Science Wrap: A deer-bite virus, El Nino hitting coffee, Musk to implant brain chips in humans

This week in science witnessed a rare but deadly virus in America, global coffee supply being affected by high temperatures and space-billionaires just making more money. 

1- Rare but deadly virus starts its killing spree (and it can be spread through deer bites)

According to the Maine Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, a person in the United States has died from the rare Powassan virus, the first death case in the country this year.

Following the death of the Sagadahoc County resident, health officials issued an alert to the public about the lethal viral disease, which is now incurable.

But first things first, what even is the Powassan virus?

The rare but serious viral illness is transmitted to humans through the biting of an infected deer (yes deer can bite too), groundhog, or squirrel ticks. Ticks are external parasites that feed on the blood of mammals, birds, and, on rare occasions, reptiles and amphibians.

Americans need to be concerned about the disease the most as the disease mostly occurs in the country’s northeastern region and its five “Great” Lakes (superiority complex much?). The disease mostly occurs in late spring and mid-autumn with its symptoms being fever, vomiting, weakness, seizures, brain inflammation and eventually, death. 

2- El Nino will not just heat up the world but also affect your coffee

The global weather phenomenon known as El Nino disrupts rainfall and temperature patterns. It usually builds up around South American countries but goes on to affect global temperatures all over the world. Coupled with global warming, El Nino is already raising concerns to make 2023 and 2024 some of the hottest years in all of human history. 

ALSO READ: What the El Nino 2023 is bringing with it

In the face of a stronger El Nino this year, the coffee yields in Brazil and Vietnam would be severely affected, climate experts suggest. And given how the South American and Asian nations are both leading producers of the coffee variety robusta (and even arabica in Brazil’s case), the crop could be affected if the global temperatures remain high. 

For the unacquainted (or un-caffeinated), robusta is higher in caffeine levels and is usually used in instant coffee. And with robusta yields going off schedule and with supply being limited than before, the global robusta prices have already increased to a 15-year peak!

Coffee analyst Fernando Maximiliano told Reuters that there was a nearly 40% drop in robusta production in Brazil the last time a strong El Nino developed between 2015 and 2016. Now, matters can grow even worse. 

3- Virgin Galactic conducts final space flight test. Commercial flights to begin soon.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX has competition from Virgin’s Richard Branson, just one of the many white billionaires obsessed with going to space. 

Now, Virgin Galactic has conducted its final space flight test with six company employees (including two pilots) participating in the brief up-and-down flight that involved a few minutes of weightlessness. The crew eventually landed safely at Spaceport America in southern New Mexico.

This is definitely a momentous chapter in Virgin’s history given its decade-long effort to explore the commercial viability of space travel. 

“Successful boost, WE HAVE REACHED SPACE!” reads a tweet by Virgin Galactic. The company’s future plans to fully commercialise space travel are yet to be disclosed.

4- Elon Musk finally gets FDA approval to study brain implants

Apart from running SpaceX and now Twitter, Elon Musk has had many side-hustles such as funding the brain implant company Neuralink. Musk’s belief behind founding and financing the company is that brain implants can alter medical science by curing conditions like autism and obesity. 

ALSO READ: Buying Manchester United is a joke, but Elon Musk owns some crazy expensive things

However, given that research into brain implants is still in a nascent stage, it is crucial for Neuralink to get the required approvals for human trials. Now, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has finally given the company the required approval to go ahead with a human trial. 

Neuralink tweeted out the news, celebrating the “incredible work by the Neuralink team in close collaboration with the FDA”. The results of this trial are still awaited.