Latest news with #CollegeofLifeSciences
Kuwait Times
22-05-2025
- Health
- Kuwait Times
Seminar held to introduce Special Olympics at KU
KUWAIT: The National Director of Special Olympics Kuwait, Rihab Bouresli, stressed the importance of the participation of educational institutions in the activities of the Special Olympics Kuwait as a key partner to translate the Unified Champions Schools program in the Olympics into a reality in which educational integration is achieved through sports, as a nucleus to build inclusive and comprehensive educational communities that ensure that young people have access to opportunities that promote acceptance and understanding and create a study atmosphere characterized by acceptance of difference. This came at the introductory lecture on the Special Olympics and its programs organized by the College of Life Sciences at Kuwait University. She expressed her happiness with the level of attendance and interaction witnessed during the lecture and thanked college faculty member Dr Ghanima Al-Faleh for the wonderful and distinctive organization. Rihab Bouresli began the lecture by reviewing the launch of the Special Olympics and its transformation from an individual initiative of Mrs Eunice Kennedy, sister of the late US President John F. Kennedy in 1968 to the largest humanitarian sporting event in the world and the largest global movement focused on empowering people with intellectual disabilities in society through sports, initiative programs and health care. Special Olympics Kuwait has expanded its activities, programs, practitioner base, and regional and international achievements since it resumed its activities in 2018. Captain Bilal Al-Hamami reviewed the Special Olympics sports program, available games and the classification of players to give all levels of special players the opportunity to compete. Captain Linda Jaber, Initiatives Officer, introduced the program and its role in honing the abilities of Special Olympics players and developing them, through a variety of community, educational, health and sports initiatives and the role of the program in engaging the entire community in supporting inclusion encouraging the integration of players' families in activities and events and providing psychological and social support to the players. Special Olympics Health Program Officer Dalal Bou Hamad discussed the Special Olympics Health Program and its role in caring for the health and well-being of people with intellectual disabilities, by providing medical services through 9 specialized clinics and awareness and sports programs aimed at enhancing their quality of life, also training medical staff by providing courses for doctors, nurses and volunteers to deal with people with intellectual disabilities. The lecture was held in the presence of Hanaa Al-Zawawi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Special Olympics Kuwait, Dr Hanadi Abdul Salam, Acting Vice Dean of the College, and a number of Special Olympics athletes from leadership programs, health ambassadors, members of the technical and administrative staff of the Special Olympics and the Special Olympics Club, as well as a number of Special Olympics athletes from leadership programs, health ambassadors, and members of the technical and administrative staff of the Special Olympics and the Special Olympics Club of Kuwait.
Arab Times
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Arab Times
Bouresli: Educational institutions are key partners in advancing inclusion through Special Olympics Kuwait
KUWAIT CITY, May 21: Rehab Bouresli, National Director of Special Olympics Kuwait, underscored the pivotal role of educational institutions in supporting the organization's mission, particularly through active participation in the Unified Champion Schools program. She emphasized that such collaboration is essential for transforming the program into a tangible model of educational integration through sports, laying the foundation for inclusive school communities that promote acceptance, understanding, and the celebration of differences. Bouresli made these remarks during an awareness lecture on the Special Olympics and its programs, hosted by the College of Life Sciences at Kuwait University. Expressing her appreciation for the strong turnout and active engagement during the event, Bouresli extended her gratitude to the college's staff and organizers, especially faculty member Dr. Ghanima Al-Faleh, for the excellent preparation and execution of the event. She opened the lecture by tracing the origins of the global Special Olympics movement, highlighting its evolution from a personal initiative launched in 1986 by Mrs. Eunice Kennedy Shriver, sister of the late U.S. President John F. Kennedy, into the world's largest humanitarian sports organization. The movement has since grown into a global force for the empowerment of individuals with intellectual disabilities through sports, education, and health programs. Bouresli also reviewed the significant expansion of Special Olympics Kuwait since the resumption of its activities in 2018, noting the growth in its programs, number of participating athletes, and its achievements on regional and international stages. Following her presentation, Captain Bilal Al-Hamami, Program Officer at Special Olympics Kuwait, provided an overview of the sports programs, the various games available, and the athlete classification system designed to give every individual, regardless of disability level, a fair chance to compete. Captain Linda Jaber, the Initiatives Officer, elaborated on the organization's wide-ranging initiatives aimed at developing athletes' skills through sports, education, and community involvement. She also highlighted efforts to involve the broader community and athletes' families in activities and events, reinforcing the importance of psychological and social support for families. In closing, Health Program Specialist Dalal Bou Hamad discussed the Special Olympics Health Program, emphasizing its mission to promote the overall well-being of individuals with intellectual disabilities through accessible and inclusive health care initiatives.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
This deadly prehistoric wasp captured prey with 'Venus flytrap' abs
In Greek mythology, the sea monster Charybdis swallowed and regurgitated large volumes of water, creating whirlpools powerful enough to drag passing ships to their doom. Ninety-nine million years earlier, in the mid-Cretaceous, the wasp Sirenobethylus charybdis deployed a similar deadly trap that earned it a scientific name inspired by the mythological monster. A Venus flytrap-like structure on the wasp's abdomen held captives in place as the wasp deposited its eggs into its victim, forcing it to incubate its offspring. That's the finding of a new paper published in the journal BMC Biology that examined dozens of wasps entrapped in amber. 'This discovery reveals that ancient insects had already developed sophisticated prey capture strategies,' says Wu Qiong, the lead author and a doctoral student from the College of Life Sciences at Capital Normal University, 'It's reshaping our understanding of parasitic wasp evolution.' The amber containing the specimen Sirenobethylus charybdis is no larger than a dime. In 2015, a Chinese fossil collector purchased these fossils from Myanmar's Kachin state and donated them to Capital Normal University of China. To the naked eye, Sirenobethylus charybdis looks like a modern wasp with a wider-than-average abdomen. 'At first, we attributed this to deformation during preservation, especially since such deformation and distortion is common during fossilization,' says Wu. But under closer inspection—through microscope and CT scans—a remarkable structure was revealed. The abdominal tip of the wasp featured three flaps arranged in a configuration similar to a Venus flytrap. On multiple fossils, the lower flap opened at slightly different angles, suggesting it can move and grab onto things. Just like a Venus flytrap, the underside of the lower flap is also lined with long, flexible hairs that sense movement. When an unsuspecting insect triggered these hairs, it may have activated the swift closure of the abdominal flaps, allowing the wasp to secure the host. Scientists don't think the wasp killed its victims right away but instead used it as a living incubator for its offspring. Numerous stiff, hair-like structures on the upper side of the lower flap, along with the relatively pliable middle flap, would gently but firmly secure the host until the wasp finished laying its eggs. Only then would the wasp release its captive. 'The 'Venus flytrap' structure exhibited by the abdomen of Sirenobethylus charybdis is unprecedented in the entire history of Mesozoic insect research,' says Wu, 'nor has anything similar been documented in living insects.' Chenyang Cai, who was not involved in the study, is a paleoentomologist at Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He praised the fossil wasp as a 'unique' discovery. He explained that Sirenobethylus charybdis is 'very different from today's wasps or other insects' and its existence 'highlights the diversity of insects in the mid-Cretaceous period, revealing forms we had never imagined'. Scientists don't know which insects Sirenobethylus charybdis used to host its eggs. Given the small size of its trapping structure, these hosts were possibly tiny, agile insects such as springtails or small flies. By studying similar species living today, the team pieced together other theories about this prehistoric wasp. As a distant relative of Sirenobethylus charybdis, the present-day pincer wasp has also evolved the ability to trap its host—temporarily restraining it, laying eggs, and then releasing it. Female pincer wasps have front legs modified with a pinching apparatus, allowing them to firmly grasp hosts when they lay eggs. These wingless hunters, with large eyes and slender legs, are well adapted for moving swiftly and capturing other insects. In contrast, Sirenobethylus charybdis appears to be more cumbersome. They have smaller eyes and shorter legs, which suggest they were slower than pincer wasps. The grasping structure located at the rear of their body also makes it difficult to capture hosts in motion. Based on these characteristics, researchers think it was a sit-and-wait predator—likely remaining stationary and ambushing hosts that wandered too close. Mid-Cretaceous amber fossils like this one, noted Cai, reveal insects of that age were 'incredibly diverse—perhaps even more specialized in some cases than what we see today.' Such findings, he emphasizes, are 'a crucial reminder that studying only living species will never give us the complete story of evolution.'
National Geographic
15-05-2025
- Science
- National Geographic
This deadly prehistoric wasp captured prey with 'Venus flytrap' abs
In Greek mythology, the sea monster Charybdis swallowed and regurgitated large volumes of water, creating whirlpools powerful enough to drag passing ships to their doom. Ninety-nine million years earlier, in the mid-Cretaceous, the wasp Sirenobethylus charybdis deployed a similar deadly trap that earned it a scientific name inspired by the mythological monster. A Venus flytrap-like structure on the wasp's abdomen held captives in place as the wasp deposited its eggs into its victim, forcing it to incubate its offspring. That's the finding of a new paper published in the journal BMC Biology that examined dozens of wasps entrapped in amber. 'This discovery reveals that ancient insects had already developed sophisticated prey capture strategies,' says Wu Qiong, the lead author and a doctoral student from the College of Life Sciences at Capital Normal University, 'It's reshaping our understanding of parasitic wasp evolution.' The amber containing the specimen Sirenobethylus charybdis is no larger than a dime. In 2015, a Chinese fossil collector purchased these fossils from Myanmar's Kachin state and donated them to Capital Normal University of China. To the naked eye, Sirenobethylus charybdis looks like a modern wasp with a wider-than-average abdomen. 'At first, we attributed this to deformation during preservation, especially since such deformation and distortion is common during fossilization,' says Wu. But under closer inspection—through microscope and CT scans—a remarkable structure was revealed. The abdominal tip of the wasp featured three flaps arranged in a configuration similar to a Venus flytrap. On multiple fossils, the lower flap opened at slightly different angles, suggesting it can move and grab onto things. Just like a Venus flytrap, the underside of the lower flap is also lined with long, flexible hairs that sense movement. A closer examination of the fossil revealed a feature that allowed the wasp to grasp prey, similar to a Venus flytrap. When an unsuspecting insect triggered these hairs, it may have activated the swift closure of the abdominal flaps, allowing the wasp to secure the host. Scientists don't think the wasp killed its victims right away but instead used it as a living incubator for its offspring. Numerous stiff, hair-like structures on the upper side of the lower flap, along with the relatively pliable middle flap, would gently but firmly secure the host until the wasp finished laying its eggs. Only then would the wasp release its captive. 'The 'Venus flytrap' structure exhibited by the abdomen of Sirenobethylus charybdis is unprecedented in the entire history of Mesozoic insect research,' says Wu, 'nor has anything similar been documented in living insects.' Chenyang Cai, who was not involved in the study, is a paleoentomologist at Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He praised the fossil wasp as a 'unique' discovery. He explained that Sirenobethylus charybdis is 'very different from today's wasps or other insects' and its existence 'highlights the diversity of insects in the mid-Cretaceous period, revealing forms we had never imagined'. Scientists don't know which insects Sirenobethylus charybdis used to host its eggs. Given the small size of its trapping structure, these hosts were possibly tiny, agile insects such as springtails or small flies. By studying similar species living today, the team pieced together other theories about this prehistoric wasp. As a distant relative of Sirenobethylus charybdis, the present-day pincer wasp has also evolved the ability to trap its host—temporarily restraining it, laying eggs, and then releasing it. Female pincer wasps have front legs modified with a pinching apparatus, allowing them to firmly grasp hosts when they lay eggs. These wingless hunters, with large eyes and slender legs, are well adapted for moving swiftly and capturing other insects. In contrast, Sirenobethylus charybdis appears to be more cumbersome. They have smaller eyes and shorter legs, which suggest they were slower than pincer wasps. The grasping structure located at the rear of their body also makes it difficult to capture hosts in motion. Based on these characteristics, researchers think it was a sit-and-wait predator—likely remaining stationary and ambushing hosts that wandered too close. Mid-Cretaceous amber fossils like this one, noted Cai, reveal insects of that age were 'incredibly diverse—perhaps even more specialized in some cases than what we see today.' Such findings, he emphasizes, are 'a crucial reminder that studying only living species will never give us the complete story of evolution.'
Kuwait Times
13-05-2025
- Business
- Kuwait Times
KU lecture highlights strategic food security challenges in GCC
By Chrsitine Susan Shine KUWAIT: The College of Life Sciences at Kuwait University (KU) hosted a pivotal lecture on Monday addressing strategic priorities for food security across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). The event featured keynote speaker Gary Burniske, Managing Director of the Center for Global Food Security at Purdue University, USA and a leading expert in sustainable agriculture, resource management and international development. Burniske underscored the vital role of research and education in enhancing agricultural productivity. 'Without strong research and education, agricultural productivity cannot improve,' he stated, calling on academic institutions to lead policy development based on scientific evidence and to empower local producers through knowledge and innovation. Citing the United Nations Environment Program's 2024 Food Waste Index Report, Burniske expressed concern over the region's food wastage, noting that the GCC discarded approximately 1.3 million tons of food in 2022—translating into financial losses estimated between $4 to $7 billion. He further noted a significant data gap in countries such as Kuwait, Oman, and Bahrain. Gary Burniske In his address, Burniske stressed the urgency of strengthening local food production to achieve food sovereignty. He advocated for controlled-environment agriculture systems to overcome Kuwait's natural limitations, including scarce water resources, poor soil quality, and environmental degradation. 'Food security is a difficult issue here,' he remarked, pointing out that the GCC imports nearly 85 percent of its food. 'This leaves the region vulnerable to supply chain disruptions, as witnessed during the COVID-19 pandemic when key exporting countries imposed export restrictions on essential staples like rice.' Referencing a report by the Economist Intelligence Unit, Burniske noted that Kuwait ranked second in the GCC in food import dependency, with imports reaching $5.3 billion in 2020. He encouraged investment in culturally appropriate crops and more efficient livestock practices. 'Poultry presents a promising option—it offers a favorable feed-to-weight ratio, rapid growth, and is a more water-efficient and healthier alternative to beef,' he said. Concluding his presentation, Burniske appealed to Kuwait University to expand its academic focus on agriculture. 'I hope Kuwait University will consider establishing a College of Agriculture—or at least an Agronomy Department—to support these critical pillars of food security,' he urged. The event underscored the growing need for regional collaboration, data-driven strategies, and institutional support to address the multifaceted challenges of food security in the Gulf.
