Over the past decade or so, researchers have found genetic evidence for contact between people in eastern Polynesia and those in coastal Peru and Colombia. Now archeologists studying the oldest settlement on Rapa Nui (Easter Island) have found physical evidence that islanders traveled to South America at least once and returned with food crops not known in Polynesia.
Oral history of #RapaNui (Easter Island 🗿) suggests at least one voyage to #SouthAmerica from the island during early years of its settlement - now analyses of #Obsidian blades with food traces seem to confirm this:
The Chilean regions of Antofagasta, Atacama and Coquimbo, which play host to these observatories, have thus had special lighting regulations for years to protect their dark-sky status for astronomers. Now, a New National Lighting Standard established by the Chilean Ministry of the Environment is being rolled out across the rest of Chile to emulate the dark-sky success of these science locations.
Argentina’s decision to join the BRICS is facing backlash at home, with two leading presidential candidates criticizing members of the group of major emerging market economies, and one of them vowing to pull the South American country from the bloc altogether.
In #BuenosAires, where the average high on Aug. 1 is 14°C, it surpassed 30°C on Tuesday. Temperatures Tuesday rose past 35°C in numerous locations, including at elevations of above 1000 m bis 1400m in the #Andes foothills. In some cases, the temperature crested above 38°C after leaping from morning lows in the single-digits Celsius.
New research by the World Mosquito Program (WMP) and the University of Antioquia, published today in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, shows dengue cases have dropped to the lowest level in 20 years across Colombia’s Aburrá Valley following large-scale releases of Wolbachia mosquitoes....
Book 4 of my summer reading pile. The Condor's Feather by Michael Webster.
It's a #travelogue, a genre I only occasionally enjoy as I often find it a bit clunky. But it is also a love story, a gorgeous elegy to #Birds, to #SouthAmerica, to the strength offered by a loving relationship + to the power of #nature to heal trauma. It certainly made me re-evaluate how I spend my time on earth.
A quiet recommendation in its genre, a book to savour. #bookstodon#SummerReadingChallenge#NatureWriting
Burials holding mummies with false heads have been discovered from the Wari Empire in Peru. Archaeologists in Peru have unearthed the burials of at least 73 people dating to around 1,000 years ago, a few hundred years before the Inca took over parts of western South America. ...
Brazil and France announced on Tuesday the launch of an investment program in the Brazilian and Guyanese Amazon rainforest involving 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) in private and public funds over the next four years, according to a joint statement.The announced was made during French President Emmanuel Macron's three-day visit...
Indigenous peoples and local communities are reporting a series of tangible and nuanced impacts of climate change, according to a new study. The study collected 1,661 firsthand reports of change in sites across all inhabited continents and aggregated the reports into 369 indicators of climate change impacts, including changes in...
"#Indigenous people are guaranteed exclusive use of natural resources on these lands, viewed by scientists as a bulwark against Amazon deforestation - a major challenge in the fight against climate change."
The Pantanal wetlands in western Brazil are famed as a paradise of biodiversity, but these days they have enormous clouds of smoke billowing over them, as raging wildfires reduce vast expanses to scorched earth. Known for its lush landscapes and vibrant wildlife, including jaguars, caimans, macaws and monkeys, the Pantanal is...
The bodies of nine migrants found on an African boat off the northern coast of Brazil’s Amazon region were buried Thursday with a solemn ceremony in the Para state capital of Belem. Fishermen off the coast of Para found the boat adrift April 13, carrying the bodies that were already decomposing. Brazilian officials later said...
For a bit more than a year, that I'm in the Fediverse, I had the chance to read and learn from #gardeners and #wildlife enthusiasts around the globe.
You are a generous bunch of people, thanks for sharing!
"A team of scientists on board an exploration vessel off the coast of South America have made a startling discovery: four previously unknown massive underwater mountains, ranging from 5,200 to 8,800 feet tall."
Futurism reports: "The discovery highlights just how little we know about the oceans covering much of our planet."
After 15 years of a devastating drought, reservoirs in Chile are running dry, imperiling access to drinking water in the Andean nation. The Cogoti reservoir in the Coquimbo region of northern Chile, a basin with a capacity of 150 million cubic has completely depleted as the southern Hemisphere summer comes to an end......
More than 100 people are dead and 136 people have been reported missing in Brazil after unprecedented rainfall devastated the state of Rio Grande do Sul with flooding. The Brazilian government is warning residents that more rain is expected. Rescue efforts were suspended on Wednesday in the face of continuing precipitation and winds exceeding 50 miles (80 Kilometers) per hour. USA Today has more on the disaster.
"'A great sadness': Venezuela is first Andean country to lose of all its glaciers
Scientists explain the loss of the Humboldt Glacier, the last in the Sierra Nevada, which they believe makes the South American country the first in modern history to lose all its glaciers. "
Argentina’s Top Presidential Candidates Reject BRICS Membership (www.bloomberg.com)
Argentina’s decision to join the BRICS is facing backlash at home, with two leading presidential candidates criticizing members of the group of major emerging market economies, and one of them vowing to pull the South American country from the bloc altogether.
Dengue cases drop to 20-year low following large-scale releases of Wolbachia mosquitoes in the Aburrá Valley, Colombia (www.nzdoctor.co.nz)
New research by the World Mosquito Program (WMP) and the University of Antioquia, published today in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, shows dengue cases have dropped to the lowest level in 20 years across Colombia’s Aburrá Valley following large-scale releases of Wolbachia mosquitoes....
Argentina bombshell as Milei submits request to join NATO (www.express.co.uk)
President Milei has formally put in an application to join the global military alliance.
73 Pre-Incan Mummies, Some with 'False Heads,' Unearthed in Peru (www.scientificamerican.com)
Burials holding mummies with false heads have been discovered from the Wari Empire in Peru. Archaeologists in Peru have unearthed the burials of at least 73 people dating to around 1,000 years ago, a few hundred years before the Inca took over parts of western South America. ...
Brazil, France launch $1.1 billion program to protect Amazon rainforest (japantoday.com)
Brazil and France announced on Tuesday the launch of an investment program in the Brazilian and Guyanese Amazon rainforest involving 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) in private and public funds over the next four years, according to a joint statement.The announced was made during French President Emmanuel Macron's three-day visit...
In largest ever study, Indigenous and local communities report the impacts of climate change (news.mongabay.com)
Indigenous peoples and local communities are reporting a series of tangible and nuanced impacts of climate change, according to a new study. The study collected 1,661 firsthand reports of change in sites across all inhabited continents and aggregated the reports into 369 indicators of climate change impacts, including changes in...
'Out of control' fires endanger wildlife in Brazilian Pantanal wetlands (phys.org)
The Pantanal wetlands in western Brazil are famed as a paradise of biodiversity, but these days they have enormous clouds of smoke billowing over them, as raging wildfires reduce vast expanses to scorched earth. Known for its lush landscapes and vibrant wildlife, including jaguars, caimans, macaws and monkeys, the Pantanal is...
Brazilian authorities bury deceased migrants who drifted in African boat to the Amazon (apnews.com)
The bodies of nine migrants found on an African boat off the northern coast of Brazil’s Amazon region were buried Thursday with a solemn ceremony in the Para state capital of Belem. Fishermen off the coast of Para found the boat adrift April 13, carrying the bodies that were already decomposing. Brazilian officials later said...
Africa and South America a 'blindspot' in carbon removal research, study reveals (www.imperial.ac.uk)
A review of research on carbon dioxide removal reveals a lack of evidence on its costs, impacts and benefits in Africa and South America....
Persistent drought is drying out Chile's drinking water (www.straitstimes.com)
After 15 years of a devastating drought, reservoirs in Chile are running dry, imperiling access to drinking water in the Andean nation. The Cogoti reservoir in the Coquimbo region of northern Chile, a basin with a capacity of 150 million cubic has completely depleted as the southern Hemisphere summer comes to an end......