Features

PARIS — Half of the 1 million animal and plant species on Earth facing extinction are insects, and their disappearance could be catastrophic for humankind, scientists have said in a “warning to humanity”.

“The current insect extinction crisis is deeply worrying,” said Pedro Cardoso, a biologist at the Finnish Museum of Natural History and lead author of a review study published on Monday. 

“Yet, what we know is only the tip of the iceberg,” he told AFP.

The disappearance of bugs that fly, crawl, burrow, jump and walk on water is part of a gathering mass extinction event, only the sixth in the last half-billion years.

The last one was 66 million years ago, when an errant space rock wiped out land-based dinosaurs and most other life forms.

This time we are to blame. 

“Human activity is responsible for almost all insect population declines and extinctions,” Cardoso told AFP.

The main drivers are dwindling and degraded habitat, followed by pollutants — especially insecticides — and invasive species. 

Over-exploitation — more than 2,000 species of insects are part of the human diet — and climate change are also taking a toll.

The decline of butterflies, beetles, ants, bees, wasps, flies, crickets and dragonflies has consequences far beyond their own demise. 

“With insect extinction, we lose much more than species,” Cardoso said. 

“Many insect species are vital providers of services that are irreplaceable,” including pollination, nutrient cycling and pest control.

Biodiversity ‘hotspots’

These “ecosystem services” are worth $57 billion (52 billion euros) a year in the United States alone, earlier research has found. 

Globally, crops that require insect pollination have an economic value of at least $235-577 billion annually, according to the UN biodiversity science panel, known as IPBES.

Many animals rely on abundant insects to survive. 

A sharp drop in bird numbers across Europe and the United States, for example, has been linked to the collapse of insect populations decimated by pesticide use. 

Scientists estimate the number of insect species at about 5.5 million. Only a fifth of them have been identified and named. 

“The number of threatened and extinct insect species is woefully underestimated because so many are rare or undescribed,” Cardoso said.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species has evaluated only some 8,400 species of insects out of 1 million known to exist.

Five to 10 per cent of all insect species have died out since the industrial era kicked into high gear some 200 years ago.

Half of indigenous species of plants and vertebrates are found exclusively in some three dozen biodiversity “hotspots” that cover on 2.5 per cent of Earth surface.

“These hotspots likely harbour a similar percentage of endemic insect species,” said the study titled “Scientists’ warning to humanity on insect extinctions,” published in Conservation Biology.

A quarter century ago conservation scientists issued a “Warning to Humanity” about the collapse of Nature. In 2017, they issued a second warning, signed by 15,000 scientists.

The new study, titled “Scientists’ warning to humanity on insect extinctions”, was published in the journal Conservation Biology.

LOS ANGELES — Warner Bros.’ “Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)” unseated Sony’s “Bad Boys for Life” after three weeks of dominance at the box office but disappointed with a $33.3 million opening, significantly below analyst projections of $50 million to $55 million as well as the studio’s more modest projection of $45 million, according to estimates from measurement firm Comscore. Internationally, it earned $48 million for a worldwide cumulative of $81.3 million.

The result comes on the heels of major DC Comics successes such as “Wonder Woman”, “Aquaman” and “Joker”. The latter grossed more than a billion dollars during its theatrical run and earned 11 Academy Awards nominations.

Directed by Cathy Yan, “Birds of Prey [and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn]” is a spinoff of 2016’s “Suicide Squad” with Margot Robbie reprising her role as the titular comic villainess. It is also the first female-led superhero movie that is neither a period piece nor a prequel.

The $80 million film also features the characters Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell), Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez) and Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco), who unite against crime lord Black Mask (Ewan McGregor). The film was well-received with a B-plus CinemaScore and an 82 per cent “fresh” rating on review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes.

In second place, “Bad Boys for Life” added $12 million in its fourth weekend for a cumulative $166.3 million. Globally, the film has grossed $336 million.

Coming in third, Universal’s best picture nominee “1917” added $9 million in its seventh weekend for a cumulative $132.5 million. It has earned $287.4 million in worldwide receipts.

In fourth place, the studio’s “Dolittle” added $6.7 million in its fourth weekend for a cumulative $63.9 million. Globally, the film has earned $158.7 million.

Rounding out the top five, Sony’s “Jumanji: The Next Level” added $5.5 million in its ninth weekend for a cumulative $298.5 million. It currently stands at $768 million in global ticket sales.

At No. 6, STX Entertainment’s “The Gentlemen” added $4.2 million in its third weekend for a cumulative $26.9 million.

In seventh place, United Artists Releasing’s “Gretel and Hansel” added $3.5 million in its second weekend (a 43 per cent drop) for a cumulative $11.5 million.

“Knives Out” reentered the top 10 at No. 8, adding $2.4 million in its 11th weekend for a cumulative $158.9 million.

In ninth place, Sony’s “Little Women” added $2.3 million in its seventh weekend for a cumulative $102.7 million.

Rounding out the top 10, Disney’s “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” added $2.3 million in its eighth weekend for a cumulative $510.5 million.

In limited release, Neon’s “The Lodge” opened in six locations to $78,104 for a per-screen average of $13,017.

The film stars Riley Keough as an unwelcome new addition to a family in mourning. It was positively received with a 76 per cent “fresh” score on Rotten Tomatoes.

ShortsTV and Magnolia Pictures’ “2020 Oscar-Nominated Short Films” expanded onto 535 screens (up from 460 last week) earning $825,000 in its second weekend for a per-screen average of $1,542 and a cumulative $2.6 million.

Bleecker Street expanded “The Assistant” into 21 additional locations (up from four in its debut last week) to $122,585 for a per-screen average of $4,903 and a cumulative $225,711.

This week, Paramount releases “Sonic the Hedgehog”, Sony unveils “Blumhouse’s Fantasy Island”, Universal opens the romantic drama “The Photograph” and Searchlight Pictures premieres “Downhill.”

Designed to resemble a higher-riding and estate body version of the Japanese Manufacturer’s popular Lance saloon, the Mitsubishi has revised and improved twice already. And for 2020, the ASX is re-introduced with a fresh new look and improved safety, drivability and technology.

The brand’s third best-selling vehicle since its introduction with 1.32 million units in 90 countries, the ASX was quick to join the Mitsubishi line-up as part of the highly popular compact crossover SUV segment, and as a replacement for the Mitsubishi RVR and the declining interest in its mini-MPV segment.

The smallest and most car-like among a model range that is changing to a more crossover and SUV focused one, the new ASX’s most obvious change is that it seems to have decisively ditched its aesthetic link to the small lancer saloon, and instead adopted a more rugged and contemporary fascia design.

Dubbed “Impact sand Impulse” as a design concept, the ASX sports a more horizontally-oriented face, with browed headlights, tough-looking skid pate-like lower lip, slim twin-slat grille and C-shaped chrome highlights framing its blacked out bumper and air intake.

Sporty stance

Sporty and urgent in demeanour with its quad side lamps, faux side vents and rising ridged character lines along its flanks, the ASX also features a descending roofline, wide, road-hugging stance and redesigned rear light elements that somewhat resemble Volvo’s “Thor’s Hammer” headlight treatment.

At the front, the ASX’s muscularly scalloped and ridged clamshell bonnet has hints of the first generation Range Rover Evoque about it. Underneath, the ASX is powered by a transversely-mounted naturally-aspirated 2-litre engine driving the front wheels in base specification, or all four wheels, as featured. 

A square engine design with equal bore diameter and stroke length, the Mitsubishi ASX’s 2-litre 4-cylinder is smooth and lineal in delivery, with progressive build up of torque and power.

Slightly more biased for power over torque, it develops 148BHP at 6,000rpm and a maximum 145lb/ft at 4,200rpm. This ensures that the 1,435kg ASX accelerates from standstill to 100km/h in a respectable if not outright fast, 11.3-seconds, and onto a 191km/h top speed. Responsive at low-end, versatile in mid-range and willing at top-end, the ASX’s output is well exploited through Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT).

Smooth and consistent

If lacking the feel and control that a traditional manual or automatic gearbox provides, CVT however delivers a smoother and arguably more effective accumulation of speed by keeping the engine at a constant speed at its most efficient, while its system of pulley and bands change transmission ratios on a sliding scale rather than through fixed ratios. 

More efficient, CVT vehicles have a slingshot feeling when accelerating. But for those preferring a more traditional feel and control ratios, the ASX has a paddle shift manual mode, where it shifts through pre-set ratios.

Well-matched with CVT, the ASX’s engine delivers power primarily to the front wheels to maintain fuel efficiency, but can allocate power to the rear axle when needed for additional traction, grip and stability.

A smooth and comfortable cruiser on highway and in town, the ASX is stable and refined on highway, with good cabin refinement and little by way of drivetrain and road noise.

Taking bumps and lumps in its stride, the ASX is a forgiving ride over imperfections, and settles well on rebound, while 225/55R18 tyres are a good compromise for ride quality and grip.

Tidy and forgiving

With generous 205mm ground clearance combined with a compact wheelbase the ASX benefits from a good ramp angle for traversing obstacles on tarmac and dirt roads. The ASX is not a dedicated off-roader, but a road-biased crossover.

Very much car-like, the ASX’s road manners make it’s user-friendly and manoeuvrable, with its wide track and short wheelbase allowing for agile handling through corners. Turning tidily with light and accurate steering, the ASX turns in nimbly and with good front grip, and corners with a manoeuvrable turning circle and decent body lean control and reassuring road-holding.

Spacious and user-friendly with logical controls within easy reach and tidy layouts in front, the ASX’s cabin provides good shoulder and headroom. Driving position is meanwhile comfortable and supportive, and with good visibility.

Rear seats are decently sized for the segment as are the ASX’s boot space and cabin accessibility. Well-equipped, the ASX boasts seven airbags, blindspot warning system, rear cross-traffic alert, rearview camera and more safety and assistance systems. Comfort and convenience features include an Apple Carplay and Android Auto enabled infotainment system with a nine-speaker Rockford sound system, and panoramic glass roof.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 2-litre, transverse 4-cylinders 

Bore x stroke: 86 x 86mm

Compression ratio: 10:1

Valve-train: 16-valve, variable valve timing, DOHC

Gearbox: Continuously variable transmission (CVT) auto, front-wheel-drive

Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 148 (150) [110] @6,000rpm

Specific power: 74BHP/litre

Power-to-weight: 103.1BHP/tonne

Torque, lb/ft (Nm): 145.3 (197) @4,200rpm

Specific torque: 98.6Nm/litre

Torque-to-weight: 137.2Nm/tonne

0-100km/h: 11.3-seconds (est.)

Top speed: 191km/h

Fuel capacity: 60-litres

Length: 4,365mm

Width: 1,810mm

Height: 1,640mm

Wheelbase: 2,670mm

Ground clearance: 205mm

Kerb weight: 1,435kg

Gross vehicle weight: 1,970kg

Seating capacity: 5

Steering: Electric-assisted rack and pinion

Turning radius: 10.6-metres

Suspension, F/R: MacPherson strut/multilink, with anti-roll bars 

Brakes, F/R: Ventilated discs/discs

Tyres: 225/55R18

The auto industry is betting hundreds of billions of dollars that this is the decade you’re going to buy an electric vehicle.

From a sporty Ford Mustang crossover to the rebirth of a brawny GMC Hummer truck, legacy and startup automakers alike have hundreds of electric vehicles in the development pipeline, with industry projections that EV sales will surpass traditional internal combustion engines by 2030.

But at the Chicago Auto Show, which runs to February 17 at McCormick Place, full battery-powered EVs were as few and far between as they are on America’s roadways, with only a handful of models on display that you can buy and drive now. Based on EV product launches scheduled for 2020 alone, that should change dramatically by next year’s show.

“We feel there’s going to be a lot of growth,” said Ted Cannis, global head of electrification for Ford, which is featuring the Mustang Mach-E at the auto show. “Once you get that critical mass moving — and it’s going to start moving because of us and others in the industry — you’ll have a whole pipeline of activity then.”

Little more than a science experiment at the turn of the century, mass produced EVs began hitting the market around 2010 with early entries such as the Nissan Leaf. But limited range, expensive batteries and the lack of an out-of-home charging infrastructure made them little more than a fringe offering.

In 2012, California-based Tesla disrupted the automotive world when it began delivery of its sleek but pricey Model S, which brought blazing speed, 482 kilometres range and a new vision of electrification to the industry. Tesla delivered 367,500 electric vehicles last year and although it has yet to turn an annual profit, it surpassed $100 billion in valuation — more than GM and Ford combined.

While EVs accounted for less than 2 per cent of all auto sales in 2019, automakers are all in for 2020, from Detroit’s Big Three to startup electric truck manufacturer Rivian, which is set to begin production later this year in downstate Normal.

Tesla and Rivian were no-shows at this year’s auto show, but roughly 10 EV models are on display. Here are some highlights:

Ford Mustang Mach-E

Announced in November, the all-electric 2021 Mustang Mach-E crossover is expected to roll out later this year, with an inaugural production run of about 50,000 vehicles. Built in Mexico, the Mach-E comes in rear-wheel and all-wheel drive and starts at about $44,000, with a high-performance GT version priced at about $60,000. Both qualify for a full $7,500 federal tax rebate.

The models offer a target range of 400 to 480 kilometres, with the GT version doing 0 to 96kph in just over 3 seconds. Branding it a Mustang was a “pretty bold statement around electrification” plans for Ford, according to Dave Pericak, director of icons for the automaker.

“We didn’t take the decision to make it a Mustang lightly,” said Pericak, who previously served as Mustang’s chief engineer. “It will have all the performance, but it will have a soul. It’s just a tonne of fun.”

The Spartan interior includes a 15-inch display screen that will use machine learning to anticipate your habits, such as asking if you want to phone home on your return commute after work. It also has low-tech features such as a cupholder.

Ford also has an all-electric F-150 truck in the developmental pipeline, but hasn’t disclosed many of its electrification plans. Pericak said launching with two iconic nameplates shows that Ford is “leaning in”, despite the dearth of electric vehicles at the 2020 show.

“Electrification is a big part of our plan and where we’re headed,” Pericak said.

Audi e-tron

Audi, which is owned by German automaker Volkswagen, rolled out its first EV offering last year, the e-tron. By 2025, it expects a third of its US product line to be electric, according to Cody Thacker, head of electrification for Audi of America.

The featured speaker at an auto show luncheon given by The Economic Club of Chicago, Thacker said the auto industry is investing $300 billion into electrification, and that consumer adoption will become widespread.

Thacker said the biggest barrier to adoption is “range anxiety”, the fear of running out of juice before finding a plug to recharge your vehicle. While most daily commutes are less than 50 kilometres, Thacker said getting to “the family reunion in Ohio” remains a concern for EV owners.

“That is real, that’s something we have to think about,” Thacker said at the luncheon. “This is where the public charging infrastructure needs to get deployed.”

Audi has a white e-tron SUV on display at the auto show. The all-wheel drive vehicle, which sells for about $75,000, has a range of 328 kilometres and does 0 to 96kmph in 5.5 seconds. It was parked, fittingly, next to an Electrify America charging station at the auto show.

Electrify America, which is also owned by Volkswagen, is investing $2 billion in a nationwide charging network as part of the automaker’s massive 2016 settlement with federal and state regulators over its diesel emissions testing scandal. The company expects to have 800 charging stations with about 3,500 chargers in 45 states by the end of next year.

Thacker said even though automakers are gearing up, the consumer side of the equation is “not quite ready to go yet”, Thacker said. EV prices will need to come down and the infrastructure needs to be developed for widespread adoption to become a reality.

“Range anxiety is real. People are worried if I have my family in the car and it’s the middle of the night and I have 8 kilometres left, I want to know that I can pull off the highway and charge my vehicle,” he said.

Chevrolet Bolt

Launched in 2017, Chevrolet’s all-electric subcompact crossed the 200,000 sales mark last year, which triggers a one-year phase-out of the $7,500 federal tax incentive. Buyers can still get a $1,875 credit through March 31.

The 2020 Bolt, which sells for about $37,000 — before the tax credit — has boosted its range by 10 per cent this year to 417 kilometres on a full charge, making it a more attractive, if utilitarian, EV offering than some its flashier rivals.

In January, there were 3,000 Bolts sold — its best sales month ever, according to Chevrolet spokesman Steve Majoris.

“The reality is, Bolt EV was the first to crack the code on range and cost, and continues to do that,” Marjoris said. “Other entries have come into the marketplace, but the Bolt EV still has the most range — with the exception of a high-performance Tesla Model 3.”

Majoris said the resurgent success of the Bolt is “just a precursor” to new EVs in the pipeline from Chevrolet and GM, including the rebirth of the Hummer nameplate— once the embodiment of a gas-guzzling behemoth — as GMC’s first all-electric truck. The Hummer, which will be built at the Detroit-Hamtramck plant, was teased in a Super Bowl spot, with plans to reveal the vehicle in May.

“There’s going to be a lot of news from Chevrolet and GM,” Majoris said. “We know where the market is going.”

Despite the growing buzz over EVs, old-school, gas guzzling muscle cars are still stealing the show. Visitors at the Thursday preview mostly bypassed a pair of Chevy Bolt EVs for a 490-horsepower Corvette Stingray, while a 660-horsepower GT Liquid Carbon supercar is Ford’s most prominent display.

Pericak didn’t bother to offer mileage estimates for GT Liquid Carbon, which sells for $750,000.

“We don’t worry about that in a car like this,” Pericak said.

By Robert Channick

Our lives can be quite stressful. Financial commitments, family responsibilities and the constant need to manage a work-life balance preoccupy our thoughts. One of the key ways to manage and reduce stress is healthy eating.

We’re prone to craving comfort foods when stressed and get instant gratification when we fall prey to them, but this also reduces our ability to manage stress overall. Resorting to comfort foods under stress often leads to a vicious cycle of more stress followed by futile attempts to manage it through eating more unhealthy food. 

Symptoms of repeated stress

• Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

• Weight gain

• Elevated blood sugar levels

• Infections

• Hypertension

• Disruption in sleep

• Reduced energy

These symptoms create metabolic syndrome (a group of factors that raises your risk for heart disease and other health problems, such as diabetes and stroke) and tend to lead to the need for medication with side effects that lead to more medication. Again, another vicious cycle that can be mitigated through eating healthy.

Can sugar make you stressed?

Simple sugars like glucose are in many desserts and foods. When simple sugar intake is above a certain threshold, yeast in the large intestine and E. coli (the bad bacteria) produce gasses, which may make a person think they have IBS.

In a professional or even social setting, such gas production by itself increases our stress, and we may even feel like we cannot manage it because we connect it to stress or believe it is linked to a chronic state. 

What’s more, excessive simple sugars create acidity in the body, which has many negative effects. Taken together, these effects explain why sweet desserts are good comfort foods but frequent or excessive intake of sugar increases cortisol over time. Cortisol is the hormone released when we are in a stressful situation. When cortisol is released in our bodies repeatedly, it leads to adrenal fatigue which can be quite harmful to our body.

Stress and acidity

The body needs a specific balance of acid-alkaline levels and the balance is significantly disturbed by stress. Overall imbalance in food intake, whether it is an excessive intake of protein, fat or carbohydrates can lead to body acidity. The body tries to correct this acidic state in two major ways, respiratory and metabolic compensation: 

• Respiratory compensation is when you have quick short breaths, a way to get rid of the excess carbon dioxide. This may overload the heart and less oxygen is delivered to the brain, causing stressful headaches.

• Metabolic compensation increases the frequency of urination, which leads to dehydration unless we increase our water intake. Dehydration is one of the main causes of headaches that can be stressful and release cortisol

Foods that reduce cortisol level

• Dark chocolate

• Cooked tomatoes

• White (non-fermented) tea

• Pre and probiotics (near expiry yoghurt)

• Fruits like banana, mango, green apples and pineapples

Additionally, avoiding coffee on an empty stomach is key as it directly increases the cortisol level and increases urination (which dehydrates the body); consider replacing coffee with cocoa or white tea.

Most importantly, keep your body hydrated and drink a lot of water, increase your intake of fruit and decrease fried and baked foods. 

Some supplements can help as well, including Omega-3 fish oil, avocado, nuts), zinc (seeds), magnesium (dark green leafy vegetables).

Stress-reducing tips

• Better and consistent sleep habits, aiming for eight hours

• Keeping a stress journal to identify stressful events and triggers and then avoiding or withdrawing from events, or situations that trigger stress or by finding better ways to react to them

•Stocking up on healthier snacks (people tend to eat what is available and convenient when stressed and busy, so keep apples near you instead of candy)

• Finding stress relievers other than food (exercise or socialising)

• Managing when you eat (staying too long without eating is likely to leave you opting for an unhealthy convenient choice when hungry)

With better nutrition, you are better prepared to face the challenges of the day. Smart food choices give us the power to think right, control ourselves and our environment better and be more satisfied and content. Let’s commit ourselves this New Year to fundamental and simple ways to be less stressed and better manage stressful situations in our everyday lives. 

Glycaemic Index (GI)

The GI categorises different types of foods by how much they increase the sugar level in the blood. Did you know that high-glycemic foods keep you hungry? And opting for more low-glycemic food can work for long-term weight-loss and reduce the risk of stress and serious diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Reprinted with permission from Family Flavours magazine

By Ayah Murad: Clinical Dietician

Palestine: Memories of 1948, Photographs of Jerusalem

Chris Conti and Altair Alcantara

Translated from French by Isabelle Lavigne

London: Hesperus Press, 2019

Pp. 235

This book is a beautiful example of how individual identities can coalesce into a collective whole. It is also fascinating to read. It could serve as an introduction to the Palestinian cause, but equally those with much knowledge of the subject will find something of interest. Careful footnotes are explanatory as well as an invitation to learn more. The text consists of interviews with older Palestinians, first-person accounts of the 1948 Nakba and its aftermath, illustrated with black-and-white photos of the interviewees and historical Palestine. The book concludes with 28 pages of stunning, contemporary photos of Jerusalem and its inhabitants, from the iconic Dome of the Rock to children at play. Despite the tragic nature of the subject matter, the overall tone of the book is upbeat and forward-looking by virtue of the strength of character exhibited by the interviewees and the photos’ beauty.

Nineteen Palestinians, eight women and eleven men, some living under occupation, others in exile, and two remaining in Israel, tell the story of what happened to them, their families and home in 1948. As Salim Tamari points out in the foreword, a few are “prominent figures like Latin Patriarch Michel Sabbagh, writer Feissal Darraj, and advocate Fuad Shehadeh — but the majority are ordinary Palestinians who originally came from Jerusalem or made the city the centre of their lives”. (p. 9)

Without disputing Tamari’s identifying the majority of interviewees as ordinary people, one is struck by how very extraordinary they were, how courageous in the face of unimaginable adversity. Among the historical memories, there are many references to the Deir Yasin massacre and also an account of the even larger one perpetrated at Dawayima. Many interviewees pay tribute to Abd Al Qadir Al Husseini, a leader of the 1936 revolt who was martyred in the resistance of 1948. Many also mention good relations and friendships with Jewish neighbours in Palestine, but in almost all cases these ended abruptly with Zionism’s conquest and the declaration of the Israeli state. Equally prominent are descriptions of the Palestinian way of life, both rural and urban, before it was so cruelly disrupted in 1948.

However, these oral histories are not stuck in the past. Not only did the interviewees survive; despite threats to their very existence, they rose to the challenge of preserving their identity, raising families, getting an advanced education and in some cases continuing to till their land and tend their olive trees, tirelessly protesting all Israeli encroachments, even knowing they could expect no redress. This resilience and steadfastness led Falastini Naili, Ifpo researcher, to title her introduction to the book “Living Memories”, wherein she highlights the persistence of refugees in continuing to assert their right of return. “The 19 stories offered here illustrate different ways of being present, of counting, of making oneself heard and of having some weight. In the face of erasure — imposed through terror… they retrace the effects of this historical cataclysm and the different strategies for survival, perseverance, creativity and resistance that they deployed.” (p. 12)

The narratives display great diversity, representative of different sectors of Palestinian society. There are Christians, Muslims and Sufis. There are farmers, homemakers, activists, community leaders, professionals, businessmen and women, teachers, writers, intellectuals and one woman who achieved high positions in banking and government. Some managed to remain in Palestine; others moved between Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Egypt; some as far away as Brazil and Chile, each time reinventing their life. There is also variation in their narratives’ focus. Some add important details to the historical narrative. Others explore the psychological effects of being a refugee. Several confide telling anecdotes, revealing the irony of their situation, small victories they achieved along the way, or how, occasionally, luck intervened to Palestinian advantage. One is especially struck by the women’s stories which demonstrate a high degree of independence, initiative and mobility, which sometimes brought them to leadership positions and contributed greatly to collective resistance.

Despite this diversity, there are common themes and apparent agreement on a set of core values—the importance of family, heritage and education, and willingness to make great sacrifices in the struggle for justice.

Publication of this book, which gives unmediated voice to Palestinians of the Nakba generation, is particularly timely on two counts. One, that generation with first-hand memories will not always be among us. Two, at a time when totally self-serving efforts are being exerted to extinguish the Palestinian cause without the Palestinians themselves having even been consulted, it is ever more essential that their voices be heard — an imperative recognised by author Chris Conti who writes, “In this book we have tried to be as unobtrusive as possible and give centre stage to the victims, the Palestinians.” (p. 17)

Only in the case of Majed Abu Sharar, poet, progressive intellectual and political leader, is a person’s story reconstructed from the memory of family and friends, for he was assassinated in 1981. Everyone else speaks for themselves.

“Palestine: Memories of 1948” is available at the Jordan Book Centre. On Wednesday, February 12, at 7pm, there will be a book launch at Dar Al Anda in Jabal Luweibdeh.

Most of us think we know what ageing looks and feels like. It announces itself with wrinkled skin and grey, thinning hair. It blurs vision, makes joints creaky, and if not rigorously countered, causes things to sag.

But scientists are cataloguing far subtler signs of biological ageing, evident long before hair is lost and skin starts to crinkle.

It’s a story told not just in the body’s organs but in its genes, cells and proteins — even in the bacteria that colonise us. First, one or two molecular processes fall out of whack. Those failures send broader functions off kilter. Sometimes all at once, sometimes gradually, our organs suffer and entire networks — the immune system, for instance — begin to falter.

Understanding how all this happens could allow us to live longer someday. But a nearer goal might produce an even bigger payoff: Defining what ageing is and exactly how it progresses may enable us to stay healthy for more of our lives.

Two new pieces of research bring that goal of extending humans’ “healthspan” a bit closer. Both identify biomarkers that help define what it means, at a microscopic level, to age. Both zero in on mechanisms prone to break down as we age — in other words, targets for therapies that could disrupt or delay the ageing process.

And both offer some guideposts to measure the effectiveness of elixirs that promise to be (but rarely are) fountains of youth.

In one of the new studies, Stanford University researchers combed through 18 million data points collected from 106 people who were monitored for two to four years. The aim was to detect patterns common to all as we age as well as patterns that vary from person to person.

Emerging from that study, published this week in the journal Nature Medicine, is the idea that individuals age along at least four biological “pathways”. While one person may be most prone to decline in the function of his kidneys, another may experience the most age-related degradation in the liver, the immune system or in metabolic function, the findings suggest.

Most of us likely age along some or all those fronts, if not more, said Stanford geneticist Michael Snyder, who led the research. But classifying people by their personal “ageing style,” or areas of greatest vulnerability, may help them identify and forestall their most likely depredations of ageing, he said.

In the second study, scientists from the Buck Institute for Research on Ageing profiled the known universe of tissues and cells that can reveal the biological age of the human body. It made use of data collected as part of a study that has tracked 3,200 volunteers over the course of their adult lives since 1958.

That atlas of ageing’s biomarkers will speed efforts to find and develop drugs that could slow biological ageing, said University of Southern California biochemist Judith Campisi, who led the work published this week in the journal PLOS Biology. One day, she added, it may allow doctors to give their patients “a clear read-out of how well, or poorly, their various tissues and organs are ageing”.

After centuries of snake oil and hucksterism, the struggle against ageing has gotten real in recent years. Scientists have honed in on “senescent” cells, which stop dividing under stress, as a key driver of conditions such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis and dementia. Since these diseases are more common as we get older, they and their root causes have become central to scientists’ understanding of ageing.

Researchers increasingly suspect that when you disrupt the development of one disease of ageing, you may help protect against others — a principle called the “unitary theory of fundamental ageing processes.” If, for instance, senescent cells and the inflammation they trigger could be brought under control, perhaps many age-related diseases — indeed, unhealthy ageing itself — could be averted and the experience of ageing might be far less miserable.

That’s the idea behind the search for “senolytics” — drugs or therapies that could remove or disrupt the action of senescent cells. If such anti-ageing drugs are to be developed and used safely, researchers will need to recognise the many forms that senescent cells take, and to measure what happens when different members of that group are removed or suppressed.

In the Stanford University study, researchers sequenced genes; analyzed blood, urine and saliva samples; and probed the microbes in the guts and noses of 43 people. The team found 608 molecules that could be assessed and used to identify likely contributors to age-related problems.

The Stanford team came up with four “ageotypes” based on these biomarkers and how they shifted over time. While the list is likely to expand with further research, the authors suggest that people tend to age most along one of four distinct biological pathways: metabolic, immune, hepatic (or liver) and nephrotic (or kidney).

A person whose dominant ageotype is metabolic might see her A1C, a measure of blood sugar levels, rise with age, potentially leading to Type 2 diabetes. A person with an immune ageotype, on the other hand, might experience increased inflammation across the body, making her more vulnerable to a heart attack and certain cancers.

The work is highly preliminary. Dr Zoltan Arany who studies ageing processes at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine, said that while it probed a very wide range of measures and looked for changes over time, determining whether they actually cause ageing or are innocent bystanders of the process “will require a lot of further work”.

Even after scientists have established the common roots of age-related diseases — a task that is far from complete — there’s still hard work ahead, said Dr James L. Kirkland, who studies ageing at the Mayo Clinic. If studies like the two published this week are to help humans age better, they’ll have to explain why we age so differently, and predict which of many routes each of us will take.

“At the moment, we’re measuring everything,” Kirkpatrick said. “But the effort will be to narrow down, to get a composite score of biomarkers, that is predictive of a future decline in healthspan.”

Snyder said he shared that long-term goal.

“I can envision a world in which everyone gets their ageotype measured, so that at the earliest sign of acceleration, you can intervene,” he said. For some, that may be taking a cholesterol-lowering statin, and for others, it may mean exercising more.

“This can give you an earlier kick in the butt” to address those vulnerabilities, he said.

By Melissa Healy

PARIS — When Mina Jang played the same melodious tune on two different flutes behind a screen, she said the examiners grading her couldn’t tell the difference.

Yet, the two instruments were made in dramatically different ways.

One was a handmade version of an original early 18th-century flute crafted in 2001, while the other was made of white plastic and “cloned” using a 3D printer in 2019. 

The Museum of Music in Paris, whose collection includes a 2,500-year-old flute made of a vulture bone, has recently begun experimenting with the technique in an effort to better preserve period instruments.

“The idea was to find out how to rapidly obtain a copy of an instrument whilst respecting the original flute,” said the 35-year-old professional flautist and researcher in baroque music, who initiated the idea. 

Before being printed, the carefully copied 18th-century flute was x-rayed to identify its precise characteristics. 

The original it was based on was made by the celebrated French composer and instrument maker Jacques-Martin Hotteterre and is today preserved behind glass at the museum. 

3D printing has advantages over handmade instruments, taking just 24 hours to make, compared to a month in a workshop, and costing hundreds instead of thousands of euros. 

But Stephane Vaiedelich, in charge of the museum’s laboratory which worked with other partners on the project too, says the move is purely about conserving musical heritage. 

“3D printing isn’t about replacing instrument makers,” he told AFP. 

“The idea is to recreate a historical instrument so that the public can appreciate its sound and to revive an important heritage.

“It’s an extraordinary way of travelling through time and recapturing old repertoires,” he said, adding that a second flute had also been cloned.

While 3D printing has become increasingly popular in different sectors over the last 20 years, including for reproducing instruments, Vaiedelich said the museum believed it was the first to experiment with the 3D reproduction of old instruments, using a scientific approach. 

A few orchestras play using original instruments from the period, such as the French group Les Siecles (The Centuries), but wind instruments struggle to withstand humidity. 

“It expands wood and can break the instruments,” Vaiedelich said.

Using plastic for the 3D reproduced instruments also raises environmental issues. Vaiedelich said the ideal would be to print using recycled materials.

By Rana Moussaoui

LOS ANGELES — Kirk Douglas, one of the last superstars of Hollywood’s golden age of cinema who was renowned for his intense, muscular performances in “Spartacus” and “Paths of Glory”, died Wednesday aged 103.

The US leading man, producer and director came to prominence in the late 1940s and never lost his popularity, taking on nearly 100 movies over a six-decade career that endured beyond a severe stroke in his later years.

His death at his family home in Beverly Hills was confirmed by his son Michael, the Oscar-winning actor and filmmaker.

“It is with tremendous sadness that my brothers and I announce that Kirk Douglas left us today at the age of 103,” Michael Douglas said in a statement posted to Facebook.

“To the world he was a legend, an actor from the golden age of movies who lived well into his golden years.”

Tributes poured in from across Hollywood and around the world on social media, with many declaring “I am Spartacus!” in a nod to Douglas’s legendary role as a rebellious Roman slave.

Director Steven Spielberg said Douglas “retained his movie star charisma right to the end”, while actor Danny DeVito tweeted: “103 years on this earth. That’s got a nice ring to it! Great hanging with you man.”

“Seinfeld” star Jason Alexander praised Douglas as “an absolute legend of a star and human” and added that “we could use a true Spartacus”.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which awards the Oscars, tweeted: “Goodbye to a Hollywood legend.”

Not unlike his title character in “Spartacus”, Douglas was known throughout his life for his fiercely rebellious streak.

In his early movie days he would clash with studio heads over his choice of roles, before ultimately splitting off to form his own production company, Bryna — one of the first major post-war stars to do so.

“It was pretty rare then,” Variety senior vice president Tim Gray told AFP. “Kirk Douglas was very stubborn but he wasn’t self-indulgent — he wasn’t a party boy wasting people’s time showing up late, things like that.”

‘End the blacklist’

Douglas also defied more established directors by teaming up with a young Stanley Kubrick for both “Paths of Glory” and “Spartacus”.

And on “Spartacus”, Douglas hired Dalton Trumbo — one of the “Hollywood Ten” blacklisted as a suspected communist under the McCarthy era — to write the screenplay.

Unlike many producers during the time, Douglas refused to hide this fact, instead using Trumbo’s real name in the credits.

Gabrielle Carteris, head of Hollywood’s actors union, on Wednesday praised Douglas as “a powerful voice who helped end the blacklist in our industry”, as well as “an “extraordinary actor”.

Nonetheless Douglas missed out on taking home the trophy on each of his three Oscar nominations, the last for his performance in the 1956 film “Lust for Life”, and never won a competitive Academy Award.

He was instead granted an honorary lifetime achievement statuette by the Academy in 1996 — just months after his stroke — “for 50 years as a creative and moral force in the motion picture community”.

Douglas, born Issur Danielovitch to Jewish-Russian immigrants in upstate New York in 1916, began as a stage actor before serving in the US navy during the World War II.

He graduated to movies when “Casablanca” producer Hal Wallis signed him in 1946, and he became a star for his portrayal of a double-crossing and womanising boxer in 1949’s “Champion”.

His subsequent roles would often mirror his real-world, larger-than-life and intense persona, including Oscar-nominated turns as a ruthless movie producer in “The Bad and the Beautiful” and tortured artist Vincent Van Gogh in “Lust for Life”.

Douglas told The New York Times in a 1984 interview that he had “always been attracted to characters who are part scoundrel”, adding: “I don’t find virtue photogenic.”

Life well lived

In his personal life, Douglas married twice, with the second to Anne Buydens in 1954 enduring over 65 years.

Douglas himself would admit to a colourful life as a ladies’ man including affairs in his memoirs, but always carefully controlled his image.

“He was Mr Hollywood, he was always part of the scene — he would always attend functions,” said Gray. “The public saw him as this larger than life actor but he could also be very subtle.”

Douglas is survived by Buydens, 100, and three of his sons. A fourth child, Eric, died of a drug overdose in his 40s, in 2004.

His son Michael praised Kirk’s “commitment to justice and the causes he believed in” which “set a standard for all of us to aspire”.

He added: “Kirk’s life was well lived, and he leaves a legacy in film that will endure for generations to come.”

By Andrew Marszal