The World’s Largest Mammal Migration

Daily Upsider on July 5, 2024

The world’s largest migration of land mammals takes place in South Sudan, and the government, with the help of African Parks, is working to protect it.

Ecologists have known about this migration through South Sudan’s “No Man’s Land” but didn’t fully understand its scope. Unlike the caribou migrations in Canada or the wildebeest migrations in Kenya, No Man’s Land hosts various migrating species, including Mongalla gazelle, bohor reedbuck, white-eared kob, and tiang.

Believing that protecting these migration routes and the 6 million animals they host is a significant conservation opportunity, African Parks and South Sudan’s government signed a 10-year agreement to manage No Man’s Land within Boma and Bandingilo National Parks, covering 12,700 square miles, four times the size of Yellowstone.

The 20-year civil war between Sudan and South Sudan largely spared this massive area. To start management and modern protections, African Parks, which manages national parks across Africa, began the largest GPS collaring survey of large animals, tracking 12 species with 126 GPS trackers.

Along with aerial surveys and help from 17 local ethnic groups, African Parks began to understand this massive animal movement. The antelope moved in a wide circle, changing course to follow rainfall.

“We flew for the first 30 to 40 minutes, and we didn’t see anything. I was like, ‘Oh, no, maybe it’s over. Maybe the wildlife has already disappeared,’” David Simpson, park manager for African Parks, told ABC News. “Then we start hitting hundreds, then thousands, then tens of thousands, and then hundreds of thousands.”

For the indigenous peoples, the migration symbolizes abundance and balance. They rely on these animals for food, clothing, medicine, and shelter. To help preserve their traditional life, African Parks has involved local people in conserving the ecosystem.

Brain Implant for Epilepsy

Daily Upsider on July 5, 2024

For thirteen years, Oran Knowlson suffered from treatment-resistant epilepsy. Thanks to a new brain implant, he can now look forward to days without seizures.

Oran is the first person to receive this implant as part of a pilot study for Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, a rare form of epilepsy causing up to 100 seizures a day.

The 13-year-old from Somerset, England, needed constant care since the age of 3. Some seizures were so severe they stopped his heart, requiring resuscitation. After receiving the implant, his mother told the Guardian, “I definitely now have a teenager,” highlighting Oran’s newfound ability to ignore her.

“The future looks hopeful, which I wouldn’t have dreamed of saying six months ago,” she said.

“Epilepsy completely changed Oran and his family’s lives, so seeing him ride a horse and regain his independence is astounding,” said Martin Tisdall, a consultant pediatric neurosurgeon at Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, where Oran was treated. “We’re thrilled to be part of their journey.”

During the surgery, Tisdall and his team inserted two electrodes deep into Oran’s brain, targeting the thalamus. Wires were connected to a neurostimulator on Oran’s cranium. Designed by Amber Therapeutics, it delivers constant neurostimulation to suppress seizures by blocking signals from reaching the thalamus. The device can be recharged with wireless headphones.

Oran is one of three children in the pilot study, which aims to recruit another 22 participants with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome.

“Deep brain stimulation brings us closer to stopping epileptic seizures for patients with very limited treatment options,” Dr. Tisdall added. “We hope to build enough evidence to make this a standard treatment for pediatric epilepsy in the future.”

The Oldest City in America

Daily Upsider on July 4, 2024

In desert valley just a few mile from the Peruvian coastline north of Lima, there once stood a stone city with pyramids. The stepped bases of the pyramids and the city ruins of remain visible today, though the tops the of the massive structures are long gone.

The people who lived in this city are contemporaries with the ancient Egyptians, though we know little about them. The 5,000-year-old ruins are know as the sacred city of Caral and was declared a world heritage site in 2009.

Caral is believed to be the oldest city in the Americas. This thriving metropolis sprawled across hundreds of hectares in the Supe River Valley, with over 3,000 inhabitants as early as 3000 B.C., until its abandonment around 1800 B.C. Including the nearby Supe Valley settlements, the area may have been home to 20,000 people.

There are many fascinating things about the city, such as ancient wind instruments, anti-earthquake building methods, and a seeming lack of weapons that continue to excite archeologist and historians to this day.

If you would like to know more about it, I will add a great article below that has tons of fantastic pictures. There is also an interesting History.com article about it you can read as well.

The Hydrogen Era?

Daily Upsider on July 4, 2024

The young Swiss company HydroRide Europe has announced the launch of their hydrogen fuel-cell bikes, HYRYD, which can be refueled in just 3 to 10 seconds using built-in water tanks. The range includes three models: foldable, sport, and rental or sharing bikes. According to the company, these hydrogen bikes outperform e-bikes in refueling speed and are considered safe and secure.

To complement the bike series, HydroRide Europe plans to introduce a home hydrogen generator. This device can produce 20 grams of ‘green hydrogen’ from just 200mL of water, which is then stored in a removable tank that looks like a water bottle. Refueling the tank takes only 3 to 10 seconds, providing a range of 50 to 60 kilometers per fill. The company also intends to roll out solar-powered hydrogen charging stations, allowing riders to swap empty tanks in less than 10 seconds.

This is a fascinating concept that seems like it has a good chance of competing with the electric bikes, which seem to be getting quite popular.

Several companies are experimenting with hydrogen as a fuel source, even for vehicles like cars. A good example is the new Toyota Mirai, which runs on hydrogen and is very interesting. What do you think, is this the beginning of a hydrogen power era?

5,000 Year Old Rock Art

Daily Upsider on July 3, 2024

Geologists have long known that over 5,000 years ago, the Sahara Desert was a lush grassland. Recent evidence from Sudan supports this, with rock art from 2018 showing cattle herders and boats.

In the eastern Sahara’s Atbai region, where rain hasn’t supported cattle for millennia, rock carvings depict six boats on a cave wall, 90 miles from the nearest Nile branch. The boats are arranged like a fleet, emerging from a tunnel entrance.

The carvings are unusual due to their simplicity, suggesting they were made by common people rather than officials. Julien Cooper, an archaeologist at Macquarie University, noted the cattle drawings indicate a strong connection to cattle, which can’t survive in today’s hyper-arid desert.

Pottery found near the petroglyphs dates the carvings to the fourth millennium BCE. As the Atbai became more arid around 5,000 years ago, the authors propose that the carvers were Neolithic Nubians, possibly early gold prospectors, due to golden items found in burials from that era.

The authors suggest that pastoralists may have found periodic grasslands and water in the desert, similar to regions in the Western Desert that received African monsoons. The detailed depiction of a cow’s udder in the rock art indicates that milking was vital, requiring ample forage. This implies the carvers were part of a pastoral tradition from wetter climates or periods.

The study concludes that these carvers represent the last remnants of an ancient nomadic pastoralism that existed before the region dried to its current state.