Feb 22nd, 2008 · Those long, spiky thorns on Fifth Avenue trees are no accident, says one biologist. He suspects they evolved millions of years ago to protect the honey locusts from a very large pre-Manhattan predator: mastodons.
Aug 7th, 2007 · Over the past few weeks, we've heard stories about the foods that mean "summer" to some of our listeners: tomatoes, peach milk shakes, apricot jam. Now, we hear about some more unusual summer foods.
Jul 24th, 2007 · This year, Kansas has suffered some of the most expensive disasters in its history. It has been pummeled by ice storms, tornadoes and floods causing hundreds of millions of dollars in damages. The stream of catastrophes led Gov. Kathleen Sebelius to quip recently, "The locusts may come next."
Jun 3rd, 2006 · By the time a farmer hears a swarm, it's usually too late to do anything but wait for the plague to pass. At the moment, researchers have a hard time predicting the movements of locust swarms. But that may be changing.
Aug 19th, 2005 · U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan is scheduled to visit Niger next week to survey the impact of the regional hunger crisis. Drought and swarms of crop-eating locusts have left many people and their livestock in West Africa desperate for food.
Aug 16th, 2005 · Large-scale emergency food aid is now reaching many of the millions of people in the West African nation of Niger facing hunger and shortages. Nonetheless, emaciated babies are dying of starvation following a belated international response to the crisis. Up to 800,000 infants remain severely malnourished. Drought and a plague of locusts gobbled up last year's harvest in Niger and other countries across the Sahara region, which are also at risk.
Aug 11th, 2005 · The president of Niger acknowledges a poor harvest and problems with locusts. But he rejects international claims of severe famine and starvation. There are concerns that past delays in accepting food aid have led to a higher death toll.
Nov 15th, 2004 · Swarms of desert locusts many miles long descended on West Africa this summer and fall -- the worst invasion of these voracious pests in more than 15 years.