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Month: December 2024

Animal Life Discovered Under Seafloor

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Scientists have for the first time ever discovered animal life beneath the seafloor at a depth of 2,500m. Scientists used to believe that the dark under seafloor environment was unfit for life to thrive, until they discovered tiny microbes thriving there. But this new study found there were even larger creatures like tube worms and snails living under the Earth’s crust within hydrothermal vents. 

This discovery shows that underground habitats have a big population of undiscovered species. It is believed that these organisms live on nutrients produced when the seawater mixes with magma (hot liquid rock). This discovery was made by the researchers from the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research with the help of a remotely controlled robot, while they examined rock samples on the seafloor in the Pacific Ocean.

What are hydrothermal vents?

According to National Geographic, hydrothermal vents are openings in the seafloor where the Earth’s tectonic plates meet, and seawater mixes with magma from below the Earth’s crust.

Did You Know?

Only 26% of the Earth’s seabed has been explored and mapped.

WWF: WildLife In Danger

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Living Planet Report (“Report”) is a report which is published by the World Wildlife Foundation (“WWF”) every two years. Experts from all over the world use the Living Planet index to monitor the health of the Earth and the animals. It tracks the population sizes of vertebrates like mammals, birds, reptiles and fish. It also checks if the population of animals is increasing or decreasing, and tries to understand the reasons behind the same, along with giving solutions. The Living Planet Index 2024 has covered the period from 1970 to 2020 and included data on 34,836 populations of 5,495 vertebrate species.

Finding Of The Latest Report 

  • Average wildlife populations have fallen by 73% in 50 years!
  • 85% drop has been reported for the population sizes of freshwater species.
  • Animal species in Latin America and the Caribbean have seen even more extreme average declines of 95% since 1970.
  • North America and Europe are responsible for nature loss in other countries because they import livestock that is grown in areas that were once wild.
  • The biggest threat to wildlife is loss of habitats. Other threats include invasive species, disease, climate change, and pollution.

The Warning!

The Report has warned that due to the rate of decline of animal species, deforestation in the Amazon rainforest, and melting of the polar ice caps in Antarctica, the Earth is fast approaching a tipping point. This could impact food security and livelihoods across the world and even loss of healthy ecosystems across the world. The WWF has called the figures a “wake-up call” and warns in the report that “what happens in the next five years will determine the future of life on Earth”.

Word Check

Tipping points are points which, if reached, there’s no way of getting things back to the way they were.

Did You Know?

The Amazon rainforest is a very important habitat, as it is home to 10% of wildlife species on Earth. The Amazon rainforest converts carbon dioxide into oxygen and is therefore sometimes called the Earth’s Lungs. With respect to the Amazon rainforest, a tipping point could be reached if just 20–25% of the Amazon rainforest were destroyed! It is estimated 14–17% has already been deforested.

What Can Be Done?

The Report has given the following three important suggestions regarding what countries around the world need to do now: 

  1. Transform food production – Currently, the food production INDIAMART system of the world uses 40% of the Earth’s habitable land. This is causing habitat loss, as forests and grasslands are being converted into farmland. The countries need to find more nature-friendly methods of farming nutritious food for the world to eat
  1. Transform finance – The Report has recommended that less money should be invested in environmentally-harmful activities and more into things that help restore nature.
  1. Moving to clean energy – We need to stop greenhouse emissions by stopping the use of fossil fuels. The countries need to use more renewable forms of energy like solar and wind.

The Living Planet Report On India

The Report states that keeping in mind the global demand for food production by 2050, India’s food consumption pattern is the most climate-friendly among G20 nations. The Report has highlighted that India’s diet is the least harmful to the environment. If all countries adopted India’s consumption patterns, the world would require less than one Earth to support food production by 2050, making it a model for sustainability. On the other hand, the Report has also stated that countries like Argentina, Australia, and the US have the least sustainable pattern, with respect to their diet and food choices. 

The Report has recommended that people should eat a more sustainable diet, which would reduce the amount of land needed to produce food. The researchers have said that achieving a healthy and nutritious diet will be heavily influenced by local cultural traditions, individual choice, and available food. The Report has praised India’s National Millet Campaign for promoting climate-resilient grains, such as millets, “In some countries, promoting traditional foods will be an important lever to shift diets. For example, the National Millett Campaign in India is designed to increase national consumption of this ancient grain, which is good for health and highly resilient in the face of climate change”.

Word Check

G20 is a club of countries who meet every year to discuss plans for the world economy. G20 is made up of 19 of the world’s largest economies plus a representative from the European Union.

Could The Tasmanian Tiger Come Back From Extinction?

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An American company called Colossal (who are also trying to bring back the Woolly mammoth and Dodo from extinction) have teamed up with Australian scientists from the University of Melbourne to try to find a way to bring the Tasmanian tiger back. Their goal is to develop an animal that is as close to the Tasmanian tiger as possible, by using DNA and gene-editing techniques. In a thrilling discovery, the scientists had found part of a Tasmanian tiger, which had been preserved for around 108 years, in a museum. From this they were able to take a very high-quality sample of the animal’s DNA and RNA molecules. 

These samples are only missing around 45 pieces of information, out of around three billion pieces in total – giving them a far more complete ‘blueprint’ to help make the Tasmanian Tiger. The scientists will then use gene-editing techniques, to take the cells of animals that exist today who have very similar DNA to the Tasmanian tiger, to fill in the missing information gaps. They say the process could take around three to five years. They also know that the new creature would not be 100% a Tasmanian tiger, but would be “more than 99.9% accurate”.

What was the Tasmanian Tiger?

Tasmanian Tiger or Thylacine was a wolf-like carnivorous marsupi al. It was about the size of a large dog, who once used to roam the forests of Australia, New Guinea, and Tasmania. The last known Tasmanian tiger died in Hobart zoo in 1936, with the rest of the species hunted to extinction.

Do you think it is a good idea to bring back animals from extinction? Can you think of some ways in when such experiments could impact the world? __________________________

First Indian Women To Score 50 International Goals

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Ngangom Bala Devi has created history by becoming the first Indian woman to score 50 international goals. She plays as a forward for the Manipur Police and the Indian national team. She achieved her 50th goal in a match against Pakistan in the 2024 SAFF Women’s Championship. 

Social Media Banned For Under-16s

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In a historic move on November 28, the Australian Government passed the world’s strictest law that stops children under the age of 16 in Australia from using social media platforms like Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram. The law will take at least 12 months before it comes into effect. The law will fine social media companies a whopping amount of 50 million Australian Dollars if they do not follow the rules. With this Australia became the first country in the world to bring in a social media ban for under-16s. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says it’s needed to protect young people from the “harms” of social media.


 Do you think India should implement a similar ban? _______________

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