It’s no secret that bee populations are in trouble, and new research from York University examined the history of native bee and plant systems and found that 94% of those networks have been lost. Thirty percent of the networks have been lost permanently, while 64% of networks have been disrupted because native bees no longer visit native plants.

There are several reasons for the losses in the networks. Climate change is likely the biggest driver. We know that over the last 100 years or so annual temperatures have changed by two and a half degrees. This is enough to alter the time when certain native plants bloom…

For a bee that’s out for months on end or is a generalist pollinator, this isn’t such a critical mismatch, but for a bee that’s only out for two weeks of the year and only has a few floral hosts, this could be devastating.”

Sandra Rehan, Study author, University of New Hampshire

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Native bee populations are also under pressure from invasive species. Global ornamental plant trade has been able to easily migrate insects that live in plant stems from one continent to another and displace native populations. In addition to invasive species, neonicotinoids disrupt bee behaviors like flight ability, learning and memory ability, and temperature regulation.

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A new study from the Environmental Working Group found glyphosate, Bayer’s controversial weed-killer, in nearly 90% of non-organic chickpea and hummus samples tested and was also detected in several organic brands as well. The organization tested 37 different conventional samples and 18 organic samples. All but two of the organic samples contained detectable levels of glyphosate.

Beans, peas and lentils are a nutritious, affordable source of protein and an important part of the American diet…These excellent foods would be much better without glyphosate. Toxic weedkiller should never be allowed to contaminate these products, or any other foods, that millions of American families eat every day.”

Olga V. Naidenko, Ph.D., EWG’s vice president for science investigations.

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Of the samples tested, a conventional dry chickpea sample had the highest levels of glyphosate. Whole Foods Market Original Hummus has the highest tested levels among the hummus sample, with over 2,000 parts per billion. Other hummus samples with notable amounts of glyphosate detected were three samples of Sabra Classic Hummus, Sabra Roasted Pine Nut Hummus, two samples of Whole Foods Market Original Hummus, Whole Foods Market organic-label Original Hummus, Cava Traditional Hummus, and two samples of Harris Teeter Fresh Foods Market Traditional Artisan Hummus. The hummus and chickpeas for the study were purchased at a range of grocery stores in Washington D.C., San Francisco, and New York City.

A new study that surveyed more than 72,000 people in 27 different countries has found that elderly people are not more likely to comply with COVID-19 safety measures. In the study, people surveyed in the 60-80 age range were no more likely to self-isolate if advised to do so, and they were also less likely to wear a mask outside the home.

The findings show that the elderly people, i.e. the most vulnerable population, are not systematically more responsive in terms of prospective self-isolation (if they were told to do so) and willingness to isolate. Moreover, they are not more disciplined in terms of compliance with preventive measures, especially with wearing a face mask when outside their home. This behaviour will become especially important when social distancing rules will be loosened.”

Jean-François Daoust

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Older individuals are more likely to be hospitalized or die if they contract coronavirus, and wearing masks, self-isolating, and social distancing have been promoted as ways society can offer them protection.

Scientists have confirmed that minks on two fur farms in the Netherlands contracted SARS-COV-2 and passed the disease back to humans. Farmers in the south of the Netherlands noticed minks exhibiting respiratory symptoms in April and had veterinarians test the animals for SARS-CoV-2, influenza A, adenoviral infection, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. All tests came back negative – except for SARS-COV-2. Both farms had had workers that had shown symptoms of coronavirus or had been hospitalized. Wim van der Poel, veterinarian and one of the author’s of the study published in Eurosurveillance, speculates that the disease spread through the air.

The animals are in cages with wire tops and closed walls between them…So it probably spread through droplet or aerosol transmission, from the top of one cage to another, when an animal is coughing or heavily breathing.”

Wim van der Poel

There is also evidence to suggest that the virus was passed back to humans from minks on the farms.

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At NB2, one worker had been diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection and hospitalised on 31 March (Figure 1). A clinical sample was retrieved, but the viral load was too low for sequencing analysis. At farm NB1, one person who stayed on the farm, showed mild respiratory disease and was diagnosed with SARS-CoV by 28 April. Based on preliminary sequencing results, this person was assumed to have attracted the virus from mink.”

Eurosurveillance

Since the news, the Dutch government has announced that all mink farms in the Netherlands will be screened, and all employees are required to use protective clothing. In addition, more than 500,000 minks have been culled to prevent the potential spread of coronavirus to humans.

A new, more-infectious strain of the novel coronavirus is moving from Europe to the U.S., according to a new study in the journal Cell. This mutation of the COVID-19 virus is called G614, and it spreads more quickly than the previous mutation, D614.

Our global tracking data show that the G614 variant in Spike has spread faster than D614…We interpret this to mean that the virus is likely to be more infectious. Interestingly, we did not find evidence of G614 impact on disease severity…Through March 1, 2020, the G614 variant was rare outside of Europe, but the end of March it had increased in frequency worldwide…The increase in G614 frequency often continues well after stay-at-home orders are in place and past the subsequent two-week incubation period.”

Tracking changes in SARS-CoV-2

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The G614 first emerged in Europe in February, and gradually spread to become to dominant strain of COVID-19 by April. G614 multiples faster in the upper respiratory tract, and that facilitates the spread of the virus. Scientists have not seen a corresponding increase in the death rate. There are many factors involved in the recent uptick in coronavirus cases in the United States, but it’s possible that the increased presence of a more contagious strain of the virus has played a part in that.

Sources:

• Tracking changes in SARS-CoV-2 Spike: evidence that D614G increases infectivity of the COVID-19 virus – Cell
• Study confirms new version of coronavirus spreads faster, but doesn’t make people sicker – CNN

Bayer has announced that they will settle approximately 75% of the approximately 125,000 lawsuits from plaintiffs who claim to have developed non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma due to Roundup exposure. The German pharmaceutical giant has been plagued with litigation regarding the world’s most used herbicide since it purchased Monsanto in 2018. Bayer issued a press release on Wednesday with the details of this move.

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The company will make a payment of $8.8 billion to $9.6 billion to resolve the current Roundup™ litigation, including an allowance expected to cover unresolved claims, and $1.25 billion to support a separate class agreement to address potential future litigation.”

Bayer

Only three cases against Roundup have gone to trial. Each trial ended in a substantial decision for the plaintiffs, with monetary awards of $289 million, $80 million, and $2 billion. The newly announced settlements are subject to approval by Judge Vince Chhabria, who has previously upheld jury verdicts against the company and was also responsible for reducing $80 million in damages to $25 million. These previous jury verdicts are not part of the settlement agreement, and Bayer has indicated they will continue to appeal those cases.

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Scientists have found that coronavirus particles in fecal matter could be ejected into the air when you flush the toilet. The research, published in the journal Physics of Fluids, measured the toilet plume caused by the turbulence of flushing and saw that 40%-60% of particles reached above the toilet seat. These particles could increase the spread of coronavirus, especially since bathrooms are high-traffic, poorly ventilated areas.

The research didn’t analyze the toilet droplets for coronavirus, although it is possible that fecal matter particles will contain smaller amounts of the virus than respiratory droplets. COVID-19 is most often found in the lungs and respiratory tract, although some studies have found coronavirus in the small intestine. In addition, virus symptoms can include nausea and diarrhea.

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The study concluded with steps you can take to limit the potential spread of coronavirus through toilet particles. These include closing the toilet lid before flushing, cleaning the toilet seat before use, andwashing hands after flushing.

Sources:

• Flushing the Toilet May Fling Coronavirus Aerosols All Over – New York Times
• Can a toilet promote virus transmission? From a fluid dynamics perspective – Physics of Fluids