The killer Bees

Africanized honey bees, known colloquially as "killer bees," are some hybrid varieties of the Western honey bee species, (Apis mellifera), produced originally by cross-breeding of the African honey bee, with various European honey bees such as the Italian bee and the Iberian. The hybrid bees are far more defensive than any of the various European subspecies. Small swarms of Africanized bees are capable of taking over European honey bee hives by invading the hive and establishing their own queen after killing the European queen.

In 1956, some colonies of African Honey Bees were imported into Brazil, with the idea of cross-breeding them with local populations of Honey Bees to increase honey production. In 1957, twenty-six African queens, along with swarms of European worker bees, escaped from an experimental apiary about l00 miles south of Sao Paulo. These African bee escapees have since formed hybrid populations with European Honey Bees, both feral and from commercial hives. They have gradually spread northward through South America, Central America, and eastern Mexico, progressing some 100 to 200 miles per year. In 1990, Killer Bees reached southern Texas, appeared in Arizona in 1993, and found their way to California in 1995. They are expected to form colonies in parts of the southern United States.

Why Killer Bees are dangerous?

The sting of the Africanized Honey Bee is no more potent than your garden variety honey bee and they look pretty much the same. What makes AHBs more dangerous is that they are more easily provoked, quick to swarm, attack in greater numbers, and pursue their victims for greater distances.

AHB colonies can be very large, and they are not particularly selective about the location of their hives. The Queen Africanized bee can lay up to 1,500 eggs a day.

the American Medical Association has said that seven bee stings per pound can be lethal. Don't forget, however, that people react to bee stings differently. There is one documented case of a man who survived over 2,000 bee stings. There are others who are very sensitive or allergic to bee stings and would certainly not fare that well. Pets are also vulnerable. So far, there have been less than 5 human deaths and a handful of animal deaths in Arizona attributed to Africanized Honey Bees.

Top 10 healthiest vegetables

Must-Have Veggies

Veggies are an important part of everyone's diet. They contain dozens of important nutrients and have loads of dietary fiber. And just by getting your daily quota of five to nine servings, you help build your body's immunity to things like cancer, heart disease and diabetes. So what are the top veggies you should be eating to boost your disease-fighting potential? Read on to find out.

Tomatoes

Though technically a fruit, tomatoes are most often served like a vegetable. Full of lycopene, these beautiful red orbs (and all tomato-based products) are renowned for their cancer-fighting capabilities. Not only are they chock full of vitaminy goodness (from vitamins A to K), they also keep our blood pressure in check and help to reduce the number of free radicals in our bodies.

Broccoli

Few foods measure up to the disease-fighting potential of broccoli. This cruciferous veg is packed with antioxidants that help reduce the risk of stomach, lung and rectal cancers. And because broccoli is rich in beta-carotene, vitamin C and folate, it is also good at boosting your immunity to colds and flus.

Brussels sprouts

These little green veggies are especially important for pregnant woman because they're packed with folic acid, a B-vitamin that prevents neural tube defects. Brussels sprouts are also packed with vitamins C and K as well as fiber, potassium and omega-3 fatty acids.

Carrots

These orange-wonders are loaded with eye, skin and hair-enriching nutrients. They're also the richest vegetable source of some important antioxidants, like vitamin A. And because they're rich in vitamin C, carrots protect your cardiovascular system from damage.

Squash

A good source of anti-inflammatory nutrients like vitamin C and beta-carotene, squash, especially summer squash, can help treat dozens of conditions including asthma, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Squash is also rich in potassium, magnesium and fiber.

Sweet potato

This root vegetable has dozens of anti-cancer nutrients like vitamin A, C and manganese. They're also a good source of fiber and iron, so not only do they give you energy, they can also help regulate your digestive system.

Eggplant

High in heart healthy nutrients, eggplants are rich in antioxidants like nasunin (a unique compound that protects your brain cells from damage). And because eggplants are loaded with fiber and potassium, researchers believe they may reduce your risk of stroke and dementia.

Bell Peppers

Whether you prefer red, orange or yellow, bell peppers are packed with dozens of heart-healthy nutrients like lycopene and folic acid. And recent research suggests digging into a pepper every day may lower your risk of developing lung, colon, bladder and pancreatic cancers.

Spinach

This chlorophyll-packed type of produce is an excellent source of almost every vitamin and nutrient you need. Scientists believe a diet heavy in spinach may be able to prevent everything from heart disease to colon cancer, and arthritis to osteoporosis.

Onions

These pungent smelling veggies are particularly good for people suffering from (or at risk of developing) osteoporosis. That's because onions are loaded with a peptide called GPCS which scientists believe slows your body's loss of calcium. Onions may also be useful in the fight against heart disease and diabetes because they're loaded with vitamin C and folate.

Tiny cyborg beetles could recharge just by flying

No need for new batteries as they fly over battlefields or into disaster zones

The miniature device placed on this beetle may make it the world's smallest cyborg. Electrodes implanted in the brain and wing muscles allow scientists to remotely control the insect's flight.

Cyborg beetles being developed for the U.S. military wouldn't need to carry extra batteries into the battlefield for their tiny spy sensors. The insects' own flying motions or even body heat could provide the power for the small microphones or cameras that humans equip them with, according to researchers.

The cyborg insect project has backing from the Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), which is investigating how some of nature's small creatures can be harnessed as intelligence-gatherers when the situation is dangerous for humans. Such cyborgs could provide a faster, cheaper solution than painstakingly engineered tiny scout robots. Still, they would need a power source for their equipment.
"Through energy scavenging, we could potentially power cameras, microphones and other sensors and communications equipment that an insect could carry aboard a tiny backpack," said Khalil Najafi, an electrical and computer engineer at the University of Michigan.
Najafi and doctoral student Erkan Aktakka have created a piezoelectric generator that converts pressure or material stress from the motion of an insect's wings into electricity. Such energy could extend the life of a battery carried by a cyborg beetle and might even give other researchers a hint about how to power tiny robots.

Previous cybernetic work with beetles showed how researchers could remotely control them to fly wherever the researchers wanted them to go.

Such small cyborgs could do more than scout for U.S. troops. In the aftermath of a disaster, they could help search ruined buildings or investigate hazardous zones such as the area of the Fukushima nuclear plant.
Najafi and Aktakka published their latest work on energy scavenging in the Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering. Funding came from DARPA's Hybrid Insect Micro Electromechanical Systems program.

Top 10 Facts About Asia’s Natural Disasters In 2012

Here are the top ten facts about natural disasters in Asia in 2012, based on data released by the UNISDR and CRED on December 11. 

 

between January and October, natural disasters in Asia still claimed more lives here than anywhere else in the world – and experts predict the trend will continue as populations and industries expand in a region that already houses the world’s largest number of urban residents. 

“Cities are growing. There will be even more people and factories. If you think we have a problem now, we will have even more in the future,” said Jerry Velasquez, head of the Asia-Pacific office for the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR). The agency estimates the number of people living in flood-prone urban areas in East Asia may reach 67 million by 2060.

Here are the top ten facts about natural disasters in Asia in 2012, based on the preliminary 2012 data on natural disasters in 28 Asian countries released by UNISDR and Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED) on December 11.

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1. Natural disasters caused US$15 billion in damage to Asian countries.

Countries in the region reported 83 disasters – mostly floods – in 2012. The disasters killed some 3,100 people, affected 64.5 million and left behind US$15 billion in damage.


2. The worldwide death toll was 5,400.

Worldwide, 231 disasters killed some 5,400 people, affected 87 million and caused US$44.6 billion in damage.

3. 78 million people were affected by natural disasters in Asia.

From 1950 to 2011, nine out of 10 people affected by disasters worldwide were in Asia.

4. One of the hardest hit countries in 2012 was the Philippines.

One of the region’s hardest-hit countries this year (and this past decade) was the Philippines. Since 2002, the country has had 182 recorded disasters, which killed almost 11,000 people. This figure does not include the storm that hit the country’s south on December 4; more than 600 were killed in that event, and some 800 are still reported missing.


5. China had three of the top five natural disasters this year.

Of the top five disasters that created the most damage this year, three were in China, and the other two were in Pakistan and Iran. Cumulatively, these events resulted in an estimated US$13.3 billion in damage. 

6. China had 18 disasters in 2012.

China led the list of most disasters in 2012 (18), followed by Philippines (16), Indonesia (10), Afghanistan (9), and India (5).


7. Only China suffered from multiple types of natural disasters.

China was the only “multi-hazard”-prone country. In the others, including Pakistan, 85 percent of damage came from one event, calling into question efforts to cultivate “multi-hazard” resiliency, said CRED.

8. Countries tend to face specific types of hazards.

Two-hazard countries included Afghanistan (drought and flood); Bangladesh and Vietnam (flood and storm); and India, Malaysia, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka (flood and earthquake).


9. Preparedness for disasters varied between countries.

In the past decade, Indonesia and the Philippines have had many disasters but relatively few affected people, while Bangladesh and Thailand have had fewer disasters and more affected, while Pakistan and Vietnam fell in between the two categories. These numbers offer a sign of how prepared these respective countries were to face emergencies, researchers noted.


10. Floods in Pakistan and China led to economic loss in the region.

Pakistan suffered large-scale loss of life from floods for the third successive year; from August to October, 480 people died in floods. June-July floods in China affected over 17 million people and caused the most economic loss in the region – US$4.8 billion.

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