There is a scene in the English Patient, where Almasy and his best-friend Madox discuss the urgency of securing the Saharan desert. "What do we find in the desert?" Asks Madox "Arrowheads, spears. In a war if you own the desert, you own North Africa." Almasy scoffs disdainfully "Own the desert?" The idea of property and ownership - of land, of people - was a central theme of Anthony Minghella's award-winning film The English Patient. Almasy - played by an on-form Ralph Fiennes... Read Full Story
This is our group blog, which is unique because any Zimbio member can post an entry to it. Some members blog about recent news and trends related to the portal topic, others recount relevant personal stories. You can also comment on and rate existing blog entries, to voice your opinion and to help the community identify which members and entries on the portal are must-reads. Got an interesting idea or story to share with other members of this portal? Well, then put on your journalist's cap... Read Full Story
Nature: Low-oxygen 'underwater deserts' in the tropical oceans have expanded over the past 50 years, according to new measurements. The most likely cause of the change is global warming, and climate models predict that the trend will continue, potentially threatening marine ecosystems. The discovery concerns a layer of the ocean called the 'oxygen-minimum zone', where concentrations of dissolved oxygen are particularly low. The new study shows that this zone has been expanding both upwards... Read Full Story
When I hear “desert,” I usually think about cupcakes. But that word is “dessert.” A desert is an area that does not get rain and has few plants. If you had dessert in the desert, you would want to make sure you have a lot of milk. The largest desert is the Sahara. It is larger than the United States. To get an idea of how big it is, imagine a cupcake bigger than the United States. Then imagine a glass of milk bigger than Mexico. How about a hot dog the size of Argentina or a pizza bigger... Read Full Story
This is an update encouraging Sementivae's visitors to take a few seconds to vote on the poll on the right hand side-bar of this site. The poll is Which is the biggest threat to bio-diversity? Sementivae will run the poll until the New Year when we hope to have a sizable number of votes to have meaningful data. The rather charming young couple in the photograph are much more endearing and persuasive, so I shall leave it to them to win your vote.
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