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☆ Cavendish bananas face extinction and not all experts agree on how to save it
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-22 | by ( Rupendra Brahambhatt | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Cavendish, the most commonly available banana variety, is facing the risk of extinction. A fungal disease threatens to wipe Cavendish bananas off the face of the Earth. Why Cavendish bananas dominate the global marketThere are over 1,000 varieties of bananas, but about 47% that humans eat are Cavendish bananas (Musa acuminata). Fajri Ramadhan / 500px / Getty ImagesPanama disease is a serial banana killerWhat's happening to Cavendish bananas has happened before to another popular banana variety called Gros Michel. How scientists are trying to save the CavendishSome plant pathologists don't believe that the Cavendish banana will meet the same fate as Gros Michel.

Persons: Cavendish, —, Dan Koeppel, Fajri, Gros, Gros Michel, James Dale, Robert Nickelsberg, Dale, Koeppel, COZZI, Price Organizations: Service, Queensland University of Technology, TR4, Gros, University of Cambridge, Taiwan Banana Research Institute, Apple, Cavendish Locations: Cavendish, Musa, Panama, Darwin, Australia, Queensland, India, China, East, Africa, South America, QCAV, freezers

☆ 6 ways humans are transforming Antarctica from a pristine preserve to a polluted wasteland
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-30 | by ( Rupendra Brahambhatt | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Antarctica was once a pristine preserve, but humans are ruining it. And this past winter, the frozen continent reached record-low sea ice levels. USGS"This region is nearing a threshold of rapid landscape change," researchers noted in 2017. Pauline Askin/ReutersAnd depending on the location, that ice melt could turn up some pretty nasty stuff. What's even more worrisome is that "human impacts are disproportionately concentrated on the most environmentally significant areas of Antarctica," the researchers noted.

Persons: It's, Emma MacKie, Eric Rignot, MacKie, Pauline Askin, huskies — that's, Sharon Robinson, Auscape, Logan Pallin, Wolfgang Kaehler, Rignot Organizations: Service, University of Florida, University of California, NASA, Reuters, huskies, University of Wollongong, ABC News, Tourists, University of Colorado Boulder, British Atlantic Survey, University of San Locations: Antarctica, Irvine, Beaufort, Antarctica's Ross, Australia, Antarctica ., Santa Cruz, Georgia, University of San Francisco

☆ Whales swimming behind fishing vessels catch an easy feast of escaped fish, but experts warn this 'free meal' is risky, potentially lethal behavior
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-03 | by ( Rupendra Brahambhatt | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Sperm and bottlenose whales are known to pursue fishing boats to catch fish that escape the nets. Hal Whitehead, a sperm whale expert and biology professor at Dalhousie University, told Insider. What's even more interesting is that it's not only whales that have learned to catch fish escaping the fishermen's nets. Usua Oyarbide"As time goes on we hear more and more reports of everything from sperm whales to dolphins doing this. "I've known about sperm whales being engaged with different fisheries but I wasn't aware northern Bottlenose whales show similar behavior, so I've learned something new."

Persons: It's, Whales, Usua, Usua Oyarbide, Oyarbide, Hal Whitehead, wasn't, Andrew Trites, Vince Streano, Whitehead, Trites, I've Organizations: Service, Greenland, Dalhousie University, Marine Mammal Research, University of British, International Whaling Commission, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration Locations: Wall, Silicon, Newfoundland, Greenland, University of British Columbia, Canada, Africa, China, Australia

☆ Japan released treated wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear disaster into the ocean. Experts say it's safe, but one would avoid the fish.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Rupendra Brahambhatt | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Japan said it plans to release 1 million metric tons of treated radioactive water into the Pacific. Nuclear experts said the discharge is safe but one said he'd avoid eating fish near Fukushima. The water is from its Fukushima nuclear power plant that, in 2011, underwent a meltdown and is considered one of the biggest nuclear tragedies in history. AdvertisementAdvertisementAfter the 2011 disaster, the radioactive water leaked into the plant's basements where it was collected and later stored in tanks. Why treated radioactive water is 'quite safe'This isn't the first time humans have released water from nuclear plants into a larger body of water.

Persons: Rafael Mariano Grossi, Kathryn Higley, Aldo Bonasera, Higley, Wang Wenbin, Wenbin, there's, JUNG YEON, Bonasera Organizations: Service, Electric Power Co, REUTERS, Kyodo, TEPCO, Tokyo Electric Power, Oregon State University, Texas, Power, Getty, World Health Organization, Greenpeace Locations: Japan, Fukushima, China, Hong Kong, Russia, South Korea, Fish, Seoul, California, Coast

☆ A man found a giant megalodon tooth that experts say belonged to a shark the size of a semi-truck
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Rupendra Brahambhatt | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A charter boat captain found a whopping 6.25-inch long megalodon shark tooth in Florida. That's why today, the Sarasota County coastline in Venice, Florida, is known as the shark tooth capital of the world. Recently, a charter boat captain discovered one of the largest fossilized shark teeth ever from a megalodon shark. One of the largest megalodon teeth ever discoveredMichael Nastasio, who has been hunting shark teeth in Florida for 12 years, discovered a fully-intact megalodon shark tooth that was 6.25 inches (15.87 cm) long — only about an inch smaller than the largest megalodon tooth on record. Megalodon teeth are similar to great white shark teeth, and it's thought the two species may have been close relatives.

Persons: —, Michael Nastasio, Kristen Grace, Nastasio, Jack Cooper, it's, Victor Habbick, Victor Perez, Cooper, Emma Bernard, wouldn't, he's, WTSP Organizations: Service, Swansea University, Environmental Studies, St, Mary's College of Maryland Locations: Florida, Sarasota, Venice , Florida, London

☆ Scientists were 'shocked' to discover that juvenile white sharks regularly venture near swimmers and surfers but don't attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Rupendra Brahambhatt | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Juvenile white sharks grow up to become great white sharks, known for being dangerous to humans. Why juvenile white sharks swim near humans so oftenFrom the researchers' drone footage, it may look like juvenile white sharks like to hang around swimmers and surfers. The shallow water near the beaches "is actually the natural habitat the juvenile white sharks use. Why juvenile white sharks don't typically attack humansAlthough great white sharks are infamous for attacking humans, the actual number of attacks is low. However, it doesn't mean the risk of a bite from a juvenile great white is zero — it's just very low.

Persons: —, Sean DuFrene, Christopher Lowe, Carlos Guana, you'll, that's, it's, Yannis Papastamatiou, Stephen Frink, Catherine Macdonald, Patrick Rex, Macdonald, there's, Alexis Rosenfeld, Rex, Brett Monroe Garner, Papastamatiou, Carlos Gauna Organizations: Service, California State University Long, CSULB, Boston Herald, Florida International University, Stingrays, University of Miami Shark Research, Conservation Program, Animal Foundation Locations: California

☆ Shark attacks in the US occur most in these 12 states
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Rupendra Brahambhatt | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Shark attacks are more common in the US than in any other place in the world. But if you think shark attacks are only limited to remote and isolated islands, you'd be surprised to know that the US has seen more unprovoked shark attacks than any other country, by far, and many of these attacks happen near crowded beaches. Where the most shark attacks occur in the USSince the 16th century, 1,604 unprovoked shark attacks have been reported in the US, according to the International Shark Attack File. That's more than double the number of shark attacks in Australia, which holds the second-highest number of attacks at 691. "Shark attacks are rare and it is extremely rare for people to be eaten when they occur," Sorensen said.

Persons: —, Alexis Rosenfeld, Peter Sorensen, WENDELL TEODORO, James Sulikowski, Gavin Naylor, Sorensen Organizations: Service, Turks, South Carolina, North Carolina, Department of Fisheries, University of Minnesota, Florida Department of Environment Protection, Coastal Oregon, Experiment, AP, Florida Program, Shark Research, University of Florida Locations: Florida, Caicos, Buchan, Australia, America, Hawaii, California, South, North, Texas, Oregon, New York, Georgia, New Jersey, Alabama, Massachusetts, Virginia , Louisiana , Delaware

☆ Scientists may have discovered the first antidote to the deadliest mushroom known to humans
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Rupendra Brahambhatt | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Death cap mushrooms kill up to 100 people per year and sicken thousands more but have no antidote. Scientists used CRISPR to help identify a chemical that could become the first death cap antidote. A recent study in Nature Communications finally found a possible death cap mushroom antidote. A death cap mushroom antidote is long-awaitedMushroom foragers can easily mistake death cap mushrooms for other edible fungi. When the researchers tested ICG in mice poisoned with the death cap mushroom toxin, the results were eye-opening.

☆ Why SpaceX's Starship mega-rocket looks unlike anything the company has ever built before
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Rupendra Brahambhatt | Jessica Orwig | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Not only is Starship the world's largest, most powerful rocket, it also looks unlike anything SpaceX has ever built. Veronica G. Cardenas/ReutersThis silver-black color scheme is a vast change from SpaceX's white Falcon 9 rockets or NASA's orange and white Space Launch System. SpaceX's silver rocket made of steelSpaceX's Starship rocket is made of stainless steel. SpaceX's black-studded Starship spacecraftStarship is covered on one side with black tiles to help protect it upon atmospheric re-entry. SPACEXSpaceX wouldn't comment on whether, or not, that's the reasoning for their silver Starship rocket.

☆ Sheltering miles from a nuclear blast may not be enough to survive unless you know where to hide, new calculations show
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Rupendra Brahambhatt | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Scientists simulated a nuclear explosion about 37 times more powerful than Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This is the first study that shows the impact that nuclear shockwaves could have on humans indoors. Nuclear war is a terrifying thought, but for a team of researchers at the University of Nicosia in Cyprus, it's top of mind. An illustration of the shockwave of a 750-kt nuclear bomb 10 seconds after detonation. The team simulated a nuclear explosion from a 750-kiloton atomic bomb.

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