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From: Barnes
The new coronavirus has been declared a global emergency by the World Health Organization, as the outbreak continues to spread outside China. Hundreds of people in China have died from the virus, mostly in Hubei, with many thousands of cases nationally. This outbreak needs to be neutralized. China has said it will send charter plans to bring back Hubei province residents who are overseas "as soon as possible". A foreign ministry spokesman said this was because of the "practical difficulties" Chinese citizens have faced abroad. Hubei is where the virus emerged in a fish market in the city of  Wuhan. The WHO said there had been dozens of cases in 18 other countries, but only a small number of deaths. Most international cases are in people who had been to Wuhan in Hubei. However in a few cases - in the UK, Germany, Japan, Vietnam and the United States - patients were infected by people who had traveled to China. This is the main reason China has shut its borders down.
From: Barnes
On Tuesday 4th February, News Nuggets went on a memorable trip. We all had to get up at 6 o'clock in the morning! We all had the chance to meet Sir David  Attenborough and Boris Johnson. The two groups did three workshops. We talked about landfill with some friendly people, we made mini sand models, we made 'earth dumplings' and we saw a projected globe that showed us what it would be like in the future if we didn't do something about climate change soon. Also, my group got to plant a tree with Sir David Attenborough! All of this was amazing and I feel very privileged to have gone on this memorable trip, which happened at the Science Museum in London. Boris Johnson has promised that this year is the year that we do something to help our planet. Can he be trusted to keep his word? We are all hoping that he can. A big conference is due to occur this coming November to discuss the matter; the politicians need to do something.
From: Barnes
Usain Bolt, the world's fastest human, has a record of being able to travel 6.2 times his body length in one second. While this is amazing, it is nothing compared to the speeds of the Saharan Silver Ant. The ant can travel at 33.66 inches per second, which, though it may sound like a very minimal amount to us, considering the ant's body length, is actually an immense distance. This length is the ant's body length 108 times over. Though it may just seem like a cool skill, there are other reasons why the Saharan Silver Ant needs to run at this speed. The main one is the heat of the sand. In the Saharan desert (the ant's natural habitat) the temperatures of the sands can soar to heats of over 40 degrees celsius. If the insect were to stay still on the ground, its feet would be burned. Another reason why the ant needs to run at such a speed is because of its predators. The main predator of the Saharan Silver Ant is the Dumérils fringe-fingered lizard. This reptile builds its burrows near Saharan Silver Ant colonies and when they come out to gather food, it hunts and eats them. To prevent this from happening, one ant will stay outside of the colony's nest and when the lizard returns to its burrow, the ant will alert the rest of the colony and they go out to gather food. When a Saharan Silver Ant runs, at times all six of its feet are off the ground. This makes the ant one of the only insects in the world which is able to gallop! Its speed is also the equivalent of a house cat running at 120 mph. As well as a record breaker, this ant is one of the world's most amazing creatures.    
From: Barnes
Have you ever wished that the pesky mosquito would just go away? Well, in the space of just two years, scientists have been able to wipe out the annoying bugs from two Chinese islands. This is an amazing achievement. However could it be done globally and what would be the effect on our ecosystem? Mosquitos are serious killers in the animal kingdom; rated one of the most dangerous animals by scientists and are the main source of deadly diseases such malaria or ebola. Wiping out this entire species would save billions of lives today and in the future. But on the other hand, trillions of mosquitos would die. This would not be the first time our species had eliminated an other - Dodos, Pyrenean Ibexes, Baiji White Dolphins, and West African Black Rhinoceros' are all good examples of animals that are now extinct due to our selfish need for money, food and enjoyment. However, there's a catch with the idea of wiping out mosquitos... the ecosystem is at risk if we proceed. Although we know that we would be unable to survive without bees, no one is sure what might happen if the population of mosquitos was wiped out. Our Fragile  ecosystem is already failing due to climate change and another major upheaval like that might just be beginning of the end for our fragile planet.