Thaumatin, Nuclear Maneuvers, and Congolese Bais
#334 Outriders Magazine
Groundbreaking brain mapping research and its response to art
Scientists have successfully traced and mapped all 54.5 million connections in the brain of a fruit fly. These connections involve 139,255 nerve cells that enable the female fly to fly, evade predators, sense food, and locate a mate. Researchers, including those from Princeton, aim to use this connectome to comprehend the functioning of the fruit fly's brain and eventually gain a better understanding of the human brain. It's worth noting that there are only two CT1 neurons in the entire brain of a fruit fly, each responsible for detecting changes in light and movement and forming a large number of synapses - over 148 thousand. This represents the most detailed analysis of the brain of an adult animal ever conducted.
Understanding how billions of neurons interact in the human brain to produce consciousness is one of the most significant scientific challenges of the 21st century. Various major initiatives have been launched globally over the past decade, including in the US, Europe, and China, to uncover the mysteries of cognitive functions - mental processes such as memory, language, perception, and problem-solving. For instance, the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta is experimenting with a treatment for treatment-resistant depression based on deep brain stimulation, which involves the use of implanted electrodes to electrically stimulate specific areas of the brain, providing long-term relief from symptoms.
Researchers at the University of Amsterdam used eye-tracking and MRI scans to discover that genuine works of art in a museum stimulate the brain ten times more than reproductions of paintings. The study was based on responses to Johannes Vermeer’s “Girl with a Pearl Earring,” housed in the Mauritshuis Museum in The Hague.
Maritime trade, pollution, and the US port strike
Over the last 15 years, it's estimated that over 20,000 containers have fallen overboard from ships. Most of these containers, whether closed or leaking, sink to the bottom of the sea and are never recovered. The remaining containers' contents are washed up on shores, polluting fisheries and animal habitats and contributing to ocean pollution. For instance, the effects of the X-Press Pearl container ship accident in Sri Lanka are still being felt three years after the ship sank. Fishermen have noticed a decline in key species populations, and long-lived, slow-reproducing animals like sea turtles may take several generations to recover.
According to DAT Freight & Analytics, up to 75% of containers arriving in the US with goods return empty to their origin. Los Angeles, Long Beach, and New York/New Jersey are the most significant US ports. The timber industry is the largest US export, mainly shipping pulp and lumber to Asian countries. The strike at ports on the US East Coast and the Gulf of Mexico is likely worsening this trade imbalance.
A strike at 36 ports, sparked by the failure to reach new collective agreements for the next six years, poses a significant threat to the US economy. The International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) is seeking assurances on port automation, fearing that it could jeopardize the jobs of its 45,000 members. JP Morgan's estimate of a $5 billion daily cost to the US economy underscores the potential economic devastation of this strike.
Animal cafes in the jungle, dolphin smiles, and mysterious jellyfish
Using drones and artificial intelligence, scientists have discovered a vast network of grassy clearings in the Congo rainforest that various animals use. These spots, called “bais” in the language of the Indigenous Ba-Aka (Aka) people, are visited by forest elephants, lowland gorillas, forest buffalo, blue duiker, savannah sitatunga, forest bongo, and other animals to feed and maintain their complex social networks. The researchers compare bais to Viennese coffeehouses, as they serve as social arenas where the animals gather.
Researchers from the University of Pisa found that captive common bottlenose dolphins appear to use a smile-like expression when they play with other dolphins. The dolphins can also smile back. The researchers observed almost 900 play sessions among 22 bottlenose dolphins, noting 1,300 “smiles” from 17 animals. Whether the bottlenose dolphins smile or not, the gestures seem essential to how the dolphins communicate.
When injured, the jellyfish Mnemiopsis leidyi can fuse into a single, larger organism. This unique adaptation involves connecting their nervous system and stomach, a phenomenon not seen in other species. The jellyfish’s nerve cells, intentionally damaged and paired up, synchronized within their bodies within just a few hours of being joined. Although the fused creatures acted as one, they are not a single organism because they have separate DNA.
How to support refugees: water activities, music and culture, and cricket
The charity Reclaim the Sea (RTS) organizes sessions for refugees and asylum seekers to teach them swimming and survival skills on the water, aiming for it to be a space of joy rather than fear. Migrants' anxiety about water can often come from difficult crossings to the UK, contact with others who have experienced trauma on boats, or the lack of access to the sea in their home countries.
Sudanese musicians, dancers, and poets from the Camerata group perform in Cairo for an audience primarily of refugees from their war-torn country. According to the audience in the Egyptian capital, performances like this help people affected by the war by reminding them of Sudanese folklore and culture. Camerata aims to preserve traditional Sudanese folk music and dance so that it does not get lost in the war that has displaced more than 4.6 million people. They sing in 25 Sudanese languages during their performances and use local musical instruments.
In Hamburg, cricket is helping Afghan refugees feel at home. You only need a portable net, sturdy plywood boards, and space. This is how the Neuland Lions team was founded in Hamburg's Neuland district, comprised of residents from an Afghan refugee centre. In Germany, cricket is a niche sport, but it has seen some growth in recent years, mainly driven by immigrants from Pakistan, India, and Afghanistan.
Rice market, China sanctions, and the fight for aeroplane money in Russia
Global prices for various rice varieties have decreased due to India and Pakistan lifting price caps and resuming global rice exports. This has raised concerns among exporters about a potential price war and among farmers about reduced wages. Both countries, the sole producers of basmati rice, have made these decisions. India is the world's largest rice exporter, accounting for almost 40% of global trade in this product and holding a 65% market share in the basmati sector. Meanwhile, Pakistan, the fourth largest rice exporter after Thailand and Vietnam, retains 35% of the basmati market.
The US Department of Homeland Security will prohibit imports from Chinese steel and aspartame sweetener manufacturers due to accusations of engaging in forced labour. In 2021, a federal law was enacted to impose sanctions on Chinese companies for human rights abuses against the Uyghur ethnic group and other Muslim minorities. The list of sanctioned entities has now expanded to 75, including producers of solar equipment, tomatoes, cotton, clothing, aluminium, and seafood.
Leasing companies have filed lawsuits against insurers, including AIG and Lloyd’s after Russia refused to return planes leased to local airlines following the invasion of Ukraine and the imposition of sanctions by Western countries. Subsequently, Russia transferred almost 800 foreign-owned planes to its registry. Leasing companies assert that insurers are attempting to delay billions of dollars in claims for planes seized in Russia.
Nuclear manoeuvres, South Korea’s new weapons, and Iran’s centrifuges
In September, six of the nine nuclear-armed nations conducted official strategic exercises or manoeuvres, which included missile launches and visits to undisclosed facilities. The countries involved were the United States, Russia, China, North Korea, India, and France. These nations disclosed the movements of nuclear forces, while Britain, Israel, and Pakistan did not reveal their activities. China conducted its first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test since the 1980s with the DF-31AG missile, which can reach the mainland United States from China.
South Korea also unveiled the Hyunmoo-5, a new ballistic missile designed to carry an 8-ton conventional warhead and destroy underground bunkers across the Korean Peninsula, serving as a warning to North Korea against the use of nuclear weapons. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, North Korea currently possesses approximately 50 nuclear warheads.
The Natanz facility in Isfahan, Iran, could be a potential target if Israel were to strike Iran. The facility houses centrifuges that enrich uranium for civilian and potential military use. Underground bunkers protect this facility from safeguarding it from airstrikes, and it has been the target of several acts of sabotage attributed to Israel, including the use of the Stuxnet virus, explosions, and power outages. Additionally, the Center for Nuclear Technology in Isfahan prepares radioactive material for enrichment, converting uranium oxide into uranium tetrafluoride and uranium hexafluoride.
LGBTQ+ among Orthodox Jews and homophobic Spotify
The number of anti-Semitic incidents in the UK has tripled in the past 12 months, according to the Community Security Trust, due to escalating conflict in the Middle East. More than 5,500 incidents were recorded between early October 2023 and late September 2024. The majority of these incidents were aggressive (4,583), with threats and assaults being less common.
Are LGBTQ+ Jews welcome in Orthodox communities? Many struggles with a lack of support and acceptance, and most have been raised with little understanding of what it means to be gay or queer. Eshel, a US organization focused on connecting the LGBTQ+ community among Orthodox Jews, is working to prevent those needing support from being alienated. One of its projects, Welcoming Shuls, involves more than 200 rabbis working across North America to make their synagogues welcoming to LGBTQ+ people.
Spotify has refused to remove tracks by Jamaican reggae and dancehall artists Sizzla and Capleton due to their homophobic content. The songs, which date back to 1993 and 2005, incite violence against LGBTQ+ people. A Spotify spokesperson said, “The songs and artists in question have been reviewed, and the content does not violate the platform’s policies.” Glenroy Murray of J-Flag, a Jamaican LGBTQ+ rights organization, believes that educating audiences is the solution, not simply removing the tracks from streaming platforms.
The psychology of eating, OMW, and thaumatin
Psychologists at the University of Sydney have discovered that our perception of the food we see can influence our eating decisions. In an experiment, participants rated photos of different types of food, and a higher rating for attractiveness and calorie content of one photo automatically increased the rating of the next photo. The researchers found that this effect worked both ways - if a participant rated a food poorly before, the next one would also be below average. This finding has potential implications for food marketing, restaurant menus, and the treatment of eating disorders.
Olive oil mill wastewater (OMW) contains high levels of nutrients that can harm the environment by killing plants and microorganisms and disrupting ecosystems in rivers, lakes, and soils. However, it also has significant health benefits. OMW contains many of the same compounds as olive oil, sometimes in much higher amounts. For example, extra-virgin olive oil contains 2% antioxidant phenols, while OMW contains up to 53%. Additionally, OMW has high levels of other antioxidant compounds, such as tannins, anthocyanins, and flavonols, as well as minerals like potassium, calcium, magnesium, and iron.
Thaumatin, a natural sweetener derived from an African fruit called katemfe, is almost 2,000 times sweeter than table sugar. Experts from the Leibniz Institute in Munich suggest that this substance may benefit digestion and have an anti-inflammatory effect on the stomach.