Wednesday, March 31, 2021
TODAY marks International Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV), an annual event celebrating trans lives by raising awareness about the systemic problems affecting communities.
Alley Wilson
© Laura Whelan/Global News
There’s no shortage of problems in health care; transphobia prevents many Canadians from visiting doctors and emergency rooms, and getting tested for COVID-19, according to national surveys by TransPulse Canada. A lack of medical research, ignorant and/or inexperienced providers, cisnormative policies, racism and poverty — which some mitigate through crowdfunding for essential surgeries — are among other long-reported barriers to fulfilling unmet health needs.
Commentary: Black trans women need the space to be listened to, supported
Shawn*, a trans man from Toronto who medically transitioned a decade ago, said his family doctor at the time misgendered him and refused to support his transition.
There’s no shortage of problems in health care; transphobia prevents many Canadians from visiting doctors and emergency rooms, and getting tested for COVID-19, according to national surveys by TransPulse Canada. A lack of medical research, ignorant and/or inexperienced providers, cisnormative policies, racism and poverty — which some mitigate through crowdfunding for essential surgeries — are among other long-reported barriers to fulfilling unmet health needs.
Commentary: Black trans women need the space to be listened to, supported
Shawn*, a trans man from Toronto who medically transitioned a decade ago, said his family doctor at the time misgendered him and refused to support his transition.
© Provided by Global News
A multi-year wait-list for hormones made Shawn resort to self-medicating in 2011, taking testosterone given to him by a trans acquaintance he followed on YouTube. He also had a hard time getting bottom surgery, which, at the time, was best performed by specialists outside of Canada according to Shawn, and didn’t have as long of a wait-list.
“I wanted it for years, but I didn’t (get it) because I didn’t think I could access it,” Shawn told Global News.
It wasn’t until another trans man walked Shawn through the complicated paperwork that he was finally able to go through with the procedure. Since then, he’s paid it forward by writing guides that assist trans men and transmasculine people navigating the health-care system and apply for provincial government assistance.
It isn’t hyperbole to say this kind of informal community support can save lives, especially when the resources provided challenge gatekeeping. Erin Reed, a digital director at the American Independent, told Global News that a Google map she made listing U.S. clinics operating under an “informed consent” model has over a million views and has aided countless people looking for more supportive providers.
“I get messages from people about (the map) all the time. They say things like, ‘I never would have been able to transition without this map,’ or ‘This map literally saved my life. I was close to ending it, then I found this and realized there was an informed consent clinic 10 miles from my house,’” she recalled. “It makes me want to cry, I’m so happy about it.”
A multi-year wait-list for hormones made Shawn resort to self-medicating in 2011, taking testosterone given to him by a trans acquaintance he followed on YouTube. He also had a hard time getting bottom surgery, which, at the time, was best performed by specialists outside of Canada according to Shawn, and didn’t have as long of a wait-list.
“I wanted it for years, but I didn’t (get it) because I didn’t think I could access it,” Shawn told Global News.
It wasn’t until another trans man walked Shawn through the complicated paperwork that he was finally able to go through with the procedure. Since then, he’s paid it forward by writing guides that assist trans men and transmasculine people navigating the health-care system and apply for provincial government assistance.
It isn’t hyperbole to say this kind of informal community support can save lives, especially when the resources provided challenge gatekeeping. Erin Reed, a digital director at the American Independent, told Global News that a Google map she made listing U.S. clinics operating under an “informed consent” model has over a million views and has aided countless people looking for more supportive providers.
“I get messages from people about (the map) all the time. They say things like, ‘I never would have been able to transition without this map,’ or ‘This map literally saved my life. I was close to ending it, then I found this and realized there was an informed consent clinic 10 miles from my house,’” she recalled. “It makes me want to cry, I’m so happy about it.”
© Provided by Global News
The help of people like Shawn and Reed can be found online via forums and social media, with journalism by trans writers playing a role in giving in-community conversations gravitas and furthering reach: Canadian journalist Alex V. Green’s stories on DIY transitions in 2018 and the controversial use of spironolactone in 2019 are some examples of stories that have helped people make informed decisions about body changes.
Vice producer Alyza Enriquez’s personal account on low-dosing testosterone to affirm their non-binary identity, and writer Samantha Riedel’s interviews with trans women who get menstrual symptoms are other notable works that have raised awareness about experiences not often brought up in doctor appointments.
To promote accessible trans wellness on TDOV, Global News asked several people to share the informal advice they were once given by another trans person. (It's always ideal to consult with your doctor before changing or starting a new treatment plan. When that's not possible, research and reach out to trusted community members for best practices).
The help of people like Shawn and Reed can be found online via forums and social media, with journalism by trans writers playing a role in giving in-community conversations gravitas and furthering reach: Canadian journalist Alex V. Green’s stories on DIY transitions in 2018 and the controversial use of spironolactone in 2019 are some examples of stories that have helped people make informed decisions about body changes.
Vice producer Alyza Enriquez’s personal account on low-dosing testosterone to affirm their non-binary identity, and writer Samantha Riedel’s interviews with trans women who get menstrual symptoms are other notable works that have raised awareness about experiences not often brought up in doctor appointments.
To promote accessible trans wellness on TDOV, Global News asked several people to share the informal advice they were once given by another trans person. (It's always ideal to consult with your doctor before changing or starting a new treatment plan. When that's not possible, research and reach out to trusted community members for best practices).
“What’s one health tip you wish other trans people knew about?”
Elliott Kozuch“Avoid testosterone gel if you live with a cat, because accidental transference could be dangerous.”
© Provided by Global News
Vic“I learned from a friend that you can just keep taking your birth control if you aren't on HRT (hormone replacement therapy) and want to not have periods. Take it straight through your month and skip the little placebo pills, depending on the kind you use.”
Vic“I learned from a friend that you can just keep taking your birth control if you aren't on HRT (hormone replacement therapy) and want to not have periods. Take it straight through your month and skip the little placebo pills, depending on the kind you use.”
© Provided by Global News
EvyFor trans women and transfemmes: "Instead of swallowing estradiol pills, they should be taken sublingually (under the tongue) if possible — and it is generally possible. This vastly helps the estrogen actually get absorbed and not just wasted in the liver."
EvyFor trans women and transfemmes: "Instead of swallowing estradiol pills, they should be taken sublingually (under the tongue) if possible — and it is generally possible. This vastly helps the estrogen actually get absorbed and not just wasted in the liver."
© Provided by Global News
Some CBD after a laser hair removal session really helps.
You can cycle progesterone (take it periodically, instead of consistently), which can help with boob growth. It’s one of those things that's very much ‘your mileage may vary,’ more folk wisdom then something that is a known thing.
Newton Brophy“After you inject, it helps to lightly massage the area… apparently there’s a common allergy to the oil that testosterone is suspended in, not testosterone itself. It doesn’t happen to everyone, but sometimes the injection site will be red and itchy for two or three days. If that happens to you, it might be this allergy."
Some CBD after a laser hair removal session really helps.
You can cycle progesterone (take it periodically, instead of consistently), which can help with boob growth. It’s one of those things that's very much ‘your mileage may vary,’ more folk wisdom then something that is a known thing.
Newton Brophy“After you inject, it helps to lightly massage the area… apparently there’s a common allergy to the oil that testosterone is suspended in, not testosterone itself. It doesn’t happen to everyone, but sometimes the injection site will be red and itchy for two or three days. If that happens to you, it might be this allergy."
© Provided by Global News
Kat Rogue“Transfemmes can also take T (testosterone)! I take low-dose T to help manage energy levels, mental health, and sex drive.
"Prior to my orchiectomy, I was very nervous that my sex life would be destroyed. While that didn’t turn out to be the case, my ability to get erections was affected. I find taking extra T the day before I want an erection works way better than Cialis (a sexual function medication) and way cheaper. It also boosts my mood when I’m feeling lethargic or down.
Kat Rogue“Transfemmes can also take T (testosterone)! I take low-dose T to help manage energy levels, mental health, and sex drive.
"Prior to my orchiectomy, I was very nervous that my sex life would be destroyed. While that didn’t turn out to be the case, my ability to get erections was affected. I find taking extra T the day before I want an erection works way better than Cialis (a sexual function medication) and way cheaper. It also boosts my mood when I’m feeling lethargic or down.
© Provided by Global News
"That being said, every test comes back completely within the cis female range of testosterone. As far as I’m concerned, the extra T makes up for testosterone that a cis woman’s body produces with her ovaries and adrenal glands … if a T gel packet at full dose lasts a transmasc person a day or two, mine lasts me a month or two. It’s very minimal and fully tested by my endocrinologist.”
Sasha Campbell“One thing that a lot of people don’t know is that pharmacists dispense meds, but they can also help with figuring out issues. You can ask them, ‘Is there a way to get this medication covered?’ or ‘What are the side effects if I switch to this dose?’
"We can help people sign up for government assistance programs like Trillium (Ontario’s drug payment assistance program), we can look stuff up, and communicate with your family doctor.”
"That being said, every test comes back completely within the cis female range of testosterone. As far as I’m concerned, the extra T makes up for testosterone that a cis woman’s body produces with her ovaries and adrenal glands … if a T gel packet at full dose lasts a transmasc person a day or two, mine lasts me a month or two. It’s very minimal and fully tested by my endocrinologist.”
Sasha Campbell“One thing that a lot of people don’t know is that pharmacists dispense meds, but they can also help with figuring out issues. You can ask them, ‘Is there a way to get this medication covered?’ or ‘What are the side effects if I switch to this dose?’
"We can help people sign up for government assistance programs like Trillium (Ontario’s drug payment assistance program), we can look stuff up, and communicate with your family doctor.”
Advice for improving trans health
© Provided by Global News
Sasha Campbell, a Canadian pharmacist who shared their advice above, acknowledges the challenges of troubleshooting concerns with providers and the scarcity of trans representation in health care, but points out that progress is slowly being made. Some of this includes publishing more research and creating comprehensive resources, like Sherbourne Health’s guidelines for primary providers of trans and non-binary patients.
Read more: Why trans people need to be included in the gender-based violence conversation
Cis service providers should also take it upon themselves to learn, by taking trans-centred courses like those offered by Rainbow Health Ontario. Even without formal learning, Campbell says it's “not difficult to assess someone for risks and monitor them. It’s just new for them.”
For Kat Rogue and others interviewed, they believe community care for a trans person's overall health is best until the institutions controlling medical access can provide more autonomy and care.
“If you think you’re being gatekept, reach out to trans people,” she said. “We’re the only ones who are going to save us.”
*First names were used for several interview subjects in order to protect them from transphobia.
Al Donato is a non-binary freelance journalist and podcaster based in Toronto. Their bylines can be found at HuffPost Canada, among others. Al can be reached on Twitter at @gollydrat.
Sasha Campbell, a Canadian pharmacist who shared their advice above, acknowledges the challenges of troubleshooting concerns with providers and the scarcity of trans representation in health care, but points out that progress is slowly being made. Some of this includes publishing more research and creating comprehensive resources, like Sherbourne Health’s guidelines for primary providers of trans and non-binary patients.
Read more: Why trans people need to be included in the gender-based violence conversation
Cis service providers should also take it upon themselves to learn, by taking trans-centred courses like those offered by Rainbow Health Ontario. Even without formal learning, Campbell says it's “not difficult to assess someone for risks and monitor them. It’s just new for them.”
For Kat Rogue and others interviewed, they believe community care for a trans person's overall health is best until the institutions controlling medical access can provide more autonomy and care.
“If you think you’re being gatekept, reach out to trans people,” she said. “We’re the only ones who are going to save us.”
*First names were used for several interview subjects in order to protect them from transphobia.
Al Donato is a non-binary freelance journalist and podcaster based in Toronto. Their bylines can be found at HuffPost Canada, among others. Al can be reached on Twitter at @gollydrat.
Ireland unveils plan to shift remote workers from cities to new rural hubs
NEOLIBERAL PUBLIC SECTOR UNION BUSTING
Financial Times
DUBLIN — Ireland is seizing the “unparalleled opportunity” offered by changing pandemic-era work habits to shift people from major cities to the rest of the country, envisaging a network of remote working hubs and rejuvenated town centres in an effort to redress the country’s longstanding rural-urban divide.
© Provided by National Post The Irish government's 'Our Rural Future' strategy includes the creation of more than 400 remote working hubs in locations, potentially, such as Galway.
The Irish government unveiled its “Our Rural Future” strategy on Monday, ahead of a promised announcement on easing a three-month lockdown. Some of the measures currently in force, notably a ban on non-essential travel further than 5km, have hit rural dwellers particularly hard.
Work from home will survive the pandemic, but it's going to change, report finds open in new tab
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The plan, the first of its kind launched by a European country since the start of the pandemic, includes creating a network of more than 400 remote working hubs, and introducing tax breaks for individuals and for companies which support homeworking.
The government has set a target of 20 per cent of Ireland’s 300,000 civil servants moving to remote working by the end of the year. Other measures include “financial support” to encourage people to live in rural towns and accelerated broadband rollout.
© REUTERS/Johanna Geron The COVID-19 pandemic has delivered ‘an unparalleled opportunity’ to balance economic recovery across Ireland, says the Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin.
“As we recover from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, an unparalleled opportunity exists for us to realise the objective of achieving balanced regional development and maximising recovery for all parts of our country,” Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin told reporters.
The rural-urban divide has dominated Irish politics for decades. But, Heather Humphreys, minister for rural and community development, said the country now had “an unprecedented opportunity to turn the tide”.
“The biggest mistake we can make as we emerge from the pandemic is to go back to the old normal.”
Ireland’s last big decentralisation push was in the early 2000s, when government departments were moved from Dublin. That move delivered far fewer jobs to the regions than originally expected. Humphreys said this plan was different. “This is a modern, worker-led decentralisation, not focused on buildings but on people.”
Just one of the 152 measures in the plan has a deadline attached. And none has been costed, though ministers stressed that funding was available. Humphreys promised to give more detail next week on what could be achieved this year.
Other European countries face similar questions about how their cities will change in the wake of shifts in working practices brought about by the pandemic.
Ian Warren, a director at the UK’s Centre For Towns think-tank, said that the Irish plan looked “very promising”, adding: “The belief in the UK is that cities have been the focus for government intervention for too long, and that there needs to be a better balance in terms of investment.”
Warren stressed that “lots of investment” was required to manage population shifts, including “very good infrastructure, broadband, good housing, good public services, good transport”, as well as access to green spaces and culture.
© John Cogill/Bloomberg News Life in Kilkenny, with 26,500 people, is a far cry from the pace in Dublin.
Tax incentives of the sort Dublin was promising were “just one lever that you can pull”, Warren said.
The launch event for the plan featured video testimonials from several women who had moved to the Irish countryside in recent years. They cited a range of benefits, including not having to commute, being closer to family and more affordable housing.
The prospect of others following in their wake is already unnerving Dublin businesses, many of which have been shut for most of the past year under one of Europe’s tightest lockdowns.
“Office workers are the bedrock of the Dublin economy,” said Richard Guiney, chief executive of DublinTown, which represents 2,500 businesses in the Irish capital. He said the plans bore evidence of a “clear anti-Dublin bias”.
But Ronan Lyons, economist and director of social research at Trinity College Dublin, said the multi-faceted appeal of cities could mean that people were reluctant to leave.
“Cities are not just about where you work, they’re also about how you live,” he said. “It’s hard to see people who were hoping to have the breadth of what cities offer choose to give that up for smaller towns.”
Lyons added: “This is just one manifestation of something that has come up again and again in Irish policy for over a century. Irish politicians . . . want to reward rural constituencies.”
Claire Kerrane, rural development spokeswoman for the opposition Sinn Féin party, said the plan was “very welcome . . . really positive”.
“The big question is whether it will all be implemented, and how quickly,” Kerrane said, adding that while it was “nice to have documents and nice ideas . . . we need a clear road map”.
DUBLIN — Ireland is seizing the “unparalleled opportunity” offered by changing pandemic-era work habits to shift people from major cities to the rest of the country, envisaging a network of remote working hubs and rejuvenated town centres in an effort to redress the country’s longstanding rural-urban divide.
© Provided by National Post The Irish government's 'Our Rural Future' strategy includes the creation of more than 400 remote working hubs in locations, potentially, such as Galway.The Irish government unveiled its “Our Rural Future” strategy on Monday, ahead of a promised announcement on easing a three-month lockdown. Some of the measures currently in force, notably a ban on non-essential travel further than 5km, have hit rural dwellers particularly hard.
Work from home will survive the pandemic, but it's going to change, report finds open in new tab
Affluent millennials and wealthy families the latest drivers of high-end Canadian real estate
The plan, the first of its kind launched by a European country since the start of the pandemic, includes creating a network of more than 400 remote working hubs, and introducing tax breaks for individuals and for companies which support homeworking.
The government has set a target of 20 per cent of Ireland’s 300,000 civil servants moving to remote working by the end of the year. Other measures include “financial support” to encourage people to live in rural towns and accelerated broadband rollout.
© REUTERS/Johanna Geron The COVID-19 pandemic has delivered ‘an unparalleled opportunity’ to balance economic recovery across Ireland, says the Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin.“As we recover from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, an unparalleled opportunity exists for us to realise the objective of achieving balanced regional development and maximising recovery for all parts of our country,” Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin told reporters.
The rural-urban divide has dominated Irish politics for decades. But, Heather Humphreys, minister for rural and community development, said the country now had “an unprecedented opportunity to turn the tide”.
“The biggest mistake we can make as we emerge from the pandemic is to go back to the old normal.”
Ireland’s last big decentralisation push was in the early 2000s, when government departments were moved from Dublin. That move delivered far fewer jobs to the regions than originally expected. Humphreys said this plan was different. “This is a modern, worker-led decentralisation, not focused on buildings but on people.”
Just one of the 152 measures in the plan has a deadline attached. And none has been costed, though ministers stressed that funding was available. Humphreys promised to give more detail next week on what could be achieved this year.
Other European countries face similar questions about how their cities will change in the wake of shifts in working practices brought about by the pandemic.
Ian Warren, a director at the UK’s Centre For Towns think-tank, said that the Irish plan looked “very promising”, adding: “The belief in the UK is that cities have been the focus for government intervention for too long, and that there needs to be a better balance in terms of investment.”
Warren stressed that “lots of investment” was required to manage population shifts, including “very good infrastructure, broadband, good housing, good public services, good transport”, as well as access to green spaces and culture.
© John Cogill/Bloomberg News Life in Kilkenny, with 26,500 people, is a far cry from the pace in Dublin.Tax incentives of the sort Dublin was promising were “just one lever that you can pull”, Warren said.
The launch event for the plan featured video testimonials from several women who had moved to the Irish countryside in recent years. They cited a range of benefits, including not having to commute, being closer to family and more affordable housing.
The prospect of others following in their wake is already unnerving Dublin businesses, many of which have been shut for most of the past year under one of Europe’s tightest lockdowns.
“Office workers are the bedrock of the Dublin economy,” said Richard Guiney, chief executive of DublinTown, which represents 2,500 businesses in the Irish capital. He said the plans bore evidence of a “clear anti-Dublin bias”.
But Ronan Lyons, economist and director of social research at Trinity College Dublin, said the multi-faceted appeal of cities could mean that people were reluctant to leave.
“Cities are not just about where you work, they’re also about how you live,” he said. “It’s hard to see people who were hoping to have the breadth of what cities offer choose to give that up for smaller towns.”
Lyons added: “This is just one manifestation of something that has come up again and again in Irish policy for over a century. Irish politicians . . . want to reward rural constituencies.”
Claire Kerrane, rural development spokeswoman for the opposition Sinn Féin party, said the plan was “very welcome . . . really positive”.
“The big question is whether it will all be implemented, and how quickly,” Kerrane said, adding that while it was “nice to have documents and nice ideas . . . we need a clear road map”.
TUC hits out at UK Gov after ONS figures show drop in green jobs
The UK Government is being accused of “not delivering” on pledges to create a new generation of green jobs.
by Hamish Penman
29/03/2021
The UK Government is being accused of “not delivering” on pledges to create a new generation of green jobs.
by Hamish Penman
29/03/2021
The number of green jobs in the UK dropped by around 30,000 between 2014 and 2019, according to the ONS.
The UK Government is being accused of “not delivering” on pledges to create a new generation of green jobs.
The Trades Union Congress (TUC) called for Westminster to implement “ambitious plans” after the Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimated a drop in low carbon jobs in the middle to end of the last decade.
Analysis from the ONS released on Monday predicted that there were 202,100 green jobs in the UK in 2019, compared to 235,900 in 2014.
The worst hit sector was energy efficient product manufacturing, where the number of positions fell by 37,900, around a third.
The number of carbon capture and storage jobs decreased by two thirds, as did those involved in other renewable electricity.
Moreover, the ONS said that despite having more than twice the offshore windfarm capacity in 2019 as in 2014, the number of direct jobs supported by the offshore wind sector in the UK only grew by 14% to 7,200.
The figures pre-date the pandemic and do not take into account those axed over the last year.
Previous research commissioned by the TUC claims more than a million jobs can be created in the next two years if ministers fast-track investments into “vital green infrastructure”.
More than 290,000 of those are expected to be involved in the retrofitting of buildings.
A further 24,000 jobs could be supported by the installation of electric vehicle charging infrastructure and 35,000 through the upgrade of ports and factories for renewable energy.
The TUC said Boris Johnson is leaving the UK to “fall behind” other nations, pointing to recent cuts to funding for green homes.
The UK Government has made a number of pledges in recent months to support the energy transition and a green recovery from Covid-19.
Spearheaded by the 10 point plan, the promises aim to reassure domestic industry it will benefit from decarbonisation, amid concerns of work being farmed out overseas.
Frances O’Grady, TUC General Secretary, said: “Climate action can bring major benefits to us all. New jobs in green industries can help us recover from the pandemic. And it will mean clean air, food security, and the restoration of Britain’s forests and wildlife.
“But progress is far too slow. Lots of towns and communities were promised the chance to level up with new jobs in green industries. But Boris Johnson’s government is not delivering.
“There should be a good news story to tell. Our research has shown how over a million green jobs can be created in the next two years if the government fast tracks green investment.
“We all know now this is the future we need. The government must come forward with ambitious plans to show strong leadership when the UK chairs the COP26 global conference on climate change this year.”
A spokesperson for the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said: “The UK is committed to taking advantage of the huge economic opportunities that the transition to a green economy offers, including large scale job-creation.
“The Prime Minister’s 10 Point Plan will mobilise £12 billion of government investment to create and support up to 250,000 highly-skilled green jobs in the UK, and attract over three times as much private sector investment by 2030.”
The UK Government is being accused of “not delivering” on pledges to create a new generation of green jobs.
The Trades Union Congress (TUC) called for Westminster to implement “ambitious plans” after the Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimated a drop in low carbon jobs in the middle to end of the last decade.
Analysis from the ONS released on Monday predicted that there were 202,100 green jobs in the UK in 2019, compared to 235,900 in 2014.
The worst hit sector was energy efficient product manufacturing, where the number of positions fell by 37,900, around a third.
The number of carbon capture and storage jobs decreased by two thirds, as did those involved in other renewable electricity.
Moreover, the ONS said that despite having more than twice the offshore windfarm capacity in 2019 as in 2014, the number of direct jobs supported by the offshore wind sector in the UK only grew by 14% to 7,200.
The figures pre-date the pandemic and do not take into account those axed over the last year.
Previous research commissioned by the TUC claims more than a million jobs can be created in the next two years if ministers fast-track investments into “vital green infrastructure”.
More than 290,000 of those are expected to be involved in the retrofitting of buildings.
A further 24,000 jobs could be supported by the installation of electric vehicle charging infrastructure and 35,000 through the upgrade of ports and factories for renewable energy.
The TUC said Boris Johnson is leaving the UK to “fall behind” other nations, pointing to recent cuts to funding for green homes.
The UK Government has made a number of pledges in recent months to support the energy transition and a green recovery from Covid-19.
Spearheaded by the 10 point plan, the promises aim to reassure domestic industry it will benefit from decarbonisation, amid concerns of work being farmed out overseas.
Frances O’Grady, TUC General Secretary, said: “Climate action can bring major benefits to us all. New jobs in green industries can help us recover from the pandemic. And it will mean clean air, food security, and the restoration of Britain’s forests and wildlife.
“But progress is far too slow. Lots of towns and communities were promised the chance to level up with new jobs in green industries. But Boris Johnson’s government is not delivering.
“There should be a good news story to tell. Our research has shown how over a million green jobs can be created in the next two years if the government fast tracks green investment.
“We all know now this is the future we need. The government must come forward with ambitious plans to show strong leadership when the UK chairs the COP26 global conference on climate change this year.”
A spokesperson for the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said: “The UK is committed to taking advantage of the huge economic opportunities that the transition to a green economy offers, including large scale job-creation.
“The Prime Minister’s 10 Point Plan will mobilise £12 billion of government investment to create and support up to 250,000 highly-skilled green jobs in the UK, and attract over three times as much private sector investment by 2030.”
Indonesia's Pertamina puts out fire in Balongan refinery storage units
JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia's state oil company PT Pertamina said it has put out a fire that had engulfed part of its 125,000 barrel per day refinery in Balongan, West Java and had begun making preparations to restart the plant.
© Reuters/HANDOUT Indonesia's Pertamina puts out fire in Balongan refinery storage units
© Reuters/HANDOUT Indonesia's Pertamina puts out fire in Balongan refinery storage units
The fire broke out just after midnight on Monday, forcing Pertamina to shut the plant and evacuate around 950 nearby residents. Six were treated at the hospital due to the fire.
The fire broke out just after midnight on Monday, forcing Pertamina to shut the plant and evacuate around 950 nearby residents. Six were treated at the hospital due to the fire.
© Reuters/HANDOUT Indonesia's Pertamina puts out fire in Balongan refinery storage units
Pertamina said in a statement that by Wednesday afternoon, fires in all four affected storage units have been extinguished. Videos posted online showed massive flames and a huge black column of smoke rising from the site.
The company was conducting a cooling down process and planning to begin preparation to restart the refinery as soon as it is safe to do so, it said.
Video: Massive blaze breaks out at Indonesian oil refinery (AFP)
Pertamina said in a statement that by Wednesday afternoon, fires in all four affected storage units have been extinguished. Videos posted online showed massive flames and a huge black column of smoke rising from the site.
The company was conducting a cooling down process and planning to begin preparation to restart the refinery as soon as it is safe to do so, it said.
Video: Massive blaze breaks out at Indonesian oil refinery (AFP)
"Hopefully Balongan refinery can be operational again after a thorough inspection is carried out," Agus Suprijanto, a Pertamina spokesman said in the statement.
Pertamina expected the shut down could be lifted in four to five days as damage was limited to the storage area of the plant and did not affect its oil processing area, company officials said on Monday.
© Reuters/ANTARA FOTO An aerial picture shows smoke rising during a fire at Pertamina's oil refinery in Balongan
The company has said that only 7% of the refinery's 1.35 million kilo litres (KL) of storage capacity was affected, and that the tanks that caught fire had been only holding around 23,000 KL of gasoline.
Pertamina said national fuel stocks remained secure, and any shortage of fuel to Jakarta, which Balongan supplies, could be made up by refineries in Cilacap and Tuban.
Pertamina said there were no fatalities, though media reported one resident had died from a heart attack that coud have been caused by the shock of the explosion.
West Java police said it will investigate the cause of the fire.
(Reporting by Bernadette Christina, Fransiska Nangoy; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
The company has said that only 7% of the refinery's 1.35 million kilo litres (KL) of storage capacity was affected, and that the tanks that caught fire had been only holding around 23,000 KL of gasoline.
Pertamina said national fuel stocks remained secure, and any shortage of fuel to Jakarta, which Balongan supplies, could be made up by refineries in Cilacap and Tuban.
Pertamina said there were no fatalities, though media reported one resident had died from a heart attack that coud have been caused by the shock of the explosion.
West Java police said it will investigate the cause of the fire.
(Reporting by Bernadette Christina, Fransiska Nangoy; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
GOOD THING MUSK IS A BILLIONARE
SpaceX sees another failed test of rocket that will take people to the moon
Nicole Mortillaro CBC
SpaceX sees another failed test of rocket that will take people to the moon
The rocket successfully reached a planned altitude of 10 kilometres.
It then began its descent, a move dubbed the "belly flop."
Nicole Mortillaro CBC
3/30/2021
© SpaceX In this photo, SpaceX's uncrewed SN10 comes in for a landing in Boca Chica, Tex. On Tuesday, SpaceX tried unsuccessfully to launch and land its SN11 Starship that CEO Elon Musk hopes will take people to the moon and eventually to Mars.
It appears that SpaceX just can't stick the landing.
In its fourth test of its Starship — which CEO Elon Musk hopes will take humans to the moon or Mars in the near future — the 50-metre rocket dubbed SN11, or serial number 11, exploded.
However, it's unclear exactly what happened.
The launch occurred through thick fog at the SpaceX facility in Boca Chica, Texas, making it impossible to see anything but a bright glow when the rocket launched.
Even the SpaceX cameras aboard SN11 didn't work as well as normal, with the feed dropping out for most of the test launch.
Debris rained from sky
The rocket successfully reached a planned altitude of 10 kilometres. It then began its descent, a move dubbed the "belly flop."
However, a few seconds after its engines fired to put the rocket in a vertical position, a loud boom was heard and debris was seen raining from the sky.
"Looks like we've had another exciting test of Starship Number 11," said John Insprucker, launch commentator for SpaceX, during the live broadcast.
Shortly after the botched landing, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk tweeted, "Looks like engine 2 had issues on ascent & didn't reach operating chamber pressure during landing burn, but, in theory, it wasn't needed. Something significant happened shortly after landing burn start. Should know what it was once we can examine the bits later today."
SpaceX is launching its prototypes in quick succession, with the hope that it will eventually have a successful launch and landing. The closest success it had was with its SN10 on March 3, which landed but then exploded almost 10 minutes later on the pad.
Musk also tweeted that the next Starship, SN15, will be moved out to the launch pad some time next week in preparation for its test.
"SN15 rolls to launch pad in a few days. It has hundreds of design improvements across structures, avionics/software & engine. Hopefully, one of those improvements covers this problem. If not, then retrofit will add a few more days."
Booster to undergo tests
Eventually, the second part of the rocket, the Super Heavy booster, will also undergo tests.
The first prototype — referred to by its serial number BN1 — is already in a high bay on site, though Musk tweeted Tuesday that it will be scrapped and BN2 — with new upgrades — may head to the launch pad by the end of April.
Once Starship and the Super Heavy are paired, it will stand 120 metres, taller than the Saturn V rocket that took astronauts to the moon.
SpaceX already has its first private passenger, Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa. Maezawa has launched a search for eight people to join him on the trip around the moon, which will be on Starship.
It appears that SpaceX just can't stick the landing.
In its fourth test of its Starship — which CEO Elon Musk hopes will take humans to the moon or Mars in the near future — the 50-metre rocket dubbed SN11, or serial number 11, exploded.
However, it's unclear exactly what happened.
The launch occurred through thick fog at the SpaceX facility in Boca Chica, Texas, making it impossible to see anything but a bright glow when the rocket launched.
Even the SpaceX cameras aboard SN11 didn't work as well as normal, with the feed dropping out for most of the test launch.
Debris rained from sky
The rocket successfully reached a planned altitude of 10 kilometres. It then began its descent, a move dubbed the "belly flop."
However, a few seconds after its engines fired to put the rocket in a vertical position, a loud boom was heard and debris was seen raining from the sky.
"Looks like we've had another exciting test of Starship Number 11," said John Insprucker, launch commentator for SpaceX, during the live broadcast.
Shortly after the botched landing, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk tweeted, "Looks like engine 2 had issues on ascent & didn't reach operating chamber pressure during landing burn, but, in theory, it wasn't needed. Something significant happened shortly after landing burn start. Should know what it was once we can examine the bits later today."
SpaceX is launching its prototypes in quick succession, with the hope that it will eventually have a successful launch and landing. The closest success it had was with its SN10 on March 3, which landed but then exploded almost 10 minutes later on the pad.
Musk also tweeted that the next Starship, SN15, will be moved out to the launch pad some time next week in preparation for its test.
"SN15 rolls to launch pad in a few days. It has hundreds of design improvements across structures, avionics/software & engine. Hopefully, one of those improvements covers this problem. If not, then retrofit will add a few more days."
Booster to undergo tests
Eventually, the second part of the rocket, the Super Heavy booster, will also undergo tests.
The first prototype — referred to by its serial number BN1 — is already in a high bay on site, though Musk tweeted Tuesday that it will be scrapped and BN2 — with new upgrades — may head to the launch pad by the end of April.
Once Starship and the Super Heavy are paired, it will stand 120 metres, taller than the Saturn V rocket that took astronauts to the moon.
SpaceX already has its first private passenger, Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa. Maezawa has launched a search for eight people to join him on the trip around the moon, which will be on Starship.
THE LAND UNDULATES
NASA Perplexed by Strange Geological Stripes Appearing in Russia
(NASA Earth Observatory/Landsat 8)
BRANDON SPECKTOR, LIVE SCIENCE
28 FEBRUARY 2021
Near the Markha River in Arctic Siberia, the earth ripples in ways that scientists don't fully understand.
Earlier this week, NASA researchers posted a series of satellite images of the peculiar wrinkled landscape to the agency's Earth Observatory website. Taken with the Landsat 8 satellite over several years, the photos show the land on both sides of the Markha River rippling with alternating dark and light stripes.
The puzzling effect is visible in all four seasons, but it is most pronounced in winter, when white snow makes the contrasting pattern even more stark.
NASA Perplexed by Strange Geological Stripes Appearing in Russia
(NASA Earth Observatory/Landsat 8)
BRANDON SPECKTOR, LIVE SCIENCE
28 FEBRUARY 2021
Near the Markha River in Arctic Siberia, the earth ripples in ways that scientists don't fully understand.
Earlier this week, NASA researchers posted a series of satellite images of the peculiar wrinkled landscape to the agency's Earth Observatory website. Taken with the Landsat 8 satellite over several years, the photos show the land on both sides of the Markha River rippling with alternating dark and light stripes.
The puzzling effect is visible in all four seasons, but it is most pronounced in winter, when white snow makes the contrasting pattern even more stark.
The striped swirls have scientists perplexed.
(NASA Earth Observatory/ Landsat 8)
Why is this particular section of Siberia so stripy? Scientists aren't totally sure, and several experts offered NASA conflicting explanations.
Related: Earth's 8 biggest mysteries
One possible explanation is written in the icy ground. This region of the Central Siberian Plateau spends about 9 percent of the year covered in permafrost, according to NASA, though it occasionally thaws for brief intervals.
Patches of land that continuously freeze, thaw and freeze again have been known to take on strange circular or stripy designs called patterned ground, scientists reported in a study published in January 2003 in the journal Science. The effect occurs when soils and stones naturally sort themselves during the freeze-thaw cycle.
Why is this particular section of Siberia so stripy? Scientists aren't totally sure, and several experts offered NASA conflicting explanations.
Related: Earth's 8 biggest mysteries
One possible explanation is written in the icy ground. This region of the Central Siberian Plateau spends about 9 percent of the year covered in permafrost, according to NASA, though it occasionally thaws for brief intervals.
Patches of land that continuously freeze, thaw and freeze again have been known to take on strange circular or stripy designs called patterned ground, scientists reported in a study published in January 2003 in the journal Science. The effect occurs when soils and stones naturally sort themselves during the freeze-thaw cycle.
The stripes of the Central Siberian Plateau vary by season.
(NASA Earth Observatory)
However, other examples of patterned ground - such as the stone circles of Svalbard, Norway - tend to be much smaller in scale than the stripes seen in Siberia.
Another possible explanation is erosion. Thomas Crafford, a geologist with the US Geological Survey, told NASA that the stripes resemble a pattern in sedimentary rocks known as layer cake geology.
These patterns occur when snowmelt or rain trickles downhill, chipping and flushing pieces of sedimentary rock into piles. The process can reveal slabs of sediment that look like slices of a layer cake, Crafford said, with the darker stripes representing steeper areas and the lighter stripes signifying flatter areas.
In accordance with the image above, this sort of sedimentary layering would stand out more in winter, when white snow rests on the flatter areas, making them appear even lighter. The pattern fades as it approaches the river, where sediment gathers into more uniform piles along the banks after millions of years of erosion, Crafford added.
This explanation seems to fit well, according to NASA. But until the region can be studied up close, it'll remain another one of those quintessentially Siberian curiosities.
However, other examples of patterned ground - such as the stone circles of Svalbard, Norway - tend to be much smaller in scale than the stripes seen in Siberia.
Another possible explanation is erosion. Thomas Crafford, a geologist with the US Geological Survey, told NASA that the stripes resemble a pattern in sedimentary rocks known as layer cake geology.
These patterns occur when snowmelt or rain trickles downhill, chipping and flushing pieces of sedimentary rock into piles. The process can reveal slabs of sediment that look like slices of a layer cake, Crafford said, with the darker stripes representing steeper areas and the lighter stripes signifying flatter areas.
In accordance with the image above, this sort of sedimentary layering would stand out more in winter, when white snow rests on the flatter areas, making them appear even lighter. The pattern fades as it approaches the river, where sediment gathers into more uniform piles along the banks after millions of years of erosion, Crafford added.
This explanation seems to fit well, according to NASA. But until the region can be studied up close, it'll remain another one of those quintessentially Siberian curiosities.
Humans Have The Biological Toolkit to Have Venomous Saliva, Study Finds
Venom extraction from snake for anti-venom preparation.
Venom extraction from snake for anti-venom preparation.
(Rithwik photography/Moment/Getty Images)
STEPHANIE PAPPAS, LIVE SCIENCE
29 MARCH 2021
Could humans ever evolve venom? It's highly unlikely that people will join rattlesnakes and platypuses among the ranks of venomous animals, but new research reveals that humans do have the tool kit to produce venom - in fact, all reptiles and mammals do.
This collection of flexible genes, particularly associated with the salivary glands in humans, explains how venom has evolved independently from nonvenomous ancestors more than 100 times in the animal kingdom.
"Essentially, we have all the building blocks in place," said study co-author Agneesh Barua, a doctoral student in evolutionary genetics at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology in Japan. "Now it's up to evolution to take us there."
Related: Why do Cambrian creatures look so weird?
Oral venom is common across the animal kingdom, present in creatures as diverse as spiders, snakes and slow lorises, the only known venomous species of primate. Biologists knew that oral venom glands are modified salivary glands, but the new research reveals the molecular mechanics behind the change.
"It's going to be a real landmark in the field," said Bryan Fry, a biochemist and venom expert at The University of Queensland in Australia who was not involved in the research. "They've done an absolutely sensational job of some extraordinarily complex studies."
A flexible weapon
Venom is the ultimate example of nature's flexibility. Many of the toxins in venom are common across very different animals; some components of centipede venom, for example, are also found in snake venom, said Ronald Jenner, a venom researcher at the Natural History Museum in London who was not involved in the research.
The new study doesn't focus on toxins themselves, as those evolve quickly and are a complex mix of compounds, Barua told Live Science.
Instead, Barua and study co-author Alexander Mikheyev, an evolutionary biologist at Australian National University who focuses on "housekeeping" genes, the genes that are associated with venom but aren't responsible for creating the toxins themselves. These regulatory genes form the basis of the whole venom system.
The researchers started with the genome of the Taiwan habu (Trimeresurus mucrosquamatus), a brown pit viper that is well studied, in part because it's an invasive species in Okinawa.
"Since we know the function of all the genes that were present in the animal, we could just see what genes the venom genes are associated with," Barua said.
The team found a constellation of genes that are common in multiple body tissues across all amniotes. (Amniotes are animals that fertilize their eggs internally or lay eggs on land; they include reptiles, birds and some mammals.)
Many of these genes are involved in folding proteins, Barua said, which makes sense, because venomous animals must manufacture a large quantity of toxins, which are made of proteins.
"A tissue like this really has to make sure that the protein it is producing is of high quality," he said.
Unsurprisingly, the same sorts of regulatory housekeeping genes are found in abundance in the human salivary gland, which also produces an important stew of proteins - found in saliva - in large quantities. This genetic foundation is what enables the wide array of independently evolved venoms across the animal kingdom.
STEPHANIE PAPPAS, LIVE SCIENCE
29 MARCH 2021
Could humans ever evolve venom? It's highly unlikely that people will join rattlesnakes and platypuses among the ranks of venomous animals, but new research reveals that humans do have the tool kit to produce venom - in fact, all reptiles and mammals do.
This collection of flexible genes, particularly associated with the salivary glands in humans, explains how venom has evolved independently from nonvenomous ancestors more than 100 times in the animal kingdom.
"Essentially, we have all the building blocks in place," said study co-author Agneesh Barua, a doctoral student in evolutionary genetics at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology in Japan. "Now it's up to evolution to take us there."
Related: Why do Cambrian creatures look so weird?
Oral venom is common across the animal kingdom, present in creatures as diverse as spiders, snakes and slow lorises, the only known venomous species of primate. Biologists knew that oral venom glands are modified salivary glands, but the new research reveals the molecular mechanics behind the change.
"It's going to be a real landmark in the field," said Bryan Fry, a biochemist and venom expert at The University of Queensland in Australia who was not involved in the research. "They've done an absolutely sensational job of some extraordinarily complex studies."
A flexible weapon
Venom is the ultimate example of nature's flexibility. Many of the toxins in venom are common across very different animals; some components of centipede venom, for example, are also found in snake venom, said Ronald Jenner, a venom researcher at the Natural History Museum in London who was not involved in the research.
The new study doesn't focus on toxins themselves, as those evolve quickly and are a complex mix of compounds, Barua told Live Science.
Instead, Barua and study co-author Alexander Mikheyev, an evolutionary biologist at Australian National University who focuses on "housekeeping" genes, the genes that are associated with venom but aren't responsible for creating the toxins themselves. These regulatory genes form the basis of the whole venom system.
The researchers started with the genome of the Taiwan habu (Trimeresurus mucrosquamatus), a brown pit viper that is well studied, in part because it's an invasive species in Okinawa.
"Since we know the function of all the genes that were present in the animal, we could just see what genes the venom genes are associated with," Barua said.
The team found a constellation of genes that are common in multiple body tissues across all amniotes. (Amniotes are animals that fertilize their eggs internally or lay eggs on land; they include reptiles, birds and some mammals.)
Many of these genes are involved in folding proteins, Barua said, which makes sense, because venomous animals must manufacture a large quantity of toxins, which are made of proteins.
"A tissue like this really has to make sure that the protein it is producing is of high quality," he said.
Unsurprisingly, the same sorts of regulatory housekeeping genes are found in abundance in the human salivary gland, which also produces an important stew of proteins - found in saliva - in large quantities. This genetic foundation is what enables the wide array of independently evolved venoms across the animal kingdom.
Researchers studied the genome of the Taiwan habu, a venomous brown pit viper. (Alexander Mikheyev)
From nonvenomous to venomous
In other words, every mammal or reptile has the genetic scaffolding upon which an oral venom system is built. And humans (along with mice) also already produce a key protein used in many venom systems. Kallikreins, which are proteins that digest other proteins, are secreted in saliva; they're also a key part of many venoms.
That's because kallikreins are very stable proteins, Fry said, and they don't simply stop working when subjected to mutation. Thus, it's easy to get beneficial mutations of kallikreins that make venom more painful, and more deadly (one effect of kallikreins is a precipitous drop in blood pressure).
"It's not coincidental that kallikrein is the most broadly secreted type of component in venoms across the animal kingdom, because in any form, it's a very active enzyme and it's going to start doing some messed-up stuff," Fry said.
Kallikreins are thus a natural starting point for theoretically venomous humans.
If after the drama of 2020, Barua joked, "people need to be venomous to survive, we could potentially start seeing increasing doses of kallikreins."
But that's not so likely - not unless humans' currently successful strategies of acquiring food and choosing mates start falling apart, anyway. Venom most commonly evolves as either a method of defense or as a way of subduing prey, Jenner told Live Science. Precisely what kind of venom evolves depends heavily on how the animal lives.
Evolution can essentially tailor venom to an animal's needs via natural selection, Fry said.
There are some desert snakes, for example, that have different venom despite being the same species, just due to where they live, he said: On the desert floor, where the snakes hunt mostly mice, the venom acts mostly on the circulatory system, because it's not difficult for a snake to track a dying mouse a short distance on flat ground. In nearby rocky mountains, where the snakes hunt mostly lizards, the venom is a potent neurotoxin, because if the prey isn't immediately immobilized, it can easily scamper into a crevice and disappear for good.
A few mammals do have venom. Vampire bats, which have a toxic saliva that prevents blood clots, use their chemical weapon to feed from wounds more effectively. Venomous shrews and shrew-like solenodons (small, burrowing mammals) can outpunch their weight class by using their venom to subdue larger prey than they could otherwise kill.
Shrews also sometimes use their venom to paralyze prey (typically insects and other invertebrates) for storage and later snacking. Meanwhile, platypuses, which don't have a venomous bite but do have a venomous spur on their hind legs, mostly use their venom in fights with other platypuses over mates or territory, Jenner said.
Humans, of course, have invented tools, weapons and social structures that do most of these jobs without the need for venomous fangs. And venom is costly, too, Fry said. Building and folding all those proteins takes energy. For that reason, venom is easily lost when it isn't used.
There are species of sea snakes, Fry said, that have vestigial venom glands but are no longer venomous, because they switched from feeding on fish to feeding on fish eggs, which don't require a toxic bite.
The new research may not raise many hopes for new superpowers for humans, but understanding the genetics behind the control of venom could be key for medicine, Fry added.
If a cobra's brain were to start expressing the genes that its venom glands expressed, the snake would immediately die of self-toxicity. Learning how genes control expression in different tissues could be helpful for understanding diseases such as cancer, which causes illness and death in large part because tissues start growing out of control and secreting products in places in the body where they shouldn't.
"The importance of this paper goes beyond just this field of study, because it provides a starting platform for all of those kinds of interesting questions," Fry said.
The research was published online Monday (March 29) in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
From nonvenomous to venomous
In other words, every mammal or reptile has the genetic scaffolding upon which an oral venom system is built. And humans (along with mice) also already produce a key protein used in many venom systems. Kallikreins, which are proteins that digest other proteins, are secreted in saliva; they're also a key part of many venoms.
That's because kallikreins are very stable proteins, Fry said, and they don't simply stop working when subjected to mutation. Thus, it's easy to get beneficial mutations of kallikreins that make venom more painful, and more deadly (one effect of kallikreins is a precipitous drop in blood pressure).
"It's not coincidental that kallikrein is the most broadly secreted type of component in venoms across the animal kingdom, because in any form, it's a very active enzyme and it's going to start doing some messed-up stuff," Fry said.
Kallikreins are thus a natural starting point for theoretically venomous humans.
If after the drama of 2020, Barua joked, "people need to be venomous to survive, we could potentially start seeing increasing doses of kallikreins."
But that's not so likely - not unless humans' currently successful strategies of acquiring food and choosing mates start falling apart, anyway. Venom most commonly evolves as either a method of defense or as a way of subduing prey, Jenner told Live Science. Precisely what kind of venom evolves depends heavily on how the animal lives.
Evolution can essentially tailor venom to an animal's needs via natural selection, Fry said.
There are some desert snakes, for example, that have different venom despite being the same species, just due to where they live, he said: On the desert floor, where the snakes hunt mostly mice, the venom acts mostly on the circulatory system, because it's not difficult for a snake to track a dying mouse a short distance on flat ground. In nearby rocky mountains, where the snakes hunt mostly lizards, the venom is a potent neurotoxin, because if the prey isn't immediately immobilized, it can easily scamper into a crevice and disappear for good.
A few mammals do have venom. Vampire bats, which have a toxic saliva that prevents blood clots, use their chemical weapon to feed from wounds more effectively. Venomous shrews and shrew-like solenodons (small, burrowing mammals) can outpunch their weight class by using their venom to subdue larger prey than they could otherwise kill.
Shrews also sometimes use their venom to paralyze prey (typically insects and other invertebrates) for storage and later snacking. Meanwhile, platypuses, which don't have a venomous bite but do have a venomous spur on their hind legs, mostly use their venom in fights with other platypuses over mates or territory, Jenner said.
Humans, of course, have invented tools, weapons and social structures that do most of these jobs without the need for venomous fangs. And venom is costly, too, Fry said. Building and folding all those proteins takes energy. For that reason, venom is easily lost when it isn't used.
There are species of sea snakes, Fry said, that have vestigial venom glands but are no longer venomous, because they switched from feeding on fish to feeding on fish eggs, which don't require a toxic bite.
The new research may not raise many hopes for new superpowers for humans, but understanding the genetics behind the control of venom could be key for medicine, Fry added.
If a cobra's brain were to start expressing the genes that its venom glands expressed, the snake would immediately die of self-toxicity. Learning how genes control expression in different tissues could be helpful for understanding diseases such as cancer, which causes illness and death in large part because tissues start growing out of control and secreting products in places in the body where they shouldn't.
"The importance of this paper goes beyond just this field of study, because it provides a starting platform for all of those kinds of interesting questions," Fry said.
The research was published online Monday (March 29) in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The Genetic Signal of Ancient Australians
in South America Goes Deeper Than We Knew
Paracas National Reserve, along the Peruvian coast.
Paracas National Reserve, along the Peruvian coast.
(Vasil Daskalov/Getty Images)
PETER DOCKRILL
30 MARCH 2021
The extent of Australasian influence into the ancient bloodlines of early South American cultures looks to be even greater than scientists thought, according to new research.
In 2015, a pair of scientific studies identified an intriguing link: evidence of Indigenous Australian, Melanesian, and South Asian genetics embedded in modern Native American populations living in the Amazon.
How this mysterious connection was forged between peoples living a globe apart has never been fully understood or agreed upon, although it's thought Australasian genes flowed into the Americas via an epic, land-based migration through Eurasia roughly 20,000 years ago, back when the ancient, now submerged landmass of Beringia still served as a convenient bridge to Alaska.
By about 15,000 years ago, some of the trekkers had made it as far as South America, where the Australasian genes can still be found in the blood of Indigenous Amazonian groups today.
But not all those on the journey necessarily settled in the rainforest. A new study suggests the Australasian contribution to the Native American gene pool of South America was broader in scope than we realized.
One of the previously identified hallmarks of the Australasian influence in South America is what's known as the 'Ypikuéra population' signal (Y signal) – a genetic variant so far only seen in present-day Amazonian populations.
Now, however, this signal has been seen outside the Amazon for the first time, with a genomic analysis comprising 383 individuals from a number of indigenous groups in South America revealing that the Y signal not only exists in Amazonian groups – but also in the indigenous peoples of Chotuna (living near the Pacific coast of Peru), Guaraní Kaiowá (central west Brazil), and Xavánte (close to the center of Brazil).
"Our results showed that the Australasian genetic signal, previously described as exclusive to Amazonian groups, was also identified in the Pacific coastal population, pointing to a more widespread signal distribution within South America, and possibly implicating an ancient contact between Pacific and Amazonian dwellers," the researchers, led by first author and evolutionary biologist Marcos Araújo Castro e Silva from the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil, explain in their study.
In addition to suggesting that the Australasian genetic signature spread within Native American populations from the coast to the center of South America, the new findings indicate that at least two migratory waves likely occurred, with one branch of people with the Y variation settling in the Pacific coastal regions, before another group with the same Australasian ancestry later migrated eastwards, inhabiting the Amazon and central Brazil.
As for how the Y signal hasn't been picked up northwards of South America – even though these ancient migrants must once have passed through that territory – it's possible that by sticking to the Pacific coastal route, the migrants' bloodlines, and the Australasian genetic component it carried, may not have thoroughly mixed in with the contemporaneous populations of North and Central America.
Another possibility, as senior author and USP evolutionary geneticist Tábita Hünemeier told Science, is that those carrying the Y variant in North and Central America may simply not have survived the violent transitions of European colonization.
It may also be that the Y signal just hasn't been searched for widely enough in more northerly located populations. As these ongoing discoveries show, it may be just a matter of time and further testing before more of these ancient, surprising connections become known.
The findings are reported in PNAS.
PETER DOCKRILL
30 MARCH 2021
The extent of Australasian influence into the ancient bloodlines of early South American cultures looks to be even greater than scientists thought, according to new research.
In 2015, a pair of scientific studies identified an intriguing link: evidence of Indigenous Australian, Melanesian, and South Asian genetics embedded in modern Native American populations living in the Amazon.
How this mysterious connection was forged between peoples living a globe apart has never been fully understood or agreed upon, although it's thought Australasian genes flowed into the Americas via an epic, land-based migration through Eurasia roughly 20,000 years ago, back when the ancient, now submerged landmass of Beringia still served as a convenient bridge to Alaska.
By about 15,000 years ago, some of the trekkers had made it as far as South America, where the Australasian genes can still be found in the blood of Indigenous Amazonian groups today.
But not all those on the journey necessarily settled in the rainforest. A new study suggests the Australasian contribution to the Native American gene pool of South America was broader in scope than we realized.
One of the previously identified hallmarks of the Australasian influence in South America is what's known as the 'Ypikuéra population' signal (Y signal) – a genetic variant so far only seen in present-day Amazonian populations.
Now, however, this signal has been seen outside the Amazon for the first time, with a genomic analysis comprising 383 individuals from a number of indigenous groups in South America revealing that the Y signal not only exists in Amazonian groups – but also in the indigenous peoples of Chotuna (living near the Pacific coast of Peru), Guaraní Kaiowá (central west Brazil), and Xavánte (close to the center of Brazil).
"Our results showed that the Australasian genetic signal, previously described as exclusive to Amazonian groups, was also identified in the Pacific coastal population, pointing to a more widespread signal distribution within South America, and possibly implicating an ancient contact between Pacific and Amazonian dwellers," the researchers, led by first author and evolutionary biologist Marcos Araújo Castro e Silva from the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil, explain in their study.
In addition to suggesting that the Australasian genetic signature spread within Native American populations from the coast to the center of South America, the new findings indicate that at least two migratory waves likely occurred, with one branch of people with the Y variation settling in the Pacific coastal regions, before another group with the same Australasian ancestry later migrated eastwards, inhabiting the Amazon and central Brazil.
As for how the Y signal hasn't been picked up northwards of South America – even though these ancient migrants must once have passed through that territory – it's possible that by sticking to the Pacific coastal route, the migrants' bloodlines, and the Australasian genetic component it carried, may not have thoroughly mixed in with the contemporaneous populations of North and Central America.
Another possibility, as senior author and USP evolutionary geneticist Tábita Hünemeier told Science, is that those carrying the Y variant in North and Central America may simply not have survived the violent transitions of European colonization.
It may also be that the Y signal just hasn't been searched for widely enough in more northerly located populations. As these ongoing discoveries show, it may be just a matter of time and further testing before more of these ancient, surprising connections become known.
The findings are reported in PNAS.
The Earliest Cherry Blossom Season in 1,200 Years Is Here Due to Climate Change
Cherry blossom bloom on 23 March 2021 in Tokyo, Japan.
Cherry blossom bloom on 23 March 2021 in Tokyo, Japan.
(Yuichi Yamazaki/Getty Images News)
CARLY CASSELLA
30 MARCH 2021
For well over a thousand years, cherry blossoms in Japan have held the scent of spring and reflected the transient beauty of nature itself. Today, these falling flowers also carry the gravity of climate change.
In 2021, after an unusually warm spring, Kyoto has burst into color far sooner than expected. To date, this is the earliest cherry blossoms in the city have bloomed in more than 1,200 years.
We know that because imperial court documents and ancient diary entries on the nation's cherry blossom festivals can be traced back to 812 CE. In all that time, the earliest blooming date was March 27 in the year 1409.
Over the centuries, the long-held tradition of cherry blossom viewing has grown from an aristocratic fancy to a fixture of Japanese life. Each year, from early to mid April, residents in Kyoto have held 'hanami' underneath the cherry trees to watch as hundreds of varieties of white and pink flowers bloom to their fullest.
While cherry blossoms in Kyoto may start to flower in March, their full bloom date - when the majority of buds are open to the skies - lies historically around April 17, although in the past century this date has retreated to April 5.
This year, before April even arrived, the moment had already passed. On Friday 26 March, officials announced cherry blossom trees in Kyoto had fully flowered.
"Evidence, like the timing of cherry blossoms, is one of the historical 'proxy' measurements that scientists look at to reconstruct past climate," climate scientist Michael Mann told The Washington Post.
"In this case, that 'proxy' is telling us something that quantitative, rigorous long-term climate reconstructions have already told us - that the human-caused warming of the planet we're witnessing today is unprecedented going back millennia."
The flowering of the Japanese mountain cherry alone has been carefully detailed 732 times since the 9th century, representing the longest and most complete record of a seasonal, natural phenomenon from any place in the world.
Sifting through this 1,200-year-long series, scientists have mapped out a clear trend that looks very similar to climate change itself. As spring in the Northern Hemisphere arrives earlier with global warming, some plants and animals are also shifting their patterns of activity, including these blooms.
When scientists graph Kyoto's full bloom dates over time, they look remarkably like the hockey stick shape of global warming itself. The flat part of the stick represents relatively stable cherry bloom dates in Kyoto, while the latter end shows a more rapid change in flowering events, as can be seen below.
CARLY CASSELLA
30 MARCH 2021
For well over a thousand years, cherry blossoms in Japan have held the scent of spring and reflected the transient beauty of nature itself. Today, these falling flowers also carry the gravity of climate change.
In 2021, after an unusually warm spring, Kyoto has burst into color far sooner than expected. To date, this is the earliest cherry blossoms in the city have bloomed in more than 1,200 years.
We know that because imperial court documents and ancient diary entries on the nation's cherry blossom festivals can be traced back to 812 CE. In all that time, the earliest blooming date was March 27 in the year 1409.
Over the centuries, the long-held tradition of cherry blossom viewing has grown from an aristocratic fancy to a fixture of Japanese life. Each year, from early to mid April, residents in Kyoto have held 'hanami' underneath the cherry trees to watch as hundreds of varieties of white and pink flowers bloom to their fullest.
While cherry blossoms in Kyoto may start to flower in March, their full bloom date - when the majority of buds are open to the skies - lies historically around April 17, although in the past century this date has retreated to April 5.
This year, before April even arrived, the moment had already passed. On Friday 26 March, officials announced cherry blossom trees in Kyoto had fully flowered.
"Evidence, like the timing of cherry blossoms, is one of the historical 'proxy' measurements that scientists look at to reconstruct past climate," climate scientist Michael Mann told The Washington Post.
"In this case, that 'proxy' is telling us something that quantitative, rigorous long-term climate reconstructions have already told us - that the human-caused warming of the planet we're witnessing today is unprecedented going back millennia."
The flowering of the Japanese mountain cherry alone has been carefully detailed 732 times since the 9th century, representing the longest and most complete record of a seasonal, natural phenomenon from any place in the world.
Sifting through this 1,200-year-long series, scientists have mapped out a clear trend that looks very similar to climate change itself. As spring in the Northern Hemisphere arrives earlier with global warming, some plants and animals are also shifting their patterns of activity, including these blooms.
When scientists graph Kyoto's full bloom dates over time, they look remarkably like the hockey stick shape of global warming itself. The flat part of the stick represents relatively stable cherry bloom dates in Kyoto, while the latter end shows a more rapid change in flowering events, as can be seen below.
Cherry blossom blooms since 812. (Osaka Prefecture University)
Since the 1830s, data show the Japanese mountain cherry tree has begun to flower earlier and earlier. Between 1971 and 2000, this specific type of tree was found to bloom on average a week earlier than all previous averages recorded in Kyoto.
The cutting down of trees for roads and buildings accounts for about a third of that change, researchers have found - equivalent to 1.1 °C warming and 2.3 days earlier flowering - while regional climate warming accounts for the rest - roughly 2.2 °C warming and 4.7 days earlier flowering.
Of course, these data are just for a single family of cherry tree in Japan; however, more recent records on cherry trees from 17 taxa have found similar rates of change. Over the past 25 years, these other species have begun blooming 5.5 days earlier on average, and scientists say this is mostly driven by warmer temperatures in February and March.
Nor is it just Kyoto where this is happening. This year in Tokyo, cherry blossom season has also arrived prematurely - 12 days earlier than historical records. In fact, this year ties with last year for the earliest bloom on record in Tokyo, joining the previous eight years in blooming well ahead of schedule of this city's 'normal' March 25 date.
These changing blooms are throwing off many Japanese traditions that have held steady for hundreds of years. Future projections based on historical data suggest that by 2.5 °C warming, cherry blossoms will have already dropped in the mountainous city of Takayama, about halfway between Kyoto and Tokyo, by the time its annual spring festival rolls around.
Even cherry trees in Washington DC have begun to flower earlier after unseasonably warm springs. In 2020, the blooms here arrived roughly two weeks ahead of the long-term average of April 3 (recorded since 1921).
Under a mid-range emissions scenario, scientists estimate the peak bloom dates in this area of the United States will accelerate by an average of five days by 2050 and 10 days by 2080.
Unfortunately, plants and animals changing their patterns in response to climate change can put vital interactions between species out of sync with each other - such as blooms missing out on pollination. This shifting also creates havoc for farmers, because it is not always predictable - three weeks early one year may become one week late the next.
Of course, cherry blossoms aren't the only plants affected by a rapidly warming world. The winter flowering of the Japanese apricot, for instance, has also shown recent changes associated with global warming. But most data on flora and fauna only go back a few decades.
Cherry trees in Japan, on the other hand, are considered the "best-documented examples of the biological effects of climate change in the world."
As beautiful as these flowers appear, their blooms hold a much darker warning of what is to come.
Since the 1830s, data show the Japanese mountain cherry tree has begun to flower earlier and earlier. Between 1971 and 2000, this specific type of tree was found to bloom on average a week earlier than all previous averages recorded in Kyoto.
The cutting down of trees for roads and buildings accounts for about a third of that change, researchers have found - equivalent to 1.1 °C warming and 2.3 days earlier flowering - while regional climate warming accounts for the rest - roughly 2.2 °C warming and 4.7 days earlier flowering.
Of course, these data are just for a single family of cherry tree in Japan; however, more recent records on cherry trees from 17 taxa have found similar rates of change. Over the past 25 years, these other species have begun blooming 5.5 days earlier on average, and scientists say this is mostly driven by warmer temperatures in February and March.
Nor is it just Kyoto where this is happening. This year in Tokyo, cherry blossom season has also arrived prematurely - 12 days earlier than historical records. In fact, this year ties with last year for the earliest bloom on record in Tokyo, joining the previous eight years in blooming well ahead of schedule of this city's 'normal' March 25 date.
These changing blooms are throwing off many Japanese traditions that have held steady for hundreds of years. Future projections based on historical data suggest that by 2.5 °C warming, cherry blossoms will have already dropped in the mountainous city of Takayama, about halfway between Kyoto and Tokyo, by the time its annual spring festival rolls around.
Even cherry trees in Washington DC have begun to flower earlier after unseasonably warm springs. In 2020, the blooms here arrived roughly two weeks ahead of the long-term average of April 3 (recorded since 1921).
Under a mid-range emissions scenario, scientists estimate the peak bloom dates in this area of the United States will accelerate by an average of five days by 2050 and 10 days by 2080.
Unfortunately, plants and animals changing their patterns in response to climate change can put vital interactions between species out of sync with each other - such as blooms missing out on pollination. This shifting also creates havoc for farmers, because it is not always predictable - three weeks early one year may become one week late the next.
Of course, cherry blossoms aren't the only plants affected by a rapidly warming world. The winter flowering of the Japanese apricot, for instance, has also shown recent changes associated with global warming. But most data on flora and fauna only go back a few decades.
Cherry trees in Japan, on the other hand, are considered the "best-documented examples of the biological effects of climate change in the world."
As beautiful as these flowers appear, their blooms hold a much darker warning of what is to come.
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