votes to four, that Japan should withdraw all permits and licenses for whaling in the Antarctic and refrain from issuing any new ones.It said Japan had caught some 3,600 minke whales since its current programme began in 2005, but the scientific output was limited.
Japan signed up to a moratorium on whaling in 1986, but continued whaling in the north and south Pacific under provisions that allowed for scientific research. Norway and Iceland rejected the provision and continued commercial whaling.
The meat from the slaughtered whales is sold commercially in Japan.
programme in the Antarctic.It agreed with Australia, which brought the case in May 2010, that the programme was not for scientific research as claimed by Tokyo.
Japan said it would abide by the decision but added it "regrets and is deeply disappointed by the decision".
Reading out the judgement on Monday, Presiding Judge Peter Tomka said the court had decided, by 12 votes to four, that Japan should withdraw all permits and licenses for whaling in the Antarctic and refrain from issuing any new ones.It said Japan had caught some 3,600 minke whales since its current programme began in 2005, but the scientific output was limited.
Japan signed up to a moratorium on whaling in 1986, but continued whaling in the north and south Pacific under provisions that allowed for scientific research. Norway and Iceland rejected the provision and continued commercial whaling.
The meat from the slaughtered whales is sold commercially in Japan.
Friday, 14 March 2014
Mineral hints at bright blue rocks deep in the Earth
Minerals preserved in a diamond from a 100 million year old Kimberlite found in Brazil have revealed hints of the bright blue rocks that exist deep within the Earth.It also provides the first direct evidence that there may be as much water trapped in those rocks as there is in all the oceans.
The diamond contains minerals that formed as deep as 600km down and that have significant amounts of water trapped within them.
Diamonds, brought to the Earth's surface in violent eruptions of deep volcanic rocks called Kimberlites,
provide a tantalising window into the deep Earth.
The diamond contained a mineral, Ringwoodite, that is only thought to form between 410km and 660km beneath the Earth's surface, showing just how deep some diamonds originate. While Ringwoodite has previously been found in meteorites, this is the first time a terrestrial Ringwoodite has been seen. But more extraordinarily, researchers found that the mineral contains about 1% water.
While this sounds like very little, because ringwoodite makes up almost all of this immense portion of the
deep Earth, it adds up to a huge amount of deep water - up to several times the amount in the Earth's Oceans.
The diamond contains minerals that formed as deep as 600km down and that have significant amounts of water trapped within them.
Diamonds, brought to the Earth's surface in violent eruptions of deep volcanic rocks called Kimberlites,
provide a tantalising window into the deep Earth.
The diamond contained a mineral, Ringwoodite, that is only thought to form between 410km and 660km beneath the Earth's surface, showing just how deep some diamonds originate. While Ringwoodite has previously been found in meteorites, this is the first time a terrestrial Ringwoodite has been seen. But more extraordinarily, researchers found that the mineral contains about 1% water.
While this sounds like very little, because ringwoodite makes up almost all of this immense portion of the
deep Earth, it adds up to a huge amount of deep water - up to several times the amount in the Earth's Oceans.
Tuesday, 11 March 2014
Elephants recognise Human voices
Elephants are able to differentiate between ethnicities and genders, and can tell an adult from a child - all
from the sound of a human voice.This is according to a study in which researchers played voice recordings to wild African elephants.
According to Prof McComb who led the study, "If you give a Masai man a lift in your car, you can see the
elephants behave in a different way around you. "They're much more wary of the car and you see a lot of smelling and listening."
Prof McComb wanted to find out if the animals used their very acute sense of hearing to identify a potential threat from humans.The scientists recorded Masai and then Kamba (agriculturalists) men, women and children saying, in their own language, "look, look over there, a group of elephants is coming".
When the team played recordings of these different voices through a camouflaged loudspeaker, they found that elephant family groups reacted more fearfully in response to the voice of a Masai man, than to a Kamba man's voice - retreating and bunching together defensively.And the adult male Masai voices triggered far more of these defensive reactions than the voices of women or boys.
from the sound of a human voice.This is according to a study in which researchers played voice recordings to wild African elephants.
According to Prof McComb who led the study, "If you give a Masai man a lift in your car, you can see the
elephants behave in a different way around you. "They're much more wary of the car and you see a lot of smelling and listening."
Prof McComb wanted to find out if the animals used their very acute sense of hearing to identify a potential threat from humans.The scientists recorded Masai and then Kamba (agriculturalists) men, women and children saying, in their own language, "look, look over there, a group of elephants is coming".
When the team played recordings of these different voices through a camouflaged loudspeaker, they found that elephant family groups reacted more fearfully in response to the voice of a Masai man, than to a Kamba man's voice - retreating and bunching together defensively.And the adult male Masai voices triggered far more of these defensive reactions than the voices of women or boys.
Sunday, 9 March 2014
Satellites are being used to track baby Loggerhead Turtles
Satellites are tracking tagged baby loggerhead turtles to find out where they go in their early years.
The babies are tracked from leaving the US coastal waters as they head off into the Atlantic Ocean. It appears they spend a long time in the Sargasso Sea, possibly living in amongst floating mats of Sargassum seaweed.
The tags fall off after about 220 days
Other data suggests that they travel in a circle born along by the North Atlanic Sea currents and get as far as the Azores and Cape Verde before heading back to the Gulf of Mexico
The babies are tracked from leaving the US coastal waters as they head off into the Atlantic Ocean. It appears they spend a long time in the Sargasso Sea, possibly living in amongst floating mats of Sargassum seaweed.
The tags fall off after about 220 days
Other data suggests that they travel in a circle born along by the North Atlanic Sea currents and get as far as the Azores and Cape Verde before heading back to the Gulf of Mexico
Sunday, 2 February 2014
Hopes to release Asian Vultures back into the Wild in 2016
After the devastation wrought by a drug on Asian vulture populations, a project hopes to begin releasing captive-bred birds into the wild by 2016.
The Saving Asia's Vultures from Extinction (Save) programme says it plans to release up to 25 birds into a 30,000-sq-km drug-free "safe zone". It then wants to establish many more and bigger safe zones.
Diclofenac - used by vets on cattle - was identified as causing a crash in vulture numbers and banned by India after the population dropped by 96%.
But, says Save, the version for human use is still given illegally to cattle.Much work is being done to educate local farmers into using safer alternatives
Diclofenac was banned for use by vets and farmers in 2006 because of its effect on vultures that feed on livestock carcasses. It either causes Kidney failure or makes them infertile
Vulures are essential to clean up carcasses that would otherwise rot and spread disease
The Saving Asia's Vultures from Extinction (Save) programme says it plans to release up to 25 birds into a 30,000-sq-km drug-free "safe zone". It then wants to establish many more and bigger safe zones.
Diclofenac - used by vets on cattle - was identified as causing a crash in vulture numbers and banned by India after the population dropped by 96%.
But, says Save, the version for human use is still given illegally to cattle.Much work is being done to educate local farmers into using safer alternatives
Diclofenac was banned for use by vets and farmers in 2006 because of its effect on vultures that feed on livestock carcasses. It either causes Kidney failure or makes them infertile
Vulures are essential to clean up carcasses that would otherwise rot and spread disease
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