East Germany's exodus of women fuels growing political radicalisation

Not good!

Confusing immigrants, migrants, and emigrants for political and ideological purposes

What do ideologues, propagandists, and demagogues have in common and do best? They constantly try to confuse and mislead the public!

In Western countries there has been an ongoing deliberate attempt and effort to confuse and muddy these terms listed in the title! 

Beware of many of the elite, intellectuals and media, who are very much involved in stoking this propaganda and demagoguery on a daily basis!

One of the worst examples of this (Marxist) demagoguery has been the transition from illegal alien to illegal immigrant to undocumented immigrant to migrant to non- citizen voter. Almost Orwellian!

Migrants used to be properly defined as people who move from place to place for better opportunities or as a life style within a certain geographic region. Then there are the traditional cross-border migrants, who usually return. In modern times, migrants may use airplanes etc.

Immigrants/emigrants tend to enter a new home country or they leave their home country often for very serious reasons and they intend to move permanently or to stay often in their chosen home country for a long time until better conditions emerge in their home countries.

An emigrant may not be the same person as an immigrant: An emigrant leaves his/her home country to live somewhere else, but the person may never adopt another home country.

Concerning the legal status: Well, it appears to be far easier to confer citizen status (voting rights, welfare benefits, working permits etc.) on a migrant than an immigrant (as far as the US is concerned). Who pays for that? Legal citizens!

Painted lady butterfly takes epic 2,600-mile non-stop transatlantic flight lasting 5-8 days gliding with the trade wind most of the distance

Amazing stuff! Mind boggling!

Can you even imagine a butterfly flying across the Atlantic Ocean?

"... "The butterflies could only have completed this flight using a strategy alternating between active flight, which is costly energetically, and gliding the wind," ... "We estimate that without wind, the butterflies could have flown a maximum of 780 km (485 miles) before consuming all their fat and, therefore, their energy." ..."

"Highlights

• In a world-first, an international team of scientists demonstrated that Painted Lady butterflies (Vanessa cardui) flew at least 4,200 km over the ocean from West Africa to French Guiana, South America.

• Using novel techniques, among them isotope-based geolocation, they found that the butterflies probably originated in Europe, extending this migratory flight over 7000 km.

• The butterflies made the transatlantic journey in 5 to 8 days, actively flying but aided by favorable trade winds."

From the abstract:

"The extent of aerial flows of insects circulating around the planet and their impact on ecosystems and biogeography remain enigmatic because of methodological challenges. Here we report a transatlantic crossing by Vanessa cardui butterflies spanning at least 4200 km, from West Africa to South America (French Guiana) and lasting between 5 and 8 days. Even more, we infer a likely natal origin for these individuals in Western Europe, and the journey Europe-Africa-South America could expand to 7000 km or more. This discovery was possible through an integrative approach, including coastal field surveys, wind trajectory modelling, genomics, pollen metabarcoding, ecological niche modelling, and multi-isotope geolocation of natal origins. The overall journey, which was energetically feasible only if assisted by winds, is among the longest documented for individual insects, and potentially the first verified transatlantic crossing. Our findings suggest that we may be underestimating transoceanic dispersal in insects and highlight the importance of aerial highways connecting continents by trade winds."

Butterfly takes epic 2,600-mile transatlantic flight, stuns scientists

Non-stop flight: in a world-first, researchers map a 4,200 km transatlantic flight of the Painted Lady butterfly (original news release) This discovery and the use of next-generation molecular techniques and tools open new areas of research in insect migration in the context of climate change.

A trans-oceanic flight of over 4,200 km by painted lady butterflies (open access)

While scientists could confirm the 2,600-mile journey, they believe the butterflies might actually cover almost twice that distance

Lice DNA records the moment Europeans colonized the Americas

Amazing stuff! Feeling itchy around your scalp? Gives the expression fellow travelers a whole new meaning.

"... Head lice (Pediculus humanus capitis) cling to hairs and feast on blood from the scalp. They are an old foe; people around the world have complained about lice for thousands of years. Because head lice can only spread between people—and not from, say, human to rat or rat to human—they’re a good proxy for tracking human migrations ...

[researchers] gathered 274 lice from around the world, including a few they collected themselves from schools in Mexico and Argentina. They sequenced the insects’ DNA and singled out short, repetitive segments known as microsatellites. Lice that share these segments inherited them from a common ancestor, giving the researchers a tool to sort the parasites into closely related families. One cluster of microsatellites pointed to a genetic link between lice in Asia and Central America, reflecting the initial migration of people from East Asia into the Americas  ..."

From the abstract:

"The human louse, Pediculus humanus, is an obligate blood-sucking ectoparasite that has coevolved with humans for millennia. Given the intimate relationship between this parasite and the human host, the study of human lice has the potential to shed light on aspects of human evolution that are difficult to interpret using other biological evidence. In this study, we analyzed the genetic variation in 274 human lice from 25 geographic sites around the world by using nuclear microsatellite loci and female-inherited mitochondrial DNA sequences. Nuclear genetic diversity analysis revealed the presence of two distinct genetic clusters I and II, which are subdivided into subclusters: Ia-Ib and IIa-IIb, respectively. Among these samples, we observed the presence of the two most common louse mitochondrial haplogroups: A and B that were found in both nuclear Clusters I and II. Evidence of nuclear admixture was uncommon (12%) and was predominate in the New World potentially mirroring the history of colonization in the Americas. These findings were supported by novel DIYABC simulations that were built using both host and parasite data to define parameters and models suggesting that admixture between cI and cII was very recent. This pattern could also be the result of a reproductive barrier between these two nuclear genetic clusters. In addition to providing new evolutionary knowledge about this human parasite, our study could guide the development of new analyses in other host-parasite systems."

Lice DNA records the moment Europeans colonized the Americas | Science | AAAS Genetics of head lice could offer a new avenue for exploring human migration and mixing

Nuclear genetic diversity of head lice sheds light on human dispersal around the world (open access)

Fig 1. Humans and lice.

Dragonflies migrate, too. They fly south for the winter like songbirds

Amazing stuff!

"Scientists have attached minuscule radio transmitters to the bodies of dragonflies that breed in northern regions, discovering migration patterns like birds."

Dragonflies migrate, too. They fly south for the winter like songbirds

Hominids traveled half the world to Asia before main migration out of Africa or more than 60,000 years ago

Amazing stuff! This may well rewrite history of humanity! Ever wondered why e.g. such an advanced ancient civilization developed in China? I speculate we may discover similar things in India.

"DNA leaves little doubt: All non-Africans alive today descend from a single wave of migration out of Africa, perhaps sometime between 50,000 and 60,000 years ago. But over the years, scientists have found a handful of modern human sites that suggest our species may have wandered from its birthplace even earlier. A study published ... provides some of the strongest evidence yet of such an early dispersal, thousands of kilometers from Africa. Inside a cave in Laos, scientists have dated a pair of modern human bones to between 68,000 and 86,000 years ago. Although these precocious migrants likely didn’t contribute much genetically [??? speculative] to modern populations, they blazed a trail into Southeast Asia followed by later generations. ..."

From the abstract:

"The timing of the first arrival of Homo sapiens in East Asia from Africa and the degree to which they interbred with or replaced local archaic populations is controversial. Previous discoveries from Tam Pà Ling cave (Laos) identified H. sapiens in Southeast Asia by at least 46 kyr. We report on a recently discovered frontal bone (TPL 6) and tibial fragment (TPL 7) found in the deepest layers of TPL. Bayesian modeling of luminescence dating of sediments and U-series and combined U-series-ESR dating of mammalian teeth reveals a depositional sequence spanning ~86 kyr. TPL 6 confirms the presence of H. sapiens by 70 ± 3 kyr, and TPL 7 extends this range to 77 ± 9 kyr, supporting an early dispersal of H. sapiens into Southeast Asia. Geometric morphometric analyses of TPL 6 suggest descent from a gracile immigrant population rather than evolution from or admixture with local archaic populations."

Ancient humans traveled half the world to Asia before main migration out of Africa | Science | AAAS Discovery deep in Laotian cave shows humans voyaged out of Africa by at least 68,000 years ago

Early presence of Homo sapiens in Southeast Asia by 86–68 kyr at Tam Pà Ling, Northern Laos (open access)

Fig. 3: Stratigraphic sections of the main excavation (trench 3) at Tam Pà Ling [cave].

Stone tools reflect three waves of migration of the earliest Homo sapiens into Europe

Amazing stuff! Perhaps, the Neanderthals were not so primitive after all!

"... This study primarily focused on comparative analysis of tens of thousands of stone tools from two sites: Ksar Akil in Lebanon and Grotte Mandrin in France, that recently revealed the earliest Homo sapiens migration in Europe dating to 54,000 years old. The study analyzed their precise technical connections with the earliest modern technologies in the continent. The author identifies a similar sequence of three technological phases in both regions, suggesting three distinct waves of migration of Homo sapiens across Europe. ...
 "Until 2022, it was believed that Homo sapiens had reached Europe between the 42nd and 45th millennium. The study shows that this first sapiens migration would actually be the last of three major migratory waves to the continent, profoundly rewriting what was thought to be known about the origin of sapiens in Europe. Chatelperronian culture, one of the first modern traditions in western Europe and since then attributed to Neanderthals, should in fact signal the second wave of Homo sapiens migration in Europe, impacting deeply our understanding of the cultural organization of the last Neanderthals." ..."

From the abstract:

"The Neronian is a lithic tradition recognized in the Middle Rhône Valley of Mediterranean France now directly linked to Homo sapiens and securely dated to 54,000 years ago (ka), pushing back the arrival of modern humans in Europe by 10 ka. This incursion of modern humans into Neandertal territory and the relationships evoked between the Neronian and the Levantine Initial Upper Paleolithic (IUP) question the validity of concepts that define the first H. sapiens migrations and the very nature of the first Upper Paleolithic in western Eurasia. Direct comparative analyses between lithic technology from Grotte Mandrin and East Mediterranean archeological sequences, especially Ksar Akil, suggest that the three key phases of the earliest Levantine Upper Paleolithic have very precise technical and chronological counterparts in Western Europe, recognized from the Rhône Valley to Franco-Cantabria. These trans-Mediterranean technical connections suggest three distinct waves of H. sapiens expansion into Europe between 55–42 ka. These elements support an original thesis on the origin, structure, and evolution of the first moments of the Upper Paleolithic in Europe tracing parallel archaeological changes in the East Mediterranean region and Europe."

Stone tools reflect three waves of migration of the earliest Homo sapiens into Europe

The three waves: Rethinking the structure of the first Upper Paleolithic in Western Eurasia (open access)

Three Nigerian men were traveling by sitting on ship rudder

Incredible! Human ingenuity!

"A photo shared by the coastguard shows the men sitting on the rudder at the oil tanker's stern, their feet less than a metre away from the water.

They were taken to hospital at the tanker's destination in Gran Canaria and treated for moderate dehydration.

It's unclear if they spent the entire journey perched on the rudder. ..."

Spanish coastguard finds stowaways on ship rudder - BBC News Three stowaways have been found sitting on the rudder of a ship after it completed an 11-day voyage from Nigeria, Spanish authorities say.

You have to look close!

Vor allem Iraker: Illegale Grenzübertritte aus Polen nehmen zu

Migration als politisches Instrument! Nicht nur die USA an ihrer südlichen Grenze hat anscheinend beachtliche Einwanderungsprobleme!

"Die Zahl der illegalen Einreisen über die deutsch-polnische Grenze hat in den vergangenen Wochen stark zugenommen. Demnach stellte die Bundespolizei im September bislang bereits 400 Personen bei der unerlaubten Einreise fest, „die häufig über Weißrußland und Polen beziehungsweise über Litauen ins Land gekommen sind“, berichtet der RBB unter Berufung auf das Bundesinnenministerium."

Vor allem Iraker: Illegale Grenzübertritte aus Polen nehmen zu

Ancient humans may have reached remote Japanese islands deliberately

Very recommendable! Latest since Thor Heyerdahl's famous Kon-Tiki expedition in 1947, we are learning more and more that our distant ancestors were master navigators of the high seas! Another amazing feat!

"Archaeological sites on six of these isles — part of a 1,200-kilometer-long chain — indicate that migrations to the islands occurred 35,000 to 30,000 years ago, both from the south via Taiwan and from the north via the Japanese island of Kyushu. ... Researchers analyzed 138 buoys that were released near or passed by Taiwan and the Philippine island Luzon from 1989 to 2017, deployed as part of the Global Drifter Program to map surface ocean currents worldwide. In findings published online December 3 in Scientific Reports, the team found that only four of the buoys came within 20 kilometers of any of the Ryukyu Islands, and these did so only as a result of typhoons and other adverse weather."

"... Paleolithic maritime activity is poorly understood. Here, we show evidence of deliberate crossing of challenging ocean that occurred 35,000–30,000 years ago in another region of the western Pacific, the Ryukyu Islands of southwestern Japan. Our analysis of satellite-tracked buoys drifting in the actual ocean demonstrated that accidental drift does not explain maritime migration to this 1200 km-long chain of islands, where the local ocean flows have kept the same since the late Pleistocene. Migration to the Ryukyus is difficult because it requires navigation across one of the world’s strongest current, the Kuroshio ..."

Ancient humans may have reached remote Japanese islands deliberately | Science News Satellite-tracked buoys suggest there’s little chance the remote isles were reached by accident

Here is the respective research report:

Palaeolithic voyage for invisible islands beyond the horizon (free access; I think the title for this research paper is poorly chosen. It does not even remotely convey the significance of their research results)