The Mystery of Durian, Warrior Monks, and the Hawaiian Honeycreeper
Outriders Magazine #321
China’s Durian business, Mexico’s Avocados and the U.S. marijuana trade
The durian, known as the world’s smelliest fruit, is a lucrative business in Southeast Asia due to high demand from China. In the past, durians were inexpensive and sold informally, but their popularity in China has transformed their cultivation and trade. Last year, durian exports from Southeast Asia to China reached a value of $6.7 billion, increasing twelvefold from 2017. Notably, China is the primary importer of durians, with Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam being the key suppliers.
The United States has halted inspections of avocado and mango farms in the Mexican state of Michoacán after two U.S. Department of Agriculture workers were attacked and detained by locals. Michoacán is renowned as Mexico’s largest avocado exporter. Criminal organizations, including drug cartels, are involved in the region, extorting money from avocado producers and using threats of kidnapping and violence.
The Eastern Band of Cherokee has launched a marijuana dispensary, asserting their sovereignty, despite attempts by North Carolina officials to constrain their operations. The tribe believes in their right to enact their regulations, as before European settlers arrived. While cannabis remains illegal at the federal level in the U.S., approximately 41 states and the District of Columbia permit its use for medicinal or recreational purposes.
Uganda’s Controversial Nuclear Power Plant and Serbia’s Lithium Mining
In western Serbia, Rio Tinto holds some of Europe's largest lithium reserves, a critical metal for making electric vehicle batteries. The deposits were discovered in 2004, but 2022 the Serbian government stopped the mining project due to public protests over environmental and public health concerns. However, with new assurances from Rio Tinto and the European Union, Serbia plans to exploit lithium as early as 2028. The mine is projected to produce 58,000 tons of the raw material annually, satisfying a substantial 17% of the production requirements for electric vehicles in Europe (1.1 million cars), highlighting its potential impact on the industry.
In Kenya, public protests against constructing the country's first nuclear power plant are escalating. The plant is set to be built on the coast of Kilifi, a popular tourist destination known for sandy white beaches, coral reefs, and mangrove forests. Residents, including tourism workers, fishermen, property owners, beekeepers, and butterfly farmers in the Arabuko-Sokoke Forest, a UNESCO biosphere reserve, are concerned about the future and have been staging protests, with some pursuing legal action. Construction of the 1,000-megawatt nuclear power plant is scheduled to commence in 2027, with an anticipated completion date of 2034. While about 90% of Kenya's electricity comes from renewable sources, solar and wind power availability around the clock is an issue, and hydropower production is affected by drought resulting from climate change.
LGBTQ+ Rights to Marriage and Parenthood
Thailand’s parliament has made history by becoming the first country in Southeast Asia to legalize same-sex marriage. Once the law is enacted, Thailand will join Nepal and Taiwan as the third Asian jurisdictions to legalize same-sex marriage. The law redefines marriage as a civil partnership between two people and replaces gender-specific terms such as “men”, “women”, “husbands”, and “wives” with gender-neutral language. It also grants LGBTQ+ couples equal rights to inheritance and adoption as heterosexual couples.
In England, 48% of lesbian and gay parents worry that their child may face bullying at school, and over half of LGBTQ+ parents have encountered negative comments about their families. According to a report by Just Like Us, more than a third of lesbian and gay parents have been subjected to invasive and unpleasant questions, such as strangers asking about their child’s sperm donor, with 39% of those incidents involving lesbian mothers. Additionally, over 40% of children with LGBTQ+ parents have faced comments about their parents.
The UK has seen a 37.5% increase in reported hate crimes against LGBTQ+ individuals over the past two years. According to the abuse charity Galop, there is a surge in demand for community support during Pride events, with the number of hate crimes against LGBTQ+ individuals rising by up to 60% compared to any other three-month period of the year.
Security Pacts: Asian Countries, the U.S., and New Zealand
The United States, South Korea, and Japan are set to sign an agreement formalising a security partnership aimed at addressing threats from North Korea and its nuclear weapons. At a summit last year, the three countries' leaders discussed sharing real-time data on missile launches and working to strengthen trilateral ties. The trio will soon conduct joint military exercises in the air, at sea, and in cyberspace, marking its first trilateral multi-domain exercise.
Meanwhile, China and South Korea held their first high-level security talks in Seoul in about nine years. Authorities in Seoul have also detected at least 10,000 shipping containers shipped from North Korea to Russia, capable of holding 4.8 million artillery shells like those used by Putin in Ukraine.
Additionally, Japan and New Zealand have agreed to an intelligence-sharing pact amid concerns about the increasingly complex security environment in the region, including growing ties between Russia and North Korea. Prime Ministers Fumio Kishida and Christopher Luxon have also expressed concern about rising tensions in the South China Sea, where China has become increasingly assertive in its territorial claims.
Animal Protection and Technology: Hawaiian Honeycreeper and the Wrinkled Carabid
The Hawaiian honeycreeper is one of Hawaii’s forest birds found nowhere else. While there used to be more than 50 species, only 17 remain today. These birds are threatened by mosquitoes carrying malaria. The birds have not developed a defence against the non-native mosquitoes, and with the warming climate, the mosquitoes are spreading to more bird habitats. In Maui, bird conservationists are considering releasing millions of non-reproducing mosquitoes to control their population.
University of Exeter scientists collaborated with the Woodland Trust to study the wrinkled ground beetle, a species little is known about. They attached radio transmitters, resembling small backpacks, to 36 insects to track their daily activities in Dartmoor woodlands. This study aims to provide essential information for protecting insects and restoring their habitats in the face of climate change.
The Experimental Centre for the Protection of Habitats (CESTHA) in Marina di Ravenna, Italy, rescues and treats injured marine animals from the Adriatic Sea that have been harmed by trawlers and fishing nets. Over the past decade, the organisation has assisted over 300 sea turtles, nearly 700 seahorses, over 100 sharks, and thousands of cuttlefish. For instance, injured turtles are provided with 3D-printed shells for their backs, and after rehabilitation, they are released back into the sea.
Cervical Cortex Organoids and Infant Genome Sequencing
Scientists at the University of California, San Diego, utilized lab-grown miniature brains, known as cerebral cortex organoids, to observe variances in brain development during the early stages of pregnancy in children with autism compared to neurotypical controls. Lead author Eric Courchesne stated, "We noticed that the larger the size of the embryonic cerebral cortex organoid, the more severe the child’s later autism symptoms." These differences could be observed as early as the first trimester of pregnancy, marking a significant breakthrough in comprehending the development of autism in the womb.
Preliminary findings from research in North Carolina and New York reveal that sequencing a child’s genome at birth can identify conditions that traditional newborn screening tests may miss. The cost of sequencing an entire genome has dropped significantly in the past 20 years, making it comparable to routine medical tests such as colonoscopies and MRI scans.
A new blood test developed in Europe shows promise in predicting Parkinson’s disease up to seven years before symptoms manifest. This test, which uses artificial intelligence, marks a significant advancement in the early diagnosis of the disease caused by nerve cell degeneration in the brain region responsible for movement.
Warrior Monks, Catapult Bullets, and the World’s Oldest Wine in an Urn of Ashes
A team of researchers working on Siniyah Island off the coast of the United Arab Emirates has discovered ancient residential buildings that were likely part of the lost city of Tu'am. The city flourished in the 6th century and was famous as a centre for fishing for high-quality pearls. Scientists from Poland and Italy, among others, are working on the site.
The oldest wine ever discovered in liquid form is about 2,000 years old. White wine was then poured into a funeral urn that also contained the cremated bones of a Roman man. Analysis by experts from the University of Cordoba has shown that the liquid inside the urn, found in an intact Roman tomb in the Andalusian city of Carmona, is a local wine resembling sherry. However, the researchers have no intention of tasting the ancient drink :).
The remains of 25 people buried between the 12th and 15th centuries in the castle cemetery in Zorita de los Canes belong to members of a Christian military and religious order known as the Knights of Calatrava, scientists have determined. They were warrior monks who died in battle from stab wounds and blunt force trauma to the upper skull, cheeks and inner pelvis. Experts have also reconstructed the diet and social status of the monks. Meanwhile, eight perfectly preserved stone catapult projectiles were found outside the walls of Kenilworth Castle in the West Midlands, England. They were used during the castle's siege in 1266 when England was in the midst of a civil war known as the Second Barons' War. The heaviest projectile weighs almost 105 kg.
Diet: Fruits, Vegetables, Cheeses, and Coffee for Good Health and Well-Being
Research from the University of Colorado Boulder reveals that our diet can significantly impact our mental health. In a study, animals fed a diet high in saturated fat for nine weeks experienced changes in their gut bacteria, leading to increased anxiety. The researchers recommend consuming a diverse range of fruits and vegetables, incorporating fermented foods into the diet to support a healthy microbiome, and reducing the consumption of high-fat foods like pizza and fries. They also suggest adding a slice of avocado to a burger to counteract some of the negative effects of bad fats with good fats.
Well-being is a crucial factor in health as the body ages, and experts from several Chinese research institutions found that consuming cheese and fruit can improve it. Their data analysis from eight sets, each containing about 800,000 to 2.3 million people, revealed that individuals with better well-being tended to have increased immunity, higher self-rated health, and longevity, leading to healthier ageing, regardless of their income or education levels.
A study from China University’s School of Public Health discovered that non-coffee drinkers who sat for six or more hours a day were 58 per cent more likely to die from any cause unrelated to third parties or accidents compared to coffee drinkers who sat for less than six hours a day. This suggests the risks of a sedentary lifestyle and the benefits of drinking coffee.