POSITIVE NEWS - What went right this week: ‘hopeful’ deep-sea discoveries, plus more
Posted 21st April 2023 • Written by www.positive.news • • • • •
Conservationists made two welcome underwater discoveries, US women brought home the bacon, and the UK rekindled its love affair with literature, plus more good news
A deep-sea find brought hope to the Galapagos
Ancient coral reefs have been discovered in waters off Ecuador’s Galapagos Islands, in a region left devastated by freak weather conditions four decades ago.
The 1982-83 El Niño event was thought to have virtually wiped out reefs around Galapagos, with Wellington reef off the coast of Darwin Island thought to be among the few surviving remnants. However, scientists have now discovered extensive reefs in the middle of the archipelago, bringing hope that others may have survived.
Marine biologist Dr Michelle Taylor from the University of Essex in England was part of the team that found the reefs, the first discovered in the Galapagos Marine Reserve since its creation in 1998.
“They are pristine and teeming with life – pink octopus, batfish, squat lobsters and an array of deep-sea fish, sharks, and rays,” she said. “These newly discovered reefs are potentially of global significance – sites which we can monitor over time to see how pristine habitats evolve with our current climate crisis.”
Speaking of subaquatic discoveries…
One of the UK’s largest seagrass meadows has been discovered off the Cornish coast. The 359-hectare (887-acre) site was found in St Austell Bay during an acoustic survey as part of the St Austell Bay Blue Carbon Mapping Project.
The find comes as conservationists work to restore the UK’s seagrass meadows, which sequester more carbon than rainforests. As well as being a carbon sink, the newly discovered site is home to an estimated 122 species of plants and animals, including scallops, seahorses (pictured) and pipefish.
“The discovery of extensive surviving seagrass beds in St Austell Bay is a very exciting development,” said Abby Crosby, a marine conservation officer for Cornwall Wildlife Trust. “We look forward to collaborating with a wide range of people, from local residents to marine business and government organisations, to ensure we protect these special marine habitats.”
Geneticists demystified developmental disorders
A major study has unravelled the genetic cause of developmental disorders in thousands of children – and could now be used to improve the speed and accuracy of diagnoses around the world.
More than 13,500 families from across the UK and Ireland took part in the Deciphering Developmental Disorders study, a joint effort between the UK’s National Health Service and the Wellcome Sanger Institute, a nonprofit that conducts genetics research.
Genomes in children with severe disorders were sequenced, along with their parents’, providing genetic diagnoses for around 5,500 kids. Around three quarters had spontaneous genetic mutations not inherited from a parent.
“The families in our study were desperate for answers, which can make a huge difference to clinical management and quality of life,” said Caroline Wright, professor of genomic medicine at the University of Exeter. “By sharing our findings, many more families should get answers faster.”
More women brought home the bacon in the US
Husbands and wives are equal breadwinners in a growing number of US marriages, according to a new study.
The Pew Research Centre revealed that women’s financial contributions have grown steadily over the last half a century, and that the share of wives who earn as much as or more than their spouse has tripled in the same period.
However, the report concluded that women still pick up a heavier load when it comes to chores and caregiving at home, with husbands in financially egalitarian marriages enjoying 3.5 times more leisure time than their partners.
A research hub cooked up a culinary revolution
The UK government has injected £12m into a trailblazing research centre for lab-grown meat in a bid to scale up the burgeoning technology and cut agriculture’s emissions.
The Cellular Agriculture Manufacturing Hub, led by the University of Bath, will also investigate using precision fermentation to develop lab-grown alternatives to palm oil, demand for which is a big driver of tropical deforestation.
The Good Food Institute, a nonprofit that promotes sustainable food systems, hailed the investment, the UK government’s largest to date, as a “seismic move”.
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