All articles tagged with #southeastasia
Cyclone Ditwah has caused catastrophic flooding across Southeast Asia, resulting in at least 600 deaths and hundreds missing in Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka, with Indonesia and Sri Lanka being severely affected and thousands stranded or evacuated.
Five tourists have died from suspected methanol poisoning in Vang Vieng, Laos, highlighting the ongoing issue of fake alcohol in Southeast Asia. Despite warnings, awareness among tourists remains low, and the region's weak law enforcement and lack of regulations exacerbate the problem. Methanol, a toxic substance often used in bootleg alcohol, is difficult to detect and can be lethal. The issue is prevalent in poorer countries, with Indonesia being a hotspot. Efforts to raise awareness are ongoing, but the problem persists due to low education and regulation in alcohol production.
Yellow crazy ants are the first known animal for which chimaerism is an essential aspect of life, according to a study published in Science. Males of the species are a mixture of two warring cell lineages, which is usually a developmental accident. The chimaerism has a crucial role in the ants’ caste system, contributing to the species' ability to evade ecosystems. The discovery raises questions about why the nuclei of some sperm fail to fuse with the egg nucleus, resulting in chimaeric males.