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Spain
Tower Block Fire Kills Four
At least four people have died and up to 15 are reported missing after a massive fire engulfed two joined apartment blocks in the Spanish city of Valencia. The blaze ripped through a 14-story block in the Campanar neighborhood and spread to the adjoining building. Experts say the highly flammable cladding on the building and high winds enabled the fire to spread rapidly. Firefighters managed to rescue some of the building’s residents, but lingering high temperatures have prohibited firefighters from entering above the third floor. Local reports said firefighters rescued several residents from balconies using cranes. Valencia authorities are still trying to locate between 9 and 15 people. A relief point has been set up in a nearby building to offer practical and psychological support to surviving residents. The cause of the fire is yet to be determined.
This map depicts the location of a tower block that was consumed by fire Thursday evening in the Campanar neighborhood of Valencia, Spain. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: BBC
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Nigeria
Lassa Fever Surges in West Africa
Cases of Lassa fever are increasing across West Africa. It is considered endemic to Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone, but concerns have grown due to the emergence of small outbreaks in Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Mali, and Togo. Infections increase during the dry season, which runs from December to May. Since it was first discovered among missionary nurses in the village of Lassa in Nigeria’s Borno state in 1969, the virus has been classified as a biosafety Level-4 pathogen, meaning it can only be studied in high security laboratories. Lassa fever spreads through hosts such as rodents and has significant spillover effects. Symptoms of the disease include a sore throat, chest pain, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, and a loss of hearing that may become permanent.
This map depicts outbreaks of Lassa fever and areas of West Africa where it is endemic. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: Science
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United States
Odysseus Lander Touches Down
The IM-1 lunar lander, nicknamed Odysseus, has made history, becoming the first privately constructed lander to touch down on the Moon, and the first successful American landing since the 1972 Apollo 17 mission. The lunar landing team was forced to wait well past touchdown to confirm a signal from the craft after a last-minute issue with the onboard laser technology. Built by Intuitive Machines, Odysseus carries a mix of NASA technology and commercial cargo, including safe-landing technology. The landing comes 6 days after the vessel was launched into space atop the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The mission is part of a broader effort to understand communication with Earth in the extreme polar environment. Odysseus paves the way for a second mission, IM-2, aimed at finding ice deeper in the south polar region.
This map depicts the location of previous moon landings as well as the planned landing site of the IM-1 in the Malapert Crater. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: Where can you find the biologically richest savanna in the world?
A: Brazil
The Cerrado is a vast ecoregion of tropical savanna in eastern Brazil. It is the world’s most biodiverse savanna, home to 5% of the planet’s animals and plants. This savanna is habitat for about 200 species of mammals, 860 species of birds, 180 species of reptiles, 150 species of amphibians, 1,200 species of fish, and 90 million species of insects. Giant anteaters and armadillos are among its 60 vulnerable animal species, 12 of which are critically endangered. Of its more than 11,000 plant species, nearly half are found nowhere else on Earth. It’s also critical for supplying clean water and carbon sequestration, the process of storing vast amounts of carbon in the soil to act as a buffer against climate change. Since the 1950s, however, agricultural commodity production—most recently, the rapid expansion of soy and beef —has driven the loss of about half of its native vegetation.
Source
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Q: What empire connected trade from the Mediterranean to India in the Middle Ages?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in Monday’s DailyGeo.
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