It’s a pretty little beetle that lives in Slovenian caves. He was living peacefully when, in 1937, an amateur and fascist entomologist discovered him and named him Anophthalmus hitleri. What a shame to take the name of a genocidaire!
There are hundreds of species to bear such reviled names. For example, the Libyan butterfly Hypopta mussolinii, the fossil of a giant Carboniferous insect named Rochlingia hitleri, or the flowers of the Hibbertia genus, inspired by the anti-abolitionist botanist George Hibbert. Researchers at Nelson Mandela University also denounce 300 African plants whose names contain caf(e)r or caff(e)r, inspired by an Arabic insult meaning “unfaithful.”
Confusion. More and more naturalists are demanding, in the name of ethics, a name change for all species bearing offensive surnames. The debate escalated to the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature, which vetoed it for fear of causing massive confusion. For example, what would be the fate of the butterfly Neopalpa donaldtrumpi, so named in 2017 because of the top of its yellow head and its small genitals? Should it be renamed? §
According to the last official count in September, 1,104 wolves are circulating in France, an increase of 20% since the July estimate. And according to environmentalists, this upward revision falls, as luck would have it, the day before the next 2024-2029 wolf plan, which could authorize more defensive shooting, thus pleasing sheep breeders. It must be said that the latter have just registered a major recruit with the President of the European Commission, who recently declared that she was considering a reduction in the protection status of the wolf in Europe.
Will increased defensive fire suppress the lupine population? Some specialists doubt it. The Wolf Observatory association explains that taking into account the number of individuals to authorize shooting amounts to “counting storms to reduce wind speed”.
In a few years, electric cars could fill up with… wastewater. This is the dream of a team of researchers from the University of Lausanne who have just biologically transformed the very common bacterium Escherichia coli to make it produce electricity. Wastewater treatment plants could thus become our next power plants. (Joule)
The fire ant, originally from South America, has set foot in Sicily! This announcement should not be taken lightly, because this ant is a monster capable of inflicting painful stings that can even lead to anaphylactic shock. Its presence in Sicily means that nothing will stop it in its conquest of Europe, especially as climate change favors its progress in regions that were until now inhospitable to it. Cities are the first to be threatened. (Current Biology)
The extraction of lithium, the main component of batteries, is detrimental to the environment: the need for enormous surface areas (production spanning years) and the use of chemicals. None of this with the twisted porous fiber developed by Princeton engineers. By immersing it in brine lakes, it naturally sucks up and concentrates the lithium. Saving time, reducing the surface area required and eliminating chemicals. (Nature Water)
