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Russia
Ukraine Bombs Siberian Railway
Ukrainian media has claimed the country’s security service is responsible for blowing up a key railway line in Siberia that Russia uses to haul military supplies. Four explosive devices were detonated Wednesday night as a cargo train was traveling through the Severomuysky Tunnel in the Buryatia region, which borders Mongolia. The train was carrying fuel and caught fire, but there were no casualties. Russia Railways, the state company which owns and operates the rail network, said rail traffic had been rerouted, slightly increasing journey time, but that transport had not been interrupted.
This map depicts the Baikal-Amur Mainline, a key railway line connecting Russia and China, along which Ukraine bombed a train carrying fuel. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: The Sun
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Peru
Chinese Port Built Near Lima
A massive deep-water port for container ships is being built in Chancay, 45 miles north of Lima, largely financed by Peru’s largest trading partner, China. The port, part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, will host some of the biggest cargo ships in the world and provide growing influence for China in Latin America, a region historically dominated by the United States. Given Chinese President Xi Jinping’s open intent to turn China into a “maritime superpower,” US officials have reportedly raised concerns with Peru over the port’s national security implications. The port’s builder, Chinese state-owned company COSCO Shipping, which holds ownership stakes in 37 ports across the world, says it is for commercial use only.
This map depicts various Chinese ports throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. Click on the map to learn more.
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Space
Planets in Synced Orbits
A new study published in the journal Nature reveals the discovery of a solar system in which the planets orbit in sync around its star. The solar system is one hundred light-years away from Earth, and offers a window into how our solar system developed into what it is today. Researchers believe that when planets in a solar system first form, they orbit their star in synchronization. The discovery of this solar system, provides evidence to substantiate that theory. This phenomenon, called orbital resonance, means that the the time it takes for one planet to complete an orbit may be the same amount of time it takes for another planet to orbit twice. Orbital resonance is a rare discovery, as planetary orbits usually lose their synchronization from events that disrupt the system’s gravitational balance.
This map depicts the orbits of the plants in the newly discovered system around star HD 110067. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: What animal has the longest known terrestrial migration?
A: Caribou
Caribou (Rangifer tarandus) are the most widespread terrestrial herbivore in the Arctic, thought to be a species of Eurasian descent. People followed caribou across the land bridge to North America perhaps some 15,000 years ago, and the species plays a prominent role in Alaska Native culture. People who depend on caribou are keenly aware of their movements and have needed to be mobile and flexible, as Caribou display the longest terrestrial migrations anywhere on the planet. In northwest Alaska, caribou travel up to 2,737 miles (4,404 km) per year. One of the main purposes of migration is to minimize exposure to predators, especially during calving when young animals are vulnerable. Another critical purpose of migration is to track the availability of abundant high-quality forage. As herd size increases, there is a tendency for its range to expand, as herd size decreases, its range often contracts. There has been relatively little development of northwest Alaska and thus caribou migrations continue to occur relatively unimpeded.
Source
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Q: The oldest textiles yet identified by archaeologists were found in what country?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in Monday’s DailyGeo.
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