ourplanet2020

Coronavirus: Greatest impact on BAME communities

The current COVID-19 pandemic has had devastating effects globally, resulting in 327,738 deaths around the world. This death toll continues to rise, there have been 100,284 new confirmed cases and 4,482 deaths globally in the last 48 hours[1]. Patterns have emerged that the virus is having a disproportionate effect on individuals from Black, Asian andContinue reading “Coronavirus: Greatest impact on BAME communities”

Chytridiomycosis: An Amphibian Crisis

To mark the end of April and the end of Frog month, today’s post is dedicated to a very special member of the amphibian family… Frogs! Amphibians Amphibians are a group of small vertebrates which belong to the taxonomic class, Amphibia. The main orders of amphibians are; Anura (Frogs and Toads), Urodeles (Newts), Caudates (Salamanders)Continue reading “Chytridiomycosis: An Amphibian Crisis”

Chocolate: A guilty pleasure or hidden health benefit?

We’ve all just had Easter weekend, I am sure for many of you that consisted of; resting, spending time with your family and eating ridiculous amounts of Easter eggs! So, I thought I would focus today’s post on the history of chocolate and its potential benefits. The custom of having Easter eggs at Easter isContinue reading “Chocolate: A guilty pleasure or hidden health benefit?”

Ring-necked Parakeet: Tropical Invasion

Garden wildlife is the term used to encompass the countless species we regularly encounter in our gardens, common examples include; Grey squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis), Hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus), Red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), a range of bird species and numerous insects. We often don’t take the time to acknowledge the elaborate ecosystem in which we live andContinue reading “Ring-necked Parakeet: Tropical Invasion”

Locust Plague: Swarming East Africa

Current Situation A swarm of pests have descended on the crops and pasture lands of countless east African countries, causing catastrophic damage for the farmers. They have most recently been seen in the democratic republic of Congo and have now made their way to Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and the coast of Iran. There are threeContinue reading “Locust Plague: Swarming East Africa”

Coronavirus: An old disease with a new fear

Disease overview Coronaviruses are a group of viruses that belong to the Coronaviridae family. They are classified based on their surface glycoproteins which form a crown-like appearance on the exterior of the virus, in addition to their chemistry and replication processes1. There are seven coronaviruses including the novel coronavirus; COVID-19, all of which are zoonoticContinue reading “Coronavirus: An old disease with a new fear”