Sidhu considers ‘ghar wapsi’ 

After suddenly quitting his party chief post in a weirdly worded tweet (explained here), Navjot Singh Sidhu has been coaxed into withdrawing his resignation. The compromise reached after meeting Chief Minister Channi: A coordination committee that will ease the relationship between the state government (Channi) and the state party (Sidhu). Of course, Sidhu has not yet announced his U-turn so nothing is sealed in stone. Meanwhile, Amarinder Singh has officially confirmed his exit from Congress—though he continues to insist that he will not join the BJP. The Telegraph has most of the insider drama.

PS: The collateral damage in all this shor-sharaba: The other Amarinder Singh, who was forced to tweet out:

“Dear News Media, Journalists, I am Amrinder Singh, Goalkeeper of Indian Football Team 🇮🇳 and not the Former Chief Minister of the State Punjab 🙏😂 Please stop tagging me.”

Four key medical findings

One: A study out of Florida suggests that Covid may trigger “pretty severe” erectile dysfunction. This confirms earlier research that showed infected men are six times more likely to develop such problems either briefly or in the long term. Issues include inability to have or maintain an erection, damage to the testes, testicular pain or swelling, inability to achieve orgasm, low testosterone levels, and mental health issues. Biopsies on men who died of the disease revealed virus particles in testicles, penis tissue—and poor sperm quality in others. (National Geographic) 

Two: Speaking of Covid, scientists have been paying closer attention to air travel—now that everyone is hopping on planes. And they are suggesting greater precautions to minimise the risk. For example: there’s a 59% higher risk of viral transmission during a one-hour meal service on a 12-hour trip. Their suggestion: “Stagger meal delivery so only half of passengers eat at once and adjacent passengers remain masked.” Also this: “Reducing carry-ons can reduce transmission risk by about 75%.”  Wall Street Journal via Mint has more details.

Three: New research shows that people who drank two or more glasses of cow milk as kids are 78% more likely to develop type-1 diabetes. But here’s the caveat: these are only initial observational studies—and scientists haven’t figured out why they are linked. (The Telegraph)

Four: A new study in mice shows that they become depressed after witnessing another mouse in a stressful situation. After a mouse saw a weaker mouse being attacked by a bigger one, it developed depressive symptoms and anhedonia—the inability to enjoy things. Why this may matter to humans: “I want people to think about how stress can not only change the brains of those with depression, but can change ours—those watching—as well.” Also maybe why we shouldn’t spend hours scrolling through bad news on social media? (Vice)

Two animal things

One: US officials delivered some grim news: 22 animal and one plant species on the endangered list are now officially extinct. The animals lost forever include 11 birds like the ivory-billed woodpecker, Bachman’s warbler and Kauai O’o; eight types of freshwater mussels; two fish; and one bat. They were already at risk back in 1973 when the Endangered Species Act was passed—and by then it was already too late. (New York Times)

Two: In far happier news, South Korea is seriously considering a ban on dog meat consumption. One reason: rising rates of pet ownership and declining numbers of people who eat dogs. As one activist says: 

“There is no social debate about this issue anymore. Demand for dog meat has plummeted with generational changes, and only a small number of people still view dogs as something to consume.”

FYI: President Moon Jae-in is a known dog lover, but is reluctant to ban dog meat restaurants because of the financial hardship to those who sell it for a living. Point to note: parts of China, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand have already banned the practice. (Washington Post)

Malayalam gets its own sign language

The National Institute of Speech and Hearing (NISH) has devised a sign language alphabet for Malayalam—similar to English and Hindi. Why this matters: “At present, schools mostly rely on lip movement to get the message across. When words have to be written, these are written on students’ hands or traced in air. When tracing in air, confusions are common.” (The Hindu)

Famous music festival endangers eels

In 2019, party-goers who attended the popular Glastonbury festival in the UK did so many drugs that their urine contaminated the nearby river—and endangered aquatic life, including a rare species of eels. According to a new study, the amount of MDMA was 104 times greater downstream than upstream in the weeks after the festival—while cocaine concentration was 40 times stronger. Happily for the eels, the festival was cancelled during 2020 due to the pandemic. (The Guardian)

Four things to see

One: Residents of Bilbao, Spain, are upset by an art installation titled ‘Bihar’ (which means ‘Tomorrow’ in Basque). The reason: It appears to show the eerily lifelike face of a young girl drowning. The artist says the project is intended to raise awareness about climate change—and make people realise “their actions can sink us or keep us afloat.” Watch her below:

Two: People are also upset with a new sculpture in Italy which is inspired by ‘La Spigolatrice di Sapri’ (The Gleaner of Sapri)—an 1857 poem written in tribute to a woman who joined revolutionaries. The reason for the ire: The woman is wearing a transparent dress, and women politicians say it is “an offense to women and to the history it is supposed to celebrate.” The mayor defends it as "a very important work of art which will be a great tourist attraction for our town.” See her below:

Three: Finally, here’s something that is making everyone happy: 83-year-old Jane Fonda on the cover of Vogue—62 years after her last one. We have to say the older Jane looks way more fierce than the young one. (People)

Four: Gap rolled out $90 Yeezy hoodies as part of its collaboration with Kanye West. They sold out within hours—and now they are being hawked on resale platforms like eBay and DePop for anywhere between $140 to $899.99. Quartz explains why this partnership is a big win for both parties—more so since the sweatshirts are really kind of meh.