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- Study sheds new light on insect populations.
- The Pentagon has released video footage of UFOs.
- The Hubble Space Telescope turns 30.
- Europe has experienced its warmest year.
As the coronavirus continues to dominate the news agenda, here is a selection of other stories from around the world.
1. Study sheds light on global number of insects
Insect populations are not what they used to be. Insects are declining in number and some species have completely disappeared, representing a continuing crisis for nature and all that depends on it.
A new study has analyzed data dating back to 1925 to get the most complete picture yet of what is happening. While terrestrial insects are slowly declining, freshwater insects are experiencing a slow rebound, with an annual increase of around 1%, or potentially 38% growth over the next 30 years.
Scientists do not know the exact reason for these trends, but point out that habitat destruction is the most likely cause of declining insects on land and effective protection for those in freshwater.
2. The Pentagon publishes UFO videos
The perennial search for UFO evidence is back in the news, with the release by the US Department of Defense of three declassified videos showing what he describes as “unexplained aerial phenomena.”
The videos, which had previously been leaked, were filmed by US Navy fighter pilots. USA And they show objects floating, spinning, and flying across the Pacific Ocean. With the launch, Pentagon sources confirmed that the videos are genuine, but they do not confirm the stories on social media linking the UFO to the alien spacecraft.
3. The Hubble Telescope turns 30 with an incredible star birth image
After three decades in orbit, the Hubble Space Telescope continues to capture impressive images of the universe, recently transmitting an incredible image of a star-forming region 163,000 light-years away from Earth.
The image, according to NASA nicknamed the “Cosmic Reef” because it resembles an underwater world, shows a giant red nebula (NGC 2014) and its smallest blue neighbor (NGC 2020). At the center of NGC 2014 is a cluster of stars every 10 to 20 times larger than the sun.
4. Last year was the warmest in Europe on record
Globally, 2019 was the second warmest on record, reports the BBC, but for Europeans it was the hottest in history.
In Europe, average temperatures over the past five years rose 2 ° C during pre-industrial times, which is twice the world average of 1 ° C and exceeds the limit set by the Paris climate agreement.
5. “Extremely alarming” locust infestations in East Africa
Food supplies are under threat in East Africa as swarms of desert locusts infest the region. Assembling in countries like Ethiopia and Kenya, a single swarm can hold up to 150 million insects with a range of 150 kilometers per day, decimating enough food to feed tens of thousands of people.
Called “extremely alarming” by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the new generation of locusts leaves many communities on their way facing an uncertain future. Since some countries in the region are already on the brink of starvation, the impending food shortage could lead to a humanitarian disaster.
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