COVER ALL LAW
Hong Kong outlet Stand News editor jailed for sedition


By AFP

September 26, 2024

The sentencing of Chung Pui-kuen is the latest crackdown on free speech in the former British colony that has seen critics of China jailed or forced into exile - Copyright AFP ISAAC LAWRENCE

A Hong Kong judge on Thursday jailed a former chief editor of pro-democracy news outlet Stand News for sedition, handing down a 21-month prison term in the landmark case.

The sentencing of Chung Pui-kuen is the latest crackdown on free speech in the former British colony that has seen critics of China jailed or forced into exile, following huge pro-democracy protests in 2019.

The 55-year-old and fellow chief editor Patrick Lam, 36, were in charge of Stand News, a Chinese-language website that gained a massive following during the protests, before it was raided and shut down in December 2021.

Last month, district court judge Kwok Wai-kin found the pair guilty of “conspiracy to publish and reproduce seditious publications”. Stand News’ parent company, Best Pencil Limited, was also found guilty.

The judge on Thursday handed out a 21-month sentence to Chung, making him the first journalist to be jailed for sedition since Hong Kong came under Chinese rule in 1997.

Lam received a sentence reduction and will not return to jail, owing to time already served, with Kwok saying a prison term “could endanger his life” due to serious health issues.

He added that the two defendants, as well as the publication, were “not doing genuine journalistic work”.

“They were taking part in the so-called resistance. They stood on the side of the protesters to oppose the government,” he said.

“Stand News had 1.6 million followers and these seditious articles must have caused quite serious damage, even though I couldn’t quantify it,” Kwok said, adding that prison was the only option.



– International criticism –



Before the sentencing, defence lawyer Audrey Eu argued for leniency for Lam as he had been suffering from a “very rare and complicated” immune condition which left him with “less than 30 percent” of kidney function.

“Our largest concern is that if (Lam) has to return to prison, in case anything happens there… that may put his life in danger,” Eu told the court.

Chung and Lam had each spent nearly a year behind bars before they were granted bail at the time of their trial.

The duo were charged under a colonial-era law, which punishes sedition with a maximum jail term of two years.

A security law enacted in March raised that to seven years.

The conviction of Stand News editors in August drew swift global outcry, with the United States denouncing it as “a direct attack on media freedom”.

The European Union called on Hong Kong to “stop prosecuting journalists”.

Chinese authorities in Hong Kong rejected the criticism, saying that Stand News was “a political organisation through and through”.

The Chinese finance hub has seen its standing in global press freedom rankings plummet in recent years.

Read more: https://www.digitaljournal.com/world/hong-kong-outlet-stand-news-editor-jailed-for-sedition/article#ixzz8mwvr2Gxj

Family urges UK govt to secure release of British Egyptian dissident


By AFP
September 26, 2024


Abdel Fattah was arrested in 2019 for sharing a Facebook post about police brutality - Copyright AFP/File ALEX EDELMAN
Marie HEUCLIN

The family of jailed British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abdel Fattah urged the UK government on Thursday to act to ensure his release in three days’ time, when he will have served a full five years in custody.

Abdel Fattah, 42, was arrested on September 29, 2019.

Just over two years later, he was handed a five-year sentence for “spreading false news” by sharing a Facebook post about police brutality.

But his family say the time he spent in pre-trial detention from 2019 means he should be freed on Saturday.

The activist, computer programmer and blogger, who was given British citizenship in 2022 through his British-born mother, mobilised youths in the 2011 uprising that unseated autocratic Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak.

Rights groups say there are more than 60,000 “prisoners of conscience” who have been jailed in Egypt under the rule of President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi.

Former UK prime minister Rishi Sunak raised the case directly with the president during the United Nations’ COP27 climate summit in November 2022, which was held in Egypt.

French President Emmanuel Macron also took up his case with Sisi and US President Joe Biden raised human rights issues.

“If he is not out by September 29, it is an open-ended sentence. This means that they (the Egyptian authorities) can do anything,” one of his sisters, Mona Seif, told reporters in London.

Another sister, Sanaa Seif, said UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy had been “extremely supportive” when his Labour party was in opposition.

– UK government ‘ignoring us’ –



But she said that since Labour came into government following the UK general election in July, it had been “hard to stay hopeful” as it felt like the government had been “ignoring us”.

Fiona O’Brien, head of press freedom body Reporters Without Borders (RSF), said Abdel Fattah’s situation reflected “a bigger problem” of the UK failing to support its citizens.

It would be “a total failure” if the UK government did not — once again — stand up for one of its citizens, she added.

In a 2019 interview with the show “60 Minutes” on US broadcaster CBS, Sisi said there were no political prisoners in Egypt.

The former army chief became president in 2014 after leading the military ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi a year earlier.

He has since overseen a sweeping crackdown on dissent.

Those jailed for criticising the political status quo have included academics, journalists, lawyers, activists, comedians, Islamists, presidential candidates and former MPs.

Rights group Amnesty International said Abdel Fattah should not be further detained after completing the full length of an “unjust prison term”.

“He is a prisoner of conscience. He should never have been forced to spend a single minute behind bars,” said Amnesty’s researcher Mahmoud Shalaby.

“The prospect that the authorities could further extend his unlawful imprisonment instead of releasing him is appalling,” he added.

Survivor of Mexican mass disappearance fights for truth


ByAFP
September 26, 2024


Former student leader turned lawmaker Manuel Vazquez Arellano has spent a decade seeking the truth about one of Mexico's worst human rights atrocities - Copyright AFP Carlo Echegoyen

Manuel Vazquez Arellano counts himself lucky to have survived the mass disappearance of 43 Mexican students a decade ago. Now a lawmaker, he says he is determined to uncover the truth about what happened.

“Even if I were a priest, I would still be talking about the missing 43,” the former student leader, a member of congress with the ruling left-wing Morena party, told AFP ahead of the 10th anniversary Thursday of the tragedy.

Now 36, Vazquez Arellano said that when he was invited to become a federal legislator in 2021, he accepted on the condition “that I could say anything” about the case, which drew international condemnation.

On the night of September 26-27, 2014, Vazquez Arellano, also known as Omar Garcia, was in Iguala at the scene of the disappearance of the 43 students from the Ayotzinapa teacher training college in the southern state of Guerrero.

He said he arrived after his classmates vanished.

“When the authorities didn’t come, we called the media,” he said. “When they arrived, we were shot at. Everyone ran.”

The students — from a college whose members have a history of political activism — wanted to commandeer buses to go to Mexico City and participate in the annual commemorations of the student massacre of October 2, 1968.

The college, which is free, is the only option for many students from poor families from the surrounding countryside.

It has always been considered by the authorities as a hotbed of “guerrillas,” according to Vazquez Arellano, who has been accused by some relatives of the missing of being partly responsible because he knew the activities were risky.

“We don’t want to have anything to do with him anymore. We just want him to stop talking about the missing people,” Mario Cesar Gonzalez Contreras, the father of one of the 43, told AFP.



– ‘State crime’ –



The case has become emblematic of a missing persons crisis that has seen more than 100,000 people disappear in a spiral of drug-related violence in Mexico.

So far, the remains of only three of the missing students have been identified through genetic testing of bone fragments.

Outgoing President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador created a commission after taking office in 2018 tasked with establishing the truth about the mass disappearance.

In 2022, the commission branded it a “state crime” and said the military shared responsibility, either directly or through negligence.

Investigators suspect that the students were abducted by drug traffickers in collusion with corrupt police, although exactly what happened to them is unclear.

The so-called “historical truth” — an official version of the case presented in 2015 under then president Enrique Pena Nieto — was widely rejected, notably the theory that the remains were incinerated at a garbage dump.

One theory the commission put forward was that cartel members targeted the students because they had unknowingly taken a bus with drugs hidden inside.

Vazquez Arellano believes that Lopez Obrador had “the political will” to uncover the truth and credited him with making progress during his six-year term, which will end next week.

“But until we really know what happened that night and where the students are, it won’t be enough,” he added.

Vazquez Arellano deplored “inertia” and an approach within state institutions that favored “impunity rather than justice.”

The lawmaker, who was re-elected in June, has his sights set on Omar Garcia Harfuch, a former senior police officer who has been tapped to be security minister under president-elect Claudia Sheinbaum, who will take office on October 1.

“You know what happened on the night of September 26 in Iguala,” Vazquez Arellano said in a video message last October. “You knew how the historical truth was constructed.”

Garcia Harfuch, a former police coordinator in Guerrero who went on to be Mexico City’s security chief under ex-mayor Sheinbaum, has denied having participated in meetings that fabricated the “historical truth”.

Former attorney general Jesus Murillo Karam, the alleged architect of that version of events, was arrested in 2022 on charges of forced disappearance, torture and obstruction of justice.

The people responsible “for all these deceptions and manipulations” must be held to account, said Vazquez Arellano.

The EU vs X: How big could the fines be for Musk?


By AFP
September 25, 2024


The EU is weighing action against X as part of a probe into whether the platform is breaching its content moderation rules - Copyright AFP/File Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV
Daniel ARONSSOHN

Elon Musk’s X is in hot water with the EU for allegedly breaking new content rules — and the world’s richest man risks multibillion-dollar fines even he might find prohibitive.

The European Union could decide within months to take action against X, including possible fines, as part of a probe into whether the social platform is breaching a landmark content moderation law, the Digital Services Act (DSA).

Nothing has yet been decided, but if the EU’s executive does decide to strike then the amount Musk could be liable for might be considerably higher than expected.

That’s because the EU could calculate fines not just on the basis of X’s turnover — but on the revenues of Musk’s entire business empire, including Tesla and SpaceX.

Already embroiled in legal woes in Brazil, the social network formerly known as Twitter was accused by the European Commission in July of misleading users with its blue checkmarks for certified accounts, insufficient advertising transparency and failing to give researchers access to the platform’s data.

The allegations are part of a wider inquiry into X, opened in December, and regulators are still probing how it tackles the spread of illegal content and information manipulation.

Under EU legislation, for each of the offences Brussels could impose a fine of up to six percent of the annual worldwide turnover of the service “provider”.

“This applies irrespective of whether the entity exercising decisive influence over the platform or search engine is a natural or legal person,” European Commission spokesman Thomas Regnier told AFP.

In other words, the EU could hold Musk himself liable and the six percent could be levied against all the companies he controls — not just X.

That would potentially increase the penalty around thirty-fold, up from $200 million if only X’s revenues are targeted to over $6 billion for each of the separate charges.

AFP based the calculation on Tesla’s sales of $97 billion last year and estimates published in the media for X and SpaceX, neither of which release their figures publicly, totalling some $12 billion.



– ‘Very public battle’ –



Whether the EU will ever go that far is a major question.

Even if it does eventually decide to hit Musk with fines, experts say it is unlikely that Brussels would seek the maximum possible from the mega-rich magnate.

But just having the threat of such eye-watering penalties hanging over him could be enough to bring the “free speech absolutist” to heel — even if his net worth is currently estimated at $210 billion.

X can still avoid being told to cough up if it agrees to make changes in line with the EU’s demands.

The company now has access to the EU’s file and can defend itself including by replying to the commission’s findings.

In a move that might soften the tough stance from Brussels, the EU’s tech enforcer Thierry Breton quit suddenly this month after failing to get reappointed for a new term.

The combative Frenchman had taken a hard line against online giants and clashed with Musk in a series of high-profile spats.

For now, EU competition chief Margrethe Vestager is in charge, before Finland’s Henna Virkkunen is expected to take over as the bloc’s new tech chief.

But despite the change in personnel the EU insists its position remains firm.

The implementation of the regulations will now be “less political and flamboyant, but probably just as tough”, said Alexandre de Streel of the Centre on Regulation in Europe.

Romain Rard, from the law firm Gide in Brussels, said that extending the scope of the fine to cover Musk’s other companies would be a “conceivable” option for the commission to take, depending on how his empire is structured legally.

But, Rard cautioned, it would be a “much riskier” strategy for the EU.

Either way, any penalty that might be levied would almost inevitably end up being caught up in complex legal wranglings before the EU’s top court in Luxembourg — especially as Musk has already warned of a “very public battle”.

That could be a high-stakes first test case for the EU’s new content law, which has not yet been tested in court.

“It’s the courts that will end up deciding,” Rard said.

Cryptocurrency platform boss urges tighter regulation


By AFP
September 25, 2024

Cryptocurrencies are 'mined' at digital plants like this one in Paraguay - Copyright AFP Idrees MOHAMMED
Marie-Morgane LE MOEL

The co-founder of one of the world’s most popular cryptocurrencies called for tighter regulation of the sector to guard against the fraud and wild swings that have dogged it, in an interview with AFP.

Jeremy Allaire of Circle recounted the US firm’s decision to offer a stabilised cryptocurrency — and insisted crypto operators owed it to society to submit to safeguards just as other emerging sectors such as AI must.

“We have social objectives that we have to match against the technology,” Allaire said during a visit this week to Circle’s European headquarters in Paris.

Circle offers a USDC “stablecoin”, pegged to the dollar, as well as a euro-pegged variant, EURC.

Currently, $35.5 billion worth of USDC are in circulation.

As with other cryptocurrencies, transactions are recorded on a decentralised ledger, the blockchain, and not by a bank as is the case with traditional currencies.

However, whereas the dollar value of cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin tends to fluctuate, often wildly, the creators of stablecoins actively target a stable value.

In a world propelled by technological development, Allaire said, safeguards are vital for such activities.

“If I’m writing software to control a ballistic missile system, that should be regulated activity,” said Allaire.

“If I’m writing a large language model and deploying that, and it has the potential to do very problematic things in society, there need to be rules that need to be assessed. Crypto is the same thing.”

– Crypto fraud, ransomware –

Cryptocurrencies have made headlines since their creation, from their extreme volatility to the collapse of several industry giants, foremost among them the FTX exchange platform.

The best-known cyptocurrency, bitcoin, remains the currency of choice for paying on the dark web without leaving any trace.

It is used for extorting funds via ransomware attacks, which block access to victims’ computer systems and demand a ransom payment.

According to a recent report by Chainanalysis, the first half of 2024 was marked by a decrease in illicit activities. However, over that period, $460 million was paid out for ransomware, a rise of two percent on a year earlier.

Crypto exhanges operate through open-source software, Allaire noted.

“That helps with transparency, visibility, security, other things.”

But some have been “using the technology to do things outside of any kind of supervision”, he conceded.

“You’ve seen fraud, abuse. You’ve seen people running off with money.”

When cryptocurrency emerged, “unregulated intermediaries” sprang up in the sector, he said.

“Of course, the risks they take… in many cases, have led to significant losses,” Allaire said.

“But that’s not an argument against the technology. That’s an argument against humans. And it’s an argument for better supervision.”

– EU, US crypto regulations –

Regulators across the globe have taken note.

Last year the European Parliament adopted an EU-wide framework for crypto asset markets, “MiCA” — Markets in Crypto-Assets — requiring mandatory approval for digital-asset service providers.

In July, Circle announced it was the first “stablecoin” issuer to comply with this new regulation.

Stablecoins are used to facilitate intra-crypto exchanges by investors without having to go through a bank.

But they also give users access to a product pegged to the dollar without having a bank account in the United States, and allow cross-border payments or money transfers.

In the United States too, greater regulation is on the agenda.

US presidential candidate Kamala Harris was quoted as telling Bloomberg last week: “We will encourage innovative technologies like AI and digital assets, while protecting our consumers and investors.”

In May the US House of Representatives passed a legal framework designed to regulate the crypto market — the Financial Innovation and Technology for the 21st Century Act.

Circle is meanwhile preparing to move its headquarters from Boston to New York City – “at the very top of the World Trade Center… the very heart of the dollar international system,” says Allaire.

“That’s in part symbolic. It’s also who we are, what we’re doing. We’re building, hopefully, the world’s leading digital dollar and upgrading to this new internet financial system.”

OpenAI chief technology officer Mira Murati leaving company

By AFP
September 26, 2024


OpenAI chief technology officer Mira Murati said she is leaving the company to do her own 'exploration' - Copyright AFP Mohd RASFAN

OpenAI chief technology officer Mira Murati on Wednesday said she is leaving the company behind ChatGPT, adding to a growing list of high-level departures.

Murati called her more than six years at the San Francisco-based company “an extraordinary privilege” and described her decision to leave as difficult in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

“There’s never an ideal time to walk away from a place one cherishes, but the moment feels right,” Murati said in the post.

“I want to create the time and space to do my own exploration.”

OpenAI chief Sam Altman replied to Murati’s post with his thanks for what Murati has helped the company build, and promised details on a transition plan soon.

Murati is the latest influential member of the OpenAI team to step away from their position.

Co-founder Greg Brockman is on an extended leave of absence and fellow OpenAI founder John Schulman left for AI sector rival Anthropic, according to a report in The Information.

A product team leader who OpenAI had lured over from Meta also left, the report said.

OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever exited OpenAI early this year in the wake of a boardroom battle that saw Altman temporarily ousted from the company.


Image: — © AFP

OpenAI earlier this month released a new series of artificial intelligence models designed to spend more time thinking — in hopes that generative AI chatbots provide more accurate and beneficial responses.

The new model, nicknamed Strawberry, is designed to tackle complex tasks and solve more challenging problems in science, coding and mathematics — something that earlier models have been criticized for failing to provide consistently.

Unlike their predecessors, these models have been trained to refine their thinking processes, try different methods and recognize mistakes before they deploy a final answer.

OpenAI’s push to improve “thinking” in its model is a response to the persistent problem of “hallucinations” in AI chatbots.

This refers to their tendency to generate persuasive but incorrect content that has somewhat cooled the excitement over ChatGPT-style AI features among business customers.

The new release came as OpenAI was raising funds that could see it valued around $150 billion, which would make it one of the world’s most valuable private companies, according to US media.

Volkswagen crisis pits homegrown leaders against each other


By AFP
September 24, 2024


Volkswagen CEO Oliver Blume is aiming for a package of measures to shore up the carmaker - Copyright AFP Tobias SCHWARZ

Léa PERNELLE

Volkswagen managers and workers representatives will start crunch talks in Hanover on Wednesday, following the German group’s announcement that drastic cost-cutting measures are needed to keep the carmaker competitive.

Two homegrown figures who have spent their entire careers at Volkswagen — group CEO Oliver Blume and head of the works council Daniela Cavallo — will face off at the meeting.

Blume wants to seal a “package” of measures this year to shore up the carmaker, which has struggled with weak demand and a difficult transition to electric vehicles.

Cavallo has promised “bitter resistance” to the plans that include the possible closure of production sites in Germany — an unprecedented step in the 87-year history of Volkswagen.



– The boss –



A mechanical engineer by training, Blume plotted his career through the different brands — Audi, Seat and then VW — before becoming CEO of Porsche in 2015.

The mild-mannered manager, 56, was tapped by the family dynasty behind Volkswagen to become head of the group in 2022, replacing controversial figure Herbert Diess.

A consensus-builder by reputation, Blume was seen as a breath of fresh air after Diess had rubbed shareholders and unions the wrong way with provocative statements.

So it was all the more surprising when Volkswagen announced this month that it could cut thousands of jobs by closing factories in Germany.

The shock proposal alarmed unions and the government but Blume has said drastic action was necessary to take on the “major challenges” faced by the carmaker.

In his short time as CEO, Blume has already sought to cure Volkswagen’s ills, scrapping Diess’s policy of doing everything in-house and striking new partnerships.

The German giant has made investments in Chinese manufacturer XPeng and US outfit Rivian to work on in-car technology, although the new projects will take time to pay off.



– The union leader –



Like Blume, Cavallo was born close to Volkswagen’s headquarters in the central German city of Wolfsburg and has never strayed far from the group.

Her father emigrated to Wolfsburg from Italy to take up a job at Volkswagen along with thousands of other so-called guest workers.

Cavallo, the first woman to lead Volkswagen’s works council, began an apprenticeship at the carmaker out of high school.

In 2002, she was elected to represent workers at the VW subsidiary Auto 5000, working her way up to the head of the general works council in 2021.

“My job is not to understand technology down to the last detail, but to advocate for people’s interests,” Cavallo told Die Zeit newspaper after being criticised for not having spent sufficient time on the factory line.

Cavallo is “very clear on what she wants for employees”, said car market expert Stefan Bratzel, who warned that management should not “underestimate” the 49-year-old.

She reportedly gets along with Blume better than she did with Diess.

There was a slim chance that the two Volkswagen lifers could figure something out “in partnership”, said Bratzel.

High costs, slowing China: VW’s perilous road ahead


By AFP
September 24, 2024


Volkswagen employees protested at the start of a automaker's general meeting last week after it said earlier in the week it could take the unprecedented step of closing production sites in Germany - Copyright AFP/File JUSTIN TALLIS

Sam Reeves, Jean-Philippe Lacour

After Volkswagen’s bombshell announcement earlier this month that it could close factories in Germany for the first time, company management and unions will begin tense talks on a new pay deal Wednesday.

Here are some of the key challenges facing Europe’s biggest car maker:

– High costs –

Volkswagen has repeatedly stressed that its costs are excessive and profit margins too low, particularly at its core VW brand.

Production costs in Germany are “clearly too high”, said a leaflet from VW’s management distributed to the workforce at several sites in the country ahead of the talks.

“We have to increase our productivity. We have to reduce our labour costs.”

All areas would be examined — from development, to manufacturing and distribution — when it comes to cost-cutting, VW group CEO Oliver Blume told public broadcaster ZDF in an interview this week.

High electricity prices, which have risen since the energy crisis triggered by the Ukraine war, as well as elevated labour costs are a significant challenge for the 10-brand group in its home market.

Stefan Bratzel, a German automotive expert, told AFP that VW needs to become “much leaner”, as the company has “too many employees who don’t work hard enough and too many committees”.

Last year the flagship brand sold 2.52 million vehicles with 200,000 employees worldwide, including 120,000 in Germany.

In contrast, Japanese rival Toyota produced almost four times as many vehicles, 9.5 million, with barely twice as many employees.

– China challenge –

Volkswagen — whose brands range from Skoda and Seat to Porsche and Audi — makes around a third of its sales in China, the world’s biggest auto market, but has been losing ground in recent times.

It has three joint ventures in the world’s second biggest economy, about 90,000 employees and 39 plants manufacturing vehicles and components.

According to the Rhodium Group, a US think-tank focused on China, Volkswagen was the biggest European investor in the country in 2021.

But it has been hard hit by China’s economic slowdown coupled with fierce competition from local rivals, particularly when it comes to electric vehicles.

Chinese EV manufacturers, such as BYD, have captured market share with top-selling models packed with technology that appeal to local customers while VW has struggled with a troubled transition to electric cars.

Bloomberg reported last week that VW and one of its joint venture partners plan to close one plant in China and possibly more as sales of combustion-engine cars fall. VW refused to comment on the report.

Blume recognised the group’s problems in China, saying: “The cake has become smaller, and we have more guests at the table.”

– Strong links to the state –

Politics has played a key role at Volkswagen for decades. The state of Lower Saxony — home to VW’s historic Wolfsburg headquarters and several factories — holds 20 percent of the group’s voting shares.

This means it has a blocking minority, allowing it to stop key decisions.

This “hampers the company’s ability to adapt” and means it functions as “a state-owned company”, according to automotive expert Ferdinand Dudenhoeffer.

In addition employee representatives sit on the supervisory board, and wield a veto over the creation and relocation of production sites.

It is also almost impossible to close plants against their will.

– Troubled electric transition –

VW has poured huge sums into its EV shift but the transition has been troubled.

It has launched the ID range of cars, such as the ID.3, but the vehicles have experienced problems with their software.

Former VW CEO Herbert Diess has been criticised for the development of software in-house via subsidiary Cariad, with observers saying the project was costly and botched, and has left the German group lagging behind.

It is hoping to turn around its fortunes with a $5 billion investment in US electric vehicle maker Rivian to create a joint venture, a deal that was announced in June.

 

Unveiling ancient life: New method sheds light on early cellular and metabolic evolution

Tohoku University

 

image: 

Filamentous microfossils from the 1.9 billion-year-old Gunflint Formation studied in this research and the newly proposed sample preparation method. The rock is dissolved in acid to isolate the microfossils, which are then deposited onto ITO glass. 

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Credit: ©Tohoku University

Fossils don't always come in large, dinosaur-sized packages. Microfossils refer to a type of fossil that is so small, it can only be perceived with a microscope. These microfossils can help us understand when and how early life forms developed essential features - ultimately allowing us to study the evolution of life. In order to analyze these microfossils, a pioneering method of analysis has been developed by a research team led by Akizumi Ishida from Tohoku University, in collaboration with experts from the University of Tokyo and Kochi University.

"To analyze microfossils, scientists must detect minute quantities of critical elements like phosphorus and molybdenum," explains Ishida, "However, so far this has proven challenging."

Their work focuses on 1.9-billion-year-old Gunflint microfossils, which are known as the "standard" of microfossil study. The team employed a novel approach by fixing these microfossils onto a specially coated glass slide (ITO-glass), allowing for integrated observations using both optical and electron microscopy.

ITO-glass is a glass plate coated with a thin layer of indium tin oxide (ITO). This conductive coating of metal oxide is not only suitable for electron microscopy and secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), but also allows for optical observation. Due to its transparency, the internal structure of microfossils can be examined.

This method also enabled the precise detection of trace elements within the microfossils. In other words, it was able to clearly detect the true amount contrasted against a base level of background "noise." Phosphorus also occurs naturally in sedimentary rocks, for example, so it's important to be able to tell the difference.

By overcoming the interference from rock-derived elements and materials used to mount the fossils, the researchers successfully identified extremely low levels of phosphorus and molybdenum by using NanoSIMS (High Spatial Resolution Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometer). This device allows for the imaging of almost all elements except noble gases with ultra-high spatial resolution of less than one micron.

Their analysis of phosphorus seen along the contours of microfossils revealed that these ancient microorganisms already had phospholipid cell membranes similar to those found in modern organisms. Additionally, the presence of molybdenum within microfossil bodies suggested the existence of possible nitrogen-fixing metabolic enzymes, consistent with previous reports identifying these microfossils as cyanobacteria.

This innovative protocol is unique in its ability to provide consistent observations and analyses on the same sample. It offers significant advancements in understanding how life evolved on Earth's, providing direct evidence of cell membranes and metabolic processes in ancient microorganisms.

This technique is applicable not only to microfossils but also to early Earth's geological samples with minimal organic material. It opens avenues for analyzing even older geological periods. Additionally, it extends to trace elements such as copper, nickel, and cobalt, which can reveal metabolic patterns. The findings are expected to set new standards in early life evolution research and ultimately contribute to answering the profound questions about when and where life originated and how it evolved on Earth.

These findings were published in Scientific Reports on September 20, 2024.

Results of the multimodal analysis conducted on microfossils mounted on ITO glass. Optical observation, electron microscopy, and secondary ion mass spectrometry were performed on the same sample. The analysis successfully detected phosphorus and molybdenum aligned with the microfossil's membrane structure for the first time.

Credit

©Tohoku University

Journal

Scientific Reports

DOI

10.1038/s41598-024-72191-8 

Article Title

Ultrahigh-resolution imaging of biogenic phosphorus and molybdenum in paleoproterozoic gunflint microfossils

 

Citizen scientists help discover microplastics along the entire German coastline

The AWI's citizen science project "Microplastic Detectives" has analyzed 2.2 tons of sand from German coasts for microplastics

Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research

 

image: 

An empty plastic bottle lies on the beach. Washed up on Sylt's west beach after a stormy night.

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Credit: Alfred Wegener Institute / Sina Löschke

The global production of plastics and the resulting plastic waste has increased to such an extent that plastics have become ubiquitous in our environment. Plastics of various sizes are also found along the German North Sea and Baltic coasts. Previous studies of microplastic pollution on German beaches have often been limited to a few locations. In the citizen science project “Microplastic Detectives”, researchers from the Alfred Wegener Institute, together with citizens, have now collected samples from beaches along the entire German coast to be analyzed for microplastics. The resulting dataset is the first to be large enough to make reliable estimates of the state of pollution along the entire German coastline. The team is publishing its findings in the journal Frontiers in Environmental Science.

Global plastics production could almost triple by 2060, according to estimates by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). This leads to more plastic waste and a build-up of plastic in water bodies, where it breaks down into microplastics - particles smaller than or equal to five millimeters. “This irreversible plastic pollution is affecting species, populations and ecosystems, including along the German coast,” says Dr Bruno Walther, formerly of the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), now at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf and lead author of the recently published study. The extent to which our beaches in the North Sea and Baltic Sea are polluted has so far only been assessed for individual areas or locations, but not for the entire German coast. “This is why we launched the citizen research project 'Microplastic Detectives' to collect comparable data on the large-scale distribution of microplastic pollution along the German coastline.”

With the help of citizen scientists, the research team was able to collect a total of 2.2 tons of sand from 71 locations along the German coast, covering a total area of 68.36 square meters. “We have combined a total of 1139 comparable samples into one large dataset. That's more geographic coverage than we’ve ever had before,” says co-author and AWI biologist Dr Melanie Bergmann. The samples were then dried at the AWI, sieved and analyzed under a microscope for plastic particles as small as one millimeter in size. “In this study, we deliberately focused on large microplastics in order to rule out airborne contamination with small microplastic particles and to simplify sampling for the citizen scientists.”

The results were surprising: “Although we found plastic on 52 out of 71 beaches, the amount of large microplastics in the North Sea and Baltic Seas was lower than in other studies,” explains Bruno Walther. “If we had also analyzed smaller microplastic particles, we would certainly have found much higher concentrations,” adds Melanie Bergmann. In previous AWI studies in the North Sea and the Arctic, microplastics smaller than one millimeter accounted for over 90 per cent of the microplastics found in sediments. “We also randomly selected sampling sites on the beach, rather than focusing on accumulation areas such as drift lines.” This may also explain differences.

Of the 1139 samples analyzed, 177 contained a total of 260 plastic particles. This is an average of about four plastic particles per square meter. On a ten-hectare beach, that would be 400,000 plastic particles. However, the analysis also shows that microplastic pollution varies greatly from place to place.

How effective are policies, and where do policies need to be re-adjusted?

“Our study is the first to provide comparable data on the large-scale distribution of plastic pollution along the entire German coast using standardized methods,” emphasizes Melanie Bergmann. This is necessary, for instance, to be able to map the status quo against the success of future policies to limit plastic pollution. For example, monitoring results suggest that legislative changes may have led to fewer plastic bags being found on the seafloor in north-west Europe over the past 25 years. “But we need stronger, science-based policies that set binding rules on how we avoid, reduce and recycle plastics.” This would include measures to limit the production and use of plastics to essential applications, to ban hazardous ingredients, to increase degradability in nature and thereby enable the circular use of fewer resources.

“Microplastic Detectives” also shows that monitoring programs that involve citizens to collect comprehensive and timely data collection are successful. Interest in supporting science to tackle plastic pollution is huge: “We were surprised by the number of citizen scientists who enthusiastically spent several hours on the beach, diligently collecting, packing and sending samples. We would like to express our heartfelt thanks for this,” says Bruno Walther. “The ideal outcome of our project would be, to use it as a blueprint for long-term and even more intensive monitoring of microplastics pollution on German beaches,” adds Melanie Bergmann. “This is the only way we can review and adapt the measures we urgently need to turn the tide on plastics and their negative impacts on our coastal environment, tourism and human health.” The “Microplastic Detectives” project has now come to an end. However, citizens can still get involved in campaigns such as the Plastic Pirates citizen science project, which has school children collecting data on plastic pollution on coasts and rivers.

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Journal

Frontiers in Environmental Science

DOI

10.3389/fenvs.2024.1458565 

Method of Research

Data/statistical analysis

Article Title

Microplastic detectives: a citizen science project reveals large variation in meso-and microplastic pollution along German coastlines

Article Publication Date

25-Sep-2024

 

Rising waters, waning forests: How scientists are using tree rings to study how rising sea levels affect coastal forests

Guest editorial by Dr LeeAnn Haaf, assistant director of Estuary Science, Partnership for the Delaware Estuary and author of a new Frontiers in Forests and Global Change article

Frontiers

 

image: 

When trees in coastal areas die a graveyard of dead trees—known as a ‘ghost forest’ is left behind. Salt-tolerant marsh plants take root and form a green carpet below the remains of the once-thriving forest. Image: LeeAnn Haaf.

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Credit: LeeAnn Haaf

Sunlight filters through the canopy of pines, holly, sweet gum, and red maple while bird calls echo in the distance. These coastal forests may seem like others in the Mid-Atlantic, but a hidden challenge looms. Standing tall next to their salt marsh neighbors, where the wind carries the sharp scent of sulfidic seawater, these trees are more than just part of the landscape—they are living monuments to a rapidly changing environment. As sea levels rise, the future of these forests is uncertain. While the adjacent salt marshes can adapt to encroaching waters, the trees, vulnerable to the increasing frequency of saltwater flooding, face a grimmer prospect. Additionally, temperatures are increasing, and rain patterns are shifting. How long can the forest withstand the pressure of a changing climate? When will they finally succumb to a rising tide?

Rising tides

Coastal forests occupy low-lying land just above sea level, situated beside tidal marshes. Being low and close to tidal channels, these forests can flood with saltwater, which may happen a few times a year or only during the most severe storms. However, as sea levels rise, the boundary between land and sea pushes upslope, leading to more frequent flooding. Tidal marshes dynamically build elevation or migrate upslope, maintaining their positions relative to flooding. Forests, however, are far less adaptable. Along the lower edges, individual trees begin to die, forcing the forest to retreat until what remains is a graveyard of dead trees—known as a ‘ghost forest.’ Here, salt-tolerant marsh plants, such as smooth cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora), take root and form a green carpet below the remains of the once-thriving forest. This shift is beneficial for tidal marshes, allowing them to expand even in the face of erosion or other threats, but it comes at the expense of the coastal forest.

The stark reality of this transition is already apparent in many coastal areas, where acres of dead trees stand as a testament to the encroaching saltwater. Retreating coastal forest can result in a loss of biodiversity, and perhaps carbon sequestration; if nothing else, it represents the loss of critical buffer space between the land and sea. Land slope plays a role in determining where these forests retreat, but the variability is enough to leave land managers questioning: Where will forests retreat and where will tidal marshes take their place? Proactive management is paramount, as once the trees begin to die, it is likely too late to alter their fate. To anticipate these changes, it is essential to understand the subtleties that occur before tree death. Signals of stress can be gleaned from how well trees are growing as flooding increases, temperature rises, and precipitation patterns change. These signals point towards what conditions may eventually lead to tree death, and depending on other characteristics of the forest, where coastal forests are more vulnerable to retreat.

Tree rings show highly specific effects of sea level rise

Our study delved into this using dendrochronology, the analysis of tree growth rings, to explore relationships between flooding, climate variables, and site-specific conditions. Dendrochronology allows us to understand the conditions under which trees thrive or struggle, with narrower growth rings indicating periods of stress. Traditionally, simple correlations have been used to study these relationships, but we employed a different technique: gradient boosted linear regression. This machine learning approach can uncover complexities that correlations might miss, such as non-linear growth patterns across a spectrum of environmental conditions. We applied this method at four sites, with three tree species common to coastal forests in New Jersey and Delaware: loblolly pine, pitch pine, and American holly.

Our hypothesis was that rising sea levels would lead to reduced growth across species. However, the results were far more nuanced. The effects of sea level rise on tree growth varied depending on temperature, precipitation, and the site. At one site, we found that American holly grew better when winter water levels were higher. Loblolly pines appeared vulnerable to autumn water levels. We also observed frequent non-linear growth responses, painting a more complicated picture of how these forests react to rising sea levels and climate change. We also analyzed whether the gradient-boosted results indicated that trees would fare better or worse under predicted changes in temperature, precipitation, and water levels. Our findings revealed few consistent patterns, highlighting the influence of species and site-specific factors on overall vulnerability.

Learning to manage coastal forests

Before trees reach the point of no return, the impacts of environmental changes on their growth are anything but simple. In some cases, climate change might even enhance resilience to increased flooding. For example, loblolly pine, situated at its northernmost distribution in our study sites, could benefit from warmer winters, perhaps offsetting some stress caused by flooding. Similarly, American holly showed markedly different results between two sites, possibly due to variations in moisture availability. These and other factors likely contribute to the variability in how and when specific coastal forests will retreat in response to sea level rise.

Overall, the effects of climate change and increased flood frequency on coastal forests are complex and often non-linear, highlighting the need for nuanced forest management strategies. In the future, similar dendrochronological studies could serve as valuable tools for assessing coastal forest vulnerability to climate change and sea level rise. Our findings aim to inform land management efforts, helping to strike a balance between conserving coastal forests and tidal marshes given the growing pressures of climate change and sea level rise.

Researchers investigated the possible consequences of climate change on coastal forests. Image: LeeAnn Haaf. 

A ‘ghost forest’ can be the result of coastal forests being flooded with saltwater Image: LeeAnn Haaf.

Researchers investigated the possible consequences of climate change on coastal forests. Image: LeeAnn Haaf. 

Dendrochronology can be used to date tree rings to the exact year they were formed in a tree. Image: Sandra Cross. 

Dr LeeAnn Haaf (pictured) and colleagues used dendrochronology, the analysis of tree growth rings, to explore relationships between flooding, climate variables, and site-specific conditions. Image: Sandra Cross. 

In some coastal areas, acres of dead trees stand as a testament to the encroaching saltwater. Image: LeeAnn Haaf. 

Journal

Frontiers in Forests and Global Change

DOI

10.3389/ffgc.2024.1362650 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Growth conditions of tree species relative to climate change and sea level rise in low-lying Mid Atlantic coastal forests