A deep-sea expedition in the Pacific has discovered a number of new species. They include a pink “sea pig” and a species thought to be up to 15,000 years old.
A 45-day research expedition in the eastern Pacific, in the so-called Clarion Clipperton Zone between Mexico and Hawaii, ended in March. Thomas Dahlgren, a researcher in marine ecology at the University of Gothenburg and the research institute NORCE, participated on the British research vessel James Cook.
The areas surveyed were between 3,500 and 5,500 meters deep, a place that makes up more than half of the Earth’s surface, but about which very little is currently known.
– These areas are the least explored on Earth. It is estimated that only one in ten animal species living here has been described by science, Dahlgren said in a press release.
Using a remotely operated vehicle, they photographed deep-sea life and took many samples. One new species discovered was a pink sea pig, a sea cucumber of the genus Amperima. It moves slowly along the seafloor in search of food and has growths on its feet that are used to bring food into its mouth.
Another sea cucumber, known as the “unicumber,” belongs to the Elpidiidae family and has a translucent body that allows the intestines to be seen through the body.
A cup-shaped glass sponge has also been found, an animal believed to have the longest lifespan of any creature on Earth, living up to 15,000 years.
Deep-sea mining
The goal of the expedition was to map the biodiversity of an area where deep-sea mining is planned. Deep-sea mining is planned in a number of countries, including Norway, which voted to allow it earlier this year. However, a number of studies have warned that seabed mining can disrupt ecosystems, as seen in Japan, where just two hours of cobalt mining led to a 56% decline in the fish population.
– We need to know more about wildlife in order to protect it. 30% of the marine area in question is protected, and we need to know if this is enough to ensure that the species living here are not threatened with extinction, says Dahlgren.
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Wildlife bridges have become a success in Sweden, effectively reducing the number of wildlife accidents by helping animals cross roads according to their natural movement patterns.
About a year ago, a wildlife crossing, also known as a wildlife bridge, was built on the E4 highway in Robertsfors, Västerbotten. Deployed cameras show that more and more wild animals are using the passage to cross the road – including the unusual sighting of lynx.
– Lynx have never been captured on our wildlife cameras before, so it’s really exciting, says Torbjörn Nilsson, environmental specialist at Trafikverket Nord who visited the wildlife bridge, to Swedish TV4.
Similar passages, both over and under roads, exist today in several places in Sweden. At the E22 Brömsebro wildlife crossing, more than 10,000 animal incidents were recorded in one year, showing that the bridges are effective in reducing wildlife accidents and saving society large costs. According to the Swedish Transport Administration, the social costs of wildlife accidents are estimated to be as much as SEK 15 billion (Є1.3 billion) per year.
The bridges are built strategically based on studies of the natural movement patterns of animals. To be effective, major crossings should be placed at least four to six kilometers apart.
– Then it’s important to follow up over a few years so that we can see that the animals really find their way here, says Nilsson.
Building a wildlife crossing costs between SEK 30 and 50 million (Є2.6 and 4.3 million) and the construction has a lifespan of about 120 years with current construction technology. According to the Swedish Transport Administration, the investments are well justified because they reduce the risk of wildlife accidents.
For the first time, researchers have observed squirrels hunting and eating voles in Briones Regional Park, California.The finding, documented during a 12-year study, reveals a previously unknown flexibility in squirrel behavior.
This year, for the first time, researchers have observed California ground squirrels as hunters, hunting and eating voles instead of feeding solely on nuts and pine cones. The observations were made as part of a long-term study in Briones Regional Park. Of 74 interactions between squirrels and voles documented during June and July, 42% involved hunting behavior.
– This was shocking, said lead author Jennifer E. Smith, an associate professor of biology at UW-Eau Claire, who is leading the project along with Dr. Sonja Wild, a behavioral ecologist from UC Davis in a press release, continuing:
– We had never seen this behavior before. Squirrels are one of the most familiar animals to people. We see them right outside our windows; we interact with them regularly. Yet here’s this never-before-encountered-in-science behavior that sheds light on the fact that there’s so much more to learn about the natural history of the world around us.
Even Wild, who has interacted a lot with squirrels in her life, was shocked by the findings and at first didn’t believe the docent when she told her. That was until she saw the footage.
– I could barely believe my eyes, said Wild. From then, we saw that behavior almost every day. Once we started looking, we saw it everywhere.
Flexible survival strategy
Through photographs, videos and observations, the researchers documented how squirrels, both male and female, of all ages, hunted and ate voles. The researchers did not observe squirrels hunting and eating other prey, but only voles were on the menu.
Squirrel hunting peaked in the first few weeks of July, which also coincided with an explosion in the number of voles in the park. This suggests that the squirrels’ hunting behavior occurred alongside a temporary increase in prey availability, according to the study.
– The fact that California ground squirrels are behaviorally flexible and can respond to changes in food availability might help them persist in environments rapidly changing due to the presence of humans, Wild says.
Smith says that squirrels, including several other species such as raccoons, are “incredible opportunists“. This kind of flexibility that these mammals apply in their hunting strategies helps them adapt to the human landscape, he says.
Swedish mother wanted radiation-free meters – Vattenfall responded with forced installation
Single mother Cilla and her son moved to the countryside in Dalarna to reduce exposure to radiation that makes them both very ill.
For the same reason, she has been in contact with Vattenfall over the summer to inform the company and try to keep her old electricity meter, or a new one that is not wireless.
Disturbing images show how the energy giant responds by hiring an eight-person team, including security guards and a locksmith, to forcibly install the wireless smart meter in the family's home.
Single mother Cilla and her son have moved to the countryside due to health issues caused by exposure to certain types of radiation. Despite her informing Vattenfall, a state-owned Swedish energy company, of this, the company decided, against her explicit wishes, to forcibly install a new wireless electricity meter on her property.
Disturbing footage shows the electricity company setting out with a team of eight people, including a locksmith, two security guards and the support of the Swedish Enforcement Authority, to force their way into Cilla’s home.
Cilla says that people are particularly sensitive to radiation from wireless technology and react with severe symptoms at levels that most people do not even notice. The symptoms she can suffer from exposure to such radiation emitted by cell towers, mobile phones, wireless networks and so-called smart meters include headaches, nosebleeds, rashes, eczema, heart arrhythmias, insomnia, vomiting, nausea, tinnitus and blood in the urine at higher levels. This is why Cilla chose to move from Stockholm to the countryside to Garpenberg in Dalarna, where she and her son have now lived for several years.
During the summer, she was informed by her electricity company, Vattenfall, that they wanted to replace the previous electricity meter with a new so-called “smart electricity meter”, which will transmit data on, among other things, electricity consumption using wireless communication via the 4G network. In conversations and letters to Vattenfall, Cilla has informed the company that she is not opposed to the replacement of the electricity meter, but she is opposed to the installation of a microwave transmitter because she and her son cannot tolerate this radiation. She has also clearly emphasized to Vattenfall that there are other technical solutions, such as transmitting information via the electricity grid or via fiber.
Vattenfall responded by sending security guards
Even in spite of the provisions of the Environmental Code, which states that the best possible technology should be used if there is reason to believe that there is a risk to human health, Vattenfall chose to force its way into Cilla’s home to install the wireless transmitter, along with a new electricity meter, one day in mid-August. To gain access to the family’s property, Vattenfall hired three people from the Swedish Enforcement Authority, a locksmith and two security guards to forcibly install the wireless transmitter. Two fitters from Vattenfall without name tags also showed up. In total, eight people entered Cilla’s property against her will.
She describes it as a shocking experience.
– I couldn’t even imagine in my wildest dreams that we wouldn’t be heard and put a stop to the madness, Cilla told The Nordic Times.
Can no longer live in the house
After the installation of the microwave transmitter, Cilla and her son have suffered from the very symptoms they were worried about: headaches, nosebleeds, difficulty sleeping, swallowing food and other acute symptoms. The family cannot now live in the house or be out in the yard without getting sick and she expresses great despair at what the electricity company, with the support of the authorities, has forced on them.
– To be subjected to this legal abuse that violates several laws including human rights, the land code, property law, the environmental code and face this cold-blooded ignorance, despite the threat to our lives, feels like something out of a horror movie and not out of our seemingly safe life in Sweden.The right to decide over our lives and avoid being forcibly irradiated applies, regardless of what a company like Vattenfall has on its agenda, says Cilla about the incident.
Vattenfall refers to the fact that it is “forced” to change its electricity meters due to the new regulation on functional requirements for electricity meters adopted by the government in 2018. However, there is no requirement in the regulation that electricity meters must transmit information using wireless technology.
Vattenfall: “Complies with EU health and safety requirements”
Vattenfall’s press service states to TNT that they do not want to comment on individual cases, but confirms via email that further back in time, about 15-20 years ago, a dialog was conducted with the Swedish Association of Electricity Hypersensitive People, where they have since had agreements with some customers regarding manual meter reading. However, this will cease completely after the turn of the year to 2025. This refers to “laws and regulations” on the website of the Energy Markets Inspectorate (a government agency for which Ebba Busch (KD) is currently the responsible minister), an agency that in turn falls under the Ministry of Climate and Business.
“From 2025, all of Sweden’s electricity meters must meet new statutory functional requirements and the new regulations no longer support this type of customer agreement that handles manual meter reading”, writes Sofia Quant, Head of Stakeholder and Impact Communication at Vattenfall.
The Environmental Code stipulates that the best possible technology should be used, especially if “there are reasons to assume nuisance” to human health.Do you offer alternatives to eliminate potential health impacts of wireless technology from your electricity meters?
“Our electricity meter, like other electrical products, must meet certain requirements and we follow the laws and regulations in place regarding safety and health.The electricity meter is CE marked, which means that the manufacturer certifies that the products meet EU health and safety requirements.The electricity meter is also within the reference values from the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority”, continues Sofia Quant, who adds that “no other assessments are made”.
“All electricity meters from Vattenfall Eldistribution are type-approved and properly installed to meet all regulatory requirements. We do not make any further assessments in our role as a power grid company. Customers can always contact us with questions related to meter replacements and their electrical installations”, says Quant.
During the UN meeting in South Korea last week, there were high hopes for a new global agreement to reduce the world’s plastic pollution.However, this never materialized and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) considers the outcome as “deplorable” and “a major failure”.
“The world missed a historic opportunity to stop the growing plastic pollution that threatens animals, ecosystems and human health.WWF considers it a major failure that countries at the UN meeting could not agree on a globally binding plastics agreement”, it writes in a press release.
It points out that a large majority of UN member states wanted to see far-reaching measures “that science has shown can stop plastic pollution” – but that a few countries opposed this and stopped the plans.
–It is regrettable that the negotiations did not result in a binding agreement, which is needed to save our planet from drowning in plastic, said Inger Näslund, senior ocean expert at WWF.
The organization points out that it has been over 1000 days since UN countries agreed to establish a legally binding treaty to stop plastic pollution in oceans and on land, and that 800 million tonnes of plastic have been produced since then alone, with over 30 million tonnes leaking into the oceans, harming animals and poisoning ecosystems.
“No intention of finding a solution”
WWF has previously urged countries to vote instead of settling for a watered-down agreement if a consensus could not be reached, but this was not the case, and major oil producer Saudi Arabia was one of several countries that opposed calls to reduce plastic production.
– For too long, a small minority of states have held the negotiation process hostage. It is abundantly clear that these countries have no intention of finding a meaningful solution to this crisis and yet they continue to prevent the large majority of states who do, said Eirik Lindebjerg of WWF International, who followed the negotiations on the ground in Busan.
–In 2025, we want to see countries come to the negotiating table again, but then ready to take the necessary decisions to end plastic pollution, emphasizes Inger Näslund.
Trillions of pieces of plastic debris
Although it is well documented that large parts of the world’s waterways are currently littered with plastic waste, it is still difficult to get a clear picture of the extent of the problem.
According to National Geographic’s estimate, there are around 5.3 trillion pieces of plastic debris floating in the world’s oceans – and in addition to what is on the surface, around four billion plastic microfibers per square kilometer litter the deep sea, threatening a large number of species.
The big problem with plastic waste is not just that it takes a long time to break down. Instead, once it disappears “in plain sight”, it leaves behind tiny microplastic particles that remain in nature and in the oceans for hundreds of years – and are taken up by the species that live there, including fish species that are then consumed by humans.
