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Scientists discovered an undescribed species of truffle, thanks to bonobos, who savor the mushrooms. Credit: Alexander Georgiev ================================================================================== Mushroom-munching bonobos in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have introduced scientists to a new species of truffle. Commonly used by Congolese communities to bait traps for small mammals, Hysterangium bonobo is also savored by bonobos, an endangered species of great ape. Scientists say the truffle hints at vast reserves of undescribed fungal diversity in the region. "Truffles aren't just for gourmet chefs—they're also for our closest relatives," said Matthew Smith, an associate professor in the University of Florida department of plant...

The University of PennsylvaniaSarah Tishkoff, professor in the departments of genetics and biology at University of Pennsylvania, is collecting samples in Africa. Collaboration by University of Pennsylvania and Cornell University PHILADELPHIA –- People who identify as African-American may be as little as 1 percent West African or as much as 99 percent, just one finding of a large-scale, genome-wide study of African and African-American ancestry released today. An international research team led by scientists from the University of Pennsylvania and Cornell University has collected and analyzed genotype data from 365 African-Americans, 203 people from 12 West African populations and...

CONCORD, N.H. — Besides his meager income as a landscaper, a Somali man has relied on food stamps to support his seven children and his pregnant wife. But there's little left for things like soap, diapers, utilities - and rent. Next week, against his family's wishes, Mohamed Mohamed plans to move everyone to Maine, where he's heard that life is cheaper and easier for Somali immigrants. They've been in Concord for 10 months. His is not an isolated case, said Nasir Arush, a Somali translator who assists the family and other members of the Bantu communities in Concord and Manchester....

Refugees from a persecuted Somali Bantu tribe find homes, help and hope in Columbus Monday, May 17, 2004 Encarnacion Pyle THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Crouched on the floor of a dollar store on the North Side, Fatuma Sheikh suspiciously eyed the hot-pink clothes hangers a social worker had handed her. "Whatever these are, I don’t need them," the Somali Bantu woman said in Maay Maay, her native tongue. "Oh, but you do. All of your clothes are on the floor now," Nadia Kasvin told Sheikh, 38, and four other Bantu women in English. "They’ll help you keep your clothes clean and...

This week IOM will fly a further 500 Somali Bantu refugees to the US, where they have been accepted for resettlement. The first charter flight carrying half the group will leave today and the second on Friday. Since May 2003, IOM has facilitated the movement of 304 Somali-Bantu families or 1,427 individuals from Kenya to the US. In March, it plans to organize three more charter flights for 750 more of the group. A persecuted minority of rural farmers in their home country, the Somali Bantus fled Somalia's civil war in 1991 and 1992 and found refuge in Kenya's camps,...

Members of the Bantu tribe in Somalia find their transition to America more difficult than that of many immigrants because they've never had electricity, running water or TVs. Suleiman Ader's journey began on the farm where he was born when he, as a young man, was struck in the face by men who then forced him to watch the rape of his sister. It was during the civil war in Somalia. To escape, Ader, his wife and child walked for days to reach the Kenyan refugee camps where two more children were born and another conceived. Last month, the family...

12,000 Somalis are to be resettled in the U.S. over the next two years March 10, 2003 Africa's Lost Tribe Discovers American Way By RACHEL L. SWARNS Civil war scattered Somalia's Bantu tribe in the 1990's. Over the next two years, nearly all of the tribe's refugees in Kenya — about 12,000 people — will come to America.Somali Bantu refugees at a camp in Kakuma, Kenya, take classes to prepare for new lives in the United States. KAKUMA, Kenya — The engines rumbled and the red sand swirled as the cargo plane roared onto the dirt airstrip. One by one,...