How did the bushpig cross the strait? A great puzzle in African mammal biogeography solved by genomics

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF COPENHAGEN - FACULTY OF SCIENCE

 

VIDEO: 

SINCE THEIR TRANSLOCATION FROM MAINLAND AFRICA A COUPLE OF MILLENNIA AGO, WILD BUSHPIG (POTAMOCHOERUS LARVATUS) ROAM FREELY IN MADAGASCAR (NORTHERN HUMID FOREST, ELEVATION ~1500M.)

 

HTTPS://WWW1.BIO.KU.DK/ENGLISH/NEWS/2024/HOW-DID-THE-BUSHPIG-CROSS-THE-STRAIT-A-GREAT-PUZZLE-IN-AFRICAN-MAMMAL-BIOGEOGRAPHY-SOLVED-BY-GENOMICS/ 

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CREDIT: JORDI SALOMA

In the ongoing biodiversity crisis, large terrestrial animals are more threatened by extinction than any other group of organisms. The African continent holds an impressively intact large-mammal community, but there is still a lot we do not know about how these species evolved, became diverse and adapted to the changing climate and habitats. Many of these questions can be addressed by investigating the genomes and genetic variation across species.

New research, published in Nature Communications, uses genomics to answer these evolutionary questions that have been debated amongst scientists for decades: 1) how and when did bushpigs cross the Mozambique Channel and arrive at the island of Madagascar, 2) is there one or two species of bushpigs?

 

 

Since their translocation from mainland Africa a couple of millennia ago, wild bushpig (Potamochoerus larvatus) roam freely in Madagascar (Northern humid forest, elevation ~1500m.) Credit: Jordi Saloma

 

- “This study is a result of a large international collaboration with researchers from Africa and Europe. We sequenced 67 complete bushpig genomes and by using a range of different genetic analyses, we were able to address these long-standing puzzles in African evolution and biogeography”, explains one of the senior authors of the study, Associate Professor at the Department of Biology, Rasmus Heller.

 

Were pigs ferried across the channel during the Medieval era?

The island of Madagascar separated from the African mainland around 160 million years ago, resulting in a largely unique flora and fauna. Remarkably, the bushpig is the only large, wild terrestrial mammal species that has somehow historically crossed the 400-kilometer-wide Mozambique Channel and made it from mainland Africa to the island of Madagascar.

- “Our study establishes that the bushpig was introduced to Madagascar ≈1,000-5,000 years ago from South/South-East Africa”, Rasmus states. Their arrival therefore coincides with the arrival of humans to Madagascar from a region around southern Africa. Rasmus continues: “The likely explanation for this is that people transported these bushpigs across the channel. These results contradict previously published studies which dated the arrival of bushpigs ≈480,000 years ago, well before humans were present on the island”. It has been suggested that some endemic Madagascar species might have arrived by rafting as passengers on floats of vegetation.

- “Intriguingly, our results raise a host of new questions: was the bushpig actually brought to Madagascar as a somewhat domesticated species? There is no archaeological or other evidence of bushpig domestication ever occurring, despite them being an important source of protein for many rural communities. And who was it that transported these animals to Madagascar? Was it Bantu-speakers, Austronesian-speakers or both? These questions and others still remain to be explored,” explains Renzo F. Balboa, postdoc at the Department of Biology and one of the leading authors of the study.

 

Does two actually equal one?

African bushpigs, which primarily are found in East/Southern Africa, and red river hogs, which are found in West/Central Africa, were considered the same species in the past, but were subsequently redefined as two species around the 1990s, largely due to their quite distinctive looks.

The red river hogs are, as the name implies red, and have long, tufted ears reminiscent of a comical Star Wars character, while eastern and southern African bushpigs are greyish and look more like our own wild boar, although with a beautiful white mane thrown in for good measure.

Biologists have been arguing for decades about whether these two forms are actually one or two different species - a debate that is characteristic of similar scientific uncertainty surrounding many other African mammals.

- “In this study, we were able to conclude that red river hogs and bushpigs have had lots of gene flow, which means they are not only able to potentially interbreed, but they have in fact done so extensively when they have met in central Africa. Furthermore, the branching of the two types in the Tree of Life is not all that old, only a few hundred thousand years, which is not long in the evolutionary scheme of things. Hence, we now know that although there are two quite different-looking lineages of bushpigs, their biological separation is incomplete, depending on how you define species”, explains Laura D. Bertola, postdoc at the Department of Biology and the other leading author of the study.

Laura continues: “Genomic data can give us insights into patterns of biodiversity on a much higher resolution than previously possible. For example, we can infer detailed population structure, but also underlying processes like gene flow and selection. Gaining improved insights into patterns of biodiversity and the underlying processes that drive them, will be crucial for effective conservation measures”.

Africa is a unique continent regarding the diversity of the megafauna which is still around. Studying the evolutionary history of these species can give us important insights into African biodiversity, which is highly relevant at a time where biodiversity is being lost at an alarming pace. The new findings contribute to our understanding of prehistoric relations between Africa’s humans and wildlife, but also the very fundamentals about how much biodiversity there is on this amazing continent.

- “This study is a great example of how involving local researchers and wildlife management authorities can lead to more robust and inclusive scientific research”, co-author Vincent Muwanika, Associate Professor of Conservation Biology, at Makerere University, Uganda, concludes.

 

The study is part of the African Wildlife Genomics research framework led by research groups at the Department of Biology at the University of Copenhagen. This research framework is an associated partner project of the African BioGenome Project (https://africanbiogenome.org/) - an African-led initiative to use genomics in the service of conservation and capacity building in Africa.

Find the article here Nature Communications

The study was supported by the Independent Research Fund Denmark, the Carlsberg Foundation, Villum Foundation and other funding sources.

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JOURNAL

Nature Communications

ARTICLE TITLE

African bushpigs exhibit porous species boundaries and appeared in Madagascar concurrently with human arrival

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

3-Jan-2024

 

Putting your toddler in front of the TV? You might hurt their ability to process the world around them, new data suggests

Peer-Reviewed Publication

DREXEL UNIVERSITY

Babies and toddlers exposed to television or video viewing may be more likely to exhibit atypical sensory behaviors, such as being disengaged and disinterested in activities, seeking more intense stimulation in an environment, or being overwhelmed by sensations like loud sounds or bright lights, according to data from researchers at Drexel’s College of Medicine published today in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.

According to the researchers, children exposed to greater TV viewing by their second birthday were more likely to develop atypical sensory processing behaviors, such as “sensation seeking” and “sensation avoiding,” as well as “low registration” — being less sensitive or slower to respond to stimuli, such as their name being called, by 33 months old.

Sensory processing skills reflect the body’s ability to respond efficiently and appropriately to information and stimuli received by its sensory systems, such as what the toddler hears, sees, touches, and tastes.

The team pulled 2011-2014 data on television or DVD-watching by babies and toddlers at 12- 18- and 24-months from the National Children’s Study of 1,471 children (50% male) nationwide.

Sensory processing outcomes were assessed at 33 months using the Infant/Toddler Sensory Profile (ITSP), a questionnaire completed by parents/caregivers, designed to give insights on how children process what they see, hear and smell, etc.

ITSP subscales examine children’s patterns of low registration, sensation seeking, such as excessively touching or smelling objects; sensory sensitivity, such as being overly upset or irritated by lights and noise; and sensation avoiding — actively trying to control their environment to avoid things like having their teeth brushed. Children score in “typical,” “high” or “low” groups based on how often they display various sensory-related behaviors. Scores were considered “typical” if they were within one standard deviation from the average of the ITSP norm.

Measurements of screen exposure at 12-months were based on caregiver responses to the question: “Does your child watch TV and/or DVDs? (yes/no),” and at 18- and 24- months based on the question: “Over the past 30 days, on average, how many hours per day did your child watch TV and/or DVDs?”

The findings suggest:

• At 12 months, any screen exposure compared to no screen viewing was associated with a 105% greater likelihood of exhibiting “high” sensory behaviors instead of “typical” sensory behaviors related to low registration at 33 months 
• At 18 months, each additional hour of daily screen time was associated with 23% increased odds of exhibiting “high” sensory behaviors related to later sensation avoiding and low registration.
• At 24 months, each additional hour of daily screen time was associated with a 20% increased odds of “high” sensation seeking, sensory sensitivity, and sensation avoiding at 33 months.

The researchers adjusted for age, whether the child was born prematurely, caregiver education, race/ethnicity and other factors, such as how often the child engages in play or walks with the caregiver.

The findings add to a growing list of concerning health and developmental outcomes linked to screen time in infants and toddlers, including language delay, autism spectrum disorder, behavioral issues, sleep struggles, attention problems and problem-solving delays.

“This association could have important implications for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism, as atypical sensory processing is much more prevalent in these populations,” said lead author Karen Heffler, MD, an associate professor of Psychiatry in Drexel’s College of Medicine. “Repetitive behavior, such as that seen in autism spectrum disorder, is highly correlated with atypical sensory processing. Future work may determine whether early life screen time could fuel the sensory brain hyperconnectivity seen in autism spectrum disorders, such as heightened brain responses to sensory stimulation.”

Atypical sensory processing in kids with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and ADHD manifests in a range of detrimental behaviors. In children with ASD, greater sensation seeking or sensation avoiding, heightened sensory sensitivity and low registration have been associated with irritability, hyperactivity, eating and sleeping struggles, as well as social problems. In kids with ADHD, atypical sensory processing is linked to trouble with executive function, anxiety and lower quality of life.

“Considering this link between high screen time and a growing list of developmental and behavioral problems, it may be beneficial for toddlers exhibiting these symptoms to undergo a period of screen time reduction, along with sensory processing practices delivered by occupational therapists,” said Heffler.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) discourages screen time for babies under 18-24 months. Live video chat is considered by the AAP to be okay, as there may be benefit from the interaction that takes place. AAP recommends time limitations on digital media use for children 2 to 5 years to typically no more than 1 hour per day.

“Parent training and education are key to minimizing, or hopefully even avoiding, screen time in children younger than two years,” said senior author David Bennett, PhD, a professor of Psychiatry in Drexel’s College of Medicine.”

Despite the evidence, many toddlers view screens more often. As of 2014, children age 2 and under in the United States averaged 3 hours, 3 minutes a day of screen time, up from 1 hour, 19 minutes a day in 1997, according to a 2019 research letter in JAMA Pediatrics. Some parents cite exhaustion and inability for affordable alternatives as reasons for the screen time, according to a July 2015 study in the Journal of Nutrition and Behavior.

Although the current paper looked strictly at television or DVD watching, and not media viewed on smartphones or tablets, it does provide some of the earliest data linking early-life digital media exposure with later atypical sensory processing across multiple behaviors. The authors said future research is needed to better understand the mechanisms that drive the association between early-life screen time and atypical sensory processing.

In addition to Heffler and Bennett, authors on this paper include Binod Acharya, who completed the work while at Drexel’s Dornsife School of Public Health’s Urban Health Collaborative, and Keshab Subedi from Christiana Care Health Systems.

 

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JOURNAL

JAMA Pediatrics

DOI

10.1001/jamapediatrics.2023.5923 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Data/statistical analysis

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Early-Life Digital Media Experiences and Development of Atypical Sensory Processing

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

8-Jan-2024

 

Use of habitat for agricultural purposes puts primate infants at risk

Study reveals link between frequent plantation visits and infant mortality in wild southern pig-tailed macaques in Peninsular Malaysia

Peer-Reviewed Publication

GERMAN CENTRE FOR INTEGRATIVE BIODIVERSITY RESEARCH (IDIV) HALLE-JENA-LEIPZIG

 

IMAGE: 

FEMALE SOUTHERN PIG-TAILED MACAQUE WITH INFANT.

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CREDIT: ANNA HOLZNER

Frequent visits to oil palm plantations are leading to a sharp increase in mortality rates among infant southern pig-tailed macaques (Macaca nemestrina) in the wild, according to a new study published in Current Biology. In addition to increased risk from predators and human encounters, exposure to harmful agricultural chemicals in this environment may negatively affect infant development.

In wild populations, infant survival is crucial for determining individual fitness and for maintaining viable populations in changing environments. For primates, agricultural areas adjacent to tropical forest habitat can be a mixed blessing: While crop plantations can provide easy access to food, they also come with increased exposure to various hazards, which is likely contributing to reduced infant survival in several wild primate species.

Exposure to palm plantations increases infant mortality

In a long-term collaboration between Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Leipzig University (UL), and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (MPI EVA), researchers set out to investigate potential links between frequent visits to oil palm plantations and the particularly high infant mortality they observed among wild southern pig-tailed macaques in Peninsular Malaysia. In a habituated study population in this region, 57% of all infants born between 2014 and 2023 died before the age of one – a rate that far exceeds mortality rates reported in other wild primate populations.

For almost ten years, the researchers followed two groups of macaques living in a mosaic of rainforest and oil palm plantations. They found that prolonged exposure to oil palm plantations during infancy tripled the likelihood of infant mortality. This key finding could be explained by increased encounters with predators and humans, and potential exposure to harmful chemicals such as pesticides in this environment.

“Some of these risks are relatively clear: infant macaques are more likely to fall prey to feral dogs that roam in the plantations in packs or to be captured by humans and sold illegally as pets,” explains Dr Nadine Ruppert from USM, who established and leads the field site. “But the potential long-term effects of the pesticides used to manage the monocultures on mammalian wildlife are much less obvious and very poorly understood.”

Pesticides may affect foetal development

The study also found increased infant mortality rates when mothers gave birth for the first time or when there was a long interval between two consecutives births, which contradicts studies that report increased mortality when the interbirth interval is shorter. The accumulation or uptake of pesticides in the mother’s body may play a key role: “The literature suggests that certain harmful substances used in agriculture can cross the placental barrier and be passed on to the unborn offspring. We also know that certain fat-soluble molecules can be passed on through breastmilk,” says lead author Dr Anna Holzner (iDiv, MPI EVA, UL and USM). “Accordingly, the longer the chemicals accumulate in the mother’s body, the more they could influence foetal development during pregnancy and also during lactation.”

The study highlights the urgent need to address anthropogenic threats to animals in agricultural landscapes. “We know that the use of pesticides in agriculture has led to drastic declines in insect populations, so chemical analysis is essential to understand the effects of pesticides on mammalian wildlife,” says Professor Dr Anja Widdig (UL, MPI EVA and iDiv), senior author and leading PI in this iDiv Flexpool project. “Our findings underscore the critical need to implement environmentally friendly cultivation practices that minimise the risks to wildlife populations and also to people living near plantations.”

Infant southern pig-tailed macaque feeding on an oil palm fruit.

CREDIT

Anna Holzner

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JOURNAL

Current Biology

DOI

10.1016/j.cub.2023.12.002 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Observational study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Animals

ARTICLE TITLE

Agricultural habitat use affects infant survivorship in an endangered macaque species.

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

8-Jan-2024

 

Exploring dimensions of justice in climate science

Peer-Reviewed Publication

INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR APPLIED SYSTEMS ANALYSIS

How can climate policy be made more just and fair? IIASA researchers have synthesized different dimensions of justice into a framework that can be used by climate scientists and policymakers, explaining how previous research has neglected many potential justice positions and how these can be implemented in policy contexts.

Dealing with climate change is not just about the environment – it is also about justice and fairness. This includes how we transition to cleaner ways of living, the different impacts on various groups of people, and who is responsible for what. Paying more attention to fairness and justice when making decisions will help policymakers to devise better climate policies that people can agree on.

Currently, people however don't always understand or talk about these concepts in the same way. While experts may think about justice and fairness when they plan ways to, for example, reduce carbon emissions, they often don't explain it clearly, instead using different words and measures, which can confuse both researchers and the public. This confusion makes it harder to share and understand the results.

In their new study published in Nature Climate Change, IIASA researchers propose a conceptual framework rooted in philosophical theory to address this gap in possibly the first systematic attempt to describe these different aspects or dimensions of justice for the climate domain in an interdisciplinary context. Their innovative framework synthesizes distributional, procedural, corrective, recognitional, and transitional justice that can be used by scientists and policymakers.

The framework aims to enhance interdisciplinary understanding of climate justice to prevent its mischaracterization and its misuse to justify delayed climate action. Recognizing that justice can either support or hinder decarbonization efforts, the researchers note that more research on justice-related issues is essential for the next cycle of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

“This framework aims to achieve three goals: improve clarity by using terminology from justice scholarship; promote awareness and consistency in examining justice concerns as part of a coherent whole; and enhance comparability across scenarios and modeling contexts, to facilitate discussions on these issues,” explains IIASA researcher Caroline Zimm, one of the study lead authors.

To implement this framework effectively, the authors propose the creation of a Justice Model Intercomparison Project (JUSTMIP) focused on mitigation scenarios.

“JUSTMIP would provide reporting templates for in-depth exploration of various research aspects, sectors, and model comparisons within the context of scenarios used by the next IPCC Assessment Report. This will raise awareness about the possibilities and limitations regarding justice considerations in these scenarios and enhance transparency,” notes IIASA Energy, Climate, and Environment Program Director, Keywan Riahi.

“It is important to note that our framework does not aim to evaluate what is just or unjust but rather provides a structured platform for identifying and discussing justice considerations. By bringing clarity and consistency to the discourse surrounding climate justice, this framework will empower both researchers and policymakers to navigate the intricate justice landscape and ensure that justice is a fundamental aspect of climate policy decisions,” concludes co-lead author Kian Mintz-Woo, a guest researcher at IIASA who is also associated with the Department of Philosophy and the Environmental Research Institute at University College Cork in Ireland.

This pioneering work is a significant step toward a more holistic and multidimensional understanding of justice in the context of climate change, offering a valuable tool to advance climate policy and research worldwide.

Reference
Zimm, C., Mintz-Woo, K., Brutschin, E., Hanger-Kopp, S., Hoffmann, R., Kikstra, J.S., Kuhn, M., Min, J., Muttarak, R., Pachauri, S., Patange, O., Riahi, K., Schinko, T. (2024). Justice considerations in climate research. Nature Climate Change DOI: 10.1038/s41558-023-01869-0

 

About IIASA:
The International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) is an international scientific institute that conducts research into the critical issues of global environmental, economic, technological, and social change that we face in the twenty-first century. Our findings provide valuable options to policymakers to shape the future of our changing world. IIASA is independent and funded by prestigious research funding agencies in Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe. www.iiasa.ac.at

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JOURNAL

Nature Climate Change

DOI

10.1038/s41558-023-01869-0 

ARTICLE TITLE

Justice considerations in climate research

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

8-Jan-2024

 

First ever scientific study on First World War crater reveals new details on its history

Peer-Reviewed Publication

TAYLOR & FRANCIS GROUP

 

IMAGE: 

THE EARTH SETTLES FOLLOWING THE EXPLOSION OF THE MINE BENEATH HAWTHORN RIDGE REDOUBT ON JULY 1, 1916. PHOTO BY ERNEST BROOKS

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CREDIT: ERNEST BROOKS

The spectacular explosion of the mine at Hawthorn Ridge – a fortified German front-line position in the First World War – marked the beginning of the Battle of the Somme, and remains one of the best-known pieces of film from the whole conflict.

More than 60ft below the surface, British miners had dug a gallery for more than 900 metres from their lines and packed it with 40,000 lbs of explosives. It was one of 19 mines placed beneath German front positions that were detonated on 1st July, 1916 to mark the start of the offensive.

But the detonation of the mine at Hawthorn Ridge, famously captured by film director Geoffrey Malins, took place 10 minutes before the whistles blew at 7.30am. The early detonation, later described as a ‘colossal blunder’, alerted the Germans the infantry attack was imminent and gave them enough time to take up defensive positions in the newly-formed crater, leading to heavy losses among the attacking British troops.

Now, findings from the first ever multi-disciplinary scientific investigation of the 107-year-old crater have been published in the Journal of Conflict Archaeology. The team of researchers, scientists and historians, led by Keele University, used a range of cutting–edge technology, including drones with imaging cameras, to examine the area like never before.

Researchers discovered and excavated two sections of trenches, known as fire bays, that were used to consolidate newly-formed craters, highlighting how the Germans successfully incorporated the crater rim into their front line after the blast. They also recovered probable communication wire and distinctive German barbed wire, and found evidence of a previously unknown shallow tunnel, believed to have been dug out from the crater by German forces to provide an advanced position in No Man’s Land. They say their findings reveal new details on the history of the crater, its capture by the Germans and how they successfully incorporated it into their front line after the blast.

Dr Jamie Pringle, a forensic geoscientist at Keele University, said: “The explosion of the mine was the very first action of the Battle of the Somme, intended to give Allied forces the upper hand. We found physical evidence for the first time of how German soldiers had consolidated part of the crater left behind after the explosion, and actually used it to their advantage as a new defensive position.”

The group were given exclusive access to the site in France after the Hawthorn Ridge Crater Association took on a 99-year lease from the local authority in 2018 to protect it for future generations. The association was set up as a Franco-British organisation dedicated to the preservation and protection of the site, and carried out extensive clearance works that provided the first opportunity for detailed study.

A second mine was blown by British forces on November 13th, causing a new crater to be formed. This explosion was much more effective, aiding the 51st Highland Division to capture the ridge and nearby village of Beaumont Hamel, which had been a prominent feature of the German frontline position.

The researchers were able to pinpoint the epicentres of the two separate mine detonation locations, and identified 27 post-explosion impact shell homes, fired from British lines as they tried to dislodge the Germans. They also found an unexploded British shrapnel artillery shell with its time-fuse still intact, representative of the large number that failed to explode on the Somme, and an empty ammunition box for a Vickers Machine Gun, reflecting the period of British occupation of the site.

Dr Kris Wisniewski, a lecturer in Forensic Science at Keele University, said: “The land had been in private ownership for almost 100 years, so this scientific study, the first to be carried out on this historically important crater, was both exciting and significant. Using a range of scientific methods, we were able to map out the epicentres of both blasts and the boundaries of the subsequent craters caused by the first and second explosions, as well as post-blast defensive positions and Allied shell impact craters.

“Using drones with imaging cameras, we were able to image remotely a probable sap or shallow tunnel to the northwest of the crater, showing the German mastery of No Man’s Land after the initial detonation.”

Professor Peter Doyle, a military historian at Goldsmiths, University of London, who was part of the team, said: “The Germans had quickly mastered the art of capturing craters and used this to their advantage. Though they lost many men in the initial blast, the crater became a part of the German frontline, meaning that the chance to break through the line here was lost.

“Our study has provided new evidence of the strongpoint the Germans built from the captured crater in the middle of No Man’s Land that doomed the British attack to failure. This reinforces the idea that blowing the mine ten minutes early, to give the earth time to settle, was a very bad idea. It was only with concerted effort four months later, and a new mine, that Hawthorn Redoubt was captured by the Highlanders.”

The research team included representatives from Keele University, London South Bank University, Staffordshire University, Atlantic Technological University, Goldsmiths, University of London, Stoke-on-Trent Archaeology Service and Cotswold Archaeology.

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JOURNAL

Journal of Conflict Archaeology

DOI

10.1080/15740773.2023.2297202 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Observational study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

A multidisciplinary scientific investigation of the 1916 Hawthorn Mine Crater, Beaumont Hamel, Somme, Northern France

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

8-Jan-2024

Transit workers go on strike in Metro Vancouver

CBC
Sat, January 6, 2024

Transit supervisors and maintenance workers have begun refusing overtime in Metro Vancouver Saturday as part of job action initiated by their union, CUPE Local 4500. (Ben Nelms/CBC - image credit)

Metro Vancouver transit workers represented by CUPE Local 4500 have begun job action on Saturday.

More than 180 transit supervisors, engineers and a range of maintenance workers within the transit system have started refusing overtime as of 8 a.m. Saturday.

The union says the job action, which followed a 72-hour strike notice on Wednesday, comes as a last resort as talks with their employer, the Coast Mountain Bus Company (CMBC), broke down. The last collective agreement expired in October 2022.

CMBC is a subsidiary of TransLink, the transit authority for Metro Vancouver.

Chris Gindhu, president of Local 4500, says some of the issues that led to the job action were fair wages and excessive workloads.

"We have proposals on the table to increase staffing levels ... and the company has so far refused to consider our solutions," he told CBC News.

Union representative Liam O'Neill previously told CBC News some of their members were "working more overtime than they work straight hours."

Gindhu says transit riders would "definitely notice" service levels drop as a result of the overtime ban, and predicted buses would run late as a result.

"Some buses won't make it into service on time [in] the depots," he said. "Some routes may be affected if the buses are not able to even leave the garage."

A Translink report lists the top 10 most complained about bus routes. Over 50 bus routes have sustained overcrowding, which is up from 38 in 2016. On-bus subjects are Laila Kott and Nizzar Kabalan, who were interviewed on the 116, the second on the list of most-complained about routes. CUPE Local 4500 president Chris Gindhu says commuters will likely notice impacts to bus services as a result of the overtime ban. (Evan Mitsui/CBC)

The union president says talks with the employer involved the efforts of veteran labour mediator, Vince Ready, but negotiations broke down. He says the union is prepared to further escalate job action if necessary.

"TransLink and Coast Mountain Bus Company plan for major expansion in the coming years, where they'll need us even more," he said. "There's a vision [to] double service in the next 10 years. And we haven't even increased staffing levels since 2012.

"Our question to them is how? How are they going to go about that?"

In a statement, Coast Mountain Bus Company president Michael McDaniel urged striking workers to return to the bargaining table with "realistic expectations."

"CMBC has made CUPE 4500 the same wage offer already agreed to by all other CMBC employees," he wrote.

"We will be closely monitoring the ongoing job action, but do not expect the union's overtime ban to have significant impacts to the delivery of transit services."

Gindhu, however, says wage equality with other TransLink employees was the issue, not the general wage increase.

The company employs almost 6,000 people in total, mostly bus drivers, according to the TransLink website.

The strike by transit workers comes on the heels of a historic year for labour action in B.C. and Canada.

Transit workers in the Comox Valley went on strike in December, following a four-month drivers' strike in the Fraser Valley over the summer.

Florida Democratic Senate candidate: 

Jan. 6 like Latin American authoritarianism


Rafael Bernal

The Hill
Sat, January 6, 2024 

Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, a former congresswoman looking to unseat Florida Sen. Rick Scott (R), compared the Jan. 6, 2021, riot on the Capitol to attacks on democracy in Latin American countries.

Ecuador-born Mucarsel-Powell, the first member of Congress born in South America, fled her birth country as a teenager with her family in 1985.

“As a South American immigrant with family still in Latin America, I’ve seen the effects of authoritarian regimes firsthand, and the fight to protect democracy at home and abroad is personal to me,” she told The Hill.

“Like so many immigrants in Florida, I came to the United States in search of the safety and stability of American democracy,” the former lawmaker added. “We’ve seen democracies attacked abroad, and I’ve watched as spineless leaders have remained silent in the face of authoritarians – but I never expected that to happen here.”

Mucarsel-Powell is in a crowded primary, though she’s posted the highest fundraising numbers of any Democrat so far.

While Scott is also facing primary challengers, he is widely expected to retain the Republican nomination and is the favorite to win the general election. But, he is perceived as the closest thing to a vulnerable GOP Senate incumbent.

Scott’s campaign did not wish to provide comment.

Mucarsel-Powell served one term representing Florida’s southernmost district, which had been notorious for flipping parties, but she lost to Rep. Carlos Giménez (R) in 2020, when Republicans made massive gains in South Florida.

That election cycle ended on Jan. 6, 2021, with the certification of President Biden’s win following the attack on the Capitol.

Since then, political divisions have grown, Republicans have won a House majority, former President Trump has taken a seemingly insurmountable lead in the GOP presidential race and campaign rhetoric has heightened, particularly against immigrants.

Trump has added references to immigration “poisoning the blood of this country” to his stump speech, drawing criticism and comparisons to former Nazi leader Adolf Hitler from the left.

Those comparisons have drawn mostly eyerolls from Trump allies, who see the left as grasping at straws to demonize the former president, though some like Giménez have softly pushed back at the rhetoric.

“Rick Scott has remained silent as Donald Trump echoed Hitler’s rhetoric,” Mucarsel-Powell said. “He defended Trump’s involvement in the January 6th insurrection.”

The former representative, who is investing heavily and early to reach Florida’s different Hispanic groups, compared his behavior to the regimes of Nicaragua, Cuba and Venezuela.

“By choosing to put party before country and standing with Donald Trump, Rick Scott is standing with dictators that destroy freedom and democracy like we’ve seen in Nicaragua, Cuba, and Venezuela,” she said. “Rick Scott is a threat to democracy, and we have to stand strong against him and these attacks.”

Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.)

Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) arrives for an all Senators meeting to hear from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky discuss future aide for the war effort on Thursday, September 21, 2023. (Greg Nash)

Republicans have had success painting Democrats in South Florida as sympathetic to those left-leaning dictatorships, but Mucarsel-Powell is using her personal experience with Latin American authoritarianism as a shield against those accusations.

“My story is like the story of so many Latinos that have come here to work hard and look for opportunities. They’re looking, actually, for safety. Many Latinos have fled political violence,” she told The Hill. “And then they come here and then they find themselves living in a country where the rise of violence continues.”

Mucarsel-Powell, whose first language is Spanish, is also making a point of appearing on Spanish-language news radio on a daily basis, tapping into the heart of South Florida’s political scene.

There, she’s been leveling attacks commonly used against Scott — including by his primary opponents — but reaching an audience that’s usually segregated from such direct contact with statewide candidates.

The Senate hopeful believes her early and bilingual Hispanic outreach is the key that will unlock Florida for Democrats after two disastrous campaign cycles.

Throughout his political career, Scott has been lambasted by attacks on his fortune’s origin, a settlement after a complex fraud case involving the company he ran, Columbia/HCA, once the country’s largest health care company.

Mucarsel Powell called that chapter “the largest Medicare fraud ever committed in the history of this country.”

Scott’s also drawn fire for his opposition to public health care programs like Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, and has publicly butted heads with GOP leadership, even challenging Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).

But Scott has proven resilient to political broadsides.

Mucarsel-Powell wants to crack that code with a bilingual delivery of attacks on Scott, her personal story, and an anti-extremism pitch.

“I’ve done everything I can to work with Republicans to serve the people of Florida. I did that as it pertained to Everglades restoration funding,” she said. “I did a lot of work with [Rep.] Brian Mast [R-Fla], trying to protect our clean water here in the state of Florida, [former Rep.] Francis Rooney [R-Fla.].”

“And always, always [I] will sit down and be willing to work with whomever wants to work, to reduce the cost of living, to help families here in Florida thrive,” Mucarsel-Powell added. “We can’t continue to have people leaving our state because they’re scared, because they can’t afford to live here.”

Avian flu H5N1 detected in polar bear in Alaska


CBC
Thu, January 4, 2024 

A 2005 file photo of a polar bear on the Beaufort Sea in Alaska. A biologist working in the state's remote North Slope region recently found a polar bear carcass that was later confirmed to be infected with the highly pathenogenic H5N1 strain. 

(Steven C. Amstrup, USGS/Associated Press - image credit)

Wildlife officials in Alaska have confirmed the first known case of a polar bear that died from avian flu — highlighting growing concerns about the H5N1 strain's potential spread among northern mammals.

Dr. Robert Gerlach, Alaska's state veterinarian, said the young bear's carcass was recently found by a biologist working in the state's remote North Slope region. Swab samples from the dead animal confirmed that it had been infected with the highly pathenogenic H5N1 strain.

"We have had birds detected with the avian influenza virus in that area. So we're making the assumption that the bear had come up onto land and had probably scavenged one of the dead or dying birds, and gotten exposed that way," Gerlach said.

The current global outbreak of H5N1 has led to the loss of millions of birds. The strain was first detected in Canada in 2021 and has devastated poultry farms, and spread to some birds of prey as well as some mammals, experts say.

Gerlach said Alaska is trying to monitor the presence and spread of H5N1 in the state, but it can be difficult in such a vast territory.

"If an animal dies, especially in the wild up here, it can be scavenged rather quickly by other animals. And so it really is a challenge, trying to find these cases," he said.

Gerlach said some bird species in Alaska have been "severely" affected by the outbreak, including eagles and magpies, as well as waterfowl.

Chickens are seen at a poultry farm in Abbotsford, B.C., on Thursday, November 10, 2022. Poultry farmers and wildlife officials in British Columbia's Fraser Valley are reporting "extremely high" levels of stress and anxiety as the latest avian flu outbreak puts millions of birds at risk.
 The current outbreak of avian flu has devastated many poultry farms in that province. 

(Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press)

He said this outbreak seems much different to the last global outbreak of avian flu nearly a decade ago. The previous one "seemed to dissipate rather quickly," Gerlach said.

"In this case, we are seeing it really hang on and being adaptive to stay very influential in wild birds, as well as impacting you know, our domestic poultry."

H5N1 can also infect humans, though such cases are rare and "mostly occur after close contact with infected birds or highly contaminated environments such as poultry farms or live bird markets," according to Health Canada.

Still, Gerlach says it's hard to predict how the global outbreak will evolve. Some scientists worry that it could eventually turn into another pandemic among humans.

"Currently the risk to people is very, very low," Gerlach said.

"But as this virus adapts or mutates, will it change and cause more of a problem? And that's one thing that it's going to be very important that animal health and public health officials work together to study and understand this virus, to go ahead and be prepared."

Tracking infections 'certainly is a challenge,' says Yukon vet

Across the border in the Yukon, territorial veterinarian Jane Harms said she wasn't surprised to learn of the infected polar bear in Alaska given the virus's spread among mammals elsewhere.

Yukon, however, has not seen much evidence of infection in the territory's wildlife so far. Harms said the last known infection was in a wild bird last April. There has also been one known case in a red fox, a little over a year ago.

As in Alaska, it can be hard to track infections in the territory's remote regions, Harms said. Wildlife officials often rely on members of the public to notify them of any sick or dead animals they see while out on the land.

"But it certainly is a challenge," she said.

Harms said the greatest concern right now is for wild bird populations, because it's clear the disease can be transmitted easily from bird to bird.

The risk of widespread, ongoing transmission between mammals is less clear, she said.

"I don't think we've ever seen quite this scope in terms of the number of mammals that have been infected or the range of species. And so we now can add polar bears to that list — but it's already getting to be a fairly long list and that's relatively unprecedented," she said.

"And anytime you have a situation that's sort of unprecedented with regard to wildlife health, that is definitely of concern and something that we are are watching quite closely."