Latest news with #J-pod
Buzz Feed
3 days ago
- General
- Buzz Feed
XX Things On The Brink Of Collapse No One Talks About
Between the existential chaos around the world and whatever we're all dealing with in our personal lives, it feels like we're collectively acting like everything is fine these days, but that's not really the case. Political turmoil is wreaking havoc across the globe, climate change is getting realer by the second, and the global economy is shifting, for better or for worse. Needless to say, we're in very trying times, and it feels like burnout is now a universal feeling. A recent post on the r/AskReddit sub asked users the following question: "What is currently on the brink of collapse but no one is talking about it?" From collapsing ecosystems to the rise of AI, these 19 responses highlight just how close our dystopian future might be: Note: these responses have been edited and condensed for clarity. "The orca pod known as J-pod, that are residents of the Pudget Sound, are starving as the salmon population is collapsing." "And to be specific, Chinook salmon. Chinook are their main food source because of the fat content, and they're on the brink of collapse. I mean, it's not looking good for all salmon species, but when/if the Chinook go extinct, that's the first big domino to fall in the Salish Sea ecosystem." "Here in the UK, the water table. Already seen a massive drought in the North with unprecedented lack of rainfall this year. Reservoirs and rivers are lower than they've been in decades. On top of leaking pipes that date back to WWII, we could honestly be talking about real drinking water shortages in 5-10 years." "Honestly, I'd say the internet. Everything requires an account, everything collects your information, you can't own anything because you can only get subscriptions to services. There are way too many social media platforms, which are somehow all owned by the same few mega corporations (Meta, Google, Microsoft, etc.) AI is slowly taking over everything and spewing out misinformation left and right." "Lots of collectively-owned private, professional businesses: Private equity has been relentlessly buying up veterinarian practices, CPA firms, and — I'm sure — all kinds of other businesses so they can egregiously increase prices, sell everything that isn't nailed down, cut staff to nothing, then sell the little bit that's left to some naive future buyer at a hugely inflated cost." "Teachers. Not teaching itself, but the whole system around it. So many teachers are underpaid, overworked, and just done. A lot are quitting quietly or switching careers, and schools are struggling to replace them. It's kind of scary how fast it's unraveling, but no one's really screaming about it yet." "Maybe not on the brink, but possibly approaching — The AMOC, or Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, is a large system of ocean currents that acts like a conveyor belt, circulating warm and cold water throughout the Atlantic Ocean." "Bridges, railroad lines, power grids, and water pipes. Some of them are decades old and unstable (Germany)." "A bunch of small ecosystems around the world." "The working class. Hopefully, the collapse will wake some folks up, but I don't have a lot of hope when they seem perfectly happy in their caves staring at the shadows." "Critical thinking. Humanity is over-reliant on devices and AI to do their thinking for them instead of using tech to enhance their own thinking." "The movie industry feels that way in Hollywood right now." "The Cascadia Subduction Zone." "The 'enrollment cliff' is starting. This year, the lack of kids born during and after the 2008 recession is starting to graduate from high school. In this population pyramid, you can see that starting at the 15-19 age group, birth rates went down and kept going down. Now, it was already going down on average, but right before the recession, there was a small uptick that could have been a turnaround." "Civilizations decline/collapse over generations — I'd suggest that there is a strong possibility that 'the free liberal West' is in the early stages of a multi-generational decline, not unlike that of the Roman empire. Facebook and Netflix are our bread and circuses while around us, cultures that are not compatible with our (democratic, egalitarian, progressive, liberal) values are rising to challenge and eventually displace us. It won't happen in my lifetime, but it is happening." "The Anthropocene." "Overly complex appliances, cars, TVs, etc." "I think our civilization's ability to write without Generative AI. I believe writing is thinking, and it provides clarity to our thoughts. A vast majority of university students are now relying on services like ChatGPT, which I believe will eventually affect us in the long run. I don't have research backing up my claim, and I hope I'm wrong. Regardless, I'm worried." "Surprised I didn't see many posts about insects. We are in a mass extinction event of something like 60% of their population."
CBC
09-04-2025
- General
- CBC
'Sign of hope' for endangered killer whales as research centre confirms newborn calf
The Centre for Whale Research says one of its field biologists has spotted a new calf in a pod of endangered killer whales off British Columbia's southern coast. The Washington-based centre says in a Facebook post that biologist Mark Malleson encountered J-pod, part of the larger population of southern resident killer whales, as the orcas swam past Victoria Harbour on Sunday. The centre says he observed and documented a newborn calf swimming alongside a whale known as J40, and it's thought to be her first calf. The latest calf is the fourth born among the southern residents over the past year, with the centre saying it's "a sign of hope for this endangered community." Based on the initial observations, it says there are "no immediate concerns" for the calf now dubbed J63, but the first year of life is often challenging for young whales. Confirmation of the birth comes less than two months after researchers with the centre spotted a newborn calf in February, closely following the death of another. At the time, the centre said it had confirmed that J35, or Tahlequah, was no longer carrying the body of her dead calf, which she had started pushing around Jan. 1. Researchers have previously said Tahlequah's behaviour is an apparent act of grief, and the whale had lost two of her four documented calves. She captured headlines worldwide when she pushed the remains of the earlier calf for 17 days in 2018. The southern resident killer whales are classified as endangered under Canadian and U.S. species-at-risk laws, with the centre saying each new calf is "vitally important" to the whales' survival and recovery. "We remain cautiously optimistic about J63's survival and will conduct follow-up observations of the calf's behaviour and physical condition in the coming days and months, as opportunities allow," it says in Tuesday's Facebook post. The Canadian government recently opted not to issue an emergency order to protect the whales despite a determination from its own fisheries and environment ministers that the southern residents face "imminent threats" to their survival. Instead, the Fisheries Department said with the decision last month that "incremental measures will be pursued" to protect the salmon-eating whales. "It has been determined that the most effective approach is to continue to manage human activities without making an emergency order, using existing legislative tools and non-regulatory measures," the statement said. WATCH | Orca calf spotted swimming with J-pod near Victoria: 'Sign of hope' for endangered killer whales as centre confirms newborn calf 2 hours ago Duration 1:09 The Centre for Whale Research says one of its field biologists has spotted a new calf in a pod of endangered killer whales off British Columbia's southern coast. Conservation groups, including the David Suzuki Foundation, Raincoast Conservation Foundation and World Wildlife Fund Canada, decried the decision, saying existing measures have "proven inadequate" to protect the whales from threats that range from inadequate prey to underwater noise and vessel strikes.
CBC
20-02-2025
- Science
- CBC
In good news for J-pod, new killer whale calf is a female
The Center for Whale Research says it has confirmed a new killer whale calf in a pod of endangered orcas that live off B.C.'s southwest coast is female. It's a piece of good news for J-pod, after the recent death of another calf whose mother carried the carcass for days in what researchers said was a display of grief. The Washington state-based organization said on social media that the new calf known as J62 was seen on Feb. 8 off the San Juan Island, and researchers were able to photograph her belly and confirm her sex. The group says the calf appears to be doing well and is "filling out nicely." The centre has previously said that new females are important for southern resident killer whales as they are "largely limited by the number of reproductively aged females." The post this week also said researchers were able to confirm the adult female J35, or Tahlequah, is no longer carrying the body of her dead calf, which she started pushing around on Jan. 1.
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
In good news for J-pod, killer whale calf is a female
VANCOUVER — The Centre for Whale Research says it has confirmed a new killer whale calf in a pod of endangered orcas that live off southwest British Columbia is female. It's a piece of good news for J-pod, after the recent death of another calf whose mother pushed the carcass for days in what researchers said was a display of grief. The Washington state-based organization says on social media that the new calf known as J62 was seen on Feb. 8 off the San Juan Island, and researchers were able to photograph her belly and confirm her sex. The group says the calf appears to be doing well and is "filling out nicely." The centre has previously said that new females are important for southern resident killer whales as they are "largely limited by the number of reproductively aged females." The post this week also says researchers were able to confirm the adult female J35, or Tahlequah, is no longer carrying the body of her dead calf, which she started pushing around Jan. 1. Researchers have previously said the behaviour is an apparent act of grief, and that J35 has now lost two of her four documented calves. She captured headlines worldwide when she pushed the remains of another calf for 17 days in 2018. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 19, 2025. The Canadian Press
