John Mitani spent years studying a huge community of chimpanzees in Uganda. But then things took a dark turn – and his findings stunned the scientific world
John Mitani can still remember the first time he set foot in Uganda’s Kibale national park. The old-growth east African rainforest enveloped him, its canopy stretching to heights of 40 metres. Fruit trees bowed under the weight of African star apples and bountiful Ficus mucuso figs. And then there were the chimpanzees. Furry black blobs darted through the jungle, their raucous calls often deafening.
It was the summer of 1995, and Mitani, a primatologist from northern California, had just come from working with the chimps living in the Mahale mountains of Tanzania. At the time, Mahale was home to the largest known population of chimps, with about 100 individuals. But there were rumours that this section of Kibale – only accessible via a 12-hour drive from the capital, Kampala – might host an even more unusual abundance of apes.
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Breaking Waves: Ocean News
10/11/2026 - 06:00
10/11/2026 - 01:00
Tories plan to scrap low-carbon housebuilding, Greens back new nuclear reactors, and Labour put oil-drilling decisions on hold
New homes could be built without solar panels, heat pumps and high-grade insulation, leading to higher household bills if the Conservative party wins the next general election.
Kemi Badenoch made scrapping the future homes standard (FHS) one of the central planks of her bid to become the next prime minister at the Tory party conference this week.
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10/10/2026 - 18:00
The annual month-long festival takes place at a flower farm in the Victorian town of Silvan when tulips and other springs flowers are at their most vibrant
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10/10/2026 - 15:57
Protesters spent months occupying an ancient cottonwood. Then a tense standoff with US border patrol came to a head
A 200-year-old cottonwood tree near the US-Mexico border, known as the “grandmother”, has been destroyed to make way for the construction of Donald Trump’s border wall, despite a months-long effort by protesters trying to save it.
In late July, land defenders began a tree-sit in the ghost town of Lochiel, Arizona, taking turns occupying a platform high in the tree’s canopy. The group remained there for more than 70 days.
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10/10/2026 - 12:39
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Key things to know about Hurricane Isaias
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Florida’s governor, Ron DeSantis, said no requests for search and rescue assistance had been received following Isaias, which he described as “cautiously, a good sign”.
Speaking to Fox News, he said:
I think that may be a sign that people heeded the warnings, took proper precautions. We sure would love to say we have not gotten a report of a fatality yet, and we’ll see what happens.
There’s also a lot of hazards post-storm that people should be careful of, but so far we’ve had a lot of assets in place that have not been called on, which is a good sign. I’d rather be over-prepared, and not have to use them, than not have what you need.”
Hurricane Isaias has weakened to a post-tropical cyclone early Saturday, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said, after it made landfall in Florida and lashed the US Gulf coast with heavy rain and fierce winds.
The category 2 hurricane hit the coast near Destin, Florida, late on Friday, with maximum sustained winds of 105mph.
The storm is expected to move across Alabama and into the Tennessee Valley, the NHC added, with maximum sustained winds decreased to near 35mph.
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10/10/2026 - 08:00
Koos Bekker’s Newt estate encompasses luxury hotels, pubs and high street business, with local concerns including flooding
When South African billionaire Koos Bekker bought an old country estate in a sleepy corner of Somerset to turn it into a luxury hotel, residents thought it was a sign their area was on the up.
Walking through his peaceful manicured gardens, which feature a maze of apple trees twisted into perfect shapes using the espalier method, it’s easy to feel that all is well in this quiet, picturesque pocket of England.
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10/08/2026 - 23:00
npj Ocean Sustainability, Published online: 09 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s44183-026-00247-5
Nature-based experiences support lasting conservation behavior: longitudinal evidence from shark ecotourism in Hawaiʻi
10/06/2026 - 23:00
npj Ocean Sustainability, Published online: 07 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s44183-026-00251-9
Regulatory language limits satellite-based enforcement in marine protected areas
10/06/2026 - 23:00
npj Ocean Sustainability, Published online: 07 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s44183-026-00245-7
Distant water fishing and its effects on domestic food security
10/05/2026 - 23:00
npj Ocean Sustainability, Published online: 06 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s44183-026-00250-w
Environmental preferences and jurisdictional distribution of juvenile loggerheads in the eastern North Pacific
