OGN Monday

Editor OGN Daily
Dec 23, 2024
3 min read

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Spiral Jetty

Jutting from the shoreline of Utah’s Great Salt Lake is an unusually long, curling limb of land. Titled Spiral Jetty, the large-scale swirl was constructed in 1970 by artist Robert Smithson, who was known for manipulating earth into abstract shapes. Now, the land artwork has been added to the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places. “We are delighted that Spiral Jetty has received this important recognition,” says Jessica Morgan, a director of Dia Art Foundation, which owns Spiral Jetty. “In the 54 years that Spiral Jetty has existed, it has been both submerged by the Great Salt Lake and stood far from the lakefront, bearing witness to the changing landscape around it.”

The new quarter design featuring Ida B. Wells, the suffragist, journalist and civil rights activist — Credit: US Mint

Trailblazing Women

The U.S. Mint has announced the five trailblazing American women who will be depicted on quarters released in 2025: Ida B. Wells, a journalist and civil rights activist; Juliette Gordon Low, founder of the Girl Scouts of the USA; Vera Rubin, a pioneering astronomer; Stacey Park Milbern, a disability activist; and Althea Gibson, a legendary golfer and tennis player. The new coins are part of the American Women Quarters Program, which began in 2022. The initiative was created to circulate 25 cent coins demonstrating “what can be possible with determination, perseverance and the indomitable spirit of American women.”

Remarkable Result

Record wind-generated electricity across Northern Ireland and Scotland one day last week pushed Britain’s power prices below zero. This record output provided almost 70 percent of Britain's power. “Setting another clean electricity generation record... shows the pivotal role wind is playing in keeping the country powered up during the festive season,” said Dan McGrail, chief executive of RenewableUK. It also demonstrated "that renewables have generated more than half our electricity for four quarters in a row.”

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Miraculous Mekong

It’s a region already renowned for its astonishing biodiversity - and now the Greater Mekong can add another 234 creatures to its long list of denizens. That’s the number of new plants, reptiles, amphibians, fish and mammals found in the area straddling Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. The discoveries have been documented in a new report by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). Among the finds was a soft-furred, fang-toothed ‘vampire’ hedgehog, a high-altitude crocodile newt and a new species of dragon lizard that has concealed itself on Laos’ jagged karst pinnacles for millions of years. The WWF said that the count was likely to be just the tip of the iceberg as it excluded invertebrates such as spiders and butterflies, as well as fungi, mosses and algae.

'Heads Up'

A police force in south-west England is deploying pioneering artificial intelligence to help curb drink and drug driving. Devon and Cornwall police are using AI-powered safety cameras trained to spot driving behaviour consistent with being under the influence. In the world-first trial, the cameras alert officers further up the road who can stop the vehicle and carry out roadside tests for drink and drugs. The ‘Heads Up’ technology, developed by Australian firm Acusensus, has already helped police catch motorists using phones or driving without seatbelts.

Murder Hornets

The name alone advertises that this insect is no joke: When the murder hornet was first spotted in the North American continent in 2019, entomologists were abuzz with worry and sprang into action to eradicate the invasive species. Five years later, officials have declared a rare victory against the murder hornets for having exterminated them from United States soil. “I’ve gotta tell you, as an entomologist - I’ve been doing this for over 25 years now, and it is a rare day when the humans actually get to win one against the insects,” says Sven Spichiger, pest program manager with the Washington State Department of Agriculture.

“December is the time for remembering the past and reaching toward the future.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson