Masked bees, Myanmar and the world arms trade
Outriders Magazine #308
Ocean voyages of masked bees and whales' menopause
Solitary bees belonging to the Hylaeus species travelled 4,800 kilometres across the Pacific Ocean from French Polynesia to New Zealand and Australia. The question arises: how did they cover such a vast distance? These bees used the islands they encountered, such as Fiji. As they moved from one island to another, they gradually evolved into distinct species. Researchers can only speculate that the insects were carried by Pacific storms or drifted in the ocean waters in nests built in pieces of wood.
Scientists from the University of Exeter recently made an exciting discovery. Female whales that undergo menopause live longer, a selfless act that enables them to care for their extended family and increase their survival rate. For some whale species, such as the single-toothed narwhal, the Arctic beluga, the short-finned pilot whale, the tremendous sable whale, and the oceanic killer whale, evolution has designed longer lifespans for females so that mothers and grandmothers can support the family long after their reproductive years have ended. This unique phenomenon of menopause is not exclusive to humans but is also observed in some dolphins and the aforementioned marine mammals.
Have you ever wondered why cheetahs are so fast? Researchers from Imperial College London, Harvard University, the University of Queensland, and the University of the Sunshine Coast have the answer. According to them, "maximum running speed is limited both by how quickly an animal's muscles contract and how much its muscles can shorten during contraction." Cheetahs, weighing around 50 kg, are not too small, in which case the speed of muscle contraction limits the running speed, nor too large, in which case the running speed is limited by the degree of muscle contraction.
Brazilian agricultural offensive, tobacco harvest in Zimbabwe and Turkey's troubles
Africa's largest tobacco producer, Zimbabwe, has started its annual harvest season. Officials and farmers expect a significant reduction in harvests and poorer quality due to climate change-related drought and the El Niño weather phenomenon. Last year, the record harvest amounted to almost 300 million kg; however, production will drop to approximately 235 million kg this season. Zimbabwe relies heavily on tobacco exports, one of the primary sources of income for the country and its people ($1.2 billion last year).
Due to the problematic trade talks between the Mercosur bloc and the European Union, Brazilian authorities are considering expanding agricultural exports to new markets in India and Africa. Brazil plans to export fruits, juices, coffee, and black beans to Asian countries, and meat and cereals to African countries. In recent months, Brazil has started exporting beef, pork, and poultry to the Philippines and has found 96 new foreign markets.
Turkish farmers are taking out more loans to maintain their farms due to many years of inflation (as high as 127% last year) and the lack of sufficient state aid. The amount farmers owe to banks increased by 80% last year, with a total of USD 22 billion owed to banks, the Ministry of Agriculture, and private companies. Agriculture still accounts for 5.8% of Turkey's economic output despite these challenges, compared to 1.4% in the European Union. The agricultural sector in the United States is also facing a crisis, with over 140,000 farm bankruptcies over the last five years. This is partly due to a flawed labour acquisition system and the H-2A visa system.
AI in medicine: HINT, forecasting and communication
Lung cancer is one of the most common malignant tumours in the world, and it often progresses to advanced stages, affecting other organs. Brain metastases are particularly common in such cases. Scientists have trained a machine learning algorithm using 118 biopsy samples from patients with early-stage lung cancer to predict the development of brain cancer. The algorithm has achieved an accuracy rate of 87%, which is significantly better than the average 57.3% efficiency rate of the four pathologists involved in the study.
AI tools are being used in several ways to improve doctor-patient communication. One such application is a smartphone app that records visits and organizes all the information into a note available later. In addition, AI can generate messages approved by doctors or nurses and sent to patients. Although imperfect, AI solutions can save doctors' time and relieve them of documentation-related tasks.
AI is also being used to manage clinical trials. A group of researchers has developed the HINT algorithm that can predict the success of a clinical trial based on information about the drug molecule, the disease under investigation, and the patient's qualification criteria. This predictive power allows pharmaceutical companies to make the necessary changes to the study, potentially improving its outcome.
The death penalty: Iran, Pakistan, United States
A recent report by Iran Human Rights (IHR) and Together Against the Death Penalty (ECPM) has revealed that in 2021, Iran saw the highest number of executions in two decades, with at least 834 people being hanged. This marks a 43% increase in the use of the death penalty. Although the protests triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini in the autumn of 2020 have contributed to this spike, drug-related cases were responsible for more than half of the total number of executions. The report also highlights that members of ethnic minorities, particularly the Baloch people from southeastern Iran, were disproportionately represented among those executed.
In Pakistan, a 22-year-old student was sentenced to death for posting content on WhatsApp that was deemed insulting to the Prophet Muhammad. In another related case, a teenager was given a life sentence for the same offence. Both individuals have the right to appeal against their verdicts. According to national and international human rights organizations, blasphemy allegations are often used to intimidate religious minorities and settle personal scores.
The recent use of hypoxia as a method of execution in Alabama has prompted three major producers of medical nitrogen in the US, namely Airgas, Air Products, and Matheson Gas, to ban the use of their products in executions. The companies stated that their products are intended to save human lives, not take them. Currently, four states in the US, including Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Oklahoma, use medical nitrogen hypoxia as a form of the death penalty.
Military conscription in Myanmar and migration crises
Thousands of civilians are expected to join the ranks of the Myanmar military due to conscription, replenishing shortages and losses on the battlefield. The generals ruling the country since the coup in 2021 demand that from April this year, all men aged 18 to 35 and women aged 18 to 27 must complete at least two years of compulsory service in the armed forces. The recruitment campaign threatens to trigger a large migration from Myanmar, including towards Thailand.
The crisis and unrest in Haiti could lead to a sharp increase in migration to Florida, so lawmakers are preparing for an influx of Haitian migrants. Migration from Haiti to Florida has been going on for years and requires crossing a sea route of over 1,100 kilometres. Currently, over 276,000 people born in Haiti live in Florida.
Spanish police have dismantled a network of criminals preying on the families of deceased migrants who wanted to repatriate the remains of their loved ones. For years, the network made money by charging families in Algeria and Morocco to provide them with often false information about migrants who died at sea or whose bodies washed ashore in southern Spain. The suspects allegedly forced migrant families to sign illegal contracts to identify bodies and repatriate them, and to lure relatives, they used fake profiles on social media, cooperated with employees of public institutions and informed families of deceased migrants that the only way to recover their bodies was advance payments for their services.
Scandals and drugs in the highest circles of power in Honduras and Japan
A former right-wing president of Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernández, has been convicted of drug trafficking by a US court. Despite being a previous ally of the United States in the "war on drugs", drug traffickers were reportedly being protected by the military, police, judges, prosecutors and politicians. Meanwhile, just a few days after her husband's conviction, the former First Lady of Honduras, Ana García de Hernández, announced she would run for president in 2025.
In other news, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in Japan faces scandals and record low public support due to underreporting of the number of donations received, incorrect allocation of money from collections for party activities, and affairs and immoral behaviour of LDP activists during party events. According to a recent survey by Jiji Press, the ruling party's support has dropped to 14.6%, the lowest result in about 60 years.
Finally, it has been revealed that Harris Corporation, one of the largest military companies in the US, now L3Harris, paid commissions to a Saudi company for over 20 years. The Saudi company, Arab Builders for Telecommunications and Security Services (ABTSS), was supposed to be a channel for bribes to the Saudi royal family as part of a defence contract with the Saudis. British anti-corruption prosecutors said the company gave or received bribes between 2008 and 2010.
How to save water, food and heavy metals
Researchers from the University of Surrey have found that showers with higher pressure lead to lower water consumption as the bathing time is shorter. Installing a timer in the shower can also help save water. The team discovered that a person using a shower with both high pressure and a timer used an average of 17 litres of water per bath, while a person taking a shower with low pressure and no timer used almost 61 litres per bath.
Rasmus Munk, the culinary mastermind at the Copenhagen Spora laboratory, is revolutionising how we approach food waste. He's experimenting with creating chocolate from coffee grounds, tacos from a by-product of rapeseed oil production, and even salmon grown from cells. His innovative approach also extends to creating chocolate from spent grain, a waste product from beer production. The laboratory's focus on reusing existing food waste is a promising direction for sustainable culinary practices.
Scientists from the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna have developed a way to use beer brewing residues to remove heavy metals from recycled electrical waste. These metals could be filtered using brewer's yeast or, more precisely, an adsorption process. This process occurs due to electrostatic interactions between the yeast surface and metal ions. By adjusting the pH of the yeast-metal solution, the yeast can adsorb more or other metal ions.
International arms trade: USA, France and Russia at the forefront
According to the annual report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the United States, France, Russia, China, and Germany are the world's top five arms exporters. Russia's arms export industry has been struggling due to its war with Ukraine and economic difficulties, causing it to drop from second to third place. Between 2014-2018 and 2019-2023, arms exports from Russia decreased by 53%, and the number of significant customers decreased from 31 to 12 countries. The poor performance of Russian equipment and technology on Ukraine's battlefields has also affected its arms sales.
On the other hand, the US share in global arms exports increased from 34 to 42%, and its products were exported to 107 countries. Meanwhile, European countries doubled their weapons imports between 2019 and 2023. During this period, Ukraine became the number one importer in Europe and the fourth in the world. The United States, Germany, and Poland were the primary arms suppliers to Ukraine last year. India, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar overtook Ukraine in world arms imports, with Qatar increasing its imports fourfold.
In recent years, Japan increased its import by two and a half times, and Australia also started purchasing arms. Konstantinos Filis, a professor of history at the American College of Greece, summarises global military spending by stating that we live in a fluid and unstable transition world. The UN has a decorative function, and a group of revisionist forces exist.