“The new naming does not replace the scientific names of the variants, but can aid in public discussion,” said Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO technical team leader on Covid-19. Other SARS-CoV-2 variants of interest will be labeled with the words “Epsiloon”, “Zeta”, “Eta”, “Theta” and “Iota”. (Artwork: BBC) Under the new system, the British variant (B.1.1.7) is called “Alpha”, the South African variant (B.1.351) is “Beta”, the Brazilian variant (P1) is “Gamma”. The Indian variant B.1.617 is divided into sub-lineages, where the B.1.617.2 variant is called “Delta” and the B.1.617.1 variant is called “Kappa”. Names such as variant B.1.1.7.2 will continue to be used in scientific circles, because of the mutational information their names convey. “Despite their advantages, scientific names can be difficult to say and remember, and easily misinterpreted. As a result, people often refer to variants by the places where they were first discovered, causing stigma and discrimination,” according to the WHO statement. “To avoid this and simplify mass communication, WHO encourages authorities, national media and everyone else to use these new names,” the WHO said. The Greek alphabet has 24 letters and WHO has not yet planned what to do next if all 24 letters are used. According to AFP, “Epsilon”, “Zeta”, “Eta”, “Theta” and “Iota” are names for variants of interest.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Photo: Reuters As suggested by WHO, the COVID-19 mutation is called “British strain” or B.1.1.7 should be called “Alpha”, while the common mutant strain in South Africa is renamed “Beta” . The two Brazilian strains, called P.1 and P.2, became Gamma and Zeta, respectively, while the two subtypes of the “Indian variant”, B.1.617.1 and B.1.617.2, were called “Kappa” and “Delta”. Two other strains, first reported by the US in March of this year, were assigned the most difficult names to remember, “Epsilon” and “Iota”. Maria Van Kerkhove, head of WHO’s COVID-19 expert team, stressed that the new names will not replace the scientific name of the strain, because the scientific name is a complex combination of letters and numbers. Instead, the new name will make it easier for people to name variables in public discussions. At the same time, this will help remove the stigma against the country that first discovered the mutation. “No country should be discriminated against for detecting and reporting mutations,” and Van Kerkhove said. WHO List of VOCs of concern. List of Variants of Interest (VOI). In which, the first column is the new name proposed by WHO. The WHO’s new move comes in the context of India’s growing anger when the media calls the B.1.617 virus strain an “Indian variant”. India’s Health Ministry argued last month that the name freely used in the media was “misleading” because it was not a name designated by the WHO. Earlier, in February, Professor Salim Abdool Karim, then co-chair of South Africa’s Ministerial Advisory Committee on COVID-19, told CNN in an interview to stop calling the virus spreading. in his country is the “South African variant.” Instead, call it by its scientific name: 501Y.V2. The politically correct idea of ​​WHO is supported by many countries. But it also confuses many people. Some observers argue that Greek letters are actually not that easy to remember. While others point out that the WHO is in danger of “running out of names” at some point, since the Greek alphabet has only 24 letters.

Elephant Mammoth Columbia Voi Extinction time: 11,500 years ago Living area: America and Mexico Illustration. Elephant Mammoth, you probably already know. They are huge, have long fur and a pair of huge tusks. They appear in many pictures, documentaries, movies. However, here we are talking about the Columbian Mammoth elephant, which is a relative of the long-haired but larger Mammoth. A Mammoth Columbia can be from 3.7 to 4.2m tall, weighing from 5.5 to 11 tons. Their tusks average 3.7m long, the largest of the elephant family and extremely strong, used to handle any carnivores that dare to come close. Prehistoric people, of course. Lazy land Extinction time: 4200 years ago Living area: South America The sloth is a lovely, harmless creature. The Megatherium is also a sloth, but it’s not like the slow, bully sloths you’re used to seeing. Megatherium also does not live on trees, because no tree can withstand its huge body. Megatherium has several subspecies, the smallest species is as big as a rhinoceros, and the largest can weigh up to 4-5 tons when mature, equivalent to modern African elephants. They can be up to 6m tall, similar to giraffes when standing on 2 legs. In addition, they also have a set of super-large claws used to slap the mouth of any carnivore. The ground sloth finally lived peacefully on the islands of the Caribbean, until about 4200 years ago, when the “species that everyone should fear” set foot and drew an end to the sloths walking on the face. land. Orangutan Gigantopithecus Extinction time: 100,000 years ago Living area: Mainly in Southeast Asia Gigantopithecus was a close relative of modern orangutans but was much larger. They can be 3m tall, weigh up to half a ton and are the most massive primates that have ever walked the Earth. If you need a clearer picture to visualize the size of a Gigantopithecus, check out the cute giant orangutan in The Jungle Book. But that’s in the movies, who knew what such a huge beast could do to a small human? Gigantopithecus went extinct with the main cause not being human. The fact that they are large also means that they need a lot of food to survive. However, about 100,000 years before the climate changed and the forests of their homeland – Southeast Asia – became savanna, Gigantopithecus simply “flies” because there is not enough food. Cave hyena Extinction time: 11,000-13,000 years ago Living area: Europe If you often watch documentaries about wildlife in Africa, such as the Diary of the Cat Family, you are probably familiar with spotted hyenas. These guys have a lot of bad reputations. They are cunning, reckless, attack in herds, scavenge for prey of other species such as leopards and lions or even enter villages to capture children. However, spotted hyenas are still not comparable to their ancient relatives – the cave hyena. Cave hyenas were twice the size of modern spotted hyenas, weighing on average 130kg, 90cm high and 1.5m long. They have extremely strong jaws, enough to chew the bones of their prey. Calculations based on fossils show that a cave hyena can easily kill a small elephant weighing about 1 ton. But that’s not enough to say how scary they are. They still live in groups of about 30 to help hunt more effectively. However, with our ancestors, they are not easy to touch. Cave hyenas became extinct somewhere between 11,000 and 13,000 years ago. The main cause is believed by paleontologists to be that prehistoric people took the caves for shelter during the Ice Age. Sword tooth tiger Extinction time: 10,000 years ago Living area: All Americas The saber-toothed tiger sounds like that, but in fact, they don’t have a close family to the tiger. Most saber-toothed tigers became extinct before modern humans appeared. However, there are still a few that can encounter humans, such as Smilodon populator and Smilodon fatalis. In which, Smilodon fatalis is as big as an African lion, and Smilodon populator is bigger, as big as a Siberian tiger (about 350kg). According to the calculations of paleontologists, saber-toothed tigers have rather weak jaws, the bite force is only about 1/3 of that of modern lions. However, in return, they have other things. In addition to their trademark long fangs, saber-toothed tigers also have extremely muscular forelimbs, the strongest of the cat family to assist in capturing prey before slicing its throat with long scythe-like fangs. Another theory is that they can use these fangs as knives to “skewer” their prey to death. But no matter how they killed their prey, a prehistoric human would surely explode if caught by it.

This bridge was built by Japanese merchants in the early 17th century. Due to the influence of natural disasters, the Covered Bridge has been restored many times and lost Japanese architectural elements, replaced by architecture. Vietnamese-Chinese style architecture. Legend has it that in 1719, Lord Nguyen Phuc Lai visited the pagoda and gifted the pagoda with three words “Lai Van Kieu”, which means “Friends from far away”, as an admiration, praise, and at the same time. Express your love for the scenery here. Around the 17th century, at this time the building was only considered a means of transportation for people. In 1653, people built an additional part of the pagoda, connected to the northern railing, protruding between the bridge, from which the locals called it Chua Cau. Hoi An Bridge Pagoda is called a pagoda, but it does not worship Buddha but worships the North De Tran Vo – a god who protects the country, bringing joy and happiness to people on this land. According to legend, the origin of the Covered Bridge is associated with the legend of the monster Namazu (also known as the Cu) – a sea monster in Japanese legend. This beast has a head in India, a body in Vietnam, and a tail that runs all the way to Japan. So every time it moves, disasters like floods, earthquakes… will happen. Therefore, the temple was built with the meaning of a sword blocking Namazu’s back, preventing it from moving, helping the lives of the people of… all three countries more peaceful. The Covered Bridge is a unique construction in our country, with long historical value, this is also the symbol of Hoi An city in Quang Nam province, so it was chosen to be printed on the VND 20,000 bill. Up to now, the temple seems to have become an invaluable asset, officially chosen as the symbol of Hoi An.

The beauty of Thien Tri Lake. A place with charming scenery Thien Tri Lake in Chinese transliteration is Tian Chi (Lake of Heaven). This is a lake formed by a volcanic eruption around 969 BC, located in a caldera at the top of the Changbai Mountains. There are many legends surrounding the lake, many people believe that the lake is inhabited by the Thien Tri Water Monster. Located at an altitude of 1,907m above sea level and an area of ​​4.9 square kilometers, 105m deep, Tianchi Lake is located about 30km from the Chinese city of Fukang, 45km east of Ürümqi in North Korea. Located in a favorable location adjacent to many places, tourism here is very developed. It is known that with reserves of more than 2 billion tons of fresh water, Thien Tri Lake is enough to supply water for all people in Beijing for 22 months. Due to its high altitude, the lake water is cold all year round, from mid-October to mid-June every year the lake is frozen 1m thick. In the summer, the temperature is also at 8 to 10 degrees Celsius, the oxygen concentration in the water is assessed by experts as low, the soil is arid, the vegetation is sparse, so there are no aquatic animals. reside. Only traveling to China can you see Thien Tri Lake with your own eyes, a place likened to a fairyland. Thien Tri Lake is known as the emerald at the foot of Thien Son range because of its beautiful turquoise water. The space around the lake is harmoniously adorned by immense mountains and forests with green botanicals and conifers. Surrounding the lake are dark green spruce trees mixed with snow mountains silhouetted on the lake surface, creating a magical shimmering beauty. There are four distinct seasons here, the scenery changes constantly over time. The beauty of the lake has unique features in all 4 seasons. Spring is full of life, summer is fresh, autumn is surprisingly peaceful, winter is white, cold but charming. The water in the lake due to melting ice and snow should be cool and transparent. The most beautiful season here is summer because this time is not too cold, the ice melts, the trees are lush and green, the flowers are blooming, making the painting even more beautiful. “Monsters” in Thien Tri Lake Thien Tri Lake also has many mysterious legends. According to a North Korean statement, leader Kim Jong-il was born in the area of ​​Changbai Mountain. By the time he died, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that fierce snowstorms had arisen, the ice on the lake surface was broken. When the blizzard dissipated, bright inscriptions carved on the mountain rock that read “Mount Paektu, the sacred mountain of the revolution. Kim Jong-il”, are said to be visible throughout the day, until sunset. Besides, there is also a mysterious story about the “water monster” living in Thien Tri Lake. Accordingly, local people said that the Thien Tri lake monster appeared in 1903, very much like a giant buffalo that emerged from the water, roared to attack three people on the lake and then disappeared after being shot 6 times. stomach. Information about the Thien Tri lake monster appeared again in August 1962, when a witness observed through a telescope that two large creatures appeared to be playing and chasing each other. This story has created a wave of rumors with more than 100 people claiming to have seen the monster with various descriptions ranging from a giant fish to a long-necked fish, resembling a Plesiosaur – a sea monster. Long necks dominated the Jurassic ocean. It is also said that the monster has a head as big as a human head, two very large round eyes, a protruding mouth, and a neck length of 1.2 – 1.5m. The photo is said to capture the horror monster on Thien Tri Lake. On October 9, 1980, China’s “Quang Minh Daily” published a story of a person who had witnessed the “monster” of Thien Tri Lake. The author of an article entitled “Recalling a time when he saw a “monster” said that around 4 am on August 21, 1980, while standing on a high cliff by Thien Tri Lake to watch the sun rise, he discovered In the distance there is an object, body like a buffalo, head as big as a jar, moving very fast, creating a long shelf of water behind. What makes people confused is that Thien Chi Lake is located near the highest peak in the northeast of the Changbai Mountains, formed on the mouth of an extinct volcano, the water is very cold (winter covered with snow and ice, summer at noon). here is also only about 11 degrees Celsius), the nutrient content in the water is extremely low, basically, it is difficult for any kind of organism to live. The results of a survey also show that Thien Tri Lake has no vertebrates. Therefore, the story of Thien Tri Lake suddenly appearing a large animal caused a great shock. On August 23, 2003, a group of tourists including more than 40 people were playing at Thien Tri Lake. It was around 11am, when suddenly, someone shouted, “Look, the beast has appeared again.” All eyes turned to the direction the visitor pointed. In the clear blue water, a black creature, about 3 meters long, was swimming from the south bank to the north bank and then dived and disappeared. Nearly a month before, about 20 “monsters” of Thien Tri Lake made a parade lasting about 50 minutes. Two years later, on 7/7, a person named Trinh Truong Xuan (residing in Phu Tung district, Jilin province, China) while walking around Thien Tri Lake, he happened to notice a shadow floating on the lake surface. Strange black immediately took the camera. Although some people think that it is just a driftwood, Mr. Trinh claims to have captured a picture of a strange creature in Thien Tri Lake. While everyone was still arguing, on July 21, 2005, the “monster” reappeared on the north bank and broke the calm water of Thien Tri Lake more than 10 days later. According to Mr. Hoang Tuong Dong, one person had the opportunity to see the “monster” of Thien Tri lake with their own eyes, the head and neck of the “water monster” protruding above the water surface was over 2 meters high. In 2013, a number of rather poor quality photos were circulated on social networks that are believed to be of the monster at Thien Tri Lake, once again raising attention to the existence of this creature. As recently as October 2020, an employee of Thien Son Thien Tri National Park (China) said that he had captured an image of a round black object floating on the water and thought it was ” Monster Lake Thien Tri”. An employee of Thien Son Thien Tri National Park told the Daily Mail that he spotted “a large creature, about 2.1 meters in size” while on patrol. He saw an unusual object in the middle of the lake and recorded it and posted it on Chinese social media. The footage, shot from an observatory 500 meters above the lake’s surface, shows the black circular object in the water. The black spot looks small on the video but it’s actually quite large in real life, the employee said. This staff member insisted it was definitely not a boat. Up to now, there are still many controversies surrounding the story “Tian Tri Lake Monster”. Many people believe that the “Monster” of Thien Tri Lake is the product of a mutation like in fantasy movies: An ordinary animal, after being affected by chemical radiation, became a giant, carrying monstrous form, even becoming a demon that endangers humanity? But many others found that this is a product of the statue, made up to attract tourists here. So far, there is no explanation or explanation to prove this, the truth about the giant “monster” in Thien Tri Lake is still a place to stimulate the curiosity of tourists when traveling to. China. In North Korea, the lake belongs to Ryanggang province (Luong Giang). Thien Tri Lake has for a decade now become a destination for Chinese tourists curious about the mysterious pair of “monsters” in the lake bed.

The Greenland shark is a shark indigenous to the North Atlantic waters around Greenland and Iceland. They have a massive body, the size of a ferocious white shark, 6-7m long, weighing over a ton. As a carnivore. So although the “gentle” one of the “family”, Greenland sharks are still quite dangerous. Usually they eat small fish in cold seas, however they also sometimes catch seals. Despite its giant stature, what attracts ocean scientists more than that is the longevity of this ancient fish. Humans have been looking for ways to prolong their life, and it seems that the Greenland shark is the key to longevity. Biologist Julius Nielsen of the University of Copenhagen (Denmark), after a lengthy study, had to say: “From the beginning, we had expected them to be longevity but did not expect them to live that long. “ Usually sharks are about 30 years old. But in Greenland sharks, this is just the age “know how to crawl” … using the carbon measurement method, the scientists confirmed the average life expectancy of the Greenland shark is over 240 years. Even the oldest specimen is 512 years old – super longevity This means that the sea monster was born from the time Cristoforo Colombo discovered America, and lived until smartphones flooded the planet. Researches suspect that the extremely slow growth, growing only about 1 cm each year under the cold water has helped the animals to live a long life. Until the age of 150, Greenland sharks are fully mature, entering the reproductive age. Currently, scientists are still hoping to be able to find, separate and map genes that are directly related to this species’ longevity. In addition to longevity, large size, Greenland sharks also contain many interesting secrets, for example, they swim very lethargic. Unlike the terrifying speed of the white shark, the average Greenland shark only swims over 1km / h. When hunting prey, it can increase … 2km / h, only half the speed of human walking. Because of this “crawling” speed, scientists believe that it can only catch seals when prey is asleep. There is also an opinion that because it does not need to spend too much energy on moving, plus the cold water of the North Atlantic helps to “preserve fresh” the cells in the body, making Greenland sharks live. to 5 centuries. Adding a perfect factor for longevity is that this sea monster has almost no natural enemies when hiding its giant body forever on the ocean floor. The species that most threatens their lives is humans. This kind of confrontation in reality is completely absent Originally, Greenland sharks live in cold seas, so the body has to secrete a special substance to keep warm, preventing them from freezing. This substance for humans is extremely poisonous, but not so that the animal is ignored … As early as the Viking era, the indigenous people of this cold land discovered that burying sharks for several weeks removed the toxin. … To this day, it is well known that just boil the Greenland shark meat many times, it will achieve the same result. After 3 – 6 months, when the fish goes through a freezing cycle, they dig up and hang the carcass in the wind, for at least 9 months. In the end, just cut off the brown skin, take the white flesh inside, and we have a local specialty called Hákarl However, when trying to eat Hákarl many people say that it “tastes of nightmares” with a scent like urine, rotten cheese. Going back to the deep ocean, the Greenland sea monster also has another strange feature, that is, they are all blind … As a curse, this shark gets attached to the eye by the copepoda parasite, damaging the lens layer In return, Greenland sharks have a sharp sense of smell, can smell prey from extremely far distances. After all, it doesn’t matter much to not seeing anything on the undersea of ​​the sea. Until now, this sea monster is still an interesting research topic for scientists around the world.

Beluga sturgeon – a monument to the cold water fisheries There are many types of sturgeon and the world today records about 21 known species, of which the Beluga is the most special one. If sturgeon is a symbol of the cold-water fish industry, Beluga is honored as a monument by its high class, super rare and enormous size. The Beluga is the oldest fish from the dinosaur era (with an estimated 200 million years old) and is one of the oldest extant genus of fish. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has classified Beluga sturgeon conservation status as critically endangered and is on the list in need of strong protection under the Bern Convention. Beluga – “sea monster” fresh water has a long lifespan of up to 150 years. Beluga sturgeon has an average weight of males from 1,100 to 1,600 kg, and females from 700 to 1,200 kg. The largest Beluga ever recorded was 6 m long and weighed 3,200 kg (Berg 1948, Birstein 1993, Freedman 1999). The number of people who have the opportunity to enjoy the Beluga sturgeon in Vietnam is only counted on their fingers because there has never been any place in Vietnam that can raise this fish. In addition to its super giant shape, rareness in the conservation state, Beluga sturgeon is also considered a million dollar fish because of its outstanding nutritional value. Beluga sturgeon is delicious, firm but not hard, soft, but not friable and highly nutritious with many vitamins and minerals that are very good for health, brain and beauty, especially the bigger the fish, the better it will be. the more fresh and delicious the meat. However, nowadays, the number of people who have the opportunity to enjoy this super fish meat in Vietnam is only counted on their fingers because up to now, there is no place in Vietnam that can raise Beluga. In particular, Beluga sturgeon eggs have a very high economic value, up to 10,000 USD / kg, in the top 10 most luxurious dishes on the planet. On average, a large female sturgeon can produce up to 30 kg of eggs, during the breeding season it can reach up to 230,000 to 1 million eggs depending on body size. However, only a few will survive to become an adult sturgeon. Therefore, they are very urgently hunted, leading to the danger of extinction. Revealing the owner of million dollar fish Close-up of Beluga sturgeon at a fish farm in Son La. Beluga is a fish that can only survive in natural conditions in temperate lands. Especially, this fish can only live in a clean environment with circulating water and relatively deep water levels. In polluted environments, Beluga will always suffer from chronic stress resulting in extremely small survival (estimated at 0.1%). Since it is not possible to keep Beluga in a cement or composite tank system, breeding this fish is currently facing many challenges even around the world. Therefore, the discovery of Beluga fish at a fish farm in Son La made many people surprised and excited. Through research, it is known that this business is not the only unit in Vietnam that owns Beluga, but now their total herd of super fish has reached 40,000, with a weight ranging from 15-30 kg. , especially fish weighing up to 80 kg and are present on 5 farms across the country. Public opinion was surprised by the information that a domestic company owns a total of 40,000 Beluga fish. This has a very important significance in preserving the ancient fish on the edge of extinction in the world, identifying Vietnam on the cold water fish agricultural map but also opening up great economic potential of this industry. The breeding and farming of the world’s super-rare fish completely “Made in Vietnam” has great significance, especially in the context that the Vietnamese sturgeon background is at risk of “breaking the game” by the attack of Chinese sturgeon. . Many people search for information about the fish farm for a chance to enjoy the million dollar fish. After the image of Beluga appeared on social media, many people searched for information about the fish farms of this business, wishing to have a chance to enjoy the million dollar fish. However, because it is difficult to propagate and nurture in Vietnam, this enterprise has not yet widely distributed to the market.