Some scientists believe bubble-blowing drones may help address the pollination problem as insect populations continue to dwindle. Firework displays -- and noise complaints -- are skyrocketing across the US. And Kentucky has triggered an enormous backlash by closing more than 95% of its polling places ahead of today's Primary Election. Join Ben Bowlin for more Strange News Daily, and share your stories on Twitter: #strangedaily.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Strange News Daily. It's a production of I heart media.
In a world full of bizarre events, unsolved mysteries, and
a billion stories from all corners of the globe, some
(00:22):
news gets lost in the shuffle. This is your gateway
to the stories on the fringe of the mainstream map.
These are your dispatches in the dark. I'm Ben Bolan
and this is the Strange News Daily, our first story today.
(00:49):
Could drones be the answer to the current pollination crisis?
It turns out this may be the case. Drones that
blow bubbles aiden with pollen could one day help farmers
pollinate their crops. This means that instead of relying on
bees or other pollinating insects, which are of course dwindling
(01:12):
worldwide as a result of climate change, neo nicotinoids and
other pesticides, and various other factors, farmers can spray or
swab pollen onto crops themselves. The problem is that machine
blown plumes can waste many many grains of pollen, and
it's incredibly labor intensive to go to every plant and
(01:34):
manually brush pollen on it. So materials chemist A. G.
Ro Miaco of the japan Advanced Institute of Science and
technology in no Me imagines we could outsource pollination to
autonomous drones that would deliver pollen grains to individual flowers.
His idea initially involved coding a drone and pollen and
(01:57):
having it rub grains onto of flowers, but that treatment
would damage the blossoms. So one day, Miako was blowing
bubbles with his son and he thought, hey, bubbles might
be a much more gentle means of delivery. In their
report published June seventeenth in E Science, Miako and his
(02:20):
colleague she Young describe how they devised a pollen containing
solution that's used by a drone toting a bubble gun.
It can blow these pollen laced bubbles out onto crops.
They tested the viability of this delivery method by using
this technique to pollinate pear trees in an orchard. The
(02:41):
pear trees and the test bore about as much fruit
as trees pollinated using the traditional method of hands pollination.
Miako and his colleague found that pollen grains remained most
healthy and viable in certain solutions. One of the most
promising uses a chemical that's currently most often ound in
cosmetics and personal care products. Using this solution, as their base.
(03:04):
The researchers added pollen protecting ingredients things like calcium and potassium,
along with a polymer that would make sure the bubbles
are sturdy enough to withstand the winds generated by all
those drone propellers. And then the researchers blew pollen bubbles
at flowers on three pear trees in an orchard. On average,
(03:26):
of the fifty pollinated blossoms on each tree formed fruits.
This was comparable to another set of three similar trees
pollinated by hand with a standard pollen brush. Only about
fifty eight percent of flowers on three trees that relied
on insects and wind to deliver pollen bore any fruit
at all. It's a promising idea, but not everyone is
(03:48):
convinced it's a good one. Simon Pott's sustainable land management
researcher at the University of Reading in London, says this
technology is a piece of smart engineering and shoehorn to
solve a problem which could be solved in a more
effective and sustainable way. Specifically, Potts and his colleagues would
(04:09):
argue that protecting natural pollinators is a better way to
safeguard plant pollination in the future. At least it's a
better method than going out and building robotic bees. These
researchers note that insects are already more dept pollinators than
any machine, and they don't disrupt the existing ecosystems because
they've evolved to be a part of them. Miako and
(04:32):
his colleagues say they're bubble solution was biocompatible, but pots
still worries that dowsing flowers and human made substances could
make the insects less likely to visit those trees. A
roboticist named you Gou of West Virginia University in Morgantown
designs robotic pollinators himself, but was not involved in the work.
(04:54):
And this scientist says building robotic bees and supporting insect
populations are not mutually exclusive aims, and said he says,
we're not hoping to take over for bees or any
other natural pollinator. What we're trying to do is complement them.
When there's a shortage of winged workers to pollinate crops.
(05:14):
Farmers could one day use these robots as a backup plan,
or wait for it, a plan by our second story. Today,
(05:35):
firework sales are shooting through the roof along with noise
complaints in the big Apple Suppliers like Phantom Fireworks, popular
firework company based out of Ohio, experienced a two hundred
four increase in sales every day compared to this time
last year, while Fireworks saw an uptick in sales. Noise
(05:57):
complaints in New York City also saw aw some skyrocketing rises.
Firework complaint calls have increased almost four hundred thousand percent
during the last two weeks of June as compared to
June since that time. June tenth saw the highest number
of calls, with one thousand, seven hundred complaints. The reason
(06:19):
for this sudden proliferation of firework displays is not clear,
and it's happening in cities around the country. You could
say is simply a matter of boredom. You know, people
have so much cabin fever energy that they've built up
during the pandemic, or like some media is speculating, it
could be a form of protest against police brutality. But
(06:41):
there are other potential reasons here. One of the big
ones is cheaper fireworks. Some firework fans in Michigan it
purchased thousands of dollars worth of fireworks as suppliers promote
special sales because of the upcoming July four celebration cancelations
and because families planned to stay at home during the
pandemic and set of traveling for summer vacations. The spokesperson
(07:03):
for Phantom Fireworks said that nearly half the people purchasing
fireworks were new customers. Meanwhile, back to New York City,
their firework complaints from June one to June nine total
six thousand, three dight five, compared to twenty seven complaints
recorded during that time period last year. But the fireworks
(07:24):
that are getting set off in the Big Apple are
not your average store bought firecrackers. They're drawing concern from
some local authorities because of their size and intensity. Brooklyn
Borough President Eric Adams said, this is not the simple
firecrackers and little toy type rockets, but it's very elaborate.
The disruption of fireworks and neighborhoods and the potential danger
(07:46):
of these pyrotechnic displays is leading for some community members
to order a stop to them. But in light of
the police killing of George Floyd and the ongoing protests
against police brutality that have erupted since then, people want
non police intervention here, and that's why Eric Adams wants
Cure violence organizations and the Vulcan Society. It's a group
(08:09):
of black, active and retired firefighters to encourage and educate
people not to use illegal fireworks. Finding alternatives to solve
community issues without police is a very timely question as
municipalities across the nation are debating changing or entirely dismantling
their police force. Eric Adams says, this is local proactive
(08:31):
policing where you don't want uniformed personnel with a gun
and a billy club to come. You want everyday people
to talk to other people in their community. Our third
story today. In Kentucky, voting rights advocates have been sounding
(08:54):
an alarm ahead of today's primary. The state has reduced
the number of polling police is drastically from three thousand,
seven hundred to fewer than two hundred. That's a reduction.
The most closely watched race is the Democratic primary, which
will pick a candidate to challenge Senate Majority Leader Mitch
McConnell this November. State level lawmakers and voting rights activists
(09:18):
are bracing for potential chaos during Kentucky's primary election today.
These closings of polls come after concerns over coronavirus led
state elections officials to limit the number of in person
polling places. These limits, according to the Kentucky Secretary of State,
(09:38):
they're gonna have only on seventy locations open today, have
led to a massive outcry across the country, especially from
Democrats who say this could result in a nightmare scenario
in big cities with hour long lines, potentially disenfranchising voters.
The Commonwealth's to most populous counties, Jefferson and Fayette, are
the homes of Louisville and Lexington. They will have just
(10:02):
one polling location each open today, and this backlash has
made Kentucky the newest battleground in an ongoing nationwide fight
over voting access. NBA star Lebron James chimed in tweeting
this is systemic racism and oppression, and Stacy Abrams, Georgia
(10:22):
gubernatorial candidate and a leading voice on voting access in
the Democratic Party, said that the coronavirus was quote no
excuse for such limited in person polling places. Abrams continued,
saying voter suppression is no longer Billy Clubs and Jim Crow.
It's closed polling sites plus six hour waits without pay
(10:42):
COVID is no excuse. Who needs to vote in person?
The disabled, the homeless or displaced voters with language barriers,
folks who didn't get their ballots in time. Americans. However,
Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams pushed back against these concerns,
pointing out that the current rules were part of a
bipartisan agreement between the Republican election official and Kentucky Democratic
(11:06):
Governor Andy Bashir. The election features a high profile Democratic
Senate matchup between establishment favorite Amy McGrath and Charles Booker,
a black state representative whose candidacy has been propelled by
the activism sweeping the country today. They're both lying for
the chance to take on Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell
(11:27):
in November, and interest in the Democratic Senate primary there
in Kentucky is sword following the shooting of Brianna Taylor,
a twenty six year old black e mt who was
killed when police broke down the door to her apartment
in an attempted drug sting and shot her eight times.
The interest in the race has also led to increased
turnout expectations, intensifying those fears of long lines and limited
(11:51):
polling sites. Back in March, Kentucky postponed its May primary
to June. All the voters in the state were allowed
to request apps in t ballots. The Kentucky Secretary of
State's office said Monday that it had issued over eight
hundred sixty seven thousand, three hundred and eleven mail in
ballots in the primary election, and just over half four hundred,
(12:14):
nine hundred and nineteen have been returned. Election day concerns,
especially over how the lack of in person polling sides
could affect black voters, were so great that a bipartisan
group went to court just last week to demand more
polling locations. However, a judge denied the claims, citing concerns
that last minute action by the court could adversely impact
(12:36):
the election, essentially worsening the problem they would be attempting
to solve. In a joint statement after the decision, Louisville
Councilwoman Kesha Dorsey, a Democrat, and Jason Nemes, a Republican
state representative, wrote, we hope we are wrong and that
there are no problems in voting but if there are
major concerns with the election, we will fight as hard
(12:56):
as we can to ensure that similar problems don't recur
during the general election in November. These concerns are, of course,
not without precedent. The rise of the coronavirus pandemic and
cuts to in person voting sites already have led to
long lines in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Georgia earlier this year,
(13:17):
especially in the state's biggest cities, such as Atlanta, where
this show is based. Kristen Clark, the head of the
Lawyer's Committee for Civil Rights under the Law, said, in
parts of the country with major cities this primary season,
the decision to have a handful of in person voting
sites has been proving increasingly problematic. So it's hard not
(13:37):
to see one in person voting location not proved to
be equally challenging. Both Booker and McGrath have seized on
these voting issues, but the insurgent challenger has been far
more public. That's Booker, as he blankets the state and
constantly makes himself available to the media. In an earlier
exchange with the CNN, Booker said, it's not right, and
(13:58):
we've seen this in other parts of the country. It's
not excusable at all. We are better than this. This
is not what democracy is all about. It should be
easy to have your voice heard. Good luck to everyone
voting today in Kentucky's primary. That's all for now. We've
been asking you chime in with suggestions for stories you
(14:20):
think you are fellow listeners should know about. To hit
us with your best or worst bad dad jokes, and
to let your fellow listeners know about your personal experience
with COVID nineteen, the ongoing protest, voting, or anything else
happening in your neck of the Global woods. Let us
know by tagging hashtag Strange daily on Twitter. We'll reach
out to me directly. I'm at Ben Bullin hsw on
(14:41):
Twitter or at ben Bullin on Instagram. Thanks as always
to our super producer Dylan Fagan, our research associate Sam T. Garden,
and most importantly, thanks to you. I'm Ben Bullin. We'll
see you tomorrow. Until then, stay strange.
Strange News Daily. It's a production of I heart media.
In a world full of bizarre events, unsolved mysteries, and
a billion stories from all corners of the globe, some
(00:22):
news gets lost in the shuffle. This is your gateway
to the stories on the fringe of the mainstream map.
These are your dispatches in the dark. I'm Ben Bolan
and this is the Strange News Daily, our first story today.
(00:49):
Could drones be the answer to the current pollination crisis?
It turns out this may be the case. Drones that
blow bubbles aiden with pollen could one day help farmers
pollinate their crops. This means that instead of relying on
bees or other pollinating insects, which are of course dwindling
(01:12):
worldwide as a result of climate change, neo nicotinoids and
other pesticides, and various other factors, farmers can spray or
swab pollen onto crops themselves. The problem is that machine
blown plumes can waste many many grains of pollen, and
it's incredibly labor intensive to go to every plant and
(01:34):
manually brush pollen on it. So materials chemist A. G.
Ro Miaco of the japan Advanced Institute of Science and
technology in no Me imagines we could outsource pollination to
autonomous drones that would deliver pollen grains to individual flowers.
His idea initially involved coding a drone and pollen and
(01:57):
having it rub grains onto of flowers, but that treatment
would damage the blossoms. So one day, Miako was blowing
bubbles with his son and he thought, hey, bubbles might
be a much more gentle means of delivery. In their
report published June seventeenth in E Science, Miako and his
(02:20):
colleague she Young describe how they devised a pollen containing
solution that's used by a drone toting a bubble gun.
It can blow these pollen laced bubbles out onto crops.
They tested the viability of this delivery method by using
this technique to pollinate pear trees in an orchard. The
(02:41):
pear trees and the test bore about as much fruit
as trees pollinated using the traditional method of hands pollination.
Miako and his colleague found that pollen grains remained most
healthy and viable in certain solutions. One of the most
promising uses a chemical that's currently most often ound in
cosmetics and personal care products. Using this solution, as their base.
(03:04):
The researchers added pollen protecting ingredients things like calcium and potassium,
along with a polymer that would make sure the bubbles
are sturdy enough to withstand the winds generated by all
those drone propellers. And then the researchers blew pollen bubbles
at flowers on three pear trees in an orchard. On average,
(03:26):
of the fifty pollinated blossoms on each tree formed fruits.
This was comparable to another set of three similar trees
pollinated by hand with a standard pollen brush. Only about
fifty eight percent of flowers on three trees that relied
on insects and wind to deliver pollen bore any fruit
at all. It's a promising idea, but not everyone is
(03:48):
convinced it's a good one. Simon Pott's sustainable land management
researcher at the University of Reading in London, says this
technology is a piece of smart engineering and shoehorn to
solve a problem which could be solved in a more
effective and sustainable way. Specifically, Potts and his colleagues would
(04:09):
argue that protecting natural pollinators is a better way to
safeguard plant pollination in the future. At least it's a
better method than going out and building robotic bees. These
researchers note that insects are already more dept pollinators than
any machine, and they don't disrupt the existing ecosystems because
they've evolved to be a part of them. Miako and
(04:32):
his colleagues say they're bubble solution was biocompatible, but pots
still worries that dowsing flowers and human made substances could
make the insects less likely to visit those trees. A
roboticist named you Gou of West Virginia University in Morgantown
designs robotic pollinators himself, but was not involved in the work.
(04:54):
And this scientist says building robotic bees and supporting insect
populations are not mutually exclusive aims, and said he says,
we're not hoping to take over for bees or any
other natural pollinator. What we're trying to do is complement them.
When there's a shortage of winged workers to pollinate crops.
(05:14):
Farmers could one day use these robots as a backup plan,
or wait for it, a plan by our second story. Today,
(05:35):
firework sales are shooting through the roof along with noise
complaints in the big Apple Suppliers like Phantom Fireworks, popular
firework company based out of Ohio, experienced a two hundred
four increase in sales every day compared to this time
last year, while Fireworks saw an uptick in sales. Noise
(05:57):
complaints in New York City also saw aw some skyrocketing rises.
Firework complaint calls have increased almost four hundred thousand percent
during the last two weeks of June as compared to
June since that time. June tenth saw the highest number
of calls, with one thousand, seven hundred complaints. The reason
(06:19):
for this sudden proliferation of firework displays is not clear,
and it's happening in cities around the country. You could
say is simply a matter of boredom. You know, people
have so much cabin fever energy that they've built up
during the pandemic, or like some media is speculating, it
could be a form of protest against police brutality. But
(06:41):
there are other potential reasons here. One of the big
ones is cheaper fireworks. Some firework fans in Michigan it
purchased thousands of dollars worth of fireworks as suppliers promote
special sales because of the upcoming July four celebration cancelations
and because families planned to stay at home during the
pandemic and set of traveling for summer vacations. The spokesperson
(07:03):
for Phantom Fireworks said that nearly half the people purchasing
fireworks were new customers. Meanwhile, back to New York City,
their firework complaints from June one to June nine total
six thousand, three dight five, compared to twenty seven complaints
recorded during that time period last year. But the fireworks
(07:24):
that are getting set off in the Big Apple are
not your average store bought firecrackers. They're drawing concern from
some local authorities because of their size and intensity. Brooklyn
Borough President Eric Adams said, this is not the simple
firecrackers and little toy type rockets, but it's very elaborate.
The disruption of fireworks and neighborhoods and the potential danger
(07:46):
of these pyrotechnic displays is leading for some community members
to order a stop to them. But in light of
the police killing of George Floyd and the ongoing protests
against police brutality that have erupted since then, people want
non police intervention here, and that's why Eric Adams wants
Cure violence organizations and the Vulcan Society. It's a group
(08:09):
of black, active and retired firefighters to encourage and educate
people not to use illegal fireworks. Finding alternatives to solve
community issues without police is a very timely question as
municipalities across the nation are debating changing or entirely dismantling
their police force. Eric Adams says, this is local proactive
(08:31):
policing where you don't want uniformed personnel with a gun
and a billy club to come. You want everyday people
to talk to other people in their community. Our third
story today. In Kentucky, voting rights advocates have been sounding
(08:54):
an alarm ahead of today's primary. The state has reduced
the number of polling police is drastically from three thousand,
seven hundred to fewer than two hundred. That's a reduction.
The most closely watched race is the Democratic primary, which
will pick a candidate to challenge Senate Majority Leader Mitch
McConnell this November. State level lawmakers and voting rights activists
(09:18):
are bracing for potential chaos during Kentucky's primary election today.
These closings of polls come after concerns over coronavirus led
state elections officials to limit the number of in person
polling places. These limits, according to the Kentucky Secretary of State,
(09:38):
they're gonna have only on seventy locations open today, have
led to a massive outcry across the country, especially from
Democrats who say this could result in a nightmare scenario
in big cities with hour long lines, potentially disenfranchising voters.
The Commonwealth's to most populous counties, Jefferson and Fayette, are
the homes of Louisville and Lexington. They will have just
(10:02):
one polling location each open today, and this backlash has
made Kentucky the newest battleground in an ongoing nationwide fight
over voting access. NBA star Lebron James chimed in tweeting
this is systemic racism and oppression, and Stacy Abrams, Georgia
(10:22):
gubernatorial candidate and a leading voice on voting access in
the Democratic Party, said that the coronavirus was quote no
excuse for such limited in person polling places. Abrams continued,
saying voter suppression is no longer Billy Clubs and Jim Crow.
It's closed polling sites plus six hour waits without pay
(10:42):
COVID is no excuse. Who needs to vote in person?
The disabled, the homeless or displaced voters with language barriers,
folks who didn't get their ballots in time. Americans. However,
Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams pushed back against these concerns,
pointing out that the current rules were part of a
bipartisan agreement between the Republican election official and Kentucky Democratic
(11:06):
Governor Andy Bashir. The election features a high profile Democratic
Senate matchup between establishment favorite Amy McGrath and Charles Booker,
a black state representative whose candidacy has been propelled by
the activism sweeping the country today. They're both lying for
the chance to take on Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell
(11:27):
in November, and interest in the Democratic Senate primary there
in Kentucky is sword following the shooting of Brianna Taylor,
a twenty six year old black e mt who was
killed when police broke down the door to her apartment
in an attempted drug sting and shot her eight times.
The interest in the race has also led to increased
turnout expectations, intensifying those fears of long lines and limited
(11:51):
polling sites. Back in March, Kentucky postponed its May primary
to June. All the voters in the state were allowed
to request apps in t ballots. The Kentucky Secretary of
State's office said Monday that it had issued over eight
hundred sixty seven thousand, three hundred and eleven mail in
ballots in the primary election, and just over half four hundred,
(12:14):
nine hundred and nineteen have been returned. Election day concerns,
especially over how the lack of in person polling sides
could affect black voters, were so great that a bipartisan
group went to court just last week to demand more
polling locations. However, a judge denied the claims, citing concerns
that last minute action by the court could adversely impact
(12:36):
the election, essentially worsening the problem they would be attempting
to solve. In a joint statement after the decision, Louisville
Councilwoman Kesha Dorsey, a Democrat, and Jason Nemes, a Republican
state representative, wrote, we hope we are wrong and that
there are no problems in voting but if there are
major concerns with the election, we will fight as hard
(12:56):
as we can to ensure that similar problems don't recur
during the general election in November. These concerns are, of course,
not without precedent. The rise of the coronavirus pandemic and
cuts to in person voting sites already have led to
long lines in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Georgia earlier this year,
(13:17):
especially in the state's biggest cities, such as Atlanta, where
this show is based. Kristen Clark, the head of the
Lawyer's Committee for Civil Rights under the Law, said, in
parts of the country with major cities this primary season,
the decision to have a handful of in person voting
sites has been proving increasingly problematic. So it's hard not
(13:37):
to see one in person voting location not proved to
be equally challenging. Both Booker and McGrath have seized on
these voting issues, but the insurgent challenger has been far
more public. That's Booker, as he blankets the state and
constantly makes himself available to the media. In an earlier
exchange with the CNN, Booker said, it's not right, and
(13:58):
we've seen this in other parts of the country. It's
not excusable at all. We are better than this. This
is not what democracy is all about. It should be
easy to have your voice heard. Good luck to everyone
voting today in Kentucky's primary. That's all for now. We've
been asking you chime in with suggestions for stories you
(14:20):
think you are fellow listeners should know about. To hit
us with your best or worst bad dad jokes, and
to let your fellow listeners know about your personal experience
with COVID nineteen, the ongoing protest, voting, or anything else
happening in your neck of the Global woods. Let us
know by tagging hashtag Strange daily on Twitter. We'll reach
out to me directly. I'm at Ben Bullin hsw on
(14:41):
Twitter or at ben Bullin on Instagram. Thanks as always
to our super producer Dylan Fagan, our research associate Sam T. Garden,
and most importantly, thanks to you. I'm Ben Bullin. We'll
see you tomorrow. Until then, stay strange.
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