Giant bacteria found in Guadeloupe mangroves challenges traditional concepts BASSE-TERRE (Reuters) — The largest-known bacterium – a vermicelli-shaped organism that was discovered in shallow mangrove swamps in the Caribbean and is big enough to be seen with the naked eye – is redefining what is possible for bacteria, Earth’s most ancient life form. Scientists said […]
Tag: Science News
UVI, NASA To Host Global Outreach Program for VI & International Students
CHARLOTTE AMALIE — As part of a growing collaboration between the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to promote STEM education, Virgin Islands students will join students from around the world to learn about the array of opportunities available in the fields of STEM and how they can take part in internships, science education and citizen science activities offered by the space agency. […]
Woman In Paradise Wins 2 Tickets To Space Via Virgin Galactic Raffle
SAINT JOHN’S — A health coach from Antigua and Barbuda has won two tickets worth almost $1 million to be among Virgin Galactic’s first space tourists, the company said. Keisha Schahaff, 44, said she wanted to take the flight into Earth’s orbit with her 17-year-old daughter, a science student living in Britain who dreams of […]
DPNR And Friends Of East End Marine Park To Host Astronomy By The Sea Saturday
TEAGUE BAY — Commissioner Jean-Pierre L. Oriol of the Department of Planning and Natural Resources announces that the Division of Coastal Zone Management in collaboration with Friends of the St. Croix East End Marine Park will host an educational session of Astronomy by the Sea on Saturday, October 9th at Estate Great Pond Park (location of old Camp Arawak) […]
St. Croix Senator Helps Give Out Free Book Bags At N.E.S.T. Event At Chicken Shack
KINGSHILL — A St. Croix senator teamed up with a Florida-based educational foundation so that local children could get needed school supplies before the start of the school year. Senator Javan James joined with the Hope for N.E.S.T. Foundation distributing free school supplies at the La Reine Chicken Shack on Saturday. “Thank you for making […]
Llama Antibodies Might Be ‘Game Changer’ In Fight Against COVID-19, Belgians Say
GHENT, Belgium -— Llama antibodies could soon be playing a role in the global fight against COVID-19, if clinical trials being conducted by a Belgian biomedical start-up live up to their early promise. Researchers from the VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology in Ghent say antibodies extracted from a llama called Winter have blunted the virulence […]
Fossil Rodent Teeth Add North American Twist To Caribbean Mammals’ Origin Story
SAN JUAN — Two fossil teeth from a distant relative of North American gophers have scientists rethinking how some mammals reached the Caribbean Islands. The teeth, excavated in northwest Puerto Rico, belong to a previously unknown rodent genus and species, now named Caribeomys merzeraudi. About the size of a mouse, C. merzeraudi is the Caribbean’s […]
Going Bananas About Bacuba Trees In The USVI… But They’re NOT Trees, Just Plants
CHRISTIANSTED — Banana trees are a common feature of the U.S. Virgin Islands residential area landscape. They are primarily grown for the tropical look they bring with their green, elephant-ear-like leaves waving in our eternal summer Trade Winds breezes. In addition to their large, decorative foliage, most of the large-growing banana trees here also produce edible […]
UVI Launches Data Science Certificate Program For Professionals In Fall 2021
CHARLOTTE AMALIE — The University of the Virgin Islands announced today that the university will offer a Data Science Certificate Program beginning in the Fall 2021 Semester. The program is designed to help professionals advance their careers by leveraging applied data science. The 13-credit certificate program comes on the heels of the recently added Data Science Minor, […]
Invaders Nearly Decimated Caribbean’s First People 1,000 Years Before Columbus Came, DNA Reveals
SPANNING A MILLION square miles and dotted with more than 700 islands, the Caribbean Sea was one of the last places colonized by Native Americans as they explored and settled North and South America. Archaeologists have long struggled to pinpoint the origins and movements of those intrepid seafarers. Now, thanks to genetic material gleaned from the […]