Two new frogs discovered in Ecuador are see-through

Mar 22 2022

Just 10 miles away from Ecuador’s capital city Quito are the slopes the Andes shelter which is one of the most biologically diverse and threatened spots in the tropical area.

Here, two newly identified species of glass frogs were discovered in a river called the Guayllabamba. What is special about the frogs is that they are see-through!

This means that underneath, the frogs have a completely transparent belly which shows a red heart, textured white liver and digestive system. In females, the belly also shows a pouch of greenish eggs.

It turns out the two newly discovered frogs are of a different species, with both existing at roughly the same altitude in similar humidity and temperature conditions.

At just around 1.9 to 2.1 centimetres long, the bodies are nearly identical to the naked eye, with lime-green backs peppered by black dots arranged around yellow spots.

There are around 156 known species of glass frogs living throughout the neotropics. With researchers sequencing genes for about 90% of the 150 existing species for the past decade, this revealed that the two new discovered frogs diverge genetically by 5%.

Due to environmental differences between the habitats of the two species, the populations started to get an accumulation of different mutations, separating them genetically.

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28,000 people sign petition to get Kanye West off Coachella line-up

Mar 22 2022

Thousands are calling for Coachella to dump Kanye West after the alleged abusive threats the rapper hurled at Kim Kardashian and her boyfriend Pete Davidson.

The rapper, who is now legally named Ye, was set to perform at the 2022 Coachella festival next month alongside rappers such as Big Sean and Lil baby.

However, a Change.org petition surfaced which demanded that the rapper be banned from the event. It gained some traction, racking up almost 29,000 signatures as of time of writing.

With a goal of reaching 35,000 signatures, the petition states that ‘we have watched Kanye harass, manipulate and hurt Kim, Pete and others for over a year now.’

‘No one seems to want to stand up to him, and the ones that do, he puts under fire as well. Most recently, he has been threatening actual bodily harm on others’ said the petition.

‘This is ridiculous that he is allowed to freely do this. Coachella should be ashamed of themselves and should not be giving him any more of a platform.’ West was recently banned from Instagram after he violated the platform’s guidelines on hate speech and harassment.

The Daily Show host Trevor Noah, who was targeted by Ye for publicly calling him out, said that even though people may not feel sorry for Kim due to her being ‘rich and famous’, what she is going through is terrifying to watch.

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Prime Minister defends cheques on eve of election as necessary

Mar 22 2022

Prime Minister Robert Abela defended the decision to distribute tax cuts and COVID relief cheques just two weeks before the election.

Abela claimed that the cheques were necessary to fend off rising prices from supply shortages and the damaging effects caused by the invasion of Ukraine. He described the cheques as a safety net against inflation.

Abela went on to insist his pledge to keep energy prices stable despite the rise in gas prices due to invasion. ‘This isn’t the first time that oil prices went up like this’ he said, recalling a similar incident in March 2020.

The government, Abela sad, is using the same economic model which was used at the start of the pandemic. The PM was interviewed by Saviour Balzan on TVM News Plus’ Xtra, where he refused to commit on two Labour proposals for mandatory union membership or the scrapping of homework for school pupils.

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Daphne will have died in vain if PL get large majority Bernard Grech says

Mar 22 2022

Speaking to Times of Malta’s Mark Laurence Zammit, Opposition Leader Bernard Grech said that if Labour is re-elected with a huge majority, Daphne Caruana Galizia will have died in vain.

Asked if he thinks he’ll win the election, Grech said that he doesn’t really think about it but he instead wants to see the country win.

Grech went on to say that apart from the late journalist having been killed in vain, the re-election of Abela’s Labour Party would mean that the work of journalists would have been futile.

‘If you’re fed up, you can’t just stay there and complain. You must vote to narrow the majority or elect PN to government. He went on to explain how he does not plan on stepping down and is instead focusing on narrowing the gap.

Grech had previously explained how he plans to stay with Malta ‘after Saturday’. The only survey which matters is the general election said Grech, also echoing something Prime Minister Robert Abela had stated during his political rallies.

Grech told Laurence Zammit that the party came a long way, saying that the election result will show just how much the party has improved after he took over as leader. Abela has also repeatedly stated that the election starts at 0-0.

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