HOUSE REPORT WARNS US FUNDING ADVANCES CHINESE MILITARY

A House committee report released on Monday warns that U.S. federal research funding has inadvertently advanced Chinese military technologies, potentially creating a national security rival. Prepared by Republican members of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party and the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, the report highlights collaborations between U.S. and Chinese universities that have propelled China’s developments in hypersonic and nuclear weapons, artificial intelligence, and advanced semiconductors. It calls for stricter regulations on federally funded research, restricting partnerships with Chinese institutions linked to the military. In response, universities like UC Berkeley and Georgia Tech have terminated their joint Chinese institutes. The report identifies nearly 9,000 research papers over the past decade with Chinese military-affiliated co-authors, focusing on dual-use technologies beneficial to both military and commercial sectors. It criticizes the Biden administration for lax enforcement of existing rules and urges new legislation to prevent technology transfer to China. While some universities dispute the findings, the report seeks to reduce U.S.-China scientific collaborations to safeguard national security. (New York Times)

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UKRAINIAN BIOLOGIST BUILDS DNA DATABASE TO AID REBUILD

Ukrainian biologist Taras Oleksyk emphasizes the importance of education over warfare since Russia’s invasion. Based in Madrid, he has supported Ukraine by donating his salary, funding signal jammers against drones, and teaching courses to retain young scientists required by law to stay. Oleksyk is leading the creation of Ukraine’s largest genetic database, aiming to collect 20,000 DNA samples to study diseases like type one diabetes, which have surged due to war-induced stress. So far, 10,000 samples have been gathered through collaboration with 80 doctors, including those near conflict zones. Alongside his sister Olga, an endocrinologist and health ambassador, and colleague Khrystyna Shchubelka, Oleksyk supports regions like Transcarpathia’s Uzhhorod, a safe haven attracting refugees and overburdened hospitals. The National University of Uzhhorod hosts bioinformatics courses led by Fyodor Kondrashov, training 80 young Ukrainians despite challenges like power outages. Oleksyk hopes the DNA bank and scientific efforts will aid Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction and foster global collaboration. (El Pais)

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FUNDERS INVEST MILLIONS IN RAPID POLICY SYNTHESIS

Funders are committing tens of millions to develop a system that provides governments with rapid, evidence-based science syntheses for policymaking on critical issues like climate change. Led by organizations such as the Campbell Collaboration and the UK’s ESRC and Wellcome, the initiative aims to create comprehensive, continuously updated evidence banks that aggregate and synthesize research efficiently. Currently, while fields like medicine extensively use systematic reviews, other areas lack such robust syntheses, hindering informed policy decisions. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for swift, reliable evidence synthesis, revealing delays and duplication in research efforts. Advances in artificial intelligence are aiding this mission, though challenges remain in ensuring the reliability of AI-generated summaries. Investments will support the development of databases and tools for “living syntheses” that are regularly updated and easily accessible to policymakers. Despite the significant funding, experts acknowledge that additional investments will be necessary to achieve seamless, global evidence synthesis, encouraging further contributions from other funders. (Nature)

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FLORIDA AMENDMENT FOUR ABORTION RIGHTS UNDER ATTACK

Florida is witnessing a contentious battle over abortion rights as Republican Governor Ron DeSantis intensifies efforts to block Amendment 4, a ballot initiative aiming to protect abortion rights in the state constitution. DeSantis and the Republican-controlled legislature enacted the Heartbeat Protection Act in May 2023, banning most abortions after six weeks with limited exceptions. In response, Floridians Protecting Freedom successfully gathered over one million signatures to place Amendment 4 on the November 2024 ballot, requiring 60% approval to pass. The initiative promises to safeguard abortion rights before viability and under specific health conditions. To undermine the amendment, DeSantis’s administration has launched investigations into the validity of petition signatures, alleging fraud, and created a state website opposing Amendment 4, despite legal restrictions on using public funds for electioneering. These actions have sparked lawsuits accusing the government of intimidation and misuse of power. Meanwhile, Amendment 4 supporters continue robust campaigns, raising significant funds and emphasizing broad public support. The outcome could influence not only Florida’s policies but also have broader implications for national elections, potentially turning Florida into a pivotal swing state. (El Pais)

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ECUADOR EARLY POWER CUTS AMID RECORD DROUGHT

Ecuador has initiated planned power cuts a day early due to its worst drought in 60 years, with over two months of negligible rainfall severely impacting its hydroelectric plants, which supply 70% of the country’s electricity. Initially set for nightly blackouts from Monday, twelve provinces experienced daytime outages over the weekend. President Daniel Noboa warned of further cuts and emergency measures if water levels don’t recover, attributing the crisis to previous governments’ infrastructure neglect and poor contingency planning. A red alert affects 15 provinces, including Quito, where water supplies are rationed in sixty neighborhoods. This drought is part of a broader South American crisis, with Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, and Colombia facing record droughts and widespread wildfires. Peru declared a 60-day state of emergency in its jungle regions, while the Amazon River’s diminished flow threatens local food supplies and livelihoods. Scientists link the severe drought, the worst in the Amazon basin in 45 years, to climate change. (BBC)

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MEERKAT RADIO STUDY RESOLVES COSMIC DIPOLE MYSTERY

Astronomers are enhancing our view of the universe beyond visible light using instruments like South Africa’s MeerKAT radio telescope. The MeerKAT Absorption Line Survey (MALS) team recently utilized MeerKAT to create a catalog of nearly one million radio sources by observing in 391 directions. Their study focused on the “cosmic radio dipole,” an effect caused by the solar system’s movement through space, which results in more radio sources appearing in the direction of travel and fewer in the opposite direction. Previous measurements indicated that this dipole effect was stronger than expected, raising questions about its causes. However, the new MALS survey findings align the dipole’s magnitude with the solar system’s velocity, suggesting previous discrepancies may stem from different survey designs—MALS surveyed smaller sky areas deeply, while others covered wider areas shallowly. Neeraj Gupta of IUCAA and lead author Jonah Wagenveld highlighted that accurately measuring the dipole is vital for testing cosmological theories. These results, published in Astronomy & Astrophysics and available on arXiv, demonstrate the crucial role of radio astronomy in understanding the universe’s large-scale structure. (space.com)

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RARE POLAR BEAR SHOT IN ICELAND AFTER THREAT

A rare polar bear was shot by police in a remote Icelandic village’s northwest region after it threatened an elderly woman’s cottage. The incident occurred on Thursday afternoon when the bear rummaged through the woman’s garbage, causing her to lock herself upstairs and call for help. Authorities consulted the Environment Agency, which declined relocation, leading to the bear’s euthanasia. Polar bears are not native to Iceland and typically arrive via ice floes from Greenland; sightings are extremely rare, with only 600 recorded since the ninth century and none since 2016 until now. The current surge in bear arrivals is linked to global warming, which reduces sea ice and forces bears to seek food on land, increasing human-wildlife conflicts. While polar bears are protected in Iceland, they can be killed if they pose a threat. The shot bear, weighing 150-200 kilograms, will undergo scientific study for health assessments. No other bears were found in the area, and the affected woman chose to stay in the village after the incident. (CNN)

Thanks for reading. Let’s be careful out there.

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