Latest news with #UniversityofCostaRica
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Vanishing May Beetles: Scientists Issue Dire Warning
Costa Rican scientists are sounding the alarm as a once-abundant insect species edges toward collapse. Known locally as abejones de mayo, or May beetles, these beetles have long been a sign that the rainy season is near. But this year, they're conspicuously absent. According to The Cool Down, the May beetle population has reportedly plummeted by as much as 95% over the past 40 years, University of Costa Rica biologist Andres Arias told The Tico Times. 'For many Costa Ricans, spotting abejones buzzing around porch lights marked the start of the rains,' he said. 'Now, they're a fleeting memory.' Researchers point to a combination of rising global temperatures, rampant pesticide use, and rapid urbanization as the culprits behind this sharp decline. Costa Rica's heavy pesticide use, reportedly the highest per capita in Latin America, has been especially damaging. As warming alters rainfall patterns and disrupts seasonal cues the beetles depend on, their population struggles to recover. Arias and his colleagues warn that if action isn't taken soon, May beetles could vanish entirely. 'Losing them means losing a piece of who we are—and a warning we can't ignore,' he emphasized. Their disappearance mirrors a troubling global trend: insect populations worldwide have been dropping at alarming rates. A 2023 study from the University of California, Riverside, found that insect numbers globally have fallen by approximately 45% over the last four decades. The World Wildlife Fund has warned that as many as 40% of insect species could face extinction by century's end. Insects make up roughly 80% of Earth's animal life and play a vital role in maintaining ecosystems. They pollinate plants, feed on pests, and provide nourishment for countless other species. The loss of a single species can ripple through entire ecosystems. Costa Rican lawmakers are now considering a bill to ban pesticides deemed highly toxic by the World Health Organization, a move conservationists hope will help preserve the May beetles and other threatened insect species. The stakes couldn't be higher. As Arias put it, 'Losing them means losing a piece of who we are.' Vanishing May Beetles: Scientists Issue Dire Warning first appeared on Men's Journal on May 26, 2025
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists issue urgent warning after witnessing collapse of iconic insect species: 'Losing them means losing a piece of who we are'
A rapid decline has Costa Rican conservationists concerned about the future of an iconic beetle species. For generations, the arrival of abejones de mayo, otherwise known as May beetles, has meant the May rainy season is set to begin in Costa Rica. But now, as The Tico Times reported, fewer are showing up each year. Researchers estimate that the May beetle population has decreased by as much as 95% over the last 40 years. "For many Costa Ricans, spotting abejones buzzing around porch lights marked the start of the rains," University of Costa Rica biologist Andres Arias told the Times. "Now, they're a fleeting memory." Scientists say three factors are largely responsible for this decline: rising global temperatures, widespread urbanization, and rampant pesticide use. As the planet warms due to human-caused pollution, the rainfall and other seasonal cues these beetles rely on have changed, uprooting their lives. And that has been exacerbated by the heavy use of chemical-laden pesticides. Costa Rica uses more pesticides on a per capita basis than any other Latin American country. Experts warn that if things don't change soon, the May beetles might not survive. "Losing them means losing a piece of who we are — and a warning we can't ignore," Arias told The Tico Times. This is part of a troubling trend occurring worldwide as insect populations plummet across the globe. Insects make up about 80% of Earth's animal life and are crucial to our planet's health. They pollinate plants, giving life to flowers, fruits, and vegetables. They feed on plants and animals, including other insects, helping keep population levels in check. And they are the primary food source of many other animals. Do you worry about getting diseases from bug bites? Absolutely Only when I'm camping or hiking Not really Never Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. But a 2023 analysis by the University of California, Riverside, found that, during the same 40-year time span as the May beetle's decline, global insect populations have fallen by about 45%. And the World Wildlife Fund warns that up to 40% of insect species could become extinct by the end of this century. One bill currently being discussed by Costa Rican lawmakers would go a long way toward saving the May beetle, as it would ban pesticides that meet the World Health Organization's criteria for high toxicity. And conservationists hope that these dwindling population numbers will prompt other action to preserve beetles and their habitats. There are examples of such action working. For example, researchers in Nebraska have noticed an increase in American burying beetle numbers, the first population increase in more than 35 years. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Costa Rica cops probing if Yankees great Brett Gardner's son died from allergic reaction — as asphyxiation is ruled out
Costa Rican authorities are investigating whether former Yankee star Brett Gardner's teen son died from an allergic reaction to medication he was given after asphyxiation was ruled out. Miller Gardner, 14, was found dead in his bed Friday morning after he and members of his family fell ill after eating at a restaurant near the exclusive resort where they were vacationing. Days later, his sudden death remains a mystery. Investigators are now probing the possibility that the teen had an allergic response to medication he may have been given when the family was treated by a doctor after reporting feeling sick to the resort, sources told ABC News. 'The hotel staff dispatched a medical team immediately, including a licensed doctor, which arrived to handle the emergency situation,' the $2,000 per night Arenas Del Mar Resort in Manuel Antonio said in a statement to the outlet. The resort added that protocol 'does not allow for hotel staff to provide any medications to guests.' An autopsy has not yet been completed and authorities warned Tuesday that it could take months before they determine how the young Gardner died. Brett Gardner, his wife Jessica and their sons, Miller and Hunter, were staying at the ritzy resort outside Manuel Antonio National Park on Costa Rica's Pacific coast when Miller was found dead, according to officials. Costa Rican officials said Tuesday a preliminary examination of the teen's body found that his airways were not obstructed. Investigators had initially believed the teen choked to death because he had vomited in his bed. It's not yet clear whether Miller's death was linked to food poisoning. Police are still awaiting the results of toxicology and other tests from the University of Costa Rica — but answers could be months away. 'The results are expected to be available in two to three months due to the high demand for autopsies being performed in the country due to the increase in homicides,' the Judicial Investigation Police said. Brett Gardner, 41, was the Yankees' outfielder for 14 years until he retired after the 2021 season. The fan favorite and former All-Star was part of the 2009 World Series championship team.
NBC News
28-02-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
Panama and Costa Rica can't turn into 'black hole' for migrants, Human Rights Watch says
MIRAMAR, Panama (AP) — Officials in Costa Rica and Panama are confiscating migrants' passports and cellphones, denying them access to legal services and moving them between remote outposts as they wrestle with the logistics of a suddenly reversed migration flow. The restrictions and lack of transparency are drawing criticism from human rights observers and generating increasingly testy responses from officials, who say their actions are aimed at protecting the migrants from human traffickers. Both countries have received hundreds of deportees from various nations sent by the United States as President Donald Trump's administration tries to accelerate deportations. At the same time, thousands of migrants shut out of the U.S. have started moving south through Central America — Panama recorded 2,200 so far in February. 'We're a reflection of current United States immigration policy,' said Harold Villegas-Román, a political science professor and refugee expert at the University of Costa Rica. 'There is no focus on human rights, there is only focus on control and security. Everything is very murky, and not transparent.' Deportations and reversed migration Earlier this month, the U.S. sent 299 deportees from mostly Asian countries to Panama. Those who were willing to return to their countries — about 150 to date -- were put on planes with the assistance of United Nations agencies and paid for by the U.S. Carlos Ruiz-Hernandez, Panama's deputy foreign minister, said Thursday a small number are in contact with international organizations and the U.N. Refugee Agency as they weigh whether to seek asylum in Panama. 'None of them wants to stay in Panama. They want to go to the U.S.,' he said in a phone interview from Washington. 'We cannot give them green cards, but we can get them back home and for a short period of time provide them with medical and psychological support as well as housing.' Despite Trump's threats to retake control of the Panama Canal, he said Panama had not acted under U.S. pressure. 'This is in Panama's national interest. We are a friend of the U.S. and want to work with them to send a signal of deterrence.' Ruiz-Hernandez said some of the deportees remaining in Panama would be given the option of staying at a shelter originally set up to handle the large number of migrants moving north through the Darien Gap. One Chinese deportee currently detained in the camp, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid repercussions, said she wasn't given a choice. She was deported to Panama without knowing where they were being sent, without signing deportation documents in the U.S. and without clarity of how long they would be there. She was among the deportees who were moved from a Panama City hotel where some held up signs to their windows asking for help to a remote camp in the Darien region. Speaking to the AP over messages on a cellphone she kept hidden, she said authorities confiscated others' phones and offered them no legal assistance. Others have said they've been unable to contact their lawyers. 'This deprived us of our legal process,' she said. Panama President José Raúl Mulino, asked about the lack of access to legal services on Thursday, questioned the idea that migrants would even have lawyers. 'Doesn't it seem like a coincidence that those poor people have lawyers in Panama?' Mulino said. 'Black hole for deported migrants' Costa Rica and Panama have so far denied press access to facilities where they are holding migrants. Panama had initially invited journalists to the Darien this week, but ultimately canceled the visit. 'Panama cannot end up becoming a black hole for deported migrants,' said Juan Pappier, deputy director of Human Rights Watch in the Americas. 'Migrants have the right to communicate with their families, to seek lawyers and Panama must guarantee transparency about the situation in which they find themselves.' Costa Rica has faced similar criticisms from the country's independent human rights entity, which has raised alarm over 'failures' by authorities to guarantee proper conditions for deportees arriving. The Ombudsman's Office, said that migrants were also stripped of their passports and other documents, and were not informed about what was happening or where they were and confusion on the route south Panama and Costa Rica, long transit countries for people migrating north, have scrambled to address the new flow of migrants going south and organize the flow. Kimberlyn Pereira, a 27-year-old Venezuelan traveling with her husband and 4-year-old son was among them. Pereira had waited months for an asylum appointment in Mexico after crossing the perilous Darien Gap dividing Colombia and Panama and traveling up through Central America. But after Trump took office and closed legal pathways to the U.S., she gave up and decided to go home, despite Venezuela's ongoing crises. But after a week of being held in a Costa Rican detention facility near the Panamanian border she expressed 'hopelessness.' Officials there had told them they would be flown to Cúcuta, a Colombian city near the Venezuelan border. But they were loaded onto buses and driven to this Panamanian port on the Caribbean sea. 'We do feel a little more protected. They've given us food. My only concern is the confusion. This 'Come here, now go over there, get in this,'' she said. While she and other migrants spoke to an AP journalist in a public place, Panamanian immigration authorities grew visibly upset and loaded nearly 200 migrants back on buses to drive them to a nearby building. When journalists attempted to follow them, immigration officials temporarily stopped on the side of the road in an attempt to keep them from following. Panamanian authorities declined to comment on the incident, but after voicing press freedom concerns, the journalists were allowed to catch up to the migrants. Before dawn Thursday, Pereira and other migrants boarded wooden boats that carried them to near the Colombia-Panama border where they planned to continue their journey. They paid up to $200 each for the ride. 'I don't understand why they chase off journalists, why we're so isolated if the government is supposedly helping,' she said.
Los Angeles Times
28-02-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Panama and Costa Rica turning into a ‘black hole' for migrants and deportees from U.S., observers warn
MIRAMAR, Panama — Officials in Costa Rica and Panama are confiscating migrants' passports and cellphones, denying them access to legal services and moving them between remote outposts as they wrestle with the logistics of a suddenly reversed migration flow. The restrictions and lack of transparency are drawing criticism from human rights observers and generating increasingly testy responses from officials, who say their actions are aimed at protecting the migrants from human traffickers. Both countries have received hundreds of deportees from various nations sent by the United States as President Trump's administration tries to accelerate deportations. At the same time, thousands of migrants shut out of the U.S. have started moving south through Central America — Panama recorded 2,200 so far in February. 'We're a reflection of current United States immigration policy,' said Harold Villegas-Román, a political science professor and refugee expert at the University of Costa Rica. 'There is no focus on human rights, there is only focus on control and security. Everything is very murky, and not transparent.' Earlier this month, the U.S. sent 299 deportees from mostly Asian countries to Panama. Those who were willing to return to their countries — about 150 to date — were put on planes with the assistance of United Nations agencies and paid for by the U.S. Carlos Ruiz-Hernandez, Panama's deputy foreign minister, said Thursday a small number are in contact with international organizations and the U.N. Refugee Agency as they weigh whether to seek asylum in Panama. 'None of them wants to stay in Panama. They want to go to the U.S.,' he said in a phone interview from Washington. 'We cannot give them green cards, but we can get them back home and for a short period of time provide them with medical and psychological support as well as housing.' Despite Trump's threats to retake control of the Panama Canal, he said Panama had not acted under U.S. pressure. 'This is in Panama's national interest. We are a friend of the U.S. and want to work with them to send a signal of deterrence.' Ruiz-Hernandez said some of the deportees remaining in Panama would be given the option of staying at a shelter originally set up to handle the large number of migrants moving north through the Darien Gap. One Chinese deportee currently detained in the camp, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid repercussions, said she wasn't given a choice. She was deported to Panama without knowing where they were being sent, without signing deportation documents in the U.S. and without clarity of how long they would be there. She was among the deportees who were moved from a Panama City hotel — where some held up signs to their windows asking for help — to a remote camp in the Darien region. Speaking to the AP over messages on a cellphone she kept hidden, she said authorities confiscated others' phones and offered them no legal assistance. Others have said they've been unable to contact their lawyers. 'This deprived us of our legal process,' she said. Panama President José Raúl Mulino, asked about the lack of access to legal services on Thursday, questioned the idea that migrants would even have lawyers. 'Doesn't it seem like a coincidence that those poor people have lawyers in Panama?' Mulino said. Costa Rica and Panama have so far denied press access to facilities where they are holding migrants. Panama had initially invited journalists to the Darien this week, but ultimately canceled the visit. 'Panama cannot end up becoming a black hole for deported migrants,' said Juan Pappier, deputy director of Human Rights Watch in the Americas. 'Migrants have the right to communicate with their families, to seek lawyers and Panama must guarantee transparency about the situation in which they find themselves.' Costa Rica has faced similar criticisms from the country's independent human rights entity, which has raised alarm over 'failures' by authorities to guarantee proper conditions for deportees arriving. The ombudsman's office said that migrants were also stripped of their passports and other documents, and were not informed about what was happening or where they were going. Panama and Costa Rica, long transit countries for people migrating north, have scrambled to address the new flow of migrants going south and organize the flow. Kimberlyn Pereira, a 27-year-old Venezuelan traveling with her husband and 4-year-old son, was among them. Pereira had waited months for an asylum appointment in Mexico after crossing the perilous Darien Gap dividing Colombia and Panama and traveling up through Central America. But after Trump took office and closed legal pathways to the U.S., she gave up and decided to go home, despite Venezuela's ongoing crises. But after a week of being held in a Costa Rican detention facility near the Panamanian border she expressed 'hopelessness.' Officials there had told them they would be flown to Cúcuta, a Colombian city near the Venezuelan border. But they were loaded onto buses and driven to this Panamanian port on the Caribbean Sea. 'We do feel a little more protected. They've given us food. My only concern is the confusion. This 'Come here, now go over there, get in this,' ' she said. While she and other migrants spoke to an AP journalist in a public place, Panamanian immigration authorities grew visibly upset and loaded nearly 200 migrants back on buses to drive them to a nearby building. When journalists attempted to follow them, immigration officials temporarily stopped on the side of the road in an attempt to keep them from following. Panamanian authorities declined to comment on the incident, but after voicing press freedom concerns, the journalists were allowed to catch up to the migrants. Before dawn Thursday, Pereira and other migrants boarded wooden boats that carried them to near the Colombia-Panama border where they planned to continue their journey. They paid up to $200 each for the ride. 'I don't understand why they chase off journalists, why we're so isolated if the government is supposedly helping,' she said. Janetsky, Delacroix and Goodman write for the Associated Press. Janetsky reported from Mexico City, Goodman from Miami, Delacroix from Miramar.
