Last month, Tanzania grappled to put out huge fires on Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s tallest mountain and the largest free-standing mountain in the world. Fires – both natural and those caused by people – have always been common on the mountain. Nor are they always bad for the environment. Over centuries they’ve helped to shape and maintain the mountain’s vegetation belts. They also allowed certain species, like the famous giant lobelias, to flourish. But, explains Andreas Hemp, over the last 150 years the regional climate has become drier, leading to more frequent and more intense wildfires.
Diabetes is a rising cause of death across the world. It is also the source of a host of debilitating medical conditions, from blindness to kidney failure and strokes. The disease has been increasing faster in low- and middle-in countries such as those in sub-Saharan Africa where the numbers are expected to grow exponentially over the next 25 years. Chinwe Juliana Iwu-Jaja, Andre Pascal Kengne and Charles Shey Wiysonge examine the
implications.
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Fires on Kilimanjaro, October 2020.
Thomas Becker/picture alliance via Getty Images
Andreas Hemp, Bayreuth University
There have been several severe fires on Kilimanjaro over the last few decades that have dramatically changed land cover.
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shutterstock.
Chinwe Juliana Iwu-Jaja, Stellenbosch University; Andre Pascal Kengne, University of Cape Town; Charles Shey Wiysonge, South African Medical Research Council
The rapid rise in diabetes mustn't be overlooked, as it could have devastating health and economic effects. Most national health systems are already struggling with infectious diseases.
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Energy + Environment
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Nick Dunn, Lancaster University
Dark skies have value. They are a profoundly wonderful yet highly threatened natural asset.
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Luna Lu, Purdue University; Vishal Saravade, Purdue University
What if roads and bridges could signal structural problems that need repair?
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Politics + Society
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Ullrich Ecker, University of Western Australia; Michael Jetter, University of Western Australia; Stephan Lewandowsky, University of Bristol
Our new study presents the first empirical evidence that President Trump’s tweets systematically divert attention away from topics that are potentially harmful to him.
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Natasha Mikles, Texas State University
Many Indian Americans will be celebrating the festival of Diwali this week. A scholar explains what this festival of lights means – especially in chaotic times.
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