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XP Music Conference Paves Way for New Phase in Saudi Arabia, Middle East

XP Music Conference Paves Way for New Phase in Saudi Arabia, Middle East
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XP Music Conference Paves Way for New Phase in Saudi Arabia, Middle East

XP Music Conference Paves Way for New Phase in Saudi Arabia, Middle East

Music makers, professional musicians, and fans from around the world have gathered in Riyadh to participate in the XP Music Conference aimed at improving the future of the music industry in the Middle East.

The conference hosts prominent figures, and representatives of many brands, publishers, governmental and non-governmental organizations, event planning companies, entrepreneurs, and specialized media outlets.

The event focuses on four main sectors to promote the music industry in the region, including talents development, expansion of the musical scene, establishment of the right policies, and the social impact.

The talents development sector consists of 12 activities that discuss major topics such as components of original content, journey to professionalism, and the latest techniques in the industry.

The conference kicked off with a live performance, followed by a discussion panel that explores success pillars in the music world, such as education, technological innovation, and investment. It also discusses the different cultural challenges that hinder professionalism in the music industry.

The conference emphasizes the importance of talents sponsorship and looks into various topics like the latest production platforms, tools, and innovations that can support emerging talents in the music world.

Day programs focus on cultural content, while the evening programs feature special activities in collaboration with regional event planning brands and prominent artists from different sectors. With this variety in programs, the conference has served as a platform that promotes local and regional event planning brands.

The development of the musical scene sector includes 19 activities centering on night life, creative tourism, media, and copyrights, in addition to discussing the role of music in enhancing the presence of Riyadh in the global music sector, and the importance of using music to promote heritage.

The discussion panels also highlight the role of social media in supporting musical talents, and the development of tools promoting the sector on the economic level in the kingdom and the region.

The social impact sector includes nine activities covering diverse topics like wellbeing, equality, social justice, and sustainability. It also explores the means to host successful events in partnership with the public health institutions, as well as many stories related to the empowerment of female musicians in emerging markets, and how to build a sustainable eco-friendly tourism example in the music sector in the Middle East.

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Scientists Seek Miracle Pill to Stop Methane Cow Burps

A cow that's part of study on reducing methane emitted by cow burps stands in an exclosure at UC Davis in Davis, California on October 23, 2024. (AFP)
A cow that's part of study on reducing methane emitted by cow burps stands in an exclosure at UC Davis in Davis, California on October 23, 2024. (AFP)
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Scientists Seek Miracle Pill to Stop Methane Cow Burps

A cow that's part of study on reducing methane emitted by cow burps stands in an exclosure at UC Davis in Davis, California on October 23, 2024. (AFP)
A cow that's part of study on reducing methane emitted by cow burps stands in an exclosure at UC Davis in Davis, California on October 23, 2024. (AFP)

A scientist guides a long tube into the mouth and down to the stomach of Thing 1, a two-month-old calf that is part of a research project aiming to prevent cows from burping methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

Paulo de Meo Filho, a postdoctoral researcher at University of California, Davis, is part of an ambitious experiment aiming to develop a pill to transform cow gut bacteria so it emits less or no methane.

While the fossil fuel industry and some natural sources emit methane, cattle farming has become a major climate concern due to the sheer volume of the cows' emissions.

"Almost half of the increase in (global) temperature that we've had so far, it's been because of methane," said Ermias Kebreab, an animal science professor at UC Davis.

Methane, the second largest contributor to climate change after carbon dioxide, breaks down faster than CO2 but is more potent.

"Methane lives in the atmosphere for about 12 years" unlike carbon dioxide which persists for centuries, Kebreab said.

"If you start reducing methane now, we can actually see the effect on the temperature very quickly."

Filho uses the tube to extract liquid from Thing 1's rumen -- the first stomach compartment containing partially digested food.

Using the rumen liquid samples, the scientists are studying the microbes that convert hydrogen into methane, which is not digested by the cow but instead burped out.

A single cow will burp roughly 220 pounds (100 kilograms) of the gas annually.

- 'Social critters' -

Thing 1 and other calves receive a seaweed-supplemented diet to reduce methane production.

Scientists hope to achieve similar results by introducing genetically modified microbes that soak up hydrogen, starving methane-producing bacteria at the source.

However, the team proceeds cautiously.

"We can't just simply cut down methane production by removing" methane-making bacteria, as hydrogen could accumulate to the point of harming the animal, warned Matthias Hess, who runs the UC Davis lab.

"Microbes are kind of social critters. They really like to live together," he said.

"The way they interact and affect each other impacts the overall function of the ecosystem."

Hess's students test different formulas in bioreactors, vessels that reproduce microorganisms' living conditions in a stomach from movements to temperature.

- More productive cows -

The project is being carried out at UC Davis as well as UC Berkeley's Innovative Genomics Institute (IGI).

IGI scientists are trying to identify the right microbe -- the one they hope to genetically alter to supplant methane-producing microbes.

The modified microorganisms will then be tested at UC Davis in the lab and in the animals.

"Not only are we trying to reduce methane emissions, but you also increase the feed efficiency," said Kebreab.

"Hydrogen and methane, they are both energy, and so if you reduce that energy and redirect it to something else... we have a better productivity and lower emissions at the same time."

The ultimate goal is a single-dose treatment administered early in life, since most cattle graze freely and can't receive daily supplements.

The three research teams have been given $70 million and seven years to achieve a breakthrough.

Kebreab has long studied sustainable livestock practices and pushes back against calls to reduce meat consumption to save the planet.

While acknowledging this might work for healthy adults in developed nations, he pointed to countries like Indonesia, where the government is seeking to increase meat and dairy production because 20 percent of children under five suffer from stunted growth.

"We can't tell them to not eat meat," he said.