Mexico legalises abortion

The country’s Supreme Court struck down laws that criminalise abortion—saying they are unconstitutional. The justices voted to revoke a law in the state of Coahuila that punished women with up to three years in prison for having an abortion—even in cases of rape. Supreme Court Chief Justice Arturo Zaldivar said: “Today is a historic day for the rights of all Mexican women. It is a watershed in the history of the rights of all women, especially the most vulnerable.” Point to note: The country has the world’s second-largest Catholic population, after Brazil. Abortion is still illegal in most of Latin America. Mexico is now the fifth country in the region to decriminalize it—after Argentina, Cuba, Guyana and Uruguay. Also: The ruling comes on the heels of a big victory for anti-abortion advocates in the US—and amid fears that American women may soon lose their right to a safe abortion (explained here).

Selections for the T20 World Cup

The team for the tournament—-slated to be held in UAE and Oman starting October 17—has been announced. The biggest surprise: The inclusion of spinner R Ashwin who has been warming the bench for the past four years. The reason:

“He has been performing well in the IPL. And an off-spinner will always be handy in UAE in a world tournament. Since Washington (Sundar) was unavailable, we decided to go with Ashwin.”

The big omissions: Yuzvendra Chahal and Shikhar Dhawan. Also a surprise: The appointment of MS Dhoni as the team’s mentor. One possible reason: Under Kohli’s captaincy, the team has failed to win a major limited-overs title—and a bit of Mahi magic may help break the curse. The Hindu has details on the squad. Indian Express explains why the decision to rope in Dhoni is a “masterstroke.” 

Speaking of sports: Here is some sad news. The Taliban government has banned women from playing any kind of sport. A Taliban leader said:

“I don’t think women will be allowed to play cricket because it is not necessary that women should play cricket. In cricket, they might face a situation where their face and body will not be covered. Islam does not allow women to be seen like this. It is the media era, and there will be photos and videos, and then people watch it. Islam and the Islamic Emirate do not allow women to play cricket or play the kind of sports where they get exposed.”

Point to note: Members of the women’s cricket team have been in hiding ever since the Taliban took over. (The Guardian)

Rising Covid count among US kids

As schools reopen in India, it’s alarming to note that the number of weekly paediatric cases in the US has crossed 250,000—the highest since the start of the pandemic. More than a quarter of weekly reported coronavirus cases were among children. While most cases are not severe, nearly 2,400 kids have been hospitalised. Point to note: we don’t have vaccines for kids below 12—and in India, none of the vaccines have been approved for the 12-plus cohort. Though recent reports suggest that the Indian government plans to start inoculating children starting next month. (Washington Post) 

In other Covid-related news: A series of studies have found that some people’s bodies have “superhuman immunity” to the disease. The reason: their bodies produce very high levels of antibodies—which are also more “flexible” in their ability to fight off all six variants, and almost any other kind of SARS-type virus:

“In fact, these antibodies were even able to deactivate a virus engineered, on purpose, to be highly resistant to neutralization. This virus contained 20 mutations that are known to prevent SARS-CoV-2 antibodies from binding to it. Antibodies from people who were only vaccinated or who only had prior coronavirus infections were essentially useless against this mutant virus. But antibodies in people with the ‘hybrid immunity’ could neutralize it.”

And who are these superhumans? People who were infected with the coronavirus in 2020—and were fully inoculated with mRNA vaccines this year. (NPR)

Supermodels unite against sexual abuse

Six former supermodels have flown into Paris from around the world to testify against a powerful figure in their industry: Gérald Marie who is the ex head of the Elite Model Management and former husband of Linda Evangelista. At least 24 women have come forward with allegations that range from sexual harassment to rape. Also this: 

“[T]he sheer number of accusers, combined with what many of them say about how Marie abused his power to coerce victims, threatening their careers if they refused sex, suggests he may be ‘the Harvey Weinstein of the fashion industry.’”

The Model Alliance, a nonprofit advocacy group for fashion workers, has put together a RESPECT program that sets legally binding standards for the modelling industry—but the biggest players have refused to sign on. (New York Times)

Two climate change things

One: A new study shows that wild relatives of key crops like potatoes, avocados and vanilla are at great risk of extinction—primarily due to farming methods, pesticide and climate change. Vanilla faces the greatest risk, followed by wild cotton. So why does this matter? Wild plants are essential to breeding better and hardier varieties of crops. And losing them may mean we will experience serious shortages of these essential foods. (The Guardian)

Two: In happier news, a Swiss engineering startup has switched on a giant carbon-sucking machine. The ‘direct air capture’ plant will draw out emissions equivalent to about 870 cars each year:

“The plant is composed of eight boxes about the size of shipping containers, each fitted with a dozen fans that pull in air. CO2 is filtered out, mixed with water, and pumped into deep underground wells, where over the course of a few years it turns to stone, effectively removing it from circulation in the atmosphere.”

FYI, this solution is still too expensive for widespread use. But if governments and big companies like Microsoft and Coca Cola jump on board, it is very possible to bring that price down. The International Energy Agency says we need to capture 10 million tons of CO2 per year. (Quartz)

Pure water is bad for tea

Many of us use water purifiers or softeners that significantly reduce the presence of minerals in drinking water. But according to a new study, the same minerals that make water hard—like calcium or magnesium carbonates or bicarbonates—also improve the taste of that hot cuppa. The reason: They are essential to the formation of that film on the surface that enhances the flavour. Using pristine bottled water actually ruins the taste:

“If you were to make a cup of tea in perfectly pure water, it would not form a thin film at all, but the tea would taste quite bitter. The bitterness of very pure water is called astringency and has to do with the saliva-water interaction.”

Two offbeat real estate things

One: American billionaire Marc Lore unveiled plans for a $400-billion city in the desert. Called Telosa, it spans 150,000 acres and is designed to accommodate 5 million people—and will have “the cleanliness of Tokyo, the diversity of New York and the social services of Stockholm.” Most interestingly: The aim is not just to be sustainable, but also create the “most open, most fair and most inclusive city in the world.” CNN has more on the vision. Watch a video laying out the plans below.

Two: A private Scottish island called Càrn Deas is now up on sale—and you can own it for just £50,000 (around Rs 50.5 lakhs)—which is cheaper than a flat in Glasgow or, to be fair, in most big metros in the world. The 22.54 acre uninhabited island is home to lots of wildlife, including porpoises, dolphins, whales, and basking sharks. And you may just get permission to build a small cabin on it. No mansions allowed, we’re afraid. Watch the real estate video below. (Glasgow Live)

Three animal things

One: Government data shows that Odisha has lost 282 elephants over the past 3.5 years—that’s one elephant every five days! The worst year: 2018-19 when 93 died. The cause for this ongoing tragedy: electrocution, train mishaps, accidents like drowning, falling from hills, infighting, and diseases like anthrax and herpes. In other words, it’s mostly loss of habitat: “In Odisha, rapid urbanization, mining and industry, expansion of linear infrastructure and fragmented habitats have sent elephants into a growing conflict with humans over the last several years.” Only seven deaths were attributed to poaching. (Down to Earth)

Two: The latest review of existing research shows that some animals may be “shape shifting” to deal with the pressures of climate change. They are developing larger beaks, legs and ears in order to better regulate body temperatures. The most drastic change: Australian parrots whose beaks have grown by 4-10% on average since 1871. Big point to note:

“It means animals are evolving, but it does not necessarily mean that they are coping with climate change...We also don't know whether these shape-shifts actually aid in survival (and therefore are beneficial) or not. This phenomenon of shape-shifting shouldn't be seen as a positive, but rather it is alarming that climate change is pushing animals to evolve like this, under such a relatively short time frame.”

Three: To end on a much happier note, researchers have discovered the first documented instance of Australian musk ducks imitating sounds—including human speech. They are now the only other species apart from songbirds, parrots and hummingbirds that can mimic what they hear. The talking duck was named 'Ripper' and he could vocalise the sound of doors as well the very useful phrase “you bloody fool”—which he likely heard from his caretaker in a reserve. More hilariously, he made the sounds during aggressive mating displays! The recordings—made in 1987—have just surfaced, and have experts in a tizzy. The Guardian has more. Hear Ripper’s colourful language below.

Say hello to ‘Prakruthi Ganapa’

Three sand artists teamed up to create this gorgeous rendition of the elephant god—adorned with areca nut leaves and turmeric. (The Hindu)

Bonus bit of prettiness: This gorgeous photo of Earth taken by astronaut Thomas Pesquet from the International Space Station. There’s no point embedding it here as you have to see it in all its glory. Be sure to click to zoom when you head over to Flickr.