Chris Darimont discusses the impact of humans’ unique predatory behavior on the planet, and Catherine Matacic talks with Sarah Crespi about whistled languages, Neolithic massacres, and too many gas giants. Hosted by Sarah Crespi.
By Jeffrey MervisMay. 8, 2018 , 9:00 AM Follow our rolling coverage of 2018’s science candidatesPHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA—Before Chrissy Houlahan decided to run for Congress in southeastern Pennsylvania, she made a list of things she felt anyone serving in that body needed to understand. At the top were how to protect the country, how to grow the economy, and how to educate the nation’s children.Houlahan, who holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, and a master’s degree in technology policy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, realized she was well-suited to tackle all three questions with her experience as a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, an executive with two successful startup companies, and a chemistry teacher in an urban high school. But before throwing her hat into the ring, Houlahan applied one more lesson from her time in the classroom, on the job, and in the military: She gamed out a way to win the election.Some 15 months later, Houlahan has implemented that plan to perfection. Thanks in part to a near-flawless campaign and prodigious fundraising, she is now the only Democrat on the 15 May primary ballot for Pennsylvania’s sixth congressional district (PA-6), an area southwest of here. Because of some good fortune, she’s also a heavy favorite to win the general election in November for what is now an open seat.The 50-year-old Houlahan says she isn’t afraid of competition. “But it’s very draining if there are lots of us [Democrats] fighting among ourselves” in the primary election, she notes. And although she says her ultimate goal is to turn the district “from a red dot to a blue dot,” it’s no secret that she wants to be that blue dot.“Our system is in desperate straits, and you can either run away and hide or try to be part of the solution,” she says. When asked why she chose Congress for her first foray into politics, rather than a local post, she doesn’t mince words. “I don’t have time for that. The stakes are too high, and I think I’m qualified.” How a Pennsylvania industrial engineer became the odds-on favorite to win a seat in Congress Public health scientist hopes to take his activism to Congress Pennsylvania is a key battleground in the fight for control of the next Congress, and scientists are in the middle of that fight. In February, the state’s highest court threw out a Republican-drawn map of the state’s 18 congressional districts and installed one that, for the most part, eliminates partisan gerrymandering. Those new districts helped push some Republican incumbents into retirement, while at the same time prompting many first-time Democratic candidates to run for seats that now appear winnable.The result is a political free-for-all in which veteran campaign watchers are hedging their bets on who the winners might be. “I haven’t seen a single poll, and without a poll, you can’t begin to make a guess,” says political scientist Terry Madonna of Franklin and Marshall College (F&M) in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where he directs the Center for Politics and Public Affairs and runs the F&M Poll. A crowded field, he says, simply adds to the confusion. This story is the second in a three-part series on candidates with considerable scientific training who are running as Democrats for the U.S. House of Representatives in Pennsylvania. 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Kelly Schulz 
The science candidates: races to watch in 2018 Follow our rolling coverage of 2018’s science candidates Postdoc hopes Pennsylvania voters will help her re-engineer how to run for Congress The science vote No more flying soloAsk Houlahan about her childhood, and her answer—“I grew up everywhere”—reflects her military upbringing. Houlahan’s father and one of her grandfathers were U.S. Navy pilots, and her dad’s job flying P-3 Orion antisubmarine reconnaissance planes meant the family would always be along the water. By the time she was a teenager, Houlahan was a certified scuba diver, an open-water swimmer, and a budding marine biologist. Her easy access to both oceans and sky, combined with a strong parental push to study science, led her to put astronaut at the top of her career choices.In her mind, the process began by becoming a pilot. She won an Air Force Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) scholarship to attend Stanford. However, the military was not welcome on campus when she arrived there in 1985. So every Friday, Houlahan was one of 20 Stanford undergraduates who would pile into cars and drive 40 kilometers to San Jose State University for daylong training.Hostility to the military wasn’t the only obstacle she had to overcome. Engineering classes were typically offered Monday, Wednesday, and Friday—and Houlahan said Stanford made no attempt to accommodate the ROTC students who would be absent. “So ROTC meant you were basically missing one-third of your classes, for 4 years,” she recalls. “And that made it pretty hard to be a very good student.”The size of the ROTC class would eventually dwindle to four, with Houlahan as the only woman. And although her military heritage helped her persevere—“I knew exactly what I was setting myself up for,” she says—she made an unorthodox decision when the Air Force offered her one of its highly competitive slots for pilot training.“I turned them down,” she says. “I had already started dating my husband and was hoping that we would end up making a life together. I had grown up in a wandering lifestyle in which we moved every year. He wasn’t going into the military, and I visualized what his life would be like if I were in the military.”Her classmates and Air Force officials couldn’t believe it, she recalls. “I remember the Air Force was pretty disappointed, and my ROTC cadre was stunned. But it was a lifestyle choice. And we’ve been married for 28 years, so I think I made the right one.”After graduation, Houlahan spent 3 years at Hanscom Air Force Base in Bedford, Massachusetts, which focuses on electronic communications systems. There she worked on air and space defense technologies “one or more generations in the future.” The challenges included figuring out “what types of information people need, and in what order, and with what visual displays, when ballistic missiles are raining down on you” and “how to communicate in a postnuclear war environment.”Corner office to the classroomAfter leaving the military, she made use of her MIT degree, which combined business and engineering courses, to help her husband run a fledgling sports apparel company, AND1. The startup, based here, soon grew to rival industry leader Nike. Its socially responsible benefits included 40 hours of paid community service annually for every employee, which Houlahan invariably used to improve educational opportunities for underserved populations. “And for me,” she says, “that meant women and girls in STEM [science, technology, engineering, and math] and communities of color.”Eventually, she decided that she needed to experience the problems facing the nation’s public schools before she could hope to have any impact. So she left an executive position at another startup her husband had co-founded and enrolled in a program for lifelong learners at the University of Pennsylvania, retaking chemistry and taking biology for the first time. She also was accepted into Teach for America, an on-the-job training program that placed her at Simon Gratz High School, a storied but troubled school here.For someone used to working in a corner office, Simon Gratz was an eye-opening experience. “We had some labs, but we didn’t have access to them for most of the year,” she says. A bigger problem, she soon realized, was that “teaching science to kids who are reading really, really below grade level is an impossibility. And my kids were reading at the third or fourth grade level.”Although Teach for America fellows, who are often fresh out of college, must stay in the classroom for 2 years to earn their teaching degree, Houlahan left the program after 1 year. She had learned enough, she says, to understand the importance of literacy in tackling many of the problems facing urban schools. She then joined Springboard Collaborative, a nonprofit based here that aims to improve literacy by creating a year-round learning environment for students that extends into the home and community.A wall of moneyHoulahan says that she and her husband have emphasized to their three children, now adults, the importance of putting their talents to the “highest, best use.” After Donald Trump was elected president, she says, she applied that imperative to herself.“I was raised to respect the democratic process, and the will of the people, and whoever is your commander in chief,” she says. “And this was the first time that I felt I couldn’t do that.”Anticipating that her response to that dilemma might lead her into electoral politics, Houlahan spent the next 3 months exploring what it would take to run a campaign. One day, she appended a note to a fundraising solicitation from Emily’s List, a nonprofit that supports women running for office and to which she regularly donated small amounts. “I want to run for Congress,” she wrote. “What does it take?”Once she made up her mind, Houlahan hit the ground running. She wanted to learn as much as possible about the district. She also wanted to raise enough money to scare off any challengers.“I wanted to put up as big a defense as I could,” she says, “because it doesn’t do anybody any good to fight among ourselves.” Her strategy has been wildly successful: As of 31 March, Houlahan had raised $2 million, a staggering haul for a political novice in the run-up to a primary.Raising vast amounts is “a necessary evil” for first-time candidates like herself who need to introduce themselves to potential voters, she says. “But it’s also a big part of what’s broken in campaigning.” If voters send her to Washington, D.C., she promises to seek ways “to lessen the role of money and increase transparency in campaigning.”Houlahan has also benefited from forces beyond her control. The two-term incumbent Republican who holds the seat, Representative Ryan Costello, dropped out of the race a week after the 20 March filing deadline. That leaves Greg McCauley, a tax lawyer and neophyte candidate, as the only eligible Republican.In another stroke of good luck for Houlahan, the district in which she is running has become decidedly more Democratic since she declared her candidacy. In January 2018, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court threw out a map apportioning all 18 congressional seats that was created by the state’s Republican-led legislature. The old PA-6 was nearly evenly split between those who voted for Trump and those who supported Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential race. But Democrats enjoy a 10-point advantage in the newly redrawn district. As a result, political handicappers have shifted the seat from a toss-up to likely Democrat.If Houlahan wins, she will be looking for opportunities to promote her ideas on national security, the economy, and education. She says she’s “pro-business” but progressive on social issues. She’d also like to explore ways to shorten the campaign season—and lessen the incessant need to raise money.“I have been campaigning for 18 months for a job that, if I win, I will hold for 2 years,” she says wearily. “And as near as I can tell, I’ll start fundraising to get re-elected the day after I’m sworn in.”Even so, Houlahan is looking forward to meeting some kindred spirits in Washington, D.C. “I’m hopeful that, if I get elected, there will be a lot of people like me who want to be part of a wave of change. And if there are enough of us, maybe we’ll have the opportunity to make a difference.”*Correction, 9 May, 10:53 p.m.: This story has been updated to correct Houlahan’s age.
The zombie career experience nightmare: zombie employees turning into zombie candidates returning to be zombie employees.Brand Talent is about saving you from becoming a zombie. But how do you know if you have already turned into one?You get up every morning dreading work. You feel like the walking dead.Then you lose that job you hate so much. You are mad, but you get over it once you realize that you don’t have a lot of cash in the bank. You hustle to get your resume together. You start reaching out to your network, cursing yourself for letting so many friendships lapse as you kept your head down and turned the crank in your old job.You score a few interviews for jobs that you don’t want, but you need the money so you fake your best sales face. You are a zombie candidate stalking your next employer.Finally, an offer comes through. A voice in the back of your head says “NOT AGAIN!” but that voice is drowned in the gratitude of not having your car repossessed. One week into the new job you realize you are going to hate this job as much as you hated the last one. The zombie cycle repeats itself.You don’t want the solution to today’s problem to turn into just another nightmare. You are better than that.Being a zombie puts you in the career crosshairs. Zombies simply can’t compete against people with passion. Anything a zombie can do can be done by a hungry worker in a low cost location. You can’t outsource people who create value, but you can’t create value if you hate your work.If you want recruiters calling you (instead of the other way around), if you want to be brand talent, you need to make your first priority figuring out how to get paid as much as possible for doing something you love. You need to profit from your purpose.I ask every person I interview the following question: “What would you do it you won the lottery?” Some people light up and tell me stories about their dreams. I have seen it happen hundreds of times, and it is always the best part of my day. You can see the real person peeking out from behind the zombie mask. I can’t help myself: I want that person to experience their dream.Of course that doesn’t always mean I have the right job for them. But I never forget them. Whether they know it or not, their sincere passion has created a brand with me. Their unique, individual brand. They have started on the path to being Brand Talent.
Diminutive Delhi wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant slammed a brilliant triple hundred but it went in vain as Maharashtra took the all-important first innings lead in the Ranji Trophy Group B match that ended in a draw on Sunday.Pant compiled 308 off only 326 balls laced with as many as 9 sixes and 42 fours and brought Delhi very close to Maharashtra’s huge first innings score of 635/2 declared.However, he fell in trying to hit a 10th six, one ball after he had lofted left-arm spinner Satyajeet Bachhav over the rope, when Delhi were 58 runs behind Maharashtra’s first innings total.The dismissal of Pant, who had kept wickets over the first two days and then came down to bat at No.5 when Delhi were 135/3, ended his team’s hopes as Maharashtra polished off the remaining three wickets for 13 runs to terminate the northern team’s first innings at 590 for a lead of 45.In the remaining time, Maharashtra made 58 without loss before the game was called off by mutual consent.BENGAL BAG THREE POINTSAbhimanyu Easwaran scored his second century of the match as Bengal logged home three points against Uttar Pradesh by virtue of their first innings lead in a drawn Ranji Trophy group league encounter.After securing a vital 56-run first innings lead, Bengal employed a safety-first approach declaring at 274/6 in 76 overs leaving UP with an improbable target of 331.The two captains shook hands when UP scored 70 for no loss in 20 overs. UP got a point from the game.Just like the first day, the final day also belonged to the right-handed opener Easwaran carried his bat through the innings with an unbeaten 110 following his 142 in the first innings.advertisementThis was his third first-class hundred and batted for a period of more than five and quarter hours, facing 209 balls. There were 11 boundaries in his innings.YUVRAJ, BOWLERS GIVE PUNJAB SIX POINTSIn-form skipper Yuvraj Singh’s timely declaration paid off as his bowlers fired in unison to help Punjab bundle out Madhya Pradesh for 180 and notch up a 126-run win in their Group A Ranji Trophy match.Chasing 307 runs for an outright victory, Madhya Pradesh were bowled out in 64.4 overs at the CH Bansi Lal Cricket Stadium.Pacer Manprit Gony was the wrecker-in-chief for Punjab, returning figures of 4/41, while Siddarth Kaul (3/42) and Sandeep Sharma (2/25) provided the much-needed support at the other end.Punjab will pick six points for the outright win.
New Delhi, Sep 5 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Vice President Venkaiah Naidu led the nation in greeting the teaching community on Teachers Day today, which saw a number of states awarding their best teachers and announcing special measures for students benefit.Modi said teachers had a central role in realising the vision of a “New India” and paid tribute to former president Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan on his birth anniversary today. The day is celebrated in his honour.The prime minister, who is in China for the BRICS summit, in a message said the next five years should be about “teach to transform, educate to empower and learn to lead”.Breaking with tradition, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu, instead of the president, gave away the national awards for teachers.President Ram Nath Kovind later interacted with the 219 awardees at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here.Constituted in 1958, the awards cover teachers working in primary, middle and secondary schools.Naidu termed teachers as “unsung heroes” and “bharata bhagya vidhatas (shapers of Indias development)”.On the occasion, he also launched DIKSHA, a national digital infrastructure for teachers.The Odisha government announced free uniforms for all the students in state-run schools.Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik presented awards to 100 teachers for their “outstanding” contribution to the field of education.”Teachers are the cornerstone of an empowered and enlightened society. On the occasion of Guru Divas, I thank them for their invaluable contribution towards nation building,” he said.His Bihar counterpart, Nitish Kumar, said his government would open a plus-2 school in every village to ensure that all the girls in the state are educated up to Class 12.advertisementAs part of its efforts to increase literacy among girls, their enrolment in Class 9 is now almost equal to that of boys in Bihar, he said.He said educating girls is also a solution to control population.On the occasion, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said her government would focus on teaching English in schools.”There were years when generation after generation were not allowed to learn English language. I want English to be taught (in schools),” Banerjee said in an apparent reference to the erstwhile Left Front government, which had stopped the teaching of English in state-run schools till Class VI in 1983.Preference should be given to ones mother tongue or choice of language but students should also possess knowledge of the local dialect, she said at a Teachers Day programme.Students will learn Bengali as well as English. They may learn other languages if they want to. They can learn Gorkha, Nepali, Ol Chiki, Maithili or whatever they feel because language is ones prerogative. But because a student is staying in West Bengal, he/she must know the regional language, she said.Nagaland also honoured 16 teachers with state-level awards, and declared a holiday for schools tomorrow.”Teaching is a noble profession as teachers are the real source of knowledge and wisdom, and their sacrifice is silent but tremendous,” Minister for School Education Tokhaho Yepthomi told a gathering of teachers and students in Kohima.Haryana Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki asked the teaching fraternity to encourage students for imbibing positive thoughts and values along with education.After conferring state awards on 29 teachers on the occasion of Teachers Day at a function, he said: “A teacher is a nation-builder in the real sense of the term. He/she shapes the future of a child much the same way as a potter gives shape to the clay.”Rajasthan Education Minister Vasudev Devnani asserted that establishment of smart schools, skill development and promotion of sports would be his focus in the next academic session.”The government is focusing on the parameters for the development of education in the state and working in that direction,” Devnani said, while addressing a gathering at an event where teachers were also felicitated. PTI TEAM GVS
Photo Attribution: USATSII’ve never really had an NFL team.I was born in Tulsa — which is ambitious enough for the Olympics, but sadly no pro football squad — and raised in Houston during the weird Oilers/Texans thing so I just never really adopted anybody. Those factors plus the fact that I never found the need to really root for anybody not wearing orange and black meant that I was resigned to fantasy rooting.Then Brandon Weeden got drafted to the Browns and Josh Cooper got picked up (and somehow ended up his No. 2 receiver…again) and the Browns seemed like a team you could root for without being called a bandwagon fan. So I adopted them as my adult NFL squad and immediately regretted it when Weeden was almost suffocated by members of our military…Anyway, they kind of stunk last year, but they stunk so much that they became a prime candidate to extend one of the coolest, most unbelievable, streaks in all of sports.For each of the last 10 years at least one NFL team has gone from last place in its division one year to first place the next year. Here are the culprits (via Big Lead).Teams that have done it2003: Carolina Panthers (7-9)/Kansas City Chiefs (8-8)2004: Atlanta Falcons (5-11)/San Diego Chargers (4-12)2005: Chicago Bears (5-11)/New York Giants (6-10)2006: Philadelphia Eagles (6-10)/New Orleans Saints (3-13)/Baltimore Ravens (6-10)2007: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-12)2008: Miami Dolphins (1-15)2009: New Orleans Saints (8-8)2010: Kansas City Chiefs (4-12)2011: Houston Texans (6-10)2012: Washington Redskins (5-11)And here are your contenders this year and why I think each could or couldn’t.2013 teams trying to do itBills — Do people really think EJ Manuel is good?Jets — LOLBrowns — I really think this is a thing. Weeden will have to be much better than last year but their D is so good. I think they’re one of the three most likely.Jaguars — Do people really think Blaine Gabbert is good?Chiefs — I just don’t feel like an Alex Smith-led team can take down a Peyton Manning-led team for the AFC West.Eagles — Chip Kelly + Michael Vick = ‘splosions.Lions — So many big names (Stafford, Bush, Mega, Fairley, Suh), it’s hard to see them not being good.Panthers — Cam’s the real deal but that division is filthy.Saints — Probably the favorite in Vegas to turn the trick this year.Bucs — Is Josh Freeman the most “wait, I watched that guy in college, he’s a starting QB in the NFL” guy ever?Cardinals — When Carson Palmer is the answer, the question is likely NSFW.The one thing the Browns have going for them is that their division isn’t that great. The Ravens looked inept last night, the Steelers always feel like they’re one bad Roethlisberger decision from obscurity and the Bengals are feisty but not elite. It doesn’t feel like a stretch to think they can win their division like it does for, say, the Cardinals or Jags.I think Weeden has a lot left in the tank and NFL folks will start saying what we were all saying after that 40-yard strike to 81 on the run in that ’09 Colorado game.This dude is good.If you’re looking for the comments section, it has moved to our forum, The Chamber. You can go there to comment and holler about these articles, specifically in these threads. You can register for a free account right here and will need one to comment.If you’re wondering why we decided to do this, we wrote about that here. Thank you and cheers!
WC Qualification Europe Italy vs Sweden: TV channel, stream, kick-off time, odds & World Cup play-off preview Ryan Kelly 20:15 11/13/17 FacebookTwitterRedditcopy Comments(1) 
Getty Images WC Qualification Europe Italy Italy v Sweden Sweden Giampiero Ventura is under serious pressure to ensure his side reaches the grand stage of the World Cup in Russia Italy must do everything they can to overturn a 1-0 defeat from the first leg against Sweden if they are to ensure their place at the World Cup next year.The Azzurri were left trailing in the play-off thanks to Jakob Johansson’s second-half strike in Solna and the pressure is building on coach Giampiero Ventura to get a result.Italy last failed to reach the World Cup in 1958, which, interestingly, was staged in Sweden, so the weight of expectation is sure to be leaning heavily on their minds. Article continues below Editors’ Picks Lyon treble & England heartbreak: The full story behind Lucy Bronze’s dramatic 2019 Liverpool v Man City is now the league’s biggest rivalry and the bitterness is growing Megan Rapinoe: Born & brilliant in the U.S.A. A Liverpool legend in the making: Behind Virgil van Dijk’s remarkable rise to world’s best player Game Italy vs Sweden Date Monday, November 13 Time 19:45 GMT / 14:45 ET TV CHANNEL & LIVE STREAM 
In the United Kingdom (UK), the match will be available to watch live on television on Sky Sports Football and by live stream via Sky Go. UK TV channel Online stream Sky Sports Football / Main Event Sky Go In the United States (US), the match will be available to watch live on television on Fox Sports 1 (FS1) and by live stream using Fox Sports GO. US TV channel Online stream FS1 Fox Sports GO SQUADS & TEAM NEWS Position Italy players Goalkeepers Buffon, Donnarumma, Perin Defenders Rugani, Chiellini, Darmian, Astori, Barzagli, Bonucci, Zappacosta, Spinazzola, D’Ambrosio Midfielders Gagliardini, Candreva, Florenzi, Verratti, Insigne, Jorginho, De Rossi, Parolo, Bernardeschi, El Shaarawy Forwards Belotti, Immobile, Eder, Gabbiadini, Zaza Italy will be without the services of Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti, who is suspended after picking up a yellow card in the first leg.Lorenzo Insigne is likely to replace Verratti in midfield as the Italians adopt a more attacking approach. Leonardo Bonucci suffered a broken nose in the first leg, but should be able to take part.Potential Italy starting XI: Buffon; Barzagli, Bonucci, Chiellini; De Rossi, Insigne, Candreva, Parolo, Darmian; Belotti, Immobile. Position Sweden players Goalkeepers Olsen, Johnsson, Nordtfeldt Defenders Lustig, Lindelof, Granqvist, Olsson, Augustinsson, Helander, Grafth, Jansson, J. Larsson Midfielders S. Larsson, Durmaz, Forsberg, Johansson, Svensson, Claesson, Rohden, Sema, Ekdal Forwards Berg, Guidetti, Toivonen, Thelin Sweden have no fresh injury concerns and they are likely to remain largely unchanged as they attempt to hold on to their slender lead. Jakob Johansson, who scored the winning goal last Friday, could potentially have earned a starting position ahead of Albin Ekdal as a result of his efforts.Potential Sweden starting XI: Olsen; Lindelof, Granqvist, Grafth, Augustinsson; S. Larsson, Johansson, Forsberg, Claesson; Berg, Toivonen.BETTING & MATCH ODDS 
Despite losing the first leg, Italy are favourites to win with dabblebet pricing them at 8/15 to secure victory. Sweden, meanwhile, are considered a 6/1 bet and a draw is available at 14/5.Click here to see all dabblebet’s markets for the game, including goalscorer odd and correct score predictions.GAME PREVIEW 
It has been nearly 60 years since Italy last missed out on a place at the World Cup finals and they are staring into the possibility of failure having lost their opening play-off leg to Sweden.The Azzurri had a difficult task in qualification with Spain also in their group, but the expectation was that the four-time world champions would ultimately stroll through a knock-out tie.Italy are famed for their pragmatic style of football and that was evident from their string of narrow victories in qualifying, but Ventura is under pressure to get the right result at San Siro on Monday.The former Torino boss said that he wants to guide his team to the World Cup by playing in “in the correct spirit” but, given the predicament they find themselves in, that may not be possible. Indeed, it may be that Italy need to play ugly in order to book their place at next year’s tournament in Russia and fans of the Azzurri will surely be forgiving if it gets the job done.
The classic American fascination with jumbo-sized cars seems to be waning, though. Buyers these days seem to value attention to detail, premium materials, and driving refinement over pure honking size.Enter the Germans, who have long built reasonably sized luxury sedans and crossovers for the global markets. The latest compact luxury vehicle to make its way Stateside is the 2015 Audi Q3, which will make its debut at the Detroit Auto Show next week. And I think it’s a special thing indeed.Under the hood, Audi offers a 2.0-liter TFSI turbocharged four-cylinder that makes 200 horsepower and 207 pound-feet of torque. The plucky little four-banger is bolted to a six-speed Tiptronic transmission, which sends power to the front wheels or to all four, if the buyer options for quattro all-wheel drive.This drivetrain is nice but nothing to write home about, as it’s been yanked from the A3 sedan. And the exterior is nice but it just looks like a mini version of the Q5. What really has me intrigued, though, is the interior.Just look at that thing. It’s a perfect blend of refinement and sportiness. While BMW interiors feel cheap and cartoonish, especially that of the BMW X1, and the Mercedes GLA is still a bit too grandpa-y for me, the Q3 does it just right.If interior styling and volume weren’t enough, the Q3 will of course include Audi connect and Audi MMI that offers Wi-Fi hotspot connectivity and Google Earth mapping.Although it’s being unveiled in Detroit next week, the Q3 won’t go on sale until late 2014. And pricing won’t be announced until closer to sale date. American cars have historically been quite large. I don’t need to list any off; you should know them by now. Editors’ Recommendations 1. 2015 Audi Q3 2. 2015 Audi Q3 3. 2015 Audi Q3 4. 2015 Audi Q3 5. 2015 Audi Q3 6. 2015 Audi Q3 7. 2015 Audi Q3 8. 2015 Audi Q3 9. 2015 Audi Q3 10. 2015 Audi Q3 11. 2015 Audi Q3 12. 2015 Audi Q3 13. 2015 Audi Q3 6 Fastest Cars in the World Right Now A Breakdown of All the Major Types of Car Racing Après-Hike: The Best Gear Kit to Sport After the Adventure NASCAR Driver Brad Keselowski on Crashing, Winning, and Creating a Legacy Kia Telluride Is the Perfect Road Tripper for All Two- and Four-Legged Friends
Facebook We got to shoot in some beautiful locations in Langley and Squamish, and the extent of the cast and crew were nothing but fantastic.CB: Tell your fans about your role in the feature film “Fatal Visit.”DH: I play Ming, an online entrepreneur and a longtime friend of Ling’s (Sammi Cheng). She introduced me to her friend Yanny (Charlene Choi) after Yanny experiences a rough breakup. It was a unique experience in that the dialogue I spoke was entirely Chinese; Cantonese, Mandarin, as well as Taiwanese. It was challenging to experience that but also exciting being able to work with actresses whose work I grew up watching. It was surreal to me, even more so for my parents. I believe it will be released in theaters later this summer. Advertisement Login/Register With: Actor Donald Heng scored on a childhood career ambition. The talented young actor went from wanting to be a superhero as a child, to a cop when he was young, to accomplishing those dreams. Well; in a way. Heng had the chance to play opposite Vincent D’Onofrio in “Ghost Wars” in the role of Deputy Larry Foon. The rising star out of Vancouver, BC is also known for roles in season four of “The Flash”, and CBS’ “Ransom,” and “Arrow”, Supernatural,” and “Van Helsing”. Get to know Donald, his lovable dogs, being stuck in a box for a “Supernatural” episode.Colleen Bement: What can you share about your experience playing Deputy Foon on an episode of “Ghost Wars”.Donald Heng: It was a really great experience. Overall, it fulfilled so many of my desires in terms of what I wanted to accomplish in acting; working with actors that I admire so much such as Vincent D’Onofrio, playing a police officer, and being part of a project that is very character driven. Advertisement Advertisement LEAVE A REPLY Cancel replyLog in to leave a comment Twitter
TORONTO – Allegations of price fixing in the bread aisles of major grocers are “shocking” and “bizarre,” analysts said Wednesday as more companies came forward to reveal they are co-operating with an investigation by the country’s competition watchdog.Grocer Sobey’s Inc. confirmed Wednesday that the watchdog was present at its offices in connection with search warrants regarding pricing related to commercial bread dating back to 2001.“They arrived in our Stellarton and Ontario offices (Tuesday),” said spokeswoman Jacquelin Corrado in an email. “We are co-operating to support the investigation and have advised employees internally of the process underway.”The Competition Bureau said late Tuesday that the Ontario Superior Court in Ottawa granted search warrants “based on evidence that there are reasonable grounds to believe that certain individuals and companies have engaged in activities contrary to the Competition Act.”Spokeswoman Marie-France Faucher said the bureau was conducting the searches and gathering evidence to determine the facts, but that there has been no conclusion of wrongdoing at this time and no charges have been laid.Faucher added that she could not reveal more details, as the bureau is required to conduct investigations confidentially. The application and search warrants are also sealed.Canada’s Competition Act prohibits agreements that “prevent or unduly lessen competition or to unreasonably enhance the price of a product.”That could include agreements between competitors to fix prices, or to restrict production of a product by setting quotas or other means that would be considered cartel activities. Penalties for price fixing could include fines of up to $10 million, imprisonment to a maximum term of five years, or both.However, the bureau says price-fixing conspiracies are, by their nature, difficult to detect and prove.“Suspicions and evidence of identical prices are not enough to prove a criminal offence,” the bureau says on its website.The country’s other big grocers, Loblaw Companies Ltd. and Metro Inc. have said they are fully co-operating with the probe but would not comment on whether their offices were searched.George Weston Ltd. (TSX:WN), which owns a controlling stake in Loblaw as well as the Weston Foods bakery, has said it is co-operating with investigators, as have Canada Bread Co. Ltd., which is owned by Mexican company Grupo Bimbo, and Walmart Canada.Canada’s major retailers have many measures in place to guard against price fixing, a practice that prevents or weakens competition through agreements to set prices at artificial levels, said retail analyst Bruce Winder.“It seems a little bizarre, because all the grocers and all the big companies have fairly strong policies, compliance programs and training for employees not to do this,” said Winder, the co-founder and partner of Retail Advisors Network.John Williams, a partner at retail consulting company J.C. Williams Group, called the probe “shocking” given that Canada’s major retailers are governed by very well-defined codes of ethics.He also noted that the bread industry has been in “turmoil” as consumers look for healthier or artisan versions of the food staple, pushing producers to innovate with new varieties to stay competitive.“It now has almost become a fashion item… Huge aisles of white bread are slowly shrinking,” Williams said.Bread also remains a “high-profile item that grocery stores use to drive people in, much like milk,” said Winder.Meanwhile, the sector has faced intensifying competition, with the entry of discount retailers such as Walmart into the grocery space and Amazon’s recent purchase of Whole Foods.“The margin pressure in groceries is astronomical… Competitors are looking for anything to try and get an edge,” Winder said.The Competition Bureau has been cracking down on pricing practices in Canada in recent years.In February, the watchdog moved to sue Hudson’s Bay Co. (TSX:HBC) over alleged deceptive pricing practices, an accusation the retailer denies.The bureau also conducted an investigation into e-book pricing, and reached a deal in 2014 with four major e-book publishers that forced them to drop their practice of stopping retailers from offering discounts on the digital reading material.
19 September 2008The situation in Chad remains fragile and there has been no notable progress towards implementing a year-old agreement between the Government and the main rebel groups, a senior United Nations official said today. “Moreover, instability and insecurity are likely to increase with the end of the rainy season when roads will become passable again and rebel activities will resume,” the head of the UN Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad (MINURCAT), Victor Angelo, told the Security Council.The Council set up the mission a year ago with a mandate to help bring stability to eastern Chad and north-eastern Central African Republic (CAR), which have both been wracked by violence and civilian displacement in recent years involving hundreds of thousands of people.Presenting Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon latest report on MINURCAT, Mr. Angelo reported that relations between Chad and Sudan remain tense despite regular meetings of a contact group.Eastern Chad currently shelters 290,000 refugees, mainly Sudanese escaping from the fighting in the neighbouring Darfur region, and 180,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) who depend on humanitarian aid to survive.“The protection of civilians remains a major concern,” he said. “Villages are regularly attacked, impunity remains a critical issue and criminals are rarely investigated or found guilty. Vulnerable groups, particularly women and children, are the most affected.”The situation in CAR is also volatile, he added.In his report, Mr. Ban proposed sending 6,000 UN troops to replace a European Union (EU) force in both countries. The mandate of the EU military force, known as EUFOR, is set to expire on 15 March 2009, and currently comprises 3,300 troops. At present MINURCAT has 768 personnel on the ground out of the 1,549 authorized.
Speaking before assembled dignitaries at the opening ceremony, the Secretary-General said the idea of a house of all nations held together by a common structure “helps us to visualize the very concept upon which the United Nations was built.”By serving 10 countries in the eastern Caribbean, Mr. Annan said the Barbados UN House “symbolizes the great potential and realities of regional cooperation and integration in an interdependent world.”At the same time, he called attention to the many challenges facing Caribbean countries, including declining development assistance, frequent natural disasters and the negative impact of global climate change. “And you are vulnerable to external economic shocks in key areas such as agriculture and tourism – indeed as we have seen happen in the aftermath of the 11 September terrorist attacks in the United States,” he said. “Let us not be daunted by the complexity of these issues, or by the global forces at work in today’s world,” the Secretary-General said, noting that Caribbean countries had achieved high levels of development. “This is progress on which you can and must build.” Looking to the broader context, he pointed out that the Caribbean countries – which faced “in concentrated form” many of the main environmental and developmental problems now unfolding – could “guide the way to a brighter future for all peoples.”Mr. Annan also pledged the UN’s support in helping countries of the region implement the goals set out in the UN Millennium Declaration in 2000. “Ultimately, however, it is Governments that bear the main responsibility for action,” he said. “So I hope you, too, will do everything in your power to muster the will and resources needed.”The new state-of-the-art premises house offices of the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and the UN International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP). The Barbados UN House will function under the leadership of the UN Resident Coordinator, Rosina Wiltshire.
Aeroplan operator Aimia increases dividend amid higher Q1 revenue but lower EPS AddThis Sharing ButtonsShare to TwitterTwitterShare to FacebookFacebookShare to RedditRedditShare to 電子郵件Email by The Canadian Press Posted May 13, 2013 6:35 pm MDT MONTREAL – Aimia Inc. (TSX: AIM) is increasing its quarterly dividend by a penny per share even though the operator of the Aeroplan loyalty rewards program also reports an 8.3 per cent decrease in its net earnings per share in the first quarter.Aimia said after markets closed Monday that its net profit rose to $45.7 million from $44.7 million in the same 2012 quarter, but on an earnings per share basis that amounted to 22 cents versus 24 cents in the year-earlier period.However, total revenue rose 7.4 per cent to $609.5 million from $567.7 million as it upped the dividend to 17 cents from 16 cents, an increase of more than six per cent.The dividend is payable June 28 to shareholders of record on June 14 and, based on Aimia’s closing price Monday of $15.98 on the Toronto Stock Exchange, would produce an annual yield of 4.25 per cent.“This quarter our consolidated top line was bolstered by a solid increase in the gross billings from the sale of loyalty units, which represents nearly three-quarters of our total gross billings,” said chief executive Rupert Duchesne.“In particular, the EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) region was very strong in the first three months of this year. We are on track for 2013 and look forward to many successes in the balance of the year across our global operations, including Canada, with respect to the negotiation of our financial partner contract renewals.”First quarter gross billings the EMEA region were $173.7 million, representing an increase of 20.8 per cent compared with the same period of 2012.Beside Aeroplan, Aimia also operates Nectar, the United Kingdom’s largest coalition loyalty program.The company, which employs more than 4,000 people in over 20 countries, also has stakes in Air Miles Middle East, Nectar Italia, Mexico’s leading coalition loyalty program, Club Premier, Brazil’s Prismah Fidelidade, and i2c, a joint venture with Sainsbury’s offering insight and data analytics services in the U.K. to retailers and suppliers. It also has a minority position in Cardlytics, a U.S.-based private company operating in transaction-driven marketing for electronic banking.
WHAT’S THE STORY?1. There was some good news for Louth this morning as PayPal announced it will be hiring 400 more people in Dundalk. Source: Dan Sheridan/INPHO2. Enda Kenny is not worried about Europe’s investigation into Apple’s tax deal in Ireland. Not worried at all. Source: Fitness Pal3. Are you a Dublinbike user? You’ll soon have more stations and bikes to choose from. Here are junior minister Alan Kelly and the Lord Mayor having a go today.http://vine.co/v/MILx6gjVrQ64. Gardaí have launched a campaign to warn car buyers about a “huge scam” where vehicles bought with fake bank drafts are sold onto “unsuspecting” customers. So Rory is Irish after all— Copper Face Jacks (@CopperFaceJacks) June 18, 2014 Source: An Garda Síochána5. The situation in Iraq is deteriorating with militants now attacking the country’s main oil refinery. Iraqi children play with an army helmet left behind by a soldier after ISIS fighters took Mosul. Source: AP/Press Association Images6. You should not wash those chicken breasts. Even if that’s what your Mam told you to do. Source: Wikipedia/CC7. A High Court judge has referred a case taken against Facebook’s alleged sharing of data to the European Court of Justice. [RTÉ News]8. Can we have class outside, Miss? Yes, it’s still summer. And, in fact, it may even be TOO hot. Source: Met Éireann via KateMonkey/Flickr9. And news just in…Rory McIlroy has said he will play for Ireland in the 2016 Olympic Games.
Source: Copper Face Jacks/Twitter
Omar Alshakal, a Syrian refugee who attempted to swim to Greece to make a new life in Europe, is now dedicating his time to helping other refugees on the front line on Lesvos by starting a charity.Refugee 4 Refugees looks to encourage fellow refugees to collect clothes and toys for Syrians in Greece and in Middle East refugee camps, to run kitchen projects on the island, and to fundraise for a rough-terrain vehicle to assist boat landings on Lesvos.“Some NGOs, you don’t know how the money gets used, you disagree with how they do things. I wanted us to be able to help ourselves,” the 23-year-old told The Independent.Since putting the word out, an increasing number of refugees have started to lend their services, and it is a chance for them to play a more active role in the crisis rather than be victims, Alshakal says. “Omar is a pretty exceptional young man,” said managing director of Refugee Rescue, Jude Bennett. “Now he has set up Refugee 4 Refugees to help [give refugees] work that gives a meaning to life now that they are stuck in camps on the island … It makes a simple but real difference to refugees’ everyday lives.”Born in DeirEzzour, which is now under siege by Isis, when the civil war broke out Alshakal was arrested for his activism against President Bashar al-Assad’s regime. After his release, an air strike saw him wheelchair-bound with a shrapnel wound to his right leg while volunteering as an ambulance driver. It was this incident that led him to Turkey seeking medical treatment. But when he didn’t find what he needed, the only option seemed to be swimming while injured from Bodrum to Kalymnos.He was picked up by authorities before reaching the shore, and over the next 18 months experienced one hardship after another including the accusation of being a member of Isis resulting in the temporary suspension of his asylum application in Germany.Disillusioned, in early 2016 he set his sights on returning to Syria, but when he arrived in Greece he found himself on a new path with the realisation he could help others in his position.“I spoke their language, I knew their pain, I knew what they were trying to find,” Alshakal said. “I had been volunteering in Germany. I had to help here too.”While his focus is on the work of his charity, with his Greek visa expiring in 2018 he is not sure what the future holds.“I will keep doing what I’m doing here until someone stops me,” he said.“But really, still, I just want to be able to go home. That is what all of us want and what I think many people in Europe still don’t understand.” Facebook Twitter: @NeosKosmos Instagram
KUSI Newsroom, Longtime KUSI Anchor David Davis has passed away following a fatal traffic accident Posted: September 13, 2018 September 13, 2018 Updated: 9:19 PM
Categories: Local San Diego News FacebookTwitter SAN DIEGO (KUSI) — KUSI News is sad to report that late Wednesday night, that longtime KUSI anchor and reporter David Davis was killed in a fatal traffic accident.He is survived by his two children and his wife Staci Ortiz-Davis, who has appeared alongside David many times here at KUSI News.David Davis joined the KUSI News team in January 2003, he retired just a few months ago.He died in a traffic accident near Dallas, while on a cross-country road trip.He graduated from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville with a degree in Communications, and was a huge Tennessee Volunteer fan. Davis anchored in four states across America.He received many awards for his work, including spot news coverage of the Jeffrey Dahmer capture, and week-long 9/11 reports from New York.We pass along our condolences to the Davis family and all those he touched here in San Diego. KUSI Newsroom 
• Share your voice CNET Smart Home CNET Smart Home Aug 30 • iRobot Roomba S9 Plus vs. Neato Botvac D7 Connected Smart Home 17 Photos reading • Abode’s DIY security system spruces up its Google Assistant controls See All Tags Aug 31 • Alexa can tell you if someone breaks into your house Post a comment Expanded Google Assistant support makes Abode an even more appealing option for anyone who’s already using a Google Home smart speaker or Google Assistant smart display. If your Abode setup includes a camera or the Abode Iota all-in-one device, which includes a built-in camera, you can ask Google Assistant to pull up the feed on your smart display’s screen just by saying something like, “OK, Google, show me the backyard.”In addition to viewing camera feeds, arming and disarming the system and turning lights on and off, you can also ask things like, “OK, Google, are any windows open?” and, “OK, Google, is the door locked?” Google Assistant can control your smart lock, too — but as with disarming the system, you’ll need to provide a PIN if you want to unlock it. Same goes for opening your garage door. “We made a promise to provide customers with a Google Assistant integration that enabled users use their assistant-enabled devices across every Abode system application possible and this latest release delivers on that promise,” Abode CEO Chris Carney says. “As new features and functionality become available to us, we will continue to update all of our integrations and partnerships.”Abode says the new Google Assistant voice controls are live now. You can click here for a full list of supported devices. 1:21 Aug 30 • Battling bot vacs: iRobot Roomba S9+ vs Neato Botvac D7 Connected 0 You’re using your security system wrong: Tricks for a safer smart home (pictures) Abode’s DIY security system has an option for every home Now playing: Watch this: Aug 31 • Best smart light bulbs for 2019 (plus switches, light strips, accessories and more) Enlarge ImageAbode’s DIY security system plays even nicer with Google Assistant now. Chris Monroe/CNET Abode’s app-enabled security kit was already one of our favorite DIY home security systems, and it already supported voice controls via Google Assistant. Now, Abode tells CNET that it’s expanding Google Assistant’s capabilities to give users more control over their systems.Specifically, you’ll now be able to ask Google Assistant to control a wider range of Abode-supported gadgets, including smart locks, garage door openers, cameras and door and window sensors. Previously, users could only ask Google to control their lights, switches and smart plugs. You can also ask Google Assistant to arm your system. Disarm commands are supported too, though you’ll need to provide a four-digit PIN code.Read more: The best Google Assistant gadgets of 2019Abode supports voice controls via Alexa, as well — a company spokesperson tells me that the new Google controls bring the two integrations more or less on par with one another.Abode’s security Starter Kit earned high marks from us for its overall ease of use, strong smart home support and flexibility from its contract-free professional monitoring plans, which include the option for temporary, part-time monitoring while you’re out on vacation. I also like Abode’s data retention policies when it comes to user video clips. Google Assistant
Two people have been killed and six others injured in a road crash in Jinaigati of Sherpur.The deceased are Shaheb Ali, 70, of Ghagra Kabirajpara village in Jinaigati and Firoz Mia, 17, son of Abdul Aziz from Ghagra Patalpara village.The injured are Murad, 35, Mohammad Shah Jamal, 20, Sohel, 20, Rupam, 16, Shanto, 18, and Hazrat Ali, 45.Shah Jamal was admitted to Sherpur sadar hospital and the others to Mymensigh Medical College Hospital.According to police and witnesses, a private car and a battery-run auto rickshaw collided head on at Tetulia bazar on the Sherpur-Jinaigati road around 7:30pm on Saturday.Both of the vehicles were severely damaged while passengers of the auto rickshaw fell into a nearby ditch. Shaheb Ali died on the spot and Firoz died on the way to hospital.Officer-in-charge of Jinaigati police station Biplob Kumar Biswas confirmed the deaths of the two people. He said a case will be filed in this regard. The private car and the auto rickshaw were seized.
Journal information: Physical Review Letters Citation: Researchers suggest dark matter disk in Milky Way plane could signal rash of comet strikes on Earth (2014, May 1) retrieved 18 August 2019 from https://phys.org/news/2014-05-dark-disk-milky-plane-rash.html Our Solar System orbits around the Milky Way’s center, completing a revolution every 250 million years or so. Along this path, it oscillates up and down, crossing the galactic plane about every 32 million years. If a dark matter disk were concentrated along the galactic plane, as shown here, it might tidally disrupt the motion of comets in the Oort cloud at the outer edge of our Solar System. This could explain possible periodic fluctuations in the rate of impacts on Earth. Credit: Physics 7, 41 (2014) | DOI: 10.1103/Physics.7.41 © 2014 Phys.org Physicists suggest possible existence of other kinds of dark matter (Phys.org) —A pair of researchers at Harvard University has published a paper in the journal Physical Review Letters, in which they suggest that a dark matter disk hiding in the Milky Way plane might be responsible for causing asteroids or comets to head our way. In their paper, Lisa Randall and Matthew Reece suggest that such a dark matter disk could pull other bodies from the Oort cloud, some of which could wind up heading toward Earth.
It has been noted by scientists that asteroids and comets tend to strike the Earth in a cyclic pattern that occurs approximately every 35 million—as evidenced by telltale craters. But why such a cycle might occur is still up to conjecture. Some have suggested it’s due to a mysterious planet hidden from our view, or perhaps the presence of an as yet undiscovered companion star. In this new effort, the research duo suggests it might be due to the gravitational pull of a dark matter disk residing in the Milky Way Galaxy plane.This is not the first time that scientists have suggested such a disk might exist—it’s been suggested that a dark matter a disk would explain why our galaxy doesn’t spin apart. It is the first time, however, that such a disk has been proposed as an answer to why our planet gets bombarded periodically with asteroids or comets.In their paper, Randall and Reece note that the conventional view of the material that makes up dark matter, wouldn’t work as a means of pulling other bodes from where they currently reside, it’s evident in their name—weakly interacting massive particles. They suggest that some dark matter could be made instead of what they describe as “strong electromagnetic-like interactions among dark matter particles” which by their nature would exert a greater gravitational pull. And if that were the case, then it would seem plausible that as our solar system circles around the center of our galaxy, most particularly as we move closer to the Oort cloud, some of those bodies that exist there, could be jostled, which in turn could cause some of them to wind up on a collision course with our planet.This new theory by the research pair has some problems—it assumes the periodicity of crater creation has been firmly established, which it hasn’t, and, scientists aren’t even sure which craters on the Earth’s surface were cause by what sort of object. In any event, the theory is expected to gain or lose credence as the European Space Agency’s Gaia mission gets underway—it’s supposed to give us a better view of the Milky Way Galaxy than ever before. Explore further More information: Dark Matter as a Trigger for Periodic Comet Impacts, Phys. Rev. Lett. 112, 161301 – Published 21 April 2014. journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/ … ysRevLett.112.161301ABSTRACTAlthough statistical evidence is not overwhelming, possible support for an approximately 35×106 yr periodicity in the crater record on Earth could indicate a nonrandom underlying enhancement of meteorite impacts at regular intervals. A proposed explanation in terms of tidal effects on Oort cloud comet perturbations as the Solar System passes through the galactic midplane is hampered by lack of an underlying cause for sufficiently enhanced gravitational effects over a sufficiently short time interval and by the time frame between such possible enhancements. We show that a smooth dark disk in the galactic midplane would address both these issues and create a periodic enhancement of the sort that has potentially been observed. Such a disk is motivated by a novel dark matter component with dissipative cooling that we considered in earlier work. We show how to evaluate the statistical evidence for periodicity by input of appropriate measured priors from the galactic model, justifying or ruling out periodic cratering with more confidence than by evaluating the data without an underlying model. We find that, marginalizing over astrophysical uncertainties, the likelihood ratio for such a model relative to one with a constant cratering rate is 3.0, which moderately favors the dark disk model. Our analysis furthermore yields a posterior distribution that, based on current crater data, singles out a dark matter disk surface density of approximately 10M⊙/pc2. The geological record thereby motivates a particular model of dark matter that will be probed in the near future. This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.
Explore further A ten-year study of grapevine hardiness in the face of drought has been conducted by a team led by researchers at the French National Institute for Agricultural Research. In their paper published on the open access site Science Advances, they report that the wine industry does not appear to be in imminent danger due to global warming, as some have suggested. © 2018 Phys.org Credit: CC0 Public Domain Overlooked plants defy drought More information: Guillaume Charrier et al. Drought will not leave your glass empty: Low risk of hydraulic failure revealed by long-term drought observations in world’s top wine regions, Science Advances (2018). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aao6969AbstractGrapevines are crops of global economic importance that will face increasing drought stress because many varieties are described as highly sensitive to hydraulic failure as frequency and intensity of summer drought increase. We developed and used novel approaches to define water stress thresholds for preventing hydraulic failure, which were compared to the drought stress experienced over a decade in two of the world’s top wine regions, Napa and Bordeaux. We identified the physiological thresholds for drought-induced mortality in stems and leaves and found small intervarietal differences. Long-term observations in Napa and Bordeaux revealed that grapevines never reach their lethal water-potential thresholds under seasonal droughts, owing to a vulnerability segmentation promoting petiole embolism and leaf mortality. Our findings will aid farmers in reducing water use without risking grapevine hydraulic integrity.
Over the past several years, wine experts, connoisseurs and others have expressed doubts about the wine industry’s ability to sustain itself as the planet heats up in the face of global warming. Many of the most well-known wine growing regions are expected to see less rainfall on average, and more and longer droughts. Growing grapes takes a lot of water, but what about the plants? How much water do they need to survive a dry summer? That was what the researchers sought to learn.If a plant does not get enough water, it will die—but how much is not enough? Some plants will wilt and refuse to produce fruit if they do not get enough water over one season, but can spring back the next when spring rains arrive. There is a tipping point, however. Prior research has shown that it generally occurs when plants start producing air bubbles in fluid channels—these embolisms prevent water from moving from roots to leaves when water does return, causing the plant to die. To find the tipping point for grapevines, the researchers submitted samples to two main types of tests.The first tests involved spinning vines in a centrifuge to force air bubble formation, taking measurements along the way. The team reports that all of the vine varieties they tested were resistant to air bubble formation. They found also that the vines actually grew more resistant to air bubble formation as they aged. The second test was more straightforward: The researchers water-starved plants in the lab and occasionally yanked off some leaves and twisted them like a sponge to wring out water to measure how much they contained. They found that it was not until approximately half of the sap in the leaves stopped flowing that the plants were unable to recover.The team also monitored vine growth, grape production and droughts in Napa Valley and Bordeaux over a 10-year period to see how they fared. They report few if any vine deaths due to drought. The researchers suggest their observations and experiments show that grapevines are quite hardy, and because of that, are not likely to die due to drought, which further suggests they should be able to survive despite global warming. Journal information: Science Advances Citation: Ten-year study shows just how dry grapevines can get before they die due to drought (2018, February 1) retrieved 18 August 2019 from https://phys.org/news/2018-02-ten-year-grapevines-die-due-drought.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.
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