Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Over 100 candidates who sat Biology examinations in last year’s Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education-UACE crammed the outcomes of practical lessons, the Examination body has revealed. The UNEB Executive Secretary, Dan Odongo, says instead of carrying out practicals like dissecting the provided specimen during the …
Read More »World’s fastest ant clocks nearly a metre per second
Paris, France | AFP | It’s official: The Saharan silver ant is the fastest of the world’s 12,000 known ant species, clocking a blistering 855 millimetres — nearly a metre — per second, researchers said Thursday. Measured another way, the six-legged sprinter covers 108 times its own body length per …
Read More »Should I stay or go? Birds migrate to save energy: study
Paris, France | AFP | Why have some birds opted for a taxing life of constant migration — seeking out temperate climes to feed as winter arrives, only to return months later to breed? Seemingly paradoxically, the behaviour is driven by a quest for energy efficiency, a study said Monday. …
Read More »THIS WEEK: UNEB scraps chemistry, physics practical exams
THIS WEEK: UNEB scraps chemistry, physics practical exams Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Effective next year, candidates sitting for Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) will not sit for the physics, chemistry and biology alternative practical examinations after the reasons for their introduction were found to be no longer valid. Commenting …
Read More »Bed bugs are trying to get into your dirty laundry
Paris, France | AFP | Like a pining lover, bed bugs will seek out your smell and snuggle up to your worn clothes when you are not around, researchers said Thursday. This explains how these tiny, flightless, reclusive creatures have managed their meteoric spread around the world — by catching a …
Read More »Size key to top speed in animals: study
Paris, France | AFP | It’s not quite E=mc2, but scientists unveiled Monday a simple, powerful formula that explains why some animals run, fly and swim faster than all others. Call it the “speed rule”: strength alone does not determine top velocity because land mammals, birds and fish can only accelerate …
Read More »RESEARCH: Study shows African ants rescue their wounded soldiers
Washington, United States | AFP | Africa’s Matabele ants, fierce predators of termites, rescue their wounded soldiers and bring them back to the nest where they are “treated,” a new study showed Wednesday. This helping behavior for the injured is the first to be detected in the insect world, according to …
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