POLITICO: Human Trafficking Is a Conspiracy Theory

Their roots might be buried in soil or sand‚ but as for the rest of a tree‚ we generally think of it as sticking out quite a lot. However‚ in the remote and nutrient-poor Kalahari sands of Angola‚ life works pretty differently: research in the region has uncovered two new tree species that are nearly entirely underground.One of the newly discovered species‚ Cochlospermum adjanyae‚ belongs to a genus of around 16 different species of trees. The vast majority of the plant is buried underground‚ but the clue to its existence comes in the form of bright yellow flowers visible above the surface‚ though it was only seen in flower once. C. adjanyae is also named after Adjany Costa‚ an Angolan biologist and conservationist who won the UN Young Champions of the Earth Africa prize back in 2019.The second species has been named in a very literal way – Baphia arenicola‚ which means “growing on sand”. Like C. adjanyae‚ the only part of the plant that’s visible is its flowers‚ although they are mostly white‚ with a small triangle of yellow towards the base. Though B. arenicola is considered a tree‚ it’s actually a member of the bean family.Baphia arenicola‚ one of the newly described species.Image credit: © David Goyder‚ RBG KewIt’s not that unusual that either species was found mostly underground; many trees in this region of Angola have as much as 90 percent of their body mass under the surface. It’s a smart adaptation to the arid surroundings‚ allowing them to access the small amount of moisture that ends up underground.Both species were discovered by Dr David Goyder‚ an honorary research associate at Royal Botanic Gardens (RBG)‚ Kew‚ during a National Geographic Expeditions survey. The survey was part of efforts to improve knowledge of plants in the region. “Plant diversity in Angola is poorly documented with very uneven geographic coverage – much of the eastern half of the country and some northern provinces are largely devoid of georeferenced plant collections‚” the authors write in a paper describing the new species.According to a statement from RBG Kew sent to IFLScience‚ the newly discovered trees are just two of 74 plants discovered by Kew scientists and partners last year and highlight the importance of field studies in understanding and protecting our planet’s plants.“It is imperative now‚ more so than ever‚ that we do everything in our power to go out into the field with our partners and work out which species of plants and fungi we haven't given a scientific description yet. Without doing so‚ we risk losing these species without ever even knowing they existed‚” said Dr Martin Cheek‚ senior research leader in RBG Kew’s Africa Team.Although there’s not enough data to assess the conservation status of C. adjanyae‚ it’s good news for B. arenicola‚ which the researchers determined to be in the “Least Concern” group. This likely has something to do with where the trees are found – in a sandy‚ nutrient-poor environment‚ which doesn’t exactly encourage the level of human settlement or agricultural development or that could threaten a species.Speaking of plants discovered in 2023‚ have you heard of the fiery red orchid that sits atop an Indonesian volcano?The study is published in the journal PhytoKeys.

Just a few weeks ago‚ the United States grew in size by 1 million square kilometers (more than 386‚000 square miles) – that’s almost twice the area of Spain. The unexpected growth spurt was not the result of strange geological forces‚ nor the invasion of a foreign land‚ but the States attempting to lay claim to its surrounding ocean-floor territory.Continental shelves are an area of seabed that surrounds large landmasses where the sea is relatively shallow compared with the open ocean. Under international law‚ countries can claim these continental shelves‚ allowing them to manage and exploit its resources.As many as 75 countries have defined their Extended Continental Shelf (ECS) limits‚ which refers to the portion of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles (230 miles) from the coast. Until now‚ the US has not done this. On December 19‚ 2023‚ the US State Department announced new geographic coordinates defining what they claim to be their ECS area.Since 2003‚ US authorities have been collaborating with the NOAA‚ the US Geological Survey‚ and 12 other agencies to gather geological data to define the outer limits of their ECS. In light of this work‚ the US now claims ECS in seven offshore areas: the Arctic‚ Atlantic (east coast)‚ Bering Sea‚ Pacific (west coast)‚Mariana Islands‚andtwo areas inthe Gulf of Mexico. In total‚ this consumes an area that's 1 million square kilometers (more than 386‚000 square miles) in size.“America is larger than it was yesterday‚” Mead Treadwell‚ a former Alaska lieutenant governor and former chair of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission‚ said on December 19‚ reports Alaska Public Media.A map showing the US Extended Continental Shelf (ECS).Image credit: US State Department“It’s not quite the Louisiana Purchase. It’s not quite the purchase of Alaska‚ but the new area of land and subsurface resources under the land controlled by the United States is two Californias larger‚” he added.The legality of all this is a bit hazy‚ Treadwell explains in a post for the Wilson Center. To make the definition official‚ the US has to submit data and reports to the United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). However‚ the US has not ratified UNCLOS due to complex political disagreements (the agreement has been ratified by 168 states and the European Union).This leaves some uncertainty around how the proposition will be accepted under international law. “If somebody came back and said‚ ‘Your science is bad‚’ I think the United States would listen‚” Treadwell told the media. “But I don’t think science is bad. I think we’ve had very good science.”Needless to say‚ claiming new maritime borders can prove controversial on the international stage. Some of the most significant geopolitical spats in recent times have involved China and its neighbors‚ like the Philippines and Vietnam‚ over claims to the South China Sea.However‚ the US stands to gain a lot from their recent declaration. The expansion of ocean floor territory in the Arctic Ocean could open up the area for further mining‚ shipping‚ and fishing – despite the potential damage it could spark.It also has implications for the nation’s security and its exercise of power in the world. As Sir Walter Raleigh wrote in 1829: “For whosoever commands the sea‚ commands the trade; whosoever commands the trade of the world‚ commands the riches of the world‚ and consequently the world itself.” 

In 2022‚ an enormous star 16‚000 light-years from Earth began mysteriously dimming. After follow-up observations in 2023‚ a team of astronomers believe they have an explanation.When they aren't creating green monsters or mysteriously vanishing without a trace‚ stars are generally pretty reliable constants in the sky. With lifespans of billions of years‚ you can usually expect to look at a star one day‚ and then return to it a few weeks‚ months‚ or years later and find it with roughly the same brightness and characteristics you observed last time.But this is the universe‚ with billions of stars out there to observe‚ and sometimes it doesn't work like that.      Stars have been spotted dimming‚ with a variety of explanations. Some light dips are due to exoplanets orbiting the star and obscuring our view of it. This is actually how we search for exoplanets‚ and dips of this kind are no huge mystery for astronomers.Stars can also dim when they are about to go supernova. Betelgeuse has been dimming mysteriously on and off for years‚ with its pulsations suggesting that an explosion is not far off. When it does go supernova‚ it will be as bright as a full moon. It's not clear when that will happen‚ and the star isn't helping by throwing off clouds of dust that also dimmed the star from our point of view.In 2022‚ RW Cephei presented a dimming mystery of its own. The "cool hypergiant" star is believed by a team at Georgia State University’s CHARA Array to be one of the largest known stars in the Milky Way. In the unlikely event our Sun was replaced by it‚ its outer layers would go further out than the orbit of Jupiter. Changes to brightness emitted by old stars like this one are usually small‚ so astronomers were pretty baffled when the star began to dim dramatically‚ in a similar manner to Betelgeuse. “We made our first CHARA observations in December 2022‚ just before the winter weather closure‚” Georgia State University astronomer Narsireddy Anugu said in a press release‚ "but the results were so remarkable we decided to pursue additional observations once the star was accessible again."The star had lost around a third of its usual brightness over the course of a few years. Observing it over 10 months using the CHARA Array – six telescopes spread across the mountaintop of Mount Wilson‚ California – the team found that the star wasn't round‚ and that its appearance changed significantly‚ as it began to brighten again.Georgia State University graduate student Katherine Shepard made observations of the star in wavelengths from visible to infrared‚ finding that the dimming was far greater in the visible spectrum. This suggested to the team that the dimming was caused by an ejection turning to dust."We suggest that the maximum light time may have corresponded to a particularly energetic convective upwelling of hot gas that launched a surface mass ejection event‚" the team wrote in their paper. "This gas is now cooling to the point of dust formation‚ and the part of the ejected cloud seen in projection against the photosphere causes the darker appearance of the western side of the star. The duration of such dimming events may scale with stellar and dust cloud size‚ so that the timescale ranges from about a year in smaller Betelgeuse‚ through several years for RW Cep."The team suggests that the "Great Dimming" of RW Cep could just be the latest of a series of ejections over the last century.“This one was special because the cloud was ejected in the direction of Earth‚" CHARA Director Douglas Gies added‚ "so we were in the right place to witness the full effects of the cataclysm."The study is published in The Astronomical Journal.

A US district judge has given the green light for the first-ever execution by nitrogen gas asphyxiation to go ahead. The ruling means that Alabama inmate Kenneth Eugene Smith is currently scheduled to be put to death using the new method on January 25‚ although his attorney has launched an appeal against the decision.Smith’s legal team argue that he is being used as a guinea pig for an experimental procedure‚ and that the proposed execution amounts to cruel and unusual punishment‚ thus rendering it unconstitutional. Under plans put forward by the state of Alabama‚ a respirator is to be placed over the prisoner’s nose and mouth in order to replace all breathable air with nitrogen gas‚ ultimately leading to suffocation.At a court hearing in December‚ the state attorney general’s office said that the method would “cause unconsciousness within seconds‚ and cause death within minutes‚” the Associated Press reports. In response‚ Smith’s lawyers have pointed out that the American Veterinary Medical Association advises against nitrogen hypoxia as a form of euthanasia for all mammals except pigs as the procedure is too “distressing”.However‚ at a hearing earlier this week‚ federal judge R. Austin Huffaker ruled that Smith can be executed using the new method. In his report‚ Huffaker conceded that his decision means that “Smith is not guaranteed a painless death‚” but ultimately found that the inmate “has not shown‚ and the court cannot conclude‚ the Protocol inflicts both cruel and unusual punishment rendering it constitutionally infirm under the prevailing legal framework.”Smith was sentenced to death for the 1988 murder of Elizabeth Dorlene Sennett‚ for which he was paid $1‚000 by the victim’s husband. In November 2022‚ he was the subject of a botched execution attempt‚ when prison staff spent 100 minutes trying to administer a lethal injection but could not find a vein before the midnight deadline for the capital punishment to be carried out.Failed executions have become increasingly common in the US since 2010‚ when the companies that manufacture sodium thiopental stopped supplying the chemical for use in lethal injections. This has led numerous states to seek out new ways of putting prisoners to death‚ with some turning to the sedative midazolam.However‚ the use of midazolam has proved highly controversial and has been blamed for some prisoners appearing to suffer convulsions several minutes after being injected. Seeking out a more effective execution method‚ the state of Oklahoma became the first to approve nitrogen asphyxiation in 2015.Mississippi and Alabama soon followed suit‚ although no prisoner has yet been executed using the method. Unless Smith’s appeal is successful‚ he will be the first.

When we think of galaxies‚ we often think of bright spiral galaxies full of stars and gas – but some galaxies have very few stars and look quite different. These are known as low-surface-brightness galaxies. They tend to have a lot more dark matter than regular galaxies like our own‚ and the normal matter they have is usually in the form of gas‚ with few stars.Astronomers were conducting a survey of 350 of these galaxies using the Green Bank Telescope (GBT)‚ a world-class radio observatory. when they accidentally spotted an extreme example of this. J0613+52 is located 270 million light-years away and it appears to have no stars. Just a big blob of rotating gas.“The GBT was accidentally pointed to the wrong coordinates and found this object. It’s a galaxy made only out of gas — it has no visible stars. Stars could be there‚ we just can’t see them‚” Karen O’Neil‚ senior scientist of the Green Bank Observatory‚ said in a statement.The team was using multiple telescopes to study the properties of the 350 galaxies when they stumbled on this unique object. Gas is the fuel to make new stars‚ but it needs to be close together for gravity to take over and stars to be born. This doesn’t seem to be happening in the case of J0613+52.“What we do know is that it’s an incredibly gas rich galaxy. It’s not demonstrating star formation like we’d expect‚ probably because its gas is too diffuse. At the same time‚ it’s too far from other galaxies for them to help trigger star formation through any encounters. J0613+52 appears to be both undisturbed and underdeveloped. This could be our first discovery of a nearby galaxy made up of primordial gas‚” added O’Neil.This galaxy is truly a fascinating riddle. Researchers believe that it would be important to follow up on this object with deep optical observations to find the stars that might exist in this galaxy. However‚ the astronomers feel that it would be important to find more objects like this one using radio observatories.“A full sky survey by an extremely sensitive instrument like the Green Bank Telescope could uncover more of these objects‚” O’Neil suggested.The serendipitous discovery was presented at the 243rd meeting of the American Astronomical Society.

Many of us take our passports for granted‚ but not all are created equal – some will get you into more places than others. But in the first set of rankings for 2024‚ it turns out there’s not just one that sits atop the rest: there are six.Those with a passport from France‚ Germany‚ Italy‚ Japan‚ Singapore‚ or Spain can enter a whopping 194 destinations without a prior visa. That’s according to the Henley Passport Index‚ a reference tool developed using data from the International Air Transport Authority (IATA). The rankings are updated monthly and include 199 different passports and 227 different travel destinations.The first of this year’s rankings marks a distinct change in trend. Since 2018‚ either Japan‚ Singapore‚ or both have come in at the top position‚ closely followed by European countries like Germany or Finland. Now‚ it shares that spot with four European passports‚ all of which jumped up from 3rd place in 2023.The top 10 most powerful passports (as of January 11‚ 2024)France‚ Germany‚ Italy‚ Japan‚ Singapore‚ Spain (194 destinations)Finland‚ South Korea‚ Sweden (193 destinations)Austria‚ Denmark‚ Ireland‚ Netherlands (192 destinations)Belgium‚ Luxembourg‚ Norway‚ Portugal‚ United Kingdom (191 destinations)Greece‚ Malta‚ Switzerland (190 destinations)Australia‚ Czechia‚ New Zealand‚ Poland (189 destinations)Canada‚ Hungary‚ United States (188 destinations)Estonia‚ Lithuania (187 destinations)Latvia‚ Slovakia‚ Slovenia (186 destinations)Iceland (185 destinations)Although the last 19 years of the rankings have seen a general trend towards greater travel freedom‚ according to Dr Christian H. Kaelin‚ who chairs Henley &; Partners and created the passport index‚ the global mobility gap between those in the top and bottom spots is becoming increasingly wide.“The average number of destinations travelers are able to access visa-free has nearly doubled from 58 in 2006 to 111 in 2024‚” said Kaelin in a statement. “However‚ as we enter the new year‚ the top-ranked countries are now able to travel to a staggering 166 more destinations visa-free than Afghanistan‚ which sits at the bottom of the ranking with access to just 28 countries without a visa.”The latest index rankings are part of a wider analysis of global and regional mobility; the Henley Global Mobility Report‚ which is published quarterly‚ uses academic and professional geopolitical analysis to identify the most recent major and emerging trends in mobility. 

Human and animal conflict is a touchy subject for many species‚ whether it is related to loss of habitat‚ or even the question of whether you should let a moose lick your car. One other aspect of human-animal conflict is the problem of boat strikes‚ which can injure and even kill many marine species each year. Unfortunately‚ one humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) might just be the newest victim.The whale was spotted off the coast of Baja California Sur‚ Mexico‚ in December 2023 by Alexander Schmidt Márquez from Apex Ocean Divers. A drone video shared on their Instagram page revealed the extent of the suspected injury. It is currently unknown what caused the damage to the whale’s spine‚ but a boat strike is considered to be the most likely explanation.            Severe injuries like this one are thought to negatively affect the chances of the whale surviving. A similarly injured fin whale‚ thought to have scoliosis as the result of either genetics or trauma‚ was spotted last year struggling to swim off the coast of the city of Cullera‚ along Spain’s east coast."Whales are highly resilient creatures‚ but severe injuries like this can significantly reduce their chances of survival in the wild‚" said Stephanie Stack‚ chief biologist at the Pacific Whale Foundation in a statement sent to Live Science. One such example of marine mammal resilience despite a variation in morphology is the dolphin with hook-like thumbs‚ spotted in the Gulf of Corinth‚ near Greece. Its unusual appearance is highly likely to be caused by genetics‚ as the change appears on both sides of the animal's fins. But as research would indicate‚ this is unlikely to be the case for the injured humpback whale. A global review of vessel collisions carried out in 2020 showed that at least 75 marine species were at risk; as well as whales and dolphins‚ dugongs‚ sharks‚ seals‚ sea otters‚ sea turtles‚ and penguins were all on the list. "We know that vessel collisions are one of the most significant and widespread threats that whales are facing today‚" Stack said. "Cases like these are tragic‚ but we hope they can be used to raise awareness and prevent future deaths." Other marine mammals like orcas and sea otters have been reclaiming the oceans from watercraft by sinking yachts and stealing surfboards. And when it comes to good whale news‚ two humpbacks have also been seen making Fibonacci spirals while feeding in Antarctica. [H/T: LiveScience]

21 million years older than any before!

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