Evolutionary War
September 9, 2021
The Good News
- ‘No point in anything else’: Gen Z members flock to climate careers (Guardian)
- Former Blue’s Clues host Steve has new message for show’s grown-up fans: ‘I never forgot you — ever’ (Entertainment Weekly)
“Keep your face to the sun and you will never see the shadows.” — Helen Keller
Sun-der Consideration
President Biden is thinking very far into the future. On Wednesday, the administration released a plan to make half of the country’s energy come from solar power by 2050. The plan will require doubling the amount of solar energy involved every year for the remainder of his presidency, and then doubling that again by 2030.
Biden has made it clear that climate change is a major part of his platform, but considering that solar energy contributed less than 4% of the country’s electricity last year, this plan is highly ambitious. The plan is in line with what many scientists believe to be necessary to stave off the more devastating effects of climate change, but the amount of transformation the country would have to undergo — from technology, to industry operations, to ways of life — is likely to be a hard sell.
Solar panels have fallen drastically in cost, but the electric grid will have to be completely overhauled. Currently made for coal and gas, the grids would need batteries and other tech to soak up the power of the sun and transport it to far-flung corners of the country. Biden also wants to add hundreds of wind turbines where only seven currently stand offshore, and last month, he announced his plans for making half of all new cars electric by 2030, and included charging stations as part of his funding in the bipartisan infrastructure bill.
His plans sound great in theory, but the administration has only provided a broad outline of his ideas, with very little indication as to how it will happen or what sorts of regulations and legislation will be involved to achieve these goals. The solar panel cost drop is the best thing working in the Democrats’s favor, but their narrow majority in Congress is likely to be a huge barrier to getting this climate change-fighting plan to come to fruition. (NYT, $)
An Arresting Development
- The Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, which organizes vigils for the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown, said that several of their leaders were arrested on Wednesday after refusing to provide information to police officers during an investigation. The group stated that authorities were seeking details about its funding and membership. At least four members of the group were detained on Wednesday, including vice chairwoman Chow Hang Tung.
- Since a new national security law went into effect last year, more than 150 people have been arrested under it and more than 60 charged, including many of Hong Kong’s most well-known opposition politicians and activists. Many civil society organizations have been disbanded as the police were given broad powers to demand information from groups and individuals.
- The Hong Kong Alliance has faced increasing scrutiny, including questions over whether it received funds from overseas, which would be seen as a violation of the city’s national security law. “This is absurd and an abuse of power,” Ms. Chow said. “They are trying to intimidate the people who participate in social movements,” she added. “We will now clearly state that this sort of intimidation will stop at us. We will not transmit that fear through our compliance.” (NYT, $)
Tragic Accident In Russia
- Russia’s emergencies minister died during a training exercise in the Arctic Circle city of Norilsk. First-person accounts stated that Yevgeny Zinichev died trying to save a cameraman who fell off a cliff into the water. The exact circumstances of his death remain unclear, though the cameraman has also reportedly died. Zinichev and the cameraman, Alexander Melnik, a well-known Russian film director, were shooting a video when the accident occurred.
- Zinichev was a former KGB officer and personal aide and bodyguard to Vladimir Putin. “President Putin offers deep condolences over the tragic death of Yevgeny Zinichev,” said Dmitri Peskov, the Kremlin spokesperson. “They shared many years of joint work, and it’s a huge loss. The president has sent a telegram to extend his condolences to the family and friends of the minister.” (Guardian)
Additional World News
- Paris attacks: Historic day of reckoning for night of terror (BBC)
- Tigray forces killed 120 civilians in village in Amhara – Ethiopia officials (Reuters)
- Taliban caretaker government: Ex-Guantanamo detainees and one of FBI’s most wanted men appointed (CNN)
- Social care tax rise: PM defends plan ahead of vote (BBC)
- WHO chief urges halt to booster shots for rest of the year (AP)
- Indonesia prison fire: Tangerang jail blaze kills 41 inmates (BBC)
- Mexico earthquake: 7.0 magnitude quake strikes the southwest (CNN)
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Get To The Poll Booth
- California’s favorite bodybuilder-slash-superstar actor-slash-former governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, has a few things to say about the upcoming gubernatorial recall election in his former home state. Besides being the premier killer cyborg from the future, Schwarzenegger is the only person in California’s history to win the governor’s office through a gubernatorial recall election.
- According to the former governor, this year’s recall election is reminiscent of the election he won. In 2003, the state faced a variety of challenges, ranging from power outages to recession to a budget deficit, causing significant issues for California voters. Now, California businesses and employees are also suffering financially due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and housing costs and homelessness are on the rise.
- Former Governor Gray Davis, who lost to Schwarzenegger in the 2003 recall, stated that he was confident in Newsom’s chances this year. The 2003 election saw Davis facing off against another Democrat, his own lieutenant governor, who split the blue vote, allowing the Terminator to take power. On top of this, Davis’ approval ratings were far below Newsom’s are now, and the state is far more Democratic than it was at the turn of the 2000s. (CNN)
Back Abbott Again
- Texas Governor Greg Abbott continues to defend his state’s abortion law despite nationwide backlash. On Tuesday, when asked about forcing sexual assault victims to carry to term, Abbott stated that the bill “doesn’t require that at all because, obviously, it provides at least 6 weeks for a person to be able to get an abortion.”
- New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez stated, “6 weeks pregnant means 2 weeks late for your period, and 2 weeks late for your period for any person with a menstrual cycle, can happen if you’re stressed, if your diet changes, or for really no reason at all. So you don’t have 6 weeks.”
- He later stated that “rape is a crime and Texas will work tirelessly that we eliminate all rapists from the streets of Texas by aggressively going out and arresting them and prosecuting them and getting them off the streets.” According to RAINN, the nation’s largest nonprofit anti-sexual assault organization, most cases of sexual violence occur in the household, not the streets: less than 20% of rape cases nationwide are perpetrated by strangers, and strangers only account for 7% of all sexual abuse cases. (CBS)
Additional USA News
- 20 Years Later, 2 More 9/11 Victims Are Identified Using New Technology (NPR)
- Workers begin removing Richmond’s iconic statue of Robert E. Lee (WaPo, $)
- Trump chooses Cheney challenger in major test of political clout (Politico)
- Biden administration tells ex-Trump officials to resign from military academy advisory boards or be dismissed (CNN)
- FBI releases video of suspect who planted pipe bomb ahead of Jan. 6 Capitol riot (NBC)
- Florida judge allows school mask mandates to continue despite governor’s appeal (CNN)
Evolutionary War
- Animals have reportedly begun “shapeshifting” as an evolutionary mechanism in response to rising temperatures across the globe. Scientists have found that warm-blooded animals have been getting larger beaks, legs, and ears to help regulate internal body temperature. Some creatures in warmer climates have historically evolved to have larger beaks or ears to get rid of heat more easily, and these differences are becoming more pronounced as the climate continues to warm.
- Without changes to their physiology, warm-blooded animals such as birds and most mammals would be increasingly susceptible to overheating and dying due to lack of temperature regulation. Some scientists have stated that animal evolution toward the appearance of “Dumbo” the elephant may become a reality if global temperatures continue to rise at their current pace. Without air conditioning technology at their disposal, animals in the wild must adapt to survive – and if that means becoming the star of the next live-action Pixar movie, so be it.
- It is unclear whether these changes will affect the animals in other ways – for example, bigger bills could affect how birds feed, something the scientists plan to research in future work. “The climate change that we have created is heaping a whole lot of pressure on them, and while some species will adapt, others will not,” says Sara Ryding of Deakin University, a bird researcher and author of the major study tracking shapeshifting in birds. (Guardian)
Additional Reads
- New Studies Find Evidence Of ‘Superhuman’ Immunity To COVID-19 In Some Individuals (NPR)
- Scientists may have discovered a new type of supernova (Axios)
- Something Unexplained Is Sending Radio Signals From Our Galaxy’s Center (Vice)
- NASA sets new date for James Webb Space Telescope launch (The Verge)
- New, Giant Carnivorous Dinosaur Was a Terror to Smaller Tyrannosaurs (Smithsonian)
- The Texas Abortion ‘Whistleblower’ Site Still Can’t Find a Host (Wired)
- Giant ‘swimming head’ creature lived in our oceans 500 million years ago (CNN)