Features

YUKI, Japan — Japan’s famed cherry blossom season blankets the country in the delicate white flowers of the prized and popular “somei-yoshino” tree, delighting residents and visitors alike. But some want change.

The season produces a nationwide frenzy, as forecasters compete to declare when full bloom will arrive, and Japanese unfurl picnic blankets for sometimes raucous flower-viewing parties — at least in pre-pandemic times.

The blooms of the ubiquitous somei-yoshino strain, which accounts for more than 90 per cent of the cherry trees planted in Japan, last only around a week and tend to emerge simultaneously in a given region because the trees are clones of a single specimen.

And while the tree has become synonymous with blossom season, it is a growing headache for city planners because the strain is prone to disease and tends to grow too large to be well managed in urban settings.

“It’s all about planting the right flora in the right place,” says Hideaki Tanaka, an expert on sakura — Japanese for cherry blossoms — who is trying to popularise other strains.

“There are all kinds of sakura, not just somei-yoshino. I want to help recreate the old times when people enjoyed a wide variety,” added Tanaka, 63.

He runs a farm in Yuki, in eastern Japan’s Ibaraki prefecture, with around 1,000 sample trees of 400 cherry varieties.

His goal is to convince local officials across Japan to consider alternatives with petals in all shades of pink, or even rare green.

As Tanaka sits on the grass among his trees, nail-sized petals of pale pink flutter down in the gentle breeze, while elsewhere other flowers are still coming into bloom.

It’s a scene more like the cherry blossom seasons Japanese enjoyed several centuries ago, with a range of blooms arriving at different times.

Promoting diversity

His farm is operated by the Flower Association of Japan, which gives cherry saplings to communities that want to create scenic spots to draw tourists and please residents.

The farm has distributed about 3 million saplings, including somei-yoshino, but it is now promoting the “jindai-akebono” variety which is more resistant to infection and grows smaller, making it easier to prune.

Its flowers bloom around four days earlier than somei-yoshino’s and are a stronger pink colour.

But convincing Japan to turn its back on the somei-yoshino strain may not be easy.

As urban development swept the country from the 1950s to 1980s, cities competed to plant countless millions of fast-growing somei-yoshino trees.

Decades on, many of those trees have not been properly pruned, leaving them vulnerable to an infection called “witch’s broom” that deforms twigs, discourages flowering and can kill the trees.

Somei-yoshino also grows large — as high as five-storey buildings in some cases — with sprawling branches stretching from enormous trunks that can develop hollows, and bulky roots that can crack pavements.

Older trees are at risk during the country’s typhoon season, giving city planners plenty of reasons to consider replacing them.

But residents are less convinced.

‘Green shoots of feeling’

In western Tokyo’s Kunitachi, it has taken officials three decades to remove around 80 of the approximately 210 trees that have been designated as needing to be felled or replaced.

The trees formed an elegant floral tunnel every spring and residents wanted to keep them, said Ryusuke Endo, an official at the city’s roads and traffic division.

“Some people moved here to enjoy them and bought apartments along the street,” he said, describing locals as emotionally attached to the trees.

Elsewhere, efforts in Yokohama to axe around 300 cherry trees along a busy street caused public outcry and made television news.

In Kunitachi, officials have started planting the jindai-akebono variety promoted by Tanaka’s farm, and residents are starting to embrace the new arrivals.

“I believe green shoots of feeling are emerging among residents who are starting to see that they too are very beautiful,” Endo said.

But Tanaka said even diversity evangelists like him are convinced the somei-yoshino will never be dethroned as Japan’s sakura king.

Instead, he hopes to encourage people to “learn about the profound diversity of cherry trees”.

“The somei-yoshino will always be the main draw for cherry viewing. I want to help communities create other places where people can enjoy all kinds of cherry varieties.”

PARIS — A warming world and intensive agriculture are causing insect populations to plummet by nearly half compared to areas less affected by temperature rises and industrial farming, researchers said on Wednesday.

The researchers measured both insect abundance and number of species in areas across the world and compared that to insects in more pristine habitats. 

The study published in Nature found that the double whammy of global warming and shrinking habitats has not just hit population numbers, but also provoked a 27 per cent drop in the diversity of species.

“The reductions are greatest in the tropics,” lead author Charlie Outhwaite, a macroecologist at University College London’s Centre for Biodiversity and Environmental Research, told AFP.

But less data from tropical regions, which are richest in biodiversity, means the global decline in insects is likely worse than the study’s headline figures suggest, she said.

The calculations may also be too conservative because areas used to benchmark change — while the most pristine on the planet — have already been degraded to some extent by human activity. 

While in line with earlier estimates of insect decline, the new findings are based on different methodologies.

Covering 18,000 species from beetles to butterflies to bees, the study drew from 750,000 data points collected from 1992 to 2012 at 6,000 locations.

“Previous studies have been carried out at the small scale on a limited number of species or species groups,” Outhwaite said. 

The consequences of insect decline are significant. 

Some three-quarters of 115 top global food crops depend on animal pollination, including cocoa, coffee, almonds and cherries.

Some insects are also crucial for pest control — especially of other bugs.

Ladybugs, praying mantis, ground beetles, wasps and spiders all play crucial roles in keeping pest insects in check, from aphids and fleas to cutworms and caterpillars. 

Insects are also crucial for decomposing waste and nutrient cycling. 

‘A catastrophic outcome’

The study is the first to look at the combined impact of rising temperatures and industrial agriculture, including the widespread use of insecticides.

“We often only consider one driver of change, such as land use, whereas in reality a lot of drivers will be impacting the same space,” Outhwaite said.

The interaction between these drivers, the study shows, is worse than if they had acted independently.

Even without climate change, converting a tropical forest into agricultural land leads to drier hotter areas due to the removal of vegetation that provides shade and retains moisture in the air and soil. 

Add a degree or two of warming, and these regions become even hotter and drier, pushing certain species of insects up to or beyond their limits.

In some regions, insects are now experiencing extended periods in which temperatures exceed the highest extremes of less than a century before.

Up to now, intensive agriculture and habitat loss have been the major driver of insect decline. 

Earlier research, for example, estimates the number of flying insects across Europe has dropped 80 per cent on average, causing bird populations to shrink by more than 400 million in three decades. 

“We know that you can’t just keep losing species without, ultimately, causing a catastrophic outcome,” said Tom Oliver, a professor of applied ecology at the University of Reading. 

“You cannot keep removing rivets from an aeroplane without it eventually falling out of the sky.”

Farming hope

The new study points to a strategy that could extend a lifeline to threatened insects.

Areas practising low-intensity agriculture — fewer chemicals, less monoculture — that were surrounded by at least 75 per cent natural habitat saw only a seven per cent decline in insect abundance. 

But if the density of surrounding natural habitat dropped below 25 per cent, insect population declined by nearly two-thirds.

“I think this finding gives us hope that we can successfully design landscapes to produce food where biodiversity can thrive,” Jane Hill, a professor of Ecology at the University of York, told the Science Media Centre.

Insects comprise about two-thirds of all terrestrial species, and have been the foundation of key ecosystems since emerging almost 400 million years ago.

Moles, hedgehogs, anteaters, lizards, amphibians, most bats, many birds and fish all feed on insects.

LOS ANGELES — Mark Wahlberg has a famously punishing physical routine that has kept the 50-year-old in enviable shape.

But for his latest outing, “Father Stu”, he had to ditch the training and eat. A lot. 

“Porterhouse steaks, baked potatoes, a dozen eggs every morning, a dozen pieces of bacon, two bowls of white rice, a glass of olive oil,” he tells AFP.

“Lots of high protein for the first two weeks; second two weeks, we had lots of starch. And then the last two weeks, we had lots of sodium to kind of get the bloating effect, but not fun at all.”

The physical transformation from taut athlete to out-of-shape and overweight was in aid of his role as Stuart Long, an amateur boxer who hangs up his gloves after an injury and moves to Hollywood to become an actor.

Odd-jobbing in a supermarket, Long meets Carmen, played by Teresa Ruiz (“Narcos”), and sets out to win her heart by going to her church.

His avowed agnosticism gives way to genuine faith, and he decides he will become a priest, despite the scepticism of his parents, played by Jacki Weaver (Oscar-nominated for “Silver Linings Playbook”) and Mel Gibson (“Braveheart”).

He must also face his biggest challenge: a diagnosis of a degenerative disease that will rob him of the use of his body.

For Wahlberg, who also produced the movie, the real-life story of “Father Stu” is a departure from previous action outings like “Mile 22” and “Uncharted” — but, he insists, not unexpected.

“It’s an unusual role, but it’s also [a] pretty obvious choice if you kind of know me and my own personal journey and what I’m looking to do as I get older and try to find things that have a little bit more meaning and purpose,” he told AFP.

“But I always felt like I was... tasked to do it for a reason.

“This is for God’s greater good and so to do that, and utilise my talents and gifts for that particular purpose is something that I embraced,” he said.

Reflection of community

Along with its unabashedly religious theme — the film was released in the United States ahead of the Easter Weekend — “Father Stu” also zooms in on family, and on human kindness.

For Ruiz, these elements all came together in her character.

“I liked that she was very kind and very generous and she had a very rooted faith,” Ruiz said.

“That was something that I’ve seen in my community, it’s something that I’ve seen in my mother, so I really enjoyed being able to portray that for a worldwide audience.”

The cast of “Father Stu”, which also includes Malcolm McDowell (“A Clockwork Orange”), afforded Ruiz the chance to work alongside a different generation of actors — at close quarters.

“My camper was right next to Mel [Gibson’s] camper. So sometimes I would peek and hear him, how he prepped and that was very important to me as a young actor, you know, to hear how one of the greats works. 

“And then I would go on set with him and it was just this presence that he has, and his incredible talent.”

For Weaver, Wahlberg was one of the biggest revelations of the project.

“I thought he might be a bit of a ruffian, because he always played those tough roles,” the Australian told AFP.

“But he’s a wonderful person.”

LOS ANGELES — Robert Pattinson had never been interested in playing a superhero — until Ben Affleck quit his role as Batman, leaving the famous cape unexpectedly up for grabs.

Having spent the past decade mainly working on critically acclaimed arthouse movies, former “Twilight” actor Pattinson requested a meeting with the filmmakers entrusted by Warner Bros. to revitalise the beloved franchise. 

“He sought me out... and somewhere in that meeting, he brought up Batman,” producer Dylan Clark told AFP.

Although Pattinson, now 35, appeared to feel “a little bit suspiciously” about fronting a “giant big studio movie” again, he was “genuinely interested in the character of Batman and Bruce Wayne”, said Clark.

“And he has that jawline, so that was very helpful!” added Clark.

The result is “The Batman,” starring Pattinson and directed by Clark’s “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” collaborator Matt Reeves.

It finds Bruce Wayne in only his second year as Batman, when his nocturnal detective work has not yet earned him the trust of Gotham’s police or public.

Pattinson’s vigilante is still figuring out his tactics and his motivations for stalking the dystopian city’s criminals, and his famous villain-busting gadgets are still rough prototypes.

Even compared to Christopher Nolan’s gritty trilogy starring Christian Bale, “The Batman” is notable for its macabre, noirish tone.

Batman himself cuts a forlorn, almost depressive figure, partially inspired by Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, whose music also features prominently in the soundtrack.

Pattinson, fresh from a supporting role in Nolan’s mega-budget sci-fi film “Tenet”, “wanted to play a part that was physical”, recalled Clark.

“What he didn’t know was that Matt’s script was going to take that character on an emotional-physical ride, and that he was going to really have to put himself through the wringer.”

‘Disgruntled’

This Batman, Clark added, “is a dark hero and he can sometimes come across as an antihero. Vengeance definitely fuels his drive”.

The film finds Batman on the heels of the Riddler (Paul Dano) — a serial killer in the sinister style of the real-life Zodiac Killer, or the recent Netflix true-crime series “Mindhunter”.

The Riddler claims to be impelled by a sense of justice against Gotham’s corrupt elite, and his crimes — broadcast on social media — attract a cult-like following among the city’s disaffected and disenfranchised.

“Matt wrote this script two years before we went into production [in 2020]. I think it was just looking at our world and our landscape and the things that were going on,” said Clark.

“The best part about Gotham is it’s a mirror to our societies. And I think it was a representation of these people that are feeling on the fringes, and they’re disgruntled.”

While Clark insists “we’re certainly not trying to be political” or “sensational,” the movie carries the message that “the world needs faith in their elected officials.”

‘Terrifying’

Pattinson takes over the role from Affleck, whose appearances as Batman in two DC Comics-based ensemble superhero movies — “Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice” and “Justice League” — were poorly received by fans.

Affleck had written, and was also due to direct, a standalone Batman movie, but ultimately withdrew entirely from the franchise at a turbulent time in his personal life, including renewed struggles with alcoholism and his divorce from Jennifer Garner.

“We had come in at a time of transition,” said Clark.

“DC had to have some transition. And Ben, I think, was looking at his life, and reflected on where he wanted to be, and made that decision on his own.”

Recasting Batman allowed the filmmakers to attempt a “fresh new take” on a franchise that has existed in some form for eight decades.

“Matt’s idea was ‘Let’s try to introduce this new Batman in a place where we have never seen before,’” said Clark.

“It’s the most exciting proposition but it’s also one of the most terrifying,” he added. 

“You have to set out with great ambition, because the title, the character, the history is so large.

“The demand is, ‘You’d better try to make a great Batman or we’re going to hate you.’”

First launched in 2006, the Toyota FJ Cruiser was a re-interpretation of past glory through rose-tinted glasses. Since then, it has itself become nostalgic slice of pre-global recession 2000s design, tech and engineering sensibilities.

As capable an off-roader as ever, the FJ Cruiser’s heavily stylised design, unconventionally accessible doors and sense of adventure made it Toyota’s only “fun” vehicle at a time when the Japanese brand was renowned for its practical, reliable and thoroughly sensible, but mostly uninspiring product portfolio.

Resilient re-interpretation

Predating other “fun” enthusiast-oriented Toyotas like the Supra, GR 86, Yaris GR and anticipated Corolla GR, the FJ Cruiser is still selling in certain markets, including parts of the Middle East. A long-running model that has seen very mild and gradual updates rather than outright replacement, the FJ Cruiser’s big displacement naturally-aspirated engine and uncomplicated technology add-ons makes it a breath of fresh air and antidote to overly-complicated and tech-laden cars that lack the driver-involvement, purposefulness, clarity and sense of connection of their predecessors.

Launched when stylised retro designs were the trend from small runarounds like the Fiat 500 to supercars like the Ford GT, the FJ Cruiser’s design harked back to the Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40, with its bulbous extremities, tapered bonnet, round headlights, exaggerated wraparound indicators and upright cabin. Sitting wide and high off the ground, the FJ Cruiser’s playfully retro-futuristic interpretation was, however, accentuated by its wide B-pillar, high waistline and low glasshouse that lent it a more squat and wide stance. 

Incremental improvement

Powered by naturally-aspirated engine with smooth, progressive delivery, the FJ Cruiser’s venerable 4-litre V6 engine initially produced 239BHP at 5,200rpm at launch, but has since seen the introduction of dual variable valve technology by 2011 and incremental power hikes to the current 268BHP achieved at a higher 5,600rpm. Responsive and eager through revs, the FJ’s engine also produces a healthy mid-range torque band with a 280lb/ft peak at 4,400rpm, which allows it to carry its upright body through air resistance to a 175km/h maximum.

Slightly heavier at 2,065 kg, the latest FJ Cruiser is nevertheless confidently versatile and reasonably brisk in performance, with 0-100km/h arriving in an estimated 8-seconds or less, while combined fuel consumption is estimated at a not too thirsty 11.6l/100km. Driving the rear wheels through a smooth-shifting 5-speed automatic gearbox under normal on-road conditions, the FJ’s four-wheel-drive can be engaged for low traction off-road and snow conditions, while high power crawling pace low gear four-wheel-drive is available for more demanding terrain.

Rigid and refined

Best in manual gearbox guise where it receives a centre Torsen differential that allows full-time variable and locking four-wheel-drive for on-road and off-road driving the automatic FJ Cruiser is nevertheless a highly capable off-roader in most circumstances, with a locking rear differential for additional sure-footed traction. Effortlessly traversing steep inclines, loose gravel, deep ruts and sharp rises, the FJ Cruiser benefits from high 245mm ground clearance and short overhangs, which allow for generous 34° approach, 27.4° break-over and 31° departure angles.

With rugged body-on-chassis construction and rigid rear axle for excellent off-road articulation and durability, the FJ Cruiser is also surprisingly agile and alert changing directions on loose surfaces and dirt tracks, and seemed considerably more connected and responsive in dynamic ability and steering feel than other Toyota SUVs of its vintage. Manoeuvrable and light-footed for an SUV of its weight, the FJ Cruiser’s body and construction seemed reassuringly rigid and free of rattles, squeaks, excessive flex or suspension imprecision.

Accessibly utilitarian

Stable and refined on road, the FJ Cruiser rides slightly firm, even with absorbent high sidewall 265/70R17 tyres. However, this translates into better than expected cornering body control for a vehicle of this height and weight. Dispatching rough road surfaces and large bumps in its stride, the FJ’s double wishbone front suspension is sophisticated and smooth, while its rugged rear axle is tempered by more refined and precise coil springs rather than leaf springs, and delivers a settled ride quality. 

A stylised and unambiguous adventure-wagon, the FJ Cruiser’s cabin reflects its utilitarian appeal with big, user-friendly buttons, dial and levers, and clear instrumentation. Functional and unpretentious, its cabin incorporates rubberised surfaces and water resistant upholstery for easy cleaning. With long front and small rear hinged rear doors, the FJ Cruiser provides excellent, un-obstructed cabin access, generous front, very accommodating rear and maximum 990-litre cargo space, with rear seats folded. Visibility is decent, while improved equipment includes an Android Auto and Apple Carplay enabled 12-inch screen infotainment system.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 4-litre, in-line, V6-cylinders

Bore x Stroke: 94 x 95mm

Compression ratio: 10.0:1

Valve-train: DOHC, 24-valve, variable timing

Gearbox: 5-speed automatic

Drive-line: four-wheel-drive, low ratio transfer, rear differential lock

Gear ratios: 1st 3.52:1; 2nd 2.042:1; 3rd 1.4:1; 4th 1.0:1; 5th 0.716:1

Reverse/final drive: 3.224:1/3.727:1

Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 268 (272) [200] @5,600rpm

Specific power: 67.7BHP/litre

Power-to-weight: 129.8BHP/tonne

Torque, lb/ft (Nm): 280 (380) @4,400rpm

Specific torque: 96Nm/litre

Torque-to-weight: 184Nm/tonne

0-100km/h: under 8-seconds (estimate)

Top speed: 175km/h

Fuel consumption, combined: 11.6 litres/100km (estimate)

Fuel capacity: 159-litres

Wheelbase: 2,690mm

Tread: 1,605mm

Ground clearance: 245mm

Approach/break-over/departure angles: 34°/27.4°/31°

Seating: 5

Cargo volume, max: 990-litres

Towing weight, braked/un-braked: 1,500/750kg

Turning circle: 12.4-metres

Suspension, F/R: Double wishbone/live axles, 4-link, coil springs

Brakes: Ventilated discs

Tyres: 265/70R17

Women are taught to take care of others before taking care of themselves. Yet, self-care is crucial to health and a mother’s self-care in particular if it affects the well-being of the whole family.

Self-care is just another name or term for taking care of yourself, which is essential for any person. Most women struggle to meet this need as their responsibility towards their family and house becomes a priority. Ironically, it is precisely self-care that makes a woman able to give more to her family, kids, house and community.

So you can stop feeling guilty about making time for yourself because this precious time you give yourself will greatly impact your family and community. You just need between 15 minutes to an hour a day for self-care. Let this time be the daily ritual that brings you inner peace and calmness. It should lower the stress hormone (cortisol), which is responsible for anxiety, lower blood pressure and improve your brain health. 

How sleep training your child benefits you

When a baby is sleep trained, your child will be less fussy throughout the day and night. This will lead to a happy baby that sleeps within the correct windows of age-appropriate timing. As a result, your baby will sleep at night without being overtired. When reaching this level of stability in the house, a mother can have some time to look and take care of herself as she is confident about the routine and the timings in which the baby naps and sleeps at night. She can socialise, spend quality time with herself and her spouse and continue her career or household work.

It all starts when children are on a routine day and night. Programming this routine from the day your baby is born is crucial to giving time and space for the family’s wellbeing. The happiness and stability of the whole family start with a happy and relaxed mama.

Self-care practices

•Practising 15 minutes of yoga or meditation usingYouTube videos

•Making sure to go to bed early. For new mothers, try to nap whenever your newborn naps, even if it means having to ask for help

•Taking a 20-minute walk

•Reading a book or working on a puzzle

•Sipping a soothing cup of herbal tea

•Talking with a friend or a relative and reaching out to them any time you need a helping hand or a listening ear

•Journaling – write down your thoughts and feelings and think about what you’re thankful for

•Spending time with your inner self without any social media or other interactions

•Implementing a nightly routine that helps you to unwind and create a sleeping environment that’s calming

Perfecting your child’s bedtime routine

•Making sure your child is not hungry or too full at bedtime; keep in mind that the stomach needs several hours to digest a large meal, so consuming it too close to sleep time means the body will remain active when what you want is for it to relax. Plus, eating fatty foods before bed can negatively impact sleep quality

•Encouraging your child to get as much natural light through the day as possible for a good night’s sleep. Getting exposed to bright light during the day helps to synchronise circadian rhythms that regulate the sleep-wake cycle and repeat every 24 hours. Light also promotes sleepiness at bedtime

•Ceasing the use of electronics one hour before bedtime and planning other calming activities before bed, such as reading, puzzles, colouring or bedtime yoga; be an example for your child too by doing the same! 

•Encouraging your child to avoid eating or drinking anything in the late afternoon loaded with caffeine like chocolate, sugary juices, tea, coffee, or fizzy drinks. These will lead to your child being more alert around sleeping time

Reprinted with permission from Family Flavours magazine

LIMA — Three months after an oil spill that polluted beaches and killed wildlife in Peru, hundreds of fishermen remain out of work as Easter approaches.

"We never imagined spending such a sad Holy Week because normally people eat fish at this time," Anthony Chumpitaz, president of a local traditional fishermen association, told AFP.

Almost 12,000 barrels of crude spilled into the sea off Peru on January 15 as a tanker unloaded oil at a refinery owned by Spanish energy giant Repsol in Ventanilla, some 30 kilometres north of Lima.

Carried by ocean currents, the oil spread some 140 kilometres northwards, killing hundreds of sea birds and forcing fishermen to abandon their work due to pollution described as an ecological disaster by the government.

At least 5,000 traditional fishermen and traders in Lima and the neighbouring province of Huaral have been affected by the spill, according to the government.

Many fish and seafood restaurants have been forced to close.

"I feel outraged. I have no work. We weren't ready for this spill," Rocio Alonzo Espinar, 30, a fish merchant in Ventanilla, told AFP as he cooked noodles with canned tuna at a soup kitchen.

Several soup kitchens have sprung up in the area since the spill.

Repsol, which blamed the spill on a volcanic eruption 10,000 kilometres away near Tonga in the Pacific, has agreed to pay fishermen and shopkeepers compensation.

Chumpitaz says those affected have so far only received a payment of 500 soles ($125) in January plus another advance payment of 3,000 soles.

There has still been no agreement on the total compensation to be paid to individuals.

"The cost of living is increasing and that's affecting us a lot," said Chumpitaz from the Cavero beach in Ventanilla, where several Repsol employees continue to clean up and decontaminate the area.

At the end of March, the Spanish company said it had cleaned up 95 per cent of the coastal and maritime areas suffering from pollution.

Repsol denies responsibility for the spill and has made a claim against the Italian owner of the tanker involved in the accident.

Peruvian authorities have ordered the Mare Doricum tanker to remain anchored off its coast for the duration of the investigation into the disaster.

Eight directors of Repsol Peru, including its Spanish president Jaime Fernandez-Cuesta Luca de Tena, are under investigation and have been barred from leaving the country for 18 months.

Peru's environmental evaluation and control body has hit Repsol with five fines for a total of $620,000.

The environment ministry says at least 500 hectares of protected marine reserve have been affected by the spill.

By Pierre Celerier and Daniel Lawler
Agence France-Presse

PARIS — For two million years African cuckoo finches have been tricking other birds into raising their young by mimicking the colour of their eggs, but new research suggests the tables may be turning in this evolutionary scam.

The cute yellow appearance of the cuckoo finch belies its nefarious nature: It smuggles its forged eggs into foreign nests, where unwitting foster parents treat them like their very own.

The cuckoo finch eggs then hatch a little earlier than the others in the nest, allowing them to grow quicker and beg more loudly for food than the host chicks — which starve to death as their confused parents prioritise the imposter.

Aiming to save their young from this grisly fate, birds like the African tawny-flanked prinia, a common victim of the ruse, have evolved ever more colourful and elaborate patterns for their eggs to avoid falling for counterfeits.

But the wily cuckoo finch has responded in kind, evolving the ability to copy a variety of egg colours and signatures of several different bird species.

Way back in 1933, British geneticist Reginald Punnett hypothesised that cuckoo finches inherited this remarkable talent of mimicry from their mothers.

His theory has been proved for the first time by a study published in the PNAS science journal this week, which confirmed that the skill is inherited via the W chromosome which only female birds have — similar to how only human males have the Y chromosome.

However the study said that “in this particular arms race, played out in grasslands of central Africa, natural selection has shaped a genetic architecture that appears to be a double-edged sword”.

Studying the DNA samples of 196 cuckoo finches from 141 nests of four grass-warbler species in Zambia, the researchers found that the long-term dupes have evolved new ways to sniff out the cuckoo finch’s deceptions.

The uncrackable 

green egg

Claire Spottiswoode, an evolutionary biologist of the University of Cambridge and University of Cape Town who led the research, gave the example of the olive-green egg, laid by the tawny-flanked prinia.

A single female cuckoo finch cannot produce an infinite variety of differently coloured eggs, she said.

It can only mimic the egg of the bird that raised it — the cuckoo finch is “imprinted” with how to target its future victims from the shells of its foster siblings.

This means that different cuckoo finches can lay blue or white eggs, while others can produce them in red and white — but because the skill is inherited via the female chromosome, they can never combine those pigments to make that olive green.

“Maternal inheritance is the reason why they’re unable to mimic that particular deep olive green colour,” Spottiswoode told AFP.

That puts the cuckoo finch at a evolutionary disadvantage — their rivals the prinias can inherit the genetic talents of both parents to make increasingly complicated eggs.

“We may see the emergence of unforgeable egg signatures which could force cuckoo finches to switch to other naive host species,” Spottiswoode said.

Even now cuckoo finches “make a lot of mistakes” she said, and once prinias spot a forgery they spear the egg and throw it out of the nest.

But if an egg avoids detection long enough to hatch, the parents lose all ability to detect the much larger fraud in their nest.

“It’s really remarkable how you have this beautiful adaptation at the egg stage, then at the chick stage the hosts seem to be completely stupid and raise a chick that looks completely unlike their own,” Spottiswoode said.

LOS ANGELES — Sending miniature robots deep inside the human skull to treat brain disorders has long been the stuff of science fiction — but it could soon become reality, according to a California start-up.

Bionaut Labs plans its first clinical trials on humans in just two years for its tiny injectable robots, which can be carefully guided through the brain using magnets.

“The idea of the micro robot came about way before I was born,” said co-founder and CEO Michael Shpigelmacher.

“One of the most famous examples is a book by Isaac Asimov and a film called ‘Fantastic Voyage,’ where a crew of scientists goes inside a miniaturised spaceship into the brain, to treat a blood clot.”

Just as cellphones now contain extremely powerful components that are smaller than a grain of rice, the tech behind micro-robots “that used to be science fiction in the 1950s and 60s” is now “science fact”, said Shpigelmacher. 

“We want to take that old idea and turn it into reality,” the 53-year-old scientist told AFP during a tour of his company’s Los Angeles research and development centre.

Working with Germany’s prestigious Max Planck research institutes, Bionaut Labs settled on using magnetic energy to propel the robots — rather than optical or ultrasonic techniques — because it does not harm the human body.

Magnetic coils placed outside the patient’s skull are linked up to a computer that can remotely and delicately manoeuvre the micro-robot into the affected part of the brain, before removing it via the same route.

The entire apparatus is easily transportable, unlike an MRI, and uses 10 to 100 times less electricity.

In a simulation watched by AFP, the robot — a metal cylinder just a few millimetres long, in the shape of a tiny bullet — slowly follows a pre-programed trajectory through a gel-filled container, which emulates the density of the human brain.

Once it nears a pouch filled with blue liquid, the robot is swiftly propelled like a rocket and pierces the sack with its pointed end, allowing liquid to flow out.

Inventors hope to use the robot to pierce fluid-filled cysts within the brain when clinical trials begin in two years.

If successful, the process could be used to treat Dandy-Walker Syndrome, a rare brain malformation affecting children.

Sufferers of the congenital ailment can experience cysts the size of a golf ball, which swell and increase pressure on the brain, triggering a host of dangerous neurological conditions.

Bionaut Labs has already tested its robots on large animals such as sheep and pigs, and “the data shows that the technology is safe for us” human beings, said Shpigelmacher.

If approved, the robots could offer key advantages over existing treatments for brain disorders.

“Today, most brain surgery and brain intervention is limited to straight lines — if you don’t have a straight line to the target, you’re stuck, you’re not going to get there,” said Shpigelmacher.

Micro-robotic tech “allows you to reach targets you were not able to reach, and reaching them repeatedly in the safest trajectory possible”, he added.

The US Food and Drug Administration last year granted Bionaut Labs approvals that pave the way for clinical trials to treat Dandy-Walker Syndrome, as well as malignant gliomas — cancerous brain tumours often considered to be inoperable.

In the latter case, the micro-robots will be used to inject anti-cancer drugs directly into brain tumours in a “surgical strike”.

Existing treatment methods involve bombarding the whole body with drugs, leading to potential severe side effects and loss of effectiveness, said Shpigelmacher.

The micro-robots can also take measurements and collect tissue samples while inside the brain.

Bionaut Labs — which has around 30 employees — has held discussions with partners for the use of its tech to treat other conditions affecting the brain including Parkinson’s, epilepsy or strokes.

“To the best of my knowledge, we are the first commercial effort” to design a product of this type with “a clear path to the clinic trials”, said Shpigelmacher.

“But I don’t think that we will be the only one... This area is heating up.”