The world’s biggest fish hatchery
Jan 15th 2022THIS IS A part of the largest fish-breeding ground yet discovered. It occupies more than 240km2 of the floor of the Weddell Sea, off Antarctica. Each nest is guarded by a notothenioid icefish, usually the father. Altogether, there are about 60m nests, housing more than 100bn eggs. The site was discovered by Autun…
The science behind the first successful pig-to-human heart transplant
Jan 15th 2022ON JANUARY 7TH David Bennett became the first person to have a heart transplanted successfully into him from a pig. In press material issued three days after the operation, the University of Maryland confirmed Mr Bennett was doing well, and was capable of breathing on his own. While he continues to rely on…
The Kazakh crisis is only one threat hanging over the uranium market
Jan 15th 2022KAZAKHSTAN IS OFTEN called the Saudi Arabia of uranium. In fact its market share, at more than 40% of the world’s nuclear fuel, is not far off the share in the oil market of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and Russia combined. So when unrest, followed by harsh repression, shook the…
A corruption probe is only the latest of Chinese insurers’ woes
WANG BIN has gained the undesirable distinction of becoming China’s first “tiger” of the year. The term refers to a senior official ensnared in a corruption probe (as opposed to a “fly”, a lower-level cadre). Mr Wang, the chairman and Communist Party secretary of China Life, one of the world’s largest insurers, is a big…
China does not have it all its way in the South China Sea
Jan 15th 2022DISPUTES IN THE South China Sea go back decades. They involve Brunei, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam, all with contesting claims. But it was only ten years ago that China, which makes outlandish maritime claims for nearly the whole sea, greatly upped the ante. First, it provoked a stand-off that left…
Australia ties itself in knots over No-vax Djokovic
THE PARK HOTEL in Melbourne is not the kind of place where a gluten-free, vegan tennis star typically holes up. But Novak Djokovic, the world’s best player and perhaps its most famous anti-vaxxer, is not typical. For five days he enjoyed the hospitality of the Park, which is better known for housing asylum-seekers, after Australia’s…
Small bands of mercenaries extend Russia’s reach in Africa
Jan 15th 2022DAKAR AND MOSCOWAS HE HANDED over a large wooden key on December 14th, a French colonel symbolically passed control of a military base in Timbuktu to his Malian counterpart. The tricolore, which had flown over the camp in northern Mali since France sent troops there in 2013 to counter jihadists and separatists, was…
Ethiopia promises peace but keeps bombing rebels and civilians
THE MOOD at the international airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital, is strikingly upbeat. In recent weeks arriving passengers have been met by smiling dancers and patriotic music. Garlands of flowers and bright yellow carpets adorn the arrivals hall. Banners proclaim the “Great Ethiopian Homecoming”, a state-sponsored effort to convince Ethiopians living abroad to come…
Predicting earthquakes is not possible. Yet
Jan 12th 2022ONE OF the questions most frequently asked of the United States Geological Survey is whether earthquakes can be predicted. Their answer is an unconditional “no”. The relevant page on the agency’s website states that no scientist has ever predicted a big quake, nor do they know how such a prediction might be made.…
The “National Shoot Up Your School Day” TikTok Trend Forces Schools in the US to Shut Down
Published on Dec 17, 2021 by AnneThe internet has deemed December 17 to be “National Shoot Up Your School Day”, and it’s the craziest thing we have heard all year. TikTok Challenges have crossed the line and schools in the U.S. are calling out parents to watch their kids. Schools all over the U.S. have…