About 20% of the snow cover has melted on Eagle Island in the northeast of the peninsula, attributable to an atypical warmth.  The record speed of snow melting was recorded in Antarctica due to high air temperatures, Science Alert reports, citing data from NASA.  According to the publication, on February 9, a temperature record was recorded on Seymour Island - + 20.75 ° C. Now, data from the US Aerospace Agency indicate that high temperatures have melted about 20% of the snow cover on Eagle Island, which is located on the northeastern edge of the Antarctic Peninsula. "Never before has snow melted in Antarctica so quickly. Previously, such a speed (melting) could be observed in Alaska and Greenland, but it is not typical for Antarctica," said American geologist Maury Pelto. In his opinion, high temperatures can be considered the reason. Such figures are not typical for the weather conditions of Antarctica: the average annual temperature in the central part of the continent, as a rule, drops to –57 ° С. According to experts, the snow cover on Eagle Island "lost" more than ten centimeters only from 6 to 11 February. Environmentalists are worried about the frequency of events: this is the third major "large-scale melting" this winter.

Read more: https://sputnik.by/nature/20200225/1044030210/Sneg-rekordno-bystro-taet-v-Antarktide.html

Senator Lyazzat Rysbekova said that the shallowing of the Urals threatens an imminent environmental disaster, the correspondent reports Tengrinews.kz.

"Experts warn that the shallowing of the Ural river, which is the third longest river in Europe, threatens an imminent environmental disaster. The Ural plays a special role in preserving the ecosystem and bioresources of the Northern Caspian, where it flows. Last year, the international geodetic organization assigned the river the fifth and most recent level of pollution, effectively declaring it unsuitable for human use. Over the past five years, the Ural river has become so shallow that navigation on it has become almost impossible, and the number of alluvial land strips called braids has sharply increased. Today, the water level in the Urals has reached a record low.

The Ural is not just a river, but an entire ecosystem. Its shallowing leads to a number of very serious environmental problems: the floodplain of the river is not flooded, numerous lakes that feed the Urals in the dry season dry up, fish die, the ground water level decreases," Senator Lyazzat Rysbekova said, addressing a Deputy request to the country's Prime Minister Askar Mamin.

She added that the shallowing of the river affects the deterioration of the flora and fauna of the river basin, the decrease in agricultural productivity in the region, as well as the supply of drinking water to settlements in the region.

"...for residents of two regions of Kazakhstan, the Ural river is the main source of fresh water. The shallowing of the river has already affected the uninterrupted water supply of the city of Uralsk. If the river is now lost to navigation and water use, then tomorrow millions of people may be without drinking water.

Today, there is an acute problem with water supply in the southern regions of the region (Bokeyordinsky, Zhanybeksky, Zhangalinsky, Kaztalovsky), located in the desert zone. Over the past three years, the channels and estuaries of the districts do not receive enough water due to low water in the Urals, drying pastures cannot provide feed, and the livestock of the villagers is at risk of loss. The existing acute water shortage is also the result of excessive regulation of the Ural river in the upper reaches, " the Senator stressed in her request.

The Deputy considers it necessary:

* create a permanent Kazakh-Russian Commission;

* conduct a large-scale, thorough and comprehensive scientific study by scientists and experts of the Ural river itself and the causes of its shallowing. Only after understanding the reasons and getting the results of research can we talk about what additional measures still need to be taken to solve the problem;

* develop a systematic international program that would solve internal problems in the Ural river basin;

* strictly comply with the requirements of international environmental conventions and obligations signed by the Kazakh and Russian parties (Stockholm Convention on transboundary rivers and lakes);

* carry out continuous environmental monitoring of the Ural river.

 https://tengrinews.kz/kazakhstan_news/ugroze-ekologicheskoy-katastrofyi-zapade-kazahstana-zayavila-419931/

Impossible Foods has always had impressive aspirations. A cutting-edge food innovator, they say they want to get rid of animal husbandry by 2035, although this may not go according to plan. on October 20, the company held a virtual press conference to demonstrate progress in creating a new prototype of dairy-free milk.

The company's founder, Dr Pat brown, said the current plant-based milk does not meet the standards of taste, aroma and texture. The new prototype is expected to be much closer to cow's milk than any of its plant-based competitors. Although it is unknown what the final base protein will be (probably soy) and whether microbial fermentation will be used in the process, lead scientist Laura Klieman said the milk they have experimented with so far is more creamy than other plant-based milk. A demonstration during a press conference showed how it mixes with hot coffee and stays mixed without settling on the bottom, and does not make the coffee grainy or cloudy. Kliman said that it also gives a good foam thanks to stable proteins.

There is no commercial launch date for the milk yet, as it will continue to be developed and improved until the mixture is suitable. According to Kliman, "We are not going to launch a product until it is of the same quality or even better than the version obtained from animals. This is just a demo, we are not announcing a launch at this time."

Impossible invests in R & d (Research and development), hoping to double its team and attract some of the world's leading scientists to a company that is happy to provide funding, facilities, equipment, and support for any research they want to conduct-provided it is consistent with the goal of accelerating the use of plant-based alternatives to animal husbandry.

VegNews reports that Dr. brown encouraged scientists to join the exciting development team during a press conference: "whatever you do, it's a drop in the bucket compared to the impact you can have here with our project ... Leave your work and join us."

This is certainly interesting to look at from the outside. Impossible broke into the market in the last few years, changing the rules of the game by creating a Burger based on soy and potato protein, which is surprisingly similar to real meat. Their goal is to convince meat-eaters that plant-based alternatives can be just as good, if not better, than real meat, and thus fight the environmental destruction caused by animal husbandry. If any company can make meat obsolete, Impossible can handle it as well as possible.