All posts tagged: Peru

‘Blob-headed’ fish and semi-aquatic mouse among 27 newly discovered species in Peru | Science, Climate & Tech News

‘Blob-headed’ fish and semi-aquatic mouse among 27 newly discovered species in Peru | Science, Climate & Tech News

Published by skeptic

A “blob-headed” fish and a semi-aquatic mouse are among 27 newly discovered species found in a remote region of the Amazon rainforest in Peru. Scientists also encountered a new species of dwarf squirrel, salamander and short-tailed fruit bat during their expedition to the remote forest of Alto Mayo, according to the findings published by Conservation International. The protected area in northern Peru is home to several ecosystems, indigenous territories and villages. Among the discoveries was a new species of spiny mouse, eight types of fish, 10 types of butterfly and two new dung beetles. The “blob-headed” fish that was found is “new to science” and is a type of armoured catfish, the report says. The scientists had never seen a fish with an “enlarged blob-like head” before and the “function of this unusual structure remains a mystery”, the paper continues. Meanwhile, the new species of amphibious mouse was found in one patch of swamp forest in Alto Mayo. The creature is from “a group of semi-aquatic rodents that is considered among the rarest in the …

Artificial Intelligence & Drones Uncover 303 New Nazca Lines in Peru

Artificial Intelligence & Drones Uncover 303 New Nazca Lines in Peru

Published by José

If you vis­it one tourist site in Peru, it will almost cer­tain­ly be the ruined Incan city of Machu Pic­chu. If you vis­it anoth­er, it’ll prob­a­bly be the Naz­ca Desert, home to many large-scale geo­glyphs made by pre-Inca peo­ples between 500 BC and 500 AD. Many of these “Naz­ca lines” are lit­er­al­ly that, run­ning across the desert floor in an abstract fash­ion, but oth­ers are fig­u­ra­tive, depict­ing human beings, flo­ra, fau­na, and var­i­ous less eas­i­ly cat­e­go­riz­able chimeras. The preser­v­a­tive effects of the cli­mate kept many of these designs iden­ti­fi­able by the time mod­erns dis­cov­ered them in 1927, and thanks to arti­fi­cial-intel­li­gence tech­nol­o­gy, researchers are find­ing new ones still today. “A team from the Japan­ese Uni­ver­si­ty of Yamagata’s Naz­ca Insti­tute, in col­lab­o­ra­tion with IBM Research, dis­cov­ered 303 pre­vi­ous­ly unknown geo­glyphs of humans and ani­mals, all small­er in size than the vast geo­met­ric pat­terns that date from AD 200–700 and stretch across more than 400 sq km of the Naz­ca plateau,” writes the Guardian’s Dan Col­lyns. “The use of AI com­bined with low-fly­ing drones rev­o­lu­tion­ized the speed …

Marina Hyde on the ‘brave’ inciters of Britain’s race riots; lightning struck my plane and I plunged 3,000m; the delights of the dead hang – podcast | Life and style

Marina Hyde on the ‘brave’ inciters of Britain’s race riots; lightning struck my plane and I plunged 3,000m; the delights of the dead hang – podcast | Life and style

Published by skeptic

Where are you Tommy and Elon? Marina Hyde finds that those provoking the race riots are far, far away; the dead hang delight – how this quick, surprisingly simple exercise can change your life; and ‘A bolt of lightning struck my plane’ – one woman’s incredible story of survival How to listen to podcasts: everything you need to know Source link

Woman becomes first person in Peru to die by euthanasia after yearslong court fight

Woman becomes first person in Peru to die by euthanasia after yearslong court fight

Published by skeptic

LIMA, Peru — A Peruvian psychologist who suffered from an incurable disease that weakened her muscles and had her confined to her bed for several years died by euthanasia, becoming the first person in the country to obtain the right to die with medical assistance, her lawyer said Monday. Ana Estrada fought for years in Peruvian courts for the right to die with dignity, and became a celebrity in the conservative country where euthanasia and assisted suicide are illegal. In 2022, Estrada was granted an exception by the nation’s Supreme Court, which upheld a ruling by a lower court that gave Estrada the right to decide when to end her life, and said that those who helped her would not be punished. Estrada became the first person to obtain the right to die with medical assistance in Peru. “Ana’s struggle for her right to die with dignity has helped to educate thousands of Peruvians about this right and the importance of defending it,” her lawyer, Josefina Miró Quesada, said in a statement. “Her struggle transcended our nation’s borders.” Estrada, …

In Amazon rainforest, Peru’s ancient shihuahuaco trees are under threat

In Amazon rainforest, Peru’s ancient shihuahuaco trees are under threat

Published by Sam

Back to homepage / Shows / Focus Issued on: 21/04/2024 – 10:00 05:47 FOCUS © FRANCE 24 The shihuahuaco tree is one of the giants of the Amazon rainforest, reaching heights of up to 60 metres. But it is coveted for its hardwood, one of the most precious and sought-after types of wood in the world. Peru exports it to China, but also to Europe and in particular France, which is one of the main buyers of this tropical timber used for parquet flooring in homes and on terraces. Some 500,000 tonnes have been exported from Peru in the last 10 years. Scientists are now warning that the shihuahuaco tree faces extinction. They estimate that the trees could disappear from certain regions of the Amazon within a few years. Our correspondents report. Read more on related topics: Source link

Pope Francis sides with Peruvian villagers who accused Catholic group of trying to steal their land

Pope Francis sides with Peruvian villagers who accused Catholic group of trying to steal their land

Published by Sam

QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — Pope Francis on Saturday sided with a group of Peruvian villagers who have complained that companies linked to a powerful South American church group have tried to evict them from their land using lawsuits and obscure land titling schemes. In a video recorded at his residence in the Vatican, the Pope sent a message of support to members of the San Juan Bautista de Catacaos farmers community in northern Peru, who have been fending off lawsuits from companies associated with the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae since 2014. “I know what happened to you,” the Pope said in Spanish. “Defend your land and don’t let them steal it.” The Sodalitium is a lay group that runs schools and spiritual retirement centers in several South American countries, but is also involved in real estate, agriculture and construction companies. The conservative group was founded in Peru in 1971 and gained thousands of members in South America, where it also ran homes housing consecrated members. But the Sodalitium has come under increased scrutiny in recent years …

Peru archbishop who sued 2 journalists over reports on abuses, financial corruption resigns early

Peru archbishop who sued 2 journalists over reports on abuses, financial corruption resigns early

Published by Sam

ROME (AP) — A Peruvian archbishop who sued two journalists over their reports about sexual abuse and alleged financial corruption in his religious movement, Sodalitium Christianae Vitae, has resigned amid a Vatican investigation. Pope Francis on Tuesday accepted the resignation of Piura Archbishop José Eguren. At 67, he is several years shy of the normal retirement age for bishops of 75. The Vatican didn’t say why Eguren was retiring early in its brief announcement. But the Vatican last year began an in-depth investigation into alleged abuse and financial wrongdoing in the Peruvian-based Sodalitium to which Eguren belongs. The Vatican has had its eye on Sodalitium, which has chapters across South America and the U.S., for over a decade. In 2017, a report commissioned by the group’s new leadership determined that its founder, Luis Fernando Figari, sodomized his recruits and subjected them to humiliating psychological and other sexual abuses. Those abuses first came to light in 2015, thanks to reporting by Peruvian journalists Pedro Salinas and Paola Ugaz. In addition to Figari’s own abuses, their reporting …

Six ministers of Peru’s government resign amid probe of President Dina Boularte

Six ministers of Peru’s government resign amid probe of President Dina Boularte

Published by skeptic

The South American nation of Peru is in the grips of another political crisis after six members of President Dina Boularte’s cabinet abruptly resigned Monday after a police raid of her home. Boularte is under investigation for allegedly acquiring a set of luxury watches without disclosing them as part of her assets. Police raided the president’s home and office last Friday to search for the luxury watches. Boularte has denied she illicitly obtained the watches. Interior Minister Victor Torres was the first to resign Monday, followed by the ministers of education and women’s issues. The ministers of production, foreign trade and agriculture stepped down hours later. Torres’ portfolio included overseeing the national police, which conducted the raid on Boularte’s home and office. Boularte swore in replacements for the six departed ministers Monday night. The chaos comes ahead of a parliamentary vote to approve Bolarte’s choice for prime minister. The Associated Press is reporting that lawmakers have circulated a resolution to remove her from office on the grounds of “permanent moral incapacity.” Bolarte is a former …

Six Peruvian ministers resign as lawmakers submit bid to remove president from office

Six Peruvian ministers resign as lawmakers submit bid to remove president from office

Published by Sam

Peruvian President Dina Boluarte replaced six ministers after they resigned as her government is rocked by a political crisis fueled by an alleged illicit enrichment scandal involving luxury watches. Issued on: 02/04/2024 – 03:21Modified: 02/04/2024 – 08:06 2 min The Cabinet shakeup Monday came as lawmakers submitted to Parliament a request to remove her from office for “permanent moral incapacity” three days after police broke down the front door of her residence to search for the watches as part of an investigation. The request was submitted by lawmakers from various parties including Peru Libre to which Boluarte once belonged. To remove Boluarte, the move requires 87 votes from the 130-seat unicameral Parliament, and so far, five parties that together have 54 votes expressed support for the president following the raid. Boluarte is being preliminarily investigated for allegedly acquiring an undisclosed collection of luxury watches since becoming vice president and social inclusion minister in July 2021 and then president in December 2022.  Lawmakers in their request to remove her from office cite the investigation against Boluarte …