News in Brief
Birth of more than 17K twins in Iran
ISNA – Since the beginning of this Persian year (starting on March 21, 2022), 17,557 twins have been born across Iran.
Tehran Province leads the births with 2,814 twins, followed by Khuzestan Province with 1,307 and Khorasan Razavi Province with 1,200.
Also, in this period of time, birth of triplets and quadruplets have been recorded in the country, with the highest number of triplets in Tehran with 80, Khorasan Razavi with 51, and provinces of Khuzestan and Fars with 45.
The highest number of quadruplets was related to the provinces of West Azarbaijan, Khuzestan, Alborz, and Fars.
Scientists warn of ‘phosphogeddon’ as fertilizer shortages loom
THE GUARDIAN – Our planet faces “phosphogeddon”, scientists have warned. They fear our misuse of phosphorus could lead to deadly shortages of fertilizers that would disrupt global food production.
At the same time, phosphate fertilizer washed from fields – together with sewage inputs into rivers, lakes and seas – is giving rise to widespread algal blooms and creating aquatic dead zones that threaten fish stocks.
In addition, overuse of the element is increasing releases of methane across the planet, adding to global heating and the climate crisis caused by carbon emissions, researchers have warned.
“We have reached a critical turning point,” said Prof Phil Haygarth of Lancaster University. “We might be able to turn back but we have really got to pull ourselves together and be an awful lot smarter in the way we use phosphorus. If we don’t, we face a calamity that we have termed ‘phosphogeddon’.”