Great apes might lose 90% of African homelands in coming decades

Jun 8 2021

The great apes – consisting of species such as gorillas, chimpanzees and bonobos – are predicted to lose a whopping 90% of their African homelands in the coming decades. These relatives of humanity are all already endangered or critically endangered. Climate crises, destruction of wild areas for minerals, timber and food, and human population growth will all contribute to decimate their homes by 2050. Despite some areas becoming climatically suitable for the apes, scientists doubt the animals will be able to migrate on time.

Most great ape species prefer lowland habitats, but climate crises will make some of these habitats hotter, drier and much less habitable. The further into high ground the apes go, the less territory they will have to call as a home. Apes suffer greater than other species in terms of migration, as they are known to reproduce slowly, have low population densities and very specific diets.

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Photo Source: Smithsonian Magazine

Malaysian police using drones to detect high temperatures due to COVID-19 spike

Jun 8 2021

After entering a near total lockdown last week, Malaysian police are now using drones to detect people with high temperatures in public spaces. As part of their COVID-19 prevention measures, the drones can detect people’s temperatures as high as 20m above ground, emitting a red light to alert authorities should someone report high readings.

Daily rising infections reached more than 9000 by the end of May, and, despite dropping since, Malaysian health director Noor Hisham Abdullah warned that majority of new infections were caused by unknown contacts. The high infectivity and mortality rates are also leading to the emergence of new variants in the community, according to Hisham Abdullah. China has also reportedly used drones to detect high temperatures last year.

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Photo Source: The Guardian

Airport facing difficulty due to manual validation of health documents

Jun 8 2021

Malta Airport has requested the government to introduce digital versions of health documents to be carried by passengers travelling to Malta. The manual process being used currently is leading to operational challenges and pressure on airport facilities due to being rather lengthy. Despite thanking the authorities for the safeguards in place for tourism to restart, it asked that technology be implemented into the verification of passenger’s health documents.

All people travelling to Malta need to carry COVID-19 vaccination certificates or a negative PCR test before boarding a plane. The Doctor’s association however revealed that 5% of travellers had to be tested upon arrival for not meeting these requirements. Implementing technological systems for document validation could contribute to more seamless experience for guests upon arrival, whilst also warning that lengthy verification could lead to chaos and pressure throughout summer.

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Photo Source: Atlantis Diving Centre

Loki confirmed as gender-fluid in new series teaser

Jun 8 2021

A new teaser for the upcoming series Loki, a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it shot shows that the god of mischief’s sexuality is labelled as gender fluid. Played by Tom Hiddleston, the series is set to centre around Thor’s brother as he causes some timeline mischief. For comic fans, this announcement might not be so surprising, given that the character is not only gender-fluid throughout the pages, but also pansexual.

Many fans also pointed out to some who were complaining about this ‘decision’ that it was not anything new. They pointed out how Loki was not only a gender-fluid comic book character, but also exhibited this sexuality in the ancient Norse myths. The first episode is set to drop on Disney+ on Wednesday, June 9th.

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Photo Source: India Today, The Guardian