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Non-Human Animals Show Empathy. What Happened To Ours?

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Image Credit: Huffington Post Images

According to Wikipedia, Empathy is defined as: the capacity to understand or feel what another being (a human or non-human animal) is experiencing from within the other being's frame of reference, i.e., the capacity to place oneself in another's position.

In my recent research on animals, I've come across interesting concepts and theories. The most notable, the concept of empathy among other animal species.

Scientists used to believe that only humans were capable of experiencing any emotions, most of all, empathy.

However, we now know that elephants, dolphins, whales, chimpanzees, and a handful of other animals also demonstrate emotional reactions that appear to be "empathy" and a type of self-awareness. They are able to recognize themselves in the mirror, mourn the death of their young, and experience a wide range of emotions.

Additionally, several species of animals have areas of their brains that are analogous to our emotional epicenters, the limbic and paralimbic systems.

In fact, it seems as though some nonhuman animals may experience a wider range of emotions, and/or have a larger neocortex and capacity for empathy, then even we do.

Herein lies one of the major problems. Some time ago, (some) humans stopped showing empathy, and started killing indiscriminately -- people, and other animals.

We seem to have forgotten the basic tenets of empathy. We seem to have forgotten what it feels like to be in someone else's, or some other animal's, proverbial shoes.

We kill each other over political differences, racial differences, religious differences, and resources. We kill animals for "research," or for competition and sport, or for a token without even remotely thinking about how painful and torturous it must be for that animal, its family, and the social structure of that species.

For the poachers, they do not care that the large elephant they killed for 200 pounds of ivory was the matriarch leader of a herd of elephants who depended on her for direction, safety, and love. Poachers do not care that they have orphaned the herd who mourn and who go through turmoil, and strife, and have a reduced likelihood of survival.

To the dolphin hunters, they don't care or even acknowledge the screams of sorrow as they murder one dolphin, a mother, a brother as the other pod members look on helplessly. In fact, some men even laugh or smirk.

And that, is perhaps what sickens me, and saddens me most. That "man" can torture and kill innocent animals who were living their lives just moments before, and be snide about it, celebrate it, relish it, or poke fun at it.

To me that is a psychosis. It demonstrates the very opposite of empathy. It is mechanistic, inhumane, and disrespectful. It is a very dangerous lesson to teach our children.

Imagine you are that dolphin, or that elephant, or that rhinoceros. Imagine the sorrow, imagine the fear, imagine the complete lack of understanding of why this is happening to you. You did nothing wrong, except were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Or perhaps, like Cecil the Lion you were tracked with equipment and devices making your escape impossible.

We have become such a technology-based society, that we have forgotten how to feel. We have forgotten how to relate. We have forgotten how to connect among other humans, let alone with other sentient animals.

Our world is quickly becoming a desolate island, a screen that we hold six inches in front of our noses, and it's a hard pill to swallow.

And, because of this, we lose touch with nature, we lose touch with reality, we lose touch with each other.

It is time to stop killing each other and animals. It is time to stop taking hostage other humans and animals. The time to stop is now.

I call upon us all to close our eyes and reflect on what it is to be empathetic. To teach our children respect for each other, respect for animals, respect for differences of opinion, respect for different race, religion, or whatever!

The time to be empathetic is today. This minute. Now.

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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-froman/protecting-our-oceans-a-n_b_12044606.html?utm_hp_ref=green&ir=Green
Protecting Our Oceans: A New World Trade Organization Initiative Seeks to Prohibit Harmful Fisheries Subsidies
Covering 70 percent of the Earth's surface, the oceans are one of the essential and defining features of our planet. For a long time, the ocean's bounty seemed almost boundless. Now, we understand that the world's fisheries resources--and the billions of people who rely on fish and seafood as their primary source of protein and millions more who depend on the oceans for their livelihoods--are in serious trouble.

Most fisheries are in decline and some are even at risk of collapse. Over 30 percent of the world's fisheries are being fished at biologically unsustainable levels, and even more--nearly 60 percent--are already fully fished. Despite this, governments continue to spend billions of dollars a year on subsidies that exacerbate this decline in fisheries resources.

It is broadly recognized that these harmful fisheries subsidies lead to overfishing and overcapacity in global fishing fleets. This artificially increases supply and reduces prices in global fish markets, resulting in unfair competition and economic losses for fishing industries that do not benefit from these subsidies. At the same time, these subsidies promote overfishing that undermines long-term food security. There is also growing recognition of our shared responsibility to take action to protect our oceans, as evidenced by the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

On the occasion of the third Our Ocean Conference, 13 like-minded countries, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, New Zealand, Norway, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Singapore, Switzerland, Uruguay, and the United States, have pledged to work together in the World Trade Organization (WTO) to negotiate a first of its kind, rules-based plurilateral agreement to prohibit harmful fisheries subsidies, including those that contribute to overfishing and overcapacity, and those linked to illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, which has increasingly been recognized not only as a conservation issue, but a national security issue as well. This group is just the vanguard, and will add new momentum on an issue that has been long-stalled in the WTO. We anticipate other conservation-minded WTO Members will join these negotiations and work towards an ambitious, high-standard agreement, while at the same time working to make progress toward a multilateral agreement on fisheries subsidies in the WTO.

These negotiations will build on--and extend to new trading partners--the type of commitments on harmful fisheries subsidies and obligations for enhanced transparency included in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement, which the United States negotiated with 11 other Asia-Pacific countries, including eight of the top 20 fishing nations that together account for a quarter of global marine catch and seafood exports.

The Obama Administration has demonstrated a continued commitment to using our trade agreements and policies to help conserve the world's oceans and marine life for future generations. Launching negotiations for a fisheries subsidies plurilateral is an important step forward.

This post is part of a series produced by The Huffington Post in partnership with Secretary of State John Kerry's Our Oceanconference and Ocean Unite, an initiative to unite and activate powerful voices for ocean-conservation action. The series is being produced to coincide with the Our Ocean Conference (September 15th, 16th) as part of HuffPost's "What's Working" initiative, putting a spotlight on initiatives around the world that are solutions oriented. To read all the posts in the series, read here. The State Department does not endorse the content of this blog. Follow the conversation on Twitter with the hashtag #OurOcean #MakeASplash.

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

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Blue Growth by Design - an ocean of opportunity awaits, if we get it right
Humanity's relationship with the ocean can be summed up in two words: exploration and exploitation. Together, they are driving a sea change in the health and future prospects of the ocean. Sustaining the energy, food, minerals and jobs that make up our Blue Economy--while at the same time conserving the ocean, has become one of our most important collective global challenges.

Given how vital a healthy ocean is, I am delighted that countries have created their own annual international conference - the Our Ocean Conference. First launched by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in 2014 it is being held this year in Washington, DC September 15-16th. The Blue Economy challenge will be firmly on the table, and for us at The Nature Conservancy (TNC) this is an opportunity to shift the narrative away from viewing the ocean as another problem, and instead treating it as part of the solution.

Our global Blue Economy is growing so rapidly that the impacts have not yet been fully assessed. From oil and gas to offshore wind, we increasingly rely on energy that comes from the ocean. We have developed an aquaculture industry that provides half the world's seafood and is the fastest growing food production sector. Marine tourism is projected to triple in the next 15 years.

Investment in the Blue Economy is soaring, and many sectors are set to grow exponentially by 2030; offshore wind by as much as 8,000%, and aquaculture and fish processing by over 300%. The potential for food, jobs and renewable energy production is enormous.

But, alongside these rewards come huge risks. We know that the ocean is bearing the brunt of climate change: it has absorbed 90% of our excess heat and 25% of our carbon emissions, causing it to become 30% more acidic. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, 85% of global fish stocks are "overexploited, depleted, or recovering from depletion," while illegal fishing costs coastal nations up to $25 billion a year.

Our efforts must ensure that developing the Blue Economy does not come at the cost of ocean health. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) projects that under a sustainable scenario, with high economic growth and low ecological deterioration, the ocean economy will more than double its global value added to reach $3.2 trillion by 2030.

Diving under a breaking wave at the reef crest near Penguin Spit within Palmyra Atoll in the equatorial Northern Pacific. ©The Nature Conservancy (Tim Calver)

The question for me is not if we will continue to explore the ocean and exploit its resources; it's how, when and where we should do it. Blue Growth by Design is an approach to ocean conservation and management that balances the interests of people and nature, while ensuring that conservation has a voice. At TNC, we believe that the most important levers are: 1) international, collective action; 2) smarter use of sea space based on new science and technology; 3) increased investments in natural solutions to address climate change; and 4) strong, cross-sector collaboration.

More than 40% of our planet--the high seas--lies outside any national jurisdiction. Fish stocks, pollution and climate change aren't contained by national boundaries and to manage resources, we need international cooperation and legally binding laws and treaties.

Blue Growth and climate change are exerting growing pressure on ocean areas, only about 3% of which are protected. The "30/30" target, to protect 30% of the ocean by 2030, is an important goal to help offset this pressure and build ocean resilience. But simply setting targets is not enough. Establishing smart, effective marine protected areas (MPAs) based on scientific planning and strong management will preserve ocean wealth.

The reality is that little can be achieved without funding. The ocean covers over 70% of our planet, yet in 2013 less than 5% of the $9.7 billion donated to environmental issues was devoted to marine causes.

In response, TNC is using innovative financing methods, like first-of-their-kind debt conversions, to leverage more of this money. For example, in February 2016, with a combination of grant and impact capital, we helped the Government of the Seychelles finance a more than $20 million debt buy-back from its Paris Club creditors, to help create a marine spatial plan for their entire Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and place 30% of it - 400,000 km2 - into biodiversity protection zones. By working with other Small Island Developing States to provide similar financial opportunities, we intend to facilitate an additional 2 million km2 of MPAs.

None of this work can be done alone. I know from my years as EU Commissioner for Maritime Affairs that it's essential to build strong partnerships. TNC is working with fishermen, governments, scientists, the insurance industry, the tourism industry, the World Bank, the Red Cross, and business to help drive the changes we need.

We see the current boom in ocean industries as a call to action, a chance to design sustainable Blue Growth. I am confident that together we can get this right.

This post is part of a series produced by The Huffington Post in partnership with Secretary of State John Kerry's Our Oceanconference and Ocean Unite, an initiative to unite and activate powerful voices for ocean-conservation action. The series is being produced to coincide with the Our Ocean Conference (September 15th, 16th) as part of HuffPost's "What's Working" initiative, putting a spotlight on initiatives around the world that are solutions oriented. To read all the posts in the series, read here. The State Department does not endorse the content of this blog. Follow the conversation on Twitter with the hashtag #OurOcean #MakeASplash.

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

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Fishermen: Our Best Hope for Abundant Oceans That Feed the World

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What is the future for billions of people around the world who depend on seafood for nutrition? Many experts will tell you that wild fisheries collapse is on the rise, and that fishermen are trying to get more from the oceans today, leaving a lot less for the future. If nothing changes more than 80% of fisheries will be in need of recovery by 2030. But this dismal scenario doesn't need to be our future, and in fact, fishermen and women are our best hope for healthy, abundant oceans that can feed a lot more people.

I understand that for a conservationist like me to say that the primary user group of a natural resource can be the key to its recovery is rather surprising. But my personal and professional experiences have shown me why it's true.

Growing up on the water and at the beach in Massachusetts, I became an oceans advocate from an early age. My grandfather taught me how to skipper a boat, fish "stripers", and dig for quahogs. He'd take the family whale-watching, and once, when we were miles offshore, I got to swim with humpbacks. I was hooked. But I struggled to reconcile my passion for the wildlife of the oceans with my concern for the people who harvested them. Even my ancestors fished for food and livelihoods.

The crux of the challenge became clear to me as a graduate student studying the collapse of the green sea urchin in coastal Maine. Sea urchin roe, or uni, is a common food in sushi. The fishery boomed in the early 1990s--called "green gold" locally, but by the time I arrived in 1999, it had already gone bust. Urchin harvesters were part of my dive research team. During our long days on the water I'd ask them why they didn't just stop fishing when it was clear that the fishery was being wiped out. What I heard repeatedly was "If I don't take the last urchin, someone else will." What a deeply unsettling answer: the urchin harvester knew he was killing his own job, but he also knew that he could not change the final outcome even if he tried. This is the epitome of hopelessness, and unfortunately is a story repeated the world over.

The good news is that there is a better way. We need to shift our assumptions so that fishermen's self-interest isn't just viewed as a risk, but rather as an asset in the recovery of the oceans. Rather than forcing fishermen into a false choice between protecting the resource and putting food on the table, they can be empowered to do both. This isn't an academic hypothesis. Secure fishing rights are a social contract in which fishermen and communities agree to adhere to strict, science-based fishing limits in exchange for the right to a secure share of the catch or to a traditional fishing area. This gives fishing communities a long-term reason to conserve; they benefit as fish populations recover and catches increase.

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Here in the U.S. the results are compelling, with more fish in the ocean, more food on the plate and more prosperous fishing communities. Along the Gulf coast, there are three times more red snapper; fishermen have safely caught twice as many of them; and revenues have doubled. Fishermen say they've figured out how to "fish smarter, not harder." On the West coast, groundfish fishermen operating with fishing rights are advocating new protected areas because they understand how breeding grounds help seed their futures. Secure fishing rights coupled with a strong federal fisheries law have led to a 60% drop in overfished species and many depleted species are recovering decades ahead of schedule.

Secure fishing rights are showing promise on other shores too. In two communities in Belize, illegal fishing dramatically declined, coral reef health improved, and communities saw a better future ahead. Word quickly spread and fishermen demanded more. The government began implementing fishing rights nationwide in June, showing the world that there can be a better tomorrow for fishermen and fish in small-scale, developing world fisheries too. Similar stories of hope are beginning to unfold around the world.

With fishermen at the center of the solution to global overfishing, hopelessness can become an upward spiral of recovery so that the oceans feed an additional half a billion people, while supporting twice as many fish for conservation, and three-times more income to fishermen and communities. Moreover, benefits accrue quickly as most fisheries can recover in as few as ten years.

I see this as the best path to ensuring others can grow up swimming with whales, spending time with their grandfathers, and appreciating the generosity of the oceans for generations to come.

This post is part of a series produced by The Huffington Post in partnership with Secretary of State John Kerry's Our Ocean conference and Ocean Unite, an initiative to unite and activate powerful voices for ocean-conservation action. The series is being produced to coincide with the Our Ocean Conference (September 15th, 16th) as part of HuffPost's "What's Working" initiative, putting a spotlight on initiatives around the world that are solutions oriented. To read all the posts in the series, read here. The State Department does not endorse the content of this blog. Follow the conversation on Twitter with the hashtag #OurOcean #MakeASplash.

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

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An infectious cause for Alzheimer's?

An infectious cause for Alzheimer's?

By Drs. David Niesel and Norbert Herzog

Alzheimer's disease is the sixth leading cause of US deaths and accounts for up to 80 percent of all dementia cases. Particularly distressing is the fact that there is no way to prevent its occurrence, slow its progression or cure the disease once it is detected. And this produces a significant economic burden on families; totaling almost $250 billion for health care and long term care annually.

More than 5 million Americans over the age of 65 are living with Alzheimer's today and 16 million are forecast to be afflicted in 2050 at a cost of $1 trillion per year. Yes, one trillion dollars! We have an incomplete understanding of what causes this disease. A protein in the brain called amyloid-beta called Aβ is thought to play a key role. The Aβ protein aggregates at sites in the brain forming something called plaques. These plaques are not seen in individuals that do not have Alzheimer's. For some time now, the question has been why do these plaques form?

Recently, there has been an intriguing new possibility regarding the origins of these plaques. It has been proposed that Aβ protein functions to protect the brain from invading microorganisms. Recent experiments reveal that they may be on to something.

Researchers noticed that animals that produce higher levels of Aβ were more resistant to brain infection by exhibiting a longer survival time and lower survival of the bacteria. When tested in the laboratory, Aβ was shown to stick to carbohydrates on the surface of these microbes. Not only that but the Aβ attracted other molecules and extended into fibers that were essential to the antimicrobial activity. Growing fibers entrapped and clumped microbes growing in the laboratory.

Even more intriguing, this ability to clump these microbes occurs during infection in animals. This was demonstrated in the intestinal track after infection with the yeast Candida and administration of Aβ. Other experiments addressed the ability of Aβ to entrap microbes directly in the brain. These experiments used a model that had high levels of Aβ in the mouse brain. A disease causing bacterium was introduced into the mouse brains and what was revealed was fascinating. Within 48 hours, widespread amyloid deposits appeared in the infected brains. When these deposits were analyzed for bacteria, everywhere Aβ deposits were found, there was a bacterium. These results suggest that Aβ deposits may be an important way the brain protects itself from infection. Aβ may be a component of the brain's innate immune system that is the line of first defenses to control microbial infections. However, in the case of Alzheimer's, these reactions that defend us can also lead to later problems. Amyloid deposition leads to the neurological damage seen in Alzheimer's. This could be a game changer.

One could imagine an infection occurring and amyloid deposits being produced years before the symptoms of Alzheimer's are noticed. This could make the connection between the two events harder to prove and even harder to control. However this could be a smoking gun that could lead to a better understanding of the cause of this heart breaking disease.

Medical Discovery News is hosted by professors Norbert Herzog at Quinnipiac University, and David Niesel of the University of Texas Medical Branch. Learn more at www.medicaldiscoverynews.com.

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A Prehistory of the Cloud by Tung-Hui Hu review the reality behind virtual storage

From old railway tracks repurposed as routes for fibre-optic cables to cold war bunkers retrofitted to store data, Hu shows that the intangible cloud has a solid infrastructure

The cloud is “a system of networks that pools computing power”. You may think of it as a mute and ethereal concept but for Tung-Hui Hu it is “both an idea and a physical and material object”. His slim yet wide-ranging study attempts to reify and historicise a concept that has “become a potent metaphor for the way contemporary society organizes and understands itself”. The idea dates back to a 1922 design for predicting weather using a network of human “computers”, or mathematicians, connected via telegraph. From the 19th-century train tracks repurposed as routes for fibre-optic cables and the cold war bunkers retrofitted to store data, Hu shows that the intangible cloud has a solid and polluting infrastructure. He also reveals the human costs, such as the poorly paid foreign workers screening content for Silicon Valley companies, and explores the monetisation of the user: “the cloud is a subtle weapon that translates the body into usable information.” Witty, sharp and theoretically aware, Hu deconstructs this much-discussed but poorly understood “cultural fantasy”.

• A Prehistory of the Cloud is published by MIT

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