ARACHNOPHOBIA TRIGGER WARNING

Giant spiders that can grow to size of human hand thriving in the UK

TOO LATE

Hannah Al-Othman North of England correspondent
Tue 5 November 2024 

THE GUARDIAB

There are thought to be 10,000 female fen raft spiders now in the wild across the UK.Photograph: Jill Mead/The Guardian


Thousands of giant spiders that can grow to the size of a human hand are thriving in the UK, thanks to a successful breeding programme from Chester zoo.

The fen raft spider is a harmless arachnid that plays a vital role in aquatic ecosystems, but 15 years ago was on the brink of extinction because of habitat loss.

Chester zoo worked with the RSPB to raise hundreds of baby spiders, keeping them separate in test tubes so that they did not eat one another.


Related: Country diary: A mission to help gardening’s invertebrate collateral damage | Phil Gates

The spiders were hand-fed with tweezers in the zoo’s bio-secure breeding facility until they were big enough to be released into the wild.

This year, the spiders have had their best mating season on record, Chester zoo said, with the RSPB estimating that there are 10,000 breeding females across the UK.

According to London zoo, the stretched-out leg span of a fen raft spiders is typically 65-70mm – roughly the width of a human palm or the length of a newborn rat.

The zoo was also involved in the breeding programme, along with other members of BIAZA, the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

The spiders were hand-reared between 2011 and 2013, and later released into the wild. Chester zoo said it had helped to release “thousands” 10 years ago, adding “you can’t miss them, they grow to be the size of your hand!”

“We’re super proud to be part of this conservation breeding rescue programme, working alongside our friends at the RSPB to prevent the extinction of the fen raft spider,” the zoo said in a post on X.

Also known as the great raft spider, the semi-aquatic arachnids have a chocolate-brown body with cream stripes along the side and are able to walk on water. They live in unpolluted fens and marshes.

The first fen raft spider population in the UK was identified in 1956 by the arachnologist Dr Eric Duffey, at the source of the River Waveney in East Anglia.

“Of course, there is also nothing to fear from increased numbers of spiders,” Dave Clarke, who heads up London zoo’s Friendly Spider Programme, wrote in a blog post.

“This is a huge conservation success, both for the spiders and the wider habitat restoration driving the success. And more natural bio-controls out there (even if this species is never coming into human areas) are only a good thing.”

Giant spider population booms in UK as species the size of rats enjoy record mating season

Athena Stavrou
Mon 4 November 2024 
THE INDEPENDENT

Fen Raft spiders can spin a web as large as 25cm and can grow to the size of a rate - but are completely harmless to humans (Algirdas/Creative Commons)


One of the UK’s largest breed of spiders have had the biggest mating season on record as efforts to re-establish the species in the UK receive a major boost.

From near-extinction 14 years ago, the number of fen raft spiders are now soaring increasing thanks to recent conservation efforts.

Only a handful remained as their wetland homes were destroyed by humans in 2010, but work to bring them back from the brink of extinctions saw the likes of Chester Zoo release thousands back into the wild a decade ago.

The zoo has continued to breed the spider, and has now revealed that 10,000 resident breeding females have had the biggest mating season on record.

Sharing the news on social media, Chester Zoo said: “Ten years ago we helped release THOUSANDS of GIANT spiders back into the UK!

“The fen raft spiders were bred right here at the zoo, and we’re super happy to report there’s now more than 10,000 breeding females... and they’ve just had the biggest mating season on record! You can’t miss them, they grow to be the size of your hand! Honestly, you’re so welcome.”

Fen Raft spiders can spin a web as large as 25cm and can grow to the size of a rat - but are completely harmless to humans.

The fen raft spider has a brown or black body with white or cream stripes along the sides. With a span of up to almost three inches (8cm), they are the largest of the UK’s 660 native species of spider.

The species only lives in fens, marshes and wetlands, using their long hairy legs to skate across the surface of the water.

The spiders are not venomous but are semi-aquatic and can run across the water’s surface to capture their prey. Their diet includes other spiders, damselflies, dragonfly larvae and even fish and tadpoles.

They are easiest to spot in grazing marsh ditches from June to September.

They are easiest to spot in grazing marsh ditches from June to September. (Charlie Elder)

Describing how it saved the unique species back in 2011, Chester Zoo said: “Our experts set about rearing hundreds of baby spiders in individual test tubes (so they didn’t eat each other!)”

It added: “Our team delicately hand fed tiny flies to each of the hundreds of spiderlings using tweezers, day in, day out, for weeks on end in our bio-secure breeding facility.

“Eventually, the young spiders grew strong enough to be returned to their natural habitat, which our partners worked to restore, and we released them in their hundreds!”

PFAS linked to gut health issues in young adults, new study finds

Tom Perkins
Tue 5 November 2024 

New research suggests changes in gut bacteria and associated metabolites caused by PFAS seems to be responsible for a decrease in kidney function.Photograph: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images


A new study links toxic PFAS “forever chemical” exposure in young adults to reduced gut health, which researchers suspect is a driver of kidney disease later in life.

Kidney disease is one of the well-established health problems linked to PFAS exposure, and the new research suggests changes in gut bacteria and associated metabolites caused by the chemicals seems to be responsible for up to 50% of a decrease in kidney function seen over a four-year period.

“Along with these metabolic diseases comes a higher risk of diabetic or chronic kidney diseases, and this is one of the fastest-growing causes of mortality in the US, so it’s a really important question,” said Jesse Goodrich, one of the University of Southern California study’s co-authors.


Related: Dozens of ‘high hazard’ toxins are common in beauty products – report

PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a class of about 15,000 compounds that are used to make products water, stain and grease resistant. They are also linked to a range of serious health problems like cancer, immune dysfunction, birth defects, endocrine disruption and liver disease. They are known as “forever chemicals” because they do not fully break down once in the environment.

The only US epidemiological study to check health impacts of PFAS found some of the chemicals probably cause chronic kidney disease. The researchers built on recent findings linking PFAS to gut health effects, and an increased understanding of how gut health is tied to kidney function.

To try to connect those dots, the scientists assembled a small cohort of young adults, a majority of whom were Hispanic, which is a group that has a high rate of metabolic diseases and a high kidney disease risk.

Researchers collected blood and stool samples that allowed them to measure PFAS levels, gut microbiome bacteria and circulating metabolites, then measured kidney function four years later. They found reductions in anti-inflammatory metabolites, as well as the bacteria that produce them, and increases in inflammatory metabolites.

That reduces kidney function, which down the line can increase the risk of the need for dialysis or a kidney transplant, especially if one has diabetes or another disease that affects the kidneys.

It is unclear why PFAS affect gut health, but Goodrich said a “working hypothesis” was that the chemicals mimic fatty acids that are essential to regulating gut health, and the compounds appear to throw off that process.

Related: It’s ‘almost impossible’ to eliminate toxic PFAS from your diet. Here’s what you can do

The study’s sample size was small, and researchers say it points to the need for a wider exploration of the issue. But the authors say the findings could lead to treatment for or prevention of kidney disease caused by PFAS exposure, which is difficult to manage.

At a policy level, the study underscores the need to reduce the amount of PFAS produced and released into the environment or used in consumer goods, said co-author Hailey Hampson. But if there is a significant exposure, then drugs that could be utilized to treat disease. The findings also suggest dietary interventions that balance gut bacteria could be useful, Hampson said.


Decontamination of landfill waste leads to increase in toxic chemicals, says study

Rachel Salvidge
Mon 4 November 2024

PFAS, often found in landfills, are a family of about 15,000 human-made chemicals and can take thousands of years to break down in the environment.Photograph: Nature Picture Library/Alamy

Processes intended to decontaminate noxious liquid landfill waste before it enters rivers and sewers have been found to increase the levels of some of the worst toxic chemicals, a study has shown.

Landfills are well known to be a main source of PFAS forever chemicals – or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances – but the new study shows that the treatment plants designed to clean up the liquid waste can instead boost the levels of banned PFAS such as PFOA and PFOS, in some cases by as much as 1,335%.

Related: ‘Forever chemicals’: what are PFAS and what risk do they pose?

PFAS are a family of about 15,000 human-made chemicals with nonstick properties that are used in a wide range of consumer products and industrial processes. They can take thousands of years to break down in the environment and the handful that have been studied in detail have been found to be toxic, with PFOA and PFOS linked to cancers and other diseases. PFAS pollution is widespread, having been found in the remotest parts of the world, and it is thought every US citizen has it in their blood.

Using data from an Environment Agency investigation into landfill liquid waste, which is known as leachate, Dr David Megson from Manchester Metropolitan University, who co-authored the study found “that instead of removing the banned chemicals PFOS and PFOA our treatment plants are actually creating them … likely being formed from the transformation of other PFAS within a chemical soup”.

Megson is concerned that the understanding of what is going on in the UK at landfill sites is poor and that monitoring “only looks at a few specific PFAS, so we are only getting a tiny snapshot of what is actually out there and what impact it may be having”.

The study looked at the leachate from 17 historical and operational landfills, just a fraction of the total across the country. Pippa Neill from the Ends Report, a co-author of the study, said that “with potentially hundreds of landfill operators legally allowed to discharge their treated leachate into the environment” there is an “urgent need” for more research so that PFAS can be disposed of properly.

There is also “an urgent need to ban all PFAS globally, whether through the existing Stockholm convention or a new global treaty on PFAS”, according to Dr Sara Brosché, an adviser at the International Pollutants Elimination Network. “PFOS and PFOA were known by the producers to be toxic from the beginning of their use in consumer products, and they continue to poison the environment and our bodies many years after they have been regulated. A multitude of PFAS are now in use with little or no publicly disclosed information about where they are used or their health impacts.”

In an attempt to halt contamination, the European Commission is considering a groundbreaking proposal to regulate thousands of PFAS as one class, something that is being fiercely contested by the PFAS industry. The UK has not followed the EU’s lead, prompting dozens of the world’s leading PFAS experts to write directly to UK ministers on Thursday, urging the government to “take a more ambitious approach and follow the science … Regulating all PFAS as one group is the only way to tackle PFAS pollution”.

Dr Shubhi Sharma, a scientific researcher at the charity Chem Trust, said: “PFAS emissions from landfills can contaminate the surrounding groundwater and surface water and are linked to serious health risks, such as kidney and testicular cancer. The UK government must take immediate action to regulate this entire group of PFAS.”

Dr Daniel Drage, an associate professor at the University of Birmingham, is also concerned that the same thing is happening in a range of treatment systems.

“It’s paramount that we identify other treatment processes that remove PFAS from leachate prior to its release into the environment,” he said. “This is a multibillion pound global public health issue and likely to go beyond government expenditure. I would suggest that industries that have profited substantially from the use of PFAS over the last half a century have a moral duty to protect future generations from the consequences of these uses.”

A spokesperson for the Environment Agency confirmed it is “working closely with the landfill industry” and that it is “carrying out further investigations about PFAS within the landfill waste mass, treatment processes, and on the consequences of the treatment that leachate undergoes.”

Climate breakdown is likely to exacerbate pollution from landfills, according to Prof Kate Spencer from Queen Mary University of London. Particularly “for historic landfills that are not lined these PFAS chemicals can enter surface and groundwaters with potential consequences for ecological and human health. This is likely to increase as the severity and frequency of flooding increases”, she said.

Tucker Carlson reveals his wild conspiracy theory that abortion causes hurricanes
Rhian Lubin
Tue 5 November 2024 





Tucker Carlson reveals his wild conspiracy theory that abortion causes hurricanes

Donald Trump ally Tucker Carlson has peddled a wild conspiracy theory that abortion is “probably” the cause of hurricanes.

The former Fox News host appeared on Steve Bannon’s MAGAWar Room podcast on the eve of the election, where he dismissed scientific evidence that the extreme weather event is connected to climate change and instead theorized that abortion is a “consequence” of “human sacrifice.”

“I’m sure I’ll be attacked for saying this, but I really believe it,” Carlson began.

“People are like, ‘oh, well, we had another hurricane, it must be global warming.’ No! It’s probably abortion, actually.”

“You can’t kill children on purpose,” he added. “You can’t participate in human sacrifice without consequences.”

Carlson appeared on the podcast a week after Bannon was released from prison after serving time for two counts of contempt of Congress relating to his refusal to comply with the House committee investigating the January 6 riots at the US Capitol.

Tucker Carlson appears on Steve Bannon’s War Room podcast where he made wild claim (@bannonswarroom/Instagram)

The comments come after two deadly hurricanes Helene and Milton wreaked havoc across parts of the US southeast. Hurricane Milton was the Gulf’s strongest late-season storm on record, and the strongest hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico since Hurricane Rita hit in 2005.

Climate change has contributed to the problem, causing hurricanes to bring more intense rainfall and increased storm surge from rising seas. For every one degree of global warming, the air can hold an extra 4 percent of moisture, according to nonprofit Climate Central.

The organization World Weather Attribution, which was initially funded by Climate Central, said that the burning of fossil fuels made increased sea surface temperatures during the track of Helene between 200 to 500 times more likely than they would have been otherwise.

Carlson has become a key player in the Trump campaign’s bid for reelection. The right-wing pundit has interviewed the former president a number of times and spoke at his Madison Square Garden rally last weekend, where he falsely described Kamala Harris as “Samoan-Malaysian.”

Tucker Carlson interviews Donald Trump in Glendale, Arizona (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

“It’s going to be pretty hard to look at us and say ‘You know what? Kamala Harris, she got 85 million votes because she’s so impressive as the first Samoan-Malaysian, low IQ, former California prosecutor ever to be elected president,” he told the crowd.

Carlson then sat down with Trump last Thursday at a campaign event in Glendale, Arizona, where the former president referred to former Republican representative Liz Cheney, who has endorsed Harris, as a “radical war hawk.”

“Let’s put her with a rifle standing there with nine barrels shooting at her, okay?” Trump said. “And let’s see how she feels about it, you know, when the guns are trained on her face.”

Tucker Carlson Bizarrely Blames Abortion For Increase In Hurricanes

David Moye
Mon 4 November 2024 

If you thought Tucker Carlson couldn’t get any weirder after claiming he was “physically mauled” by a demon that left claw marks on his body, guess again.

Now the former Fox News host turned Donald Trumptoadie is blaming abortions for the increase in hurricanes.

Carlson made the dubious claim Monday on Steve Bannon’s “War Room” podcast during a discussion about spirituality that stemmed from his recent claim he’d been attacked by a demon.

Somehow the conversation morphed into Carlson decreeing that anyone who thinks reproductive rights are a good thing is “evil” and practicing child sacrifice.

Carlson then claimed that people who don’t agree with his thinking are “worshiping abortion, the killing of kids, not as something that, like, needs to happen unfortunately, but as something that is good, that’s pro-abortion.”

He then proclaimed that abortion likely causes hurricanes.

“I’m sure I’ll be attacked for saying this, but I really believe it. People are like, oh, well, we had another hurricane, must be global warming,” Carlson said. “No, it’s probably abortion, actually. Just being honest.”

Carlson continued: “You can’t kill children on purpose knowing that you’re doing that in exchange for power or freedom or happiness, whatever you think you’re getting in return. You can’t participate in human sacrifice without consequences.”

You can see the exchange below.

Not surprisingly, Carlson’s theory that abortions cause hurricanes produced some stormy reactions on social media.

Some posts pointed out that his theory goes against data suggesting that hurricanes have increased even as abortion rates have dropped over the last four decades.

Another person noted that hurricanes are common in tropical Nicaragua despite very strict anti-abortion laws.

Other critics posted their own thoughts.

One user jokingly suggested that Carlson might be on to something since “he is the one being mauled by demons.”

Related...

• Tucker Carlson Goes Into Great Detail About Being ‘Physically Mauled’ By A ‘Demon’

• Tucker Carlson Makes Up Kamala Harris' Heritage In Racist Conspiracy Rant

• Tucker Carlson Creeps Everyone Out With Trump 'Bad Little Girl' Spanking Fantasy

Svalbard Global Seed Vault evokes epic imagery and controversy because of the symbolic value of seeds

Adriana Craciun, Boston University
Mon 4 November 2024


The entrance to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. 

Martin Zwick/REDA&CO/Universal Images Group via Getty Images


Two-thirds of the world’s food comes today from just nine plants: sugar cane, maize (corn), rice, wheat, potatoes, soybeans, oil-palm fruit, sugar beet and cassava. In the past, farmers grew tens of thousands of crop varieties around the world. This biodiversity protected agriculture from crop losses caused by plant diseases and climate change.

Today, seed banks around the world are doing much of the work of saving crop varieties that could be essential resources under future growing conditions. The Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway supports them all. It is the world’s most famous backup site for seeds that are more precious than data.

Tens of thousands of new seeds from around the world arrived at the seed vault on Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean, in mid-October 2024. This was one of the largest deposits in the vault’s 16-year history.

And on Oct. 31, crop scientists Cary Fowler and Geoffrey Hawtin, who played key roles in creating the Global Seed Vault, received the US$500,000 World Food Prize, which recognizes work that has helped increase the supply, quality or accessibility of food worldwide.

The Global Seed Vault has been politically controversial since it opened in 2008. It is the most visible site in a global agricultural research network associated with the United Nations and funders such as the World Bank.

These organizations supported the Green Revolution – a concerted effort to introduce high-yielding seeds to developing nations in the mid-20th century. This effort saved millions of people from starvation, but it shifted agriculture in a technology-intensive direction. The Global Seed Vault has become a lightning rod for critiques of that effort and its long-term impacts.

I have visited the vault and am completing a book about connections between scientific research on seeds and ideas about immortality over centuries. My research shows that the Global Seed Vault’s controversies are in part inspired by religious associations that predate it. But these cultural beliefs also remain essential for the vault’s support and influence and thus for its goal of protecting biodiversity.

Backup for a global network

Several hundred million seeds from thousands of species of agricultural plants live inside the Global Seed Vault. They come from 80 nations and are tucked away in special metallic pouches that keep them dry.

The vault is designed to prolong their dormancy at zero degrees Fahrenheit (-18 degrees Celsius) in three ice-covered caverns inside a sandstone mountain. The air is so cold inside that when I entered the vault, my eyelashes and the inside of my nose froze.

The Global Seed Vault is owned by Norway and run by the Nordic Genetic Resources Centre. It was created under a U.N. treaty governing over 1,700 seed banks, where seeds are stored away from farms, to serve as what the U.N. calls “the ultimate insurance policy for the world’s food supply.”

This network enables nations, nongovernmental organizations, scientists and farmers to save and exchange seeds for research, breeding and replanting. The vault is the backup collection for all of these seed banks, storing their duplicate seeds at no charge to them.
The seed vault’s cultural meaning

The vault’s Arctic location and striking appearance contribute to both its public appeal and its controversies.

Svalbard is often described as a remote, frozen wasteland. For conspiracy theorists, early visits to the Global Seed Vault by billionaires such as Bill Gates and George Soros, and representatives from Google and Monsanto, signaled that the vault had a secret purpose or benefited global elites.

In fact, however, the archipelago of Svalbard has daily flights to other Norwegian cities. Its cosmopolitan capital, Longyearbyen, is home to 2,700 people from 50 countries, drawn by ecotourism and scientific research – hardly a well-hidden site for covert activities.

The vault’s entrance features a striking installation by Norwegian artist Dyveke Sanne. An illuminated kaleidoscope of mirrors, this iconic artwork glows in the long Arctic night and draws many tourists.

Because of its mission to preserve seeds through potential disasters, media regularly describe the Global Seed Vault as the “doomsday vault,” or a “modern Noah’s Ark.” Singled out based on its location, appearance and associations with Biblical myths such as the Flood, the Garden of Eden and the apocalypse, the vault has acquired a public meaning unlike that of any other seed bank.
The politics of seed conservation

One consequence is that the vault often serves as a lightning rod for critics who view seed conservation as the latest stage in a long history of Europeans removing natural resources from developing nations. But these critiques don’t really reflect how the Global Seed Vault works.

The vault and its sister seed banks don’t diminish cultivation of seeds grown by farmers in fields. The two methods complement one another, and seed depositors retain ownership of their seeds.

Another misleading criticism argues that storing seeds at Svalbard prevents these plants from adapting to climate change and could render them useless in a warmer future. But storing seeds in a dormant state actually mirrors plants’ own survival strategy.

Dormancy is the mysterious plant behavior that “protects against an unpredictable future,” according to biologist Anthony Trewavas. Plants are experts in coping with climate unpredictability by essentially hibernating.

Seed dormancy allows plants to hedge their bets on the future; the Global Seed Vault extends this state for decades or longer. While varieties in the field may become extinct, their banked seeds live to fight another day.
Storing more than seeds

In 2017, a delegation of Quechua farmers from the Peruvian Andes traveled to Svalbard to deposit seeds of their sacred potato varieties in the vault. In songs and prayers, they said goodbye to the seeds as their “loved ones” and “endangered children.” “We’re not just leaving genes, but also a family,” one farmer told Svalbard officials.

The farmers said the vault would protect what they called their “Indigenous biocultural heritage” – an interweaving of scientific and cultural value, and of plants and people, that for the farmers evoked the sacred.

People from around the world have sought to attach their art to the Global Seed Vault for a similar reason. In 2018, the Svalbard Seed Cultures Ark began depositing artworks that attach stories to seeds in a nearby mine.

Pope Francis sent an envoy with a handmade copy of a book reflecting on the pope’s message of hope to the world during the COVID-19 pandemic. Japanese sculptor Mitsuaki Tanabe created a 9-meter-long steel grain of rice for the vault’s opening and was permitted to place a miniature version inside.

Seeds sleeping in Svalbard are far from their home soil, but each one is enveloped in an invisible web of the microbes and fungi that traveled with it. These microbiomes are still interacting with each seed in ways scientists are just beginning to understand.

I see the Global Seed Vault as a lively and fragile place, powered not by money or technology but by the strange power of seeds. The World Food Prize once again highlights their vital promise.

This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Adriana Craciun, Boston University

Read more:


Fewer crops are feeding more people worldwide – and that’s not good


A sharing economy for plants: Seed libraries are sprouting up


Colonialism has shaped scientific plant collections around the world – here’s why that matters

Sea angels and devils: could plankton unlock the secrets of human biology?

Brianna Randall
Tue 5 November 2024 
THE GUARDIAN

Different plankton found off Greenland and California, including Sapphirina and an unidentified siphonophore species related to hydrozoan jellies.Photograph: Leonid Moroz/University of Florida

Off the west coast of Greenland, a 17-metre (56ft) aluminium sailing boat creeps through a narrow, rocky fjord in the Arctic twilight. The research team onboard, still bleary-eyed from the rough nine-day passage across the Labrador Sea, lower nets to collect plankton. This is the first time anyone has sequenced the DNA of the tiny marine creatures that live here.

Watching the nets with palpable excitement is Prof Leonid Moroz, a neuroscientist at the University of Florida’s Whitney marine lab. “This is what the world looked like when life began,” he tells his friend, Peter Molnar, the expedition leader with whom he co-founded the Ocean Genome Atlas Project (Ogap).

Moroz gestures toward Greenland’s glaciated valleys. The rapid warming here is replicating conditions from 600m years ago, when complex life forms began appearing. “We’re sailing through deep biological time right now,” he says.

Moroz and Molnar’s mission is to classify, observe, sequence and map 80% of the sea’s smallest creatures to learn more about ourselves, and the health of the planet.

Plankton and humans do not have much in common at first glance. But studying marine organisms has led to breakthrough understandings about our own brains and bodies. Observing the electrical discharges of jellyfish taught us how to restart the heart. Sea slugs showed us how memories form. Squid taught us how signals spread between different parts of the brain. Horseshoe crabs demonstrated how visual receptors work.

An unusual aspect of Moroz and Molnar’s research trips is that they are unlocking plankton’s secrets onboard sailing boats rather than engine-powered vessels – and they are not alone in this endeavour.

“Large oceanographic vessels can cost $100,000 [£77,000] a day, which can quickly bankrupt your research organisation,” says Chris Bowler, an oceanographer with France’s National Centre for Scientific Research and a scientific adviser to the Tara Ocean Foundation.

For the past two years he has collected plankton samples for the Microbiomes Mission, a research initiative to study micro-organisms in the ocean, onboard a 33-metre schooner. “Working from a sailboat is 50 times cheaper,” Bowler says.

That cost saving also allows researchers the luxury of time, which is imperative for finding the genetic commonalities and patterns that will reveal answers about human health. Bowler says it is important to analyse and observe these microscopic organisms interacting with each other and the world around them. That cannot happen in a lab back on land because the organisms are too fragile.

Low-carbon, readily available and easier to manoeuvre near to shore, sailing boats also “don’t vibrate, so you can do really precise work aboard”, says Molnar, who has captained Ogap voyages over more than 9,000 nautical miles.

The reason that microscopic marine life can teach us about our own development is convergent evolution. This is when unrelated organisms arrive at the same solution to a problem, such as how birds, beetles, butterflies and bats all adapted to fly, but did so at different times and in slightly different ways. Overlapping solutions provide common building blocks for everything from how to fold a protein to how to form a brain.

“Every organism that lives here today is a logbook of every single adaptation that made it successful,” Moroz says. “The brain is one of the most complicated structures in the universe. Yet 70% of our knowledge about how the brain works is thanks to marine creatures. Without them, many of today’s medicines would simply not exist.”



The brain is one of the universe’s most complicated structures. Yet 70% of our knowledge about how it works is thanks to marine creatures

Leonid Moroz

The reason he studies plankton is because their “logbook” is the longest – some single-celled marine organisms have been around for more than 3bn years. That means they have more tricks up their metaphorical sleeves than we do.

“Some groups of these marine species do not age, never develop cancers and they can fully regenerate when damaged. They are able to perform many tasks better than us,” Moroz says.

One way to take human medicine to the next level is to take our cues from these organisms. But first, we have to identify them. Ogap’s lofty mission would not have been possible 10 years ago; rapid technological advances have reduced the size of equipment, while satellite communications and AI have shrunk the timeframe for analysing results from months to minutes.

In Greenland, for example, Ogap kept marine organisms alive for several days on their sailing boat while sequencing their DNA during different stages of life. “We were able to watch them reproduce, decay, then repair themselves, even die, all while taking high-resolution video,” Molnar says.

The team then uploaded the data via Starlink to universities where scientists used AI to look for pattern recognition in the organisms’ DNA. “Literally within an hour, we would have results back on the sailboat,” Molnar says. “This type of work was simply science fiction 10 years ago.”

While the technology is new, using sailing boats to explore is a millennia-old human endeavour.

“There’s a long history of sailing to answer scientific questions,” says David Conover, the owner of ArcticEarth, the sailing boat Ogap used for its Greenland expedition. From Captain Cook’s anthropological discoveries in the Pacific to Darwin’s groundbreaking observations on natural selection onboard the Beagle, sailing boats have afforded many types of researchers the luxury of getting to far-flung parts of the world to deeply engage with their surroundings.

“The more time you can afford to be at sea, the more open you are to discovery,” Conover says.

Related: ‘A huge loss’: is it the end for the ship that helped us understand life on Earth?

The key now is to observe the cornucopia of unknown marine organisms before they disappear for ever. “By the time you finish your coffee tomorrow morning, between 20 and 100 species will have vanished for ever, including the wonderful solutions they were offered by nature, which is a huge loss for biomedical science,” Moroz says.

To continue documenting the wonders of tiny single-celled sea creatures, Ogap will head next to Patagonia, at the tip of South America. Eventually, Ogap’s genomic atlas will be digitised and made freely available, providing a baseline of marine biodiversity as well as valuable insights for the development of new medicines.

“Every day is a surprise,” Moroz says. “That is the finest part of all of these voyages – the level of excitement, of discovery. It’s so rich. It’s nonstop.”

Inland Taipan: Most Venomous Snake in the World

Nicole Antonio
Mon 4 November 2024 




Today, we're diving into the world of the most venomous snake on the planet: the inland taipan. This slithery predator isn't just the most dangerous in terms of venom strength; it's also a highly specialized creature that has adapted to life in some of the harshest environments on Earth.

But even though its venom is deadly, the inland taipan is also a pretty shy snake that prefers to stay far away from humans.

In fact, encounters with these Australian snakes are rare, which is good news because inland taipan snake venom is so potent that one bite could deliver enough toxins to kill over 100 humans.

Physical Characteristics

The inland taipan (Oxyuranus microlepidotus), also called the small-scaled snake, has a body that can range in color from a dull olive green to dark brown or tan, depending on the season. Its color changes with the time of year to help regulate its body temperature: darker colors in the winter to absorb heat and lighter colors in the summer to reflect it.

The Aussie snake typically measures around 6 to 8 feet (1.8 to 2.5 meters) in length, and its slender build allows it to move quickly and stealthily.

Like other venomous snakes, the inland taipan has sharp fangs used to inject its incredibly potent venom into prey. Unlike snakes that have multiple lines of defense, the inland taipan's primary tool is its venom.

Inland taipan venom is made up of complex toxins that can paralyze muscles, cause internal bleeding and lead to organ failure.

Different Subspecies

While the inland taipan is unique in its venom potency, it has a close relative in the coastal taipan, which also belongs to the taipan family. Found closer to the coastlines of Australia and parts of New Guinea, the other taipan isn't quite as venomous as its inland cousin but still delivers a highly potent bite capable of causing fatal envenomation.

Both of these taipans rank among the world's most dangerous land snakes, with the coastal species known for being faster and more aggressive in defensive situations, compared to its more reclusive inland relative.

A Third Taipan?

Additionally, there is some discussion among researchers about the existence of a third taipan species, the western taipan (Oxyuranus temporalis).

Discovered more recently and far less-studied, this elusive snake inhabits extremely remote desert areas and has been observed only a handful of times. While its venom hasn't been studied as extensively, it is believed to share the highly venomous traits typical of the taipan family.

Although all these taipans possess deadly venom and share similar characteristics, the inland taipan is in a league of its own in terms of the sheer toxicity of its bite.
Social Habits

If you're imagining this fierce snake slithering around, hunting in a pack, think again.

 The inland taipan is a solitary animal.

Like most venomous snakes, it doesn't need any backup when it comes to securing a meal. These snakes are highly efficient hunters, relying on their speed, stealth and venom to catch prey quickly and quietly.

Australia's inland taipan is usually active during the day, searching for its next meal or basking in the sun to regulate its body temperature.

But despite its formidable abilities, this snake is incredibly shy around humans and other large animals. If given the chance, it will always try to escape rather than engage in a fight.

Diet

This snake primarily feeds on small mammals, especially rodents like rats and mice. Its toxic venom is perfectly adapted for this diet: paralyzing and killing its prey almost instantly, reducing the risk of injury to the snake during the hunt.

The inland taipan is so efficient in its hunting strategy that it has little competition from other predators. Its venom acts quickly and ensures that its prey is subdued before it has a chance to fight back.

Environment

The inland taipan lives in some of the most remote and harsh environments of Australia.

Specifically, you'll find this snake in the arid and semiarid regions of central Australia, including areas like the Channel Country. It prefers clay or cracking-soil plains, where it can take refuge in deep cracks in the ground to escape the extreme temperatures.

Unlike some other intensely venomous snakes — such as the hook-nosed sea snake — the inland taipan is a purely terrestrial creature. It is perfectly suited for the dry, tough landscapes it calls home, making it a master of survival in one of the most unforgiving habitats on the planet.

Life Cycle

The life cycle of an inland taipan follows the typical pattern for snakes.

Inland taipans typically breed in the late spring to early summer (October to December). Males will compete for the opportunity to mate with females, engaging in combat rituals with other males. Once a female chooses a mate, they will engage in mating, after which the female will carry fertilized eggs.

After mating, females will lay clutches of around 10 to 20 eggs in deep crevices or abandoned animal burrows. These eggs take several months to hatch, with the young taipans emerging fully independent and ready to hunt.

A baby inland taipan's venom is just as potent as its adult counterpart's, making these younglings formidable from the moment they hatch. They grow quickly, reaching maturity in just a couple of years.

In the wild, they can live up to 10 to 15 years if they manage to avoid predators and the harsh environmental conditions of the outback.

Conservation Status

While the inland taipan might sound like a dangerous creature, it's actually a species that doesn't pose much threat to humans due to its remote habitat. Encounters are rare, and there are few recorded cases of inland taipan bite victims.

However, those unlucky enough to be bitten experience extremely painful symptoms, including nausea, vomiting and high blood pressure. Taipan snake venoms are some of the most lethal in the animal kingdom, easily surpassing even deadly sea snake venoms.

Luckily, there's antivenom available, which is critical for anyone who's bitten by this venomous snake.

While not currently considered endangered, the inland taipan faces the same environmental pressures that many animals do, including habitat loss and climate change. The good news is that its remote location has helped protect it from major human interference for now.

With the help of researchers like the late, great Venomous Snake Martin and toxicologists studying the potential benefits of snake venoms, we're continuing to learn more about these incredible animals and the life-saving potential of their toxins.

We created this article in conjunction with AI technology, then made sure it was edited and fact-checked by a HowStuffWorks editor.

Original article: Inland Taipan: Most Venomous Snake in the World

Copyright © 2024 HowStuffWorks, a division of InfoSpace Holdings, LLC, a System1 Company

 Strange new frog species smaller than fingernail discovered

Vishwam Sankaran
Mon 4 November 2024 

Strange new frog species smaller than fingernail discovered


Scientists have discovered a strange new toad species smaller than a fingernail in a rainforest in northeast Brazil, shedding more light on the rich diversity of life forms in the region.

The species reaches less than 1cm in length as adults and has been named Brachycephalus dacnis after the conservation NGO Project Dacnis behind the discovery.

Researchers studying similar small-sized “flea toads” found this species to be particularly interesting due to its diminutive size as one of the smallest known vertebrate animals.

“Despite being among the smallest frogs globally (the second smallest amphibian species), it exhibits skeletal traits typical of larger frogs,” scientists wrote.

“During its evolution, it underwent what we biologists call miniaturization, which involves loss, reduction and/or fusion of bones, as well as fewer digits and absence of other parts of their anatomy,” said Luís Felipe Toledo, a co-author of the study, published in the journal PeerJ.

The species is very similar in appearance to another in the area – B hermogenesi – which also has the same yellowish-brown skin, lives in leaf litter, and emerges as tiny frogs from their eggs and not as tadpoles.

However, they were alerted to the existence of this new species by its distinct calls.

Then DNA analysis confirmed that B dacnis was indeed a new species.

“In the present study, we describe a new species of Brachycephalus, one of the smallest vertebrates known,” scientists wrote.

“There may have been specimens belonging to the new species among those that served as a basis for describing B hermogenesi in 1998,” Dr Toledo said.

In the description of the new species, scientists have also included information about its skeleton, internal organs, molecular data along with details of its vocalisations.

These details are necessary to distinguish them from others more precisely as many species are cryptic and cannot be differentiated by external anatomy only.

“Our description underscores how discoveries within the megadiverse fauna of the Atlantic Forest – a rich biodiversity hotspot – can provide insights into vertebrate body size,” researchers said.

“The diversity of these miniature frogs may be far greater than we think. Hence the importance of describing as many traits and features as possible, to expedite the description process and get to work on conservation as quickly as possible,” Dr Toledo said.