PLANET IN PERIL

  The Guardian Image Credit: NASA/Operation IceBridge Usually frozen waters open up twice this year in phenomenon scientists described as scary. More here.

International Livestock Research Institute A piglet, one of countless who died of Porcine Epidemic  Diarrhea in Manitoba over the past 18 months. (A Manitoba Pork photo.)  Diseases deadly to hogs, some of which can also spread to humans, are legion. Long feared, it's now finally happened. African Swine Fever (ASF), an infectious and highly-lethal viral disease of pigs has, for the first time, reared its head in China.  Story here. RELATED; "In Hogs We Trust - Part 111"

Canada's National Observer A honeybee forages on a flower. A PinP photo. The federal government will begin phasing out the outdoor use of nicotine-based pesticides beginning in 2021, part of an effort to stop the mysterious decline of honey bee colonies around the world.  More here.

Science Magazine By Heather Dine. - NOAA Photo Library Seagrass meadows - one of the most widespread coastal habitats on Earth - are in decline. Human coastal development and poor water quality are threatening the meadows - home to a wide array of marine plants and animals. More here.

The Bureau of Investigative Journalism Babies are dying in their thousands in Malawi because drugs to treat common infections no longer work. We went to investigate.  Related: In Hogs We Trust - Part 1 - Antibiotic Overuse. 

EcoWatch Glyphosate , the main ingredient in Monsanto 's Roundup herbicide, is recognized as the world's most widely used weed killer. What is not so well known is that farmers also use glyphosate on crops such as wheat, oats, edible beans and other crops right before harvest, raising concerns that the herbicide could get into food products. Story here.