The fire started at around 11 a.m. on September 14, and spread through sugarcane fields in Ngona and Rwahi villages, Rwahi Cell, Shyorongi Sector.
Police said its firefighting vehicles, working alongside local residents, helped extinguish the blaze.
CIP Ignace Ngirabakunzi, Police spokesperson for the Northern Province, told IGIHE that the fire was contained through joint efforts involving Police, other authorities and residents.
“The fire was extinguished through the joint efforts of the Police, other institutions and residents,” he said.
CIP Ngirabakunzi said the cause of the fire had not yet been established, as investigations were still underway.
He urged residents to exercise caution around potential sources of fire, particularly during the dry season when vegetation and other materials can easily catch fire.
“People should avoid anything that could cause fires, especially negligence, particularly at a time when many things are dry. When they catch fire, it can be difficult to put it out, resulting in extensive damage. People should therefore be careful when handling fire, as this will help prevent fires,” he said.
Researchers examined the rings on the shell of a Biggenden Banded Snail collected from Coalstoun Lakes National Park in Australia’s southeast Queensland, linking its bands to weather records, according to a statement released Monday by Australia’s University of Queensland (UQ).
Tiny samples taken from the shell at millimeter intervals were analyzed using high-resolution radiocarbon dating, revealing the age of the snail, when it lived and the weather during its lifetime, said Nicholas Patton, lead author of the study published in The Holocene.
“It contained elevated levels of radiocarbon from the nuclear tests in Australia in the 1960s, meaning we could date the growth bands and reveal the snail had lived for about 4.5 years,” Patton said, adding that analyzing the oxygen and carbon stable isotopes of the different bands revealed insights into the rainfall the snail experienced.
Researchers found that the shell did not grow continuously during the snail’s life, with periods of rapid growth separated by periods of little or no growth. They initially expected rapid growth to correspond to years of heavier rainfall, making more food available for the snail, but found the snail was responding to extreme rainfall events rather than annual wetness.
The study showed the growth spurts were linked to periods immediately following cyclones in 2015 and 2017.
“It shows that snail shells could be used to map extreme weather events for periods before modern meteorological records,” said Honorary Professor Jamie Shulmeister in UQ’s School of the Environment.
“It was surprising and quite exciting that the humble snail could be a tool to reconstruct the paths of past cyclones even in prehistoric times,” he said.
The researchers’ next step is to test the method using shells preserved in different sediment layers and combine the individual shell records to extend this information further back in time.
Scientists have mapped the composition of a snail shell to weather records.
The affected section of Nyungwe National Park is located in Muganza Sector, Nyaruguru District.
The findings were announced by Nyaruguru District Mayor Dr. Emmanuel Murwanashyaka on the evening of September 4, 2026, following a fire that had burned in the park for more than a week.
The fire was eventually extinguished through joint efforts involving local residents and security organs, including the Rwanda National Police and Rwanda Defence Force, as well as staff from the Rwanda Development Board (RDB).
Speaking to IGIHE, Mayor Murwanashyaka said preliminary investigations had established that the fire was started by a resident who had entered the park illegally to harvest honey.
The suspect is currently being investigated, although the mayor declined to disclose his identity, saying the case was still under investigation.
“It is still under investigation,” Mayor Murwanashyaka said.
The mayor urged residents to comply with the law and avoid activities that could put protected areas at risk.
He also called on the public to take precautions against fires in general, warning that wildfires can cause significant damage to the environment and other resources.
A beekeeper illegally harvesting honey has been blamed for a fire that destroyed 29 hectares of Nyungwe National Park in Nyaruguru District.
Bonnethead sharks, scientifically known as Sphyrna tiburo, are small relatives of hammerhead sharks and are recognized by their distinctive shovel-shaped heads.
They are the only shark species currently known to show clear differences in head shape between males and females.
Adult male bonnethead sharks typically have a more pointed head, while females tend to have a smoother and rounder shape.
Scientists had previously suggested that the pointed shape in males developed when they reached sexual maturity.
However, a new study has found that the process is more complicated.
Researchers discovered that young bonnethead sharks of both sexes initially have relatively pointed heads.
As the sharks grow older, their heads gradually become rounder, with the change being much more pronounced in females.
The finding challenges the idea that males develop their pointed heads as a result of reaching sexual maturity.
The researchers also investigated whether differences in diet could explain the different head shapes.
They studied bonnethead sharks from Biscayne Bay and Tampa Bay in Florida and found that the two populations fed within different food webs.
However, males and females living in the same area generally relied on similar food sources.
This suggested that differences in diet or feeding behaviour were unlikely to be responsible for the differences in head shape.
Between May 2022 and May 2023, researchers sampled 105 bonnethead sharks in Biscayne Bay and another 39 in the Tampa Bay region.
They measured the sharks and photographed their heads before releasing them. The researchers later analyzed the photographs to measure the curvature and shape of the sharks’ heads.
They also examined muscle samples from 137 sharks for carbon and nitrogen isotope signatures.
These chemical markers helped researchers understand the sharks’ positions within local food webs and identify differences between populations.
Although the study ruled out diet as the main explanation, scientists still do not know exactly why the sharks’ head shapes change differently between males and females.
Researchers believe swimming performance or changes linked to reproduction could provide possible explanations.
Future studies may examine how head shape develops during embryonic growth and whether different head shapes provide swimming advantages at different stages of life.
The researchers also plan to study bonnethead sharks from other areas to determine whether similar patterns occur across different populations.
A bonnethead shark, a small relative of hammerhead sharks, known for its distinctive shovel-shaped head.
The study, led by researchers from the University of Oxford and published in Nature Astronomy, suggests that Mars could have experienced complex geological processes similar to those associated with Earth, despite lacking Earth-style plate tectonics.
Mars is generally described as a “stagnant lid” planet because its outer shell is not divided into moving tectonic plates like Earth’s.
On Earth, plate tectonics plays an important role in volcanism, recycling crustal material and the formation of continents.
Because Mars does not have this system, scientists have traditionally thought that its crust developed through relatively simple volcanic processes.
Researchers analysed seismic data collected by NASA’s InSight mission, including signals produced by marsquakes and meteoroid impacts.
They focused on an unusual boundary located about 24 kilometres below the Martian surface.
Although scientists had previously identified the boundary, its origin was not fully understood.
The research team compared the seismic measurements with hundreds of possible rock compositions.
Using thermodynamic modelling and statistical analysis, they found that the material below the boundary was most consistent with ultramafic rocks, which are rich in iron and magnesium but contain relatively little silica.
The rocks above the boundary were more consistent with mafic material, which contains a higher proportion of silica.
According to the researchers, the difference could have been created by large quantities of molten rock accumulating deep within the Martian crust and gradually separating into different materials.
As the magma cooled, heavier crystals could have settled deeper underground while lighter, chemically evolved molten material moved upward.
Similar processes occur on Earth beneath volcanic regions and can contribute to the formation of continental crust.
The researchers believe the geological system on Mars may have been much larger than previously imagined.
The buried layer could extend across hundreds or potentially thousands of kilometres in the planet’s northern hemisphere.
This suggests that ancient Mars may not have been dominated only by isolated volcanic centres. Instead, large interconnected magma systems may have operated throughout significant portions of the planet’s crust.
The process is known as transcrustal magmatism, in which molten rock moves and evolves through much of a planet’s crust.
The study provides evidence that such complex magmatic activity may have occurred on Mars even without Earth-like plate tectonics.
The discovery could also change how scientists think about potentially habitable planets.
On Earth, geological recycling helps influence the atmosphere, oceans and long-term cycling of water and other elements.
Plate tectonics is an important part of this process, leading scientists to consider tectonic activity potentially significant for maintaining habitable environments.
However, the Mars findings suggest that complex geological recycling may not always require plate tectonics.
If Mars was capable of developing a chemically evolved crust through large-scale internal recycling, similar processes could potentially occur on other rocky planets that do not have Earth-like tectonic systems.
The researchers say this raises the possibility that planets previously considered less promising because they lack plate tectonics could still develop geological conditions relevant to habitability.
The findings were made possible by NASA’s InSight mission, which landed on Mars in 2018 and carried the first seismometer specifically designed to study the planet’s interior.
By analysing seismic waves travelling through Mars, scientists have been able to investigate structures deep beneath its surface that cannot be directly observed.
The study, titled Seismic evidence for a melt-depleted lower crust and transcrustal magmatism on Mars, was conducted by researchers from the University of Oxford, the University of Bristol and Oxford’s Department of Statistics.
The findings do not mean that Mars currently has an active Earth-like system of plate tectonics.
Instead, they provide evidence that the planet’s ancient geological history may have been far more complex than previously believed.
The discovery adds to growing evidence that Mars once had a much more dynamic interior and could help scientists better understand how rocky planets evolve, including worlds beyond our solar system.
Seismic data from NASA’s InSight mission revealed evidence of an ancient, vast magmatic system deep beneath Mars.
Fueled by exceptionally warm ocean conditions across the tropical Pacific, El Nino is likely to peak towards the end of this year, according to the WMO’s El Nino/La Nina Update. The likelihood that the event will persist through to February 2027 is “nearly 100 percent,” the WMO said.
“El Nino is being supersized before our eyes,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned. “Sea surface temperatures are rising, temperatures keep climbing, and the world is in the danger zone of extreme weather.”
On the current trajectory, El Nino “may be stronger than anything since our monitoring began, literally off the charts we have used for the past four decades,” WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo told a press conference in Geneva after the release of the Update.
The WMO called on all countries to closely monitor the evolution of the event and respond appropriately. “We are already seeing disruption and devastation from droughts and floods, and we expect these impacts to increase as El Nino intensifies,” said Saulo. “This exceptional El Nino demands exceptional preparation and response.”
El Nino is a natural climate phenomenon characterized by the warming of sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific. It typically occurs every two to seven years and lasts about nine to 12 months. Its effects on global temperatures are often most pronounced in the year following its formation.
The WMO noted that a very strong El Nino event increases the likelihood of major changes in rainfall, temperatures and atmospheric circulation across many parts of the world. However, its impacts can vary according to location and season, and can be modified by other climate drivers, including conditions in the Indian and Atlantic Oceans.
Fueled by exceptionally warm ocean conditions across the tropical Pacific, El Nino is likely to peak towards the end of this year, according to the WMO’s El Nino/La Nina Update.
The concerns were raised during the Africa Food Systems Forum 2026 in Kigali, where industry representatives discussed the role of the private sector in improving soil health and building more resilient food systems.
Dr. Innocent Okuku, Director General and CEO of the Africa Fertiliser Industry Development Association (AFIDA), said about 60% of Africa’s cropland is estimated to have degraded soils, largely due to poor soil management.
“Fertiliser is neither good nor bad. You can make it good if you use it correctly, and you can make it bad if you don’t use it correctly,” Okuku said on Tuesday during a discussion on soil health held on the sidelines of the forum, which brought together experts from various countries and was moderated by Øystein Botillen, Director of Strategic Partnerships at Yara International.
He said improving soil health requires a broader approach that goes beyond simply increasing fertiliser use.
Dr. Innocent Okuku (far left), Director General and CEO of the Africa Fertiliser Industry Development Association (AFIDA), said about 60% of Africa’s cropland is estimated to have degraded soils, largely due to poor soil management.
AFIDA, which brings together private-sector companies involved in fertiliser manufacturing, importing, distribution and retailing, is promoting the use of different soil-health products depending on farmers’ needs.
These include mineral and organic fertilisers, as well as soil amendments such as lime for acidic soils and soil binders aimed at improving soil properties.
Okuku said the association is also investing in farmer education to ensure fertilisers are used appropriately and sustainably.
Last month, AFIDA trained final-year agriculture students at the Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture (RICA) on sustainable fertiliser use. The aim was to equip future agricultural professionals with knowledge they can use to advise farmers and improve productivity without damaging soils.
The association is also planning a youth programme focused on soil health, which is expected to be launched in early 2027. The programme will seek to train young people to support smallholder farmers in improving soil health and agricultural production.
The discussion on soil health brought together experts from various countries and was moderated by Øystein Botillen, Director of Strategic Partnerships at Yara International.
Calls for changes in fertiliser subsidies
The private sector also called for reforms to fertiliser subsidy programmes, arguing that poorly designed systems can discourage companies from investing in agricultural input markets.
Okuku said some suppliers in Africa have participated in government subsidy programmes only to wait one or two years to be paid, putting their businesses under financial pressure.
“When you supply and you don’t get paid for one or two years, your business will collapse,” he remarked.
He added that subsidy programmes can sometimes create incentives for farmers or traders to resell subsidised fertiliser rather than use it on their farms.
Anup Jagwani, the World Bank Group’s Global Director for Farming and Agribusiness, similarly called for governments to rethink how fertiliser subsidies are delivered, arguing that the private sector is better placed to handle the purchase, storage and distribution of inputs.
“We don’t think that government should be in the business of buying fertiliser, storing fertiliser or distributing fertiliser. That’s not the role. That’s not the most effective role for governments. It takes up capital and resources. The private sector is better placed to do that,” he said.
Anup Jagwani, the World Bank Group’s Global Director for Farming and Agribusiness, similarly called for governments to rethink how fertiliser subsidies are delivered.
One option discussed was the use of electronic vouchers, which could allow farmers to access subsidised inputs while enabling private companies to participate more effectively in the market.
The discussions came as African countries seek to increase agricultural productivity while dealing with declining external development financing and growing pressure on food systems.
Okuku said donor funding for African agriculture has fallen by more than 70%, making greater private-sector investment necessary to expand production and strengthen food systems.
Yara backs soil testing in Rwanda
In Rwanda, fertiliser manufacturer Yara is prioritising soil testing and customised crop nutrition solutions to boost farm productivity.
Winnie Nganga, Director at Yara International, said the Norwegian company has been operating in Rwanda for 10 years and provides farmers with fertiliser as well as education on crop nutrition.
Winnie Nganga, Director at Yara International, said the company has operated in Rwanda for 10 years, supplying fertiliser and training farmers.
Yara is working with the government under the Rwanda Food Basket initiative, providing fertiliser recommendations aimed at improving soil health and increasing farm yields.
Nganga said Yara uses soil testing to determine nutrient deficiencies and develop fertiliser solutions suited to particular soils and crops.
She said the company sees mineral fertilisers as working alongside organic fertilisers rather than as alternatives to them.
“You cannot work alone,” Nganga noted, stressing the importance of combining approaches to improve soil health.
Yara currently supplies Rwanda from its blending plant in Tanzania but says it has “bigger growth plans” for the Rwandan market.
The company is also engaging the government on areas where it can contribute to national agricultural priorities, including the country’s long-term development ambitions under Vision 2050.
Harmonising fertiliser rules
AFIDA is also pushing for greater harmonisation of fertiliser registration and quality-control systems across African markets.
Okuku said fragmented regulations can make it difficult for companies to operate across borders and slow farmers’ access to suitable agricultural inputs.
The association is working with regional bodies, including the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), on efforts to harmonise fertiliser registration and quality standards.
COMESA is seeking harmonisation among its 21 member states, a move that could make it easier for fertiliser companies to operate across markets while maintaining quality standards.
AFIDA, which was established about a year ago, currently has activities in around 12 African countries and plans to expand its work across the continent.
Okuku said the association was formed partly to give private-sector players a stronger collective voice in discussions with governments and policymakers.
He argued that the private sector needs an enabling policy environment if it is to invest more in agriculture, particularly at a time when governments face limited resources and Africa’s food systems are under growing pressure.
The Kigali discussions placed soil health at the centre of efforts to raise agricultural productivity, with participants arguing that higher yields cannot be sustained without restoring the health and productivity of Africa’s soils.
The discussion on soil health brought together experts from various countries to deliberate on ways to improve soil health and build resilient food systems.
The protective bubble, known as the heliosphere, is created by the solar wind released by the Sun. It helps shield Earth and other planets from some particles and radiation coming from interstellar space.
Scientists from NASA’s SHIELD science center used computer simulations to study how the heliosphere may have changed as the solar system travelled through the Milky Way.
Their findings suggest that the Sun may have passed through extremely cold and dense clouds of gas and dust several times.
The pressure from these clouds could have compressed the heliosphere, potentially shrinking it to a size smaller than Earth’s orbit.
Researchers identified possible encounters around 2 to 3 million years ago, 6 to 7 million years ago and 13 to 14 million years ago.
During these periods, Earth may have been more exposed to material from interstellar space. Scientists have found evidence of interstellar particles in places including deep-sea sediments, Antarctic samples and lunar material.
The researchers believe changes in the heliosphere could have influenced Earth’s atmosphere and climate by allowing more interstellar material to reach the planet.
A second NASA-funded study examined Earth about three billion years ago, when the young Sun produced only around 70% of the energy it produces today.
Despite receiving less sunlight, geological evidence shows that liquid water existed on Earth.
Scientists suggest that powerful eruptions from the young Sun may have helped keep the planet warm.
Energetic particles from these eruptions could have triggered chemical reactions in the atmosphere, producing greenhouse gases such as nitrous oxide.
These gases may have trapped enough heat to keep Earth warm enough for liquid water to remain on its surface.
Together, the studies suggest that Earth’s climate and ability to support life may have been influenced by both the Sun’s activity and the solar system’s changing environment as it moved through the Milky Way.
The findings provide new insights into Earth’s ancient climate and may help scientists understand whether similar conditions could support life on planets around other stars.
Scientists say the Sun’s journey through the Milky Way and its violent early activity may have influenced Earth’s climate and helped create conditions suitable for life.
Data from Spain’s Health Ministry showed that 2,149 excess deaths were attributed to heat in August.
The figure makes it the second-deadliest August for heat-related deaths since Spain’s Daily Mortality Monitoring System, known as MoMo, began monitoring heat-related mortality in 2015.
The highest number was recorded in August 2025, when an estimated 2,184 deaths were linked to excessive heat.
The latest figures also reveal the wider impact of extreme temperatures during the summer.
Between May 15 and August 31, Spain recorded an estimated 5,234 heat-related deaths, making 2026 the deadliest summer for heat-related mortality since the monitoring system was introduced.
Catalonia recorded the highest number of heat-related deaths in August, with an estimated 1,164 deaths. Valencia followed with 227, while Andalusia recorded 138.
Older people were among those particularly vulnerable to the extreme heat.
High temperatures can place significant stress on the body and worsen existing health problems, particularly cardiovascular and respiratory conditions.
Heat-related deaths are not always recorded directly on death certificates because extreme temperatures can aggravate underlying illnesses rather than being identified as the immediate cause of death.
Spain’s monitoring system therefore estimates heat-related mortality by examining mortality patterns alongside temperature conditions.
The figures come after a summer of unusually high temperatures across Spain and other parts of Europe.
Spain experienced several intense heatwaves, with temperatures in some areas rising above 40 degrees Celsius.
The country’s national weather agency, AEMET, reported exceptionally high temperatures during the summer, adding to concerns about the growing health risks associated with prolonged periods of extreme heat.
Spain’s experience is part of a broader trend affecting Europe, where increasingly frequent and intense heatwaves are creating serious public health challenges.
Experts have warned that climate change is contributing to more extreme heat events, increasing the risk to vulnerable populations.
Health authorities have encouraged people to take precautions during periods of extreme heat, including staying hydrated, avoiding prolonged exposure to high temperatures and paying particular attention to elderly people and those with existing health conditions.
With more than 5,200 estimated heat-related deaths recorded between May and August, the figures highlight the potentially deadly consequences of extreme temperatures and the growing need for effective heat-warning systems and measures to protect vulnerable communities.
Spain recorded an estimated 2,149 heat-related deaths in August 2026 as extreme temperatures continued across the country.
The Big Bang is the name scientists give to the rapid expansion from the Universe’s extremely hot and dense early state, which began about 13.8 billion years ago. As the Universe expanded, it cooled and eventually formed stars, galaxies and planets.
The Universe is about 13.8 billion years old. Scientists have generally believed that rocky planets needed to form later, after early generations of stars had produced and distributed enough heavy elements into space.
The new study examined the first stars, known as Population III stars. These stars were extremely massive and ended their lives in powerful supernova explosions.
When they exploded, they released heavy elements such as carbon, oxygen and iron into surrounding clouds of gas. These elements are important building blocks for rocky planets.
Researchers focused on pair-instability supernovae, exceptionally powerful explosions that can release more than 100 times the mass of the Sun in heavy elements.
Their simulations suggest that material from these explosions could have enriched nearby gas clouds. As the clouds collapsed under gravity, they may have formed rotating disks around young stars, similar to the disk that eventually produced the planets in our Solar System.
In one simulation, scientists found a planet-forming disk around a young star with about 70 percent of the Sun’s mass.
The disk contained enough solid material to potentially produce several Earth masses of planetary building blocks at a distance comparable to Earth’s position around the Sun.
The simulations also indicated that water may have been present in these early disks. Although the amount was lower than in the material that formed our Solar System, it was still substantial.
The researchers stressed that the findings do not prove that habitable planets existed so early. Instead, they show that the conditions required for rocky planet formation may have appeared surprisingly soon after the Universe began.
The discovery could reshape scientists’ understanding of how early planets formed and raises the possibility that potentially habitable worlds may have emerged much earlier in cosmic history.
Scientists say the ingredients needed to form rocky planets may have existed just 100 million years after the Big Bang.
