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An Unprecedented Die-Off Of Thousands Of Seal Pups On A Namibia Beach Mystifies Conservationists

Tue, 20 Oct 2020 05:20:01 GMT

Africanews

When we hear of dolphins or whales beaching themselves to die, it saddens us. Any unnatural death of an animal or mammal is puzzling, to say the least. But about 5,000 seal pups washing ashore dead on a Namibia beach is truly shocking and bizarre. This happened along the coast of Pelican Point peninsula, which turned a thriving tourist destination popular for schools of dolphins and seals into a pup graveyard.

This unprecedented die-off of 5,000 Cape fur seals puzzles and alarms conservationist groups, and is being looked into by the country’s fisheries ministry. Cape fur seals are often called the “dogs of the ocean” as they are playful and full of energy. But, they are known to desert their young or suffer miscarriages when food supplies dwindle. Nearly all the seal pups were born prematurely before quickly dying, according to Naude Dreyer, marine biologist of Ocean Conservation Namibia.

Dreyer said, “When the pregnant female feels she does not have enough reserves, she can abort. A few premature deaths is a natural event, but thousands of premature dead pups is extremely rare.” Dreyer noticed the shocking masses of dead seal pups while flying his drone over the Pelican Point seal colony earlier this month. His non profit group posted on Facebook, “This is the situation at Pelican Point, Namibia, All the little red circles mark dead seal pups. A rough estimate brings the numbers to more than 5,000 at our seal colony alone. This is tragic, as it makes up a large portion of the new pup arrivals expected in late November.”

The seals are usually found thriving across the southern Atlantic coastlines of Africa, from Namibia, south Africa, to the southern tip of Angola. According to Dr. Tess Gridley, “Normally Cape fur seals would give birth from mid-November until early December. That’s the height of pupping that we would normally expect but what has been happening this year is there has been an increase in abortions that was first seen starting in August and really sort of peaked just last week in October.” It does seem that this year really is a bad year, and it is not yet over.

Bloomberg

Conservationist groups have noticed that female cape fur seals have seemed increasingly emaciated and starving, which is alarming, as it affects long-term health and eventually the seal population. “There are about 1.7 million cape fur seals in total and about a million of those are actually in Namibia so in terms of the overall number of animals, they are quite resilient to these effects,” explains Dr. Gridley.

She continues, “But one issue that we do think might happen in the future is you will see a dip in reproduction potentially going forward particularly now for those animals that have unfortunately died. They are not going to be recruited into the population, so you might see a localized effect at the Pelican Point colony and also we are trying to monitor to see whether there is a wider scale impact that might affect other colonies as well.”

An explanation could be the absence of fish in the region, and the spread of toxins and disease in the water. These are just a few of the reasons being studied to explain the massive die-off. “The seals look a bit thin and it could likely be caused by a lack of food,” Dreyer explained. “Other seal colonies at other beaches look much better and they do not record the same amount of premature pups.”

Hopefully things in the region improve quickly. These massive die-offs should serve as a warning that something is terribly wrong, and should be addressed immediately.

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Psychedelic Mushrooms Could Be The Solution To Eradicating Anti-Depressant Medication In The ...

Mon, 19 Oct 2020 04:29:42 GMT

Narconon

Researchers at the world’s first psychedelic center, Centre of Psychedelic Research at London’s Imperial College said that “magic mushrooms” or otherwise known as psilocybin could completely replace antidepressants that doctors have been prescribing within the next five years.

This opinionated theory is also agreed upon by similar researched released from John Hopkins University, that says victims that have experienced emotional traumas may have a longer term relief when ingesting natural psilocybin fungi, instead of anti-depressant prescribed drugs.

Head of the research center, Dr. Robin Earhart-Harris is conducting one of the very first trials in order to investigate the outcome of therapy involving magic mushrooms – which as of this moment is still illegal in the UK – as compared to the effects of chemical drugs. These trials have resulted in cathartic emotional “release.” This was compared to the usual effects of anti-depressants that provide a dull and “blunted” effect to the patients. This study was the first of many that are planning to be conducted at London’s Imperial College.

In the trial, there were 60 participants that had moderate to severe depression who were given psilocybin treatment. A clinical psychologist also conducted a therapy session with each of them. Some participants will be randomly chosen to receive the fungi, or placebo. The researchers nor the participants will know who receives what in the group.

The effects of the fungi will be compared to the anti-depressant escitalopram, which is a type of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Most of the chemical drugs available in the market is made of this.

Dr. Carhart Harris told the Independent that “if you ask people who are taking SSRIs chronically, they often say ‘I feel blunted’. With psilocybin therapy they say the opposite, they talk about an emotional release, a reconnection, and this key emotional centre being more responsive.” The description for blunted means that both the patient’s positive and negative emotions were suppressed.

Sciencealert

Indications seen in MRI studies suggest that the side-effects of the psychedelics on the brain is “twice as long” for escitalopram as compared to psilocybin therapy. The fungi also acts much faster than the anti-depressant, which sometimes takes months to finally take effect.

Dr. Earhart-Harris says that this therapy isn’t made for everybody. There are people with psychosis and regulators that perhaps need more evidence of the safety and effectiveness of this alternative through other clinical trials. Everyone else could be a potential candidate in the future. In fact, the 2018 Global Drug Survey did state that magic mushrooms are the safest recreational drug to be ingested.

“I would imagine if you had some bookmakers doing the odds, there would be strong odds on that [psychedelic therapy] will be licensed sometime in the next five to 10 years – maybe sooner. The implications of that are actually frightening to me, thinking of the power and influence of big p*****. What are they going to do with that if there’s this big public demand for the ‘mushroom therapy’, and not the Prozac?” Dr. Carhart-Harris said.

The anti-depressant drug market is such a lucrative business that in ten years, the demand for the chemical drugs in the U.K. alone has doubled. According the Columbia University’s Milaman School of Public Health, the use of anti-anxiety medication and anti-depressants soared in the United States from 2005 to 2015. By 2023, it is estimated that the anti-depressant drug market will reach $15.98 billion worth, according to Allied Market Research.

If the clinical trials and further research can prove the safety and effectiveness of psilocybin therapy, other cities will most likely follow the lead of Denver, Colorado – a huge move that will definitely rock the boat of Big P*****.

Dr. James Rucker, a fellow researcher at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience in King’s College London who has been studying the benefits of psychedelics said that there is a “possibility” that fungi could possibly be prescribed instead of anti-anxiety medication within the next five years. “But only if everything goes to plan, and you know what they say about best-laid plans. Like all treatments, they will suit some people but not others. The trick, as ever, is trying to work that out before administration. But that trick has proven to be remarkably difficult to pull off, particularly in psychiatry,” he added.

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Marine Biologist Shares Photos Of Ethereal And Magical Deep-Sea Creature Called The ‘Sea ...

Thu, 15 Oct 2020 18:05:09 GMT

Alexander Semenov, a marine biologist, underwater photographer, as well as the head of the divers’ team in the Moscow State University’s White Sea Biological Station has been able to tale thousands upon thousands of photographs of rare creatures in the deepest parts of the sea. While majority will never experience swimming with these deep-sea animals in their natural habitant, Semenov has generously shared his captured images, knowledge and experience with the public.

An exceptional creature he discovered while swimming under the ice of the White Sea, which is located on the northwest coast of Russia is the Sea Angel. Ironically, while this tiny and translucent creature flaps its wings to cut across the water at a slow pace, it also has two visible horns atop its body. Seeing this sea animal float in the dark, much like a beautiful and interesting alien in a science fiction movie gives off an ethereal and surreal experience.

Sea angels, scientifically known as Gymnosomata are actually a large group of very tiny, free-floating sea slugs that have a transparent, jelly-like body with wings called parapodia. They are found in both polar regions and the tropics, though those living in cold waters grow significantly bigger than those found in tropical temperatures.

The largest species of this family is the naked sea butterfly (Clione limacina) which grows up to 5cm in length. They’re mouths are similar to those of mollusks, and their tentacles are used to grab their prey, sometimes with suckers that are similarly found on cephalopods as well. Their wing speed can go as fast as 100mm/s (0.22 mph) which is twice the speed of their favourite prey, the sea butterfly.

NLNature

These angels are simultaneous hermaphrodites. They already have either a complete or partial reproductive system which produces gametes in both the male and female sexes. Fertilization happens internally, and when this occurs, they will get close to their mate and turn their reproductive organs inside-out to attach them to each other with a sucker.

In the mating process, the couple spins and floats in a slow motion dance for about four hours long, even stopping for a meal in between. When the fertilization is finished, they spawn a gelatinous egg mass which just floats about until they are ready to hatch. The shells shed in a few days time, and a new generation comes to life.

Only around 236,000 marine organism species have been discovered in the last 2000 years, says Semenov. Scientists have estimated that this only amounts to about 8-10% of the total living creatures living in the depths of the world’s oceans, which leaves about 2-3 million species still yet to be discovered and studied.

“The World Ocean is as close as you can get to outer space without leaving Earth. It’s an entirely different universe, nothing like the life we have on land. And while people dream about alien life forms from other planets, there is another universe right here, closer than anyone expects. As a marine biologist and underwater photographer, I have been studying and documenting this world for more than 10 years, organizing expeditions to the far-off corners of the planet, spending days and weeks under the polar ice, giving lectures, teaching classes at schools, writing books and making movies with a whole team of great people involved in my own project «Aquatilis»,’’ a excerpt seen on Semenov’s website, www.coldwater.science

Semenov’s passion for all deep-sea creatures living in our oceans is definitely undeniable.

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An Effort To Turn Apartment Buildings Into A "Vertical Forest” In China Goes Terribly ...

Thu, 15 Oct 2020 04:57:04 GMT

Daily Sabah

It seems “Go Green” is the way to go to improve air quality in heavily-polluted urban areas all over the world. Besides, it makes our world a more beautiful place to live in. It has become a challenge for many urban planners to help the environment, as greenhouse gas emissions climb and temperatures are rising all over the world.

A housing complex in Chengdu, China, took up this challenge. The experimental Qiyi City Forest Garden apartment complex went green, and excited residents bought out all the 826 units from the developer. Moving into a manicured green “vertical forest” seemed to be ideal. But sometimes, some good ideas just go horribly wrong.

The apartment complex turned out to be like a post-apocalyptic jungle nightmare, like when the environment takes over the structures. The worst part was the swarms of mosquitoes, not normally found in urban areas, turned the residents’ “eco-paradise” into a jungle hell.

EPA

Even as all units have been purchased, only a small number of families decided to brave the mosquito infestation. Seems like only about 20 families have so far moved into their new homes. Even as they trim the plants on their balconies, the ones from the neglected units started growing and merging into one another, creating an “urban jungle” quite literally.

Just a bit of background, China did not invent the vertical forest idea. It was a concept developed by Italian architect Stefano Boeri, whose stunning design of the vertical garden Bosco Verticale in Milan garnered international attention, particularly from heavy-polluted cities across the globe. The idea was to simply balance mother nature and biodiversity with the needs of the urban population. Helps the environment, and beautifies it as well. Sounds like a dream concept. The plants provide natural shade, while improving air quality. They will absorb more carbon dioxide and release more oxygen annually. The idea has been replicated into other concepts including Koichi Takada’s Urban Forest and futuristic Cloud Corridor skyscrapers planned for Los Angeles.

However in Chengdu, China, something went wrong that turned the “dream” concept into a “nightmare”. The concept is not flawed, the problem would have to fall on the shoulders of the property managers – mainly neglect. This is according to landscape architect and New York Botanical Garden instructor Daryl Beyers.

Youtube

“Just because it looks cool, absorbs CO2, is a noise buffer, and offers psychological benefits, doesn’t mean you don’t have to do it properly,” he explained. “ and I think the developers rushed into it. They didn’t think about the maintenance.”

Looks like the developers were just in it for the money. “You can’t have a garden without a gardener,” Beyers exclaimed. “They were touting it as a manicured garden outside on your deck. If it’s manicured, someone has to do the manicuring.” seems only logical.

To make things worse, the humid climate in the Chengdu region is just perfect for mosquitoes, and the plants provide the shade needed for these pesky insects. A lesson to be learned by the developers, plan properly and don’t neglect important responsibilities. You can’t defeat nature, you have to learn to cope with it. “It is sort of apocalyptic, and that’s what nature will do to all our cities if everything goes to hell,” Beyers warns. “You see it in the movies. Plants will do those things.”

Sometimes we think we can beat nature. But at the end of all things, nature will always come out on top. So respect Mother Nature, and stop abusing her.

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New Studies Discovered "Liquid Lakes” On Planet Mars’ South Pole Indicating ...

Wed, 14 Oct 2020 02:04:55 GMT

Scientific American

After finding a various liquid bodies on Mars, the tantalizing possibility that water could exist on this planet that was previously believed not to have any form of life could actually come true.

A recent study that was published in the Nature Astronomy journal states that there is a subterranean reservoir of high levels of salt water near the red planet’s south pole. The existence of any body of water, much more a lake, makes scientists believe that this could be a sign of the planet housing its own native microscopic life, because of the simple co-relation of water to survival.

While there are still researchers that remain skeptical to Mars having liquid water, according to the findings made in 2018 in the mission to radar map the crust of the planet, this lends credibility when the Mars express robot orbiter made the discovery. It found the underground “lake” that is beneath layers of sediment in the south pole. This body of liquid is very much similar to the subglacial lakes that Greenland and Antartica have underneath ice sheets.

The study conducted in 2018 was a huge breakthrough in proving the existence of alien life in the universe, and specifically in Marts, but skeptics are still questioning scientists whether they have accumulated enough details to know for certain about the lake giving life.

Fox News

Thankfully, the latest studies that incorporated techniques used by the earth’s orbiting satellites to study the subterranean lakes under the Antarctic glaciers do confirm that the massive store of liquid which spans about 15 miles does actually exist on Mars.

The subglacial lakes found in Iceland and Antartica are teeming up with bacterial life, which makes scientists believe that the Martian counterpart could also be thriving with their own bacteria. Elena Pettinelli, geophysics professor at Italy’s Roma Tre University, who led the research on this and the previous study said, “we are much more confident now. We did many more observations, and we processed the data completely differently.”

The data gathered also shows that the bodies of water are filled with hyper saline solutions, or a type of water that is filled with a thick concentrate of calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium. This allows the water to keep its liquid form, despite the extremely cold temperature in the planet’s south pole.

Because the pools could be filled with water, they are quite likely to have microbial alien life, which could possibly be the last remnants of life that existed billions of years ago, if Mars had oceanic water on its surface like Earth does.

Once this initial discovery is proven, this will be the first time that water is found on the red planet.

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Parrots That "Cursed” Visitors Were Eventually Removed From A Zoo

Mon, 12 Oct 2020 04:48:52 GMT

BBC

Believe it or not, a UK zoo suspended a group of five parrots from public view after a shocking stream of curses and profanities were hurled at visitors. According to the park’s management the foul-mouthed birds started teaching each other curses while quarantined in the same room at the Lincolnshire Wildlife Park last August.

The 5 are African grey parrots named Elsie, Eric, Billy, Tyson, and Jade, and started encouraging one another to swear. They had joined a colony of about 200 other grey parrots. CEO Steve Nichols said in an interview, “We saw it very quickly, we are quite used to parrots swearing but we’ve never had five at the same time.” He added, “Most parrots clam up outside, but for some reason these five relish it.”

In a separate interview, the CEO explained that other parrots taken in by the park displayed “blue language” and were quite “comical”, but these five just took it to another level, and things just escalated to a situation beyond the park’s control. “We took in five in the same week and because they were all quarantined together, it meant that one room was just full of swearing birds.” he mentioned.

The Sun

Nichols added, “The more they swear the more you usually laugh which then triggers them to swear again.” He continued, “But when you get four or five together that have learned the swearing and naturally learnt the laughing, so when one swears, one laughs and before you know it, it just got to be like an old working men’s club scenario where they are all just swearing and laughing.”

With the lifting of health restrictions, the park reopened and put the parrots on display. But to everyone’s surprise, they started cursing at the visitors. However the visitors did not seem to mind, and some actually enjoyed the cacophony of verbal abuse. “Literally within 20 minutes of being in the introductory we were told that they had sworn at a customer and for the next group of people, all sorts of obscenities came out,” Steve Nichols explains. “People have come to us, they think it’s highly amusing, we haven’t had one complaint,” he adds. “When a parrot tells you to f**k off it amuses people very highly…It’s brought a big smile to a really hard year.”

Amusing, maybe, but the decision to withdraw the parrots from public view was made, especially for the sake of children. The “notorious” five were placed in an enclosure with other parrots where park officials hope the other noises will have a positive effect on the birds. But, with over 1,500 birds in the park, the last thing they want is for the cursing to catch on.

The five will eventually be released in separate areas of the park, so at least if they continue to curse, it won’t be as bad as a group cursing. But it makes you wonder where these parrots learned to curse in the first place?

Lincolnshire zoo had another parrot that made headlines before. Chico, a 9-year old yellow-crowned Amazon parrot took centerstage with footage that went viral of the bird singing Beyonce’s If I Were A Boy. That was devoid of curses surely.

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Quantum Teleportation Between Computer Chips Has Recently Been Achieved For The First Time By ...

Fri, 09 Oct 2020 05:37:27 GMT

Quantum Teleportation

Two very interesting words – quantum and teleportation. Quantum has been used loosely recently, even though we are just beginning to comprehend the main aspects of quantum physics. Even Albert Einstein did not agree with a lot of the theories regarding this physics, but quantum is not anymore the future, it is here. However, don’t think teleportation is like the device used in Star Trek, we aren’t there yet.

Recently, a group of physicists have for the first time demonstrated quantum teleportation between 2 computer chips. To further understand this you have to appreciate one of the properties of quantum physics – entanglement. Quantum entanglement is a physical phenomenon that happens when a group of particles is generated, interacts, or shares spatial proximity, such that the quantum state of each particle of the group can’t be described independently of the state of the others.

Having said that, the University of Bristol scientists, together with the Technical University of Denmark, have successfully developed chip-scale devices that can generate and manipulate single particles of light with programmable nano-scale circuits. Simply said, quantum teleportation allows quantum state transfer of a quantum particle from one place to another via entanglement. But this entangled communication was by no means easy and simple.

Physics World

Bristol co-author Dan Llewellyn said, “We were able to demonstrate a high-quality entanglement link across two chips in the lab, where photons on either chip share a single quantum state.” He adds, “ Each chip was then fully programmed to perform a range of demonstrations which utilize the entanglement…the flagship demonstration was a two-chip teleportation experiment, whereby the individual quantum state of a particle is transmitted across the two chips after a quantum measurement is performed. This measurement utilizes the strange behavior of quantum physics, which simultaneously collapses the entanglement link and transfers the particle state to another particle already on the receiver chip.”

Another co-author, Dr. Imad Faruque, further adds: “Based on our previous result of on-chip high-quality single-photon sources, we have built an even more complex circuit containing four sources…all of these sources are tested and found to be nearly identical emitting nearly identical photons, which is an essential criterion for the set of experiments we had performed, such as entanglement swapping.”

The results showed a 91 percent efficiency in quantum teleportation, and entanglement swapping, used for quantum repeaters and networks, and four-photon GHZ states. Scientists are predicting that these developments would have immense impacts on modern life…with quantum computing and quantum internet.

You don’t have to be an Einstein to realize we are opening new doors in the technology world. It may take some time, but we will surely get there. Who knows what scientists will come up with next?

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Tennessee Has An Enchanting "Skywalk” Bridge That Allows You To Stroll Through The Treetops

Thu, 08 Oct 2020 03:55:06 GMT

CNN

If you have never gone sightseeing in Tennessee, particularly in the Smoky Mountains, you are missing a lot. The best scenic views can be admired via the Gatlinburg SkyLift, SkyDeck, and SkyBridge, which offer nature lovers an enchanting experience.

The Smoky Mountain range, which is a subrange of the Appalachian Mountains, runs along the Tennessee – North Carolina border in the south-eastern United States. It has a rich history that spans thousands of years – from the ancient Paleo Indians, to the European settlers in the 1800s, to the present day.

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which was established in 1934, protects most of the range. It is the most visited National Park in America, and is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site, and part of an International Biosphere Reserve. It is home to around 187,000 acres of virgin forest, and is among the most diverse ecosystems in North America.

Knoxville News

The first settlers in Gatlinburg were Martha Jane Huskey Ogle and her seven children who moved in from South Carolina in the early 1800s. They built a cabin in the area which later became known as White Oaks Flats. Other pioneers, including veterans of the Revolutionary War also settled in White Oaks Flats. The first general store in the area was run by Noah Ogle in 1850. A preacher by the name of Radford C. Gatlin settled in the area in 1854, and opened the town’s second general store. He also opened a post office in his store, which prompted the change of the town’s name to Gatlinburg in 1856. However, it seemed that Gatlin was a controversial figure, and was soon banned from the area.

The SkyLift was opened in 1954, and remains to be one of the oldest continuously operated attractions in the Smoky Mountains. It is located across the street from Ripley’s Believe It Or Not, another famous attraction in downtown Gatlinburg. The SkyLift ride starts from the middle of town and travels upward to the top of Crockett Mountain. It is a 20-minute ride that ascends 500 feet, and you may opt to rest and enjoy snacks or some craft beer on the SkyDeck. The SkyDeck is a new attraction added in 2019, just like the SkyBridge. The SkyBridge is a must for those who enjoy a stroll, it spans 680 feet, and is the longest pedestrian suspension bridge in North America. It reaches a height of 140 feet at its midpoint. An interesting addition are the glass panels periodically located along the bridge, which offers an exhilarating view beneath your feet (not for those with a fear of heights though). So “brave the glass”, as they say, and take a selfie as proof of your courage.

The park offers all-day passes which you can enjoy at your own pace. But Gatlinburg offers lots of other attractions, and reasonable accommodations should you want to stay longer. There are cabins, lodges, resorts, and hotels. So if you haven’t been to Gatlinburg, Tennessee, go and experience a magical nature sensory trip. Truly worth it.

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The Speed Of Light May Soon Be Possible Through A New Thruster, Claims A NASA Funded

Wed, 07 Oct 2020 03:16:08 GMT

Space

Ever since the dawn of history, man has been fascinated with the heavens, and the possible ways to explore the infinite mystery. The concept of interstellar expeditions has been of particular interest, thanks to the Star Trek movies and series. New discoveries seem to bring us closer to the reality that travelling through the speed of light may soon be a reality. Or so we want to believe. Just imagine, if man sent its fastest space probe to the nearest reachable star, Alpha Centauri, it would take tens of thousands of years to get there. Really mathematically daunting actually. Having said this, most scientists believe that interstellar travel won’t happen in the next several centuries. The galaxies in the universe are so ridiculously vast, it is hard to imagine such a theory.

But, it has never stopped some scientists from exploring the possibilities. Recently, a number of advanced models of propulsion have come about, fusion engines, ion thrusters, light sails pushed by lasers, wormholes, and even hydrogen bombs, have made the concept of interstellar travel a bit more possible.

The latest theory is from a physics professor emeritus at Fullerton, Jim Woodward, who has proposed a Mach-effect gravitational assist ( MEGA) drive. Strange as it may sound, Woodward submits that his drive could slowly accelerate with the help of a propulsion system powered by electricity, not combustible fuel. It is based on a disputable sub-component to Einstein’s general relativity, the principle holds that the inertia is directly tied to gravity – and in theory, clears the way for “ propellantless propulsion.”

If you don’t mind some scientific jargon, a stack of piezoelectric crystals generates the thrust, by storing small amounts of energy and vibrate when electrified. The synchronization of tens of thousands of vibrations per second produces physical momentum.Woodward calls these crystals “gizmos”, and explains that the changes in mass or “Mach effects” will slowly but surely accelerate to incredible speeds. His followers describe it as “rowing a boat on the ocean of spacetime.”

Science

The theory suggests that a starship could reach the speed of light and reach other stars within a human lifetime. The ship would probably need a nuclear reactor on board to sustain electricity for the decades-long voyage. Still a mind-boggling amount of time though.

80 year old Woodward, who is a survivor of stage IV lung cancer, as well as Hodgkin’s lymphoma, received a grant and a slot in NASA’s Innovative Advanced Concepts program. He has also invested around $200,000 of his own money into testing the MEGA thrusters. Though for many years, his thrusters were considered to be improbable, the scientific community has slowly given it a semblance of respect.

But given that, there are still many doubters and critics. “In my opinion there is no merit to Woodward’s theory. I think the experimental results are more interesting than the theory,” Mike McCulloch, a physicist at University of Plymouth, had this to say.

Woodward has his collaborators as well, physicist Hal Fearn explains that his doubts were answered by the lab results. “I haven’t been able to disprove it, and believe me, I’ve been trying to disprove it for the last 10 years.”

Even while the odds of the MEGA drive delivering on its promise are low, it still presents a ray of hope that soon enough, humans will be able to explore the universe just like Star Trek…”to boldly go where no man has gone before.”

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10 Real-Life Stories Of Wild Animals Saving Humans

Tue, 06 Oct 2020 02:51:30 GMT

Live Science

Viral posts circling through the internet ever since have been heartwarming videos of humans rescuing animals in grave danger, even the wild ones. From birds in your backyard that have broken wings, to animals in labor – humans have rescued them despite dangers they may face, and the internet just eats it all up!

What we don’t see very often though are wild animals saving humans. When viral videos come up, it’s most often the humans saving animals, or animals reacting violently towards humans. There have been a number of reports about humans being in desperate need of help, and the only ones able to rescue them to survival were animals. These rescued humans have lived to tell their miraculous stories which are the most mind-blowing tales!

Here are 10 real-life stories of wild animals risking their lives to save humans:

Warning: While these stories have been proven to be true, do not put yourself in a dangerous situation thinking these wild animals are always safe and reliable. Always be cautious, nevertheless, with future encounters with animals.

1] A pod of dolphins rescue a wounded surfer attacked by a shark

The most common animal rescue stories we hear are done by dolphins. Back in 2007, Todd Endris, a surfer from California was violently attacked by a Great White Shark. This vicious sea animal went at him thrice and injured him so badly that his right leg was carved down to the bone. Thankfully, Endris was rescued by dolphins that defended him from the shark, which caused it to eventually leave the surfer alone. The dolphins formed a circle around Endris to protect him and guided him to the shore.

2] A giant sea turtle rescued a woman on its back safely to shore

The Philippine Navy once published a story about Candalaria Villanueva, a 62-year-old that survived a shipwreck after a sea turtle saved her life. The navy crew members that retrieved her from the sea turtle confirmed her story, reporting that she was in fact, hanging on to the back of the giant animal.

Villanueva retold her experience by sharing that she was struggling to hold on to something when the turtle came along and she was able to grab on to her shell. The animal swam with on on its back for two whole days without stopping to dive down the depths of the ocean for food. When she was taken in by the sailors on the ship, the turtle even made sure to observe that she was in safe hands by circling the ship thrice before diving down back into the ocean.

3] Lions rescued a 12-year-old girl that was kidnapped

I Iz Cat

A 12-year-old Ethiopian girl was kidnapped by seven men who were trying to force her against her will to marry one them back in 2005. For over a week, they tortured her by beating and assaulting her until her rescuers realized what was going on. Three powerful lions came to this little girl’s rescue and chase the abductors away. They also stood guard around her until the authorities were able to get to the crime scene. Amazingly, lions are aware about violent assault because this is a way for them to survive the wilderness when they isolate the victim from predators. The girl was finally taken in by authorities and safely sent home without being harmed by the three wild beasts.

4] Gorilla rescues toddler from other gorillas

Back in 1996, a 3-year-old boy fell 18 feet down into a gorilla enclosure located at the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago. He hit his head severely upon the crash and was almost mauled by the gorillas inside the enclosure claiming their territory. Miraculously, the little boy was protected by a female Lowland Gorilla named Binti Jua. She defendedh him from her housemates and carried the child into safety.

5] Beavers protected a boy by warming him up and saving him from freezing to death.

Rheal Guindon went fishing with his parents in Ontario, Canada and decided to stay behind in the shores, while his parents took the boat into the ocean. This little boy had to watch and experience in horror when his parents’ boat capsized right in front of his very eyes, eventually leading to their untimely death. He was crying for hours yet nobody came to his rescue, so he decided to walk to the nearest town and ask for help. Guindon never made it to the town before sunset, and since he was exhausted, hungry and scared, he decided to stop and sleep. The little boy woke up feeling warm fur on his skin, and whilst completely worn out, thought it was a dog cozying up to him so he once again drifted off to sleep. When he awoke the next morning, he realized that he was kept warm and protected throughout the night by three wild beavers. They kept him warm out in the wild without thick clothes in Ontario, where the temperature usually drops down below zero.

6] Man jumps off the Golden Gate Bridge and is rescued by a sea lion

Daily Mirror

19-year-old Kevin Hines had plans of jumping off San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge back in 2006, without thinking about how his impact on the water would break and dislocate his bones. He eventually jumped 1280 meters down and while he did dislocate his spine upon impact, he was unable to get himself back to shore. Amazingly, Hines was rescued by a sea lion who held above water until he was eventually rescued by the authorities.

7] Bear saves man from getting mauled by a mountain lion

Back in 2012, 62-year-old Californian native, Robert Biggs was caught in a mountain lion attack while he was watching a mother bear and her cubs. Biggs intended to fight the beast back with a rock hammer, but was thankfully rescued by the mother bear who bit the lion and flung it around by the neck. The two wild animals scuffled for a while until the mountain lion ran away. Biggs was miraculously safe despite a few abrasions, while his rescuer campy went back to her cubs.

8] A seal saves a group of men from being attacked by a shark

In 2011, a British tourist was attacked by a shark in South Africa. Terribly wounded on both legs, he lost a lost of blood and was at a point of dying, when two brave men dove in to try and rescue him, but the shark was ready to attack all of them. Luckily, a seal appeared out of nowhere to save the three men by circling around them, which confused the shark and caused him to leave the scene. The seal stayed with the men until they were all able to make it back to the shore.

9] A pod of dolphins and two whales rescued a fisherman that was shipwrecked

PetPlanetdotme

In 2008, Ronnie Dabal, a Filipino fisherman was working in Puerto Princesa Bay, Palawan when his boat suddenly got wrecked, launching him to the water. He struggled, trying to survive the turbulent waters on top of a styrofoam raft for the next 24 hours. When his energy eventually gave out was beginning to go under water, 30 dolphins and two whales came to his rescue! The helped each other push his raft to safety until the they reached the shore of the island.

10] Girl was rescued by an elephant from the tsunami

In the 2008 tsunami in Thailand, eight-year-old Amber Mason got separated from her family. If not for a kind-hearted elephant named Ningnong, Mason would’ve been washed away by the first wave. When the tsunami struck, Amber was riding on Ningnong’s back. It intuitively stopped and turned its back to the wave just as it was about to crash on them, protecting the little girl from the intense force of water.

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Binge Drinking May Cause Lasting Anxiety And Damage The Brain, A New Study Shows

Mon, 05 Oct 2020 08:06:59 GMT

Orlando Recovery Center

Maybe lots of people will tell you that drinking is bad for you, especially excessively, like binge drinking. Well, a new study collaborates with that fact (although you probably don’t need a study to prove it). The study explains how binge drinking can damage your brain and increase the risk of cognitive-behavioral issues like anxiety. Researchers of the University of Porto conducted a study showing that just 10 days of binge drinking can cause immune cells in the brain to wreck connections between neurons. The effect is mental health issues, like anxiety.

Okay, so the study did not use human subjects, in case you were wondering. Mice were the test subjects, but the experiments give important insights into how different substances may affect the brains of humans.

“We don’t have any reason to believe that the same mechanisms will not be operating in the human brain. Even for a short period of time, excessive drinking is likely to affect the brain, increasing the level of anxiety, a relevant feature in alcohol abuse and addiction,” explains Joao Relvas, the study’s co-author. He further adds, “ The dangers of alcohol drinking, especially amongst the younger population, have been widely underestimated and excessive alcohol drinking is socially relatively well tolerated. Increasing public awareness and education of the young can, together with other measures, change the way society looks at alcohol intake.”

NBC

The study grouped the mice into two…one was given alcohol over a 10 day time period, while the other was not. To put it in perspective, the group of mice given alcohol was 1.5 grams per kilogram of ethyl alcohol each day, which is about equal to 5 drinks for an adult human weighing about 165 pounds. After the 10 day period, the researchers examined the mice’s brain tissue and found out that the mice who consumed alcohol had significant damage to the brain that controls decision making and complex cognition. This resulted in increased anxiety. The researchers believed that alcohol boosts the production of an inflammatory molecule called TNF.

Further experiments showed that using a drug called pomalidomide to block TNF helped reduce the damage of alcohol on the brain, and reduce anxiety. Relvas believes this drug could be potentially used to treat alcohol addiction. “This study suggests that regulating the levels of TNF might eventually be useful when treating alcohol addiction.” He explained that the symptoms are “ ultimately driven by increased secretion of TNF by microglia, as we show that reducing its production either pharmacologically or genetically can prevent synapse loss and anxiety.”

But, the team does not recommend that anyone use TNF inhibitors while binge drinking, as further studies need to be done. They certainly want to ensure that the drug is safe and effective for the purpose. Besides, TNF inhibitors will not prevent any other damage to the rest of the body caused by alcohol. “Alcohol abuse is a leading cause of disease with a massive impact on human life and should be treated so,” Relvas adds.

Well there you have it…if you are a binge drinker, know that your brain (as well as other organs) gets damaged with excessive alcohol intake. Whether you believe the study or not, definitely you have felt the effects. It’s all up to you anyway.

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This Electrically Charged Red Jellyfish Lightning Majestically Appears Over Texas

Fri, 02 Oct 2020 02:28:44 GMT

In recent years, scientists have been able to document a rare phenomenon seen in the sky: red lighting eerily shaped like tentacles of a glowing, crimson jellyfish displaying itself majestically above us.

According to the European Space Agency, these spurts of lighting are known as “sprites,” and they are really quick electrical bursts that happen 27 to 50 miles up in the atmosphere that reach towards space. Sprites have been seen displaying themselves in every continent so far, except Antartica since they were discovered back in 1989. There isn’t much information known about this phenomenon yet, aside from them lasting mere tenths of a second that generally occur behind heavy, stormy clouds.

Last July, an expert on dark skies from the Austin McDonald Observatory, Stephen Hummel was able to capture the perfect photo showcasing these sprites from a ridge on Mount Locke located in the Davis Mountains of West Texas. He was able to take this photo while recording hours upon hours of footage throughout the whole year. On the 2nd of July, he was 4 and a half hours into recoding, when he was able to capture the image of the sprite. Throughout 70 hours of his footage, he was able to capture 70 sprites just this year alone, he mentioned to Business Insider.

“Sprites usually appear to the eye as very brief, dim, grey structures. You need to be looking for them to spot them, and oftentimes I am not certain I actually saw one until I check the camera footage to confirm,” said Hummel.

Twitter

Sprite medusa. Foto Stephen Hummel pic.twitter.com/WDdDcKPzG4

— Gustavo Vela (@GustavoVela71) August 15, 2020

These alien-like jellyfish lightning creatures are likely seen dangling from the ionosphere, which is the layer that lies above the lower atmosphere. There have also been cases where they resemble red pillars that end with curling tendrils mostly being described as ‘carrot curls.’

Because they appear only during massive storms above the earth’s surface, sprites are not easy to see from the ground. They are far easier to be seen from the International Space Station, such as this occasion that was beautifully captured last August 2015.

Twitter

Here’s some sprite lightning as photographed from the International Space Station in August 2015. City lights in an orbital blur, a flash of red, stars everywhere. It is so unbelievably cool we get to live on this planet. (credit: NASA/Expedition 44) pic.twitter.com/G1Ie7Z4II7

— Adrienne LaFrance (@AdrienneLaF) August 15, 2020

Davd Sentman, late University of Alaska professor coined the magical name ‘sprites’ for this weather phenomenon because it was “well suited to describe their appearance” and light, fairy-like nature.

There have been cases of sprites seen that are absolutely massive, much like Hummel’s photo showing them towering “probably around 30 miles long and 30 miles tall,” he said.

Despite the nature of their occurrence, not all thunderstorms produce sprites. They usually occur when lightning hits the ground, which releases positive electrical energy that needs an oppositely charged electrical discharge to balance that energy throughout the sky.

“The more powerful the storm and the more lightning it produces, the more likely it is to produce a sprite,” said Hummel.

The red glow is that result of nitrogen gas seen high up in the atmosphere that reacts because of the burns of electricity from lightning strikes. When the sprites spark, it becomes red because of the nitrogen floating across the Earth’s atmosphere. The gas is excited by that burst of electricity, emitting a red glow all throughout.

Twitter

Multiple column sprites line up above an angel sprite in my last sprite lightning capture from the night of 4/17/2019 . An uncropped image on the 50mm about 20 minutes before being clouded over. Anadarko, Oklahoma. #okwx #APOD @JimCantore @emilyrsutton @MichaelSeger pic.twitter.com/gXNlPMKucZ

— Paul M Smith (@PaulMSmithPhoto) April 21, 2019

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21-Year-Old Lion Lovers In The L.A. Zoo Were Put To Sleep Together So They Wouldn’t Be ...

Wed, 30 Sep 2020 15:53:19 GMT

All That’s Interesting

Elderly African lions named Hubert and Kalisa living at the Los Angeles Zoo were put to sleep at the same time so that they wouldn’t have to live without each other on their last days alone.

These 21-year-old loyal lovers have been together for many years and were well known for their “frequent cuddles” that have been witnessed by visitors and staff alike. Hubert was born in the Lincoln Park Zoo on the 7th of February, 1999 and fathered 10 cubs, while Kalisa was born in the Oklahoma City Zoo on the 26th of December, 1998. They met one another after both moving to the L.A. Zoo in 2014, and while they never had offspring together, they were completely inseparable since then.

Los Angeles Zoo officials came out with a statement that was posted on their Instagram account saying, “it is with a heavy heart that we announce the loss of our African lion pair,” adding that their action to “humanely euthanize” the pair proved to be very difficult for them.

Denise Verret, zoo director and CEO said that:

“Hubert and Kalisa are an iconic part of the L.A. Zoo experience, and our staff and guests have been touched by their loyal companionship. Their longevity is truly a testament to the level of expert care our veterinary and animal care teams provide for our elderly animals. These lions will remain a positive part of our history, and they will be greatly missed.”

World Today News

Beth Schaefer, L.A. Zoo animal programs director told the Los Angeles times that:

“These lions were charismatic both together as partners and separately, but they were hardly ever apart from one another. Their undivided attention was always on the other as they rested together, cuddled and nuzzled often.”

Alisa Behar, mammal curator also stated that:

“This is a very hard loss for our zoo community. In the early mornings, staff would routinely hear Hubert’s waking roars, and I will personally miss hearing them on my walks around the grounds. You cannot think of Hubert without thinking of his companion, Kalisa; they’ve been an inseparable couple for years.”

The couple were both moved to the L.A. Zoo and Botanical Gardens when they were both 17. This is typically considered an old age for these majestic cats since they only live to be about 10 to 15 years in the wild.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, the African Lion is under the classification of “vulnerable.” While they say that this “king of beasts” is not facing an imminent extinction, there are only about 25,000 lions left living in the wild located all over Africa, while three quarters of their population is on a steady decline.

Although the lion’s population has increased in Southern African countries like Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia and South Africa by 12 percent, their numbers all across West, Central and East Africa have declined by a whopping 60 percent. So, while their Red List status is under “vulnerable,” the lion meets the criterion as an endangered species in most areas of its population.

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Theoretical Physicist Shockingly Shares That Parallel Universes Exist With Facts To Back Up His ...

Tue, 29 Sep 2020 17:47:41 GMT

True Blog

Sean Carroll, a theoretical physicist explained that clues found in the universe’s small scale structure prove an existence of other parallel worlds. The scientist made these shocking comments on the Joe Rogan Experience (JRE) podcast in 2019. Carroll claims that the mere fact that electrons, photons and all these minute particles are not located in just one place in the universe is evidence enough of parallels universes.

In another interview that Carroll gave with news.com.au, he explained further:

“But there’s a lot more going on. Not every world you imagine actually comes true. There are still equations, physical rules, patterns that must be obeyed. Some possible alternate worlds can come true. But not all of them.”

The rules of physics that we follow in our everyday lives seem like common sense, but at the very minuscule detail, this common sense completely breaks apart. If you are observing physics at a quantum level, the empty space is filled with tiny particles that are coming in and out of existence at every millisecond.

According to New Scientist, nn important construct in quantum mechanics, Bell’s theorem can also prove that parallel universes exist. This theorem discusses particles that interact and entangle with each other, and eventually go their separate ways.

Carroll has also discussed and advanced in other controversial theories such as the nature of time and the Big Bang theory. He insists that the universe didn’t come to life after a huge explosion, but that it has been an ancient and constant entity wherein time runs both forward and backward. Carroll cannot break down and explain the complicated depth of quantum physics in a much simpler manner.

Sparkonit

He writes:

“As far as we currently know, quantum mechanics isn’t just an approximation to the truth; it is the truth. Physics is stuck trying to understand the fundamentals of nature and the Big Bang. It’s time to take a step back and understand its foundations. It’s time to tackle our understanding of the quantum world.”

Fellow physicist, Brian Greene authored a book titled The Hidden Reality: Parallel Universes and the Deep Laws of the Cosmos.

“You almost can’t avoid having some version of the multiverse in your studies if you push deeply enough in the mathematical descriptions of the physical universe. There are many of us thinking of one version of parallel universe theory or another. If it’s all a lot of nonsense, then it’s a lot of wasted effort going into this far-out idea. But if this idea is correct, it is a fantastic upheaval in our understanding,” Greene shared with NPR.

Even theoretical physicist, Stephen Hawking made a suggestion that because of quantum mechanics, it is known that the Big Bang supplied us with more than just one universe. Until now, quantum physics and all its realms has been impossible to figure out entirely, but Carroll has high hopes that this will soon change as technology improves.

“Now we’re getting better at that, technology has improved. Maybe things are going to change.”

The researchers at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee are joining the bandwagon of Carroll, Greene and Hawking’s theories by creating experiments to discover other multiverses or mirror images of the reality we know. Last year, the team sent a beam of subatomic particles down a 50-foot tunnel, passing a powerful magnet to an impenetrable wall.

Leah Broussard, lead researcher told New Scientist that, “if it exists, it would form a bubble of reality nestling within the fabric of space and time alongside our own familiar universe, with some particles capable of switching between the two.”

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Blind Piano Prodigy Is Extremely Talented That Scientists Are Studying His Brain To Learn More ...

Tue, 29 Sep 2020 03:52:45 GMT

CBS

A young piano prodigy from Hackensack, New Jersey that is blind has had wonderful successes in his life by entertaining fans from all over the world since he was just 11-years-old. Scientists have started studying his brain to figure how exactly he has been so amazingly talented with that musical instrument.

Matthew Whitaker entered into this world prematurely at only 24 weeks. Not only was he born blind, but he also had various healthy problems wherein doctors told her parents he had less than a 50 percent chance of surviving infancy. Whitaker had already undergone 11 surgeries even before his second birthday. By a miracle, Whitaker survived and by the age of three, he was already skilfully playing the piano and even writing his own songs – without any professional teacher to guide him.

Now, at the age of 18, Whitaker is a universally praised tunesmith and jazz pianist that has experienced performing in the most prestigious stages like the Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center and the Apollo Theater. This musical genius can play any melody by ear, from Beyonce to Dvorak.

Because of his miraculous talent, the virtuoso is now the focus of a medical study that aims to conclude how the brains of brilliant musicians throughout time function and how they differ from an average person.

Mic

Dr. Charles Limb, a neurologist and fellow musician is heading the research where he conducts MRI exams on Whitaker on different occasions when he just listened to music, and when he was playing the keyboard as well.

Dr. Limb shared with 60 minutes that:

“I think anytime somebody watches Matthew play piano the first thing that you think is, ‘How does he do that?’Except rather than just wondering, I’m actually trying to answer the question.”

A shocking discovery that Dr. Limb found out was: Whitaker’s brain had apparently repurposed the visual cortex in order to develop other neurological pathways. When Whitaker listens to his favorite bands, his visual cortex is activated.

“Because he is blind we looked at his visual cortex. And we didn’t see any significant activity there at all [during a dull lecture]. Then we switched the soundtrack for him and we put on a band that he knows quite well… This is what changes in his brain. It seems like his brain is taking that part of the tissue that’s not being stimulated by sight and using it … to perceive music. It’s sort of borrowing that part of the brain and rewiring it to help him hear music.”

While Whitaker was interested in learning about the findings, he wasn’t surprised that his brain was illuminated in the scans when he was listening to music. He simply said: “I love music.”

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With The West Coast Choking From Hazardous Wildfire Smoke, Bird Populations Are Disappearing

Mon, 28 Sep 2020 04:15:28 GMT

Los Angeles Times

Recent West Coast wildfires raging across numerous states have alarmed California bird lovers that many birds are disappearing or dead. The Birding California group on Facebook have noticed the total silence coming from their backyards, which used to greet them with birds chirping and singing every morning. Examples like “I live in Folsom – have not seen a bird or heard a bird chirp this morning,” resident Jodi Root said. Tammy Saunders said, “Same here in Napa,” and further adds that things have become “very quiet which just adds to the eeriness of the orange colored sky.” Another resident, Karen Holden, this time from Gardnerville said, “We live in Northern Nevada and have noticed the same thing.”

Nearly a hundred veteran birdwatchers from the group voiced out the same concerns. Most noted a sharp decline in birds visiting their feeders and birdbaths. They also noted a thinning-out of a variety of species.

The heatwave and toxic air conditions in California and other western states have not only affected humans. Insects, which wild birds rely on for food, have also been in a state of decline, just like the birds.Unfortunately, the ash falling on West Coast cities is not only from trees and brush, but also charred remains of birds and other creatures caught in the wildfire.

According to a report by Deborah Pertersen of Inside Climate News, the highly sensitive respiratory systems of birds which respond quickly to changing environmental conditions, acts like a global alarm comparable to the caged canary in a coal mine.

Even if not much is actually known how smoke affects bird populations, Andrew Stillman, a doctoral candidate of the University of Connecticut notes that birds constantly live on the edge, and extreme changes have grim effects for their species. He told Inside Climate News, “One thing that is important to point out is we do know high levels of smoke exposure can be harmful to bird.” And they “ cannot escape like humans by going indoors.”

Similarly, the Audubon Society notes that bird scientists and veterinarians agree that smoke can leave a damaging impact on the lung tissue of captive birds, leaving them vulnerable to deadly respiratory infections.

The New York Times

Olivia Sanderfoot, a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow, at the University of Washington in Seattle, who studies the impact of air pollution on birds, said, “We do know that exposure to particulate matter, which of course is of great concern for human health, can affect birds as well.”

And the still raging fires have not given researchers much of a chance really to study the population of birds along the west coast, it is evident that the massive plumes of smoke from over 85 fires is affecting bird populations tremendously. Sanderfoot notes that bird activity declines during smoke events. Together with Tracey Holloway in a 2017 paper, she wrote that “Birds have long been recognized as sentinel species for environmental change.” The paper concluded that “ Exposure to air pollution clearly causes respiratory distress in birds and increases their susceptibility to respiratory infection,” aside from complications to bird reproduction.

Yet, the science of the effect of wildfire smoke on birds remains largely underdeveloped. Sanderfoot explained, “We know pretty much nothing about the long-term impact of smoke on birds.”

In fact, most of the research on birds only covers a small amount of species, and studies mostly focus on pollution rather than wildfire smoke. Sanderfoot and Holloway wrote, “Of the roughly 10,000 species of birds known worldwide, only a few have been studied to characterize avian responses to air pollution, and the animals used in laboratory experiments may not be representative of the wild bird species most at risk from air pollution.”

Sanderfoot and fellow researchers are currently conducting research in Washington, a state affected by the most toxic air pollution recorded recently. Sanderfoot and her team are planting cameras and microphones in areas where the smoke is dense to find out if bird songs decrease in these areas.

The Guardian

A nursery volunteer from Los Altos, California, Tara Sears Lee, also noted the dreadful impact of hazardous smoke on birds recently. Her Facebook account said, “Outside for 6 hours yesterday and no jays, crows, ravens, quail, turkeys, or hawks – all usual and very vocal visitors. Only hummingbirds, juncos, towhees, and titmice. Worst of all was a dead hummingbird just lying on the ground – had heard they are being overcome by heat and smoke and just drop dead.” Several bird lovers from across the state are also posting on Facebook about dead hummingbirds. And on the reverse side, a larger number of birds at their backyard feeders, evidence of forced migration caused by the fires and smoke.

Charlotte Trethway Noriega posted on Facebook, “I think all the birds came to my house south of San Jose. sometimes there will be more than 40-50 out there.”

In her article, Petersen explained that bird populations in North America have significantly dropped by 29 percent (3 billion birds) since 1970. Similarly, a 2019 study explained that widespread high temperatures resulting from climate change are likely to drastically change migration patterns of bird species. Nesting places have also lessened due to pastures and grasslands being converted to crops. And insects diminished by pesticides also contribute to altered migration patterns of birds.

But, Stillman still finds traces of hope in his research of birds that have survived in areas hit by wildfires. Blackbacked woodpeckers are seen returning to burned-out areas to feast on the larvae of wood-boring beetles that thrive on trees burned by the fires. However, Stillman cautions that the new generation of “mega fires” like what is currently plaguing the West Coast is far more destructive than past wildfires. And how “Birds are responding to this new normal” is still up in the air.

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Scientists Have Stumbled Upon Possibilities of Extraterrestrial Life In Venus

Thu, 24 Sep 2020 03:23:51 GMT

MIT Technology Review

Recent discoveries led scientists to believe that they have detected signs of life on Venus, after they came across phosphine in the planet – a compound only produced when there is organic matter that has been broken down. The amount of phosphine on Venus is so high that there is no other explanation or process as to why it is there.

Nature Astronomy recently published an article about these discoveries, which were led by an international team of researchers headed by Jane Greaves from Cardiff University. In their report, the researchers admitted that the present of phosphine “is not robust evidence for life, only for anomalous and unexplained chemistry,” and further studies should be conducted to confirm all theories.

Phosphine can be created by humans through industrial processes, but the only way this can occur in nature is if it is caused by anaerobic organisms such as bacteria and microbes. Since only organic life can create this compound, scientists conclude that it is a “biosignature,” meaning that there is life present in this planet.

Venus’ surface is so hot and acidic which makes it highly unlikely that intelligent life would be able to exist in this planet, although some researchers theorise that species found on different planets would have a completely different composition than what we have here on earth, making other environments habitable for them.

Astronomy Magazine

Life on Venus could very be likely various microorganisms that live in the planet’s upper cloud decks that are believed to be the most habitable part, but as of late, there is little known about this area.

A fellow author of the paper, Emily Drabek-Maunder, astrophysicist from the Royal Observatory Greenwich, spoke to the Independent saying:

“Either phosphine is produced by some sort of chemical or geological process that no-one knows about – or there could be a biological reason. Our study isn’t conclusive that this is evidence of life. However, what is exciting about it is that we’ve found this rare gas in the upper atmosphere of Venus. Our team can’t explain the amount of phosphine that we’ve found, through our current understanding of the planet. When we try to model what’s happening in the atmosphere – volcanic activity, sunlight, or even lightning – nothing recreates the amount of phosphine gas that we’ve seen.”

This report that has caused an excitement in the scientific community all happened by accident. While researchers were looking for different compounds and their levels on Venus to establish a baseline, they came across this discovery. While nobody expected to find any phosphine, when they saw it in their initial studies, they decided to do further research.

David Clements, another author on the paper and scientist at the Imperial College London said:

“We had no expectation there was actually going to be any there. It turned from a ‘let’s try this, it’s an interesting problem, and we can set some parameters for what needs to be done’, into ‘my goodness, we’ve found it, what on Earth does that mean?’”

Literally speaking… What on earth does that mean? The possibility of extraterrestrial life on another planet.

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Presumably Hundreds Of Thousands Of Migratory Birds Are Mysteriously Perishing Across New Mexico

Wed, 23 Sep 2020 04:05:43 GMT

Allaboutbirds

It is being discovered that massive numbers of birds are mysteriously dropping dead across the regions of New Mexico and Colorado. Wildlife researchers in the area are bewildered by the corpses of different migratory birds found by residents along hiking trails and other locations. The astounding number of avians dying reach hundreds of thousands…possibly millions.

Experts are unclear on the exact cause of the deaths, but some believe it is possibly connected to a recent cold front, ongoing droughts, and more likely, the tremendous amount of toxic smoke invading areas from the wildfires across the western states.

Professor Martha Desmond of New Mexico State University’s Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Ecology told Las Cruces sun-News, “ It is terribly frightening. We’ve never seen anything like this…we’re losing probably hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of migratory birds.”

A team of wildlife experts at the Bureau of Land Management, NMSU, and White Sands Missile Range, are helping Prof. Desmond to establish the unexpected rise in bird deaths. The affected bird species’ include sparrows, warblers, blackbirds, swallows, flycatchers, and the western wood pewee.

“ A number of these birds are already in trouble. They are already experiencing huge population declines and then to have a traumatic event like this – it’s devastating,” explains Desmond.

A biologist at White Sands Missile Range, Trish Cutler, said, “ People have been reporting that the birds look sleepy…they’re just really lethargic.” she further adds, “ One thing we’re not seeing is our resident birds mixed in with these dead birds. We have resident birds that live here, some of them migrate and some of them don’t, but we’re not getting birds like roadrunners or quail or doves.”

Some believe the cold front that passed through the state may have contributed to the catastrophe. But Desmond explained that, “ what is odd is the fact that we’re seeing this occur beforehand and we’re seeing it occur since then.” However, the on-going dry spell may have played a role in the bird die-off, as well as the toxic smoke from the wildfires. Experts are not really sure what is generally responsible.

Desmond argues, “ it could be related to some of the drought conditions…It could also be related to the fires in the west.” she adds, “ There may have been some damage to these birds in their lungs [due to the fires].” Desmond continues, “ They may have been pushed out before they were ready to migrate,” she emphasized. “ They have to put on a certain amount of fat for them to be able to survive the migration. These birds migrate at night and they get up in the jet stream, and they might migrate for three nights in succession, they’ll come down and they’ll feed like crazy, put on more fat and go again.”

Last September 13, a video by journalist Austin Fisher while he was hiking in northern Rio Arriba County, showed large groups of dead birds along the trail. While he panned the camera to show the magnitude of the event, he can be heard saying, “ I have no idea.”

Reports of birds disappearing or turning up dead have surfaced as wildfires have ravaged multiple western states. But, much is still uncertain how wildfire smoke has impacted bird populations. “ Not much is known about the impacts of smoke and wildfires on birds,” wrote the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife on Twitter.

AllABoutBirds

However, the Audubon Society notes that bird scientists and veterinarians are in agreement that smoke can leave a damaging impact on the lung tissue of captive birds, leaving them vulnerable to deadly respiratory infections.

Olivia Sanderfoot, a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow, at the University of Washington in Seattle, who studies the impact of air pollution on birds, said, “ We do know that exposure to particulate matter, which of course is of great concern for human health, can affect birds as well.”

An article explained that bird populations in North America have significantly dropped by 29 percent, which is about 3 billion birds, since 1970. Similarly, a 2019 study explained that widespread high temperatures resulting from climate change are likely to tremendously change migration patterns of bird species. Nesting places have also diminished due to pastures and grasslands being converted to crops. And insects reduced by pesticides also contribute to altered migration patterns of birds.

Wildfire smoke is hazardous, no doubt. Luckily for humans, we can avoid the toxic smoke by staying indoors, or moving away to safer locations. Most creatures, including birds, are not as lucky. Hopefully the fires soon are extinguished…many species of animals would surely be very thankful.

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A Nurse Discloses That A Startling Number Of Women In An ICE Detention Center Were Sterilized ...

Tue, 22 Sep 2020 04:15:21 GMT

Left Voice

Sometimes, some unspeakable things happen in places, and continue to do so, until someone ends up reporting it. Well, a whistleblower at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility filed a startling complaint through several legal advocacy groups about a disturbing “jarring medical neglect” towards detainees. This nurse admitted that there was an ongoing practice of performing mass hysterectomies on female prisoners, among other things.

With the help of several detained immigrants, nurse Dawn Wooten filed a complaint that focuses on dreadful conditions of severe neglect at the Irwin County Detention Center (ICDC) in Ocilla, Georgia. It is operated by LaSalle South Corrections, a private prison company. Issues include shredding of medical requests by detainees, failure to test for infectious diseases, fabricating medical records, and numerous other reckless and unsafe actions by the ICDC management. Detained immigrants who spoke out against this irresponsible treatment were punished with solitary confinement.

The advocacy groups filed the complaint with the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) for the Department of Homeland Security. The groups were the Georgia Detention Watch, the South Georgia Immigrant Support Network, the Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights, and Project South.

Project South interviewed several women that said a lot of detained women were subject to an astounding high rate of hysterectomies, which is an operation which removes parts of the uterus, or the entire organ. Most women were also confused when asked why the surgery was needed. The complaint said, “Recently, a detained immigrant told Project South that she talked to five different women detained at ICDC between October and December 2019 who had a hysterectomy done. When she talked to them about the surgery, the women ‘reacted confused when explaining why they had one done. ‘ The woman told Project South that it was as though the women were ‘trying to tell themselves it’s going to be OK.’”

Everyday Health

A detainee even compared it to being like an experimental lab rat in a concentration camp. “When I met all these women who had surgeries, I thought this was like an experimental concentration camp. It was like they were experimenting with our bodies.” She mentioned that there was one particular gynecologist outside the facility responsible for the hysterectomies.

Nurse Wooten also cited that one woman wasn’t properly anesthetized during her operation and overheard the doctor claim that he had removed the wrong ovary. Eventually, the woman returned to the doctor and had her other ovary removed as well. Wooten was very vocal about the hysterectomies. “We’ve questioned among ourselves , like goodness, he’s taking everybody’s stuff out.” The former full-time employee at ICDC continued, “That’s his specialty, he’s the uterus collector. I know that’s ugly.” Wooten added, “ Is he collecting these things or something…Everybody he sees, he’s taking all their uterus out or he’s taking their tubes out. Everybody’s uterus cannot be that bad…what in the world.”

The former nurse also explained that a lot of the detained women didn’t understand the medical purpose of the forced operation. And some nurses who did not speak Spanish were able to force consent from the detainees “by simply googling Spanish.” In one case where a detainee scheduled for the hysterectomy questioned the procedure, she was given several explanations that were completely unalike. “ She was originally told by the doctor that she had an ovarian cyst and was going to have a small 20-minute procedure done drilling three small holes in her stomach to drain the cyst,” the report said.

The report continued, “The officer who was transporting her to the hospital told her that she was receiving a hysterectomy to have her womb removed. When the hospital refused to operate on her because her [CV-19] test came back positive for antibodies, she was transferred back to ICDC where the ICDC nurse said that the procedure she was going to have done entailed dilating her v***** and scraping tissue off.”

Another immigrant explained that they are usually afraid that their stay at ICDC is like a death sentence. ”I don’t want to die here,” she said. “Please release me, let me be with my family…a lot of people are afraid.”

And yet another detainee explained that a nurse informed her that the procedure was meant to prevent her from continued heavy menstrual bleeding. When the detainee explained that she never had such problems, the nurse snapped and “responded by getting angry and agitated and began yelling at her.” Surely out of the ordinary.

NPR

The incarcerated women also testified that they were subjected to extremely unsanitary conditions in the medical and quarantine unit of the ICDC. One woman claimed she was forced to use her shampoo to clean her cell because the staff deprived her of cleaning solutions. Another had to use her socks to wipe dry her cell.

“The place is not equipped for humans,” explains an immigrant. “This is the dirtiest facility I have ever been in: everything is dirty; one shower for more than 50 people; one bathroom for all of us; I don’t even know how to give more details because it is all nasty, really nasty; only God is taking care of us here.”

Another detainee said that the filthy conditions have driven many of them to despair and some even attempted suicide as a way out. She explained, “If it wasn’t for my faith in God, I think I would have gone insane, and just break down and probably gone as far as hurting myself. There are a lot of people here who end up in medical trying to kill themselves because of how crazy it is.”

Of course the facility reacted to the complaint. A LaSalle spokesperson said in an interview, that the private prison is “firmly committed to the health and welfare of those in our care. We are deeply committed to delivering high-quality, culturally responsive services in safe and humane environments.”

ICE has also responded to coverage of the complaint by stating that the testimonies of Wooten and the detainees were “anonymous, unproven allegations, made without any fact-checkable specifics.”

Sadly, the US has an awful track record of forcing people, especially from communities of color, into unwanted sterilization. Under international standards, these are appalling human rights abuse under the category of. Eugenics. California, for example, has sterilized about 20,000 people in state institutions for over seven decades. In the south, black women were sterilized unknowingly without their consent during C-sections when treated as “practice” by medical students. In some cases, sterilization was a condition for maintaining welfare benefits.

In a nation where the rights of people are very important, some facilities and institutions violate these basic rights for whatever reason. Even detainees or prisoners have basic human rights. Violators should be reminded about this, and penalized for any abuses committed.

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Alabama Has Officially Passed Into Law Chemical Castration For Child Molesters

Mon, 21 Sep 2020 12:23:19 GMT

Anderson & Boback

Most people will agree that one of the worst crimes is child molestation. Sadly, this crime is not always reported, and the criminal sometimes never gets caught and punished. Even worse, a lot of acts of child molestation are perpetuated by family members. Well, the state of Alabama has finally put their foot down. Republican Alabama Governor Kay Ivey recently signed a bill into law that requires convicted sex offenders to undergo chemical castration a month prior to being released from custody. And they will also have to foot the bill for it.

The law states that offenders “convicted of a sex offense involving a person under the age of 13” will be chemically castrated a month prior to their release, and will be required to continue the treatment “until the court determines the treatment is no longer necessary.” The sex offenders would be required to pay for the treatment, and the denial of their parole will not be based solely on their inability to pay.

So what is chemical castration? Under the law, chemical castration is defined as “the receiving of medication, including, but not limited to, medroxyprogesterone acetate treatment or its chemical equivalent, that, among other things, reduces, inhibits, or blocks the production of testosterone, hormones, or other chemicals in a person’s body.” Unlike surgical castration, it does not remove organs or is it a form of sterilization.

Youtube

Governor Ivey said, “This bill is a step towards protecting children in Alabama,” it was passed by both houses mid-year in 2019. Alabama was the latest to pass such a law, California was the first to pass the bill in 1996. Other states that enforce this law include Oregon, Louisiana, Florida, Montana, Georgia, and Texas. If the offender decides to halt the treatment, it would be considered a violation of parole, and will be sent back to prison.

There will always be two sides to a coin. While many support the bill, there are a few who deem it unconstitutional. The Alabama Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) argues it is close to cruel and unusual punishment (a violation of the Constitution’s 8th Amendment), and violates people’s rights to privacy. The ACLU executive director, Randall Marshall, explains that the law does not guarantee prevention of child molestation. In a statement to CNN, he said, “It certainly presents serious issues about involuntary medical treatment, informed consent, the right to privacy, and cruel and unusual punishment. And, it is a return, if you will, to the dark age. This kind of punishment for crimes is something that has been around throughout history, but as we’ve gotten more enlightened in criminal justice, we’ve gotten away from this kind of retribution.”

The Jakarta Post

Republican Representative Steve Hurst, who proposed the bill, was quick to react: “I had people call me in the past when I introduced it and said’ Don’t you think this is inhumane?’ I asked them, ‘What’s more inhumane than when you take a little infant child and you sexually molest that infant child when the child cannot defend themselves or get away, and they have to go through all the things all the things they have to go through?’ If you want to talk about inhumane, that’s inhumane. They have marked this child for life and the punishment should fit the crime.”

Still,some critics contend that the law is unfairly coercive to inmates, who may be forced to choose between staying in prison and taking the treatment. And there may be side effects, physiologically and psychologically. A spokesperson for the National Patient Advocate Foundation, Caitlin Donovan, made a statement to CNN: “Medical decisions should remain between a patient and their provider. I worry about any precedent that allows the state to use health care as a form of punishment.”

Questions whether it works, ethical concerns, and other issues, continue to criticize the law. However, note that it is not a painful treatment, and is not permanent. It has been used effectively by other countries even before the US considered it. Child molestation is horrendous. Sexual assault to anyone is deplorable. It seems that chemical castration is a mild punishment compared to the crime. You be the judge.

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