* Astronomy

Creeping desertification around the world affects more than 250 million people. A newly launched research project is working to fight the phenomenon with new conservation strategies.
Funded under the EU's Sixth Framework Programme (FP6), the DESIRE project is international, bringing together 28 research institutes, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and policy-makers from around the world.
The aim of the 9 million project is to come up with alternative strategies for the use and protection of these vulnerable areas.

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