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THE TRUTH ABOUT: Sahara | History Defined

Ski enthusiasts flock to sub-Saharan Africa and a snowy mountain resort in Lesotho

Lesotho attracts thousands each winter to its unique ski resort, the only such tourist attraction in sub-Saharan Africa

The Independent UK

Quote of the day by Nico Williams: "I run very fast, but I can't run as fast as my mother. Because she once escaped death and…" - an emotional tribute to his mother, the extraordinary journey behind his success and the sacrifices that shaped a football star

Spanish footballer Nico Williams honored his mother after Euro 2024 victory. He gave his medal to her, recognizing her difficult journey. His mother escaped death and crossed the Sahara Desert from Ghana to Spain. This arduous migration paved the way for his and his brother's careers. Williams highlighted his mother's…

The Times of India

Every year, about 27.7 million tons of Saharan dust cross the Atlantic Ocean and settle on the Amazon rainforest, delivering phosphorus close to the amount the rainforest loses to runoff, meaning the world’s largest rainforest is partly fertilised by dust from the planet’s largest hot desert thousands of miles away

Mineral-rich dust travels from the Sahara Desert to the Amazon rainforest. This airborne dust delivers vital phosphorus nutrients annually to the forest. The Sahara dust compensates for nutrients lost through rainfall and river runoff. This natural nutrient exchange has sustained the Amazon for thousands of years. The desert and rainforest…

The Times of India

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The world's loneliest tree had no other tree within 400 km across the Sahara Desert and roots over 30 metres deep to reach hidden groundwater, then one drunk truck driver knocked it down after 300 years of survival

Deep in Niger's Ténéré Desert once stood what was widely regarded as the world's loneliest tree, an umbrella thorn acacia that survived for around 300 years despite having no other tree within roughly 400 kilometres. Hidden beneath the scorching Sahara, its roots stretched more than 30 metres underground to reach…

The Times of India

In 1994, Italian ultramarathon runner Mauro Prosperi disappeared during the 155-mile Marathon des Sables after a massive Sahara sandstorm blew him off course; he survived nine days alone by eating bats and drinking his own urine before stumbling into Algeria

An Italian ultramarathon runner, Mauro Prosperi, vanished during the 1994 Marathon des Sables after a fierce sandstorm disoriented him. Stranded for nine days in the Moroccan desert, he survived by consuming bats and drinking his own urine. His incredible ordeal, battling dehydration and isolation, eventually led him to stumble into…

The Times of India

For thousands of years, this giant tortoise has been digging burrows across the Sahara, and scientists now think those tunnels may play a bigger ecological role than anyone realised

Across the harsh, sun-scorched edges of the Sahara and the Sahel, one of Africa's largest reptiles has been quietly doing something that scientists are only now beginning to properly study, digging burrows so extensive that they may be reshaping the very soil around it. The African spurred tortoise, known scientifically…

The Times of India

Readers reply: Are there places on Earth where humans haven’t been?

The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions takes a deep dive into the unknown and untrodden …

The Guardian - UK

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Shadowy tendrils of ancient lava have scarred a dark volcano next to a 'skull' in the Sahara — Earth from space

A 2019 astronaut photo shows off ancient lava flows that once oozed down the jet-black slopes of the Toussidé volcano in northwestern Chad. An intriguing volcanic "skull" also lurks in the aerial image.

LiveScience

Massive Saharan dust cloud to sweep across US in days and bring polluted air

Sand and dirt brought over from Africa will create dry, hot conditions and reduce chance of hurricanes

The Independent UK

Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline: an African dream that could reshape world energy markets

After two decades of delays, the colossal trans-Saharan gas megaproject to export Nigerian gas to Europe via Niger and Algeria is back in the spotlight with this month's announcement that construction of the Algerian section had rebegun. The pipeline, once completed, could fundamentally reshape Europe's energy map.

France 24

Weatherwatch: Saharan dust drops microorganisms into European soil

Scientists are examining how ‘blood rain’ affects soil microbiome, with Portuguese vineyards a particular focus

The Guardian - UK

Weather tracker: Saharan heat to send temperatures soaring across Europe

Heatwave conditions build over much of continent, while mild start to winter continues in parts of Australia

The Guardian - UK

DNA from 7000-year-old African Mummy reveals previously unknown human lineage in Sahara desert 50,000 years ago

Sahara Mummy DNA: DNA extracted from two 7,000-year-old naturally preserved individuals found in Libya's Takarkori rock shelter has revealed evidence of a previously unidentified human lineage. Genetic analysis suggests this population split from other African groups around 50,000 years ago and remained remarkably isolated for millennia.

The Economic Times

Truck breakdown in Niger strands passengers and leaves 49 dead in Sahara Desert

The 49 victims were buried in mass graves at the scene in what officials called a “particularly delicate and emotionally exhausting task” for the survivors.

Euronews

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France 24

Nearly 50 die of thirst in Niger after truck breaks down in remote Sahara desert

Forty-nine people died of thirst in Niger when a truck broke down in a remote part of the Sahara desert, leaving its passengers stranded without water. Two survivors managed to walk 50 kilometres through the desert to a water source and then to the town of Assamaka, where they alerted…

Digital Camera World

Want to shoot stunning shots like this? Here's how to photograph stunning sandscapes on your travels

Travel photography tips when exploring the Sahara desert

France 24

Hotter than July: Can electrification save humanity from soaring heat?

Europe's in meltdown, and it's not even June yet. We're seeing a not-so merry month of May as record highs explode under a heat dome that’s drifted north from the Sahara. After the frying pan of an energy crisis, the fire of a heatwave is forcing a reset by the…

The Times of India

Lost beneath Sudan’s sands: Scientists discover 6,000-year-old massive monuments from a forgotten civilisation

A satellite survey in Sudan’s Atbai Desert has uncovered 280 large stone burial monuments. These findings unveil the social complexity of a long-lost society of cattle herders. The study, published in the African Archaeological Review, explores these structures known as ‘Atbai Enclosure Burials’ (AEBs). Dating back to the Middle and…

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The Conversation

We found hundreds of huge ancient mass graves hidden in the Sahara desert

We have been on a years-long campaign of satellite remote sensing of the vast desert landscapes in Eastern Sudan.

The Times of India

Sahara discovery: 7,000-year-old skeletons with unknown DNA puzzle scientists

The discovery of fossilised human remains in the Sahara Desert has marked a new era in research on the history of human evolution. Researchers have discovered skeletons dating back 7,000 years that do not belong to any existing lineage. This discovery highlights unknown human lineages that existed in the African…

Bored Panda

From Abandoned Towns To Weird Statues, Here Are 58 Of The Most Unexpected Things Found In Deserts

While traveling through any desert, people can sometimes find something really strange, eerie, and unexpected. From artsy statues to abandoned gas stations, from sea shells hundreds of miles away from the seashore to ancient golden coins – here’s the ultimate collection of desert finds. Please feel free to explore this…

Evening Standard

Crete chaos: London flight diverted as choking cloud of Saharan dust smothers Greek island

Flights from the UK were among those disrupted as conditions worsened at Heraklion Airport

LiveScience

Concentric rocky rings adorned with ancient artwork wear a magma 'hat' in the Sahara — Earth from space

A 2025 astronaut photo shows a massif made of concentric mountain ridges in the Libyan desert. The rocky walls contain ancient artworks and are occasionally used to contain herds of grazing cattle.

The Conversation

Climate change is altering Saharan dust – and Europe is downwind

In recent years, residents of Spain, France and the UK have looked up to see an eerie sight: deep orange sunrises and skies thick with a yellowish haze. These hazy skies often deposit “blood rain”, rust-colored precipitation that leaves a fine grit on cars and windows.

The Conversation

Paleontologists uncover a new ‘Spinosaurus’ species by following a clue from a decades-old book into the Sahara Desert

My fixation on a small, desolate locale in the heart of the Sahara Desert started with a single line buried in a 630-page tome in French about the rocks of the central Sahara: “Dent de Carcharodontosaurus saharicus Depéret,” which translates to “tooth of Carcharodontosaurus saharicus Depéret” – “Depéret” refers to…

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