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☆ The climate crisis may cause this tiny, ancient species to go extinct
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

And despite the fact that this ancient plant is one of the fastest-evolving species of moss known to science, it may not survive the climate crisis. The researchers embarked on multiple expeditions in the Himalayas to study Takakia moss. As the local temperature average increased each year, the population of Takakia moss decreased by 1.6% annually, the study authors noted. Takakia may die because of climate change, but the other mosses will survive, even if we humans cannot. Takakia may die because of climate change, but the other mosses will survive, even if we humans cannot.

Persons: ”, Ralf Reski, Ruoyang Hu, “, Takakia, ” Reski, Yikun, ” Hu, don’t Organizations: CNN, University of Freiburg, Capital Normal University, “ Locations: Tibetan, Japan, United States, Germany, Takakia, China, Tibet

☆ China's sprawling spy agencies are designed to root out the 'five poisons' at home and abroad, British intelligence says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Yin Gang/Xinhua via Getty) (Xinhua/Xinhua via Getty ImagesIn a recent report to parliament, the British intelligence services detailed the operations and goals of the Chinese intelligence services. The Chinese intelligence services are also collecting information on the Chinese democracy movement at home and abroad — including in the US — in an attempt to subvert it. According to the British intelligence report, Xi has sought to make Chinese intelligence activity more professional through reform and investment. "In more ways than one, the broad remit of the Chinese Intelligence Services poses a significant challenge to Western attempts to counter their activity," the report said, citing assessments by British intelligence officers. "To compound the problem, it is not just the Chinese Intelligence Services: the Chinese Communist Party co-opts every state institution, company and citizen.

Persons: Yin, Ma Ying, Xi Jinping, Chuang, Gong, Dalai Lama, Murad Sezer, Xi, Xie Huanchi, hoover, Stavros Atlamazoglou Organizations: Chinese Communist Party, intel, Beijing, Service, Ministry of Public Security, Yin Gang, Getty, Xinhua, of State Security, of Public Security, Force, NSA, REUTERS, CCP, of, People, US National Counterintelligence and Security Center, Chinese Intelligence Services, Hellenic Army, 575th Marine Battalion, Army, Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins, School, International Locations: China, Wall, Silicon, Beijing, Xinhua, Taipei, Singapore, Xinjiang, Taiwan, Tibet, Bhutan, Nepal, India, Istanbul, Johns

In a statement written from the perspective of a sun bear named “Angela,” officials from Hangzhou zoo said people “didn’t understand” the species. In 2013, a city zoo in the central Henan province angered visitors by trying to pass off a Tibetan Mastiff dog as a lion. Visitors at another Chinese zoo, in Sichuan province, were shocked to discover a golden retriever sitting in a cage labeled as an African lion enclosure. World’s smallest bears under threatNative to the tropical forests of Southeast Asia, sun bears are the world’s smallest bear species. Sun bears are listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Persons: “ Angela, I’m Angela Organizations: CNN, Wildlife Fund, Sun Bear Conservation Center, International Union for Conservation of Nature Locations: China, Hangzhou, Weibo, Henan, Sichuan, Southeast Asia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Sabah

☆ Scientists have revived 'zombie' bugs and viruses before that were trapped in ancient ice. One may have been 8 million years old.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Scientists have previously revived ancient bacteria and prehistoric viruses that had been trapped. Scientists have a long record of resurrecting prehistoric viruses and ancient bacteria frozen in ice. However, as the climate crisis is melting ancient ice sheets worldwide, experts are growing concerned that prehistoric viruses could pose a risk to humanity. Other research has found 28 prehistoric viruses dating back 15,000 years in frozen ice cores. It's very difficult to keep samples pristine when extracting ancient ice, and even more difficult to conclusively date the ice.

Persons: Lonnie Thompson, Jean, Michel Claverie, it's, Birgitta Evengård, It's, hadn't Organizations: Service, Privacy, The Ohio State University, Byrd, Climate Research, Umea University, CNN Locations: Yao, Tibetan, French, Antarctica, Russia

☆ There's an enormous gravity hole in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Scientists say they've finally worked out what's causing it.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

There's a gravity hole in the Indian Ocean, where ocean levels are about 300 feet lower than surrounding areas. The gravity hole may have been caused by an ancient ocean bed that sank millions of years ago. But a new study suggests researchers should have been looking around, not under, the gravity hole to solve the mystery of how it formed. The blue dot over the Indian Ocean is a gravity 'hole' that has scientists baffled. But scientists have struggled to explain the gravity hole in the Indian Ocean, known as the Indian Ocean geoid low.

Persons: Attreyee Ghosh, Debanjan Pal, Steinberger, Himangshu Paul Organizations: Service, ESA, Research, of Geosciences, NASA, Goddard Space, Indian Institute of Science, National Geophysical Research Institute, New Locations: Bangalore, Africa, Australia, India, Eastern Africa

☆ Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi visits restive Manipur after vehicle is initially stopped
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The embattled leader of India’s main opposition Congress party visited crisis-hit Manipur and met with its displaced residents on Thursday, after his convoy was initially stopped by police near the state capital. Rahul Gandhi’s visit comes as the northeastern state grapples with ongoing ethnic violence in which more than 100 people have been killed and tens of thousands more driven from their homes. Modi has yet to comment publicly on the situation and has not visited Manipur since the violence erupted in May. Manipur needs healing, and only together we can bring harmony.”Indian army soldiers patrol the streets of Manipur on June 7, 2023. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra also claimed that Gandhi is using Manipur as a pawn for his own political gain.

Persons: India’s, Rahul Gandhi’s, Narendra Modi, Modi, Gandhi, “, ”, Sambit Patra, ” Patra, Rahul Gandhi, ” Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Christian Organizations: CNN, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Facebook, Indian Army, Reuters Locations: Manipur, Imphal, Myanmar, Kuki

New Delhi CNN —Eleven people have been shot dead and 14 injured in a fresh outbreak of ethnic violence that has gripped the northeast Indian state of Manipur. The current unrest has seen some of the worst violence in recent years and has sparked criticism of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which governs Manipur. If they are given this status, other ethnic groups – many of whom are Christian – say they fear they will not have a fair chance for jobs and other benefits. People wait at a temporary shelter in a military camp on May 7, after being evacuated by the Indian army, as they flee ethnic violence that has hit the northeastern Indian state of Manipur. Arun Sankar/AFP/Getty ImagesThe Metei community dominates positions within the state government, and have been privy to more economic and infrastructural advancement than the other ethnic groups.

Persons: JNIMS, Deben, Arun Sankar, Narendra Modi, Modi, Amit Shah’s, Christian Organizations: New, New Delhi CNN, Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences, Raj Medicity Hospital, CNN, Getty, Indian, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Union, Indian National Congress Locations: New Delhi, Manipur, state’s, Imphal, Indian, Arun, Myanmar, Kashmir, India, Kuki

☆ The Unabomber, who terrorized the US in a 17-year bombing spree, died today. In 1996 he was arrested after being turned in by his brother.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-10 | by ( Emily Cohn | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

His brother David turned him in after reading the terrorist's manifesto. The tip that ultimately helped the FBI find and arrest Kaczynski came from his very own brother, David. "I felt a kind of chill," David recalled at the 2007 lecture. Following the arrest, authorities found a number bombs being built in Ted's cabin, one of which was addressed, intended to be sent to his next victim." After turning his brother in, David Kaczynski became an anti-death penalty activist and was the executive director of New Yorkers Against the Death Penalty from 2001 to 2012.

Persons: Ted Kaczynski, David, —, Kaczynski, David Kaczynki, Ted, David Kaczynski Organizations: Service, FBI, Cornell University, Washington Post, Cornell Daily Sun Locations: Montana, Harvard, Woodstock , New York

☆ China's temple visits skyrocket amid economic uncertainty
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Economic uncertainty has driven temple visits and tourism to new heights, according to analysts and travel websites. Temple visits have surged this year more than fourfold from a year ago, according to recent data from Qunar and Trip.com, another travel site. Social media has also fueled the boom in temple tourism, as young people like to share their experiences on social networks, she added. Anhui Jiuhuashan Tourism Development, which runs the Jiuhua Mountain scenic area in central Anhui province, also shattered quarterly sales records. A small temple at Wudang Mountain in China's Hubei province pictured on October 27, 2004.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN —, ”, Qunar.com, Soeren, Yang Yan, Ryan Pyle, supplicants, “ Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Nanjing Securities, Social, Communist Party, Caitong Securities Locations: Hong Kong, China, Beijing, Qunar, Nanjing, Sichuan, Shan, Anhui Jiuhuashan Tourism, Anhui, Jiangxi province, Wudang, China's Hubei, Hangzhou

☆ A Lego Crime, a YouTube Rivalry, and the End of a Star Wars Friendship
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( David Kushner | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +30 min

Those who are into Lego Star Wars are among the most popular. It was at an informal contest where Louis met Victor, a fellow Lego Star Wars fanatic. Soon they ranked among the most popular Lego Star Wars YouTubers in France, known for the size and scope of their MOCs. The two friends no longer fit with that satisfying click that comes from snapping together two Lego bricks. Though it must have taken a truck to haul away all of Louis' Lego, no neighbor reported seeing anything suspicious.

☆ The world’s largest lakes are shrinking dramatically and scientists say they have figured out why
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Lake water levels fluctuate in response to natural climate variations in rain and snowfall, but they are increasingly affected by human actions. The Caspian Sea, between Asia and Europe – the world’s largest inland body of water – has long been declining due to climate change and water use. NASA NASA The Caspian Sea is rapidly shrinking due to climate change and human activity. NASAThe researchers used satellite measurements of nearly 2,000 of the world’s largest lakes and reservoirs, which together represent 95% of Earth’s total lake water storage. The report found losses in lake water storage everywhere, including in the humid tropics and the cold Arctic.

LONDON, May 18 (Reuters) - More than half of the world's large lakes and reservoirs have shrunk since the early 1990s, chiefly because of climate change, intensifying concerns about water for agriculture, hydropower and human consumption, a study published on Thursday found. Climate scientists generally think that the world's arid areas will become drier under climate change, and wet areas will get wetter, but the study found significant water loss even in humid regions. Scientists assessed almost 2,000 large lakes using satellite measurements combined with climate and hydrological models. Scientists and campaigners have long said it is necessary to prevent global warming beyond 1.5 degrees Celisus (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) to avoid the most catastrophic consequences of climate change. Water levels rose in a quarter of the lakes, often as a result of dam construction in remote areas such as the Inner Tibetan Plateau.

☆ Nepali sherpa sets Everest record with 27th ascent
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Gopal Sharma | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Nepali mountaineer Kami Rita Sherpa waves upon his arrival after climbing Mount Everest for the 24th time in 2019, setting a record for the most summits of the world's highest mountain, in... Read moreKATHMANDU, May 17 (Reuters) - A Nepali sherpa scaled Mount Everest for a record 27th time on Wednesday, beating his own record, a government official and his hiking company said. Kami Rita Sherpa, 53, scaled the 8,849 metre (29,032-foot) mountain early in the morning along the traditional southeast ridge route, guiding a foreign climber. "Yes, Kami Rita climbed Sagarmatha for the 27th time," said Department of Tourism official Bigyan Koirala, referring to the mountain by its Nepali name. For now it's 100% confirmed that Kami Rita scaled for the 27th time,” Guragai said. Climbing contributed $5.8 million to state coffers this year, $5 million of it from Mount Everest, according to government data.

☆ Karakorum: Mongolia’s ancient capital is a cultural delight
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Breanna Wilson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Karakorum, Mongolia CNN —Karakorum is known by many names and even more reputations. Where to Stay in KarakorumThe new Silver Tree Guest House offers a variety of sleeping options including traditional yurts. Silver Tree Guest HouseWhile Karakorum is often considered a stop along the route to somewhere else, this culturally rich city deserves closer attention. The hotel is within walking distance to Erdene Zuu Monastery, Karakorum Museum, and the Erdenesiin Khuree Calligraphy Center. While Silver Tree Guest House is still in its opening phases, staying here feels like you’ve been invited into someone’s home.

☆ Human DNA can now be pulled from thin air and sequenced
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Scientists have been able to collect and analyze detailed genetic data from human DNA from all these places, raising thorny ethical questions about consent, privacy and security when it comes to our biological information. Environmental DNA has been obtained from air, soil, sediment, water, permafrost, snow and ice cores and the techniques are primarily being used to help track and protect endangered animals. However, the ability to capture human DNA from the environment could have a range of unintended consequences — both inadvertent and malicious, they added. They termed this information “human genetic bycatch” and decided to study the phenomenon in greater depth. We cannot avoid shedding DNA in the public space,” Moreau, who was not involved in this study, said via email.

☆ Why has India's Manipur state exploded in ethnic violence?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

People are evacuated by the Indian army to a temporary shelter as they flee ethnic violence that has hit the northeastern Indian state of Manipur, near Imphal on May 7, 2023. Manipur, a lush, hilly state which borders Myanmar, has long history of civil conflict since modern India’s creation. The divide between the Meiteis and the other ethnic groups is cut sharply across political and geographic lines. People wait at a temporary shelter in a military camp, after being evacuated by the Indian army, as they flee ethnic violence that has hit the northeastern Indian state of Manipur on May 7, 2023. Modi, who is in the southern Indian state of Karnataka to campaign for state elections, is yet to speak publicly about the unrest, sparking widespread anger among Manipur’s residents.

☆ He smelled something strange in his Tibetan hotel room. It was a dead body under his bed
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —When a tourist at a Tibetan hotel noticed a foul smell in his room and asked to move, little could he have guessed he would get caught up in a murder investigation. The traveler spent half a day in the room wondering where the smell was coming from and initially suspected either the bakery downstairs or perhaps his own feet. But he was later informed it came from a dead body under the bed. So I asked them where,” he told Shangyou News. Recounting his experience to Shangyou News, Zhang said he had left Tibet as soon as he helped the police with their investigation.

☆ Balto: A good dog with great genes
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Will Dunham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Cleveland Museum of Natural History/Handout via REUTERS. Balto was feted as a hero, the subject of books and movies, and the dog's taxidermy mount still stands on display at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Balto, belonging to a population of working sled dogs in Alaska, also was found to have possessed greater genetic diversity and genetic health than modern canine breeds. Balto was found to share ancestry with modern Siberian huskies and Alaskan sled dogs as well as Greenland sled dogs, Vietnamese village dogs and Tibetan mastiffs, with no discernible wolf ancestry. Balto had a body built for strength and not speed, disappointing the breeder, who had the dog neutered.

☆ A good dog with great genes - 1920s Alaska sled-relay hero Balto
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Will Dunham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Cleveland Museum of Natural History/Handout via REUTERS. Balto was feted as a hero, the subject of books and movies, and the dog's taxidermy mount still stands on display at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Balto, belonging to a population of working sled dogs in Alaska, also was found to have possessed greater genetic diversity and genetic health than modern canine breeds. Sled dogs were the only viable option. Balto was found to share ancestry with modern Siberian huskies and Alaskan sled dogs as well as Greenland sled dogs, Vietnamese village dogs and Tibetan mastiffs, with no discernible wolf ancestry.

☆ Fact Check-Fake cover of The New European depicting UK’s Sunak, Ukraine’s Zelenskiy and the Dalai Lama shared online
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

An image of a fake cover of The New European (TNE) news outlet showing a cartoon with UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama is circulating online. The fabricated cover of an April Special Issue, 337, shows a cartoon of Sunak looking down at Zelenskiy, who is sitting on the Dalai Lama’s knee. Furthermore, the Issue 337 found in the archive shows a photo of Sunak and a different story headline by another writer (here ). The cartoon cover is not authentic, according to the magazine. The cover of Issue 337 can be found in online archive of The New European.

☆ I'm a vet who had a retro pug live for 18 years. Here's how I kept her healthy and why this super breed lives longer than pugs.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Crystal Raypole | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

She says retro pugs are playful and energetic and have fewer breathing problems than purebred pugs. Kasey was a retro pug who lived for 18 years, a few years longer than what's typical for a traditional pug. How healthier retro pugs came aboutAn 1802 painting of what pugs may have looked like in the early 19th century. Not only did retro pugs resemble historical pugs, they had improved genetics, fewer health issues, and a longer life expectency than purebred pugs. Bread and Butter Productions / Getty ImagesEye issues are common among pugs and retro pugs, but I've found retro pugs can heal much faster than their purebred relatives.

☆ Dalai Lama 'unfairly labelled' over tongue video - Tibet govt-in-exile
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Rupam Jain | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, Patron of Children in Crossfire, speaks during a press conference in Londonderry, Northern Ireland September 11, 2017. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne/File PhotoNEW DELHI, April 13 (Reuters) - The head of Tibet's government-in-exile on Thursday defended the Dalai Lama over footage of him asking a boy to suck his tongue, saying the incident had demonstrated the country's spiritual leader's innocent and affectionate side. Penpa Tsering, the Sikyong (political leader) of the exiled Central Tibetan Administration, said the Dalai Lama had been "unfairly labelled with all kinds of names that really hurt the sentiment of all his followers". The video clip, filmed in February and circulated this month, has been viewed over one million times on Twitter. The Dalai Lama fled to India in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in Tibet.

☆ Dalai Lama Apologizes After Video of Kiss With Boy at Public Event Stirs Criticism Online
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Austin Ramzy | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Dalai Lama is a widely recognized religious teacher and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. HONG KONG—The Dalai Lama apologized on Monday for an encounter during a public talk with a boy who he kissed and told to “suck on my tongue.”Video of the February event circulated online recently in India, where the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader lives, and beyond, spurring criticism on social media.

☆ A Utah miner blasted his own cave home with dynamite and now rents it out on Airbnb for $1,000 per night: 'Nothing has been in this space since the dinosaurs'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Dan Latu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

In 1995, Grant Johnson purchased 40 acres of land and used dynamite to blast a cave in a boulder. Now he rents out a room in the cave for $350 or the whole space for $1,000 a night on Airbnb. The living room is "E."You can rent the property on Airbnb for $1,000 per nightThe cave now even welcomes visitors on Airbnb. The "west end" room, with its own staircase leading up to a private balcony, rents out for $350 per night. He recommends every guest climbs out to the patio on the west end at night, and watch the still, desert night.

☆ Exiled leader tells US Congress Tibet faces 'slow death' under China
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, March 28 (Reuters) - Tibet is dying a "slow death" under Chinese rule, the head of the India-based organization known as Tibet's government in-exile said on Tuesday in a first address to the U.S. Congress. The Sikyong role was created in 2012 after the Dalai Lama, Tibetans' 87-year-old spiritual leader, relinquished political authority in favor of an organization that could outlive him. China has ruled the remote western region of Tibet since 1951, after its military marched in and took control in what it calls a "peaceful liberation." Actor and long-time Tibet activist Richard Gere told the hearing that Chinese policies in Tibet increasingly "match the definition of crimes against humanity." Reporting by Michael Martina and David Brunnstrom; Editing by Leslie AdlerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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