Less than two weeks after an enormous fire within the Moss landing in one among the world's largest battery storage facilities, scientists who’re connected to San Jose State University have discovered unusually high toxic metals in floors in Elkhorn Slough, roughly a mile.

Researchers at Moos Landing Marine Laboratories have proven microscopic particles of nickel, cobalt and manganese, that are normal in 1000’s of lithium ions.

“These three metals are poisonous,” said Ivano Aiello, professor of marine geology at Moss Landing Marine Labs, who led the floors. “They are dangerous for water life. We would love to know how you progress and interact with the environment, whether you’ll be able to do it through the food network and at what level – from microbes to seabed. “

The dramatic fire within the 750 megawatt battery system began on January 16 and burned two days. It caused the evacuation of 1,200 inhabitants and the closure of the Highway 1 for 3 days. The flames overwhelmed the fire-promoted system within the factory, which was managed by Visstra Energy, an organization based in Dallas, at the previous point of an organization in-built Dallas within the Fifties.

The lithium battery beaches burn at high temperatures and are difficult to bring out. As a result, fire fighters didn’t fight for the hearth and let it burn out. The fire distributed a big cloud of poisonous smoke across the world near the border between the counties Santa Cruz and Monterey and has raised questions on security in other communities during which battery storage facilities are planned. The plants are the important thing to storing electricity and wind power to make use of at night in order that California can proceed to alter from fossil fuels to renewable energies.

The discovery of battery levies within the floors of Elkhorn Slough, a protected network of wetlands, streams and wild animals which can be popular with bird watchers and kayakers, became aware of the results on people living in communities near the plant.

Officials from the Monterey County district said on Monday that the Monterey County Ministry of Environment continued to work with civil servants from the California EPA to check floors in real estate on the trail of the cloud of smoke. You expect the primary results to be published by the tip of this week, said Nick Pasculli, a spokesman for Monterey County.

“We are completely devoting ourselves to the safety of people and their health,” said Pasculli. “This is our top priority and protects the environment. We are very occupied with obtaining the information from the Elkhorn -Lough samples in order that we will analyze the outcomes and seek the advice of state and federal authorities who’ve the supervision to find out one of the simplest ways. “

Aiello said he took samples of around 100 jobs. He has studied the world for greater than 10 years. He analyzed the floors with an electron microscope in Moos landing laboratories and said that the spines of the battery metals were present in the most effective millimeters of the soil, not in lower values. He said he took measurements on 21, 23 and 24 January and compared them with soil samples, which were faraway from the hearth system's fire in the identical places.

“The concentrations rose from ten parts per million to thousands of parts per million – 2 to 3 orders,” he said. “It's a lot.”

Aiello said it is crucial that the tests will proceed for weeks, months and years to follow how the metals change and move. It rained last weekend, he noticed, and he planned additional tests to see the results.

Aiello just isn’t a health care provider, but said it is crucial that state and native officials test soils in communities within the plant to see how they’ve modified and the way they compare themselves to Elkhorn -Slough.

High heavy metals resembling nickel, cobalt and manganese “bio -accumulated” or move the food chain of plants and microbes into fish and bigger animals that eat the fish. At high levels you’ll be able to cause neurological damage, reproduction damage and other problems. It just isn’t yet clear that Aiello said whether the extent had affected the health of fish or wild animals.

“We know that these particles are poisonous,” he said. “They are heavy metals. We have no idea whether or not they are a danger. But we want to know. I live here. I work here. Let us discover. “

“The future will be more battery storage facilities worldwide,” added Aiello. “We move away from fossil fuels. Is that the answer? Is that the fitting technology? “

Officials from the US environmental protection authority have arrange air monitors on the night of the hearth. In the times after the hearth, she and officials from the Monterey Bay Air Resources district said that their monitors didn’t find soot or hydrogen fluoride, a toxic gas from burning batteries, in unhealthy values.

At several public meetings, nevertheless, dozens of residents expressed concerns in regards to the effects of the cloud of smoke not only in air, but additionally water and soils in the encircling communities. Some people complain a few metallic taste, the results of their asthma and other health changes.

Pasculli said Visstra officers laid straw rolls across the work for erosion control. Visstra met with state, local and federal officials to plan the clean -up work of the work that continues to be offline, he added. Governor Gavin Newsom called for an independent examination of the California public utilities commission last week.

Originally published: January 27, 2025 at 4:20 p.m. PST

Few plants have as many names because the poinsettia. They are primarily purchased in the course of the holidays and are amongst the most well-liked potted plants within the United States.

Deep roots

What we call the poinsettia comes from Mexico and was called Cuetlaxochitl by the Aztecs. The Aztecs used its juice to cure fever and its red leaves to make dyes. According to Aztec legend, the plants were a present from the gods as a reminder of the sacrifice to create the universe and were to be repaid through human sacrifice.

Multiple names

After the Spanish conquest of Mexico, the plants got a brand new name: “la flor de Nochebuena,” or “flower of the Holy Night.” Rather than indicating human sacrifice by the Aztecs, the blood-red color symbolized Christ's sacrifice and is related to the Christmas season. In Mexico, poinsettias within the wild are significantly different than those we buy in stores today. Some plants can grow to greater than 15 feet tall.

Poinsettia

Other names: Poinsettia, Easter flower, lobster flower plant, Mexican flame leaf, painted leaf

In some parts of Europe it’s customary to present poinsettias as gifts on Christmas Eve. The plant's star-shaped inflorescences are said to resemble the Star of Bethlehem.

Random twist

In Mexico, poinsettias are displayed around Dia de la Virgen on December twelfth. In the USA, Poinsettia Day can also be December twelfth. The date commemorates Joel Poinsett, who died on December 12, 1851. Poinsett was the primary American ambassador to Mexico in 1828, in addition to a botanist who collected plant species. He is credited with introducing the plant to the United States and successfully growing it in his greenhouse in South Carolina. The plant was named after him by a botanical society in Europe.

A matter of the duvet page

The red leaves of poinsettias are sometimes confused with flower petals and are called bracts. The brilliant red bracts attract pollinators.

Myth destroyer

The belief that poinsettias are poisonous to people and animals is a misconception. Studies conducted by Ohio State University in collaboration with the Society of American Florists concluded that no toxicity was evident at experimental intake levels well in excess of those prone to occur in a house environment. However, the plant sap may cause a light response in individuals with latex allergies.

Californian roots

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, roughly 34 million poinsettia plants are sold within the U.S. in the course of the holiday season between Thanksgiving and Christmas. That wasn't all the time the case. The popularity of the poinsettia is basically on account of the Ecke family from California. The Eckes developed a technique of growing plants that produced many long-lasting flowers and were easy to move. In the early 1900s, Paul Ecke Sr. began selling poinsettias from a street stand in Hollywood. His son, Paul Ecke Jr., improved their breeding and brought them to the sets of popular television shows corresponding to “Tonight Show” and “Bob Hope Christmas Specials.” For a time, the Paul Ecke Ranch in Encinitas produced about 90% of the poinsettias sold worldwide.

branch

In 1990, a report by botanists on the University of Minnesota revealed how the grafting method utilized by the Ecke family produced the compact, so-called “free-branched” poinsettias. After this revelation, competition began to accentuate, and in 2012 the Ecke family sold their company to a Dutch agricultural company, citing global competition and consolidation.

There are a whole bunch of species of poinsettias. In addition to the standard red, poinsettias may also be pink, white or yellow.

Go to the dark side

The Penn State Botany Department states that poinsettias are short-day plants, meaning fading daylight triggers flowering. Despite the term “short day,” research has shown that it is definitely the length of night or darkness that is significant within the flowering cycle. To bloom for the winter holiday season, a poinsettia needs 12 to 14 nighttimes every day starting around October 1st. Even a temporary interruption of sunshine in the course of the dark period can reset the clock and stop the plant from blooming.

US Horticulture

The poinsettia is certainly one of the best-selling flowers worldwide. It is especially popular within the United States, where the market recorded sales of $213.7 million in 2021, in keeping with the USDA. That's a 40% increase from 2020. California is the highest poinsettia producing state. Other major poinsettia growing states include North Carolina, Texas, Florida and Ohio.

Poinsettia care

With proper care, your poinsettia will last through the vacation season and into late winter. Here are some tricks to make it last:

• • Place it in a room where there’s brilliant natural light, but not where the sun shines directly on the plant.
  • Keep the plant away from places exposed to hot or cold drafts.
  • Place the plant high enough to be out of reach of unsupervised children and pets.
  • Place the plant in a water-resistant container to guard your furniture.
  • Water the plant thoroughly when the soil surface feels dry. Discard any excess water remaining within the saucer after 10 minutes.
  • The brilliant color of the bracts stays longer when temperatures don’t exceed 71.6 degrees.

Originally published: December 3, 2024 at 11:40 am PST

Constellation, an energy company that supplies electricity and natural gas to its customers 16 states and Washingtonannounced on September 20, 2024 that it planned to achieve this Restore unit 1 and reboot at Three Mile Island, a nuclear power plant near Middletown, Pennsylvania that was decommissioned in 2019. Microsoft has signed a 20-year contract to buy electricity generated by the plant to offset the facility needs of its data centers within the Mid-Atlantic region.

Three Mile Island was the positioning of 1 in 1979 partial collapse at reactor block 2 of the plant. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission calls this event “the most serious accident in the operating history of commercial nuclear power plants in the United States,” although only small amounts of radiation were released and no health effects were noted for plant employees or the general public. Block 1 was not affected by the accident. Professor of Nuclear Engineering on the University of Michigan Todd Allen explains what the restart of Unit 1 will entail and why another closed nuclear power plants may additionally be restarted.

What is the story of TMI-1?

Three Mile Island Block 1 is a big nuclear power plant with the capability to generate electricity 837 megawatts Electricity – enough to power around 800,000 homes. Commercial operations began in 1974 and ran until September 2019.

After the Unit 2 accident in 1979, Unit 1 was shut down for six years until the then-operator, Metropolitan Edison, demonstrated to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that it could operate the reactor safely.

Constellation closed Unit 1 in 2019 though the facility plant's operating license not existed prolonged until 2034 and there have been no operational or issues of safety. At this point, TMI-1 couldn’t compete economically with natural gas-fired power plants because gas had grow to be extremely low-cost.

Pennsylvania also had a policy preference for increasing electricity generation from solar and wind power. The state parliament decided to not reclassify the power as a carbon-free source of electricity would have qualified it for presidency funding.

What is the present condition of the reactor?

The plant has been idle because it was shut down in 2019. The NRC calls this status secure storage or SAFSTOR. The plant is shut down, the uranium fuel is faraway from the reactor, and the plant is maintained in a secure, stable condition. Irradiated fuel is stored in large steel and concrete drums on a physically secured a part of the positioning, called Independent spent fuel storage facility.

In addition to the fuel, other materials within the plant are also radioactive, similar to structural channels that carry cooling water during operation and the massive container that houses the reactor. During the SAFSTOR period, radioactive decay occurs, which reduces the radioactivity of the power and makes it easier to dismantle the power later.

What does Constellation have to do to organize the reactor for restart?

Constellation needs to make sure it has enough fuel and adequately trained personnel. It must even be ensured that the reactor components are still in a condition that permits secure operation.

This requires detailed inspections and mandatory maintenance to make sure all components are functioning properly. In some cases, the corporate may have to put in latest equipment.

The exact work will rely on the outcomes of the inspections, but could also include upgrading or replacing the reactor's major components, similar to the turbine and associated power generator; large transformers that transport electricity from the reactor to the grid; Equipment for cooling the reactor during operation; and systems to manage the plant during startup, shutdown and power generation.

As an analogy, imagine you progress to a city and stop driving your automobile for five years. If you choose to drive again, it is advisable make sure that you might have gas, that your driver's license remains to be valid, and that every one of the vehicle's components are still working properly. To function well it might probably require latest oil, air within the tires, latest filters and other substitute parts.

A nuclear power plant is way more complicated than a automobile, so the variety of checks and inspections will take longer and be costlier. Constellation expects this bring the restored facility online in 2028 at a expected cost of $1.6 billion.

What will the NRC consider when deciding whether to reauthorize the reactor?

The agency must independently confirm that Constellation has sufficient fuel and trained personnel and that the power can operate safely. These controls have to be approved by the Commission before the power could be put into operation.

In my view, Constellation must show that the power is able to operating at the identical level of safety that existed there in September 2019 when the corporate ceased operations.

Do you expect other utilities to try any such remediation of closed reactors?

Constellation isn't the one utility considering restarting a nuclear power plant. Holtec Internationalan energy technology company, bought the decommissioned Palisades nuclear power plant in southwest Michigan in 2022 with the intention of decommissioning it, but then the corporate decided to achieve this Restoration and reopening of the power.

This work is now underway. Recently, the NRC found various components during its first major inspection on the plant, it said required further testing and repair work.

Wolverine Power Cooperativea nonprofit energy provider serving rural communities across Michigan, plans to buy electricity from the restored Palisades Plant with support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Program to Strengthen Rural America. Holtec receives support for the Palisades restoration from the U.S. Department of Energy and the State of Michigan.

A 3rd company, NextEra Energyis considering a restart Duane Arnold Nuclear Power Plant in Palo, Iowa. And others could follow. A dozen nuclear power plants have closed within the last decade before the top of their licensed period of operation because that they had difficulty competing economically. But with Electricity demand increasesSome of those facilities, particularly those operating data centers and electric vehicles, is also candidates for reopening.

Imagine a bee crawling right into a shiny yellow flower.

This easy interaction is one you’ll have observed repeatedly. It can also be a critical sign of the health of our surroundings – and I actually have observed it in a whole bunch of hours of fieldwork.

Plant-pollinator interactions contribute to plant reproduction, support pollinator species equivalent to bees, butterflies and flies, and profit each agricultural and natural ecosystems.

These one-to-one interactions happen inside complex networks of plants and pollinators.

In my laboratory on University of Colorado Boulderwe’re taken with how these networks change over time and the way they reply to stressors equivalent to climate change. My team emphasizes long-term data collection within the hope of uncovering trends that will otherwise go unnoticed.

Working at Elk Meadow

Ten years ago, I began working in Elk Meadow, which is positioned at 2,900 meters altitude, on the University of Colorado's Mountain research station.

I wanted a location nearby where I could conduct frequent observations to review the dynamics of plant-pollinator networks. This beautiful subalpine meadow, filled with wildflowers and only 40 minutes from campus, was just the proper fit.

Since 2015, I actually have been making weekly hikes to Elk Meadow, often accompanied by members of my lab. We visit the meadow from the primary bloom in May to the last in October. We observe pollinators visiting flowers in plots scattered throughout the meadow and walk along the sting to reduce trampling. Morning is one of the best time to go to because pollinator activity is high and thunderstorms often develop midday within the Rocky Mountains in the course of the summer.

Monitoring the network

Elk Meadow is wealthy in biodiversity. Over the years, we now have observed 7,612 interactions between over 1,038 unique species pairs. These pairings were formed by 310 pollinator species and 45 plant species.

Pollinators include not only a wide range of bees, but in addition flies, butterflies, beetles and the occasional hummingbird. Experienced entomologists help us discover some insects.

The plants include widespread species equivalent to the common dandelion and a few which are only present in the Rocky Mountains, equivalent to the Colorado columbine.

Common but essential

Collecting data at Elk Meadow is fun, but it surely's also serious science. Our data are useful for understanding the dynamics of plant-pollinator interactions inside and across seasons.

For example, we now have learned which interactions between plants and pollinators are stable and which change over time and space. We consistently adhered to Interactions between generalist species and their many partners over time and in several plots within the meadow.

Generalist species can tolerate a big selection of environmental conditions, meaning they’re more ceaselessly available for interactions.

In other words, generalist species usually tend to be alive, energetic and foraging (within the case of pollinators) or flowering (within the case of plants) than species that may only survive when environmental conditions equivalent to temperature, sunlight and rainfall are good for them.

Generalist species are essential in networks, but they often don’t receive the identical conservation attention as rare species. Even these common species may decrease on account of environmental changes Destabilization of entire ecosystems. Protecting these species is essential for preserving biodiversity.

In it for the long run

The more years of knowledge we collect, the more useful our study shall be for understanding how networks and pollinator populations are changing—especially given increasing signs of climate change. Most ecological studies are designed or funded for under one or a number of years, making our 10-year dataset one in all the few for plant-pollinator networks.

Only with long-term ecological data can we discover Trends within the answers to climate change, particularly on account of large annual fluctuations in weather and population.

The National Science Foundation supports a network of Long-term ecological research stations throughout the United States, including the Niwot Ridge Long-Term Ecological Research Program near Elk Meadow, which is devoted to the study of high mountain species and ecosystems.

The climate in Colorado, like in much of the world, Significant changesequivalent to rising temperatures, earlier melting of snow, and more rain in late winter and spring as a substitute of snow. These changes result in earlier runoff of water from mountains, drier soils, and more severe droughts. These shifts can have essential consequences for plants and pollinators, including changes within the distribution, abundance, flowering time of species, or their foraging habits.

Plant and pollinator communities at high elevations could also be particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change because these areas larger temperature increases in comparison with lower altitudes.

We have seen warmer and drier conditions in Elk Meadow. Overlaying this trend, we now have observed annual temperature fluctuations and drought conditions that will help us understand and predict how different species will fare in a warmer and drier future.

Climate change is a driver of pollinator population decline and is predicted to turn out to be much more essential in the approaching a long time. Immediate threats also include pesticide use, light pollution and the Destruction of untamed habitats for Agriculture and Development.

The state of Colorado recently commissioned a study to assess the state of health of Colorado's native pollinators and make recommendations for his or her protection.

Appreciating the present pollinator landscape

Working at Elk Meadow has given my students the chance to conduct independent research and receive priceless training and mentorship.

Seeing the great thing about the creatures within the meadow and observing their cycles inspires my students and me.

Elk Meadow is a spot where I can clear my head and provide you with recent research ideas. It's also a spot where I can observe and record how a tiny patch of our planet is changing in response to larger changes around it.

The USA is approaching the top of the one among the most well liked summers since weather records beganAcross the country, heatwaves have pushed peak electricity demand on some days to levels well above seasonal averages.

To ensure they will meet these peaks in demand, grid operators depend on what are often called “peaker plants.” Peaker plants can initiate quickly and comparatively inexpensively, but they typically use more fuel per unit of electricity produced than other kinds of fossil fuel plants.

Because they’re less efficient than other power plants, peaker power plants typically only run during times of high demand. lower than 10% of the 12 months have runoften just for a couple of hours at a time.

However, their higher emissions per unit of electricity produced raise environmental and health concerns. As of 2021, there have been 999 peak load power plants within the USAin all 50 states. About 70% of those plants burned natural gas, the remainder were powered by oil and coal.

To reduce air pollution and combat climate change, the United States is moving away from fossil fuels and increasingly using renewable energy sources corresponding to wind and solar energy. Ironically, climate change is generating more frequent and intense heat wavesMany power systems increasingly depend on peak load power plants to balance fluctuations in renewable energy production. Proposals for construct recent peakers or extend the lifetime of the old have in states like Wisconsin, Massachusetts, Texas And recent York.

My research focuses on the economic and environmental costs and advantages of electricity generationThe energy transition is changing the role of peak load power plants and offering further options for maintaining electricity supply during peak load times.

Balancing the ability supply

For grid operators, a very important feature of an influence plant is whether or not it will possibly produce electricity on demand. Many renewable resources, including wind, solar and certain kinds of hydropower, are often called non-distributable resources because they’re controlled by nature and produce energy when conditions allow. The cost of generating electricity with them is low, so that they are frequently used to their maximum capability.

Power plants that run on fossil fuels or nuclear power are called deliverable resources because they will produce electricity each time it is required. However, their operating costs are higher than those of renewables, mainly because gas, coal, nuclear and oil power plants need to buy fuel to operate.

Some of those power plants – historically people who run on coal or nuclear fuel – are called Baseload power plantsThey generate electricity relatively cheaply, but need time to begin up and reach full power. Intermediate units produce electricity at the next cost for every additional megawatt-hour produced, but can ramp up and down their output more quickly than baseload plants. Peakload plants have the very best costs per megawatt-hour, but can adjust their output in a short time.

In the past, baseload power plants operated all 12 months round, while intermediate power plants adjusted their output to short-term fluctuations in demand. Peakload power plants were used only during rare peak demand periods.

But as utilities add more wind and solar energy to the grid, they’re increasingly using demand-responsive fossil fuel plants to smooth out fluctuations in renewable energy production – for instance, to run air conditioners when the sun goes down but temperatures are still high. This favors plants that may quickly adjust their production levels, even in the event that they are less fuel efficient. The result’s a growing importance of peaker power plants.

Environmental justice hotspots

Electricity generation from fossil fuels within the USA has decreased with major investments in wind and solar energy. But fossil fuel power plants still produce about 60% of US electricity – and these plants emit pollutants that contribute to climate change and worsen local air quality.

Pollution from sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, particulate matter and ozone is related to Respiratory and cardiovascular diseases and premature deathAlthough air pollution within the United States has declined overall in recent many years, low-income and minority neighborhoods still suffer disproportionately from poor air quality.

A 2022 report estimates that 32 million Americans you reside inside 3 miles of a peak load power plantIn 2024, the U.S. Government Accountability Office reported that historically disadvantaged racial or ethnic communities are statistically more prone to be settled closer than average to peak values.

Other ways to deal with peak demand

How else can supply and demand be balanced? One way is to make use of batteries to store electricity when wind or solar energy is powerful, after which discharge it when demand exceeds supply from conventional sources.

Although the investment costs for batteries are currently high, they’re expected to say no significantly in the approaching many years. In 2023, the United States had a complete of about 15 gigawatts of battery storage capability – the equivalent of 15 large nuclear power plants – and this number could double in 2024.

Another alternative is to expand transmission networks that allow electricity to be sourced from lower-cost plants in distant areas slightly than counting on nearby peak-load power plants. However, the development of recent transmission lines is related to significant Regulatory, permitting and land use challenges.

A 3rd possibility is Demand response programswhere electricity consumers pay higher prices in periods of upper demand. This could help reduce peaks and troughs in demand throughout the day, benefiting more efficient but less flexible baseload power plants which are designed to run 24 hours a day.

However, most consumers currently don’t pay prices that reflect short-term changes in wholesale electricity costsIn addition, it’s uncertain whether private customers would adjust their consumption because of short-term price fluctuations. Technologies corresponding to smart thermostats and energy management apps could help by relieving consumers of the burden of getting to manually adjust their electricity consumption to cost fluctuations.

Finally, power plant owners can put money into technologies to scale back emissions from fossil-fuelled power plants. technologies for combating pollutants are generally lacking because they usually are not used fairly often. Retrofitting older power plants to make them more efficient could also help, as they might produce fewer emissions per unit of electricity.

These investments are costly, so policymakers must weigh the health advantages of reduced air pollution against the investment costs for power plant owners.

Increasing investments in wind and solar energy are Reducing local air pollution from electricity production. But it also shifts production away from thermally efficient baseload units that can’t respond quickly to fluctuations in demand or renewable energy production. I consider it’s increasingly vital to think about policies that incentivize investment in alternatives corresponding to battery storage and transmission infrastructure, in addition to in modernizing power plants to scale back pollution.

When a wild orangutan in Sumatra recently sustained a facial injury – apparently after a fight with one other male – he did something that caught the eye of the scientists who were watching him.

The animal chewed the leaves of a liana vine – A Attachment will not be normally eaten by monkeys. Over several days, the orangutan rigorously spread the juice on his wound after which covered it with a paste constructed from chewed lianas. The wound healed, leaving only a faint scar. The tropical plant he selected has antibacterial and antioxidant properties and is thought to alleviate pain, fever, bleeding and inflammation.

The remarkable story was picked up by the media worldwide. In interviews and in their research workThe scientists said it was “the first systematically documented case of active wound treatment by a wild animal” using a biologically lively plant. The discovery will “provide new insights into the origins of human wound treatment.”

The orangutan’s behavior seemed familiar to me. Historians of ancient sciences which examines what Greeks and Romans knew about plants and animals, I used to be reminded of comparable cases reported by Aristotle, Pliny the Elder, Aelian and other naturalists from antiquity. A remarkable Invoice body From precedent days to the Middle Ages, self-medication has been described in many alternative animals. Animals used plants to treat illnesses, ward off parasites, neutralize poisons and heal wounds.

The term zoopharmacognosy – “veterinary medicine knowledge” – was invented in 1987. But because the Roman natural historian Pliny identified 2,000 years ago, many animals made medical discoveries that were useful to humans. In fact, many medicinal plants utilized in modern medicines were first discovered by indigenous peoples and earlier cultures who observed and imitated how animals used plants.

What you may learn from animal remark

Some of the earliest written examples of animal self-medication might be present in Aristotle's “History of animals“ from the fourth century BC, akin to the well-known habit of dogs eating grass once they are sick, probably for laxative and deworming purposes.

Aristotle also noted that bears after hibernation wild garlic as the primary food. It is wealthy in vitamin C, iron and magnesium, healthy nutrients after an extended hibernation. The Latin name reflects this popular belief: Garlic Ursinum means “bear lily” and the common name in lots of other languages ​​refers to bears.

Pliny explained how using Dittanyalso often called wild oregano, was first used to treat arrow wounds when wounded deer were observed grazing on the herb. Aristotle and Dioscorides attributed the invention to wild goats. Virgil, Cicero, Plutarch, Solinus, Celsus and Galen claimed that dittany had the flexibility to expel an arrowhead and shut the wound. Among the various known properties of dittany Phytochemical properties have antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and coagulant effects.

According to Pliny, deer also knew an antidote to poisonous plants: wild artichokes. The leaves relieve nausea and stomach cramps and protect the liver. To cure themselves of spider bites, Pliny wrote, deer ate crabs washed up on the beach, and sick goats did the identical. Remarkably, Crab shells contain chitosanthat strengthens the immune system.

When elephants by chance swallowed chameleons hiding on green foliage, they ate olive leaves, a natural antibiotic to combat Salmonella hosted by lizardsPliny said that ravens eat chameleons but then take bay leaves to counteract the lizards' toxicity. Antibacterial bay leaves Relieves diarrhea and gastrointestinal complaints. Pliny noted that blackbirds, partridges, jays and pigeons also eat bay leaves to combat digestive problems.

Weasels are said to have rolled within the evergreen rue to appease wounds and snake bites. regret is poisonous. Its medicinal value is unclear, however the dried plant is included in lots of traditional folk remedies. Swallows collect one other poisonous plant, Greater celandineto make a poultice for the eyes of their chicks. Snakes awaking from hibernation rub their eyes with fennel. Fennel bulbs contain compounds that promote tissue repair and immunity.

According to the naturalist Aelianwho lived within the third century B.C., the Egyptians attributed much of their medical knowledge to the wisdom of animals. Aelian described how elephants healed spear wounds with Olive blossoms and oilHe also mentioned storks, partridges and turtle doves, which Oregano leaves and apply the paste to wounds.

The study of veterinary medicine continued within the Middle Ages. An example from the twelfth century English compendium of animal science, the Aberdeen Bestiarytells of bears who treat wounds with Mullein. Folk medicine prescribes this flowering plant to alleviate pain and heal burns and wounds because of its anti-inflammatory chemical ingredients.

Ibn al-Durayhim’s 14th century manuscript “The usefulness of animals” reported that swallows healed the eyes of nestlings with turmericone other anti-inflammatory agent. He also found that wild goats chew peat moss and apply it to wounds, just because the Sumatran orangutan did with lianas. Sphagnum moss dressings Neutralize bacteria and fight infections.

Pharmacopoeia of Nature

Of course, these pre-modern observations were folk knowledge and never formal science. But the stories show that various animal species were observed and imitated over an extended time frame and treated themselves with bioactive plants. Just as traditional indigenous ethnobotany results in life-saving medicines today, scientific verification of ancient and medieval claims may lead to the invention of latest medicinal plants.

Self-medication in animals has grow to be a rapidly growing scientific discipline. Observers report on observations of animals, from birds and rats to porcupines and chimpanzeesAn impressive repertoire of medicinal substances is deliberately used. A surprising remark is that finches and sparrows Collect cigarette butts. The nicotine kills mites in bird nests. Some Veterinarians even allow sickly Dogs, horses and other pets can select their very own recipes by sniffing various plant compounds.

Mysteries remain. Nobody knows how animals sense, which plants cure diseases, heal wounds, ward off parasites or otherwise promote health. Do they respond intentionally to certain health crises? And how is their knowledge passed on? What we do know is that we humans Learn healing secrets by observing how animals treat themselves over 1000’s of years.

A majority of employees at two Mercedes plants near Tuscaloosa, Alabama, declined the chance to hitch the United Auto Workers union in an election that ended on May 17, 2024.

UAW supporters lost 2,642 to 2,045, Just a month after employees at a Volkswagen factory within the neighboring state of Tennessee voted by a majority of three:1 to hitch the union.

Related to my research on organized labor within the United States and other countries, and from what I learned after I went to Alabama to look at the elections and discuss with Mercedes employees, I consider that the events in Alabama illustrate how tough union organizing is within the South, But it's still too early to write down off the UAW's possibilities within the region.

Public and personal efforts to dam unions

The UAW made eight failed attempts to unionize foreign automotive factories within the south over the past 35 years. That losing streak ended when the corporate won 73% of all votes solid in its historic victory in Tennessee.

My latest book: “The UAW's Southern Gamble: Organizing Workers at Foreign-Owned Vehicle Factories“underscores the most important challenges the UAW has long faced within the South.

For 40 years, Southern political and business leaders have tried to draw investment to their states – particularly from foreign-owned manufacturers – by offering massive subsidies, low taxes and lower labor costs and a largely compliant workforce.

This model worked. Today, about 30% of U.S. auto employees are within the South, up from about 15% in 1990.

Whenever the UAW tried to unionize the region's industry, the South's political establishment, dominated by the Republican Party, fought back.

Most recently, six Republican governors from the South combined this tradition into one Joint letter shortly before the Volkswagen vote. In it, they denounced the UAW's organizing efforts as “special interests invading our state and endangering our jobs and the values ​​we live by.”

“Union Avoidance Playbook”

Automotive executives across the American South have developed what I call the “union avoidance playbook.”

This strategy includes They locate factories in rural areas with few union members, eliminate employees who could also be union sympathizers, and divide the workforce by utilizing temporary labor agencies to fill significant portions of jobs.

Messaging is equally vital.

The plants have television monitors in break rooms and cafeterias where pro-business and anti-union messages are spread. To undermine support for unions and business Donate generously to local churches, charities and politicians.

When, despite these efforts, a labor campaign gains momentum, plant managers often start a communication flash This includes mandatory meetings for entire shifts and smaller meetings with undecided employees to keep off against unionization. Union supporters should not given the chance to comment.

The communication strategy lately has included a flood of anti-union emails and text messages Persuading employees to withstand unionization.

Most foreign-owned automakers from the South will likely be hiring anti-union consultants with years of experience fighting unions to guide their efforts. If the selection still looks close, it's the businesses can replace the local CEO of the plant.

This recent hire then tells employees that the corporate now understands their complaints and is asking for a second probability.

Why the UAW convinced Volkswagen employees

The UAW's victory in Tennessee shows that the South's public-private, anti-union partnership will not be invulnerable. Three aspects explain the union's success.

First, the election of Shawn Fain as UAW president in March 2023 marked a turning point. The charismatic one Electrician from Kokomo, Indianawasted no time in dissuading the UAW from its previous agreement with automakers.

Fain used powerful rhetoric and modern tactics to attain victories on the negotiating table in the course of the UAW's simultaneous strikes at Ford, General Motors and Stellantis in the autumn of 2023.

The New contracts followed Employees got significant salary and profit increases and value of living adjustments were made. These agreements also eliminated a two-tier wage structure that gave employees hired since 2007 significantly less pay for a similar work than colleagues with more seniority.

By the tip of 2023, the UAW had shown autoworkers within the South that it could make gains that their employers were unlikely to offer on their very own. This led to more auto employees within the South want to hitch the union.

Second, the UAW overhauled its union system.

The top-down approach was history. Under Fain's leadership, the UAW provided Brian Shepherd – a proven organizer with the Service Employees International Union – will take the lead.

Shepherd gave auto employees who supported unionization the chance to accomplish that Customize organization campaigns as you see fit.

German solidarity

Third, the UAW's relationship with Volkswagen's German works council leadership, which represents employees within the workplace, has improved dramatically.

A works Council is an elected worker representative body that represents the interests of employees at the corporate and company level. It differs from the German Metalworkers' Union, IG Metallwhich has consistently supported unions representing U.S. auto employees.

There were connections between the UAW and the labor council tense in the course of the organizing campaigns in 2014 and 2019. But the The works council leadership modified in 2021.

During the Volkswagen campaign, the German Works Council intervened in several cases to temper management resistance to unionization and urge Chattanooga employees to vote for the union.

The UAW's Mercedes defeat

In previous votes at foreign auto plants within the South, the UAW has typically been the case received only a 3rd of the votes. In Alabama it received 44%. Therefore, it is cheap to see this loss as an indication of progress and strength, even when it fell in need of the bulk.

As I explain in my book, to win an election, a union must assert itself within the political arena and throughout the corporate and workplace.

Mercedes had the overwhelming support of the Alabama political establishment, including Rev. Matthew WilsonTuscaloosa City Council member and Baptist Church pastor.

However, there was a giant difference between the commercial disputes at Mercedes and Volkswagen. The UAW won timely support from the VW works councilthereby convincing management not to rent anti-union consultants, use anti-union language, or hold mandatory meetings.

The Mercedes works council, nevertheless, protested belatedly and didn’t change Mercedes' approach. Mercedes also replaced the local CEO, Michael Göbel Federico Kochlowskiwho promised that the corporate would higher address long-standing worker concerns.

This final flood revealed a weakness within the UAW's employee-led organizational model. It proved difficult for the few organizers to reply quickly and effectively using a network of staff who had little experience with these tactics.

Despite the win in Alabama, Mercedes management could possibly be in trouble in Germany for allegedly unfair tactics.

The The federal government is investigating Whether the corporate's anti-union campaign violates the country's supply chain law, which requires corporations to respect economic, governance and social standards, including labor rights, of their foreign subsidiaries.

Violations may end in a penalty Fine of as much as 2% of total sales.

Separately the UAW has filed a criticism against Mercedes with the National Labor Relations Board over anti-union tactics. The criticism is pending before this federal authoritywhich is chargeable for enforcing the precise of U.S. employees to prepare.

It continues

Gladly promised to proceed organizing efforts when he announced the outcomes at Mercedes. “These workers will get their fair share,” he said. “And we will be there to support them every step of the way.”

It wouldn't surprise me if a majority of employees on the two Mercedes plants in Alabama ultimately resolve to hitch the UAW.

The vote was relatively close. Union initiatives often fail at the primary attempt but succeed later when it becomes clear that management is not going to keep its guarantees to do higher.

If the UAW leadership can persuade the Mercedes works council to pressure management to limit the usage of union avoidance, the prospects for organizing the Alabama plant with a brand new campaign are particularly promising.

I feel the UAW also has an excellent probability of organizing BMW employees in South Carolina.

On the opposite hand, the unionization of employees at Korean and Japanese automotive corporations within the South is more likely to prove to be a greater challenge – also because each countries don’t have any institution comparable to the German works councils.

For the UAW to achieve success throughout the South, I consider it must develop strategies that may overcome the complete repertoire of the region's union-avoiding playbook.

It's a straightforward idea: Stop mowing your lawn in May in order that flowers within the lawn, like dandelions and clovers, can grow and support bees and other pollinators.

“No Mow May” was launched in 2019 by Plantlife, a conservation organization based within the UK, in response to a well-documented lack of grassland and an alarming decline in native plants and animals there. Since then it has been picked up by many Gardeners and Conservationists in North America.

Studies have shown that many Flowers growing on unmown British lawns Do Support British pollinators. But North America has very diverse ecological communities composed of unique wildlife.

If you're enthusiastic about supporting pollinators, it's vital to think about the ecological context of your garden—and #NoMowMay is probably not an efficient strategy. As Entomology researcher WHO Run pollinator programsWe see higher opportunities for people in North America to assist pollinators thrive of their gardens.

What grows in North American lawns?

Most lawn flowers present in North America should not native to this continent but were brought here from Europe and Asia. Many, reminiscent of Bull thistleare harmful weeds that may crowd out native plants contribute to problems reminiscent of soil erosion. Others, reminiscent of Gundermanare aggressive, invasive weeds in natural areas.

Allowing these weeds to grow can increase their numbers within the landscape and possibly even reduce native biodiversity by creating near-monocultures. Failure to mow your lawn and allowing these plants to spread can result in weed problems that residents of neighboring properties will likely have to combat with herbicides.

Pollinators will be found on lawn flowers, but appearances will be deceiving.

Some non-native lawn plants are very attractive to pollinators. Thistle, crown vetch and to a lesser extent dandelion and white clover are continuously visited by bees. This attractiveness helps invasive plants pollinate, form seeds and spread effectively.

But the pollinators you see on these non-native plants are already probably the most common on the landscape. Adding these plants to a landscape doesn’t improve pollinator communities in North America or support biodiversity.

The dominance of some pollinator species on these plants may indicate that human influence has reduced the variety of species on this ecosystem. In typical human-modified landscapes, there are a small variety of cosmopolitan weeds—species that occur in a big selection of habitats in lots of parts of the world—and a handful of pollinator species.

For example, a 2014 study that examined urban and suburban lawns in Kentucky found that 90% of the spring insects that visited dandelion flowers there have been of a single bee species non-native honey bee; a species of butterfly that joint brand skipper; and a couple of Hoverfly species. Honey bees represented almost 50% of the pollinators visiting white clover in spring, followed by hoverflies and a few bumblebee species.

The surrounding landscapes are also vital

Few home gardens are large enough to support pollinator populations. A dandelion meadow in a steel-and-concrete-dominated neighborhood would appear like a haven for pollinators just because there's nothing else nearby for bees to feed on. But only a few bees would visit the dandelions, and they might be bee species that were widespread throughout the landscape, just as a lot of the birds in the realm were pigeons or house sparrows.

In a nature reserve, the identical dandelion meadow would attract a more diverse pollinator community. But it could still be dominated by the common generalist species that visit many forms of flowers and should not very picky. As more specialized pollinators emerge in backyards, they flock over from adjoining landscapes which are devoid of lawn plants.

A 2016 study found this pattern on suburban lawns in Springfield, Massachusetts. Researchers collected 5,331 bees from 111 species flying over small suburban properties over a two-year period. Just 13 species accounted for 4,442 individual bees that they collected, while 81 species were each represented by 10 or fewer individual bees.

Plant quite a lot of native plants

Instead of taking a break from mowing and letting non-native plants dominate the spring landscape, we recommend planting a various choice of native trees, shrubs and herbaceous flowering plants.

Native North American plants and pollinators have co-evolved over time. The plants have characteristics that allow for specific interactions, the suitable flowering times, and the suitable form of nectar and pollen for certain native insects.

Researchers at Penn State Center for Pollinator Research, where we each work, have been studying the pollen that wild bees and managed honey bees collect to seek out out which plants provide probably the most dietary resources to bees. They found that trees blooming in April and May – including maple, oak and willow – provided probably the most pollen to bees.

Other plants native to North America which are visited by pollinators, reminiscent of bluebells, columbines and phlox, have evolved to grow in partial shade while the trees above them sprout leaves.

Even more reasons to mow

Leaving grass uncut in May or June can also be problematic since it creates a positive habitat for ticks and wildlife reminiscent of deer and tick-carrying rodents. This may increase the local risk of tick infestation and tick-borne diseases.

Maintaining shorter grass areas creates a drier environment that’s unfavorable to ticks. It also limits wildlife habitat and food sources, causing the tick population to say no.

Finally, weeds growing on unmowed lawns can result in conflict with neighbors. Whether the priority is aesthetics, local property values, or public health, many cities have ordinances that set limits on lawn height and lawn area Fine residents who don't comply.

While we agree that mowed lawns don't provide much food or support for native species, skipping mowing for a short while doesn't do much either. Pollinators need flowering plants throughout the growing season, from early spring to winter.

We recommend transforming your yard right into a pollinator paradise by adding native plants and flower beds over time, and maybe turning your entire lawn right into a garden. For a listing of North American pollinator plants native to your region, see Xerces Society And Pollinator partnership. State Master Gardener groups even have detailed information on developing pollinator gardens to your region, reminiscent of the Pollinator Garden Certification Program Penn State Master Gardener.

Workers at two Mercedes plants near Tuscaloosa, Alabama, will soon vote for the primary time on whether to affix a union.

Until recently, it could have been secure to assume that nearly all of 5,200 individuals are eligible to vote on this election — scheduled for May 13-17, 2024 — would reject that chance to affix the United Auto Workers.

The UAW, which has about 150,000 members employed at Ford, General Motors and Stellantis, made eight failed attempts to unionize foreign automotive factories within the south over the past 35 years. Two of those actions aimed to prepare all the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

But when the UAW tried to prepare the VW plant for the third time, it prevailedand won 73% of all votes solid in an election held there in April.

I research organized labor within the United States and other countries. My latest book: “The UAW's Southern Gamble: Organizing Workers at Foreign-Owned Vehicle Factories“underscores the foremost challenges that employees and the UAW have long faced in trying to prepare auto factories within the South. In my view, the Chattanooga union has finally succeeded due to its latest leadership and closer collaboration with VW employees in Germany.

A successful model

As I explain in my book, one reason it took the UAW so long to realize its first companywide victory was that an employer's manual for suppressing unionization had worked in response to plan.

The automobile corporations operating within the American South largely had positioned their facilities in rural areas with low union membership. They weeded out employees who may be sympathetic to the unions and divided the workforce by utilizing temporary labor agencies to fill a good portion of positions. She used television monitors throughout the plant to spread pro-business and anti-union messages. And they donated generously to local churches, charities and politicians to undermine local support for union organizing.

At the identical time, political and economic leaders within the South sought to draw investment—particularly from foreign-owned manufacturers—by offering massive subsidies, low taxes, lower labor costs, and a largely compliant workforce.

South Auto employees receives a commission less than their colleagues from the north and have had little influence on what happens of their workplace.

This model was successful. Today, about 30% of U.S. auto employees are within the South, up from about 15% in 1990.

Whenever the UAW has attempted to unionize industry throughout the region, the South's political establishment, dominated by the Republican Party, has pushed back.

Most recently, six GOP governors from the South have rolled this tradition into one Joint letter shortly before the VW vote. In it, they denounced the UAW's organizing efforts as “special interests invading our state and endangering our jobs and the values ​​we live by.”

Strong leadership

The UAW's victory in Tennessee suggests that this model is starting to fail. Three aspects can explain why it might stop working.

First, the election of Shawn Fain as UAW president in March 2023 marked a turning point. The charismatic one Electrician in Kokomo, IndianaMotorTrend recently described it as “Man of the Year“wasted no time attempting to distract the UAW from its previous agreement with automakers.

Fain used powerful rhetoric and progressive tactics to realize victories on the negotiating table in the course of the UAW's simultaneous strikes at Ford, General Motors and Stellantis in the autumn of 2023.

The New contracts followed Employees got significant salary and profit increases and value of living adjustments. These agreements also eliminated a two-tier wage structure that gave employees hired since 2007 significantly less pay for a similar work than colleagues with more seniority.

By the tip of 2023, the UAW had shown autoworkers within the South that it could make gains that their employers were unlikely to supply on their very own. More autoworkers across the region This sparked interest in joining the union.

New organizational approach

Second, the UAW has overhauled its approach to union organizing.

A top-down approach was taken, led by union staff who didn’t necessarily have the most effective organizing skills. Under Fain's leadership, the UAW was hiring Brian Shepherd – a proven organizer with the Service Employees International Union – will take the lead.

Shepherd empowered auto industry employees who supported unionization Customize the organizational motion as they thought best.

For example, committed employees on the Mercedes plant began distributing union identification cards much sooner than the UAW had previously beneficial, and it shunned visiting undecided employees of their homes because they felt the tactic could be counterproductive within the South.

Shepherd hired skilled organizers to support his team and he encouraged the creation of way more structured networks inside plants than the volunteer organizing committees that the UAW had traditionally used.

These changes have paid off. Other employees from the south have signed cards Empowering the UAW as a collective bargaining agent than ever before.

German solidarity

Third, the UAW's relationship with Volkswagen's German works council leadership, which represents employees within the workplace, has improved dramatically. A works Council is an elected worker body anchored in German law that represents the interests of employees at the corporate and company level. It differs from the German Metalworkers' Union, IG Metallwho has at all times supported unionization in German auto plants within the American South.

There were connections between the UAW and the labor council tense in the course of the 2014 and 2019 organizing campaigns. But the The works council leadership modified in 2021.

This time the German works council intervened in several cases to temper VW management's opposition to unionization and urge Chattanooga employees to vote for the UAW.

Harder terrain

Just since the UAW won by a virtually 3-1 margin in Chattanooga doesn't mean a victory at Mercedes in Alabama or elsewhere is a sure thing.

Both the Alabama political establishment and factory management did this fought much harder against this union organizing campaign at Mercedes as Volkswagen executives and Tennessee officials before the vote on the Chattanooga plant.

It has proven difficult to ascertain an in depth relationship between Mercedes' German works council and the UAW. On the opposite hand, a core group of Mercedes Alabama employees has proven to be particularly adept at organizing. They construct a dense network within the factory based on “Wanderers” – i.e. people whose jobs require them to maneuver across the factory.

They also summed up their circumstances in juicy lines which have gone viral. For example, long-time Mercedes worker Jeremy Kimbrell explained: “We will end the Alabama discount“ — a reference to the lower pay they receive in comparison with their counterparts in Michigan and other more established auto manufacturing centers.

Mercedes management in Alabama has also taken plenty of actions which have angered and emboldened employees at that plant. It let the pay stagnate for a few years and resulted in a deeply unpopular Two-tier salary structure in 2020which management solved quickly last 12 months after the UAW's successful strikes.

Mercedes management judged the anti-union campaign to be so bad that they… fired the plant's CEO, Michael Göbeland replaced him with current Vice President of Operations Federico Kochlowski just two weeks before voting began.

Firing an unpopular plant manager is a typical union avoidance tactic, just like firing the top coach of a poorly performing sports team to appease fans. VW did it in 2019.

An final result that’s difficult to predict

The final result of the vote on the Mercedes plant is harder to predict than on the Volkswagen plant because there has never been a union recognition vote at Mercedes before. But one thing is definite: the UAW's organizing campaign isn't over yet.

Fain has repeatedly stated that the UAW intends to do that Get all US auto employees to affix the union – Potentially doubling the variety of its members within the industry.

There are a few dozen other campaigns running that might follow the vote at Mercedes. At least 30% of employees Toyota's engine plant in Missouri And Hyundai's factory in Alabama have already joined the UAW, a vital first step toward a proper election.