Africa4
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Fighting Ivory Trafficking with Forensic Science
Last week, just days before Central Park’s big Ivory Crush, a Lamont-Doherty geochemist and his colleague sawed off samples of the confiscated ivory for DNA testing and radiocarbon dating. Their results could determine where and when each elephant was killed—which could help catch the poachers responsible.
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Warming Climate Could Abruptly Increase Rain in Africa’s Sahel
Climate change could turn one of Africa’s driest regions wet, according to a new study. Scientists have found evidence in computer simulations for a possible abrupt change in the Sahel, a region long characterized by aridity and political instability. In the study, just published in the journal Earth System Dynamics, the authors detected a self-amplifying…
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Students Design Communications Plan for Conservation Organization
Students in the MPA Environmental Science and Policy program consulted with the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust to create a strategic communications plan, raising awareness of elephant and rhino conservation efforts.
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Student Writing Project Exposes NYC’s Illegal Ivory Trade
For a term project, Wendy Hapgood, MSSM ’16, investigated the possible illegal sale of ivory at shops in Manhattan. She found evidence for the largest ivory bust in New York state history.
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Green Sahara’s Ancient Rainfall Regime Revealed
Rainfall patterns in the Sahara during the six-thousand-year “Green Sahara” period have been revealed by analyzing marine sediments, according to new research.
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Linking Climate Forecasts, Soil Testing for Smarter Farming
A new project combines cutting edge climate science and mobile soil labs for African farmers and service providers.
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Photo Essay: Seeking Humanity’s Roots
East Africa’s rift valley is considered by many to be the cradle of humanity. In the Turkana region of northwest Kenya, researchers Christopher Lepre and Tanzhuo Liu of Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory are cooperating with colleagues to study questions of human evolution, from the creation of the earliest stone tools to climate swings that…
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Seeking Humanity’s Roots
Who were our earliest ancestors? How and when did they evolve into modern humans? And how do we define “human,” anyway? Scientists are exploring Kenya’s Lake Turkana basin to help answer these questions.
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Global Philanthropy and Inequality
Recent trends now point towards global philanthropy becoming the new norm. Global philanthropy aims to reduce inequality in developing countries through many forms. But inequities persist, and different manifestations of global philanthropy will be challenged to increase impact and achieve a demonstrable shift in areas such as poverty, health, access to opportunity, and beyond.
