Not Lyfe As We Know it Jim

Bartlett and Wong in the USA, have suggested that the search for life on Mars and other extra-terrestrial bodies may be rendered too difficult by our attempting to find living systems (or traces of former living systems) identical to those on Earth (e.g. Carbon-based, using DNA and/or RNA as well as proteins made from the same 20 or so amino acids). They advocate a much broader formulation that they term 'lyfe' (https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/jul/30/is-there-lyfe-on-mars-new-concept-broadens-search-for-alien-organisms).They maintain that 'lyving' things (on this planet and elsewhere) will have 4 abilities namely to 1) absorb and change free energy sources; 2) exponentially grow or expand; 3) restrict internal change when changes happen externally and 4) record, process and carry out actions based on information. Even on the Earth, although the vast majority of organisms depend directly or indirectly on the energy of sunlight, a few take their energy from hydrothermal vents.This suggests that lyth developing in alien environments, may have 'chosen' unEarthly ways of achieving the 4 abilities quoted above. Perhaps we need to look for alien life-forms (or traces of former alien life-forms) with fewer preconceptions about how to find them?

Tide Is High?

 

A newly published study includes estimates that, within 30 years, around 23 million people will be impacted by coastal flooding (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jul/31/extra-23-million-people-could-face-coastal-flooding-within-30-years-even-with-emission-cuts-study-says). This will be caused by a combination of elevations of sea level, storm surges and extreme tides. The damage to coastal properties could exceed $14.2tn (as many of the world's major cities are located by the sea). Scarily, the predicted effect on such coastal locations will, it is claimed, still occur even if ambitious curbs on greenhouse gases are brought in immediately. What happens if we continue to dither and delay is something that I wouldn't like to contemplate. 

Bringing New Weather?

The Meteorological Office has focused attention on the very obvious changes that are apparent (as, was also intended, to be a feature of my 'Seeing the Changes' posts) in the UK's weather patterns (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jul/31/climate-crisis-exerting-increasing-impact-on-uk-says-met-office). They note that 2019 had an average temperature that was 1.1⁰C above the average for the period 1961-1990 (that year also had the highest temperature ever recorded in this country). The office predict that we are likely to be exposed to more bouts of extreme heat (with temperatures above the dangerous 40⁰C level) as well as fewer periods of frost and snow. They also note that our deciduous trees are coming into leaf earlier, disrupting entire ecologies. Do we really need any more evidence?

Sticking Point in France

 

It has taken them some time but the European Commission has finally got round to insisting that France completely outlaws chasse ά la glu (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jul/30/european-commission-orders-france-to-outlaw-barbaric-glue-traps-for-birds). These barbaric glue traps, where branches of trees on which song birds might perch are covered with a sticky substance were banned by the Birds directive in 1979. The powerful hunting lobby, in France, have, however, been able to use the method since 1989 in 5 SE departments. They argued that the method was 'traditional'. So were bear baiting, fox hunting and cock fighting!

An Unhelpful Plastic-Gobbling Shrimp

A study carried out an University College Cork has found that a small brine shrimp (Gammarus duebeni), which is common in Ireland, is capable of fragmenting microplastics into much smaller nanoplastics in as little as 96 hours (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jul/30/small-crustacean-can-fragment-microplastics-in-four-days-study-finds). This, unexpected finding is quite worrying as it had been thought that microplastics would remain relatively unchanged for extended periods in marine locations. Nanoplastics are so small that they can pass through the cell walls of any organism that ingests them. So, the shrimp will be encouraging the damaging spread of plastics into marine food chains. We might be getting our plastics back in our Dublin Bay prawns?

'A' is for Arid Argentina

 

Yet another indication of climate change? Argentina's major 'wetland' ecosystems, the Parana river grasslands, have reportedly been burning for months (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jul/30/argentina-delta-fires-rage-out-of-control-parana-river). This delta region has been greatly influenced by cattle ranching (with its associated methane production) but has also been subjected to an extended period with little or no rainfall. It's always hard to ascribe a cause(s) to an event like this but the wetland used to be wet.

Wild Mammal Wipe-out?

 

The Mammal Society have helped to produce a 'red list' of endangered wild mammals in the UK (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jul/30/quarter-of-native-uk-mammals-at-imminent-risk-of-extinction). The list is approved by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature that produces its own red lists on elephants, tigers et cetera. It is intended to help planning by government bodies responsible for the environment in England, Scotland and Wales. It seems that there is sufficient data (some species are too little documented) to support the view that 11 (25%) of the UK's wild mammal species are at 'imminent risk of extinction'. This means, in the UK, as many, fortunately, can be found elsewhere (hence beavers from Poland). Species have been threatened on our islands by combinations of habitat destruction, introduction of alien species and historical persecution. The species that are currently 'clinging on' include the Hazel dormouse, Hedgehog, Red squirrel, Water vole and Wild cat. There has been a lot of comment about deliberate (Beaver) and accidental (Wild boar) re-introductions but we really do have to look better after the species we have already got!

Mixed Messages

It gets very confusing for an old, UK-based guy like me. The messages we are getting from government about how to avoid becoming a Covid-19 casualty and to be simultaneously 'greenish' don't seem to make a great deal of sense to me (although some of individual recommendations appeal). Apparently, we are all overweight (a risk factor for many diseases including this virus) and must do something about our awful eating and drinking habits. But, we also have to get the economy moving and should be encouraged (£10 vouchers!) to frequent pubs and restaurants (even if is difficult, with the best of intentions, to eliminate transmission in such areas). It's all the fault of 'junk foods' (not really, although they are an easy target)! We will stop people being hammered with messages about these 'treats' on TV before the 9 pm 'watershed' but not until 2022! This is in spite of the fact that many people (including 'easily influenced' children) watch stored TV shows at times that suit their convenience and, anyhow, much of the advertising is online. Studies in other countries suggest that poverty has a major impact on poor eating choices. We also have to cease to be couch potatoes. One way of doing this (if you can't pay gym fees or the gyms are closed) is to get us onto bicycles (which would also be 'greener' than driving). To really encourage this, there might be more vouchers towards getting your machine fixed before venturing on to the roads. To deal with a realistic concern that the roads can be a tad dangerous for cyclists (especially for those who haven't used such machines for some years), some cycle lanes may be made permanent and other routes created. This, however, will take rather a long time (and has been locally resisted), as we start from a very low base-line (I remember cycle tracks in Lancashire being ripped up to make extra lanes for cars). Perhaps, in addition to new cycle lanes, we ought to also import another idea from the Netherlands, essentially making the cyclist a protected (from other road users) species? Knock one down at your peril! Walking is also good exercise but very little is said about that. People who would normally exercise by swimming have also found that they have been precluded from that in lockdown. Sadly, some of the pool-containing leisure centres may not re-open. Again, poverty is likely to make maintaining an exercise regime difficult. We should also get back on public transport rather than returning to our fume and micro-particle generating cars. But social isolation is difficult in this situation and being a bus driver in London seems to be currently one of the most dangerous occupations in terms of Covid-19 infections. We all, post lockdown, 'deserve' a foreign holiday (even if the evidence suggests that these played a major role in spreading the virus to all sections of the UK in the first wave). Anyhow, travel companies, airlines and ferries need respite from their current, awful economic pressures (even if they add to the 'greenhouse gas' output). Many countries have also been desperate to get the tourists back! If, however, the countries in which the holiday locations are located show a spike in Covid-19 infections (surely an inducement to hide them?), returning holiday makers are faced with 14 days of quarantine (enforced by whom?). I know that old age makes it difficult to keep up with trends and the constant hum of information but it seems to me that too many people are trying to do too many things at the same time. Help!

Fished Out

It appears that stocks of fish that make migrations between rivers and the sea have declined by 76% in the last 50 years (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jul/27/migratory-river-fish-populations-plunge-76-in-past-50-years). This includes salmon and eels, fish that are important foods  for many mammals and birds. One would have hoped that the rivers the fish return to breed in, would have got cleaner over that period so something else (over fishing, parasites from fish farms?) must be decimating the populations. 

Mesozoic Microbes

News that scientists have managed to revive bacteria from the bottom of the ocean in the South Pacific is interesting because these organisms are believed to have been dormant since the age of the dinosaurs (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jul/28/scientists-successfully-revived-mesozoic-era-microbes-from-the-sea). This means that, no matter what humans manage to do to the planet, life would persist in places. I know that is not much consolation for more complicated forms of life. It would be better if we did not stress things to their breaking point.

The Armpits of England

There has been much debate about whether the rather unpleasant, musty smell of the human armpit is a sexual attractant (I remember studies getting girls to sniff tee-shirts previously worn by guys). New research from York University suggests something quite different 

(https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/jul/27/know-sweat-scientists-solve-mystery-behind-body-odour).  It appears that the pungent odour is largely generated by a species of bacterium, Staphylococcus hominum, feeding on materials released from the armpit's sweat glands. The offending bug appears to be unique in having an enzyme that can convert its food into a pungent thio-alcohol. The researchers transferred the 'BO gene', responsible for making the enzyme, to related species of bacterium, S. aureus. This, normally unsmelly bacterium, now generated the armpit odour as it fed. It seems clear that the odour is a by-product of an organism that is commensal (literally meaning 'feeding at the same table') with humans. So any 'sexual signalling function' associated with this region is learned by human experience.  It is certainly not a so-called 'pheromone' (a discrete chemical signal released to the exterior like the sexual attractants produced by some moths)!

Companion Animals at Covid Risk?

There is excitement in the press as it appears that a single domestic cat has been proved to have caught sars-Cov-2 from its 'people' (https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/world/pet-cat-diagnosed-with-covid-19-in-first-uk-case-of-animal-infection/ar-BB17eTuA). All the inhabitants of the house involved have made a full recovery, so that's alright! Not quite! The virus 'jumping' from bats to humans (possibly via a Pangolin) was certainly more unlikely than its going from humans to cats. Some people are very familiar with their cats and dogs, sometimes kissing them on the face (an action that should probably be discouraged at this time). I suspect that not many pets have been tested for the virus over lockdown, as  a) vets have not been very active; b) owners have been told categorically that they cannot catch the infection from their pets (so they assume that vice versa applies), c) the symptoms in companion animals are unclear and d) pet keepers may have difficulty getting someone to test 'kitty'. It would be very sad if there were major outbreaks in companion animals. Many people (especially older people or folk with health conditions, who are isolating or in quarantine) benefit greatly from having pets (it's good for mental and physical health). If sars-Cov-2  did spread in cats or dogs, you couldn't get these animals to socially distance or wear face-masks. It might be safer to go for non-Mammalian pets such as aquarium fish, a boa constrictor or a parrot! A real doomsday situation would occur if the virus made the jump to pigs, sheep or cattle but people don't seem to be monitoring this (remote?) possibility either.

Seeing the Changes 1480

Getting fruity in Penclacwydd with Crab apples (Malus sylvestris) and Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) sloes.

Fly Tippers Soar

What is a tragedy for many becomes yet another opportunity for the criminal few. One consequence of the Covid-19 lockdown has been a surge of fly tipping in many areas of the UK (https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/jul/26/uk-campaigners-call-for-action-to-tackle-surge-in-fly-tipping-during-covid-19-lockdown). Mountains of dangerous waste have been dumped on remote sections of road and in the countryside. This is presumably because there are fewer people to check on this illegal activity (there are just fewer people around to see what is happening). The waste can end up costing hard-pressed councils hundreds of thousands of pounds in clearance costs. It can also be a further health hazard. It has even been suggested that, with the closure of many recycling sites, some fly tippers have been offering to clear (for a price) materials for people who cannot do this for themselves. They claim that the material will be disposed of in environmentally appropriate ways (they even boost their charges using this argument) but, of course, have no intention of doing anything that cuts into their ill-gotten gains. Sadly, the persons paying the fly tippers can still be held to be legally responsible for the environmental damage and the costs of clearing it.  

Seeing the Changes 1479

A few more items at Penclacwydd with Red bartsia (Odontites verna) in flower and the ripe berries of the Guelder rose (Viburnum opulus).

On Yer Bike!

Interesting news that doctors in England will be able to prescribe bicycle riding, in an attempt to counter the obesity pandemic and help people get their bodies in a position where they can deal effectively with Covid-19 infections (https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/jul/26/doctors-to-prescribe-bike-rides-to-tackle-uk-obesity-crisis-amid-coronavirus-risk). One of the things that clearly inhibits people adopting this form of transport is a feeling that cyclists are very vulnerable our crowded roads. The government suggest that they will counter this by putting in cycle lanes (they have a massive way to go before matching provisions in the Netherlands) and creating low traffic areas.  They intend to focus on  deprived locations where obesity is a serious problem. This doesn't fit with earlier reports, that money set aside by to encourage cycling in the UK, had largely gone unspent, after vigorous opposition by politicians in well-heeled areas of major cities. Is it to be poor people on bicycles and the rich to their private gymnasia? 

Thanks to All the Readers

Another Thing to Factor in Whilst Taking a Foreign Holiday?

The first collapse of an 'air bridge' has occurred with people currently holidaying in Spain being told that they should quarantine themselves for 14 days on their return to the UK (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/25/uk-holidaymakers-returning-from-spain-to-face-quarantine). This is happening because there has been, surprise, surprise, a surge in Covid-19 cases in Spain. I worried about the air bridge concept when it was first mooted as a) people often do riskier things on holiday that they wouldn't consider doing at home; b) tourists travel and live together in relatively large groups and c) holiday makers will be returning (as they did at the start of the pandemic in this country) in large numbers to places all over the UK. I doubt that all the people returning from Spain can be checked to prove they are following this directive. This makes it more likely that we will see a resurgence of cases in the UK. It also means that people can go on holiday to a supposedly 'safe' location, only to find that its status has changed whilst they are abroad. So they get 14 days in limbo that were not in the initial package.

Investing for a Rainy Day: Costs of Preventing the Next Pandemic?

A study has suggested that the total world economic cost of the Covid-19 pandemic is a 'mighty'  $11.5 tn, whereas the cost of preventing the next pandemic could be a 'meagre' $26.2 bn (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/23/preventing-next-pandemic-fraction-cost-covid-19-economic-fallout). In effect, this means that the world could collectively 'insure' against the next  pandemic, by spending less than 2% of the economic costs of the present outbreak. The $26.2 bn would be spent on ending the wild meat trade in China (and elsewhere?); setting up mechanisms for early disease detection and control as well as reducing tropical deforestation by 40% in the most critical regions. These (and other suggestions) all seem like good investments to me (although some of these things would have to be continuously financed) but I can't see countries agreeing to pay a share. This is especially so when we have major players threatening to stop payments to the World Health Organisation for 'political' reasons. Countries focus exclusively on their own perceived problems and prefer 'to fly by the seat of their pants'.

Pub Grub

A pub (The Downsman) in Crawley West Sussex has been forced to close after being linked to 16 new cases of Covid-19 infection (https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/pub-hit-16-confirmed-coronavirus-22412374). Two of the pub's staff have tested positive (and they could have passed on infections) but some of the other 14 positives could have been contracted elsewhere. Having said that, a pub or a bar (because of its nature and the beverages it sells) is not an easy place to minimise the chances of picking up the virus. This is not the first pub-related outbreak and it is most unlikely to be the last.

Fataggendon?

I suppose that the one actual benefit (if you can ever think in those terms) of the Covid-19 pandemic in the UK is that it focuses people's attention on health. Public Health England (PHE) are clearly using this emergency to push for a somewhat overdue attack on the levels of obesity in the country (https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/jul/25/public-health-england-calls-for-action-on-obesity-in-covid-19-fight). It is very clear that people with a Body Mass Index (BMI) that takes them into the 'obese' or the 'very obese' categories are likely to have a very much worse experience if they are infected with the virus than are people with a 'normal' BMI. The former are more likely to need hospitalisation and support of their breathing (they are also more likely to die). Unfortunately, the UK has 'world class' levels of obesity, especially in the younger age groups. PHE is claiming that being overweight is a risk factor for complications following a Covid-19 infection. This actually may be something of a simplification ,because 'underlying health conditions' are known to make the infection tricky. Being overweight increases the likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes as well as atherosclerosis (that is linked to coronary heart disease and strokes). No matter what the nature of the precise link between BMI and Covid-19 morbidity is, it would clearly be of great benefit to individuals and the NHS to reduce levels of obesity in our populations (preferably without 'fat shaming').  BMI is determined by a balance between the calories taken in (i.e. eaten) and those utilised in exercise. The PHE strategy seems at the moment to focus on 'junk foods' and its advertising (an area that has been very difficult to control because of commercial and lobbying pressures). It would clearly be of benefit if vulnerable people (especially children) were not constantly assailed with advertising/temptations to buy such items. Having said that, you can become overweight by consuming too many calories from 'healthy food' and/or taking too little exercise. I suspect that it will be harder to get that message across as well as creating situations where calories are more carefully regulated and opportunities for exercise more freely available (especially in the poorer areas of society). 

Is Anybody Really Surprised?

Belgium, France, Germany and Spain are all reporting worrying increases in Covid-19 infections in regions of their countries (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/24/europe-warns-of-need-for-vigilance-as-covid-19-cases-rise-sharply). All, of course, have been trying to re-open their economies (in some cases, including tourism). I appreciate that the pressures to try to get economies moving again are immense. I also note that people are, in many cases, trying to do the right thing with respect to social distancing and mask wearing. It does, however, seem, in the absence of a treatment of a majority of these populations (and their visitors?) with an effective vaccine, that this was all too predictable.

Red Hot Corals

There has been a lot of gloom about the likely impact of global warming on the survival of corals and their associated organisms around the world. Even small elevations of temperature have produced massed 'bleaching' events, where these colonial animals lose their symbiotic algae on which they partially depend. It may, however, be possible to 'reseed' damaged reefs with temperature-resistant coral species. In experiments, corals from the Gulf of Aqaba in the Red Sea, survived a rise of 7⁰C above a supposedly lethal level (https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/jul/21/heat-resistant-corals-offer-hope-as-climate-crisis-warms-up-oceans). This appears to be yet another example of nature already doing the job for us by selecting organisms that are already capable of dealing with atypical water temperatures.

Plastic Tsunami

In spite of all the publicity surrounding the problems caused by large plastic waste entering the oceans, a new authoritative study suggests that its volume is actually likely to see an almost 300% rise by 2040 (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jul/23/plastic-waste-entering-oceans-triple-20-years-research). Currently, it is estimated, that 11m tonnes of plastics enter the oceans each year but this might well  grow to 29m tonnes per annum by 2040. Attempts to reduce this waste have thus far only had marginal effects and real change can only be brought about by governments legislating against the use of plastic packaging as well as being much more proactive and innovative  about waste disposal. The situation is likely to be further complicated by a growing dramatic increase in the numbers of discarded face masks and other items as a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition, the study takes no account of the enormous quantities of microplastics, emanating from the wear of tyres on the roads as well as from brake linings, that are blown into the seas each year. This really is the Anthropocene! Some of our future sedimentary rocks may turn out to be largely plastic.

Trouble Downunder?

A major review has suggested that Australia's current Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act is simply not effective (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jul/20/australias-environment-in-unsustainable-state-of-decline-major-review-finds). The island continent is, of course, the only home of the egg-laying Prototherian mammals (e.g. the Duck-billed platypus) and many unique pouched Marsupials (e.g. the Red-necked wallaby). Its environments are judged, however, to be 'in an unsustainable state of decline'. In essence, the laws that were set up to protect species and habitats simply don't work as they are rarely legally enforceable (or seriously enforced?). It seems that company profits and votes  generally take preference over protecting Australia's unique fauna.

Cocktail Treatments For Covid

In addition to the many attempts to develop vaccines, scientists in New York and Toronto are independently looking at the possibility of injecting 'cocktails' of antibodies to treat Covid-19 patients (https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/jul/22/antibody-mix-trialled-as-potential-coronavirus-treatment). The antibodies are extracted from the bloods of recovering patients. A wide range of these proteins seem to be produced when sars-cov-2 is recognised as a foreign invader by the bodies of different people. Some of these antibodies, given resources and time, could be produced on an industrial scale and would (following safety checks -currently at the laboratory animal stage but needing to be extended to clinical trials) be given to people whose infection had been recognised at an early stage. This would make it much less likely that a serious infection would follow.  It is also evident that these cocktails of antibodies could be given to vulnerable groups (e.g. people in care homes) to protect them from infection by the virus. 

Do You Want the Good News or...?

An article by 6 teams of respected modellers, published in Reviews of Geophysics, claims that it has ruled out the extreme scenarios of climate change (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jul/22/global-heating-study-narrows-range-of-probable-temperature-rises). The authors point out that when the climate change debate got seriously underway, it was predicted that an increase in atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide to 280 parts per million (ppm) from pre-industrial levels, carried a 66% risk of heating the planet by between 1.5⁰C (deemed to be manageable) and 4.5⁰C (deemed to be catastrophic). Their new models suggest that the 66% probability will actually generate planetary temperature increases of between 2.6 and 3.9⁰C (which both seem pretty bad to me). Their study further points out that, in May 2020, atmospheric carbon dioxide was 417 ppm and was increasing by 2.5 ppm/year. In fairness, the authors do reiterate that we have no room for complacency and still urge that drastic efforts should be made to curb 'greenhouse gases'. I am not, however, very reassured by their upper prediction being somewhat lower than that claimed in the initial studies (the upper and the lower limits are both likely to have very unpleasant consequences). It's a bit like saying 'Good news. You will only be shot dead, using a smaller calibre bullet!'

That Sinking Feeling?

  

There has suddenly been a resurgence of concern about the levels of obesity in the UK (possibly related to its being a risk factor in Covid-19 infections). Being overweight has long been known to increase one's chances of having type-2 diabetes, a coronary or a stroke (also risk factors in the viral infection). The UK has a very high incidence of obesity (especially in children), being linked to poor diet and a lack of exercise. Now, reportedly, people who have such a condition also run the risk of being excluded by gondoliers in Venice who have reduced the number of tourists they will carry in their boats (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/21/venice-gondola-tours-reduce-capacity-due-to-overweight-tourists).

A Present from Antarctica?

There are reports of a substantial leak of methane from the sea bed under the Ross sea in Antarctica (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jul/22/first-active-leak-of-sea-bed-methane-discovered-in-antarctica). Methane is a much more potent 'greenhouse gas' than carbon dioxide and will intensify climate change. This makes human-mediated reductions in carbon dioxide emissions even more urgent. The leak itself appears not to be a consequence of global warming (the Ross sea is still very cold) and has apparently been going on for some years. There are bacteria that can break down the methane but these appear to have been very slow to colonise this area.

Negative on Negatives?

Unfortunately, I have to agree with Tamsin Edwards, that, although 'negative emissions tech' can be helpful in reducing the build up of 'greenhouse gases', they are totally inadequate to 'solve' our global warming problem (https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jul/20/negative-emissions-tech-climate-crisis-carbon). Planting trees and sprinkling the fields with basalt rock dust ('enhanced weathering') will suck carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere (as might directly extracting the gas and storing it). We appear, however, to be so close to the 1.5⁰C (notionally 'safe') increase in average world temperature that we cannot get near to net zero emissions target needed to prevent further climate change without urgent, major changes to modes of energy production (for heating and all forms of transport) and efficiency (in, e.g. the insulation of buildings). We appear to be dangerously near the point of no return.

Toothless?

The Environmental Agency 'hot line' that was set up to enable people to report damage caused by pollution events (e.g. fish deaths) and fly-tipping in their areas doesn't appear to be very effective (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jul/21/complaints-to-english-pollution-hotline-rarely-lead-to-sanctions).Fewer than 4% of reported environmental damage cases, led to sanctions (generally fines) against the polluters. Of course, it is one thing to collect reports and quite another to have the resources to investigate and prosecute. There is a danger of the 'hot line' becoming simply a cosmetic exercise. Extra resources are clearly needed to effectively crack down on (probably habitual) polluters. 

Body Building?

I appreciate that it is difficult to sometimes explain Science to the general public (there is a fine line between 'informing' and 'talking down') but the choice of wording can be crucial. The recent BBC coverage of a 'protein' that could reduce the chances of a person infected with Covid-19 needing to be placed on a ventilator is a case in point (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-53467022?at_custom3=BBC+News&at_custom1=%5Bpost+type%5D&at_custom2=facebook_page&at_medium=custom7&at_custom4=FD96E832-CA53-11EA-836B-BEF5FCA12A29&at_campaign=64). The material Interferon 𝛃 is, indeed, a protein (as are 'antibodies', 'enzymes' and some 'hormones') but it is a very specific arrangement of amino acids (the 20 or so basic building blocks of all proteins). I suspect that most members of the general public see proteins as food substances (like steak) or the supplements taken by body builders. Interferon 𝛃 is a protein, classed as a cytokine, of the type that the body produces when challenged by a foreign protein (like components of a virus). The compound has been used (with some success) in the treatment of patients with multiple sclerosis (an inheritance-linked condition where a patient's nerve coverings are progressively damaged such that movement becomes difficult). In the study, giving this cytokine as a nasal spray, apparently reduced the odds of needing to be placed on a ventilator by 79% (whatever that means). This potential benefit is very interesting and (like the dexamethasone treatment) needs to be followed up but eating extra protein will not give anyone extra protection!

White Out?

A study suggests that Polar bears will be largely extinct in the wild by 2100 (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jul/20/most-polar-bears-to-disappear-by-2100-study-predicts-aoe). The bears rely on sea ice to get most of their food (largely seals and other marine mammals) and climate change is causing its disappearance. The bears are found in a number of locations (Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Russia and Svalbard), so populations will (and already are) coming under pressure at different times. It appears that the most exposed groups will disappear around 2040  as the bears starve and reproduction (dependent on food) fails. Even a major reduction in 'greenhouse gases' (improbable) seems unlikely to save this species.

Seeing the Changes 1478

What looks like Timothy grass (Phleum pratense) and Fat hen (Chenopodium album) in flower in Bynea.

Flying a Kite

The Red kite was blasted from the skies of England, largely on the basis of a misconception. It was perceived as a threat to game birds, The Red kite is actually much more a carrion feeder (like a vulture) rather than a hunting raptor. Small numbers of birds were eventually flown in to be released in the Chiltern hills in 1990 but  now there are an estimated 2,000 breeding pairs, operating in most English counties (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jul/20/red-kites-thriving-in-england-30-years-after-reintroduction). It has been claimed that this is one of the most successful reintroduction programmes that has ever been carried out. One of the reasons for the success, of course, is that the birds do a valuable 'cleaning job', removing the myriad of animal and bird casualties from the verges of roads and motorways. Food might have been a bit less frequent with the traffic reduction evident in the Covid-19 lockdown but the kites still fly!

Who is the Disease Spreader?

One consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic, is that wild animals seem to be getting a lot of the blame for passing agents of disease to humans. It turns out, however, that humans reciprocate. Antibiotic resistant bacteria have been generated by our overuse of antibiotics (by using them for trivial or inappropriate [e.g. viral] infections as well as employing these agents as growth enhancers in animals bred to supply meat). There is consequently a danger of us entering a world where our antibiotics no longer work on bacterial infections.  An Australian scientist, Dr Michelle Power, has reportedly detected antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria in the faeces of a wide range of animals in Antarctica and Australia (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jul/19/we-cant-blame-animals-human-pathogens-are-making-their-way-into-vulnerable-wildlife). The beasts harbouring these human-engineered bacteria include bats (take that, you Covid spreaders!); penguins, sea lions and wallabies. In fact, any species that lives in close association with humans, either by being urbanised or maintained in a conservation breeding programme, seems likely to carry antibiotic resistant bacteria.Storing up more trouble? 

Seeing the Changes 1477

 

In Penclacwydd, Gatekeeper butterflies (Pyronia tithonus) were active. Rhagonycha fulva beetles were mating.

'Fly Camping'

I suppose it was bound to happen but there has been a sudden surge of 'wild camping' on private land and in beauty spots in England (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jul/19/it-was-like-a-bomb-had-hit-an-off-licence-rise-in-wild-camping-hits-beauty-spots). This is presumably because pitches in licensed camps are at a premium (not all sites are re-opening as yet, and densities at those that have, have been reduced). The really bad down side is that many of the people 'fly camping' abandon their cheap camping gear and litter the environment with their waste. I suspect that some of the activities of these 'campers' might well increase the risk of Covid-19 transmission (and they are hardly in a position to be traced and tracked). 

Seeing the Changes 1476

In spite of the wet weather, more fungi and plants appeared in Bynea. The Slippery Jack fungus (Suillus luteus) slimed. Meadow vetchling (Lathyrus pratensis) and Sawwort (Serratula tinctoria) were both in bloom.

Cancelling Childhood?

The Association of Directors of Children's Services have produced a discussion paper entitled 'Building a Country that works for all Children Post Covid-19' (https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/jul/14/england-children-long-term-victims-covid-19). Although the focus is England, the issues have relevance across the entire UK. The paper points out that the individual experiences of children under lockdown can be very varied, ranging from subjects who have appreciated having more time with their parents to others who have been fearful for their parents or have been exposed to increased levels of abuse. Although younger people appear to be less directly endangered by viral infection, many have had impaired educations, been deprived of opportunities to socialise with their friends and live in families where poverty is more likely. Humans are a very social species, so it is hardly remarkable that some people are predicting a higher incidence of mental health problems in the children of the lockdown. The discussion paper points out that all this is occurring at a time when children's services are grossly under-funded. We (in all parts of the UK) do need to put into place mechanisms to deal with the potential aftermath.  

Importing Illegal Deforestation?

Much concern is expressed in Europe about the damage done to the Brazilian rainforest and what that means to the planet's viability. This not, however, consistent with a recent study, suggesting that around 20% of the soy bean and 17% of the beef imported into Europe from Brazil, come from illegally deforested land (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jul/16/a-fifth-of-brazilian-soy-in-europe-is-result-of-deforestation-amazon-jair-bolsonaro). The soy bean (which might well include supposedly problematic GM material) is largely imported to be fed to our own beef cattle. So, whilst we complain about the loss of  the planet's 'lungs', we enrich the people who are doing the damage with our obsession for cheap beef.    

Pollution and Butterflies: A Bit of a Stretch?

I know that it is always good to get publicity for a voluntary programme like the Big Butterfly Count, but suggesting that the Covid-19 lock-down reductions in pollution could markedly increase butterfly numbers is something of a jump. Dragging out the tale of Industrial melanisation and the Peppered moth (Biston betullaria) seems a bit of a red herring. The story goes that regular Peppered moths seemed to be well-camouflaged, when sitting on lichen-covered tree trunks, enabling them to avoid bird predators. An occasional  variant, the melanic (completely black) form was more conspicuous and was swiftly eliminated. During the Industrial Revolution, in places like Birmingham, the soot emitted from factory chimneys coated the tree trunks, killing the lichen and turning the surfaces black. Now, the melanic variant was the more cryptic and its numbers increased (this was tentatively said to be evident in museum collections) in comparison to the peppered form. Later, the Clean Air Act, returned the trees and the moths back to the original situation. The things to note, however, are that 1) these changes took decades (not months) and 2) pollution can have much wider effects than simply altering crypsis (it can poison animals and the plants on which their larvae depend). Other aspects of lock-down (e.g. reduced road traffic and spending more time in local environments) seem likely to have bigger impacts on numbers of butterflies recorded. 

Big Butterfly Count: Not By Here?

It has been predicted that two consecutive hot summers (and the fact that many people are operating near their homes in the Covid-19 lock-down) will result in 'bumper' numbers being recorded in the Big Butterfly count process (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jul/17/britains-big-butterfly-count-surge-summer). This has not, however, been my experience in deepest South Wales, where both butterfly numbers and species variety have been locally unimpressive. This could, of course, be partially a consequence of the lock-down limiting my access to some of my traditional  haunts. I have to say, however, that the local weather this year has been very variable rather than uniformly hot.