In tonight’s programme, South African judge and human rights champion Navi Pillay has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Also in Kenya health officials in Nairobi are still racing to track dozens of people linked to the man who died from the virus earlier this week. And finally, Moroccan-British photographer Hassan Hajjaj has built a global reputation with his vibrant portraits, 40 of his iconic Rock Stars pictures are taking centre stage in Paris.
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As respiratory virus season nears and fall vaccination drives get underway, more than half of US children are facing uncertainty over access to this year’s COVID-19 shot. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has unexpectedly delayed the distribution of the shots to a key federal program and some states.

Usually, the CDC would allow states to order the newly available seasonal COVID-19 vaccines through the federal Vaccine for Children (VFC) program, which provides vaccines at no cost to children who are uninsured, underinsured, Medicaid-eligible, or Indigenous people in the US. Approximately 52 percent of all US children are eligible for vaccines through the program.

Additionally, The Guardian reports that at least 11 states and one US territory are part of a universal vaccine purchase program, in which they buy all vaccines for children—regardless of their ability to pay or insurance status—through contracts otherwise for the VFC. The 11 states and one territory include: Alaska, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wyoming, and American Samoan.

“The delay in VFC means delays in these states’ ability to get vaccine for all children,” Demetre Daskalakis, former director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases and chief medical officer at Callen-Lorde Community Health Center, told The Guardian.

Kennedy’s track record

In a statement, the Department of Health and Human Services told Ars Technica that “CDC has not yet finalized procurement decisions for COVID-19 vaccines through the Vaccines for Children and Section 317 programs.” The department—currently run by ardent anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—declined to answer the question of why there was a delay in the decision. But the statement suggested that Trump officials were questioning whether children should get the vaccine.

“HHS and CDC are committed to … ensuring that vaccines purchased through federally funded programs are appropriate for the populations those programs serve,” the department said in the statement. It added that additional information about the decision will be released “soon.”

The unexplained delay fits with Kennedy’s well-established disdain for COVID-19 vaccines, which he has falsely called “the deadliest vaccine[s] ever made,” and has actively tried to blame them for the deaths of children, despite no evidence to support the allegations.

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We hope these eDNA tests will help researchers accurately track the spread of turtle species outside their natural ranges.

Thankfully, Macquarie River turtles have not yet expanded across the entire Manning River. So tracking their spread is vital to protecting other native turtles.

Current evidence suggests hybridisation is already occurring in the Bellinger and Kalang Rivers, where the Macquarie River turtle was introduced in the 1990s.

With a bright yellow stripe stretching from their nose to the tip of their tail, these striking turtles are hard to miss.

Read more:
It sounds like science fiction. But we can now sample water to find the DNA of every species living there

An unexpected threat

Specifically, we developed highly sensitive and species-specific environmental DNA tests. When turtles swim through rivers they leave behind traces of their DNA – known as eDNA – that scientists can detect using eDNA tests.

Hybridisation is perhaps the most pressing threat. Hybridisation occurs when different species breed and produce hybrid offspring. Research suggests it is not a new phenomenon among Australia’s freshwater turtles. However, hybridisation can lead to the loss of distinct species, when hybrid animals rapidly reproduce and eventually replace the endangered population.

Results from the snorkelling surveys and our eDNA tests were consistent. Both methods detected Manning River turtles at all five locations but no introduced Macquarie River turtles. However, more research is needed before we can conclusively say Macquarie River turtles were not present at these sites.

eDNA surveys can act as a powerful citizen science tool. Their straightforward application allows members of the community to collect water samples and contribute to local conservation efforts. These surveys can complement other citizen science projects such as 1 Million Turtles and TurtleSAT, which allow the public to record turtle sightings.

However, this ancient species faces a very modern crisis. The Manning River turtle is listed as endangered and is being pushed towards extinction by the pressures of habitat clearing, the illegal pet trade and invasive predators that prey on adult female turtles and their eggs.

All in a drop of water

Meanwhile, turtle ecologists from the Redleaf Group, an Australian environmental company, took to the river with mask and snorkel. They physically captured turtles present in the river and recorded important population data.

We then took water samples from five locations across the Manning River catchment over a period of three days. We did this to see if the eDNA tests could detect the DNA turtles shed into river water. Using a portable eDNA backpack – which filters water from the river to capture DNA – we were able to sample litres of water in minutes while preserving the DNA we collected.

Currently, turtle ecologists can detect turtles by snorkelling or trapping. They can also observe their behaviour through underwater video surveys. However, these methods can be time consuming and costly, and in some cases mean turtles are handled by humans.

Australians are accustomed to the threats of introduced species from overseas. But as the Macquarie River turtle shows, native species in the wrong locations can also put additional pressure on our already endangered species.

However, this species is spreading beyond its natural range. Macquarie River turtles were first found in NSW’s Manning River catchment in 2007, and were possibly introduced by people releasing their pet turtles into the river. These turtles have now been detected across nine different tributaries in the Manning River and are continuing to spread.

Our new study investigated how else we could monitor the presence of Macquarie River turtles, particularly as they encroach on the Manning River turtle’s habitat.

But as our new study reveals, this species faces an even more urgent, and perhaps unexpected, threat: another native but locally-introduced turtle.

Macquarie River turtles are a threat to populations of the critically endangered Bellinger River turtle (Myuchelys georgesi) and the endangered Manning River turtle. These two species are only found in two coastal river systems in eastern Australia. Macquarie River turtles compete with these native species for resources such as food. They can also harbour disease such as the Bellinger River virus.

eDNA tests are valuable because of their versatility. They can be used to pinpoint areas where a target species is present, allowing ecologists to then gather population data using traditional survey methods like trapping and snorkeling. They can also be used to identify broader trends about the distribution of a target species.

How this research could help

The Manning River Helmeted turtle (Myuchelys purvisi) might just be Australia’s most beautiful freshwater turtle.

We designed these turtle tests in the lab. We then compared the DNA sequences of our target turtle species with other turtle species that are closely related or live in the same habitat. This ensured our tests were specific to the Manning River and Macquarie River turtles. This matters because river water can contain the DNA of hundreds or even thousands of different species.

The Manning River turtle is found nowhere else on earth except for the few coastal rivers in New South Wales’ Manning River region. Known as Guraa in the Gathang language of the Traditional Custodians of Birpai-Barray, this ancient turtle has a lineage dating back 55 million years.

Read more:
We identified the 63 animals most likely to go extinct by 2041. We can’t give up on them yet

The post Two native turtles are vying to survive in a coastal Australian river. One doesn’t belong there appeared first on MASSIVE News.