How an Invasive Species Turned Into a Delicacy

A new entree has recently expanded across many restaurant menus in the southeastern United States, hoping to aid management efforts and reduce environmental destruction caused by invasive lionfish in the Caribbean. 

Invasive species are organisms not native to an ecosystem that causes harm to other species, habitats, or human health. Species are more likely to become invasive if they reproduce quickly, spread aggressively, and take advantage of new habitats. There are many examples of invasive species throughout history, and most are the unfortunate result of human expansion and global connectivity. Animals are often introduced purposefully or by accident from travel, shipping, and as a means of population control. 

Introduced species outcompete native populations for vital resources and habitat, restructuring food webs that result in cascading ecosystem effects. The success of an invasive species in a foreign environment relies on the lack of natural predators in the new ecosystem, allowing that species to dominate the native organisms. Invasive species also contribute to diseases preventing successful reproduction and altering entire ecosystems. 

There are invasive species worldwide, and many environmental scientists are working diligently to eradicate them out of native ecosystems, but doing so is a monumental task. Many invasive species are small, fast reproducing organisms that rapidly spread over large areas. Tactics used to mitigate their potential spread include using traps, reward incentives, and repurposing their use for consumption purposes. Trapping and reward incentives have proven useful solutions in island nations and small land areas, but larger invasions are harder to mitigate adequately. An interesting tactic for combating the invasive lionfish is developing a productive fishery for their commercial use as a product in restaurants and consumption. 

Lionfish are reef fish native to the Indo-Pacific ocean characterized by colorful red and white striped bodies, featherlike fins, and venomous spines. The species is incredibly damaging to the Caribbean ecosystems because they are incredibly aggressive predatory fish that prey on anything they can catch. Without natural predators outside their native habitat, they have been able to dominate the top of the food chain quickly. Lionfish are a particularly popular aquarium fish with a large market in the United States. 

The behavior of the lionfish in the Atlantic changed with their new habitat, and they act more aggressively than their counterparts in the Indo-Pacific. They are responsible for massive tolls on reef species like grouper and snapper. They can spawn every four days and release eggs that travel through the Caribbean currents. Atlantic populations are estimated to be up to 1,000 individuals per 1 acre at their highest densities, changing management goals. 

Dealing with lionfish can be difficult due to venomous spines that require medical attention. Divers must use extreme caution to avoid stings and use protective gear and fishing poles to collect lionfish. Tactics for removal from local waters have resulted in some success. Rapid repopulation of the fish incited a new management avenue to convert the species into a fishery commodity for restaurants to market as a local delicacy. 

Fishermen first realized you could eat the lionfish during culling events in south Florida, and they were delicious too. Modifying management efforts into a sustainable fishery means creating employment opportunities for small-scale fishermen, volunteer culling opportunities, fishing competitions, and a constant resource for consumer lionfish products. This method of invasive management is slowly gaining traction in the southeastern United States, and maybe one day, you will get to taste your very own lionfish. 

New Environmental Frontiers in China’s First Vertical Home

Global populations have risen exponentially over the last two centuries, with numbers expected to increase past 9.8 billion in 2050 and more than 11 billion by 2100! The enormous global population has taken significant tolls on the Earth and its vital resources, expediting global warming and environmental stress. One of the most significant contributors to global warming is the occupied space and pollution generated by megacities dispersed worldwide in countries like China, India, USA, and more. Scientists have been working to develop strategies to better support growing urban populations, preventing further degradation of the environment. Vertical cities are a solution to those issues, and environmental sectors have been discussing their implementation for a long time. 

Vertical cities are a specific and purposeful redesign of how humans have lived throughout history. Instead of traditional outward expansion of cities by connecting additional infrastructure, these cities utilize the space for development above existing frameworks. Vertical cities are key to managing overpopulation and habitat degradation by confining large populations into sustainable units. By designing vertical developments, skyward cities will be able to preserve natural resources outside the city, protect critical wildlife habitats, and contribute to global environmental status. An ideal vertical city would allow people to live, work, go to school, recycle waste, and produce their food inside a single building.

Let us break down the pros and cons of designing, implementing, and operating one of these massive infrastructure projects because there are reasons why they are not popping up in every major city. The first notable benefit of establishing vertical cities is reducing natural resource acquisition based on land space and urban development. These cities can be installed within current urban boundaries and move many businesses and residential areas off the ground. Unfortunately, because these cities do not exist yet, and we do not have any current data to assess their success, designs receive large amounts of skepticism from funders.

Vertical cities are meant to host hundreds if not thousands of people, so establishing the necessary resources is vital to the building’s survival. These buildings need to be explicitly designed to deal with environmental hazards, evacuation procedures, and plans for any emergency. The biggest hurdle facing these cities is funding because there is no evidence to outweigh their costs with benefits, so installing the first of its kind in China is vital to supply research necessary for future vertical developments. 

China’s staggering 1.4 billion people have put immense stress on the country's space and resources. Most Chinese live and work inside urban developments that significantly lack the space necessary to accommodate large daily influxes of people adequately. That is why China is the first home to one of these vertical cities, designed to support 500 residents and more than 5,000 trees and shrubs on its various levels. This initial development is not meant to be an ideal vertical city but a trial into the environmental benefits of increasing urban greenery and attempting to reduce the spread of people throughout the city. 

The plants were chosen to contribute the most benefits to the region by introducing native, non-invasive species aiding atmospheric recycling of greenhouse gasses. The design is estimated to absorb more than 20 tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and emit more than 10 tons of oxygen. These buildings are of paramount importance because their location inside urban settings will directly contribute to the city’s clean air. Either way, the first test of this new way of living will indicate if they are a viable and profitable solution to many of the climate changes Earth is currently facing. If successful, this type of architecture can be expected to show up in every major city around the world and reinvent how we design urban areas.

Will Global Warming Cause Another Pandemic?

Amidst the already ongoing pandemic, new fears amount of increasing susceptibility toward ancient bacterias previously frozen in rapidly melting ice sheets at the poles. Ancient viruses, bacteria, and fungi from the past have laid dormant for millions of years, frozen under thick layers of ice. Many of these bacteria were not present on Earth’s surface at the same time as humans, and experts are unsure of the effects their reintroduction to the planet entails for humanity’s future. 

These ancient micro bacteria may include unknown species, previously eradicated pathogens, and certain types of robust bacteria able to survive immense amounts of environmental stress. Pathogens, viruses, dust, gas, and particulate matter settled into the glaciers and polar ice caps as they formed gradually over millions of years. Scientists are able to study the preserved microbiomes by sampling cores from deep within the frozen ground and ice. Frozen cores provide a snapshot of the Earth’s surface at various times throughout its history and include an array of vital environmental information. 

Each layer of the ice preserves atmospheric profiles, which scientists use to infer global temperatures, weather, composition, and more about ancient environments. The core samples give scientists a unique look into Earth’s prehistoric microbiomes for use as an indicator of future climate conditions. They study the microbiome’s genomics to understand better how these bacteria and viruses can survive in the extreme ice conditions, potentially useful for finding life on other frozen planets. Most samples are completely harmless and immediately destroyed after analysis to prevent global contamination. Still, there is always a fear of releasing a harmful microorganism if global temperature increases continue to melt the ice. 

Global warming has been a constant topic on the world stage during the 21st century as ice sheets melt, sea levels rise, and industrial emissions pollute the environment. Countries at the most immediate risk of climate change are low-lying areas impacted by sea-level rise. However, the threat of invading ancient pathogens could impact all of humanity. A child died, and twenty people were hospitalized in 2016 following the release of an ancient anthrax spore after thawing a section of frozen Siberian soil. 

This event ignited international worry that other deadly diseases could be revived, including formerly eradicated diseases like smallpox and the black plague. These human ailments could be potentially reanimated from frozen corpses trapped in the ice, dating back to early humans. Modern humans lack the immune defenses to fend off these deadly pathogens and are at even greater risk to unknown species. 

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) suggests that even if global temperatures are maintained to only 2 degrees Celsius increase by 2100, more than 25 percent of the global permafrost would still melt. Worst-case scenarios where global temperatures exceed 5 degrees Celsius would mean a catastrophic loss of up to 70 percent of the permafrost melted. To ensure minimal contact with potentially deadly ancient viruses, infrastructure, and human development must avoid newly thawed habitats. The released pathogens and viruses leach into the groundwater and saturate topsoil where humans could come into contact with them and transmit them globally. 

Russia Caught Doping Again at the Winter Olympics

Russian ice skating phenomenon Kamilia Valieva, who recently won team gold, failed a doping test raising concerns about the International Olympic Committee’s accountability toward the Russian athletes and the status of the rest of the Beijing games. 

The 15-year-old Valieva has been an up-and-coming skater at the top of her sport, with credentials like the first woman to ever land the quadruple twisting jump extremely popular in men’s skating events. The controversy over her now failed doping tests has put a magnifying glass on how the IOC handled Russia’s lack of punishment from systematic doping scandals uncovered at the Sochi 2014 winter games. 

Documentaries and inside investigations were published leading up to the Rio de Janeiro 2016 summer games that implicated Russian officials swapping urine samples and attempts to cover the doping. Instead of enacting any form of ban or consequence for the Russian assembly, the IOC abdicated any responsibility granting it to the international overseers of the sports. By abdicating their responsibilities, they have allowed the doping to continue unabated, without the consequence of the Russian Olympic athletes. Lack of reprimands has led to multiple doping infractions by Russian athletes at the 2018 Pyeongchang winter games and now in Beijing. 

Athletes caught doping are persecuted by being stripped of their medals and disqualified from future Olympics. The IOC ‘technically’ banned Russia from the last few games, forcing their athletes to enter under the ”Russian Olympic Committee” using substitutes for their national anthem and uniform colors. The representative Russian athletes are accepted from a registered testing pool that was supposed to eliminate any doping complications, allowing the Russians to compete under the neutral Olympic flag. Obviously, the recent events suggest the lack of consequences for Russia has negatively impacted the credibility of the IOC as officials now have to decide the next steps. 

The drug Valieva tested positive for is called trimetazidine, used as a heart medicine to decrease chest pain. The IOC bans it because it can increase blood flow efficiency and an athlete's endurance, acting like a stimulant and metabolic modulator. The controversy gets even more complicated because Valieva is only 15 and is protected by the World Anti-Doping Code. This means she is treated as a minor with less associated reprimands from testing positive for doping, like only a maximum ban of 2 years. Critics of the IOC suggest the accusations of the 15-year-old intentionally taking the banned substance to improve her performance are laughable, and the actual blame should be placed on the entire Russian system. 

Investigations are underway into the situation, including her coach, Eteri Tutberidze, who has a history of poorly treating her athletes known for putting an immense amount of pressure on the young skaters. The medal ceremony for the team skating event has been postponed indefinitely as the IOC officials and overseers decide how to proceed. The second-place United States and Japan in third were given no reason for the medal ceremony delay until headlines highlighted the positive tests. The decision leading up to the individual skating event Valieva was favored to win, and pending the disqualification, nobody knows how the competitions will go.

The distrust in the process and other ROC athletes will now shroud the competitive ice event with two other Russian skaters planning to make history also attempting quads in their routines.  If the IOC decides to treat Valieva according to the WADC, Russia may keep their team gold, but these games are now tarnished with deceit and doping regardless of the decision. 

Correlation Between Marijuana Legalization and Increased DUIs

Marijuana and the use of Cannabis have long been touted to offer certain health benefits for the immunocompromised and chronically ill, except it is still illegal in most of the world. Countries like the Netherlands, Jamaica, Costa Rica, Spain, and a few others have legalized the sale of recreational marijuana among rising public popularity. The main psychoactive component of cannabis is THC which produces the high sensation and can be inhaled or ingested. Users exposed to THC experience relaxing effects, including heightened sensory perception, euphoria, and an altered perception of time. THC can also be directly ingested, delaying the effects by more than 30 minutes. The effects of cannabis usually last up to 3 hours, although evidence of THC can remain in the body for days after initial use. 

Each person reacts differently to THC ingestion, but increased popularity and legalization around the world have contributed to concerns about its impact on driver safety. In the United States, more than 1.5 million people are arrested for driving under the influence each year. Studies in Colorado suggest an increase of marijuana-related DUIs by more than 48% last year, with an increasing trend over the last five years. The rising frequency DUIs is concerning because a large percentage may correlate with areas that have legalized marijuana. In recent years, the same study also identified increased frequency in marijuana-impaired drivers’ roles in deadly car accidents. 

Assessing impairment from a marijuana user is much harder than in individuals under the influence of alcohol. Despite recent increases in legalization and recreational use of marijuana, law enforcement has yet to identify an accurate and reliable test to determine a driver’s level of intoxication. The equivalent test for alcohol impairment is the breathalyzer test used to determine the blood alcohol content as it corresponds to legal limits. There are blood tests used for THC identification, but they do not provide an accurate assessment of an individual’s level of impairment because of the chemical’s varying effects with each person. New developments in law enforcement have focussed on creating behavioral tests to assess individual impairment, similar to methods used to confirm alcohol intoxication. 

Developing accurate tests is vital for driver’s safety and the ability of law enforcement to assess impaired individuals. Regular marijuana users have produced blood profiles that indicate stores of THC can remain detectable in the blood for 30 days in some cases. These THC levels are often higher than local DUI limits, even though the individual has not recently ingested marijuana. 

Factors impacting DUI statistics include regional THC blood limits, driving laws, past offenses, and law enforcement discretion. The consequences of driving under the influence are also different depending on the region but can implicate an individual up to a year in jail. 

Understanding the use of marijuana as it impacts drivers’ abilities and law enforcement methods for impairment detection are quickly becoming an increasingly vital area of research. Investments will continue to increase as recreational use becomes legalized in other parts of the world.