China Announces Synthetic CO2-to-Fuel Breakthrough: It Can Make Synthetic Jet Fuel More Economically Competitive

      Slash Gear reported in May that scientists from the Shanghai Advanced Research Institute (SARI) have created the long-chain hydrocarbons used in jet fuel by combining waste CO2 with water. Hydrocarbon fuels contain carbon and hydrogen, and combusting them releases CO2 and water vapor. A process known as reverse combustion can combine CO2 and water to make long-chain hydrocarbons.

“The SARI team's process converts these gases into the hydrocarbons, some of which fall within the molecular weight range that distinguishes jet fuel – namely, C8 to C16, where the number denotes how many carbon atoms are in the chain.”

     Producing hydrocarbons from CO2 and water or other intermediate components has long been achievable. The resultant fuel is known as synthetic fuel and may include intermediate products or other end products, including hydrogen, syngas, and methanol. The bottleneck is doing it efficiently or cost-effectively.

“The SARI team's breakthrough came from the catalyst used in the process. Using an iron-based catalyst laced with aluminum and potassium additives, the scientists have created a process that may have overcome these hurdles. We won't get too technical, but the process produces about 454 ml of heavy olefins per gram of catalyst per hour — heavy olefins are a class of long-chain hydrocarbons. Using one particular catalyst "recipe" (FeAlK8 to give it its proper title), the process converted nearly half the incoming CO2 — around 49% — into hydrocarbons.”

“The catalyst also allowed the process to be completed at a relatively low temperature (626 degrees Fahrenheit) and at pressures of about 290 PSI.”

     This is lower or comparable to the pressure in the Fischer-Tropsch process that is used to make nitrogen fertilizer from natural gas.

     The fuel in the new process was found to be stable in a test lasting 33.33 days. Slash Gear also notes that the fuel must pass strict certification and safety testing, and compliance with these standards is necessary if it's to be widely used in commercial aviation. They also point out that if the jet fuel derived from reverse combustion is to be sustainable, it should be generated with renewable electricity. The process uses lots of power, and that adds to the costs as well.

    If captured carbon is utilized as the source of CO2, the process can be considered to be an example of carbon utilization, the U in CCUS.

 

 

References:

 

China claims a new breakthrough in alternative fuels: Could it solve global oil problems? Bob Sharp. Slash Gear. May 19, 2026. China claims a new breakthrough in alternative fuels: Could it solve global oil problems?

The UN Failed in Gaza and in Lebanon as UNRWA and UNIFIL Allowed Iranian-Backed Terrorist Sectarian Armies to Proliferate, and the UN’s Extraordinary Anti-Israel Bias

 UNIFIL’s Failure and the Lebanese Government’s Failure

     Lebanon is roughly one-third Sunni Muslim, one-third Shia Muslim, and one-third Christian and Druze. Additionally, the country hosts a large population of refugees, most of whom are Sunni Muslim. Its government is tripartite, like that of Iraq. In Lebanon’s case, the president must be a Maronite Christian, the prime minister a Sunni Muslim, and the speaker of parliament a Shia Muslim. According to a 1913 census, Christians made up 79.44% of the population, Druze made up 11.4% of the population, and Muslims only made up 9.15%. By the 1956 census, Christians dropped to 54.66% of the population, Druze dropped to 6.26%, and Muslim’s rose to 38.09%. By 2023, the estimates were 30.46% Christian, 5.5% Druze, and 64% Muslim. Sunni and Shia Muslims are fairly equally represented. Refugees are majority Sunni Muslims, most from Palestine and Syria. Thus, a country which once had an overwhelming majority of Christians, some Druze, and even fewer Muslims, has become a Muslim-majority population over the past century, with an equal number of Sunnis and Shias. 

     The Shias are concentrated in some urban suburbs as well as in Southern Lebanon, which is of most concern to Israel. Basically, they have been assembling a military buildup on Israel’s border for decades.

     Lebanon has a national army, but it has been eclipsed by the Iran-financed military buildup of the unified Shiite militia that is Hezbollah, which is widely recognized around the world as a terrorist group. This is simply unacceptable and was supposed to be remedied by UNIFIL. UNIFIL failed miserably in that regard as Hezbollah became the world’s largest non-state army, with vast quantities of weapons, including: 

“…precision-guided munitions (PGMs), which is the first time such lethal weapons have been wielded by a non-state actor. Hezbollah also has hundreds of deadly drones in its arsenal.”

     Hezbollah has rightly been accused of undermining Lebanon’s sovereignty, and they have been doing it for decades.

     The United Nations’ Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was created in 1978 and accepted a mandate to re-establish Lebanese sovereignty and manage an Israeli withdrawal from Southern Lebanon. Now, nearly 50 years later, the situation is not better, but much worse. UNIFIL clearly failed miserably in its objectives. Danielle Greyman-Kennard writes in the Jerusalem Post:  

“UNIFIL was created in 1978 after Israel’s Litani operation against terrorism in southern Lebanon. At the time it was established, UNIFIL’s mission basically was to monitor the Israeli withdrawal and help Lebanon reestablish its authority.”

     Finding vast military at Beauford Castle, an underground site just a few kilometers from Israel’s border, the IDF recently re-captured it again. It was an IDF post during the Israeli operation in the war in 1982. Hezbollah’s tunnel system under the castle included operating rooms and numerous weapons. She writes:

“What was found in the tunnels near the castle appears to indicate a large engineering project and a significant investment. Reports also indicate this system of tunnels would have taken many years to complete. The tunnels had to be cut into rock, not dug out from the sand, as in Gaza. This was complex.”

     Regarding the history and what was supposed to happen with UNIFIL’s help, she writes:

“The Lebanese state, however, was supposed to be rebuilt after the Taif Agreement in 1989 that ended the civil war. When Israel left southern Lebanon in 2000, chronicled in the 2007 film, the Lebanese government was supposed to return. A key part of Lebanon’s return was supposed to be linked to the UNIFIL deployment in southern Lebanon.”

     UNIFIL had forces from many countries, some Muslim, many not. UNIFIL was supposed to be a major part of the fix, but that did not happen. Hezbollah managed to continue its militantism despite the presence of these UN peacekeepers. In 2024, Hezbollah began attacking Israel daily on October 8, 2023, in response to its operations in Gaza, which were in response to the brutal, unprovoked attack on mainly unarmed Israeli civilians, a day earlier. Once again, UNIFIL was revealed as powerless to stop Hezbollah. UNIFIL had ample opportunity to set up a post at Beaufort Castle, but did not. Why won’t or why can’t Lebanon control its own territory? A common answer is that it wants to avoid a civil war. She concludes:

“It isn’t like Hezbollah was running away from UNIFIL and the LAF in some complex cat-and-mouse game. It was blasting tunnels into mountains under a major fortress that everyone knew about. This wasn’t in some hidden swamp somewhere that no one can find on a map.”

“The question now is whether Lebanon can finally step up and control its own territory. The Lebanese people have suffered from the failure of UNIFIL and Lebanon to do their jobs. Numerous villages have now been destroyed.”

“All the foot-dragging didn’t help the Lebanese; it ruined their lives. There is now an opportunity to avoid entering another cycle that began decades ago in the 1970s.”

     It is great that Israel is having peace talks with the Lebanese government, but Hezbollah is not a party to those talks and openly rejects them.

     Shiite activists in Lebanon who oppose Hezbollah were recently arrested and detained as possible Israeli spies. Fortunately, they were released. This can only happen in a government in which Hezbollah has a significant number of backers, unfortunately. Shiite discontent with Hezbollah is surely needed.

    

UNRWA’s Failure in Gaza and Complicity with Hamas

     The U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), the U.N. organization for Palestinian refugees, has been found to have been absolutely complicit with Hamas in several ways. Some UNRWA staff were Hamas operatives and participated in the October 7 massacre. Tunnels and military infrastructure were built under UNRWA schools, and teaching material at schools routinely glorified jihadism and terrorism. UNRWA members celebrated the October 7 attack.

     In November 2023, just after the attacks, Fox News reported:

“IMPACT-se CEO Marcus Sheff said, "Time and again we have warned that UNRWA staff and school materials have created a breeding ground for terror. Our worst fears have now been tragically realized with the horrific attack on Oct. 7. All governments that fund UNWRA, including the United States, must urgently review and concurrently freeze financial support to UNRWA to help ensure that another generation is not lost to the evils of hatred and incitement."

“IMPACT-se wrote that the UNRWA material reflects "years of hate-teaching in these schools." One telling example for IMPACT-se is students study textbooks in UNRWA schools in which the terrorists al-Walid and Izz ad-Din al-Qassam, whose names Hamas used for its military wing, are glorified as "heroes" of jihad in a Grade 5 Arabic reading comprehension exercise titled "Hooray for the Heroes."

     Trump pulled U.S. funding for UNRWA in 2018, but Biden restored it.

“Former President Donald Trump pulled the plug on U.S. UNRWA funding in 2018. The Biden administration swiftly restored the money to UNRWA and in July 2022 announced it had given more money to UNRWA than any other organization in the world.”

     Thus, we were funding UNRWA at a high level when the attack occurred. We should not fund education that teaches and glorifies jihadism and terrorism.

"It is statistically probable that the majority of the estimated 3,000 terrorists who committed acts of murder, rape, beheading, and abduction of Israelis on October 7 graduated from UNRWA’s education program and schools, as UNRWA operates the majority of the schools in Gaza," it alleges.”

     One commenter noted that the U.S. does not fund pro-Taliban education or pro-Islamic State education, and it should fund pro-Hamas education.

“U.S. officials have increasingly called on U.N. member states to defund UNRWA after decades of concerns about its school materials promoting terror, the presence of Hamas tunnels beneath UNRWA schools and charges that staff members participated in the Hamas terrorist attacks of Oct. 7 against Israel.”

     The UN has done its own investigations and found there was complicity with Hamas in a number of cases, and 108 members were referred for exclusion from working there. More recently, it has been noted that 1500 members of UNRWA are currently under investigation.

     It was noted in 2023:

“UNRWA maintains a staff of over 13,000 just in Gaza to serve the territory’s 2.2 million Palestinians. Meanwhile, the UNHCR serves more than nearly 90 million people worldwide with under 19,000 staff members.”

     This is not rocket science. The U.S. or any moral modern country should not pay the salaries of terrorists.

 

The UN’s Extraordinary Bias Against Israel

     The configuration of the UN as a body for all countries, despite the despicable actions of some countries, can allow those “bad actors” to have influence, and this is generally not good for anyone. Those countries, and some other Muslim countries, but also many non-Muslim countries, are responsible for the extraordinary anti-Israel bias of the UN. The UN’s structure allows authoritarian countries to form blocks that can and do affect UN decisions. The actions of China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea are often directed against the U.S. and democracies in general.

     A July 2025 article in Israel Fact Check asks this question of the UN:

“Why do 50% of its so-called Human Rights resolutions target one nation?”

     The UN passes more human rights resolutions against Israel than all other countries combined. In fact, since 2015, if one counts all UN resolutions, not just human rights resolutions, Israel has been targeted more than twice that of all other countries combined. This is not something new either. It has been recognized for a long time. According to an article in the Mid East Journal:

“In 1998, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan admitted that the UN behavior gives an impression of bias. “It sometimes seems as if the United Nations serves all the world’s people but one: the Jews,” he stated.

     What did the UN do about the October 7 massacre? It waited until Israel responded, calling for a ceasefire, but failed to condemn the initial attack, nor did it demand the release of the hostages:

“On October 27, 2023, the General Assembly (GA) adopted an Arab-drafted resolution that called for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza. The resolution committee rejected amendments to condemn the terrorist attacks by Hamas and to demand the immediate release of all hostages held in Gaza.”

     Jonathan Schanzer, director of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, noted the UN’s tepid response to the Hamas attack in a November 2023 article. He pointed out that some UN officials, even Secretary General Guterres, sought to justify the attack, or at least downplay it as the desperate attempt of a long-oppressed people. He points out:

“The UN doesn’t recognize Hamas as a terrorist organization. Nor does it recognize Hezbollah either. That means UN resources can be and regularly are provided to members of those terrorist groups.”  

“Most UN officials commenting on 10/7 tried to equate Hamas’s butchering of innocent civilians and Israel’s legitimate military response. In doing so, the UN revealed the extent of its failure.”

     I will note that I don’t think there is a problem with criticizing Israel. Its military responses can be heavy-handed, and it often allows more collateral damage and civilian deaths than it should. I disagree with some of its policies regarding settlers in the West Bank. Thus, some of the resolutions against Israel are probably justified. However, most are not. Israel does not seek genocide against Palestinians, but Hamas clearly does seek genocide against Israel. It is its clearly stated goal and the reason for its very existence.

     In conclusion, I give the UN an F for clearly mismanaging and exacerbating the situation in the region. I am in favor of the UN's humanitarian work in general, but not in these cases. 

 

 

References:

 

Hezbollah’s rock-cut tunnels under Beaufort Castle expose decades of UNIFIL failure. Seth J. Frantzman. Jerusalem Post. July 13, 2026. Hezbollah’s rock-cut tunnels under Beaufort Castle expose decades of UNIFIL failure

Trump administration probes UNRWA over alleged employment of 1,500 terrorists. Beth Bailey. Fox News. July 13, 2026. Trump administration probes UNRWA over alleged employment of 1,500 terrorists

UN Anti-Israel Bias: Why do 50% of its so-called Human Rights resolutions target one nation? Updated July 14, 2025. UN Anti-Israel Bias: Why do 50% of its so-called Human Rights resolutions target one nation? - Israel Fact Check

UN Bias Against Israel: Fact or Fiction? Mid East Journal January 7. 2024. UN Bias Against Israel: Fact or Fiction?

United Nations’ Bigotry Towards Israel: UNRWA Anti-Semitism Poisons Palestinian Youth. Foundation for Defense of Democracies. November 8, 2023. United Nations' Bigotry Towards Israel: UNRWA Anti-semitism Poisons Palestinian Youth

Religion in Lebanon. Wikipedia. Religion in Lebanon - Wikipedia

Lebanese activists face judicial persecution in Lebanon after criticizing Hezbollah. Danielle Greyman-Kennard. Jerusalem Post. July 14, 2026. Lebanese activists face judicial persecution in Lebanon after criticizing Hezbollah

Employees at US-funded United Nations agency celebrated Hamas terror massacre: report: 100 Hamas terrorists who attacked Israel likely educated at UNRWA schools in Gaza, per IMPACT-se. Benjamin Weinthal. Fox News. November 7, 2023. Employees at US-funded United Nations agency celebrated Hamas terror massacre: report | Fox News

Mitigating Natural Gas Emissions at Data Centers: RBN Energy’s Housley Carr Explains (Part 1)

     Carr begins by noting the different approaches that can be used to reduce data center natural gas emissions. Data centers require 24/7 power. Natural gas is the most suitable and practical power source. Natural gas power can be supplemented with solar and wind power, intermittent sources that can’t be used on their own due to intermittency and the availability of land for their large footprints. Data center owners can buy and retire environmental credits for low-methane-intensity (low-MI) gas. They can capture and sequester CO2 from the combustion of the gas (I don’t believe many are doing this yet). They could also buy power from nuclear energy plants or deploy small nuclear reactors. But, in the near term, natural gas will power data centers. Thus, the tech companies that own them, who had previously been at the forefront of emissions reduction, are confronted with threats to their previous low-carbon pledges. They are doing as much as they can to mitigate this new emissions growth engine.  

     He notes that buying certified gas has emerged as a necessary way to reduce emissions, although it is upstream emissions that are being reduced. Certified gas has been independently verified by a third-party verification company. Going through the verification process typically involves a company’s investing in projects such as switching out “high-bleed” pneumatic valves and controllers with “low-bleed” or “no-bleed” ones, replacing compressor seals, and expanding leak detection & repair (LDAR) programs. He notes that MiQ is the main certification standard in use.

“MiQ, which established the most widely used standards for gas-related MI and has already certified about 30% of U.S. gas production, gives gas with an MI of 0.5 a letter grade of “D” and gives better grades to gas with an MI of 0.2 (“C”), 0.1 (“B”) and 0.05 (“A”). Most of the gas certified by MiQ so far gets an “A.”

     I would have thought that more than 30% of U.S. natural gas would have been certified by now. We should double that. The graph shows that 79% of gas is grade A certified. That means that 23.7% of total U.S. natural gas production is grade A certified. It makes me wonder how much of that 23.7% is being pursued by buyers seeking to reduce their emissions. Is there more gas than buyers, or more buyers than gas? In other words, can demand meet supply? It seems likely that at the moment there is enough certified gas to go around, but with increased European imports, which often favor certified gas, and now data centers, I wonder how that will play out in the future.

     He notes that MiQ-certified gas can be bought bundled as physical gas or on the spot market at CG Hub or Xpansiv’s CBL Global Spot Exchange. He notes that Meta recently submitted a Request for Proposal (RFP) for certified gas:

“We aim to use our purchasing power to create demand for certified low-methane gas and support responsible methane management across the natural gas supply chain. To advance this goal, we are conducting a targeted RFP to identify interventions that specifically mitigate emissions from upstream natural gas production.”

     That request was for its hyperscale data center being built in New Albany, Ohio, which will source natural gas from the Marcellus and Utica region of Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. That region has a much higher percentage of certified gas than the national average, so availability should not be an issue.

     The project began construction in 2020, experienced some delays, but has since been expanded and will require more power. They have contracted Williams Cos., a midstream operator branching out into power production, to build, own, and operate several behind-the-meter (BTM) generation projects for the data center. So far, the two collaborators have announced 1150 MW of these projects along with 376 MW of battery energy storage. The natural gas will be powered by turbines and reciprocating engines. Williams is also expanding its pipeline system in the area, putting in large-diameter trunk lines to ensure supply. He notes that Meta put in a requirement for Williams to source the gas locally.

“Meta and other companies that buy MiQ certificates tied to gas that might reasonably make its way to their sites are employing the “regional book & claim” method, under which the certified low-MI gas is required to flow into the same pipeline network that supplies the certificate buyer.”

     Carr notes that a future blog will cover how these companies are planning to add carbon capture and sequestration, renewables, and nuclear.

   

 

References:

 

Flawless – More on How Hyperscalers Mitigate the Impacts of Their Fast-Rising Use of Natural Gas. Housley Carr. RBN Energy. July 13, 2026. Flawless – More on How Hyperscalers Mitigate the Impacts of Their Fast-Rising Use of Natural Gas | RBN Energy

Cyclosporiasis Outbreak Response Possibly Impeded by Deprioritization and CDC Staff Cuts

    

      I worked at a county health department as a sanitarian-in-training, now known as an environmental health specialist-in-training, and learned a little about foodborne illnesses. I learned about parasitic diseases, but I did not learn about cyclosporiasis at all, aside from a brief mention, nor was it covered in the two large, though perhaps outdated, textbooks I had purchased.  

     The current outbreak of cyclosporiasis, centered in the U.S. Midwest but affecting 31 states, is currently being investigated. The disease is caused by a protozoan parasite: Cyclospora cayetanensis.

     Cyclosporiasis is an intestinal disease that causes “explosive diarrhea,” abdominal cramping, and possibly severe dehydration. It usually lasts 2-10 days, but in severe cases, it could last much longer.

     Michigan has the most cases and seems to be the latest epicenter of the outbreak, and nearby Ohio is gaining cases. 

     The CDC noted in a press release last Friday:

“CDC is aware that states are likely to report higher case counts of cyclosporiasis than reflected in CDC data and is working closely with states to update numbers as additional cases are confirmed.”

     Indeed, states are reporting more than double the cases officially reported by the CDC.

     CNN reports:

“The good news is that cyclosporiasis doesn’t pass directly from person to person. You get it by eating or drinking something that’s been contaminated several weeks prior, usually fresh produce or water from a swimming pool.”

     In the past, cyclosporiasis outbreaks have been linked to salad greens, raspberries, basil, cilantro, green onions, and snow peas. Incidentally, I grow and harvest most of those during the season when disease is prevalent, so I am lucky to have less potential exposure. Cut, washed, and packaged lettuce and salad greens are being investigated as a potential cause of the current outbreak, but the official cause has yet to be determined. However, and this is not confirmed, some have already suggested that they know the company and the product causing the outbreak. Again, this is not confirmed, but I saw the following on a social media post:

“It's going to take a minute for the government to pin down where this is coming from, and then issue a recall, because the FDA has been gutted. But, I can tell you, without a shadow of a doubt: this is coming from Taylor Farms produce, and you will see them recalled.”

“It's the shredded lettuce, specifically, that's the problem.  But, you'll want to stay away from every type of produce this company puts out, because one strand of shredded lettuce is all it takes to contaminate bushels.”

“Taylor Farms is the source. Taco Bell proactively pulled their produce from their restaurants.  You're going to see other fast food places doing this, and probably will see that before the government names a source.  The FDA knows this, but they can't come out and tell us all until there's proof, which takes resources and research, which takes manpower, but the FDA has been cut by about 20-30%.”

“During the Biden term, onions at McDonald's had ecoli.  We knew this because DNA testing was done quickly and they were able to narrow it down to one place that caused the outbreak. And, it was traced back to Taylor Farms.  This isn't going to be solved as quickly though.”

“Treatment is seven to 10 days of the combination antibiotic sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim, which is sold as Bactrim or Septra.”

“The recommendation is to treat people who have cyclosporiasis because it can last so long and it’s just uncomfortable,” Schein said. “And it can increase, you know, spread into the environment if we don’t treat it.”

     I will only comment that the person sounds quite confident.

     According to a CNN report yesterday, tracking the illness has been less robust than tracking foodborne illnesses before the CDC staff cuts:

“In 2025, in the wake of staff and funding cuts to public health agencies, the CDC scaled back one of its surveillance systems for foodborne illness. The FoodNet system is a partnership between the CDC, US Department of Agriculture, US Food and Drug Administration and 10 state health departments which proactively looks for cases of foodborne illness by contacting labs directly for test results rather than waiting for them to be reported.”

“Before July 1, 2025, FoodNet collected data on eight pathogens, including cyclospora. The network now only collects information on two pathogens, salmonella and an especially dangerous kind of E. coli bacteria. The rest are optional.”

“Cyclosporiasis remains a nationally notifiable disease, which means confirmed cases are reported to state health departments and eventually the CDC.”

“But the cuts mean US surveillance isn’t as robust as it once was for this pathogen.”

“I don’t think it’s in our country’s interest to cut these programs back,” former CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield told CNN on Monday. “Surveillance is sort of the key to early identification.”

     Cyclosporiasis cases typically rise in the summer months, and the season lasts roughly from May to August. Some foodborne pathogens, like E. coli and Salmonella bacteria, can be DNA-sequenced to match a strain that’s making people sick with a strain that’s contaminating food or water. That is more difficult to do for Cyclospora. Thus, it is harder to track and takes longer to confirm a source. People become infected by eating or drinking something several weeks before the infection shows symptoms, though it usually appears within two weeks. It does not pass from person to person. The number of cases is likely an undercount. Cases are thought to have doubled from last year’s 2700 total cases to over 5000 cases confirmed so far this year, likely with more to come.  

 

 

References:

 

An outbreak of diarrhea caused by a parasite has hit thousands of people. Here’s how to stay safe. Brenda Goodman. CNN. July 14, 2026. An outbreak of diarrhea caused by a parasite has hit thousands of people. Here’s how to stay safe

Cyclospora, the ‘Explosive Diarrhea’ Parasite, Cases Reported in at Least 31 States: See the Map. Caroline Kee. Updated July 14, 2026. Cyclospora Map: See US States With the Most Diarrhea Parasite Cases

Surveillance of Cyclosporiasis. For Public Health. Center for Disease Control. July 10, 2026. Surveillance of Cyclosporiasis | Cyclosporiasis | CDC

Michigan says diarrhea outbreak may be linked to lettuce, salad greens as cases rise above 3,000. Brenda Goodman. CNN. July 13, 2026. Diarrhea outbreak may be linked to lettuce, Michigan officials say | CNN

 

 

 

Uplift Beginning in the Jurassic Era and Accelerated in the Eocene Period Created High Mountains in East Antarctica, Resulting in Snowfall and Ice Sheet Formation Millions of Years Before Arctic Ice Accumulation: This Happened When the Earth was 5 Degrees Celsius Warmer Than Today

     A new paper published in the journal Science uncovers why Antarctica underwent ice accumulation millions of years before the Arctic and did so when the Earth’s temperatures were 5 degrees Celsius warmer than today. The study concludes that the formation of an escarpment, plateau, and mountain region in East Antarctica created the high ground needed for snow and ice to accumulate. The process began when Antarctica and Africa began to separate in the Jurassic Period, 201–143 million years ago. Well over 100 million years later, around 40 million years ago during the Eocene, ice began to accumulate in East Antarctica as alpine glaciation. By 34 million years ago at the onset of the Oligocene, after a vastly long period of gradual uplift, which resulted in high mountains being formed, with conditions favorable for snow due to the elevation, the ice sheet began to expand. This happened while the surrounding oceans were surprisingly warm.

     The research team was led by the University of Southampton, working with colleagues at Durham University, GFZ Helmholtz Center for Geosciences in Germany, the University of Potsdam in Germany, Utrecht University in the Netherlands, and the University of Florence in Italy. They used computations to model the long history of the uplift. The team concluded that “mantle waves” were responsible for the uplift.

     According to Phys.org:

“Mantle waves are a recently discovered phenomenon by Gernon's team. They spread under continents when tectonic plates break apart and have been shown to cause the eruption of diamond volcanoes and mysterious phases of uplift within continents.”

“The team's simulations revealed that by about 45 million years ago, much of the East Antarctic landscape had risen above the critical elevation—about 2 km—needed for mountain glaciers to form and expand, eventually merging into the East Antarctic Ice Sheet.”

“The research helps explain the striking asymmetry in polar ice in the past. Antarctica became glaciated about 34 million years ago, but large Northern Hemisphere ice sheets did not assemble until approximately the past 5 million years.”  

     It is true that declining atmospheric CO2 levels are thought to have been the initial trigger for Antarctic glaciation. The high continental elevations due to the uplift gave it a significant head start over other polar regions.

“Before 50 million years ago, most of the Gamburtsev Mountains lay below 1.5 km in elevation. But by 34 million years ago, almost half of the range stood above 2 km—high enough for snow and ice to persist year-round until it had built up into an ice cap.”

“Air temperatures can drop by up to 1°C for every 100 meters (328 feet) of altitude gained."

     The authors note that as the ice sheet expanded, it reflected more sunlight back into space and created a feedback known as the ice-albedo effect that resulted in further cooling of Earth’s temperatures by about 1 degree C, not enough to initiate glaciation in the Northern Hemisphere. Later, another feedback became more prominent as the Antarctic region cooled. Colder air holds less water vapor, which can envelop the Earth like an insulating blanket. As the air dried, this insulating effect weakened, allowing temperatures to fall further.

"Together, these feedbacks allowed the Antarctic ice sheet to spread from the mountains across the continent, eventually reaching the coast," added Goodwin.

"Our findings reveal that the Earth's interior preconditions landscapes to glaciation, determining when and where major climate transitions like the glaciation of Antarctica become possible," explained Gernon. "That's incredibly important for understanding Earth's ancient ice ages as well as future tipping points in the climate system."

     According to the paper:

“We hypothesize that geodynamic surface uplift, causally related to continental breakup between Africa and Antarctica more than 100 Myr earlier, preconditioned Antarctica for ice sheet expansion. We tested this by combining landscape evolution models with energy balance and ice sheet models to isolate the climatic impact of evolving topography over multimillion-year timescales. We assessed elevation thresholds for ice sheet growth under a range of plausible global temperature states and evaluated how different uplift scenarios may have influenced global mean surface temperatures.”

“Renewed uplift (rejuvenation) of the Gamburtsevs in the Eocene resulted in a fluvially incised mountain landscape, later locally overprinted by alpine-style glaciation. Uplift in the ~15 Myr preceding the EOT greatly expanded the area above the permanent snow line. Together, our ice sheet and energy balance models indicate that dynamic uplift controlled the timing of ice cap expansion, pushing elevations above the threshold for ice sheet growth at ~45 Ma.”

     Accelerated uplift during the last 15 million years of the Eocene set the stage for ice sheet expansion.

    

 

 

References:

 

Scientists uncover why Antarctica became engulfed by ice millions of years before the Arctic. Science X staff. Phys.org. July 2, 2026. Scientists uncover why Antarctica became engulfed by ice millions of years before the Arctic

Continental breakup–driven uplift instigated East Antarctic Ice Sheet formation. Thomas M. Gernon, Thea K. Hincks, Philip Goodwin, Guy J. G. Paxman, Sascha Brune, Eelco J. Rohling, Derek Keir, and Jean Braun. Science. 2 Jul 2026. Vol 393, Issue 6806. Continental breakup–driven uplift instigated East Antarctic Ice Sheet formation | Science

Symbiotic Business Practices: Types, Examples, Benefits, and Challenges

     I’ll begin by revisiting Adam Caudill’s essay from my post on parasitic business practices, where he explores what makes a healthy business relationship. Symbiotic relationships are, by definition, win-win. Below, he gives three traits of healthy business relationships.

     As can be seen, these are all about fairness and the feeling that one party is being treated fairly by the other and vice versa. He finishes with the following quote:

“In a symbiotic business model, the relationship develops over time, becoming stronger — customers become more loyal, more interested and invested, more passionate, and turn into promoters and ambassadors. Revenue climbs more slowly, but that growth is more likely to continue and expand long-term. This is a relationship built on mutual respect and benefit.”

     I remember when I read John Mackey and Raj Sisodia’s 2014 book ‘Conscious Capitalism,’ and they talked about the benefits of a company developing strong win-win-win relationships with suppliers, partners, the community, the environment, society in general, and all stakeholders, even competitors. They argued that these relationships should be designed to be fair and beneficial for all. This is akin to fostering symbiotic business relationships.

     Below is a Microsoft CoPilot summary of symbiotic business practices.

     An article in the Journal for Policy and Market Research puts forth the following rationale for creating symbiotic relationships between large corporations and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

“Strategic partnerships between large corporate organizations and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) represent a fundamental evolution in how established entities approach growth, innovation, and risk management. These alliances move beyond traditional supplier-client relationships to form symbiotic structures designed to leverage the agility and specialized expertise of the smaller firm against the capital, reach, and infrastructure of the larger organization.”

     The article notes that collaborations between corporations and SMEs can optimize the strengths of each entity. SMEs may have specialized innovation or R&D capabilities, or specialized technical knowledge, from which a larger corporate entity could benefit. An example is given of the collaboration between Pfizer, a large corporation, and BioNTech, a startup with specialized knowledge of mRNA molecules. The big companies can offer capital. Strategic partnerships can enhance supply chain resilience and operational agility.  Strategic alliances between corporations and suppliers and vendors are a common way to find mutually beneficial synergies. Joint ventures are another type of arrangement. The article notes:

“The success of these alliances relies heavily on fairness, mutual understanding of expectations, and the setting of realistic, measurable goals for both parties.”

     Corporate venture capital can provide funding for startups and is indeed one of the key mechanisms of private sector R&D funding. The table below compares different partnership models, their benefits to each entity, and possible features.

“Collaboration is fundamentally relationship-driven, requiring a foundation of mutual respect and trust. The small business often functions as the subject matter expert (SME), bringing unique and specialized knowledge. Management strategies must therefore prioritize leveraging this specialized knowledge.”

     Some examples of successful corporate/SME collaborations are given below.

     Sometimes symbiosis can be found within different divisions of a company. An example is the oil company Occidental. They are building direct air carbon capture facilities that utilize byproducts from their petrochemical division, which benefits both parties or divisions.

     An article in Faster Capital goes into detail about symbiotic business practices. The key takeaways are given below.

     Cross-industry partnerships can be symbiotic. The successful collaboration between Tesla and Panasonic is one example. Open innovation is another model that is inclusive and invites more entities to collaborate in research.

“Symbiotic strategies in business are not just about sharing resources; they are about creating a synergy where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. By looking beyond traditional competitive tactics and embracing the power of collaboration, businesses can unlock new levels of innovation and growth. The key is to find the right partners, align on common goals, and cultivate relationships that are built to last. Through such strategies, businesses can thrive in an interconnected world where cooperation is the cornerstone of success.”

     An article by Shielvonda Haith, published on LinkedIn, notes that symbiotic relationships need to be reciprocal, and many business relationships are too one-sided. She notes that aligned interest is key. She writes:

“The beauty of a symbiotic partnership lies in its intrinsic fairness. Both parties enter the agreement with a clear understanding of how their needs will be met, ensuring that value creation is not one-sided. Unlike conventional arrangements where one side gives while the other waits in hope, a symbiotic relationship thrives on equilibrium and shared growth.”

     I would add that good business of any sort relies on fairness. People and businesses want to feel that they are being treated fairly, and if they are smart, they also want to treat others fairly. If both parties in a relationship of any sort feel that they are being treated fairly and are treating the other party fairly, then that relationship can likely be characterized as symbiotic.

 

 

References:

 

The Symbiotic Enterprise: Strategic Frameworks for Corporate-Small Business Partnership and Value Generation. Journal for Policy & Market Research. March 17, 2026. The Symbiotic Enterprise: Strategic Frameworks for Corporate-Small Business Partnership and Value Generation – Journal for Policy & Market Research

Parasitic & Symbiotic Business Models. Adam Caudill. August 22, 2021. Parasitic & Symbiotic Business Models - Adam Caudill

Symbiosis for Business Innovation, Faster Capital. Updated: 29 May 2026. Symbiosis for Business Innovation - FasterCapital

The Art of Symbiotic Partnerships: Business Collaborations That Work. Shielvonda Haith. LinkedIn. June 5, 2024. (25) The Art of Symbiotic Partnerships: Business Collaborations That Work | LinkedIn

Conscious Capitalism: Liberating the Heroic Spirit of Business. John Macky and Raj Sisodia. Harvard School Press. 2014.