ICE Raids, Venezuela Oil Crisis, & New Dietary Guidelines
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Today’s top stories
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An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good, a Minneapolis woman, yesterday during a road traffic dispute. Multiple observers captured the shooting on video, and community members demanded accountability. Minnesota law enforcement officials and the FBI are investigating the fatal shooting, which the Trump governance says was an act of self-defense. Meanwhile, the mayor has accused the officer of reckless use of power and demanded that ICE get out of Minneapolis.
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Trump has tried to bury the truth of what happened on Jan. 6, 2021. NPR built a visual archive of the attack on the Capitol, showing exactly what happened through the lenses of the people who were there. “Chapter 4: The inquiry” shows how federal investigators found the rioters and built the largest criminal case in U.S. history.
Political leaders, including Trump, called for rioters to face justice for their actions on Jan. 6. This request came because so few people were arrested during the attack. The extremists who led the riot remained free, and some threatened further violence. The government launched the largest federal investigation in American history, resulting in the arrest of over 1,500 individuals from all 50 states.The most serious cases were made by prosecutors against leaders of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers. For their roles in planning the attack against the U.S., some extremists were found guilty of seditious conspiracy. Take a look at the Jan. 6 prosecutions by the numbers, including the highest sentence received.
To learn more, explore NPR’s database of federal criminal cases from Jan. 6. You can also see more of NPR’s reporting on the topic.
Deep dive
Ants meticulously inspect their developing larvae, removing those that are sick, deformed, or have died, a behavior researchers now understand is a refined form of quality control essential for colony health. This behavior, observed across numerous ant species, prevents the spread of disease and ensures resources aren’t wasted on non-viable offspring.
For decades,scientists observed ants carrying away seemingly healthy larvae,leading to speculation about infanticide or simple waste removal.Recent research, though, reveals a far more nuanced process. Ants use their antennae to detect chemical cues indicating illness or developmental issues in the larvae. They then proceed to remove these individuals from the nest, effectively quarantining and eliminating potential threats to the colony. This isn’t random; ants consistently identify and remove larvae with fungal infections or physical abnormalities.
A 2023 study published in eLife by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania demonstrated that ants can detect and remove larvae infected with Metarhizium anisopliae, a common fungal pathogen.Researchers infected ant larvae with the fungus and observed that worker ants removed 90% of the infected larvae within 24 hours, compared to less than 10% of healthy larvae. This suggests a targeted response based on specific chemical signals emitted by the infected brood. (https://elifesciences.org/articles/82339)
How Ants Detect Problems
Ants primarily rely on their antennae to “smell” and “taste” the chemical composition of the larvae’s cuticle – the waxy outer layer. Healthy larvae emit a specific chemical profile, while sick or deformed larvae produce different signals. These signals trigger a behavioral response in the worker ants, prompting them to remove the affected brood.
The process isn’t solely based on scent.Ants also appear to assess the physical condition of the larvae. Deformed or sluggish larvae are more likely to be identified as problematic.This multi-sensory approach ensures a high degree of accuracy in identifying and removing compromised individuals. The cuticle contains hydrocarbons that vary based on the health and developmental stage of the larva.
In 2022, researchers at the University of Arizona found that ants can differentiate between larvae with different types of fungal infections, suggesting they can detect specific pathogen signatures.They used gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to analyze the chemical composition of the larval cuticle and identified distinct volatile compounds associated with different fungal species.(https://news.arizona.edu/stories/20220929-ants-detect-sick-larvae-through-smell)
The Benefits of Brood quality Control
Maintaining a healthy brood is crucial for the survival and success of an ant colony. Removing sick or deformed larvae prevents the spread of disease, conserves resources, and maximizes the number of viable offspring. This behavior directly impacts colony growth and reproductive output.
The energetic cost of raising a larva is important for an ant colony. investing resources in a larva that is unlikely to survive is a waste of valuable energy. By removing these individuals, ants ensure that resources are allocated to larvae with a higher probability of reaching adulthood. This is particularly significant in environments with limited food availability.
A 2021 study modeling ant colony dynamics showed that colonies with effective brood quality control experienced a 15% increase in overall population growth compared to colonies without this behavior. The model, published in Behavioral Ecology, simulated various scenarios of disease outbreaks and resource limitations. (https://academic.oup.com/beheco/article/32/6/2643/6341888)
Implications for Disease Control
Understanding how ants detect and remove diseased brood could have implications for developing new strategies for disease control in other social insects, such as honeybees, and perhaps even in human healthcare settings. The ants’ ability to identify pathogens at an early stage offers a promising avenue for research.
Researchers are exploring the possibility of harnessing the ants’ chemical detection abilities to create biosensors for identifying pathogens in agricultural settings or medical diagnostics. The highly sensitive antennae of ants could be adapted to detect trace amounts of disease-causing agents. This research is still in its early stages, but the potential benefits are significant.
The National Science Foundation awarded a $2 million grant in 2024