#ask science

HIV/AIDS is not the Biggest Killer in Africa Anymore

And deaths from malaria are at a low as well. 

Sorry -- but there’s some bad news too. 

The goal of reducing death tied to HIV/AIDS & Malaria -- previously the main threat to many villages -- has been achieved. However, recent statistics demonstrate that there has been “an unwelcome rise in lifestyle diseases” in Africa, and the leading cause of death is now lower respiratory tract infections (such as bronchitis and pneumonia). 

Strokes, heart disease, and liver cirrhosis (often hand in hand with excessive drinking) have also become much more common. This may be the result of increased urbanization that Africa has seen over the past decades. 

Today’s your chance to ask them! Today (Friday) from 1-3p.m. EST, NOAA scientists will be holding a Reddit Ask Us Anything about invasive lionfish. 

In recent years, Indo-Pacific lionfish have been found in coral reefs throughout the southeast Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean. While scientists are unsure exactly how they got there, they believe that people have been dumping unwanted lionfish from home aquariums into the Atlantic Ocean for more than two decades. Because of their voracious appetites, rapid reproduction rate, and lack of natural predators, these invasive lionfish pose a serious threat to coral reefs, with potential long-term consequences for native fish communities, habitats, and entire ecosystems. 

Chat with NOAA scientists Dr. Steve Gittings, Dr. Michelle Johnston, and Dr. James Morris today to learn about lionfish and what NOAA is doing to address this threat. 

A tooth.

TF is happening to the chestnut trees in my neighborhood??

What exactly would the cell of a jellyfish look like?