Spy agencies brief people in power. We brief you. Each week we’ll bring you one story that matters, plus a few that don’t!
Your Brief for November 7, 2024: The Ace of Spies, green sand, deaf mosquitoes, early sugar exposure and more!
News
Drones With Sensory Networks
Scientists at the University of Southampton are developing a new type of drone that stays airborne longer by integrating a form of "nervous system". The team researches and designs uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs), and unlike conventional drones that need frequent landings for manual safety checks, their new cargo system aims to keep vehicles in the sky for extended periods while autonomously assessing their condition. The drone is equipped with an optical fiber system which acts like a sensory network, enabling the vehicle to check its health in real-time. This system creates specific images based on the sensory information the fiber detects, enabling the drone's network to recognize signs of wear or possible failure points.
Image Credit: University of Southampton
True Spies
The Ace Of Spies
Who was Britain’s Ace of Spies? The truth is, nobody knows. But the name he used was Sidney Reilly—and nobody did it better…
Reilly is a legendary figure in espionage history. Allegedly one of the real-life inspirations behind James Bond! A master of deception and reinvention. So much so that many of the details of his life are still disputed today, but a consensus has gradually emerged over much of his story, including his role in the early days of Soviet Russia!
It’s 1918, a year after Russia’s communist revolution—a violent and chaotic time. Under Vladimir Lenin, the Bolshevik Party took over promising to smash the power of the aristocracy and the bourgeoisie and end the oppression of the working class forever. At this time, Reilly is in the small city of Klin a few miles outside Moscow. Lenin’s hold on power is far from certain and a ruthless crackdown is underway. Random mass arrests, torture, and executions—what the communists openly call their policy of “Red Terror”. As Reilly later made clear in his writings, traveling between cities using the railways was an invitation to be scrutinized. Particularly if you are the most wanted man in Russia!
So how did Sidney Reilly, one of the greatest spies of the 20th century, survive and thrive for so long? Find out in this week’s podcast selection, ‘The Ace of Spies’.
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Nature
Deaf Mosquitoes
Could making mosquitoes deaf stop the spread of deadly diseases?
Scientists from the University of California, Santa Barbara, believe they've found a surprising way to combat mosquito-borne diseases like dengue, yellow fever, and Zika—by turning male mosquitoes deaf. Published in the journal PNAS, their study involved altering a genetic pathway that male mosquitoes use for hearing. The goal? To disrupt their mid-air mating abilities, since male mosquitoes rely on hearing females' wingbeats to locate and mate with them.
The researchers targeted a protein called trpVa, critical to the mosquitoes' hearing. In mosquitoes with a mutated version of this protein, the neurons usually involved in sound detection showed no response to female wingbeats. Males failed to make contact with females, even after three days together in the same cage! In contrast, wild-type males were quick to mate and fertilized nearly all available females.
Quirky
Green Sand
Why are green sand beaches so rare?
Green sand beaches are a natural wonder found in only four locations worldwide: Papakōlea Beach in Hawaii, Talofofo Beach in Guam, Punta Cormorant in Ecuador, and Hornindalsvatnet in Norway. Their unusual sand color comes from olivine, a mineral produced by volcanic eruptions. When lava rich in olivine is brought to the surface and cools, it forms crystals that eventually erode into tiny green grains, giving the beach its distinctive hue. Pretty cool! Is a green beach adventure on your bucket list?
Image Credit: Designed by Freepik
Games
TimeGuessr
History or geography buff?
TimeGuessr is a unique trivia game where players are given a photograph from a moment in history and must guess the year it was taken and where it happened. The game features five rounds—each round will test your skills at placing a particular moment on a timeline and map. With a challenging mix of history, geography, and visual clues. The closer you are to the correct year and location, the higher your score! Want to find out how close you can get?
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In 2021, Italian artist Salvatore Garau sold one of his sculptures for $18,000. Though many artworks fetch more at auction… what if we told you the piece exists only in your mind? Or rather, you are paying for a void!
The sale of Lo Sono ("I am"), an invisible piece from Gaurau, caused quite a stir. Critics claimed it didn’t exist, but Garau defended his work, describing it as a "vacuum." He argues that his work is a space full of energy and that even in nothingness there is something! In quantum physics, a vacuum is not empty but filled with photons that constantly appear and disappear. This energy is known as vacuum energy or zero-point energy. It may be a thought-provoking approach and Garau’s creation might blur the line between reality and perception, but is his work a deep artistic statement or an expensive imagination exercise?
Science
Early Sugar Exposure
What are the impacts of early sugar exposure on lifelong health?
Researchers from the University of Southern California analyzed data from the UK BioBank and found that sugar exposure in the first 1,000 days of life might shape future health risks. Studying the health records of 60,000 people born between 1951 and 1956, they compared those born during sugar-rationing in post-WWII Britain to those born shortly after, when sugar consumption rapidly increased. The team found that babies born during sugar-rationing were 30% less likely to develop obesity, and their risk of type 2 diabetes was reduced by 35%, while high blood pressure risk dropped by 20%!
The team discovered that the first 1,000 days are pivotal in shaping lifelong health, affecting not only the risk of type 2 diabetes but also when it might develop. For those exposed to rationing, diabetes was delayed by about four years on average, and high blood pressure appeared two years later.
Image Credit: Designed by Freepik
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