Environment

A new scientific study claims that water may be responsible for carving out the dark streaks seen on the surface of Mars.  Raw Story reports: A team from France, Britain and the United States constructed models and simulated Mars conditions to follow up on a 2015 study which proffered “the strongest evidence yet” for liquid water — a prerequisite for life — on the Red Planet. That finding had left many scientists scratching their heads as the low pressure of Mars’ atmosphere means that water does not survive long in liquid form. It either boils or freezes.

A government watchdog has warned that there are “extremely worrying” signs that ISIS might be developing chemical weapons of its own.  Director General of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Ahmet Uzumcu said that ISIS may already be using such weapons in Iraq and Syria. Presstv.com reports: Uzumcu said fact-finding teams from The Hague-based watchdog have discovered evidence that suggest the use of sulfur mustard in attacks in the two crisis-hit Arab countries.

A new study has shown that the aerial spraying of pesticides used to kill mosquitoes has caused an increase in autism amongst children in America.  According to a study presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies, the use of pesticides to combat mosquito borne illnesses such as the Zika virus, has actually caused birth defects amongst the population. Scientists observed a 25 percent increase in autism and developmental disorders in children who lived in areas where aerial spraying for mosquitoes has been used since 2003.

The usually peaceful citizens of Vietnam have taken to the streets in protest against the worryingly high numbers of fish that have washed up dead on Vietnam’s shores without an official explanation from authorities.  Over 50 tons of dead fish have been found mysteriously washed up on the shores of Vietnam, and the public are angry that nothing is being said or done about it. Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc urged authorities to investigate the cause in a statement on Friday, saying that the loss of fish is having a serious impact on locals.

Based on the world risk index, which takes into account not only the frequency of natural disasters in each country (known as exposure) but also how well equipped the country is to cope with and recover from the effects of a disaster, The Guardian reports Vanuatu is the riskiest country to live in, with natural disasters on average affecting more than a third of the population each year. If you want to be safe from natural disasters, move to Qatar (the lowest disaster risk country in the world)...

Source: The Guardian