July 1, 2022

Pair of orcas targeting great white sharks off South Africa's coast

(CNN) A pair of orcas drove great white sharks away from a stretch of South African coast after killing five sharks over just a few months in 2017, according to a new study.

Great whites used to dominate areas of the Gansbaai coast, around 100 kilometers (62 miles) east of Cape Town, but have been avoiding them in recent years, according to a paper published in the African Journal of Marine Science on Wednesday.

The Gansbaai coast was once a popular spot for great white shark spotting, but sightings have decreased markedly in recent years. The study used long-term sightings and tagging data to demonstrate that great whites have been driven away by the orcas, sometimes known as killer whales.

Researchers also analyzed five great white shark carcasses been found washed up on the shore, four with their nutrient-rich livers removed and one with its heart taken out as well. They all had wounds made by the same pair of orcas, which have likely killed more great whites, say researchers. ................(more)

https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/30/africa/orcas-great-whites-south-africa-scli-intl-scn/index.html

July 1, 2022

Chilli peppers, coffee, wine: how the climate crisis is causing food shortages

Chilli peppers, coffee, wine: how the climate crisis is causing food shortages
Blistering heat, stronger storms, droughts, floods and fires are putting food production at risk

Victoria Namkung
Tue 28 Jun 2022 06.00 EDT


Sriracha fans are a passionate bunch. They have been known to get tattoos of the popular hot sauce on their bodies and dress up like the red plastic squeeze bottle for Halloween.

So it’s no surprise that an unprecedented shortage of the beloved condiment would send loyalists scrambling to avoid a spiceless summer.

Huy Fong Foods, the southern California company that produces 20m bottles of sriracha annually, has experienced a low inventory of red jalapeño chilli peppers in recent years made worse by spring’s crop failure.

The cause? Severe weather and drought conditions in Mexico.

It’s not just chilli peppers. Mustard producers in France and Canada said extreme weather caused a 50% reduction in seed production last year, leading to a shortage of the condiment on grocery store shelves. Blistering heat, stronger storms, droughts, floods, fires and changes in rainfall patterns are also affecting the cost and availability of staples, including wheat, corn, coffee, apples, chocolate and wine. The climate crisis is increasing the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events – and it’s putting food production at risk. ............(more)

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jun/28/climate-crisis-food-shortages

July 1, 2022

'People should be aware': eggs of tiny infectious worm found in parks in New York and Europe

(Guardian UK) Scattered in cat sandboxes and dog runs around the world, there’s a parasite invisible to the naked eye that mostly infects these creatures. It’s a tiny worm that lives in the animals’ muscles and digestive systems, but can spread to others.

Sometimes, though, it infects humans. Increasingly researchers are concerned that children are inadvertently consuming these parasites, known as Toxocara, and so they are studying places where humans and pets come into contact with one another: city parks.

In New York City, one of the locations of the studies performed in recent years, these parasites are present in parks in all five boroughs, and there are more of them in parks in more impoverished neighborhoods. Around the world other researchers are also finding Toxocara in parks.

The presence of Toxocara is not necessarily a cause for alarm, the researchers say. It’s not that easy for humans to become infected – they must literally consume infected dirt. But this means children are at a higher risk. Even so, the scientists say, most infections are asymptomatic, though sometimes symptoms may include fever, fatigue, coughing, rash, or abdominal pain. In very rare cases, the parasite can reach the eye, causing blindness, and cause neurological damage in the brain. ..............(more)

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jun/30/toxocara-parasite-poorer-areas-parks-study-new-york