Buried landforms reveal North Sea’s ancient glacial past

An international team of researchers, including a glaciologist at Newcastle University, UK, has discovered remarkably well-preserved glacial landforms buried almost 1 km beneath the North Sea

Peer-Reviewed Publication

Newcastle University

An international team of researchers, including a glaciologist at Newcastle University, UK, has discovered remarkably well-preserved glacial landforms buried almost 1 km beneath the North Sea.

The team used sound wave, known as seismic, data to reveal Ice Age landforms buried beneath almost 1 km of mud in the North Sea. The results, reported in the journal Science Advances, suggest that the landforms were produced about 1 million years ago, when an ice sheet centred over Norway extended towards the British Isles.

This is important because the timing of this ice advance corresponds to a period of global cooling called the Mid-Pleistocene Transition.

Glacial landforms reveal how past ice sheets responded to changes in climate, which can help to make better predictions about how today’s ice sheets will respond to climate warming. A challenge is that glacial landforms are often buried beneath thick layers of sediment, preventing their identification.   

Dr Christine Batchelor, Senior Lecturer in Physical Geography, Newcastle University, played a key role in the research by helping to map and interpret the landforms. “To fully understand the linkages between ice sheets and climate, we need to study how past ice sheets responded to long-term changes in climate,” said Dr Batchelor. “Using modern seismic data, our results suggests that ice sheets in northwest Europe expanded significantly in response to climate cooling about 1 million years ago.”

Dr Dag Ottesen from the Geological Survey of Norway, the paper’s lead author, said: “This study was made possible by the availability of 3D seismic data from the North Sea, which allowed us to examine the buried landforms in striking detail.”

3D seismic technology was developed to assess sediment suitability to host oil and gas or renewable infrastructures. However, this same data can be used to study buried landforms produced by glacial processes.

The mapped landscape includes streamlined features that were carved beneath the former ice sheet and ridges that record the imprint of the ice sheet as it started to retreat. Despite their ancient age, the landforms have striking resemblance to similar features produced by ice sheets much more recently.

The buried landforms provide new knowledge about the mechanisms by which ice sheets retreat. In order for such subdued landforms to remain unmodified, the former ice sheet must have retreated rapidly by lift-off and floatation of its frontal margin.

In addition to glacial landforms, the researchers also found elongated furrows incised into the former seabed, which they interpreted to have been produced by strong ocean currents. These landforms are even more deeply buried than the glacial landforms, showing that they were produced prior to the advance of the ice sheet.

“With our high-resolution data, we can see that the shape and size of the furrows is consistent with an origin as ocean current furrows,” said Dr Ottesen. “This differs from previous interpretations of these features as glacial landforms, re-writing our understanding of North Sea glacial history.”

By providing a new level of detail about the buried landforms, the findings shed light into the evolution of the North Sea in our recent geological past. The study shows that the North Sea was characterised by strong ocean currents prior to about 1 million years ago, after which it became more directly influenced by ice sheets.

The research team acknowledge that a limitation of the study is a lack of data about the precise age of the landforms.

“A wealth of seismic data are now available for the North Sea”, said Dr Batchelor. “The next step is to acquire long sediment cores that can allow researchers to better understand the timing of glacial events.”

Other co-authors are Helge Løseth at Equinor ASA, Trondheim and Harald Brunstad at Aker BP ASA, Trondheim.

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Journal

Science Advances

DOI

10.1126/sciadv.adq6089 

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

3D seismic evidence for a single Early Pleistocene glaciation of the central North Sea

Article Publication Date

13-Dec-2024

 

Climate- and land use change threaten traditional food sources in Russia’s Far East

Hokkaido University

 

image: 

A variety of local traditional foods displayed during a Bakaldyn (celebration) in Kharyalakh, an Evenk settlement of the Arctic region. (Photo: Varvara Parilova)

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Credit: Varvara Parilova

The distribution of traditional wild food sources in the Republic of Sakha could change significantly, affecting the diets and incomes of Indigenous rural communities who depend on them.

Climate- and land use change could significantly alter the make-up and availability of wild traditional foods in the vast Russian Far East, a region that is home to many Indigenous Peoples who depend on those native foods.

Native plants, animals and fungi obtained from nature in these regions are vital to the health and livelihood of people in remote and rural areas, but traditional food systems are under increasing threat from climate- and land use change. However, little is known about the actual contribution of wild traditional foods towards supporting rural households or how future changes in the environment may compromise these dependencies.

Now, an international team led by Associate Professor Jorge García Molinos of the Arctic Research Center at Hokkaido University have surveyed rural Indigenous settlements in the Republic of Sakha about their use of wild traditional foods and evaluated the potential impact of future climate and land use change on those food systems. Their findings have been published in PNAS Nexus.

The survey covered 400 households in 18 rural settlements across Sakha. It collected data on demographics, dietary habits, and income-generating activities, such as hunting, fishing and gathering of traditional wild food species.

Analyzing the data revealed that dependence on wild food sources varied over the region, with significantly lower intake in settlements in the more developed and accessible central and western areas but a comparatively much higher intake in communities of the remote and isolated northern Arctic region. In the Arctic settlements, the dietary focus was on wild fish and mammals, but rural households in the southern and western areas consumed preferentially wild plant-based foods, such as berries and nuts.

There was a similar pattern in terms of economic dependence on wild food sources. Wild foods—mostly mammals—made up around 11 percent of total household income in one northern settlement, but only around 3 percent—mostly from berries—in a central settlement.

The researchers then used species distribution models to project future changes in the availability of 51 wild food species under different climate- and land use change scenarios. This involved mapping projected changes at regional and local scales; the latter considered within a 100-kilometer radius of the study settlements, representing the areas in which those wild foods would likely be harvested.

The modeling predicted a general decrease in the number of species by 2050 in southern areas of the Republic of Sakha and mild increases in the northern areas as species contract and expand their ranges in response to environmental changes. Locally, these broad regional changes mean that the number and type of food species available to individual settlements will likely change in the future.

For example, some species, such as moose, are projected to expand their range into the northernmost Arctic regions, thus likely providing new food and economic opportunities for settlements in that area. On the other hand, some species in central and southern areas, such as blackcurrant, wild onion and lingonberry, are projected to experience a sharp decrease in habitat suitability, likely becoming unavailable to some of the settlements in these regions, particularly under the most extreme emission scenario.

“Although our models project these local losses may be compensated by the establishment of other new species  experiencing improvements in habitat conditions, anticipating how such trade-offs in availability of local wild food species will impact these rural communities in the future is an important open question that requires further research,” García Molinos says.

Proportions of wild foods consumed by households in different settlements across regions of the Republic of Sakha. (Jorge García Molinos, et al. PNAS Nexus. November 19, 2024)

Credit

Jorge García Molinos, et al. PNAS Nexus. November 19, 2024

Some of the research team members during the 2023 annual project meeting at Hokkaido University (Photo: Jorge García Molinos)

Credit

Jorge García Molinos

Journal

PNAS Nexus

DOI

10.1093/pnasnexus/pgae523 

Method of Research

Data/statistical analysis

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Future climate and land use changes challenge current dependencies on wild food harvesting by rural Indigenous communities

Habitat loss stokes rabid jackal attacks in Bangladesh


By AFP
December 13, 2024

Typically considered shy creatures, jackals are increasingly coming into contact with humans -- and sometimes biting them -- as their habitat shrinks - Copyright AFP Munir UZ ZAMAN

Sheikh Sabiha ALAM

Few in the Jahan family’s remote Bangladeshi village had seen a jackal up close before the morning one stalked Musqan through the paddy fields, pounced on her, and maimed the four-year-old for life.

Violent and unprovoked attacks by rabid canines are rising around the South Asian nation due to rampant deforestation and habitat loss — a trend experts say has been worsened by climate change.

Musqan is still recovering from the horrific injuries she sustained in the mauling last month by the rabid jackal. While she is rabies-free thanks to prompt treatment, her face is disfigured by bite wounds and one of her eyes remains swollen shut.

“It happened in broad daylight,” her aunt Ishrat Jahan told AFP.

“A jackal pushed her to the ground and blindly bit her. Other villagers later killed it, but they are still traumatised by what happened.”

Golden jackals like the one that maimed Musqan are slender, wolf-like creatures found across Bangladesh, about the same size as a greyhound but lighter in weight.

What made the attack on Musqan unusual was its timing — she was bitten in the daytime, but golden jackals are a nocturnal species.

Animal researcher Zoheb Mahmud of Independent University in Dhaka told AFP that his studies of golden jackals over eight years showed that the “gradual erosion of habitats” had altered their behaviour.

“I found the once-shy creatures had begun staring at us,” he said. “They are supposed to come out in the evening or at night, but we saw them during the day.”

Urbanisation and logging have led to major human encroachment on the habitats where much of Bangladesh’s jackal population resides.

According to monitoring group Global Forest Watch, Bangladesh last year lost 17,800 hectares (44,000 acres) of forest cover — an area roughly three times the size of Manhattan.

Mahmud warned that jackal attacks on humans “would not stop” if the habitat loss continued.



– ‘In crisis’ –



Bangladesh is one the countries ranked most vulnerable to climate change, and there are signs that more extreme weather is making attacks more likely.

The country saw widespread flooding in September that displaced millions of people in the worst-hit areas for the second year running, with floodwaters coursing through forests and driving out their canine inhabitants.

“Due to the flood, the jackals lost their dwellings and food,” jackal bite victim Obaidul Islam told AFP from Nilphamari in the country’s north.

“So they came and bit more than a dozen people in our village.”

Rakibul Hasan Mukul, executive director of civil society wildlife group Arannayk, told AFP that climate change was driving more extreme and frequent flooding in Bangladesh.

He said changes to the weather were also eroding farmlands, displacing their human inhabitants and prompting them to cut down more forests.

“The loss of land has also resulted in increased conflicts between humans and wildlife,” he added.

“People are cutting bushes around wetlands and their homesteads for farming. As a result, small mammals are in crisis, losing their habitats.”


– ‘Rip out flesh’ –


While Bangladesh’s health ministry does not maintain specific records on jackal bites, reports from hospitals indicate an alarming and possibly unprecedented frequency of attacks this year.

The Munshiganj District Hospital, south of Dhaka, treated 20 people for bites on just a single day in September.

“I have never seen so many people coming in with jackal bites on a single day before,” hospital superintendent Dewan Nizam Uddin Ahmed told AFP.

Another hospital administrator in Dinajpur, on the other side of the country, told AFP there had been 12 cases in one day at his facility.

“We are regularly getting bite patients,” Dinajpur Hospital superintendent Mohammad Fazlur Rahman said. “The jackals are roaming freely through the farmland.”

Golden jackals are by nature shy and usually avoid human contact unless they contract rabies, a disease that quickly turns them bold and aggressive as its symptoms take hold.

Endemic across Bangladesh, rabies spreads quickly among canine species when infected animals bite and draw blood from other creatures.

The disease is almost guaranteed to lead to a prolonged and painful death in humans once symptoms show. Prompt intervention is needed to stop the disease in its tracks.

After Musqan was bitten last month, she received treatment for three days to prevent a rabies infection, followed by a month in hospital for surgeries related to her wounds, and is still deeply traumatised by the attack.

“We can prevent rabies with vaccines,” Ariful Bashar, one of the doctors at the hospital treating Musqan, told AFP.

“But most of the time, jackals rip out flesh, deforming their victims. Almost all of them then need reconstructive surgery.”

 

Land use in tropical regions: Biodiversity loss due to agricultural trade three times higher than thought

Technical University of Munich (TUM)

 

image: 

Prof. Dr. Livia Cabernard, Professorship for Sustainability Assessment of Food and Agricultural Systems (TUM School of  Life Sciences und TUM School of Management). Image: Astrid Eckert,  Technische Universtität München (TUM);
Free for use in reporting on TUM, with the copyright noted: Astrid Eckert / TUM

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Credit: Astrid Eckert / TUM

Exporting agricultural products from tropical regions to China, the USA, the Middle East, and Europe is three times more harmful to biodiversity than previously assumed. Researchers from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the ETH Zurich have shown this by tracking how agricultural exports from 1995 to 2022 affected land use changes in the producing countries. Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, and Madagascar are particularly affected by species loss.

It has long been known that intensive land use in tropical regions impacts local biodiversity, but the role of trade has been underestimated, according to researchers from TUM and ETH Zurich. Previously, 20 to 30 percent of biodiversity loss in these regions was assumed to be due to agricultural exports. Livia Cabernard, Professor of Sustainability Assessment of Food and Agricultural Systems at TUM, along with Stephan Pfister and Stefanie Hellweg from the Institute of Environmental Engineering at ETH Zurich, have now demonstrated that international trade has caused more than 90 percent of the loss that occurred between 1995 and 2022 due to the conversion of natural areas into agricultural land.

The team used data for the study that breaks down the global economy into sectors, regions, and ecological impacts. A significant difference from previous studies is that the researchers used satellite data to consider the entire development of an area, including after farming ceased. Older models did not take such fallow areas into account. Permanent species loss and the time needed for an ecosystem to recover were thus not reflected in earlier models.

The model also maps trade flows and how they affect land use in different regions. Over 80 percent of land use changes in Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific region during the study period were due to increased agricultural exports. The leading importers of these goods are China (26 percent), the USA (16 percent), the Middle East (13 percent), and Europe (8 percent). Hotspots include Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, and Madagascar, where more than 50 percent of global species loss due to land conversion is recorded. In Madagascar and Brazil, the land is mainly used for livestock grazing, while rice and oilseeds (such as palm oil) are predominant in Indonesia. In Mexico, vegetables, nuts, and fruits are the main crops.

Outsourcing species loss has global consequences

For many importing countries, outsourcing agriculture has apparent advantages: the negative impacts on domestic biodiversity decreased as less land was used for agriculture, and there was an increase in conservation and restoration measures. This applies to countries like Spain, Italy, Greece, and the USA. At the same time, although biodiversity losses due to domestic consumption have decreased in Brazil and Mexico, overall losses have increased due to rising agricultural exports. “This is an alarming finding, as the threat to global biodiversity per square meter in tropical regions is a hundred times higher than in the importing countries,” says Livia Cabernard.

The species loss caused in this way has been underestimated as a problem. “The connections between global trade and biodiversity loss are highly complex but of great importance. We need to think about environmental impacts on a global scale and combine various measures to develop effective levers. Supporting domestic agriculture in countries like Germany and Switzerland, ensuring transparent supply chains, and pricing that reflects ecological damage would be important steps to avoid species loss in these hotspots. ”

Publication:

Cabernard, L., Pfister, S. & Hellweg, S.: Biodiversity impacts of recent land-use change driven by increases in agri-food imports. Nat Sustain 7 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-024-01433-4

Scientific contact:

Prof. Dr. Livia Cabernard

Technical University of Munich

Professorship of Sustainability Assessment of Food and Agricultural Systems

Tel.: +49 8161-71-5632

livia.cabernard@tum.de

https://www.ep.mgt.tum.de/saf/home/

 

TUM Corporate Communications Center contact

Anja Lapac

Media Relations

Tel.: +49 8161 71-5403

presse@tum.de

www.tum.de

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Journal

Nature Communications

DOI

10.1038/s41893-024-01433-4 

Method of Research

Data/statistical analysis

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Land use in tropical regions: Biodiversity loss due to agricultural trade three times higher than thought

 

Climate change and innovative paths to a more sustainable future

Shanghai Jiao Tong University Journal Center

 

image: 

Dr. Steven Chu in the 16th US-China Green Energy Summit

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Credit: All authors

As the global climate crisis intensifies, the demands for innovative and scalable solutions grow increasingly urgent. In a recent article published in Frontiers in Energy, Nobel laureate Dr. Steven Chu, from Stanford University, and Qi Wang of the US-China Green Energy Council outline key technological advancements and the pressing need for a paradigm shift in how societies define progress and "wealth". Their work offers a roadmap to addressing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions while fostering sustainable development.

The authors emphasize the growing evidences of human-driven climate change, pointing to rising GHG emissions and their cascading effects on ecosystems and societies. With emissions reaching 52 gigatons of CO2 equivalent by 2023, Dr. Chu warns, "We're not just facing a challenge; we're in a war against climate change. Immediate, transformative action is necessary to secure a livable planet."

The work underlines the sectors most responsible for emissions, including power generation, transportation, building, and all of materials we use, calling for radical innovation and systemic change. "Achieving net-zero emissions means rethinking nearly every aspect of modern society," Chu asserts.

Agriculture contributes significantly to global emissions, primarily through nitrous oxide released by fertilizers. The authors propose a "fourth agricultural revolution”, leveraging synthetic biology to develop microbes that reduce fertilizer dependence and enhance soil health.

Additionally, the article explores the potential of crops as carbon sinks, suggesting that non-edible plant residues could be compacted and stored to sequester atmospheric CO2. The integration of AI into clean energy systems is another focal point. AI can optimize energy use, predict demand, and accelerate the development of advanced materials. However, the authors caution that AI itself consumes significant energy and must be made more efficient and powered by green electricity.

While technological innovation is crucial, Chu and Wang argue that societal values must also evolve. They advocate for transitioning from a "disposable" culture to one centered on reusability and sustainability. The authors also challenge traditional economic metrics, such as GDP, proposing a redefinition of "wealth" that prioritizes well-being over consumption. "True prosperity isn't measured by how much we consume, but by the quality of our lives and the health of our communities," Chu notes.

The article concludes with a call to action for governments, businesses, and individuals to embrace innovation and collaboration. From renewable energy to sustainable agriculture, the solutions are as diverse as the challenges. However, success depends on global cooperation and a collective commitment to change.

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Journal

Frontiers in Energy

DOI

10.1007/s11708-024-0965-1 

Article Title

Climate change and innovative paths to a more sustainable future

SDG

Multinational enterprises are failing the world’s sustainability goals

Multinational enterprises (MNEs) are not just falling short of global sustainability targets but are actively contributing to the very problems they claim to address, according to a new study from the University of Surrey

University of Surrey

Multinational enterprises (MNEs) are not just falling short of global sustainability targets but are actively contributing to the very problems they claim to address, according to a new study from the University of Surrey. This study argues that there is an urgent need for MNEs to reassess their innovation strategies to align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The research team found that many MNEs are prioritising profit over sustainable practices. The study highlights how MNEs often adopt superficial compliance measures rather than engaging in meaningful, sustainable innovations by analysing case studies from various countries, including both advanced and emerging economies. 

The study found that while MNEs invest in environmentally friendly initiatives, such as renewable energy projects, these efforts often serve as mere marketing tools rather than genuine commitments to sustainability. The researchers conducted extensive interviews with industry leaders, analysed corporate sustainability reports, and examined innovation practices within diverse ecosystems. The results show that many companies are not leveraging local stakeholder knowledge or addressing specific regional sustainability challenges, undermining their potential impact. 

Dr Shasha Zhao, Senior Lecturer in International Business and Innovation and lead author of the study at the University of Surrey, said: 

“Our findings challenge the notion that multinational enterprises (MNEs) are inherently beneficial for sustainable development. Many are simply ticking boxes rather than innovating in ways that truly address the pressing challenges faced by local communities.” 

Many companies in the study expressed frustration over the lack of genuine engagement from MNEs. One local entrepreneur remarked, “It feels like they come here to take rather than to give. We need meaningful partnerships that consider our unique challenges.” 

The disconnect between MNEs’ stated commitments and their actual practices raises questions about corporate accountability and the effectiveness of current sustainability frameworks. The research suggests that a more collaborative approach involving local communities and stakeholders is crucial for MNEs to create innovations that genuinely contribute to solving social and environmental issues. 

Dr Zhao continued: 

“This is a wake-up call. To be part of the solution, they must engage deeply with local contexts and move beyond superficial commitments to sustainable innovation. Multinational Enterprises are uniquely positioned to drive positive change. By integrating sustainable practices and fostering innovation ecosystems, companies can address pressing issues such as climate change, political instability, and social inequality.”  

 

[ENDS] 

Notes to Editors: 

• Dr Shasha Zhao is available for interviews. Please contact: mediarelations@surrey.ac.uk 

• The full paper is published in the International Business Review, volume 33, issue 1. 

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Journal

International Business Review

DOI

10.1016/j.ibusrev.2024.102318 

Method of Research

Observational study

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

The determinants of multinational enterprises' sustainable innovations

 

The great ripple - how a tsunami can disrupt global trade

Tohoku University

 

image: 

(a) The global port network of liner services. Ports estimated to be damaged under (b) present sea levels (n = 11) and (c) SSP5 - 8.5 (Low confidence) sea level rise scenario by 2100 (n = 15). Red squares represent damaged ports and orange dots represent ports that can serve as substitutes during a tsunami disaster. 

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Credit: Constance Chua

Port disruptions are costly, very costly. While the 2011 Tohoku tsunami caused around $12 billion in damages to port facilities and vessels, the ensuing port disruptions resulted in a loss in seaborne trade that cost approximately $3.4 billion per day.

Shipping facilitates more than 80% of global trade, meaning disruptions to the global port network can have severe consequences for global commerce. Despite these risks, tsunamis are rarely considered in port capital planning or structural design. This oversight is partly due to the infrequent occurrence of tsunamis and the lack of robust methods to quantify potential risks.

In response, a group of researchers has proposed a framework to evaluate tsunami risk to seaports and the global port network. The framework estimates potential economic losses in trade caused by port disruptions while also analyzing the ripple effect it would have on the global port network, including the ramifications for shipping routes and ports not directly affected by physical damage.

Constance Chua, a postdoctoral researcher at Tohoku University's International Research Institute of Disaster Science (IRIDeS), led the study, with the support of Professor Fumihiko Imamura, Associate Professor Anawat Suppasri, and Professor Adam Switzer from Nanyang Technological University.

"We applied our framework to the South China Sea, focusing on a potential tsunami scenario triggered by a rupture along the Manila Trench," says Chua. "We also incorporated tsunami conditions under future sea level rises."

In total, Chua and her colleagues evaluated 104 scenarios, thanks to the help of international experts from various fields. These included Dr. Tanghua Li, a geophysicist at the Earth Observatory of Singapore who specializes in sea-level rise modeling in Asia; Research Professor Qiang Qiu, a tectonic geodesy expert on the Manila Trench based at the Chinese Academy of Sciences; and Professor Linlin Li, a renowned tsunami modeling expert from Sun Yat-sen University. Each expert contributed the latest knowledge and models on different hazard components, ensuring a broad base of factors was considered, thereby creating scenarios that mirrored reality as closely as possible.

The study found that a Manila Trench tsunami could damage up to 11 international seaports under present-day sea-level conditions and up to 15 ports by 2100. In the most severely damaged locations, port closures could last over 200 days.

However, the length of closure did not always translate into the greatest economic loss. Ports with higher annual cargo were more susceptible to economic damage. The ports of Hong Kong, Manila, and Kaohsiung experienced the highest trade losses across all scenarios.

Chua says that a Manila Trench tsunami could have greater repercussions for global trade than past events, such as the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and the costly 2011 Tohoku tsunami. "Since South China hosts some of the busiest ports and sea lanes, the number of disrupted shipping routes would far exceed previous tsunami events. Given the lack of consideration given to tsunami impacts, our study could help stakeholders prepare for such events."

Details of the research were published in the journal Natural Hazards on December 4, 2024.

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Journal

npj Natural Hazards

DOI

10.1038/s44304-024-00039-2 

Article Title

An approach to assessing tsunami risk to the global port network under rising sea levels

 

Hippos 'vulnerable' as gaps in data hinder conservation efforts

University of Leeds

A new database of African hippo populations has revealed huge gaps in our knowledge of where the megaherbivores live and thrive, with populations fragmented and reliant on protected areas.

Hippos are classified as “vulnerable to extinction” by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List and have been called the “neglected megafauna”, with a lack of scientific attention and much less research into their lives and habitats than other large mammals.

University of Leeds School of Biology Postgraduate Researcher Hannah Lacy has developed a spatial database of distribution and population estimates for common hippos across southern Africa. She has uncovered gaps in data on where hippos are present across the region, with some areas lacking population estimates altogether.

On top of this, different survey methods used across countries and regions has made monitoring less reliable, with different levels of funding across African states causing a lack of consistency. In some cases, hippo populations were noted as an incidental finding while researchers were focusing on other species, meaning the data is not comprehensive.

Ms Lacy said: “Without reliable information on where hippos live, and the state of their populations, it is challenging to effectively plan to protect them.

“We need a centralised spatial database and coordinated surveys to improve the conservation of common hippos – who are important ecosystem engineers - across southern Africa.”

As semi-aquatic animals, hippos play a significant and unique part in the ecosystems that support other animals in their surroundings.

She added: “Their feeding habits shape vegetation patterns along water courses, and their dung contributes to aquatic food webs, supporting species like fish and invertebrates. In many regions, they are also an important attraction for eco-tourism, which contributes to local economies and livelihoods. However, despite their ecological, social, and economic importance, common hippos face numerous threats, primarily from human activities.”

Over the last century hippo populations have been hit hard by habitat loss, poaching and conflict with humans. Overall crude population estimates vary from 60,000 to 87,000 in southern Africa, so accurate data on where the animals live and thrive – including geographic range maps and population estimates – is crucial for effective conservation efforts.

The research found that where hippo populations are known to exist, they often rely on cross-border protected areas known as Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCAs), which shows just how important and impactful international collaboration is for successful conservation efforts.

While these protected areas provide an important home for hippos, populations that are cut off from other hippos and only able to breed within a small gene pool are at risk of becoming genetically isolated.

Ms Lacy’s research, published in the journal Biological Conservation, was carried out by studying nearly 200 records from across nine countries in southern Africa - Angola, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Eswatini – including records from other research literature, reports from government bodies and charities, websites, and aerial surveys, dating from 2003 to 2023.

Now she is calling for coordinated surveys and a centralised database to improve hippo conversation efforts and outcomes across the region. A similar African Elephant Database managed by the IUCN African Elephant Specialist Group has become an important tool for protecting elephant populations across the continent.

PhD supervisor Dr Lochran Traill backed Ms Lacy’s research, saying: “The work provides an update on the distribution of common hippo populations across southern Africa, and highlights the extent of population fragmentation and isolation. Hopefully, this information will be useful to conservation decision makers.”

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Journal

Biological Conservation

DOI

10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110878 

Method of Research

Systematic review

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Present distribution of common hippopotamus populations in southern Africa, and the need for a centralised database

 

Activating the hidden pharmaceutical potential of bacteria

Researchers develop a new genetic method for the production of new active ingredients in bacteria

Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research

In contrast to humans, bacteria have the remarkable ability to exchange genetic material with each other. A well-known example with far-reaching consequences is the transfer of antibiotic resistance genes between bacterial pathogens. This gene transfer allows them to adapt quickly to different environmental conditions and is a major driver of the spread of antibiotic resistance. Researchers at the HIPS and the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) have now harnessed this natural principle to amplify and isolate genetic blueprints for new bioactive natural products from bacteria, known as biosynthetic gene clusters. Their innovative approach, called “ACTIMOT”, makes it possible to either produce the natural products encoded in the gene clusters directly in the native bacterium or to transfer them into more suitable microbial production strains to produce the new molecules there. The HIPS is a site of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) in collaboration with Saarland University.

ACTIMOT – short for “Advanced Cas9-mediaTed In vivo MObilization and mulTiplication of BGCs” – leverages the CRISPR-Cas9 technology, which has become known as “gene scissors”, and accordingly allows precise interventions in the genetic material of bacteria. Since biosynthetic gene clusters are often less active under laboratory conditions, they are extracted from the genome using ACTIMOT and inserted into a mobile genetic unit that is then multiplied by the bacterium itself. All these steps are performed exploiting the molecular mechanism that also allows bacteria to transfer resistance genes amongst each other. In many instances, the amplification of the gene clusters on these so-called plasmids is already sufficient to enable the production of the encoded natural products. If this does not succeed, the formed plasmids can be easily transferred into an alternative production strain to produce the encoded natural products. The authors provide successful examples of both approaches in the present study.

“Many biosynthetic gene clusters remain suppressed under laboratory conditions for various reasons, and current efforts to reveal the natural products they encode only address a limited number of them,” says Chengzhang Fu, junior research group leader at HIPS and last author of the study. “Our approach mimics the natural bacterial gene transfer process to directly liberate and amplify entire biosynthetic gene clusters within the native bacterial cell, granting access to previously hidden natural products. Using this technology, we can access the biosynthetic potential of bacteria much faster and easier, as compared to existing methods.”

The team has already demonstrated that ACTIMOT can indeed lead to new discoveries: During the study, the researchers discovered 39 new natural products from four previously unknown natural product classes. These discoveries have given the team confidence that ACTIMOT can significantly accelerate the discovery of new drug candidates. “Microorganisms offer us incredible potential for the production of new chemical matter that we can use, among other things, to develop urgently needed active ingredients,” says Rolf Müller, head of department and scientific director of the HIPS and coordinator of the ‘New Antibiotics’ research area at the DZIF, who also took a leading role in the study. ”So far, large parts of this microbial treasure remain hidden from us. ACTIMOT will help us to further exploit the biosynthetic potential of bacteria and thus significantly advance the development of new active agents.”

In the current study, ACTIMOT has been used with bacteria of the genus Streptomyces. However, the authors are already planning to expand it to other bacterial species with a high potential for the production of unknown natural products. Beyond this, ACTIMOT holds potential for application in various other areas, including the large-scale production of high-value natural products, the exploration of unknown gene pathways, and the identification of starting points for natural product optimization.

Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland:

The Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS) in Saarbrücken was founded jointly by the HZI and Saarland University in 2009. Scientists at HIPS develop and employ experimental and computational approaches to provide new active substances against infectious diseases, optimise them for use in humans and investigate how they can best be transported to their site of action in the human body. A special focus of the institute is on microbial natural products from soil bacteria and the human microbiota as well as innovative medicinal chemistry-driven approaches. www.helmholtz-hips.de

Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research:

Scientists at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) in Braunschweig and other locations in Germany study bacterial and viral infections and the body's defense mechanisms. They have in-depth expertise in natural product research and its use as a valuable source for novel anti-infectives. As a member of the Helmholtz Association and the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), the HZI conducts translational research to lay the foundations for the development of novel therapies and vaccines against infectious diseases. www.helmholtz-hzi.de

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Journal

Science

DOI

10.1126/science.abq7333 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Article Title

Autologous DNA mobilization and multiplication expedite natural products discovery from bacteria

Article Publication Date

13-Dec-2024