Environment

'Revolutionary': Scientists create mice with two fathers

Scientists have created eggs using the cells of male mice for the first time, leading to the birth of seven mice with two fathers, according to research Wednesday hailed as "revolutionary".. - One percent success rate - The cells were then used to create eggs, which were fertilised with the sperm of a different male mouse and implanted into the uteruses of surrogate female mice.

Albania's 'wild river' granted national park status

Environmental campaigners scored a rare victory in Albania on Wednesday after authorities announced the creation of a national park to protect the Vjosa River, one of Europe's largest undammed waterways.. In Albania, the river was threatened by a string of hydroelectric power projects, which have now been banned by authorities.

Rescuers scramble to find survivors in cyclone-hit Malawi

Rescuers scrambled on Wednesday to reach survivors in Malawi's battered city of Blantyre, after Cyclone Freddy struck southern Africa for a second time, triggering floods and landslides that have killed more than 200 people. . Freddy returned to southeastern Africa at the weekend for a second time in less than three weeks, leaving behind a trail of death and destruction.

What makes Cyclone Freddy an exceptional storm

Cyclone Freddy, which has twice smashed into the African coast after traversing the Indian Ocean, may be enshrined in the history books as the longest ever documented, meteorologists say. . Major storms in the Indian Ocean are known as cyclones, as typhoons in the Pacific and hurricanes in the Atlantic.

Smog a major buzzkill for insect mating

The rigours and rituals of mating among fruit flies are challenging under the best of circumstances, but add ozone-laden smog into the mix and things really fly apart, according to a study published on Tuesday.. The pheromone released by male fruit flies serves as a female aphrodisiac.

Russia far-right sect tries to get foothold in Europe

Ines and Norman Kosin left everything behind to follow the teachings of Anastasia, a far-right Russian sect that preaches a return to the land.. Norman Kosin dreamed of welcoming 100 families to an Anastasian "space of love" in Austria.

Worry, mistrust meet plans to secure waste from Niger uranium mine

Towering mounds dot the desert landscape in northern Niger's Arlit region, but there is little natural about them -- they are heaps of partially radioactive waste left from four decades of operations at one of the world's biggest uranium mines.. "This is the biggest negative legacy left from uranium mining."

The battle to save Cambodia's river dolphins from extinction

Bulging grey heads break the turbid waters of the Mekong River in Cambodia as a pod of rare Irrawaddy dolphins surfaces to breathe, drawing excited murmurs from tourists watching from nearby boats.. "We got news from tourist boat operators that a baby dolphin was born a few days ago," Ponlork said.

Lawsuit filed in bid to halt Alaska oil drilling project

Environmental groups filed a lawsuit on Tuesday seeking to halt a controversial oil drilling project in Alaska approved by the Biden administration.. Environmental groups had urged President Joe Biden, who vowed during the 2020 White House race not to approve any new oil and gas leases on public lands, to reject the so-called Willow Project.

Argentina forests burn amid heat wave, drought

Fires in heat wave- and drought-stricken Argentina have devoured some 6,000 hectares (14,800 acres) of forests in the northern Corrientes province in just days, officials reported Tuesday.. In 2022, forest fires in Corrientes burnt more than a million hectares, according to official figures.