What’s with all the far-right leaders? In the past several months, hard right politicians have been elected in parliamentary and presidential elections, indicating that “once fringe” right-wing politics are becoming more popular across the globe, according to Axios. Rising rates of inflation, immigration, and cost of climate policy is fueling the salability of populism, says the Economist. By our count, eleven countries in the EU, most famously Germany, France, and Italy, have seen their far-right parties gain ground, and Latin America is following the trend.

The latest: Geert Wilders, a far-right candidate running on an anti-Islam and anti-immigrant platform, earned the most seats in the Dutch parliamentary elections last week. Wilders’ victory comes hot on the heels of the election of Argentinian president Javier Milei, a man with similar ideologies. However, Wilders’ Party of Freedom — which he founded in 2006 and has broadly found its success by tapping into anti-immigrant sentiment — will need to form coalitions to be able to form a working government.

Blame Trumpism: Like The Donald, Milei is also a former TV personality with no governing experience. They share similar radical far-right views on several issues, including immigration. Trump wrote to Milei on his social media platform, Truth Social, encouraging the new president-elect to “ Make Argentina Great Again.”

SOME UPDATES FROM THE WORLD OF SCIENCE-

#1- FIRST PRIMATE WITH TWO DNAS- The world witnessed the first live birth of a primate chimera using stem cells in China.Scientists were able to create a monkey chimera using two sets of DNA, CNN reported, by combining stem cells from a long tailed macaque with a genetically distinct embryo from the same species.

The injected stem cells contributed 67% to the cells inside the primate.The study, which was published this month in scientific journal Cell, said that the monkey contained a relatively high ratio of cells that grew out of the injected stem cells in its body before its health deteriorated and was euthanized 10 days later.

WHY DOES THIS MATTER? The study gives potential for modeling neurodegenerative diseases, driven by the fact that the live-birth monkey had a big contribution of stem cells to the brain, said study co-author Miguel Esteban, principal investigator at the Guangzhou Institute of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences and a researcher with BGI-Research Hangzhou, a nonprofit arm of Chinese genetics firm BGI, to CNN.

Near-extinct species could be replicated:If they are able to replicate the study using two types of primate species, and one is endangered, added Esteban.

#2-Coffee grounds are the new key ingredient for making concrete stronger: Researchers at RMIT University in Australia discovered that when coffee waste was processed to biochar, a type of charcoal, and added to concrete, it increased the material’s strength by 30% when substituted for sand.

Coffee grounds aren’t climate-friendly, by the way. The grounds are incinerated annually, or dumped in landfills, causing it to release methane, a greenhouse gas which traps heat more than carbon dioxide, making it harmful to the environment, according to CNN.

Meanwhile, recycling coffee waste for cement can reduce disposal costs, as well as lower emissions from cement’s production and can eventually contribute to a sustainable future.

Natural increased strength with biochar also allows a 10% reduction in cement content, which decreases its climate impact and “reliance on mining for sand,” according to Fast Company.

#3- A quick spreading respiratory illness is sweeping through canine populations across several US states. The mysterious disease is referred to as an “ atypical canine infectious respiratory disease ” as mentioned by the Oregon Department of Agriculture, according to BBC.

Dogs afflicted with the condition exhibit symptoms such as coughing, sneezing, nasal or eye discharge, and lethargy.

Why is this disease challenging? Reported cases affected with this disease show similar symptoms to upper respiratory disease, but standard respiratory diagnostic tests have mostly yielded negative results. The disease also appears to be resistant to conventional treatments, making it even more challenging for veterinarians to combat.

Tags: