TikTok Ban, Whale Menopause, and Pi Day Origins

TikTok Ban Heads to Senate

The US House of Representatives voted 352-65 yesterday to ban TikTok in the US unless its Chinese-based parent company, Bytedance, divests the popular social video network's US operations within six months. The bill's prospects in the Senate are unclear, though President Joe Biden has said he would sign the bill should it pass.

The legislation is rooted in long-standing concerns from US officials that China could access the personal data of American users of the app—like browsing history, location, or biometrics. Fueling this worry is China's 2017 National Intelligence Law, which requires Chinese businesses to cooperate with national intelligence efforts. A ban would significantly disrupt TikTok's 170 million US monthly active users and 5 million businesses, likely pushing them and advertisers to competitors Meta, Google, and Snap.

A federal judge blocked a Montana state ban on TikTok in November over concerns it infringed on First Amendment speech rights. The ban proposal comes on the heels of TikTok's worst quarter for annual user growth in company history. 

The Key to a Long (Whale) Life

Menopause may play a key role in significantly extending the life span of certain species of whales, according to new research published yesterday. The work also sheds light on the evolutionary origins of the biological process, a question that has vexed scientists for years.

Most mammals remain fertile throughout their life span, allowing them to maximize their number of offspring. Only humans, chimpanzees, and five species of whales are known to experience menopause—the physiological process marking the end of a mammal's ability to reproduce (watch 101). The study revealed female whales that experience menopause outlive similar-sized, nonmenopausal whale species by as much as 40 years, sometimes reaching into their 80s.    

Observations suggest the process allows post-reproductive females to protect and care for younger and midlife relatives without producing new offspring to compete for resources. Researchers speculated the phenomenon confers evolutionary advantages in species living within complex social structures—behaviors exhibited by both chimps and humans.  

Nigeria Kidnappings

Nigerian kidnappers have demanded over $600K for the release of over 280 students taken hostage last week. At least 500 people have been kidnapped over the past two weeks in a crisis that has become increasingly common since the 2014 kidnapping by Boko Haram.

Last week, armed men stormed a school in Kuriga, a town in northern Nigeria, kidnapping over 280 students aged 8-15 (read one student's story). The attack was followed by the kidnapping of 15 schoolboys in northwestern Sokoto, and after more than 200 people were kidnapped in northeastern Borno.

The kidnappings may not be related; Islamist militant groups are active in the northeast, while rogue gangs have adopted hostage-for-ransom tactics across the north. It’s a criminal enterprise believed to yield upward of $5M to militants and gangs in recent years as Nigeria's military fails to cement control. An estimated 4,000 people were reportedly kidnapped last year.

Next month will mark 10 years since Islamist group Boko Haram kidnapped 276 schoolgirls in northeastern Chibok, sparking the #BringBackOurGirls campaign. Today, almost 100 remain unaccounted for. Read an overview.

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