2 Aug

Japan: Olympics Drive COVID-19 Surge









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Japan
Olympics Drive COVID-19 Surge
On Monday, Japan extended the state of emergency to include four prefectures near Tokyo, as the Olympics are driving a surge in COVID-19 cases. The state of emergency was only active in Tokyo and Okinawa, but now includes Osaka, Chiba, Kanagawa, and Saitama. There are multiple quasi-emergency guidelines in place in other prefectures as well. The state of emergency is set to last for all prefectures until August 31, extending the previous end date of August 22. This comes as Japan sees an increase in COVID-19 cases caused by the highly transmissible Delta variant alongside low vaccination rates as the country controversially hosts the Olympic games. Japan is only 28.3% fully vaccinated, and the surge in cases is putting pressure on hospitals, with the number of COVID-19 patients doubling in the past month. Tokyo also had its highest reported COVID-19 cases ever reported this past weekend.
 
This map depicts prefectures in Japan under state of emergency and quasi-emergency rules on Monday. Click on the map to learn more.

Graphic Source: Kyodo News
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Afghanistan
Taliban Attacks Three Cities
The Taliban launched assaults on three cities in south and west Afghanistan, seeking to seize control from government forces and inciting violence throughout the country. Dozens of civilians have been taken from their homes and executed in the targeted cities of Herat, Lashkar Gah, and Kandahar. Heavy fighting and deadly airstrikes between Afghan, the U.S, and Taliban forces persist. The Taliban have now captured a third of Afghanistan, showing no signs of easing their offensive. These terror attacks have led to a massive refugee crisis with at least 30,000 Afghans fleeing the country each week. 

This map depicts the cities of Herat, Lashkar Gah, and Kandhar, the targets of deadly assaults from the Taliban. Click on the map to learn more.

Graphic Source: The Sun
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Canada
Oldest Fossils Found
A Canadian geologist may have found the earliest fossil record of animal life on Earth, according to a report published last week in the journal Nature. Roughly a billion years ago, a region of northwest Canada was a prehistoric marine environment where the remains of ancient sponges are believed to be preserved in mineral sediment, the paper says. These fossils were found by geologist Elizabeth Turner in a remote area of the Northwest Territories only accessible by helicopter. The sponge samples are about 890 million years old, while the oldest undisputed sponge samples are currently an estimated 540 million years old. This dating is significant because it shows that sponges may have lived before a time when oxygen in the atmosphere and ocean reached a level scientists once thought was necessary for animal life.

This map depicts the remote region in Canada’s Northwest Territories where the world’s oldest sponge fossils are believe to have been found. Click on the map to learn more.

Further Reading: Science Magazine, LiveScience, AP, Science Times
Graphic Source: Today UK News

Friday’s Answer

Q: Defined as a volcano having had an eruption within the last 10,000 years, how many active volcanos are there in the world?

A: About 1,500
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) estimates that of the roughly 1,500 volcanos believed active, around 500 have erupted in recorded historical time. Most of the active volcanos in the world can be found surrounding the Pacific Ocean in the “Ring of Fire.”

Source

Today’s Question


Q: Consisting of two separate but interconnected limestone caves, and spanning 5.6 mi (9 km), which cave system is the longest in the Middle East?  
 

Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in tomorrow’s DailyGeo.

 

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