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The Reliance Aramco breakup

New details have emerged on the reasons why the two sides called off their partnership deal. The Saudi company had announced its plan to buy a 20% stake in Reliance’s oils-to-chemicals business for $15 billion. The spoke in the wheel: The valuation:

“The collapse of the deal reflects the changing global energy landscape as oil and gas companies shift away from fossil fuel to renewables. Valuations of refining and petrochemical assets have gone down especially after the recent COP26 climate talks in Glasgow… Despite this, Reliance had stuck to the $75 billion valuation for the O2C business made in 2019.”

Why this matters: Climate change is disrupting the valuation landscape. (Reuters)

Congress collapses in Meghalaya

It’s the same old story. Twelve of its 17 MLAs have defected to Trinamool Congress—and not BJP for a change. And the reason for the exodus is the same, as well: A glaring lack of leadership. Former Congress CM Mukul Sangma said:

“We tried our best to prevail upon the leadership and kept on making trips after trips to Delhi, which should have been the other way round. But even after that we failed to prevail upon the leadership.”

This time around, it wasn’t Amit Shah but Mamata Banerjee’s campaign adviser Prashant Kishor who engineered this mass exit. A good related read: Sankarshan Thakur’s scathing takedown of this latest debacle in The Telegraph.

An apple crisis in Kashmir

Early snowfall caused by climate change is decimating the harvest this year in the state—where 80% of India’s apples are grown. Farmers will likely lose half their crops in the third straight year of disastrous harvests. Researchers have warned that Kashmir’s orchards are likely to become unsustainable in the next few years due to extreme weather in the Himalayas. 

The government is pushing farmers toward high-density, imported varieties—but that means that local varieties may not be available for much longer. Also this: making the shift is so expensive that many are planning to quit growing apples entirely. Watch a distraught farmer try and save his apples below. (The Guardian)

Two interesting scientific breakthroughs

One: Say hello to ‘living ink.’ Scientists created a new kind of ink from microbes—E.coli, to be specific. And they put it in a 3D printer, created all sorts of shapes—then remixed the ink with other microbes that had been engineered to perform specific tasks. The result: 

“In one therapeutic test, the printed ink released the anticancer drug azurin when exposed to a chemical. In another test, the printed ink successfully trapped the toxic chemical BPA, suggesting that the material could potentially remove harmful contaminants from its surroundings.”

This is when science gets so far ahead of us that all we can say is ‘wow!’. And then we actually look at it and go ‘huh?’ (New York Times)

Two: This is a discovery not an invention. Scientists have found that sniffing an odorless chemical has very different effects on men and women. How the experiment worked:

“Scientists observed how people reacted to frustrating computer games in the presence and absence of the molecule, known as hexadecanal. Female players took more retaliatory action against their opponents while sniffing the chemical, while men showed the reverse pattern. The team also noted differences between how brain activity changed in men and women during exposure.”

What makes this interesting: this molecule is emitted by humans in our feces, skin, and breath. So it indicates that our brain may be reacting to invisible signals that we aren’t aware of. (Popular Science)

Speaking of scientific research: A new study shows that women scholars submitted far fewer papers to journals than men during the pandemic—and the gap was especially pronounced among younger women who likely had greater domestic responsibilities. (The Hindu)

Spotify’s new video play

The music streaming platform is jumping on the TikTok bandwagon—and testing a video feed to its app. It’s available under a new fourth tab in the navigation bar labelled ‘Discover’. (The Verge)

Japan seeks amateur astronauts

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency has launched a recruitment drive for new astronauts for the first time in 13 years. The aim: crew a space station that will orbit the moon. College degrees are no longer required, but there is a minimum height requirement. Also, PR skills: “A new evaluation of whether the applicant can express their experiences and achievements to the public will also be added.” (The Mainichi)

North Korea bans leather coats

The news out of this country grows more bizarre with each passing day. The latest bit of insanity: The government has banned all citizens from wearing leather trench coats. The reason: 

“The police respond to the complaints, saying that wearing clothes designed to look like the Highest Dignity’s is an ‘impure trend to challenge the authority of the Highest Dignity.’ They instructed the public not to wear leather coats, because it is part of the party’s directive to decide who can wear them.”

‘Highest Dignity’ being one of the many titles held by President Kim Jong Un. (Radio Free Asia)

Three things to see 

One: Remember NASA’s big plan to slam a spacecraft into an asteroid to change its speed and path? It’s supposed to help us figure out how to stave off disaster in case an asteroid does indeed head our way. Well, this animation shows you exactly how the space agency plans to achieve this great task.  (The Guardian)

Two: The Gap X Kanye West collab has been a massive success—and the biggest hit has been the $90 Yeezy hoodie. It sold out within hours—delivering the most sales in a single day in Gap.com's history. Yes, it looks like… a hoodie. (Business Insider)

Three: This is Australia’s most expensive goat—Marrakesh, a “very stylish buck” who sold for $21,000 dollars. No, this gorgeous stud won’t end up on a dinner table but will be hanging with the ladies to produce herds of baby goats who will. (The Guardian)