The Latest Breaking News from Andes

Is Hantavirus Contagious Between Humans? Experts Explain Andean Strain Risk

The Andes strain of hantavirus, known for human-to-human transmission, caused an outbreak on the MV Hondius cruise ship, leading to multiple infections and deaths.

International Business Times UK · May 7

Andes virus — the only hantavirus that can spread between people — identified as culprit on cruise ship

Laboratory tests have implicated the Andes virus, a specific type of hantavirus, in the cluster of illnesses on the cruise ship MV Hondius.

LiveScience · May 7

Hantavirus is on the rise in Argentina, where a stricken cruise ship began its journey

Argentina is investigating if it's the source of a deadly hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship, coinciding with a surge in domestic cases. Experts link the rise to climate change, which expands rodent habitats and increases disease transmission. The Andes virus strain, capable of human-to-human spread, is implicated in recent…

The Economic Times · May 7

Scientists discover a 66-foot giant tree in the Andes, and it’s related to tomatoes and potatoes

A significant breakthrough has been made in the field of South American botany. For over two decades, a mysterious tree found in the Andean cloud forests remained 'unplaced' (incertae sedis) in botanical records. It looked like an oversized version of familiar garden plants. In early 2024, after extensive research updated…

The Times of India · May 5

Hantavirus infects at least 2 on cruise ship, while 5 others fall ill: Here's what we know

Three people have died and four more have fallen ill on a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean, and hantaviruses are confirmed to be the culprit in two cases so far.

LiveScience · May 4

Birdwatch: Climbing to 4,400 metres to spot a rare rufous-bellied seedsnipe

Our writer travels to the eastern Andes in search of one of Ecuador’s most elusive birds

The Guardian - UK · Apr 8

Pre-Inca culture acquired Amazonian parrots from hundreds of miles away to use their feathers to decorate the dead, new analysis reveals

Centuries before the Inca emerged, Amazonian parrots were carried alive across the Andes and raised in captivity on Peru's coast for their vibrant feathers.

LiveScience · Mar 10

Ancient 'alien-like' skulls have been found on every continent but Antarctica. Anthropologists are starting to figure out why.

Humans have practiced head shaping for tens of thousands of years, and anthropologists are beginning to uncover clues as to why.

LiveScience · Mar 6

Half the oxygen, no running water: Inside the world’s highest town where 50,000 people still live

La Rinconada is a unique gold mining village high in the eastern Andes, on the edge of human endurance. It is acknowledged as the world's highest permanent community at an elevation of almost 5,000 meters above sea level. Here, almost 50,000 individuals lack access to basic amenities including sewage systems,…

The Times of India · Jan 26

An ancient forest is the last stand for a tiny hummingbird facing extinction

On the slopes of the Pichincha volcano, 45 kilometers (27 miles) northwest of Quito, conservationists are now racing to restore this cloud-shrouded forest

The Independent UK · Jan 23