Digital Journal

Researchers have discovered that the most common form of human malaria— Plasmodium falciparum—may have originated in western lowland gorillas. The closest genetic match between malaria that infects humans and one that infects gorillas has been found. The result, which contradicts previous studies that point to chimpanzees as the potential reservoir of malignant malaria, has been published in the latest issue of science journal Nature. This research was led by Dr Beatrice Hahn and colleagues at...

A group of Peruvian archaeologists has discovered two temples dating back more than four thousand years in a landfill spot the jungles in the north of the country. It is probably the oldest known temple building in Peru. The temples were found near the village of Jaén, Cajamarca, in northern Peru. The excavation sites, locally known as Monte Grande and San Isidro, were previously used for agriculture and even as a garbage dump. The complex was in all likelihood built around 2,000 BC. From the...

The Commonwealth Games in New Delhi will be an "appealing target" for Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) because of its political and economic significance for India, a top US counter-terrorism official has warned. The warning came at a time when India's Home Minister P Chidambaram informed the Prime Minister's Office in an internal mail that the Home Ministry would not take responsibility for any untoward incident during the event, sources told news portal rediff.com. "We are...

About 2.57 billion urban dwellers in developing nations are vulnerable to high levels of risk fuelled by rapid urbanisation, poor local governance, population growth, poor health services and, in many instances, the rising tide of urban violence. The figures are from the World Disasters Report released by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) on Tuesday. A key finding of the report is that between one-third and one-half of the population of most cities in...

Two veterinarians, two safari operators, and a professional hunter are among nine people who were arrested Monday during a police raids in South Africa. Over 200 rhinos have been killed in the country this year. Dawie Groenewald, the wealthy driving force behind Out of Africa Adventurous Safaris in Polokwane, his wife, Sariette, and Tielman Erasmus, a professional hunter, are behind bars. They were arrested on Monday along with Dr Karel Toet and Dr Manie du Plessis, two veterinarians from...

The BBC's Natural History Unit has discovered the world's highest living tigers during an expedition to the remote Himalayas in Bhutan. With only about 3,000 tigers left in the wild, the discovery is a breakthrough for tiger survival. Working with tiger conservationists and scientists the team, from BBC One's 'Lost Land Of The Tiger', filmed the tigers over 4,000 metres high up in the Himalayas. The footage is the first real evidence that tigers are resident and breeding at this altitude. The...

It has taken the UN three months to react to street demonstrations in Kashmir which have left over 100 people dead. UN secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday called for an immediate end to violence in Kashmir after recent deadly clashes there. “The Secretary-General regrets the latest loss of life,” his spokesperson Martin Nesirky told reporters. “He calls for an immediate end to violence and urges calm and restraint by all concerned.” The UN reaction came a day after an Indian all-party...

Scientists have rediscovered three "lost" amphibian species that had not been seen for decades, Conservation International (CI) and the IUCN Amphibian Specialist Group (ASG) have announced. The three amphibians that have been rediscovered so far include a Mexican salamander not seen since it was discovered in 1941, a frog from the Ivory Coast not seen since 1967, and another frog from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) not seen since 1979. The cave splayfoot salamander ( Chiropterotriton...

Half of UK consumers have no idea that the paper and wood products they are buying may be contributing to the destruction of the world’s forests. But two-thirds believe authorities should commit to buying sustainable wood and paper products. The findings are from a survey carried out as part of WWF’s ‘What Wood You Choose?’ campaign. The two-year, EU-funded project, aims to help people make the right choices when buying wood-related products such as a new bed, flooring or paper for their printer...

Greenpeace activists Tuesday occupied an oil drilling ship anchored off Shetland Isles to push for a ban on deepwater drilling in the North Sea. Two members used boats to reach the 228-metre Stena Carron and attached themselves to its anchor chain. One of the Greenpeace protesters, Anais Schneider, said, "The Shetlands are so beautiful and an oil spill here could devastate this area and the North Sea. It's time to go beyond oil. Our addiction is harming the climate, the natural world and our...