Science & Environment

[spaminator]

How many giraffe species are in Africa? New scientific analysis quadruples the count
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Christina Larson
Published Aug 21, 2025 • 2 minute read

WASHINGTON — Giraffes are a majestic sight in Africa with their long necks and distinctive spots. Now it turns out there are four different giraffe species on the continent, according to a new scientific analysis released Thursday.


Researchers previously considered all giraffes across Africa to belong to a single species. New data and genetic studies have led a task force of the International Union for Conservation of Nature to split the tallest mammal on land into four groups — Northern giraffes, reticulated giraffes, Masai giraffes and Southern giraffes.


Key studies have emerged in the past decade highlighting significant differences between the four species, said the IUCN’s Michael Brown, a researcher in Windhoek, Namibia, who led the assessment.

Naming different giraffes matters because “each species has different population sizes, threats and conservation needs,” he said. “When you lump giraffes all together, it muddies the narrative.”


Northern giraffes — whose range includes parts of Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan and Central African Republic — face threats from political instability and poaching. Masai giraffes in Kenya and Tanzania face pressure from habitat loss, as open savannas are converted to cattle pastures and fields.

Considering four giraffe species “is absolutely the right decision, and it’s long overdue,” said Stuart Pimm, a Duke University ecologist who wasn’t involved in the analysis.

While in the past researchers scrutinized giraffes’ spots, the new categories made use of newer methods including extensive analysis of genetic data and studies highlighting key anatomical differences, such as skull shape.


What appear like horns sticking up from the foreheads of giraffes are actually permanent bony protrusions from the skull, different from deer antlers that are shed annually.

Over the past 20 years, scientists have also gathered genetic samples from more than 2,000 giraffes across Africa to study the differences, said Stephanie Fennessy at the nonprofit Giraffe Conservation Foundation, who helped in the research.

It used to cost tens of thousands of dollars to sequence each genome, but advances in technology have brought the cost down to about $100, making it more accessible to nonprofit and conservation groups, she said.

According to population estimates from the foundation, the most endangered giraffe is the Northern giraffe, with only about 7,000 individuals left in the wild.

“It’s one of the most threatened large mammals in the world,” said Fennessy.

Southern giraffes are the most populous species, with around 69,000 individuals. There are around 21,000 reticulated giraffes left in the wild, and 44,000 Masai giraffes, according to the foundation.

“If not all giraffes are the same, then we have to protect them individually,” said Fennessy.

How many giraffe species are in Africa? New scientific analysis quadruples the count

There are four different giraffe species on the continent, according to a new scientific analysis released Thursday.

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

Bones of ancient child suggest humans could have interbred with Neanderthals earlier than thought
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Melanie Lidman
Published Aug 21, 2025 • 4 minute read

This undated photo provided by Tel Aviv University shows a child's mandible that was excavated from Skhul Cave in northern Israel.
This undated photo provided by Tel Aviv University shows a child's mandible that was excavated from Skhul Cave in northern Israel. Photo by Tel Aviv University via AP /AP
TEL AVIV, Israel — Modern humans and Neanderthals were interacting 100,000 years earlier than previously thought, according to researchers who used CT scans and 3D mapping to study the bones of a child they believe was the result of interbreeding between the two distinct groups.


The child, described in a recent study published in the peer-reviewed journal L’Anthropologie, was buried in a cave in Israel some 140,000 years ago. Because no ancient DNA was extracted from the fossilized remains, it’s impossible to confirm the child’s origins, but scientists say microscopic details in the bones indicate the child had traits of both groups.


When the bones were first excavated from Skhul Cave in northern Israel in 1931, archeologists recognized that the child belonged to neither Homo sapiens, who had arrived in the region from Africa, nor Neanderthals, who arrived from Europe. They concluded it was a separate species indigenous to the area.

But the new 3D mapping allowed researchers to study small details of the skull that had previously been difficult to see or decipher. Researchers were able to examine distinctive traits such as the construction of the inner ear and the imprint of blood vessels that supplied the brain.


By comparing known characteristics of both Homo sapiens and Neanderthals, the researchers concluded the child was the result of interbreeding.

Previously, the earliest known example of interbreeding between the groups was around 40,000 years ago in central Europe, explained Israel Hershkovitz, the lead researcher of the study and a professor of archeology and human evolution at Tel Aviv University.

A new glimpse into ancient relations
The new research helps shed light on when the two groups began interacting and offers clues about their relationships.

“What we’re saying now is that there was an extensive relationship between Homo sapiens and Neanderthals that started around 140,000 years ago,” and the two groups “managed to live side by side with no evidence for hostile encounters,” Hershkovitz said.


The interbreeding and shared cultural practices, including burials and tool construction, challenge the notion of Homo sapiens as “intolerant” to other human groups due to their eventual dominance, Hershkovitz said.

Without DNA, it will be impossible to prove that the child was a hybrid human, said Pascal Gagneux, an evolutionary biologist studying human origins at the University of California San Diego who was not involved in the research. Still, he said, the details revealed by the mapping, including the internal structure of some bones and several features, support the hybrid hypothesis.

Peering inside an ancient skull
Researchers took thousands of isolated scans of the skull and jaw of the child and then created a virtual 3D model of the fossil.


The model allowed them to analyze tiny details that are impossible to see on the fossilized bones, including delicate parts inside the skull. Blood vessels, for example, make a small imprint on the inside of a skull.

While some of the grooves are visible to the naked eye, the 3D scans allowed researchers to see the blood vessels like “tributaries of a river,” Hershkovitz said.

The patterns are distinct between the two groups, because Neanderthals and Homo sapiens have different brain shapes that require different blood delivery.

The virtual mapping created a more accurate reconstruction of the child’s skull than could be built from the bones and plaster when the remains were originally excavated. The new reconstruction is much more elongated, which is more typical for Neanderthals, Gagneux said.


However, the detailed reconstruction does not answer many of the questions surrounding the discovery, Gagneux said. Were the parents of the child also interbred? Or was one Neanderthal and the other Homo sapien? Why was the child, or anyone else, buried in the cave?

Thomas Levy, a professor in cyber-archeology also at the University of California San Diego, said he was impressed by the study’s use of 3D models. The advances in scientific visualization allow more accurate measurements and comparisons of specimens, said Levy, who was not involved in the research.

The technology also offers archeologists a fresh opportunity to review conclusions from objects excavated many years ago.

Living in harmony
Skhul Cave is one of three caves in the region that represent some of the oldest known intentional burials in the world, dating to more than 100,000 years ago, in the middle of the Paleolithic era. Multiple sets of remains were found at each site, and some are still being painstakingly excavated with tiny drills, which could provide more clues in the future.


In ancient times, Israel was a land bridge and point of interaction between Neanderthals and Homo sapiens.

Because Homo sapiens eventually replaced Neanderthals in the region and across the world, many people speculate that their interactions were violent and hostile, with Homo sapiens eventually responsible for the “total elimination” of Neanderthals, Hershkovitz said.

“What Skhul is telling us is that Homo sapiens are not a vicious, aggressive creature, but one that managed to live in peace” with other groups, he said. “Our aggressive behavior, which continues today in our long history, is a recent phenomenon that has cultural roots and not biological roots.”

Bones of ancient child suggest humans could have interbred with Neanderthals earlier than thought

Modern humans and Neanderthals were interacting 100,000 years earlier than previously thought, according to researchers.

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

Walmart recalls frozen shrimp over potential radioactive contamination
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Jonel Aleccia
Published Aug 19, 2025 • 2 minute read

Walmart has recalled frozen, raw shrimp sold in 13 states because federal health officials say it could have potential radioactive contamination.


The U.S. Food and Drug Administration asked Walmart to pull three lots of Great Value brand frozen shrimp from stores after federal officials detected Cesium-137, a radioactive isotope, in shipping containers and a sample of breaded shrimp imported from Indonesia.


The products could pose a “potential health concern” for people exposed to low levels of Cesium-137 over time, FDA officials said.

“If you have recently purchased raw frozen shrimp from Walmart that matches this description, throw it away,” FDA officials said in a statement.

The risk from the recalled shrimp is “quite low,” said Donald Schaffner, a food safety expert at Rutgers University.

Cesium-137 is a byproduct of nuclear reactions, including nuclear bombs, testing, reactor operations and accidents. It’s widespread around the world, with trace amounts found in the environment, including soil, food and air.


The level detected in the frozen breaded shrimp was far lower than FDA intervention levels. However, the agency said that avoiding potentially contaminated products could reduce exposure to low-level radiation that could lead to health problems over time.

The FDA is investigating reports of Cesium-137 contamination in shipping containers and products processed by P.T. Bahari Makmur Sejati, doing business as BMS Foods of Indonesia. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials alerted FDA that they found Cesium-137 in shipping containers sent to U.S. ports in Los Angeles, Houston, Miami and Savannah, Ga.

FDA officials collected several product samples and detected contamination in one sample of frozen breaded shrimp. The shipping containers and products were denied entry into the U.S.


However, the FDA then learned that Walmart had received potentially affected products imported after the first detection, from shipments that did not trigger contamination alerts.

Walmart immediately recalled the products, a company spokesperson said. They include Great Value brand frozen raw shrimp with lot codes 8005540-1, 8005538-1 and 8005539-1, all with best-by dates of March 15, 2027. The shrimp was sold in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas and West Virginia. Consumers should discard the products or return them to any Walmart store for refund.

Walmart recalls frozen shrimp over potential radioactive contamination

Walmart has recalled frozen, raw shrimp sold in 13 states because health officials say it could have potential radioactive contamination.

torontosun.com

More frozen shrimp recalled for possible radioactive contamination
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Jonel Aleccia
Published Aug 21, 2025 • 1 minute read

More packages of frozen shrimp potentially affected by radioactive contamination have been recalled, federal officials said Thursday.


California-based Southwind Foods recalled frozen shrimp sold under the brands Sand Bar, Arctic Shores, Best Yet, Great American and First Street. The bagged products were distributed between July 17 and Aug. 8 to stores and wholesalers in nine states: Alabama, Arizona, California, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia, and Washington state.


The products have the potential to be contaminated with Cesium-137, a radioactive isotope that is a byproduct of nuclear reactions.

Walmart stores this week recalled packages of Great Value frozen raw shrimp sold in 13 states because of potential radioactive contamination.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a safety alert after federal officials detected Cesium-137 in shipping containers sent to four U.S. ports and in a sample of frozen breaded shrimp imported by BMS Foods of Indonesia.

The FDA advises consumers not to eat the recalled products. Traces of Cesium-137 are widespread in the environment including food, soil and air. The primary health risk is through long-term, repeated low-dose exposure, which can increase the risk of cancer.

More frozen shrimp recalled for possible radioactive contamination

More packages of frozen shrimp potentially affected by radioactive contamination have been recalled.

torontosun.com

 

[Tecumsehsbones]

MMMmmm. . . glow-in-the-dark shrimp. . .

 

[petros]

More frozen shrimp recalled for possible radioactive contamination
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Jonel Aleccia
Published Aug 21, 2025 • 1 minute read

More packages of frozen shrimp potentially affected by radioactive contamination have been recalled, federal officials said Thursday.


California-based Southwind Foods recalled frozen shrimp sold under the brands Sand Bar, Arctic Shores, Best Yet, Great American and First Street. The bagged products were distributed between July 17 and Aug. 8 to stores and wholesalers in nine states: Alabama, Arizona, California, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia, and Washington state.


The products have the potential to be contaminated with Cesium-137, a radioactive isotope that is a byproduct of nuclear reactions.

Walmart stores this week recalled packages of Great Value frozen raw shrimp sold in 13 states because of potential radioactive contamination.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a safety alert after federal officials detected Cesium-137 in shipping containers sent to four U.S. ports and in a sample of frozen breaded shrimp imported by BMS Foods of Indonesia.

The FDA advises consumers not to eat the recalled products. Traces of Cesium-137 are widespread in the environment including food, soil and air. The primary health risk is through long-term, repeated low-dose exposure, which can increase the risk of cancer.

More frozen shrimp recalled for possible radioactive contamination

More packages of frozen shrimp potentially affected by radioactive contamination have been recalled.

torontosun.com

No saying where caught or raised?