Giant Rats Help Fight Wildlife Smuggling at African Ports
A unique initiative in African ports could soon see giant African pouched rats as an unconventional solution to counter wildlife smuggling. Wearing red vests, these rats are being trained to detect illegal wildlife goods like elephant ivory and pangolin scales through scent. This novel project, spearheaded by behavioural ecologist Dr Isabelle Szott and the nonprofit organisation APOPO, aims to equip ports with a reliable and agile resource to intercept illegal wildlife products and reduce the impact of poaching on biodiversity.
How the Training Works
The training process for these rodents is rigorous and innovative. The rats undergo scent detection training in a specially designed laboratory in Morogoro, Tanzania, where they learn to differentiate specific wildlife-related scents. In a large box with various chambers containing multiple scent samples, the rats are trained to recognise items like rhino horn and pangolin scales. When they detect one of these scents, they signal by hovering their nose above it, allowing researchers to reward them with treats. According to Dr Szott, eight of the eleven rats completed training successfully, demonstrating their ability to identify target odours amid distractions such as cardboard or synthetic items, which smugglers often use to disguise illegal goods.
Real-World Deployment Potential
Following their lab training, these rodents are now being tested in mock warehouses, with some even starting work in actual African ports. Their keen sense of smell, low maintenance cost, and agility make them a viable option in locations where customs resources are limited or traditional methods like trained canines are expensive. Dr Szott believes that these animals can offer a fresh approach to combating the illegal wildlife trade while being more cost-effective for areas facing resource limitations.
A New Life After Service
For the rats that have served in various APOPO projects, there’s also a “retirement” option. After years of service, they can relax in APOPO’s colony with a diet of fruits, vegetables, and fish, marking a humane end to their contribution. This unique program not only showcases a fresh strategy in conservation efforts but also provides these remarkable creatures with well-deserved care post-retirement, all while strengthening wildlife protection across African borders.
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Helium-3, a rare isotope formed during the early solar system, may be locked within Earth’s solid core, as indicated by recent research. This discovery could provide insights into how quickly the planet was formed. Unlike helium-4, which is commonly produced through radioactive decay, helium-3 originates from the primordial gas cloud that shaped the solar system. While traces of this isotope have been detected in volcanic hotspots and mid-ocean ridges, the mechanism behind its retention for billions of years remains uncertain. Given helium’s volatile nature, most of it was expected to escape Earth’s mantle due to tectonic activity or the giant impact that led to the formation of the Moon.
Helium and Iron Interaction at Core Conditions
According to the study published in Physical Review Letters, researchers at the University of Tokyo led by Kei Hirose examined whether helium could mix with iron under conditions mimicking Earth’s core. Using a diamond-tipped anvil, the team subjected iron and helium to extreme pressures ranging from 50,000 to 550,000 times the atmospheric pressure at Earth’s surface. As per reports, the samples were heated to temperatures between 727 and 2,727 degrees Celsius before being depressurised and analysed at cryogenic temperatures to prevent helium escape. Findings indicated that solid iron could incorporate up to 3.3 percent helium, suggesting the isotope may remain trapped in the core over long periods.
Potential Impact on Earth’s Formation Timeline
Peter Olson, a geophysicist at the University of New Mexico, told that these results confirm helium’s compatibility with Earth’s solid core. However, he noted that only 4 percent of the core is solid, with the majority existing in a liquid state. Further research is needed to determine whether helium-3 could be similarly retained in the liquid portion. Olson also highlighted the significance of this discovery in dating Earth’s formation. If helium-3 was incorporated into the core, it suggests the planet formed rapidly within a few million years. A slower formation process spanning 100 million years would likely have resulted in minimal helium retention.
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The scheduled test flight of SpaceX’s Starship Flight 8, which was expected to take off from the company’s Starbase facility in Texas on March 3, has been postponed due to last-minute technical issues. The launch was planned within a window starting at 6:30 p.m. ET with a mission to test various aspects of the rocket’s performance, including booster recovery and satellite deployment. SpaceX has not yet announced a new launch date, but updates are expected soon. The flight was set to be the eighth major test for Starship, which is designed to be the most powerful rocket ever built.
Starship’s Mission and Test Objectives
As per reports, the flight plan, Starship was expected to launch atop its Super Heavy booster, which was intended to return to the launch pad and be caught by the “chopstick” arms of the tower. The upper stage of the rocket was set to release four mock versions of SpaceX’s Starlink satellites on a suborbital trajectory before splashing down in the Indian Ocean approximately 66 minutes after liftoff. A similar test conducted on January 16 with Flight 7 saw the successful recovery of the booster, but the upper stage failed due to a propellant leak, leading to an explosion before it could complete its mission.
NASA’s Interest and Future Developments
NASA has selected Starship as the lunar lander for the Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to the Moon in the coming years. The vehicle is also being developed for deep-space missions, including potential crewed journeys to Mars. Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, has indicated that future iterations of Starship may be even larger than the current model, which stands at 123 metres. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is expected to grant approval for up to 25 Starship launches in 2025, marking a significant step toward the rocket’s operational use.
For details of the latest launches and news from Samsung, Xiaomi, Realme, OnePlus, Oppo and other companies at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, visit our MWC 2025 hub.
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