Weirdest Human Genetic Crossbreeding (photos)

Crossbreeding is defined as the process or the act of producing offspring particularly through mating two purebred individuals but come from different breeds, varieties, or even species.

In 1920s, there are documented cases of Soviet experiments where artificial insemination was attempted using female chimps and human sperm. However, none of these experiments resulted in a pregnancy, much less the birth of a ‘humanzee’. There are various urban legends of other later experiments in different labs worldwide, but there’s no evidence that the result was ever any different.

In 2019, scientists have successfully grown monkey embryos containing human cells for the first time — the latest milestone in a rapidly advancing field that has drawn ethical questions.
they could grow monkey embryos in a dish for up to 20 days after fertilization.
In 2017, they reported a series of other hybrids: pig embryos grown with human cells, cow embryos grown with human cells, and rat embryos grown with mouse cells.

In the study, researchers fertilized eggs extracted from cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) and grew them in culture. Six days after fertilization, the team injected 132 embryos with human extended pluripotent stem cells, which can grow into a range of cell types inside and outside an embryo. The embryos each developed unique combinations of human and monkey cells and deteriorated at varying rates: 11 days after fertilization, 91 were alive; this dropped to 12 embryos at day 17 and 3 embryos at day 19.

“This paper is a dramatic demonstration of the ability of human pluripotent stem cells to be incorporated into the embryos of cynomolgus monkey when introduced into the monkey blastocysts,” says Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz, a developmental biologist at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. She noted that this team, like others in the past, was not able to control which cells developed into which tissues — a key step to master before such models can be used.

Martinez Arias was not convinced by the results. “I expect better evidence,” especially of the later stages of development, he says. That embryo numbers rapidly plummeted as they approached day 15 of development suggests to him “that the things are very sick”.

Combining human cells with closely related primate embryos prompts questions about the status and identity of the resulting hybrids. “Some people may see that you’re creating morally ambiguous entities there,” says Insoo Hyun, a bioethicist at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. He says this team was thorough in following existing guidelines. “I think they did quite a bit of due care to be mindful of regulations and ethical issues.”

Research restrictions

Meanwhile, international guidelines are catching up to the field’s advances — next month, the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) is expected to publish revised guidelines for stem-cell research. These will address non-human-primate and human chimaeras, says Hyun, who is leading an ISSCR committee discussing chimaeras. That group’s guidelines currently prohibit researchers from letting human–animal chimaeras mate. Also, the group recommends additional oversight when human cells could integrate with an animal host’s developing central nervous system.

Many countries — including the United States, the United Kingdom and Japan — have at points limited research on chimaeras involving human cells. Japan lifted its ban on experiments with animal embryos containing human cells in 2019 and began funding such work that year.

In 2015, the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced a moratorium on federal funding for studies in which human cells would be injected into animal embryos. In 2016, the funding agency proposed lifting the ban but restricting research to hybrids created after gastrulation, when the early nervous system begins to form. More than four years later, the funding ban is still in place. An NIH spokesperson says the agency is awaiting the May ISSCR update “to ensure our position reflects the input from the community”, but did not provide a timeline for release of the agency’s rules.

Below are the human/animal hybrids.
#human/dog hybrid
#human/pig hybrid
#human/mouse hybrid

Zebra gives birth to "Zonkey" after mating with a donkey


The organisation said the zebra became an honorary member of a local woman’s cattle herd before Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (an organisation that works to rescue and rehabilitate animals in Kenya), were called in to relocate the wildlife into a protected area.

The Zebra was transferred to Chyulu National Park, but her foal was only noticed a few weeks ago as it has a gestation period of 12 months.

Sharing photos of what has been referred to as a “zonkey”, the group wrote:

“It’s a Zonkey!

A zebra has given birth to a combination of itself and a donkey after it mated with a male donkey.

According to the stray Zebra began an amorous affair with the donkey after it ventured out of the Tsavo East National Park, into a community bordering the park.

“Working with wildlife, one learns to expect the unexpected. Even the most seemingly straight forward story can eventually reveal its true stripes and end up surprising us all.

“Last year, our SWT/KWS Tsavo Vet Unit moved a wayward female zebra from community land back to a protected area. It was an uneventful translocation and the zebra has been loving life since. We did, however, have quite the surprise recently, with the appearance of a baby zonkey – a hybrid between a zebra and a donkey – by her side.

“Zebras have a 12-month gestation period, so it’s not been difficult to connect the dots as to the origins of this lovely little character. It seems that mum encountered a rather amorous donkey before she was moved!”

“At this point, the zebra had become fairly habituated to community life, so we had to choose her new home with that in mind. We settled on our Kenze Anti-Poaching Team’s base in Chyulu National Park, so they could keep a close eye on her while she settled into her new home.

“We’re happy to report that mum and baby are thriving. Their new home is in an area that isn’t plagued by heavy predation and thanks to the lush conditions, water and grass plentiful it is a good place to call home.

“We have over the decades raised many orphaned zebras, and in time, we will add to this unusual pair when it becomes time to release any zebra orphans, while this unusual pair wait for some wild zebras to discover them both. Until that day comes, they seem quite content to spend their days grazing side-by-side, a sight that makes us all stop and marvel at the wonders of nature.” SWT wrote on its website.

Kaduna will sack 233 teachers, try them and shame them publicly for fake certificates


The Kaduna State government has all but concluded plans to sack 233 teachers who presented forged certificates to nail their jobs.

Afterwards, the files of these dismissed teachers will be forwarded to the Ministry of Justice to initiate prosecution for forgery.

"The names of the 233 teachers found to have presented fake certificates will be uploaded on the website of the Kaduna State Government today," Chairman of the Kaduna State Universal Basic Education Board (KADSUBEB), Tijjani Abdullahi, says.

In a statement, Abdullahi writes that the move is "part of the board's responsibility to ensure that all teachers actually have the qualifications they presented" and that "the board launched a certificate verification exercise in April 2021."

"The major objective of this exercise was to ensure that all our teachers have the requisite credentials that constitute the basic qualifications for employment as teachers.

“So far, the Board has verified 451 certificates by contacting the institutions that awarded the certificates. Nine of the 13 institutions contacted have responded, as at today.

"The responses from the institutions show that 233 teachers presented fake certificates. This represents 51% of the 451 certificates on which responses have been received from the awarding institutions. One institution disowned 212 of these 233 fake certificates.

“The Board will dismiss the 233 teachers who presented these fake certificates, while their files will be forwarded to the Ministry of Justice to initiate prosecution for forgery.

"The Board will continue to check the integrity of the certificates presented by teachers to ensure that this critical profession is not devalued by impostors.

“As part of our duty of transparency, the names of the 233 teachers found to have presented fake certificates will be uploaded on the website of the Kaduna State Government today.

“The Board also wishes to inform the people of Kaduna State that it will shortly be conducting the competency test for teachers.

"When the Kaduna State Government recruited 25,000 new teachers after the 2017 competency test, it made clear that it will continue to assess its teachers both for their own improvement and for better delivery of learning outcomes for pupils.”

He also says the board will follow up the competency test with series of training programmes, organised in batches, for teachers.

These training exercises will begin in January 2022 for 12,254 teachers.

The National Teachers Institute, the College of Education, Gidan Waya, and the Federal College of Education, Zaria, will conduct the training exercises, he says.

#Pluseng

Unending debt profile in Nigeria

“Interestingly, on Thursday, August 26, 2021, the Budget Office of the same administration released a statement to the effect that Nigeria made N2.23tn revenue in the first half of 2021, and spent N2.02tn on debt servicing, representing 90.58 per cent of National revenue in the period under review (H1).”

As of March 2021, Nigeria’s total public debt has hit N33.1 trillion ($87.24 billion) — an accumulation of borrowings from successive governments, of which most were borrowed since the return to democratic rule in 1999.

The overall public debt is the total debt accrued by federal, states, and the FCT from local and international lenders.

Of the N33.1 trillion, the federal government alone borrowed N26.91 trillion — this includes the FGN bonds, Sukuk, green bonds and Euro bonds.

Talking further in practical terms, the federal government expended N3.10 trillion on debt servicing within 11 months (January-November) 2020, out of its N3.48 trillion retained revenue for the same period. Meaning that for every N100 generated, N89 was expended on debt servicing. This puts Nigeria’s debt-to-revenue ratio, at 89 per cent for those 11 months; a far cry from the World Bank’s suggested 22.5 per cent for low-income countries like Nigeria.

The huge amount expended on debt servicing, leaves the Buhari government with a little amount to spend on infrastructure. Besides, it has to take more loans and print money to fund personnel cost, pensions and capital expenditure. Printed money is also part of any government’s debt component. The manner the Central Bank of Nigeria has been printing money in the last six years and giving it to the federal government is dizzying. It has risen intensely from N2.2 trillion printed in 2016, to an estimated N10 trillion at the end of 2020.

The Buhari government persistently justifies its binge-borrowing, saying it is aimed at addressing Nigeria’s infrastructure deficit. Unfortunately, this federal government has under-performed in the area of infrastructure, considering the huge loans obtained.

No doubt, accumulated debt is hindering Nigeria’s development, especially when most of the revenue generated is used to service debt. That was why Obasanjo did everything humanly possible for Nigeria to exit all its debts. And Nigeria did. The most depressing aspect of binge-borrowing by the Buhari government is that the President is unperturbed about Nigeria’s unsustainable debt profile. Buhari is unperturbed that he has mortgaged the future of this country with debts. If we are not careful, as more debts mature, Nigeria may be plunged into insolvency by the huge repayment obligations.


#Bejuweel

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has said that if the country breaks up in any way or becomes the subject of what some people will like it to be, “all of us will lose out.”

This is as he urged journalists to do everything to ensure that the country remains safe, secure, and united.

Osinbajo stated this on Monday when he received at the Presidential Villa, the national executive of the Nigeria Union of Journalists led by its President, Chris Isiguzo.

Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, disclosed this in a statement titled ‘Osinbajo to journalists: your civic vigilance, steadfast belief in rule of law, commendable’.

According to the Vice President, “this country is ours, whether we are press, politicians or religious people, the country is ours, and we must do everything to ensure that the country remains safe, secure, and united, and this so important.

“I thank you for your civic vigilance, for the very kind words you have spoken about Nigeria, and for remaining steadfast in your belief for the rule of law and press freedom in the country.”

He added that “as I keep saying, the elite in our country, those of us who have had the benefit of education, positions and all of that, we owe millions of our people who are poor, who have no access and have no voice, a duty to ensure that we don’t let things become worse for them.”

Referring to other places where the press and government collaborated to protect the information space, Osinbajo called on stakeholders in Nigeria to replicate such efforts in the interest of security and unity.

your voices as respected members of the fourth estate of the realm, your voices are very important in moderating the kinds of views that we hear constantly which in the end, if care is not taken subverts the polity.”

He added that “it is important for us to continue to emphasize that the unity of this country is crucial because if this country breaks up in any way or becomes the subject of what some people will like it to be, all of us will lose out. Obviously, the elite will survive in any way but the vast majority of our people will not.

“So, I will urge that we should as much as possible do whatever we can in our spaces that we occupy to keep emphasizing that we cannot afford a situation where the national unity of this country is compromised or where the country is made the theater of conflict and all sorts of insurgencies and crimes.”

Earlier in his opening remarks, the president of the union, Isiguzo, commended the initiatives of the Buhari regime in the areas of employment opportunity creation, skills training for the youth, among others.

He said in acknowledgment of its role in the society, the union has over the years “engaged in training and retraining of Journalists with assistance from various development partners to build capacity of journalists to effectively bring to public attention humanitarian situations in the country in a fair manner, honestly, and constructively.”
He also noted that the union frowned against fake news and would do everything in its powers to check the menace, calling on “journalists to be careful not to be tempted into propagating fake news by ensuring proper and adequate checks before stories are written and transmitted for public consumption.”

#Bejuweel

How Did Women Prevent Pregnancy Throughout the Ages?

Since the beginning of time, humans have engaged in sexual activity for purposes other than reproducing. Until the late 19th and 20th centuries, people used all kinds of homemade ancient birth control methods to prevent pregnancy. Let’s take a peek at how our ancestors avoided pregnancy.

#Honey and acacia
Records dating back to 1850 BC show us that some of the most popular ancient Egyptian birth control methods included the use of honey, acacia fruit, and acacia leaves as natural spermicides. Women would mix honey and acacia fruit and soak lint or cotton in the mixture. They inserted the lint or cotton into their vaginas before having sex, and the combination would kill some sperm before they reached the uterus.

#Crocodile dung
Using probably the least hygienic ingredient used to prevent pregnancy, ancient Egyptians and Mesopotamians would mix crocodile dung with other ingredients to form a pessary — a block that was inserted in the vagina.

That isn’t the only record of animal feces being used as ancient contraceptives. In ancient India and the Middle East, people tried elephant feces in a similar way to prevent pregnancy.

Today, we’re not sure whether these ancient birth control methods were effective.

#Lead and mercury
Long ago, people freely applied and consumed poisonous substances such as heavy metals that we now know are extremely dangerous.

All across the world, ancient civilizations used heavy metals like mercury, lead, and arsenic to prevent pregnancy. Ancient Egyptians, Assyrians, Greeks, and Chinese women would drink liquid mercury, liquid lead, or arsenic — or a combination of these — to prevent conception. Unfortunately, these poisonous substances would also lead to kidney and lung failure, as well as brain damage. But they did work as birth control!

#Silphium
In ancient Rome and Greece and the ancient Near East, women used an oral contraceptive called silphium, which was a species of giant fennel. They would also soak cotton or lint in the juice of this herb and insert it into their vaginas to prevent pregnancy.

Silphium seeds eventually became so valuable that they were used as a form of weight-based currency, deemed even more valuable than silver. The plant became extinct in late antiquity.

#Queen Anne’s lace
Queen Anne’s lace has been used as an effective form of birth control for thousands of years. It is considered one of the old forms of birth control, as some people still use it today as a contraceptive.

Sometimes referred to as wild carrot, Queen Anne’s lace was famously described by Hippocrates more than 2,000 years ago as an oral contraceptive.

Unfortunately, Queen Anne’s lace chemically resembles hemlock, which is highly toxic.

#Olive oil
To make an ancient birth control mixture proposed by Aristotle, women in Greece used olive and cedar oils to decrease sperm mobility. This would give them time to rinse or douche after having sex to reduce the chance of pregnancy.

#Lemon
In the past, people assumed the citric acid in lemon possessed spermicidal qualities, making this fruit an effective form of ancient birth control. Women would soak sponges or cotton in lemon juice and insert them into their vaginas. It would both act as a barrier to the cervix and as a spermicide.

Rumor has it that Casanova, the famous Venetian ladies’ man of the 18th century, would fashion a cervical cap out of half a lemon to use with his sex partners.

#Douches
Douches were popular in ancient Rome to prevent pregnancy. Women would rinse their vaginas with all kinds of substances such as seawater, lemon juice, and vinegar.

Until the early 1900s — before the legalization of birth control in the United States — women would use toxic cleaning agents such as Lysol to douche. There were many poisonings and even a few deaths linked to Lysol douching.

#Condoms
The use of condoms began hundreds of years ago. In the 1600s, the first known condoms were made from animal membranes, including bladders and intestines. The use of condoms may go back even further to the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Greece, and Rome, but we lack evidence proving this.

What we do know is that condoms were first used to prevent the spread of disease. Only later were they utilized as a primary form of birth control as well.

Conclusion
Contraception has always been an important part of the human experience.

Luckily, we’re no longer stuck with ancient forms of birth control that not only make us cringe but also caused quite a few nasty infections. Let’s give a shoutout to modern medicine for keeping animal dung from coming anywhere near our genitals.

#Bejuweel

Overthrow of Kwame Nkrumah in Ghana

Ghana was formerly known as the Gold Coast and the first place in sub-Saharan Africa where Europeans arrived to trade - first in gold, later in slaves. It was also the first black African nation in the region to achieve independence from a colonial power, in this instance Britain.

On 6 March 1957 Kwame Nkrumah declared the country's independence. On 1 July 1960, Ghana became a commonwealth republic with Nkrumah as the first President of the country.

Ghana's first President Kwame Nkrumah was overthrown in a military coup in 1966 while he was out of the country.

He later suspected that the US had a role in his downfall and in a 1978 book, former CIA intelligence officer John Stockwell backed this theory up.
Britain and the United States began discussions of regime change in Ghana in 1961. Details of plans from this time are mostly unknown, since declassified documents from this period remain censored.

Memoranda released in 2001 suggest that the United States and United Kingdom discussed a plan "to induce a chain reaction eventually leading to Nkrumah's downfall." Relevant files from the British intelligence service, MI6, remain (as of 2009) classified.

On February 6, 1964, U.S. Secretary of State Dean Rusk asked McCone to study the possibility of a government takeover led by J.A. Ankrah. McCone indicated on February 11 that such a policy might be pursued in cooperation with the British.

The coup planners had all received training in Britain, either at Metropolitan Police College or at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, and were widely perceived as "pro-Western".

Some key figures of the coup had come into personal conflict with Nkrumah. Otu(Air Marshal), the Chief of Defense Staff, and Ankrah, the Deputy Chief, had been fired in August 1965 and replaced with officers considered more loyal.

In 1966, Otu, (formal chief of staff) and
Ankrah, (formal deputy chief of staff) were the arrow head that lead a coup d'état.

The US government minimized Diplomatic relations with Kwame Nkrumah's government prior to the coup d'état by turning down financial aids.

A U.S. National Security Council memo says:
we may have a pro-Western coup in Ghana soon. Certain key military and police figures have been planning one for some time, and Ghana’s deteriorating economic condition may provide the spark.

The plotters are keeping us briefed, and State thinks we’re more on the inside than the British. While we’re not directly involved (I’m told), we and other Western countries (including France) have been helping to set up the situation by ignoring Nkrumah’s pleas for economic aid. The new OCAM (Francophone) group’s refusal to attend any OAU meeting in Accra (because of Nkrumah’s plotting) will further isolate him. All in all, looks good.

RWK

— Robert W. Komer, Memorandum to McGeorge Bundy, May 27, 1965

Nkrumah remained an intellectual leader of the Pan-Africanist movement and continued to articulate visions of African Revolution.

#Bejuweel

The haulage industry says the U.K. is short as many as 100,000 truckers, due to a perfect storm of factors including the coronavirus pandemic, an aging workforce and an exodus of foreign workers following Britain’s departure from the European Union last year. Post-Brexit immigration rules mean EU citizens can no longer live and work visa-free in Britain, as they could when the U.K. was a member of the bloc.

Several countries, including the United States and Germany, also are experiencing a shortage of truck drivers. But the problem has been especially visible in Britain, where it has contributed to empty supermarket shelves and shuttered gas pumps.

The government says panic buying is worsening the petrol supply problem, and urged people not to hoard fuel. On Sunday, it announced it is temporarily suspending competition laws so fuel firms can share information and target areas where supply is running low.

U.K.’s Conservative government announced Saturday that it will issue thousands of emergency visas to foreign truck drivers to help prevent a Christmas without turkey or toys for many British families. The government said it would issue 5,000 three-month visas for truck drivers starting in October, and another 5,500 for poultry workers which the visas are due to expire on Dec. 24.

7 Best Countries to Work as a Truck Driver.

1. Australia

The trucking business in Australia is blooming more than ever. Australian trucker's average salary can be as much as $70,000 (USD), and increases if goods are transferred from one state to another. If you opt to drive an interstate truck, your salary can rise to $100,000 (USD) annually.

2. Norway

Apart from the trucking profession, Norway offers the best job opportunities to all kinds of professions due to its stable economic system. Truck drivers work five days a week and no more than 7.5 hours a day, and a trucker's average annual salary is $58,000 (USD). However, if truckers are willing to work additional hours, they can earn up to $90,000 (USD) annually.

3. The USA
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The American economy depends largely on the transportation of goods and services, so truck drivers' demand increases regularly. The strong trucking industry in the US is expected to grow significantly in the upcoming years, so they need truckers. The average salary of truckers in the United States is around $53,000. The best part about becoming a professional trucker is you can start early and don't need a college degree to step into the professional world.

4. Canada

One of the world's most inclusive and diverse countries, Canada is a hot spot for business start-ups and the trucking industry. When it comes to trucking, truck drivers are paid handsomely. The average annual salary of a truck driver is $56,000 (USD), whereas if you opt to be a local pick-up and delivery trucker, you are all set to make nearly $40,000 (USD) in a year. Your salary in Canada also depends on your trucking experience. If you become a long-haul trucker, your annual income can reach $100,000 (USD).

5. Switzerland

Switzerland isn't only one of the most beautiful countries globally, but it also happens to be one of the highest-paying countries for truckers. As a foreigner working in Switzerland, you can earn an average income of $64,000 (USD). However, depending on your experience, work hours, and vehicle type, you can also earn up to $90,000 (USD), but the distance travelled plays a crucial role in determining the income.

6. Sweden

The average annual salary of a trucker in Sweden can be up to $33,000 (USD), and Sweden hosts two of the biggest truck manufacturing companies on the globe. Because the trucking scene is quite high, truckers are surely the country's asset.

7. Netherlands
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Netherlands is one of the richest countries globally and is number 17 in the list of the world's biggest economies. If you are a truck driver, you will find many work opportunities in this country, and can expect an average annual salary to be slightly above $40,000 (USD).

#Bejuweel