People, Places and Things
GWEN DERU
TODAY…
**READ THE BIRMINGHAM TIMES. Catch up on the news!
**THURSDAY NIGHT WORKOUTS with Live Females at the Blu Onyx.
**DEAD BILLIONAIRES at the Nick.
**EVERY THURSDAY HAPPY HOUR, 5:30 – 9 p.m. at the Kappa Komplex, 45 6th Avenue South.
**KARAOKE, 5-9 p.m. at Courtyard Alabaster Bar and Grill.
**TASTEMAKER THURSDAY – Every Thursday at Blaze Ultra Lounge, 228 Roebuck Plaza Drive, 8 p.m.- 12 a.m. with DJ Ace Twon (95.7 JAMZ) in the mix hosted by Audio Life and GMC Promo.
**THIRSTY THURSDAY at Hookah 114 17th Street No.
**THIRD THURSDAY BLUES JAM, 7 p.m. at True Story Brewing.
**TEQUILA THURSDAY at the Vibe Bar & Lounge.
**THROW BACK THURSDAY at Tha Vibe Bar & Lounge, 3801 Richard Arrington, Jr., Blvd.
FRIDAY…
**QUE’S BAR & GRILL GROOVIN’ on 19th Street in Ensley.
**LIT FRIDAYS WITH RIPCORD, 8 p.m. – 2 a.m. at 4501 Gary Avenue in Fairfield.
**SPEAKINWHISPER with BOUND FOR GALLOWS and TVYELLOW at the Nick.
**FREE HOOKAH FRIDAYS at Blu Onyx, 10 p.m.
**QUE’S BAR & GRILL GROOVIN’ on 19th Street in Ensley.
**AFRO CARIBBEAN NIGHTS (Every Friday Night) at Ash’s on 2nd, 7 p.m. until with
Reggae, Afro Beats, Dancehall and Top 40 Hits.
**EVERY THIRD FRIDAY with DEIRDRE GADDIS at Perfect Note.
**FIREBALL FRIDAY at Tha Vibe Bar & Lounge.
SATURDAY…
**SATURDAYS IN THE GARDENS at Birmingham Botanical Gardens.
**WINE DOWN HAPPY HOUR, 4 p.m.- 9 p.m. at Saferoom Lounge Bar.
**MS. JOHNNIE AND THE JAMMERS Live After Five, 7-10 p.m. at Bistro on 19th located at 109 19th St. N., Bessemer. EVERY 2nd and 4th SATURDAY!!
**SOLD OUT SATURDAYS at the Blu Onyx Every Saturday.
**CIROC SATURDAYS at Blu Onyx.
**THE WHITE ANIMALS with WALRUS at The Nick.
**CHARLES & TANYA HARRIS at the Perfect Note.
SUNDAY…
**WORSHIP AT THE SIXTH, 9:30 a.m. at Sixth Avenue Baptist Church.
**WOODLAWN STREET MARKET, 12 p.m. at Woodlawn Street Market.
**HAPPY HOUR FREE SHOW with TIM BYRD, 5- 7 p.m. at The Nick.
**GUS CLARK & THE LEAST OF HIS PROBLEMS w/ DALE HOLLOW & THE LONG CON at The Nick.
**2 SEXY SUNDAY at the Blu Onyx, 8- 12 p.m.
**SOULFUL SUNDAYS at Perfect Note.
**SUNDAY FUNDAY for the grown Folks Kickback at Tha Vibe Bar & Lounge.
MONDAY…
**EVERY MONDAY is MONSLAYYY – THE CARIBBEAN WAY, 8 p.m. at the Vault with TRINI and BRENT TRINI-FRESH PIERRE. FREE.
**BIRMINGHAM BANDSTAND (Open Mic) at The Nick.
**OURS w/ BLACK BIRD WHITE SKY, JAMES HALL TRIO & ERIC WATTERS at The Nick.
TUESDAY…
**INDUSTRY NIGHT TUESDAY at Blu Onyx, 8 p.m.
**EVERY TUESDAY – TRUE STORY BREWING PRESENTS TUESDAY JAZZ
SESSIONS, 7- 10 p.m., 5510 Crestwood Blvd.
**TASTY TUESDAYS at Platinum of Birmingham.
**EVERY TUESDAY LIT AND JAZZ with DAVID TALLEY AND FRIENDS, 7 p.m. at Lit on 8th, 518 Rev. Abraham Woods Blvd.
**FAT TUESDAY at Tha Vibe Bar & Lounge.
WEDNESDAY…
**INTERFAITH NOONDAY PRAYER SERVICES every Wednesday, Noon at Linn Park in
Downtown Birmingham.
**WEDNESDAYS WEEKLY JAZZ JAM, 7- 10 p.m. at True Story Brewing Company, 5510 Crestwood Blvd. Food until 9 p.m. Music until 10 p.m. and Drink until 11 p.m.
**OPEN BAR WEDNESDAY, 8 p.m. at Blu Onyx.
NEXT THURSDAY…
**READ THE BIRMINGHAM TIMES. Catch up on the news!
**THURSDAY NIGHT WORKOUTS with Live Females at the Blu Onyx.
**FIRECAMINO, w/ VAMPIRE MANSION + VON MAUR and Special Guests at the Nick. FREE! HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY
NEXT FRIDAY…
**QUE’S BAR & GRILL GROOVIN’ on 19th Street in Ensley.
**LIT FRIDAYS WITH RIPCORD, 8 p.m. – 2 a.m. at 4501 Gary Avenue in Fairfield.
**STARSHAKER, COLD HALO & THE LIE WITHIN CALLIE at the Nick.
NEWS TO USE…
FOR ART, MUSIC, YOUTH LOVERS AND MORE…
**TASTE OF HOMEWOOD, TODAY at Rosewood Hall Plaza
** COMMUNITY CARE DEVELOPMENT NETWORK FOOD HUB, Saturday, EVERY FIRST MONDAY of each month, First SDA CHURCH in Bessemer 1729 5th Avenue No., 10 a.m. – 12 noon.
**CCDN FOOD HUBWEDNESDAY, Every Wednesday of each month in Fountain Heights Old Sardis Baptist Church 1240 4th Street North, 10 – noon. For more, www.communitycaredn.org.
**SAVE THE DATE! APRIL 9 – HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE COLLECT DAY, 8 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. at the following locations: *First Baptist Church Gardendale – South, 940 Main Street, Gardendale 35071, *Classic Car Motoring, 3900 Grants Mill Road, Irondale 35210, and *City of Bessemer Public Works Laydown Yard, 1205 15th Avenue North, Bessemer, 35020.
**BRUH BRUNCH, March 26, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. at LIT I 8th/Carter’s (Inside and Out) 514 Rev. Abraham Woods Jr., Blvd. 35204.
AT THE SIXTH… Sixth Avenue Baptist Church is hosting a BLOOD DRIVE on March 27, 7:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. Questions, email sabredcross@gmail.com.
**BAPTISM is the Fourth Sunday Baptism, March 27, 9:30 a.m. at the church.
**EVERY MONDAY MORNING MEDITATION WITH PASTOR CANTELOW, 7:15 a.m. Contact the church at (205) 321-1136 or (205) 321-1137
FOR ART LOVERS …
AT THE BIRMINGHAM MUSEUM OF ART…
**HOLI: A FESTIVAL OF COLOR, March 19, 11 a.m.
**THE SPRING REFRAME, 5 p.m. March 19.
AT STEPHEN SMITH FINE ART GALLERY…
**PAST ARTWORKS + LASTEST ABSTRACT SERIES ‘SILENT ANGUISH 2.0’ by
ASHLEY D. GUEST, at Stephen Smith Fine Art Gallery located at 5104 Gary Avenue in Fairfield with Music by bands – RANGER 7 p.m. and DUO DUJOUR + FIRST KENTUCKY POST at 8 p.m. Call (205) 305-1451 for more.
FOR MUSIC LOVERS…
**FRIDAY NIGHT RAP, Every 1 st and 3 rd Friday at Crescent Cultural Center, 1121 Tuscaloosa Avenue, W.
HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY CELEBRATION…
**MARTY’S GM & EAGLE NEST present DANNY WINTER’S ANNUAL ST. PADDY CELEBRATION, March 17, 10 a.m.
**FIRECAMINO, w/ VAMPIRE MANSION + VON MAUR and Special Guests at the Nick. FREE! HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY
**OPERA BIRMINGHAM NATIONAL VOCAL COMPETITION – On March 19 at the Vestavia Country Club, 10 aspiring young singers, chosen from 181 applicants from around the country, will participate in the 2022 Opera Birmingham Vocal Competition, competing for over $10,000 in cash prizes and a chance to perform in future Opera Birmingham productions. The Finals Concert will begin at 4 p.m. featuring the outstanding finalists performing selections from their repertoire, representing a variety of languages and contrasting styles. Eileen Downey and Cody Martin will accompany participants on piano. A cocktail reception will follow the concert, providing an opportunity to mingle with the finalists while the judges deliberate. At 6 p.m., patrons will be invited to their tables in the ballroom for the Awards Dinner, featuring a delicious three-course dinner prepared by the Club’s executive chef, Stephen McCary. Cocktail attire is suggested for this elegant evening of wine and song. Advance tickets are required by March 11. Order online at www.operabirmingham.org/vocal-competition, or call 205-322-6737.
**RACING FOR CHILDREN’S IS CHARITY PARTNER OF HONDA INDY GRAND PRIX OF ALABAMA – Racing for Children’s returns as the official charity partner of the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama. The race provides a platform for Racing for Children’s to tell their stories to the community throughout the weekend on April 29 – May 1. Children’s of Alabama and Medical Properties Trust will reveal their race car which will be on display during the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama. Racing for Children’s raises funds and awareness for the Alabama Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Disorders at Children’s, which treats more than 90 percent of Alabama children diagnosed with cancer or blood disorders. Covered by handprints of patients from Children’s, the Racing for Children’s race car presented by Medical Properties Trust will be on display at Barber Motorsports Park throughout the weekend of the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama, April 29 – May 1, 2022.
FOR LOVERS OF FOOD…FOODIES OF ALL KINDS…
**BEST FRIED CHICKEN – VOTE FOR THE MAGIC CITY’S BEST
March 19 – The Magic City Fried Chicken and Beer Fest, 1 – 5 p.m. at Good People Brewing Company, 114-14th Street South with vendors, live music and food trucks. Check it out! Vote for the Best Fried Chicken
COMING SOON …
**AT SATURN…YOLA from the UK is coming to Saturn in Birmingham on March 20 – Yola is a Black British rising superstar. Her upcoming Stand For Myself 2022 headline tour dates will see her perform shows at venues across the U.S. Yola’s GRAMMY-nominated sophomore album ‘Stand For Myself’, released via Easy Eye Sound on July 30, 2021, reflects on Yola’s belief in the possibility of paradigm shift beyond the mental programming that creates tokenism and bigotry, which have deeply impacted her personal life and professional career. Yola experienced prejudice throughout her childhood and career and navigated these experiences, as well as homelessness in London and stress-induced voice loss to launch her solo career in 2016. She achieved breakout success with her debut album, Walk Through Fire, which landed her four GRAMMY® nominations including Best New Artist, critical acclaim and fans from Elton John to Estelle. Recorded during the fall of 2020 with a rhythm section that includes bassist Nick Movshon, noted for his work with Amy Winehouse and Bruno Mars, alongside drummer and rising solo artist, Aaron Frazer. The tour follows a breakout 2021 which included show stopping performances at Newport Folk and Newport Jazz, her Red Rocks debut, tour the U.S. with Chris Stapleton with performances at Madison Square Garden alongside the release of her sophomore album, Stand For Myself. Hailed as a sonic shift, it is currently GRAMMY nominated for Best Americana Album for ‘Stand For Myself’ and Best American Roots Song for “Diamond Studded Shoes,” making her a six-time GRAMMY nominee. Yola recently performed on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and appeared on CBS Mornings interviewed by Anthony Mason.
FOR OUTDOORS LOVERS…
**SATURDAY DAYHIKE – Meet at 9:45 a.m. for a hike at Alabama Nature Center, in Millbrook – DETAILS: The former Lanark Estate in Millbrook, Ala. was conveyed to provide for long-term stewardship of the property and development of an outdoor education facility that is now known as Alabama Nature Center. It contains 350 acres of forest, field, streams, wetlands and parks that are traversed by five miles of boardwalks and trails in three regions. (Admission is $5.) Plan to hike 3.5 miles. Well-behaved supervised children age 7 and able to walk are welcome on this outing. Optional dinner is afterwards. Meet at 9:45 a.m. at the McDonald’s Galleria. Plan to depart at 10 a.m. For more, Dexter Duren (205) 765-2293.
**SUNDAY DAYHIKE in Oak Mountain – Enjoy a moderate four-mile walk in the woodlands near Birmingham on a Sunday afternoon. Well-behaved supervised children age 7 and able to walk are welcome on this outing. Meet at 1:45 p.m. in the Oak Mountain Park office parking lot. Plan to depart at 2 p.m. (Park admission $5.) For more, Randall Adkins (205) 317-6969.
**WEDNESDAY WEEKDAY HIKE at Veterans Park at 4800 Valleydale Road, Hoover, AL 35242. Enjoy an easy three-mile hike on trails in North Shelby County just off Valleydale Road. Veterans Park is an 82-acre park with numerous walking trails, a four-acre lake and a one-acre pond. Meet at 9:45 a.m. in the Veterans Park parking lot right beside the building with restrooms in it at the park. Plan to depart at 10 a.m. Optional lunch is afterwards at Metro Diner Restaurant. Admission is FREE. For more, Randall Adkins, (205) 317-6969
AT THE WORLD GAMES 2022… (Keeping it right here!!! Look for more!)
The World Games is bringing greatness to The Magic City!
**TWG MEDALS ARE HERE – TWG2022 medals have been shown to the public and are very good looking and unique. Check them out on the www.twg2022.com site.
**TWG T-SHIRTS – Get your TWG2022 T-Shirts at the www.twg2022.com.
**TWG TAG – Get your TWG2022 Tag at the www.twg2022.com.
**NEWSWEEK NAMES THE WORLD GAMES ONE OF 22 GREAT THINGS IN 2022…The World Games Birmingham was named one of the 22 Great Things that will take place in 2022.
**CONDE NAST TRAVELER NAMES BIRMINGHAM ONE OF THE 22 BEST PLACES TO GO IN 2022 partially because the City is hosting The World Games 2022.
**THE WORLD GAMES 2022 BIRMINGHAM takes place from Thursday, July 7 to Sunday, July 17. This will be the 40th Anniversary of the event. There will be more than 100 countries, 3,600 athletes that will compete for gold in 34 unique, multi-disciplinary sports that include artistic sports, Bali sports, Martial Arts, precision sports, strength sports and trend sports. Tickets are available. Go to www.TWG2022.com for more.
COMING SOON…
**JULY 7-17, 2022 – THE WORLD GAMES are coming. Look for more!
Well, that’s it. Tell you more ‘next’ time. People, Places and Things by Gwen DeRu is a weekly column. Send comments to my
emails:gwenderu@yahoo.com and thelewisgroup@birminghamtimes.com.
Crew Successfully Completes ‘World’s Most Challenging Shipwreck Search’
An expedition team’s journey into the cold depths of the Antarctic led to a discovery over a century in the making.
On March 9, the Endurance22 Expedition uncovered the wreckage of the Endurance, the ship that carried a crew of explorers which attempted the first land crossing of Antarctica in the early 20th century. In 1915, the ship commissioned by Sir Ernest Shackleton, who hailed from Ireland, was cornered within dense pack ice in the Weddell Sea, forcing the 28-member crew to abandon the Endurance for a months-long escape.
After departing from Cape Town, South Africa, in early February and spending weeks conducting a challenging search, the researchers eventually reached the resting place of the Endurance in the Weddell Sea, located at a depth of 9,869 feet, approximately 4 miles south of the initial wreckage point. The voyage was organized by the Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust, with the expedition crew working from a South African research vessel known as S.A. Agulhas II.
Photos captured by the expedition show incredible detail for a shipwreck over 100 years old.
“We are overwhelmed by our good fortune in having located and captured images of Endurance,” Mensun Bound, the director of exploration on the expedition, stated in a release. “This is by far the finest wooden shipwreck I have ever seen. It is upright, well proud of the seabed, intact, and in a brilliant state of preservation. You can even see ‘Endurance’ arced across the stern, directly below the taffrail. This is a milestone in polar history.”
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The well-preserved nature of the wreckage is a result of freezing temperatures in the Weddell Sea, as British historian Dan Snow explained to NBC News. Snow stated that temperatures were “probably just below zero” at the wreckage site and that no “wood-eating microbes and microorganisms” could damage the ship amid the cold climate.
Endurance22’s team set out to find the ship with a goal to share the ship’s story with younger audiences across the globe. After the crew of the Endurance abandoned the ship in the Weddell Sea, the voyagers spent months on ice floes to reach Antarctica’s Elephant Island. With the crew waiting on the island, Shackleton and five others made an 800-mile lifeboat journey from the island to South Georgia. Finding help in the region, Shackleton was able to rescue the remainder of the crew stuck on Elephant Island, leaving no lives lost.
The expedition to find the wrecked Endurance now allows the Endurance22 team to spread Shackleton’s story.
“We have … conducted an unprecedented educational outreach (program), with live broadcasting from on board, allowing new generations from around the world to engage with Endurance22 and become inspired by the amazing stories of polar exploration, and what human beings can achieve and the obstacles they can overcome when they work together,” Expedition Leader Dr. John Shears said in a statement.
In order to reach the Endurance, the expedition team used SAAB Sabretooth underwater search vehicles, a new technology that is capable of working in deep water in order to survey the wreckage without disturbing it. The Sabretooth vehicles contain the attributes of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), which point the vessels on a pre-programmed course without a physical link to the surface. The Sabretooth also has the makeup of remote operating vehicles (ROVs), which send digital images from the wreckage to the expedition on the surface via fibre optic cable.
Another benefit to the Endurance search was the scientific research related to climate change. Under the direction of Endurance22 Chief Scientist Dr. Lasse Rabenstein, a team of representatives was able to take a close look at Antarctic ice drifts, sea ice thickness and the weather conditions of the Weddell Sea. The team stated that the research will “materially help our understanding” of the Antarctic region and how it influences the changing climate.
The Endurance wreckage is being protected as a Historic Site and Monument under the Antarctic Treaty, preventing it from being “disturbed in any way” while the Endurance22 team surveys and films the ship. More footage of the Endurance, filmed by the expedition crew, is on the way via a documentary produced by National Geographic. The documentary is set to premiere on the network in fall 2022.
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How A Rush On Beer Led To A Shipping Software Startup
Avi Moskowitz launched his craft brewery BeerBazaar’s website in February 2020, a few weeks before the COVID-19 shutdown in Israel. With people forced to stay home, orders for beer went from a few each day to thousands.
Moskowitz had such a hard time keeping up with orders and getting them delivered in a timely manner that he often had to drive around Israel himself, making deliveries. There was no software to help him.
That was when he realized that he needed to develop the technology to help his own company and other online merchants manage the logistics of deliveries. So he did.
PrettyDamnQuick, his new startup, has raised $6 million through TLV Partners, Ground Up Ventures and Verissimo Ventures.
The company’s software helps small and medium-sized online businesses to organize, ship and deliver their products. The company has 30 employees in Israel, and recently launched in America.
“PrettyDamnQuick was developed 100 percent from our own experiences at BeerBazaar,” Moskowitz tells ISRAEL21c.
In addition to people purchasing more online because of COVID, the pandemic also pushed people who had never sold online to try it. Mom-and-pop stores had to go online, Moskowitz said.
Merchants were suddenly under pressure to deliver products as soon as possible. Yet few new online merchants had the technical knowhow or software to help them.
“After moving, taxes, and death, logistics is the most unpleasant experience for merchants,” Moskowitz said.
“I’m being tongue-in-cheek, but PrettyDamnQuick is a software technology that is easy to use, fun and also efficient.”
He chose the name, he said, because “most logistics companies have the word ‘shipping’ in their name and it’s overused.”
Simplifying Shopify
Moskowitz, 58, has always been involved in ecommerce. A former New Yorker, he moved to Israel in 1994 but traveled back and forth from Israel to America. By 2015, he was tired of the commute and wanted to find a different kind of company.
He said that people often told him good craft beer was missing in Israel, so he joined up with craft beer brewer Lior Weiss to establish BeerBazaar.
BeerBazaar’s craft bars, launched in 2015, now flourish in five locations — three in Tel Aviv and two in Jerusalem — plus a “Gypsy” mobile branch available for events.
The company built its BeerBazaar Brewery in Kiryat Gat in 2016 and will soon open a brewery in Kfar Daniel, in the center of the country. People can come visit, buy the beer they want and then leave, “just like in the good old days.”
But the old days are gone when it comes to the shopping experience for most people.
More than two million merchants now sell their products online using Shopify, a shopping platform independent of Amazon that offers retailers a selling system that includes payments, marketing and shipping. Yet organizing the logistics of all this “is time-consuming and complicated,” Moskowitz said.
And that was where PrettyDamnQuick comes in. Moskowitz said that the company’s unique organizational software was designed from his own experiences with the logistics of delivering beer.
For example, he said, during the COVID lockdowns, companies with employees now working at home wanted him to deliver beer around the country so that they could hold a happy hour together.
The pains of logistics
After many complicated delivery “miracles,” Moskowitz said, he turned to Liran Erez, who built ecommerce sites, and Shlomo Schwarcz, a software engineer, and they began to develop the logistics software.
PrettyDamnQuick has already processed 100,000 orders for its customers. BeerBazaar itself increased sales by 55 percent and decreased operational costs by four times within three months of implementing the software.
Moskowitz now works full time at PrettyDamnQuick while remaining a partner in BeerBazaar.
“We learned a lot of the pains of logistics at BeerBazaar,” Moskowitz said. “Other companies even approached us and asked for help.”
He went to warehouses, picked products and packed them for merchants to understand the difficulties, he said.
Using Israel has a testing ground “helped our team develop the level of confidence” they will need to expand in the United States.
Merchants pay a monthly, low-priced subscription for PrettyDamnQuick’s services. Each day, Moskowitz said, more and more merchants are signing up.
“We’re keeping busy,” Moskowitz said. “My mother always told me that if you work hard enough, you get lucky.
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Death Of A Rainforest: Amazon Near Tipping Point Of Transitioning To Savanna, Study Says
Researchers analyzing changes in vegetation biomass have warned that the Amazon rainforest risks transitioning to savanna — a flat grassland with few trees spaced far apart — with dire consequences for the climate.
The vast Amazon rainforest covers 2.1 million square miles across nine nations. It counts for over half of the world’s rainforest coverage and is the largest and most biodiverse tract of tropical rainforest on the planet.
Chris Boulton and Timothy Lenton from the Global Systems Institute of the University of Exeter, working with Niklas Boers from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, have published a study, appearing in the journal Nature Climate Change, showing that the so-called “lungs of the Earth” are at significant risk.
“Reduced resilience — the ability to recover from perturbations like droughts or fires — can mean an increased risk of dieback of the Amazon rainforest. That we see such a resilience loss in observations is worrying,” said Boers.
The authors noted that deforestation and climate change, in the form of longer dry seasons and rising drought frequency, may have already pushed the Amazon close to “a critical threshold of rainforest dieback,” or the point at which the rainforest will transition into savanna.
The researchers used data analysis of high-resolution satellite images to show that “more than three-quarters of the Amazon rainforest has been losing resilience since the early 2000s, consistent with the approach to a critical transition.”
In a statement issued by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Boers starkly warns: “We cannot tell when a potential transition from rainforest to savanna might happen. When it [becomes] observable, it [will] likely be too late to stop it.
“The Amazon rainforest is a home to a unique host of biodiversity, strongly influences rainfall all over South America by way of its enormous evapotranspiration and stores huge amounts of carbon that could be released as greenhouse gases in the case of even partial dieback, in turn contributing to further global warming,” he said.
Evapotranspiration is the process by which water on the land evaporates into the atmosphere along with water being transpired from plants.
Strongly limiting logging and global greenhouse gas emissions “is necessary to safeguard the Amazon,” according to Lenton.
The research forms part of the project “Tipping Points in the Earth System” (TiPES), which is funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 program.
Edited by Siân Speakman and Kristen Butler
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Drug Made From Tick Saliva Could Ease Itching And Chronic Pain
Noxious ticks transmit typhus, Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and other illnesses, but a newly-discovered characteristic of the blood-sucking parasites may actually benefit people.
In research conducted at Britain’s Durham and New Castle Universities in collaboration with Akari Therapeutics, scientists found a protein called Votucalis, extracted from tick saliva, that provides relief from chronic pain and itching.
They believe their discovery could lead to a replacement for opioids and other traditional analgesics that may be addictive or have serious side effects.
“Persistent or chronic pain is a huge global health challenge, which affects over 20 percent of the population,” said researcher Paul Chazot of Durham University.
He noted that chronic pain is the reason most patients in the United Kingdom visit physicians and is recognized as a “priority disease” by the World Health Organization. Chronic pain or itching are associated with arthritis, atopic dermatitis, back injuries, diabetes and sciatica.
Chazot is one of the authors of a study on Votucalis appearing in the journal Frontiers in Pharmacology.
“The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended that current opioid and gabapentinoid pain medications should not be prescribed to patients newly diagnosed with chronic pain, apart from cancer sufferers,” Chazot said, “so there is an urgent need to develop a new, long-lasting medication that is both effective and safe to use.”
Female brown ear ticks (Rhipicephalus appendiculatus) secrete Votucalis while feeding on blood so that their victims are unaware of the bite.
Votucalis is a biologically active protein that binds the histamine produced in the body of victims, preventing the histamine’s activation, thereby numbing the sensation of pain and itching.
Histamine is also a central neurotransmitter. It is involved in the body’s inflammatory response and is a mediator of itching. The compound also allows white blood cells and proteins to easily pass through capillaries so that they can attack germs in infected tissues.
“Our study is the first to show evidence of the anti-itch and pain relief potential of Votucalis, which is very exciting. We could be on the brink of discovering a viable alternative to opioid and gabapentinoid drugs,” Chazot said.
Votucalis, unlike morphine-based opioids, does not enter the brain and is therefore not as likely to cause side effects such as addiction.
Study co-author Ilona Obara of Newcastle University said Votucalis may indeed prevent chronic pain and itching, replacing current medications that have “limited efficacy” and are “detrimental to patients.”
“Votucalis has already been tested in humans with other conditions, including conjunctivitis, without major side effects,” Obara said, “so the potential for this to be developed into a drug to tackle chronic pain and itching is definitely there.”
While Votucalis is now in the pipeline for production, according to an Akari Therapeutics official, the researchers noted that clinical testing is needed to develop a system to deliver the new drug to parts of the body experiencing pain or itchiness.
Gabapentinoids are used to treat epilepsy, neuropathic diabetes pain, anxiety disorder and fibromyalgia. OxyContin is a brand name of a highly addictive opioid used to relieve moderate to severe pain. It has been associated with deaths due to overdose, as well as millions of cases of addiction.
Edited by Siân Speakman and Kristen Butler
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African American Developers Make History With $100M Project in Birmingham
