'I hear you as I'd be terrified'

'We are all stewards of this battlefield'

Have you heard of saki monkeys? It wouldn’t be surprising if you hadn’t – they’re incredibly elusive, and unless you live deep in the Amazon rainforest, you’re unlikely to see one even by accident.But you really ought to know more about them. Not only are they fashion icons, they’re also incredible athletes and so tricksy as to have at one point disappeared for the best part of a century. Oh yeah – and they can fly.What do saki monkeys look like?Saki monkeys are a genus, not a species, so they have quite a range of characteristics. Like any group of evolutionary cousins, though, there are some commonalities: the long, bushy tails, for example, which, unlike many of their fellow New World monkeys, are not prehensile – they’re just used to aid balance while running and jumping.Sakis are pretty small, measuring approximately 30–50 cm (12–20 inches) without the tail – and up to double that length if you include it – and weighing only about two kilograms (4.4 lb), give or take a few grams.But it’s not their size, or even the tail, that makes these monkeys iconic. It’s the fur coat.A male white-faced saki. Guess how it got the name?Skyscraper, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons“Sakis have long, rough hair that covers their entire body, giving them a distinct shaggy look and oftentimes they appear to have ‘bangs’,” notes the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology’s Animal Diversity Web. “Sexual dimorphism varies among species, but males and females generally have distinct pelage markings.”For some types of saki, like the white-faced saki, those pelage markings can be quite striking indeed: males of that species are marked by – you guessed it – a bright white face, standing stark against the animal’s black fur.And if a stylish saki gets flustered, watch out – that characteristic mane “can raise into hackles and make them look bigger than they actually are when they feel threatened,” the ADW adds. Add to that an alarm call that can deter predators from even trying to attack, and it’s clear these little monkeys aren’t the defenseless critters they seem at first glance.Where do they live?As New World monkeys, sakis live in, well, the New World: their habitat extends from the bottom of Colombia all the way down to central Brazil and Bolivia; from Peru all the way across to the Eastern shores of Guyana. And they’re not that picky about their living conditions, either – as long as there are trees for them to hang out in, they’re happy.“Sakis exist in a variety of habitat types, including lowland to highland forests, relatively dry to seasonally flooded forests, primary to secondary forests and disturbed forests,” notes a factsheet about the white-faced saki from the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) – though, understandably for animals whose diet is up to 90 percent fruit and seeds, they “prefer areas with an abundance of watering holes and fruit trees.”Once they find their home, though, they stick with it. Saki monkey habitats tend to have clearly defined and exclusive boundaries, usually spanning about 10 hectares – that’s just under 25 acres, or around three-quarters the amount of space that the Pentagon takes up (which is fitting, since a group of monkeys is called a troop). They live in relatively small family groups, spending a lot of time grooming their loved ones, and have been known to accept “immigrants” to their troops.They’re also homebodies in the z axis, too, spending almost all their time between three and 25 meters above ground (that’s 10 to 82 feet for American readers) and coming down to ground level only to search for food.At night, they stick to their sleeping trees, where they adorably curl up like a cat amongst the branches. And – wait a second. A small and elusive mammal? Long tail used for balance while running and leaping? Likes to spend its time up high, only coming down for food? Enjoys being groomed by family members? Responds to threats by puffing up its fur and yowling?This… this is just a vegan cat, isn’t it?Are saki monkeys endangered?No, but it’s complicated. Saki monkeys are, like all the most sensible animals, pretty elusive – that vertical range they favor is particularly lush with foliage cover, and they can spend up to 12 hours a day hidden behind the leaves. They’re what’s known in ecology circles as “cryptic” animals – no, that doesn’t mean they’re related to Nessie or Bigfoot, it just refers to the fact that they blend in really well with their surroundings – and they play that to their advantage: if one in a group sees a potential threat, they sound an alarm call and the whole troop goes motionless, fading visually into the canopy.It's a great survival tactic, but it makes tracking their conservation status a real ballache. “There is a data deficiency for almost all saki species,” the ADW notes, “and current populations are unknown.”That said, we’re pretty sure their populations are trending down – and the reasons for that are as depressing as they are predictable. Deforestation in the Amazon is devastating their habitats – not only reducing it, but also leaving it fragmented across their once-wide ranges.More directly, the monkeys are also targeted for their meat, or for the exotic pet trade – so, while their populations are generally considered to be safe for now, there’s a lot to keep an eye on in the future.Why should I care about saki monkeys?Because, frankly, they’re pretty dang cool. We’ve already covered their wild shaggy locks and predator-alarming yells, but get this: they can also fly.“Sakis use their long fluffy tails […] to help steer as they leap breathtaking distances through the treetops,” wrote conservation photographer and author Christina Selby in a 2017 article for bioGraphic. They can jump up to 10 meters, or more than 30 feet, “earning them the moniker of macacos que voo, or monkeys that fly.”How impressive is that? Well, it’s the equivalent of an average-height US man leaping around four times the distance of the world record long jump. And – oh yeah: it’s all happening 20 meters in the air. But as remarkable as that athletic prowess is, it’s nothing compared to the rings these little critters have been able to run around human researchers. Thanks to their shyness around potential predators, the relatively under-explored places they live, and, frankly, disorganized fieldwork, the knowledge base around saki monkeys has traditionally been – and this is a technical term – “chaotic”.In fact, the elusive nature of the saki monkeys has been shown to an almost comical degree. In 2017, director of the Global Conservation Institute and leading saki monkey expert Laura Marsh set out to discover one species of saki monkey – the Vanzolini bald-faced saki, or Pithecia vanzolinii. It was a big ask, but not outside of her wheelhouse: she had already identified five new species of saki just three years previously, so the statistics were on her side.“To find the missing monkey, Marsh and a team of scientists, photographers, conservationists, and local guides set out on a four-month-long expedition into a little-explored part of the western Amazon,” reported National Geographic at the time. “They set sail in a small, two-story houseboat and headed up the Eiru River, near Brazil's Peruvian border.”  What made the discovery such a big deal? Well, here’s the thing: this monkey wasn’t a new discovery. It had first been seen in 1936 by the ornithologist Alfonso M. Olalla, who sold specimens of the sakis to natural history museums in Sweden and Brazil. A few more were collected in 1956, again being sent to museums in Brazil.But other than that? Nothing. “The monkey hadn't been seen alive in 80 years,” National Geographic explained.So you can imagine the excitement when, after all that time in the rainforest, facing down the intense deforestation and cynical hunting of monkeys, Marsh finally caught a glimpse of the beautiful, golden saki.“When Marsh first saw the monkey after years of anticipation,” National Geographic reported, “she burst into tears.”

This week, 52,000-year-old “freeze-dried” mammoth skin delivers the first-ever set of 3D chromosomes, lion brothers swim a record-breaking distance across predator-filled waters, the first sighting of incredible “polar rain” from Earth finally has an explanation. Finally, we explore the world’s most endangered language, N|uu.Subscribe to the IFLScience newsletter for all the biggest science news delivered straight to your inbox every Wednesday and Saturday. Ariane 6, Europe’s New Way Into Space, Finally Takes FlightThe thing that gives you shivers is the sound. Despite light being faster, it's the vibration of the rocket that makes you realize just what a big deal this is. You can see the light from the rocket in the sky, stunning without a doubt, but it’s in the following seconds as the soundwaves catch up with the view that you (the building, and the jungle of French Guiana) reverberate with the roar. Making that roar is Ariane 6, Europe’s new way to get to space, and IFLScience was right there at the launchpad in Kourou to watch it happen.  Read the full story hereWoolly Mammoth Skin "Freeze-Dried" For 52,000 Years Delivers First-Ever 3D ChromosomesFreeze-dried skin samples of a woolly mammoth found in Siberia have enabled scientists to create a 3D reconstruction of 52,000-year-old chromosomes. The achievement is a world first for ancient DNA and reveals which genes were active in the skin cells when the mammoth was alive. Read the full story hereLion Swims Record-Breaking Distance Across Predator-Filled River In Movie-Worthy Epic FeatWhen you think of a lion, what is the first thing that comes to mind? A catchy song from a Disney movie, their majestic roar, or maybe the similarities between these predators and the housecat curled up on your lap? What perhaps doesn't enter your mind is the swimming prowess of these African beasts. Well, new research has revealed that these big cats might be swimming a whole lot more than we thought, as an epic, record-breaking feat demonstrates. Read the full story hereIncredible "Polar Rain" Aurora Seen From Earth For The First TimeOn Christmas Day 2022, a highly peculiar aurora was seen over an enormous section of the Arctic sky, the likes of which have never previously been observed from the ground. Known as a polar rain aurora, this exceptional light show was produced by a waterfall of electrons that emanated from the Sun before cascading peacefully over the North Pole. Read the full story hereCancer Patient Gets Total Larynx Transplant To Restore His Voice In World FirstA 59-year-old man from Massachusetts has become the first known person to have received a total larynx transplant whilst having active cancer. Patient Marty Kedian has joined a very short list of people who’ve undergone this surgery in the past, with surgeons at the Mayo Clinic in Arizona hoping the procedure could soon be offered to more people who have lost their voices to cancer. Read the full story hereTWIS is published weekly on our Linkedin page, join us there for even more content.Feature of the week: N|uu, The World's Most Endangered Language, Has Just One Fluent Speaker LeftWith just one living fluent speaker, N|uu is one of the most endangered languages in the world. Its story is one of pain and tragedy – but also great hope and determination. Together with her family and local linguists, the last remaining speaker of N|uu is striving to keep the dying embers of the language aflame by passing it on to the new generation. Read the full story here More content:Have you seen our e-magazine, CURIOUS? It’s just turned 2! Issue 24 July 2024 is available now. Check it out for exclusive interviews, book excerpts, long reads, and more.PLUS, season 4 of IFLScience's The Big Questions Podcast has begun. So far we’ve asked “Why Are We The Only Surviving Human Species?” and “How Is Climate Change Impacting Our Health?”

A man in China has been caught trying to smuggle more than 100 live snakes into the country inside his pants – bringing new meaning both to the term “trouser snake” and also the term “holy cow dude, seriously, why would you EVER DO that?”The traveler was intercepted by customs agents in Futian Port, on the boundary between Hong Kong and Shenzhen, China. “Upon inspection, customs officers discovered that the pockets of the trousers the passenger was wearing were packed with six canvas drawstring bags and sealed with tape,” reported a statement from China’s customs agency this week. “Once opened, each bag was found to contain living snakes in all kinds of shapes, sizes and colors,” it added.While the transportation method is, let’s face it, absolutely bananas, the smuggler did at least seem to have some sense when it comes to keeping predatory reptiles next to your nether regions: while only a handful of the snakes have so far been identified, none appear to be venomous. Many were non-native to the region, however, including milk snakes, western hognose snakes, corn snakes, Texas rat snakes, and bullsnakes.It’s a noteworthy example of what is, sadly, an all-too-common problem: the illegal wildlife trade. Despite international efforts to curb the smuggling and sale of exotic and endangered animals, the industry is currently worth a huge $20 billion per year, and increasingly linked to organized crime, armed violence, and of course, environmental damage on a truly massive scale. “The illegal wildlife trade is the fourth biggest illegal activity worldwide, behind only arms, drugs and human trafficking,” notes ZSL London Zoo. “[It] leaves a trail of destruction which is wiping out species and destroying people's lives.”“For every baby chimp that becomes a victim of illegal trade, 10 chimps are killed in the process,” it adds.The trade has been of particular concern in China, where demand for illegal wildlife is devastatingly high. Animals are often smuggled in for use in traditional Chinese medicine, as well as for pets and investments – to take just one species as an example, the country saw at least 192 incidents of pangolin smuggling between 2010 and 2021, amounting to at least 74,500 dead pangolins, the Environmental Investigation Agency reported last year.That said, China has attempted to curb its reputation as an epicenter for the animal smuggling in recent years. In February 2020, the country’s top legislature announced a decision to “thoroughly ban the illegal trading of wildlife and eliminate the consumption of wild animals to safeguard people's lives and health.” Those species that were already illegal to trade had their protections beefed up, with the Chinese government suggesting that punishments for those caught smuggling illegal animals would receive harsher punishments than previously – potentially even including the death penalty.While opinions may vary on the severity of the punishment, the fact that such a high-demand country is cracking down on animal trafficking is welcome news to both animal lovers and, presumably, around 100 newly freed snakes.“Those who break the rules will be […] held liable in accordance with the law,” the statement from the customs agency warned. While no news has been reported as to whether the smuggler was arrested, we wouldn’t like to be in his shoes right now. Or, for that matter, his pants.

Once upon a time, COVID-19 was two weeks of coughing and an inability to smell your new candle. Then we discovered the existence of Long COVID – a vague conglomeration of more than 200 symptoms that can be debilitating months or even years after the original disease seems to have cleared up.Now, four years into the pandemic, we’re still not totally sure what’s behind the extended condition – but a new study that followed 24 Covid patients over a period of up to 900 days has revealed a potential factor that has previously gone unnoticed: your T cells.It’s not the first study to link COVID-19 with these particular immune cells – only last month, a study from Imperial College London hinted at the potential for targeted T cell therapies to fight the condition. But it is one of the longest-running: it was set up in 2020, long before the idea that COVID-19 might hang around in the body was widely accepted.That’s not all that sets it apart, however. The team behind the study was inspired by their experience researching HIV – a disease practically defined by its ability to kill T cells. Unable to monitor antibodies so early into the pandemic, they instead used PET scans to study the behavior of T cells inside the body after infection.“[It] is a novel approach […] that allows them to map activated T cells in the body,” explained Danny Altmann, Professor of Immunology at Imperial College London, co-author of the Penguin Handbook of Long Covid and lead investigator of the NIHR WILCO LONG COVID Study, who was not involved in the study. “They find patterns of long-term T cell activation that may help to explain patterns of Long Covid symptoms,” he said. “For example, people with respiratory symptoms showed long-term homing of activated T cells to the lung.”Other scans showed activated T cells swarming to the gut wall, prompting the team to analyze gut biopsies. Again, they found the presence of COVID-19 RNA – a “long-term virus reservoir,” Altmann explained.The finding was even more stark when compared to six control samples – scans from before the pandemic, “before anybody on the planet could’ve possibly had this virus,” Michael Peluso, assistant professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, and lead author of the paper, told Stat. While T cells were activated in these scans, they were concentrated where you’d expect – the liver, kidneys, and other places known to help clear inflammation. In the Long Covid patients, they were everywhere.“It’s really striking,” Peluso said. “‘Oh, my goodness, this is happening in someone’s spinal cord, or their GI tract, or their heart wall, or their lungs.’”While the study isn’t a slam-dunk – it’s not actually certain what the T cells are reacting to, and the researchers aren’t sure whether the scans are showing remnants of old infections, or active virus particles – it’s nevertheless alluring. “There has been a large amount of inferential data supporting a view that a key factor underpinning Long Covid may be that some people do not properly clear the virus and harbor reservoirs of SARS-CoV-2 in their tissues,” Altmann noted – but “it’s been hard to prove.”In that respect, this study “should be seen as a significant step in advancing our understanding of this disease process,” he said, “and thus shifting nearer to treatments that could offer hope to the tens of millions of patients.”“At a time when there’s desperate need for new clinical trials, studies like this help to point the way.”The study is published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

You’ve got your shiny new luggage, battled your way through the airport, and now you’re only one step away from that much-needed vacation. Just 14 hours on a plane and you’ll be there. But what happens to your body spending all that time up in the air?Feeling DryWhy it happensEver feel like that fake alien mummy when you get off a long flight? You’re probably lacking moisture.That’s because the humidity inside a plane is super low. The air that circulates around is far drier than the lovely balmy destination that you’re likely off to as it’s taken from the air outside, which is notoriously dry at high altitudes. The result of that can be dry skin, lips, nose, and eyes.While those things aren’t the most comfortable, the low humidity on an aircraft isn’t going to dehydrate you in the more clinical sense; according to the UK Civil Aviation Authority, the amount of fluid loss over an 8 hour flight is only around 150 milliliters.You can also get dehydrated more generally if you don’t drink enough water or have a bunch of drinks that make you pee more, like alcohol and caffeinated beverages. That can land you with dizziness, fatigue, and a headache – not ideal when you step off a plane and into the bright sunshine and blistering heat.How to prevent itTo avoid feeling like a raisin, stick to the age-old hydration advice – drink plenty of fluids, particularly water. If you don’t fancy spending half your holiday fund on a bottle from duty-free, you could take an empty one through customs and get it filled up on the other side. We wouldn’t be so foolish as to tell you not to have a cheeky brewski to start your vacation, but not going too crazy with the amount of alcohol will also help.As for skin and lips, slap on moisturizing products to your heart’s content (at least, in the amounts that you can actually take in your hand luggage) like creams and lip balms. Sprays for the nose and eyes can help to stop them feeling dry and irritated, as can swapping contact lenses for glasses for the latter.Blood clotsWhy they happenAnother of the potential side effects of long-haul air travel is the formation of blood clots in the legs, known as deep vein thrombosis (DVT). However, it’s not actually being up in the air that increases the risk of developing DVT – it’s mostly being immobile for long stretches of time.When we sit in one position for too long, blood flow in the veins in our legs can slow right down. This can increase the chance of a blood clot forming, with one review finding that the longer the flight, the more likely it is to happen. Although there’s still only a small chance of it happening overall, recently having had surgery or a baby, being pregnant, hormone replacement therapy or birth control containing estrogen, and a family history of blood clots can also bump up the risk.How to prevent themThe simplest thing a person can do to avoid blood clots forming in this situation is to get moving: stand up and walk around the plane as much as possible and make sure there’s enough leg room to switch sitting positions. There’s even exercises you can do that’ll still help even if you’re sitting down, like flexing and extending your ankles.For people who are already at risk of developing blood clots, healthcare professionals might also recommend compression stockings, which help to improve blood flow.If a clot does form, it can often go away by themselves without someone knowing it was there. When that isn’t the case, there are some key warning signs that you can keep an eye out for after the flight: swelling in the leg, ankle, or calf; red or discolored skin; and skin feeling warmer to the touch. If someone has any of those symptoms, they should see a healthcare professional.Jet lagWhy it happensThis next one comes after a long-haul flight rather than on it, but seeing as it can be quite the ass-kicker, it’s definitely worth a mention – jet lag.The longer you spend on a plane, the more likely it is you’ll cross multiple time zones. When you land, there’s then a mismatch between your body’s internal clock – the circadian rhythm – which is set to your original time zone, and the time zone you find yourself in.Understandably, the body isn’t a fan of that and that can cause the classic symptoms of jet lag: disrupted sleep, feeling wiped out during the day, stomach problems, and trouble remembering and concentrating.How to minimize itWhile jet lag is temporary, you don’t necessarily want to spend the first few days of your holiday in bed feeling ill. At the same time, it can’t be completely avoided, but there are at least a few things that can be done to try and make it less intense.For longer trips, it’s often recommended to take a few days before you leave getting your body to adjust to the new time zone. This means going to bed at least an hour later than usual if traveling west and at least an hour earlier if traveling east.As for how to best approach sleep, trying to catch some Zs on the plane can help if it’s going to be nighttime when you land. If it’s going to be during the day, however, the best bet is to stay awake, which can be helped by strategically exercising or downing a coffee.When you finally do go to bed, don’t forget to set an alarm – not what we’d like to do on holiday, but it’ll help to stop you from accidentally sleeping through, which can make the problem worse.Plus, it’ll make sure you don’t miss out on the breakfast buffet, where eating a smaller meal (and then stashing some more to have on the loungers later – shhh we’ve all done it) can ward off jet lag-related stomach issues.All “explainer” articles are confirmed by fact checkers to be correct at time of publishing. Text, images, and links may be edited, removed, or added to at a later date to keep information current.The content of this article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.  

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