Ilhem

Thank you all, I am glad for your comments guys ❤️

Aww, Thank u so much baby ❤️ That means a lot to me 💖 @Loenex ❤️

Picture a mature, broad-branched tree like an oak, maple or fig. How does it reproduce so that its offspring don’t grow up in its shadow, fighting for light? The answer is seed dispersal. Plants have evolved many strategies for spreading their seeds away from the parent plant. Some produce seedlings that float on the wind. Others have fruits that actually explode, ejecting their seeds. And more than half of all plants rely on wildlife to disperse their seeds. This typically happens when animals eat fruits from plants or carry away their nuts, then excrete or drop the seeds somewhere else. In tropical rainforests, animals disperse the seeds of up to 90% of tree species. Today the Earth is losing species at a rapid rate, potentially representing the sixth mass extinction in its history. In a newly published study, we examine what this loss means for seed dispersal, focusing on birds and mammals that disperse fleshy-fruited plants. We assessed how seed dispersers help plants shift their geographic ranges to reach habitats newly suitable for growth – a crucial mechanism for surviving climate change. If not enough seeds disperse to track the environmental conditions like temperature and precipitation that plants require, the plants could be stuck in settings where they will struggle to survive. This could lead to losses of plant species, along with the valuable products and services they provide, ranging from food to carbon storage. A new era for plant movement Animals have been dispersing seeds for millions of years, but the relationships between plants and their seed dispersers have changed dramatically in our modern era. Berries in California are no longer eaten by grizzly bears, which disappeared from the state a century ago. On the island of Madagascar, seeds no longer travel in the bellies of gorilla-sized lemurs, which went extinct there about 2,300 years ago. In France, seeds don’t catch a ride on the fur of lions or between the toes of rhinos that once lived there, as shown in prehistoric cave paintings. When animals disperse seeds today, their movement is often hampered by roads, farms or built-up areas. For most animal-dispersed plants – especially those with large seeds, which require large animals like tapirs, elephants and hornbills to spread them – these changes mean a big reduction in seed dispersal, and a great slowdown of plant movement. Research by our team and work by many colleagues have uncovered the negative ecological consequences that occur when seed dispersers disappear. Now researchers are assessing how seed dispersal decline is affecting plants’ responses to climate change. Quantifying what’s been lost Only a small fraction of the thousands of seed disperser species and tens of thousands of animal-dispersed plant species have been studied directly. Many seed disperser species are extinct or so rare that they can’t be studied at all. To overcome this challenge, we pulled together data from published studies showing which bird and mammal seed dispersers eat which fruits, how far they spread the seeds, and how their digestive systems’ effects on the seeds help or hinder germination. These three steps together describe what’s required for successful seed dispersal: A seed must be removed from the mother plant, travel some distance away from it and survive to become a seedling. Next, we used machine learning to generate predictions for seed dispersal, based on the traits of each species. For example, data on a medium-sized thrush in North America could help us model how a medium-sized thrush species from Asia dispersed seeds, even if the Asian species wasn’t studied directly. Using our trained model, we could estimate seed dispersal by every bird and mammal species – even rare or extinct species for which there isn’t any species-specific data on the seed dispersal process. The last step was to compare current seed dispersal to what would be happening if extinctions and species range contractions hadn’t happened. For fleshy-fruited plants, we estimate that because of bird and mammal losses, 60% fewer seeds are being dispersed far enough worldwide to keep pace with climate change by shifting locations. Further, we estimate that if currently endangered seed disperser species such as bonobos, savanna elephants and helmeted hornbills became extinct, global seed dispersal would decline by an additional 15%. The impact of past seed disperser declines has been greatest in areas including North America, Europe and the southern part of South America. Future losses of endangered species would have their most severe impacts in areas including Southeast Asia and Madagascar. With fewer seed dispersers present, fewer seeds will be moved far enough to enable plants to adapt to climate change by shifting their ranges. Seed dispersers help sustain forests Seed dispersal also helps forests and other natural ecosystems recover from disturbances like wildfire and deforestation. This means that mammals and birds play a major role in sustaining natural vegetation. Most forest recovery around the world happens through seed dispersal and natural forest regrowth rather than via people planting trees. Seed dispersal by animals is especially important for tropical forests, which can grow back relatively quickly after they are logged or burned. Seed dispersers also promote biodiversity by helping to ensure that a large number of plant species can survive and thrive. Ecosystems that contain many plant species with diverse genetic makeups are better equipped to handle uncertain futures, and to sustain the ecosystem functions that humans rely on, such as storing carbon, producing food and timber, filtering water and controlling floods and erosion. There are ways to increase seed dispersal. Making sure patches of similar habitats are connected helps species move among them. Restoring po[CENSORED]tions of important seed dispersers, ranging from toucans to bears to elephants, will also help. And global models of seed dispersal like ours can help scientists and land managers think about seed dispersers as a nature-based solution for addressing climate change. https://www.eco-business.com/opinion/with-fewer-animals-to-spread-their-seeds-plants-could-have-trouble-adapting-to-climate-change/

According to a new report, Honda could be planning a big surprise with the next-generation Civic Type R hot hatch: an automatic transmission option. As we know, Honda previously confirmed the fresh Civic Type R would come standard with a six-speed manual, but Best Car Web now claims “a six-speed paddle-shift AT [automatic transmission] is also expected”. Needless to say, that’s big news for the front-wheel-drive Civic Type R, which has had its appeal limited to three-pedal fans since its first generation in 1997. It’s not clear what type of six-speed automatic the Japanese publication is referring to, but it could be the ‘H6’ torque-converter unit from some variants of North America’s Pilot large SUV, which would put the Civic Type R on a collision course with the seven-speed Ford Focus ST. Alternatively, Honda may have developed a new six-speed dual-clutch automatic that would not only be befitting of the Civic Type R’s performance bent, but also help it better rival the eight-speed Hyundai i30 N and seven-speed Volkswagen Golf GTI. With the Civic Type R’s reveal expected mid-year ahead of Australian release date in late 2022, we won’t have to wait too long to find out if it will, indeed, have a wider customer base, so stay tuned. Also of interest will be what’s under the Civic Type R’s bonnet, with Best Car Web tipping it will forgo the rumoured electrification route for a ‘carryover’ 2.0-litre turbo-petrol VTEC four-cylinder engine. This unit currently outputs 228kW or 235kW of power, depending on the market, and 400Nm of torque. But for the Civic Type R’s next generation, these figures could rise, or Honda may instead achieve higher performance by reducing weight and increasing rigidity. Either way, the Civic Type R’s exterior will be more conservatively designed than before, as indicated by the lightly camouflaged prototype Honda unveiled last October. That said, there’s still triple exhaust tailpipes and an unavoidably large rear wing spoiler. https://www.msn.com/en-ae/cars/news/new-honda-civic-type-r-to-get-auto-option/ar-AAT4t2L

Not only can cold, dry winter air be problematic for your skin, it can cause some unwanted changes to your hair and scalp as well. This means that we may have to shift our haircare routines in order to protect it more throughout the season. And part of that is avoiding certain treatments and styling techniques that can cause additional damage to your hair. Here’s what to know. What happens to your hair during the winter? When the temperatures drop outside, and the air is dry inside—plus having static electricity, harsh water treatment chemicals, and hat hair (i.e. friction) to contend with—you may notice that your hair and scalp feel different than they did in warmer weather. “You should treat your hair like a cashmere sweater,” says dermatologist Dr. Wilma Bergfeld of the Cleveland Clinic. “Remember, hair is a fiber.” And although every person’s hair is different, she says it’s important to treat it gently this season—especially those with fragile, damaged, or fine hair. What to avoid doing to your hair during the winter Instead of focusing on finding products to fix the issues that come with winter hair, doctors like Bergfeld and Dr. Jeff Donovan, a Vancouver-based certified dermatologist, recommend staying away from certain treatments and techniques during the cold weather, including the following: Styling that involves heat “The first rule of thumb is to limit how often you beat [your hair] up by scorching it with an iron, overheating it with a dryer, or using a caustic chemical on it,” Bergfeld explains. More specifically, Donovan recommends limiting use of a flat iron, hair dryer, and/or curling iron to a few days a week, and when you absolutely must use them, making sure your hair is 70 percent dry before styling. Wearing an unlined hat That frizzy, staticky ‘do known as “hat hair” is the result of wool, cotton, or other coarse fabrics rubbing against strands of hair and absorbing moisture, Donovan explains. People with curly or wavy hair are particularly prone to hat hair, which can potentially cause breakage, so he recommends wearing hats with a silk or satin lining, or using a scarf as shield. Coloring and bleaching Although some hair coloring substances and methods are safer for your hair than others, Bergfeld says that your best bet is avoiding coloring your hair during the winter months. That’s because in order to remove your hair’s pigment, color treatments have to penetrate the strands of hair strands, breaking down essential fatty acids and proteins. This is the case all year, but it takes longer for your hair to recover from the process in the winter. https://www.msn.com/en-ae/lifestyle/beauty/everything-you-shouldn-t-do-to-your-hair-during-the-winter/ar-AAT3Xsw

The United Arab Emirates has just banned the flying of drones from the country after the latest incidents happened in the country; using drones was allowed, but after the latest attack, UAE has decided to ban drones. What are the charges against using drones? Anyone who uses drones will be charged with legal liabilities jail up to 1 year and a fine up to 50,000 if they were caught using this electric aircraft; however, they might grant an exemption to businesses using it for filming purposes; this is still not decided yet. Many people use drones for youtube videos for content creation; however, even that is banned until further notice. https://www.msn.com/en-ae/news/national/say-goodbye-to-using-drones-in-uae-with-new-suspension/ar-AAT3Di3

There’s a growing refusal by some groups to acknowledge the ongoing global extinction crisis being driven by human actions, conservation scientists say. Biodiversity scientists are being urged to “fight the creeping rise of extinction denial” that has spread from fringe blogs to influential media outlets and even into a US Congressional hearing. The call to arms came in a paper published in Nature Ecology & Evolution last month by Alexander Lees, senior lecturer in conservation biology at Manchester Metropolitan University, and colleagues. “Many of the same individuals that routinely seek to downplay the impacts of climate change have written articles understating the biodiversity loss crisis,” Lees says. “Denialists have sought to obfuscate the magnitude of both extinctions and loss of bio-abundance.” What are the nine boundaries humanity must respect to keep the planet habitable? The paper describes and debunks three types of extinction denial. The first, “literal denial,” argues that extinction is largely a historical problem. Arguments like this, such as contained in this article claiming that “the onset of further wildlife extinctions seems far-fetched,” ignore the conservatism of biologists in declaring extinctions, as well as actual evidence of recent extinctions and of the widespread po[CENSORED]tion declines that suggest many more future losses are on the way, the authors write. They point out, for example, that denialists have long stated that the Atlantic Forest in Brazil has suffered no extinctions despite having shrunk in area by 90 per cent. Yet two bird species were declared extinct there in 2019, and seven more are down to their last few individuals or have not been seen for a decade or longer. “The problem is most of the losses are not the big ‘exciting’ species but smaller and less charismatic ones in areas that lost the big exciting things years ago,” Lees says. “We are now reaching critical loss of habitat for many species in the tropics in places like the Philippines and eastern Brazil. It is in these places that the next wave of extinctions is taking place.” Lees and colleagues also discuss “interpretive denial,” which acknowledges the loss of biodiversity but argues that economic growth alone will fix it. One example is a 2019 Washington Examiner article, “How capitalism will save endangered species.” We are now reaching critical loss of habitat for many species in the tropics in places like the Philippines and eastern Brazil. It is in these places that the next wave of extinctions is taking place. The third form of denial is “implicatory,” arguing for example that technological fixes and targeted conservation interventions — rather than comprehensive changes to socioeconomic systems — will overcome extinction. The authors write that these two forms of denial may use evidence from temperate ecosystems to make inappropriate claims about reduced impacts in the tropics, where habitat loss is accelerating and species are far more sensitive to change. “The land sparing and abandonment we have seen in the temperate zone has come about because we have outsourced environmental harm elsewhere,” Lees says. “These include countries lauded for their domestic environmental success. For example, Japan is still heavily forested but has plundered rainforests elsewhere for timber. Norway fuels forest loss in Amazonia for soybean to feed fish and cattle. Most people remain ignorant of these global teleconnections and their impacts on biodiversity.” Dawn of denial Extinction denial came to the fore in May last year, when the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) published its Global Assessment. The report said a million species were at risk of extinction, and it outlined steps for “transformative change” to secure nature’s contributions to human well-being. Commentators such as Toby Young in The Spectator disputed the findings or attacked the reputations and methods of the report’s authors, leading one of them, Andy Purvis of the Natural History Museum in London, to write a lengthy rebuttal. More attacks came at the US Congress in a hearing called by the House Natural Resources Committee to discuss the IPBES findings. Republican representatives and their invited witnesses — both climate change skeptics — were vitriolic in their scorn for the report and its authors. Anne Larigauderie, executive secretary of IPBES, says the attacks did not come as a surprise, adding that the Global Assessment had itself stated that “transformative change can expect opposition from those with interests vested in the status quo.” In an email interview, she told Mongabay, “Anyone who has followed the history of major science-policy issues, such as the smoking/tobacco/public health debates, and the more recent issues around human-induced climate change, is critically aware of the often well-funded and coordinated opposition to expert evidence that arises, especially from those who perceive that they stand to lose the most should policy be changed on the basis of such evidence.” More denial due this week “Any attempts to take the global economy in a more sustainable direction will be undermined by some stakeholders seeking to maintain the status quo,” Lees says. “So, I would be surprised if we do not see attempts to undermine the work of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).” On Sept. 15, the CBD will launch its Global Biodiversity Outlook 5 (GBO-5). The report is set to feed into intergovernmental negotiations toward a global biodiversity framework, to be agreed next year in China, reinforcing calls for transformative change. Larigauderie says denialism in relation to the GBO-5 “seems likely,” as the report draws heavily on the IPBES findings. But she says she doubts denialists will derail ambition in the CBD negotiations toward a new global agreement. “The actual traction of such denialism remains limited,” she says. “A much greater threat to ambition for the post-2020 biodiversity framework would be a failure to connect the loss of biodiversity to the other major global development challenges such as food security, human health, production and consumption patterns.” https://www.eco-business.com/news/extinction-denial-is-the-latest-anti-science-conspiracy-theory-biologists-warn/

Some 300 owners are reportedly involved in protests about how Mercedes is handling the potential motor failure. According to a recent post by CnEVPost out of Shanghai, China, at least 68 owners of the Mercedes-Benz EQC electric crossover have joined forces to send a message to Daimler. The group says it's requesting that Mercedes reply to a statement it delivered related to the EQC's "faulty electric motor." The joint statement explains that these owners were advised to have their EQC's motor and/or "power battery" replaced following "at least one" motor failure. The group expects Mercedes to announce that the problem exists and shed light on it. More specifically, the automaker should disclose the defects publically and issue an official recall. Despite the group's "68 EQC owners," information has been tossed around by owners on social media, as well as the local media in China. Some 300 owners have been involved in protests over the issue and how Mercedes has handled it thus far. Moreover, people in the group have shared that over 150 people have already reported issues. Based on the CnEVPort article, most impacted owners noticed a vehicle reminder asking them to refill coolant. Impacted owners explained that the reminder typically came about one to two months before the EQC's potential motor failure, and owners also noticed a notable decrease in coolant. Mercedes-Benz dealerships in China have added coolant in an attempt to solve the problem. However, according to local reports, the additional coolant can enter the EQC's motor and cause a failure to start. In addition, the EQC's touch screen may issue a "fault" warning. New EQC owners in China are paying a premium for the electric SUV due in part to the fact that it's produced by Mercedes. However, it's problems like these that may be working to tarnish the iconic brand as it moves toward electrification. The brand, as part of its joint venture with BAIC Motor, already recalled nearly 800 EQC vehicles in China for an unrelated problem. Mercedes sold over 6,000 EQC models in China in 2021, with sales of over 800 in December 2021. CnEVPost points out that NIO delivered 10,489 EVs in China in December 2021 alone. Meanwhile, during the same month, Tesla delivered a whopping 70,000 EVs in the country. See These Related Articles About The Mercedes-Benz EQC: It's important to note, EV customers in China have gone to bat in protest against Tesla in the past. Many of their claims were later found to be exaggerated. Hopefully, we'll have more information about this potential issue with the EQC in the near future, especially if a recall is issued. However, for the time being, it's important to take all information with a grain of salt, at least until Mercedes-Benz provides some sort of public response. https://www.msn.com/en-ae/news/other/mercedes-benz-eqc-owners-in-china-report-motor-problems/ar-AAT0ZPI

Despite the classic excuse of not having a “green thumb,” keeping a houseplant alive has more to do with the ability to make and remember to stick to a schedule than being born without a pretend gene that makes you good at gardening. (And if you have a literal green thumb, you may want to have a medical profession look at it.) But some houseplants are definitely easier to care for than others, and people who travel a lot, or find it difficult to remember to water their plants may want to opt for varieties that are more self-sufficient. And when it comes to being low maintenance, it’s hard to beat air plants. Still, they’re not completely hands-off and do require some occasional care. Here’s what to know. What is an air plant? Officially called Tillandsias, there are more than 600 types of air plants. And while they’re native to the southern parts to the United States and through Central and South America, it’s possible to grow air plants indoors in any climate. And yes, they got their name because they don’t need soil to grow. Air plants are epiphytes, “which means they use their roots to cling onto supports such as tree branches and rocks, similar to the way orchids grow,” according to the Farmer’s Almanac. “Instead of soaking up water and nutrients through their roots, they use trichomes, special scale-like structures on their leaves, to do the job.” How to take care of an air plant First of all, never plant an air plant in soil, or put one in a terrarium. Instead, pop them into a cup or bowl or vase, and place them somewhere that gets between four and six hours of filtered natural light each day. Also, make sure the temperature is between the 50s and 90s (which shouldn’t be difficult indoors). Air plants need to be soaked—not watered in the traditional sense—once every two weeks. To do this, take the plant out of its usual home and submerge it in a bowl of either rainwater or bottled drinking water (softened and/or tap water contains minerals that can harm the air plants) for about an hour. After its bath, shake the plant out to remove as much of the water as possible (so it doesn’t rot when it goes back into its usual pot or vase). If an air plant’s leaves start turning brown, it means that it needs to be watered more frequently. And if any of the leaves die completely, cut them off with a pair of sharp scissors. https://www.msn.com/en-ae/lifestyle/home-and-garden/how-to-take-care-of-air-plants/ar-AASQ0cF

According to the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA), the deployment of 5G networks in the UAE has had no negative impact on air navigation systems. The authority that the recent issues linked to flights suspension is exclusively related to the relevant US airports. "There is no disruption or interference in the UAE between 5G networks and air navigation systems," the TDRA said in a statement on Thursday. It added that 5G stations have been installed in multiple places in the UAE for many years without causing any disruption. The TDRA also said that its 5G rollout plans are based on studies that take into account the safety of frequencies and potential impact on other sectors. The UAE telecom regulator’s statement comes after many airlines suspended flights to the US, due to the rollout of C-Band 5G service which could interfere with sensitive aeroplane instruments. But telecom operators AT&T and Verizon later announced that they would delay the deployment of 5G services at US airports. https://www.msn.com/en-ae/news/national/uae-5g-does-not-disrupt-air-navigation/ar-AASZSSD

6