Healthy candy bars? How ‘whole-fruit chocolate’ could revolutionize sweet

by StudyFinds Staff

 ZÜRICH, Switzerland — Chocolate is one of life’s greatest pleasures, but it’s a treat that often comes with a side of guilt. Conventional chocolate is high in sugar and saturated fat, which can contribute to health issues like obesity and heart disease. On top of that, the environmental impact of cocoa production is a growing concern, with deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions threatening the sustainability of this beloved indulgence. But what if there was a way to enjoy chocolate that was not only healthier but also kinder to the planet?

Enter the “whole-fruit chocolate” developed by a team of researchers in Switzerland. This innovative creation makes use of the entire cocoa pod, including parts that are usually discarded, to create a chocolate that boasts improved nutritional value and a lower environmental footprint.

In conventional chocolate production, only cocoa beans are used, while the pulp and husk typically being thrown away or used as fertilizer. The research, published in Nature Food and led by Kim Mishra from the Institute of Food, Nutrition, and Health at ETH  Zürich, saw an opportunity to turn this waste into a valuable ingredient.

The key to their approach is a gel made from the cocoa pod husk and pulp. The husk, or endocarp, is dried and ground into a powder, while the pulp is pressed for its juice and then concentrated. The two components are then combined and heated to form a gel that can be mixed with cocoa mass to create the final chocolate product

The illustration shows the utilization of the entire cocoa fruit. (Illustration: Kim Mishra)

The resulting whole-fruit chocolate has some impressive nutritional benefits. The gel replaces traditional sugar from sugar beets, reducing the overall sugar content. The husk powder also adds dietary fiber, which is lacking in conventional chocolate. Additionally, whole-fruit chocolate has a lower amount of saturated fatty acids compared to traditional chocolate candies.

However, the benefits don’t stop there. A life cycle assessment conducted by the researchers shows that large-scale production of whole-fruit chocolate could significantly reduce land use and global warming potential compared to the average dark chocolate produced in Europe. This is because the whole-fruit approach makes use of parts of the cocoa pod that would otherwise go to waste, resulting in a more efficient use of resources.

The researchers also highlight the potential socio-economic benefits for cocoa-producing regions. By creating value from previously discarded parts of the cocoa pod, farmers could diversify their income streams and reduce their reliance on cocoa bean sales alone. The whole-fruit chocolate production process also presents opportunities for technology transfer and capacity building in these communities.

This innovative chocolate-making process makes use of the entire cocoa pod, including parts that are usually discarded (Credit: CoreRock/Shutterstock)

Of course, taste is king when it comes to chocolate, and the researchers didn’t neglect this crucial factor. A sensory evaluation comparing whole-fruit chocolate to conventional dark chocolate found that the new formulation was just as sweet to taste testers despite having a lower sugar content. The increased fiber content and reduced saturated fat didn’t seem to detract from the enjoyment of the chocolate.

As with any new food innovation, there are still some hurdles to overcome before whole-fruit chocolate can hit the shelves. The current production process is energy-intensive, particularly the drying of the cocoa pod husk. However, the researchers are confident that efficiency improvements and the use of renewable energy could make the process more sustainable at scale.

“Although we’ve shown that our chocolate is attractive and has a comparable sensory experience to normal chocolate, the entire value creation chain will need to be adapted, starting with the cocoa farmers, who will require drying facilities,” says study author Kim Mishra in a media release. “Cocoa-​fruit chocolate can only be produced and sold on a large scale by chocolate producers once enough powder is produced by food processing companies.”

StudyFinds Editor-in-Chief Steve Fink contributed to this report.

Did Hannibal’s Army Burn Down This Ancient Mountain Settlement?

In a scorched village in Spain, archaeologists discovered a hidden gold earring that suggests residents foresaw a coming attack around the time of the Second Punic War


Christian Thorsberg
Daily Correspondent

May 22, 2024

This gold earring found at an Iron Age archaeological site had been stashed inside a pottery jar, which sits behind it. Marco Ansaloni


A single gold earring—measuring less than an inch in both width and length—has provided historians with intriguing new insight into an ancient conflict.

Archaeologists excavated the remains of an Iron Age settlement called Tossal de Baltarga, located in the Pyrenees mountains in Spain, that was destroyed by fire around 2,200 years ago. Alongside discoveries of scorched artifacts and organic remains, the team found the earring—which was stealthily hidden inside a small protective jar and stashed within the wall of a wooden house.

Among other clues, the hidden valuable suggests the community’s fiery end was not accidental—and residents knew the destruction was coming, per the authors of a study of the artifacts published last week in the journal Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology.

And based on the timing of the blaze, researchers suggest the devastation could have occurred at the hands of Hannibal’s Carthaginian forces as they moved through the region during the Second Punic War between Carthage and Rome.

“The destruction was dated around the end of the third century B.C.E., the moment where the Pyrenees were involved in the Second Punic War and the passage of Hannibal’s troops,” Oriol Olesti Vila, an archaeologist at the Autonomous University of Barcelona and lead author of the study, says in a statement. “It is likely that the violent destruction of the site was connected to this war.”

An artist's reconstruction of "Building G." Francesc Riart

In a two-story building at the site—dubbed “Building G”—archaeologists uncovered seeds, fruits, charcoal, an iron pickaxe and more than 1,000 pottery fragments. On the first floor, they found evidence for a livestock stable, with remains of four sheep, a goat and a horse. The team identified spinning, weaving and cooking equipment on the second floor.


Each of these elements offers a glimpse into the lives of the Cerretani, the local tribe likely to have inhabited the community. For example, they might have pursued a variety of economic endeavors, including weaving wool, producing textiles, cultivating grain, rearing livestock and cooking. Eight culinary vessels were found in near-complete condition, and analysis suggests that some were acquired via trade from other parts of the Iberian Peninsula. The building’s inhabitants were probably wealthier than their neighbors and were possibly aristocrats, given that they had a horse, which was a sign of the elite.

Fragments of a pickaxe found in Building G. Oriol Olesti Vila et al.

But the carefully hidden earring suggests the community might have been living in fear. Being located in the mountains, the Cerretani likely had a clear view of the passageways Hannibal’s army may have taken through the Pyrenees on the way to Rome. The researchers hypothesize that the residents—upon seeing the incoming troops—evacuated in a hurry. They may have stashed their valuables away, in case they returned, but perhaps they ran out of time and were forced to leave their livestock behind, Olesti Vila tells Discover magazine’s Paul Smaglik. No human remains were found in the house.

Archaeologists found the gold earring inside a pot, hidden in a wall of a home that was burned down. Marco Ansaloni

“These valleys were an important territory economically and strategically. We know that Hannibal passed the Pyrenees fighting against the local tribes,” Olesti Vila says in the statement. “It is likely that the violent destruction of the site was connected to this war. The general fire points to [human-made] destruction, intentional and very effective—not only Building G, but all the buildings of the site, were destroyed.”

Still, Olesti Vila stresses to CNN’s Mindy Weisberger that the connection to Hannibal remains a hypothesis. Regardless, his team’s discovery points to some kind of ancient conflict.

“[The occurrence of raids and pillaging] is well attested archaeologically, and need not be associated with a specific historic event like Hannibal’s campaigns,” Bettina Arnold, an anthropologist at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee who was not involved in the research, tells CNN.

Meet 2 ‘Freaky Frogs’ Of South America—They’ll Kill You With A Headbutt

Scott Travers
Contributor
I write about the world of biology.
May 22, 2024


If you thought the poison dart frog was a scary animal, think again. These two frog species take ... [+]BY RENATO AUGUSTO MARTINS - OWN WORK, CC BY-SA 4.0, HTTPS://COMMONS.WIKIMEDIA.ORG/W/INDEX.PHP?CURID=58767596

Lancehead pit vipers are one of the most feared snakes in South America. Their reputation is well-deserved; data suggests that they kill more people than any other American reptile.


However, two unique frogs of Brazil–Bruno’s casque-headed frog and Greening’s frog–have venom quotients that far exceed the deadliness of South American pit vipers. While they aren’t as aggressive as some other venomous animals of the Amazon, they are every bit as deadly–perhaps more so. Here’s what sets these frogs apart as true assassins of the animal kingdom.


Bruno’s Casque-Headed Frog And Greening’s Frog Are Venomous And Poisonous

There are plenty of venomous creatures in the animal kingdom. There are also plenty of poisonous creatures. However, it is exceptionally rare to find a species that is both venomous and poisonous.


The tiger keelback snake, shown here, is one of the rare "venomous-poisonous" animals of the world.

One such example is the tiger keelback snake of east Asia. The tiger keelback secretes a “bufadienolide” poison through its neck glands to ward off predators. Interestingly, it acquires this potent chemical cocktail by eating poisonous toads. It is also rear-fanged venomous. A bite from the tiger keelback induces symptoms such as persistent bleeding from the site of the bite, blood in the urine, body bruising, bleeding gums, and disruptions in blood clotting. In rare cases, a bite from the tiger keelback can be lethal.


Bruno’s casque-headed frog and Greening’s frog are two other species that belong to this rare class of venomous-poisonous animals. Many frogs of the Amazon are poisonous. The difference between poisonous frogs (for example, the poison dart frog) and venomous-poisonous frogs (like Bruno’s casque-headed frog and Greening’s frog) is that the latter two have evolved sharp spines on their skull that can inject venom into animals via a rapid headbutting motion.


In other words, while most poisonous frogs are only dangerous if you touch or ingest them, these two frogs are capable of attacking and envenomating you, as well as being poisonous to the touch. It’s this added layer of defense that sets them apart.

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Here’s more detail on these one-of-a-kind species.
Bruno’s Casque-Headed Frog



Steer clear of the long snout of this Bruno’s casque-headed frog (Aparasphenodon brunoi). It won't ... [+]BY RENATO AUGUSTO MARTINS - OWN WORK, CC BY-SA 4.0, HTTPS://COMMONS.WIKIMEDIA.ORG/W/INDEX.PHP?CURID=58767596

Bruno’s casque-headed frog (Aparasphenodon brunoi) belongs to the Hylidae family and is native to the southeastern coast of Brazil, east of the Brazilian Highlands. Its habitats include subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, shrublands, and freshwater marshes.

Bruno’s casque-headed frog is relatively large, with males typically measuring 1.9 to 2.4 inches in snout-to-vent length, with females being slightly larger. It possesses a broad, flattened head with a long, pointed snout, prominent forward-facing eyes, sharp projections on the head, and skin fused to the skull. Its legs are long and slender, with adhesive discs on the digits. Its dorsal surface displays pale brown or gray coloration with irregular dark markings.

As mentioned, the venom of Bruno’s casque-headed frog is exceptionally potent, estimated to be 25 times more toxic than that of Brazil’s deadly lancehead pit vipers.
Greening’s Frog


A nineteenth century drawing of Corythomantis greeningi, commonly known as Greening's frog.

BY BOULENGER, G.A. - BOULENGER, G. A. 1896. DESCRIPTIONS OF NEW BATRACHIANS IN THE BRITISH MUSEUM. ANNALS AND MAGAZINE OF NATURAL HISTORY, SERIES 6, 17: 401–406, PUBLIC DOMAIN, HTTPS://COMMONS.WIKIMEDIA.ORG/W/INDEX.PHP?CURID=34513543

Greening’s frog (Corythomantis greening) is a venomous member of the Hylidae family, native to northeastern Brazil. Typically found on vegetation such as bromeliads and rock outcrops, this species breeds in temporary streams. Its name honors Linnaeus Greening, an English naturalist recognized for his studies on arachnids, reptiles, and amphibians.

Greening’s frog is slightly larger than Bruno’s casque-headed frog, with females measuring approximately 3.4 inches and males measuring 2.8 inches. The frog features a narrow head with bony crests behind the eyes and an elongated, flat snout adorned with small spines (which can deliver venom via a headbutting motion). Their bodies are slender and covered in warts. They are typically light brown or gray in color, with red or brown patches. Females tend to be darker than males.

Preferring a semi-arid living environment, Greening’s frog employs various strategies such as seeking shelter in tree hollows and rock crevices to maintain skin moisture and evade predators. During the rainy season, males establish territories near watercourses to attract females for breeding, where females lay several hundred eggs attached to rocks in watercourses.

The frog’s skin secretions contain various low-molecular-mass steroids and alkaloids, exhibiting potent nociceptive effects, which serves as a chemical defense against predation.

CRITICAL RACE THEORY (CRT)

Strange fruit: How Billie Holiday's performance of the anti-lynching song politicized Black consciousness

by University of Chicago

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Billie Holiday's recording of the anti-lynching song "Strange Fruit" has stirred and haunted generations of listeners. A new article in the Journal of African American History, titled "Professional Mourning: Billie Holiday's 'Strange Fruit' and the Remaking of Black Consciousness," presents a detailed history of the song and argues that Holiday's rendition, released in the 1930s, brought the Black community together at a moment of unique social and political struggle.

"Between 1877 and 1950," writes the article's author, Samuel Galen Ng, "over four thousand Black people in the United States lost their lives to lynching." By the time Holiday launched her singing career, the number of lynchings per year had decreased, due to the migration of Black people out of the South and a formalized criminal justice system that shifted lynching from a vigilante practice to one "more fully integrated into state operations and a white supremacist social order." Nevertheless, lynching remained a real issue, polarizing U.S. citizens down racial and political lines.

A Jewish teacher named Abel Meeropol published the text of "Strange Fruit" as a poem in 1937. White leftists adapted it to music, but Holiday—a 23-year-old Black jazz singer—made the song famous. Holiday's arrangement of the piece brought it to a slow, dirge-like pace. During live performances, she would hold her body completely still. Audience members who saw Holiday perform the song at venues like Café Society and the Apollo Theater found themselves transformed by the music, and often, implicated in the lyrics. One auditor recalled, "When [Holiday] wrenched the final words from her lips, there was not a soul in that audience, black or white, who did not feel half strangled."

Indeed, Holiday's enactment of the protest song induced a sense of shared mourning and intimacy, particularly among Black listeners. Numerous Black thinkers, Ng avers, have turned to "Strange Fruit" over the years to articulate "an understanding of Blackness as a collectivity demarcated by feelings of shared threat and vulnerability" and to solidify "their commitment to combating anti-Black racism."

Holiday's performance of "Strange Fruit" had particular relevance at the moment of its composition and first recording amid the brutality of lynchings and Jim Crow discrimination. As Ng's article demonstrates, the song continues to speak to its audiences by rendering the violence its lyrics evoked as something that lingers "indelibly strange."

More information: Samuel Galen Ng, Professional Mourning: Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit" and the Remaking of Black Consciousness, The Journal of African American History (2023). DOI: 10.1086/726667

Provided by University of Chicago 

Lynchings of the past affect health today

 

Study: Grocery shopping habits prove credit worthiness, aiding those without credit history

by Shannon Roddel, University of Notre Dame

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Recent advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning, coupled with the evolution of large-scale data storage, access and processing technologies, have fueled interest among financial institutions in new data sources for credit scoring.

Examples of these new sources include bill payment histories for phone, utility and streaming services; transaction records from checking, savings and money market accounts; and rent payment histories. The motive is twofold—pursuit of profit, including generating new accounts, and improving social welfare by extending credit access to those who lack traditional credit scores.

New research from the University of Notre Dame shows that repeated trips to the grocery store may be all that's necessary to prove creditworthiness.

The paper titled "Using Grocery Data for Credit Decisions" is forthcoming in Management Science from Joonhyuk Yang, assistant professor of marketing at Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business, along with Jung Youn Lee from Rice University and Eric T. Anderson from Northwestern University. A working paper is available in the SSRN Electronic Journal.

The team partnered with a multinational conglomerate operating in multiple cash-reliant, developing countries in Asia and Africa. The data sponsor owns a credit card issuer and a large-scale supermarket chain, which enabled the researchers to merge data from the two domains and observe the behaviors of 30,089 consumers.

They began by transforming the raw data into a more effective set of inputs and removed signals of credit risk from grocery data.

"Our approach was motivated by our conversation with the manager of the data sponsor, who said, 'To work with these huge data sets, you need a strategy for summarizing the key pieces of data into meaningful variables. A naive approach of simply throwing all our data at this problem without any structure is unlikely to work,'" Yang said.

"This remark resonates with another comment made by a manager at one of the leading banks in the U.S. with whom we spoke. The manager mentioned that the major obstacle to utilizing large-scale, granular consumer data in the making of loans is not a lack of access to such data, but rather a lack of knowledge on how to leverage them efficiently."

Repeated grocery shopping habits point to signals of credit risk.

Buying cigarettes or energy drinks is associated with a higher likelihood of missing credit card payments or defaulting, while purchasing "good" or healthy groceries, including fresh milk or vinegar dressings, is linked to consistently paying credit card bills on time.

"Guided by an extensive body of literature on habits, we construct variables that measure the level of consistency, or lack thereof, in what and how customers buy," Yang said. "Grocery data lends itself particularly well to measuring general consumer traits because groceries are non-durable necessities, so consumers make frequent and repeated choices."

What an individual buys can help explain what type of payer they are, even after controlling for various socio-demographic variables and credit scores.

"Using item-level survey ratings, we find suggestive evidence that buying healthier but less convenient food items is predictive of responsible payment behaviors," Yang said. "We also see a positive and robust correlation between consistency in various dimensions of grocery shopping and making timely credit card bill payments."

Cardholders who consistently pay their bills on time are more likely to shop on the same day of the week, spend similar amounts across months and purchase the same brands and product categories.

Through a simulation of hypothetical credit scoring and decision-making processes, the team demonstrates that grocery data can offer informative signals of credit risk, leading to improved credit outcomes for creditworthy individuals and increased profitability for lenders.

For instance, incorporating grocery data substantially improves default predictive accuracy for people without credit scores, resulting in an improvement ranging from 3.11 to 7.66 percentage points.

The study also characterizes conditions under which the use of grocery data adds no incremental value, which can shed light on when lenders might be incentivized to collect, acquire and leverage alternative data.

"Specifically, we find that the incremental benefit of grocery data diminishes sharply as traditional credit scores or relationship-specific credit history becomes available," Yang said. "These findings highlight the potential for financial institutions to utilize grocery data to extend credit to individuals who lack traditional credit scores while demonstrating the limitations of this new data source."

The findings have direct managerial implications for lenders, as using grocery data for credit scoring presents an opportunity to access a vast, untapped market. Lenders can expand their customer base and improve their profitability by extending credit to consumers who are currently unserved or underserved by the traditional credit system.

More information: Jung Youn Lee et al, Buying and Payment Habits: Using Grocery Data to Predict Credit Card Payments, SSRN Electronic Journal (2021). DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.3868547

Journal information: Management Science 

Provided by University of Notre Dame 

Using AI, Mastercard expects to find compromised cards quicker, before they get used by criminals

 

Community science volunteers can set scientific world abuzz with new bumble bee sightings

by York University

A yellow-banded bumblebee (Bombus terricola) drinking nectar. Credit: Victoria MacPhail

Community science volunteers—laypeople with an interest in bees and conservation—significantly contribute to the scientific knowledge of native bumble bees across Canada and the United States, finds a new study by York University.

It is buzz-worthy confirmation that community science programs can play an important role in monitoring the changing distributions of bumble bees and more. Community scientists have importantly also detected several at-risk or endangered species in unexpected locations, including the rusty-patched bumble bee and the gypsy cuckoo bumble bee. Trained scientists often haven't seen some of the bees in years and these sightings can help them keep tabs on the species.

The paper, "Bumble Bee Watch community science program increase scientific understanding of an important pollinator group across Canada and the U.S.," appears in the journal PLOS ONE.

Up to a third of North American bumble bees are in decline, but the why of it is still fuzzy. Knowledge gaps about bumble bee stressors, ranges, population dynamics and preferred plants are prevalent.

"As scientists, we really value the contribution of community scientists and the breadth of data they are able to gather, including a wide range of locations and species. As scientists usually lack the resources and time to do this kind of field work over such a large geographic area, it really shines a spotlight on the importance of community science programs," says lead and corresponding author Victoria MacPhail, who conducted the research as part of her Ph.D. at York's Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change (EUC).

Through the growing Bumble Bee Watch (BBW) program, community scientists have been the eyes on the ground for bee researchers. The volunteers have taken photos of bumble bees from every province, state and territory and upload them through the BBW website along with where they were spotted and plant information if known. Bee taxon experts verify the species of bee.

"The data collected by volunteers through Bumble Bee Watch was surprisingly more plentiful, robust and valuable than anticipated and we rely on that data to add to our current knowledge and to confirm other information," says MacPhail, who is also a former Bee Ecology, Evolution and Conservation coordinator at York.

Male Bombus huntii, a species of bumblebee, on a sunflower. Credit: Victoria MacPhail

MacPhail completed the study along with York Associate Professor Sheila Colla of EUC and Senior Endangered Species Conservation Biologist Richard Hatfield of the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation in the United States. They compared BBW data collected by community scientists with the Bumble Bees of North America (BBNA), data collected through traditional scientific methods, for all years available and specifically from 2010 to 2020.

The researchers found that the BBW covered as much ground geographically as the BBNA over all years—63 provinces, states and territories—and had information on 41 species compared to 48 in the BBNA.

Looking exclusively at the decade from 2010 to 2020, the BBW had data from an additional four provinces and states, and more information about 13 species than the BBNA.

In terms of percentages, the BBW contributed 8.5% of overall records, but that increased to more than 25% during the specific decade being studied. Community scientists were able to confirm the prevalence of species as well as inform researchers of which species were inhabiting new locations.

They also contributed ecological information, such as species data for most of the bee species and unique plant genera. Knowing which flowers different types of bumble bees prefer is nothing to sneeze at as it can help prevent habitat loss and inform conservation management.

"While the BBW had fewer bee records than the BBNA database overall, it definitely helps to fill in data gaps and provide new information, and it complements traditional scientific methods," says Colla. "We found the BBW to be valuable as it bolsters our knowledge about habitat, species associations, distribution, and changes in population size, which helps to inform conservation management for bumble bees."

In addition, community science programs can bring awareness to the threats facing bumble bees and help mitigate species decline as they are already interested, engaged and documenting bees, their habitats and their locations.

More information: Victoria J. MacPhail et al, Bumble Bee Watch community science program increases scientific understanding of an important pollinator group across Canada and the USA, PLOS ONE (2024). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0303335

Journal information: PLoS ONE 

Provided by York University 

The buzz about bumble bees isn't good

From Zambia to Afghanistan, WFP warns El Niño’s extreme weather is causing a surge in hunger

By —Gerald Imray, Associated Press

 hungerWorld May 22, 2024 4:41 PM EDT


CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Extreme weather attributed to the El Niño phenomenon is causing a surge in hunger in several countries, including Zambia and Afghanistan, the UN’s World Food Programme said Wednesday, and called on donors for much-needed help.

El Niño is a natural, temporary and occasional warming of part of the Pacific that shifts global weather patterns, and studies say that as the world warms, they may get stronger.

Tens of millions of people in southern Africa rely on the weather to grow food to feed themselves.

In a statement, the WFP warned that southern Africa was the “epicenter of the crisis” after a cycle of floods and drought has battered the region over the last three years. Three countries, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Zambia, are the worst affected and have seen between 40-80 percent of their staple corn crops wiped out by drought this season, leaving millions impacted, according to the UN food agency.

The WFP said executive director Cindy McCain had traveled to Zambia and seen how “severe drought has wiped out harvests in a region where 70 percent of the population relies on agriculture to survive.”

WATCH: ‘Climate refugees’ sue British government for failing to protect homes from climate change

“We can’t ask millions to wait for the next harvest season — a year from now — to put food on their tables,” McCain said in a statement. “These families need our support today while we help to build a more resilient future.”

WFP said its “teams have started to respond but US$409 million are needed for six months to assist 4.8 million people in Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.”

Other countries, including Congo and Afghanistan, are facing similar problems due to changing weather conditions which have led to destroyed crops, livestock deaths and displaced people, causing a surge in hunger, the agency said in a separate statement.

This comes as hunger crises caused by conflict in Gaza and Sudan are already stretching the agency’s aid capacity.

The WFP’s call for aid came days after the regional Southern African Development Community made a plea for help after a special virtual meeting of leaders and government officials to discuss the impact of the extreme weather.

In a joint statement, the southern African countries said the region needed $5.5 billion to help more than 61 million people.

There had been a “multifaceted and cascading impact of the El Niño-induced drought and floods across multiple sectors,” the regional bloc said, noting how it had caused other problems, such as contributing to large and deadly outbreaks of the water-born cholera disease. Countries that depend on hydroelectric generators, like Zambia, are struggling to produce enough electricity because of the drought.

WATCH: Why young Americans are pushing for climate change to be taught in schools

Alongside El Niño, the southern African region has recently seen a series of tropical cyclones that scientists said were likely made stronger and wetter by human-caused climate change and the increase in global temperatures.

While the African continent contributes the least to climate change, it is expected to suffer the most. Poorer countries are generally not as well-equipped to deal with the impact.

Even before the floods and drought, food insecurity and malnutrition were already at alarming levels in Malawi, Zimbabwe and Zambia and humanitarian assistance had stalled because of funding shortages for aid, WFP said.

The three countries have all declared national disasters over this year’s drought, and others have provided equally grim assessments.

The United Nations humanitarian agency said this month that around half of Zimbabwe’s population of 15 million needed “lifesaving and life-sustaining” help because of the drought.

Last week, the Action Against Hunger non-profit warned that “a hunger crisis may be imminent” in Kenya in East Africa after catastrophic floods displaced more than 250,000 people.

Kenyan fishers face increased drowning risk from climate change

by Krishna Ramanujan, Cornell University

Fishers work on Lake Victoria in Africa. Credit: Kathryn Fiorella / Cornell University

Fatal drownings are a big risk for small-scale fishers on Africa's largest lake, with many of those deaths attributed to bad weather—conditions that are likely to worsen with climate change, according to a new studyLake Victoria—bordering Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda—is heavily fished by some 200,000 fishers, in spite of frequent severe thunderstorms and its reputation as one of the most dangerous bodies water in the world.

These findings are especially concerning considering that thunderstorms, wind and rain are predicted to become more intense and up to 10 times more frequent by the end of the century, the authors note in the study, published in PLOS ONE.

"Drowning deaths are really a neglected risk factor," said Kathryn Fiorella, assistant professor in the Department of Public and Ecosystem Health in the College of Veterinary Medicine and a co-corresponding author of the study. The other co-corresponding author is Ranaivo Rasolofoson, a postdoctoral researcher, formerly in Fiorella's lab, and currently at Duke University.

"The main goal of our work was to understand what are the risk factors that people see contributing to drowning deaths," Fiorella said.

On top of climate issues, overfishing has reduced commercial Nile perch populations over the last few decades, the authors wrote. Fishers now focus predominantly on sardine-like omena, which are found far offshore and must be fished for at night, and attracted using lights. The shift has made fishers more vulnerable to drowning, since thunderstorms are more likely to occur at night, when visibility is low, making rescues far more challenging.

Low and moderate-income fishers fish to provide for their families, which pushes them to venture out even in poor weather conditions. When fishers drown, their loss leads to heartbreak and creates far-reaching negative socio-economic consequences for their households.

Fatal drownings are a risk for small-scale fishers on the lake, Africa’s largest. Credit: Kathryn Fiorella / Cornell University

In the study, the researchers worked closely with the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute on the Kenyan side of the lake to survey people with knowledge of drowning deaths at 43 landing sites. The "verbal autopsies" revealed that fatal drownings were attributed to bad weather 42% of the time. In those cases, strong wind was recorded 47% of the time, moderate wind in 22% of those weather-related deaths and heavy rain accounted for 12%.

When fishers died during bad weather, 69.5% of them weren't wearing life jackets and 67.5% of them lacked navigation equipment. Inability to swim and drug and alcohol use also contributed to these deaths. Motorized boats were involved in 43% of the incidents.

"When you look at the proportion of boats that are motorized, it is much lower than that," Fiorella said. "It suggests that being able to use a motor and get out further could potentially be a risk factor."

The researchers proposed a number of strategies to improve safety for fishers. For starters, while there are laws in Kenya for the use of life jackets, fishers who can't afford them are often the target of enforcement. One solution might be to make life jackets and navigation equipment—which should be considered part of the boat—the responsibility of the boat owners rather than the fishers, and require the owners to pay the fines.

Another possible strategy is delivering weather warnings through mobile phones. Providing swimming and rescue skills to fishers could also help, Fiorella said.

"There is an established system where fishers are registered at landing sites, so you could imagine a scenario where people who arrive get some basic rescue and water safety training that would be really valuable," she said.

Co-authors include Horace Owiti Onyango, a doctoral student in Fiorella's lab, and Fonda Jane Awuor and Christopher Aura at the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute.

More information: Ranaivo A. Rasolofoson et al, Climate change: A pointer to increased small-scale fisher drowning deaths, PLOS ONE (2024). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0302397

Journal information: PLoS ONE 

Provided by Cornell University Self-portraits give voice to vulnerable Cambodian fishing communities

 

World’s first head transplant system proposed: Is ‘BrainBridge’ real or purely sci-fi fantasy?

MAY 22, 2024by Steve Fink

DUBAI — The molecular biologist who made headlines for his highly controversial “artificial womb” concept is once again turning heads with another eye-popping design: the world’s first head transplant system. Hashem Al-Ghaili, a Dubai-based scientist and filmmaker, now aims to help push forward the idea of transplanting a head onto a donor body for individuals suffering from cancer or paralysis. As farfetched as it looks and sounds, his recently released video explaining the tech, which he dubs “BrainBridge,” is already getting plenty of attention.

BrainBridge’s proposed head transplantation process involves attaching a patient’s head onto a brain-dead donor body, with the goal of preserving the patient’s consciousness, memories, and cognitive abilities. Al-Ghaili boldly asserts that the procedure could be available within eight years, thanks to the integration of advanced robotics and artificial intelligence.

Video still showing the heads being removed from the patient’s and donor’s body, with the patient’s head being moved by the robotic surgical arms to the donor’s body. (Credit: BrainBridge)

“Every step of the BrainBridge concept has been carefully thought out based on extensive scientific research that has been conducted and published by experts in various fields of science,” he says in a statement. “The goal of our technology is to push the boundaries of what is possible in medical science and provide innovative solutions for those battling life-threatening conditions. Our technology promises to open doors to lifesaving treatments that were unimaginable just a few years ago.”

While the prospect of a potential way to avoid paralysis or early death from terminal diseases is undeniably tantalizing, the concept of head transplantation is laden with ethical dilemmas. The procedure raises fundamental questions about personal identity, bodily autonomy, and the very definition of death. Would a person with a transplanted head still be considered the same individual? What rights would the donor body have? These are just a couple of the thorny philosophical quandaries that arise when contemplating such a radical intervention.

A digital illustration of the BrainBridge head transplant process. (Credit: BrainBridge)

Moreover, the physical feasibility of head transplantation remains highly questionable. Despite BrainBridge’s claims of employing “advanced high-speed robotic systems” and “real-time molecular-level imaging,” the sheer complexity of the human nervous system presents formidable challenges. The spinal cord, a delicate bundle of nerves that transmits signals between the brain and the body, is notoriously difficult to repair once severed. Reconnecting the spinal cord, nerves, and blood vessels with the precision required for a successful head transplant is a feat that many experts believe is currently beyond the reach of medical science.

Even if the technical hurdles could be overcome, there are no shortage of post-operative challenges. The risk of rejection, whereby the recipient’s immune system attacks the donor body, is a significant concern. BrainBridge’s assurances of a “comprehensive post-operative care schedule,” which includes the patient remaining in a medically-induced coma for at least a month, would do little to allay fears of potentially life-threatening complications

Patient’s head set onto donor body during transplantation. (Credit: BrainBridge)

Nonetheless, Al-Ghaili released an eight-minute video (posted below) showing exactly how he envisions BrainBridge will work. The 3D animated clip, which feels more like a movie trailer, shows two robotic surgical machines with human-like arms and hands removing the head from the patient’s body and then placing it onto a previously brain-dead donor body. BrainBridge notes in the video that they believe a human brain could last “several hundred years provided that the rest of the body remains young.”

The video goes on to describe the process in detail, including how the system would reconstruct all of the detached spinal cord and other organs, nerves, blood vessels, etc. that were severed during the surgery. It also points out the lengthy rehabilitation that a patient would need to undergo afterward.

One commenter on the video wrote, “As a PhD in translational medicine, I see a lot of BS for attracting investments only. What ‘advanced real-time molecular [imaging] techniques’? How [do] they ensure 360° observation and manipulation during [the] procedure? There is a ton of research into autonomous, fully robotic suturing and ligation, but I don’t think there is one that could do what is required for this demo. Human anatomy might differ drastically, not only by size, but also blood vessel, muscle, etc structures.”

Another viewer commented, “We’re 100 years away from solving the complex connections required to pull this off.”

Al-Ghaili made headlines back in 2022 when he introduced the concept for “EctoLife” a facility that could house thousands of “artificial wombs” for women unable to carry a baby to term. He envisions technology that would allow parents to genetically engineer an embryo before implanting it into the artificial womb. This would allow them to design everything from eye and hair color to strength, height, and even intelligence. The idea was met with great skepticism as well as similar ethical questions, and many believed it to be a hoax.BrainBridge will likely see similar scrutiny, and already comments left on the video purport it to be nothing more than science fiction. Even so, we’d also expect there will be scientists, investors, and even prospective patients who would love to be at the forefront of such a revolutionary innovation.

BrainBridge head transplant surgery. (Credit: BrainBridge)

NASA's compact infrared cameras enable new science

by Karl B. HilleKarl B. Hille, NASA

Goddard engineer Murzy Jhabvala holds the heart of his Compact Thermal Imager

 camera technology – a high-resolution, high-spectral range infrared sensor suitable

 for small satellites and missions to other solar-system objects. Credit: NASA

A new, higher-resolution infrared camera outfitted with a variety of lightweight filters could probe sunlight reflected off Earth's upper atmosphere and surface, improve forest fire warnings, and reveal the molecular composition of other planets.

The cameras use sensitive, high-resolution strained-layer superlattice sensors, initially developed at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

Their compact construction, low mass, and adaptability enable engineers like Tilak Hewagama to adapt them to the needs of a variety of sciences.

"Attaching filters directly to the detector eliminates the substantial mass of traditional lens and filter systems," Hewagama said. "This allows a low-mass instrument with a compact focal plane which can now be chilled for infrared detection using smaller, more efficient coolers. Smaller satellites and missions can benefit from their resolution and accuracy."

Engineer Murzy Jhabvala led the initial sensor development at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, as well as leading today's filter integration efforts.

Jhabvala also led the Compact Thermal Imager experiment on the International Space Station that demonstrated how the new sensor technology could survive in space while proving a major success for Earth science. More than 15 million images captured in two infrared bands earned inventors, Jhabvala, and NASA Goddard colleagues Don Jennings and Compton Tucker an agency Invention of the Year award for 2021.

Data from the test provided detailed information about wildfires, better understanding of the vertical structure of Earth's clouds and atmosphere, and captured an updraft caused by wind lifting off Earth's land features called a gravity wave.

The groundbreaking infrared sensors use layers of repeating molecular structures to interact with individual photons, or units of light. The sensors resolve more wavelengths of infrared at a higher resolution: 260 feet (80 meters) per pixel from orbit compared to 1,000 to 3,000 feet (375 to 1,000 meters) possible with current thermal cameras.

The success of these heat-measuring cameras has drawn investments from NASA's Earth Science Technology Office (ESTO), Small Business Innovation and Research, and other programs to further customize their reach and applications.

Jhabvala and NASA's Advanced Land Imaging Thermal IR Sensor (ALTIRS) team are developing a six-band version for this year's LiDAR, Hyperspectral, & Thermal Imager (G-LiHT) airborne project. This first-of-its-kind camera will measure surface heat and enable pollution monitoring and fire observations at high frame rates, he said.

NASA Goddard Earth scientist Doug Morton leads an ESTO project developing a Compact Fire Imager for wildfire detection and prediction.

The Compact Thermal Imager captured unusually severe fires in Australia from its perch on the International Space Station in 2019 and 2020. With its high resolution, detected the shape and location of fire fronts and how far they were from settled areas — information critically important to first responders. Credit: NASA

"We're not going to see fewer fires, so we're trying to understand how fires release energy over their life cycle," Morton said. "This will help us better understand the new nature of fires in an increasingly flammable world."

CFI will monitor both the hottest fires which release more greenhouse gases and cooler, smoldering coals and ashes which produce more carbon monoxide and airborne particles like smoke and ash.

"Those are key ingredients when it comes to safety and understanding the greenhouse gases released by burning," Morton said.

After they test the fire imager on airborne campaigns, Morton's team envisions outfitting a fleet of 10 small satellites to provide global information about fires with more images per day.

Combined with next generation computer models, he said, "this information can help the forest service and other firefighting agencies prevent fires, improve safety for firefighters on the front lines, and protect the life and property of those living in the path of fires."

Probing clouds on Earth and beyond

Outfitted with polarization filters, the sensor could measure how ice particles in Earth's upper atmosphere clouds scatter and polarize light, NASA Goddard Earth scientist Dong Wu said.

This applications would complement NASA's PACE—Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem—mission, Wu said, which revealed its first light images earlier this month. Both measure the polarization of light wave's orientation in relation to the direction of travel from different parts of the infrared spectrum.

"The PACE polarimeters monitor visible and shortwave-infrared light," he explained. "The mission will focus on aerosol and ocean color sciences from daytime observations. At mid- and long-infrared wavelengths, the new Infrared polarimeter would capture cloud and surface properties from both day and night observations."

In another effort, Hewagama is working with Jhabvala and Jennings to incorporate linear variable filters which provide even greater detail within the infrared spectrum. The filters reveal atmospheric molecules' rotation and vibration as well as Earth's surface composition.

That technology could also benefit missions to rocky planets, comets, and asteroids, planetary scientist Carrie Anderson said. She said they could identify ice and volatile compounds emitted in enormous plumes from Saturn's moon Enceladus.

"They are essentially geysers of ice," she said, "which of course are cold, but emit light within the new infrared sensor's detection limits. Looking at the plumes against the backdrop of the sun would allow us to identify their composition and vertical distribution very clearly."

Provided by NASA 

NASA's PACE data on ocean, atmosphere, climate now available