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Study Sheds Light on Origin of Australia's Odd Echidna

A team of scientists believe many of the echidna's unusual traits were first developed millions of years ago when its ancestors splashed through the water. ROMEO GACAD / AFP
A team of scientists believe many of the echidna's unusual traits were first developed millions of years ago when its ancestors splashed through the water. ROMEO GACAD / AFP
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Study Sheds Light on Origin of Australia's Odd Echidna

A team of scientists believe many of the echidna's unusual traits were first developed millions of years ago when its ancestors splashed through the water. ROMEO GACAD / AFP
A team of scientists believe many of the echidna's unusual traits were first developed millions of years ago when its ancestors splashed through the water. ROMEO GACAD / AFP

Australia's burrowing echidna evolved from a water-dwelling ancestor in an "extremely rare" biological event, scientists said Tuesday in a new study of the peculiar egg-laying mammals.

With powerful digging claws, protective spikes and highly sensitive beaks, echidnas are well suited to a life shuffling through the forest undergrowth, AFP said.

But a team of Australian and international scientists believe many of the echidna's unusual traits were first developed millions of years ago when its ancestors splashed through the water.

"We're talking about a semiaquatic mammal that gave up the water for a terrestrial existence," said paleontologist Suzanne Hand, from the University of New South Wales.

"While that would be an extremely rare event, we think that's what happened with echidnas."

Echidnas and another Australian oddity, the semi-aquatic platypus, are believed to have evolved from a common ancestor called Kryoryctes cadburyi that lived in Australia more than 100 million years ago.

Researchers studied the single known bone fragment left by this ancestor, which was discovered among a trove of fossils at Dinosaur Cove in southern Australia some 30 years ago.

Platypus bones were similar to this ancient ancestor, Hand said, with a thick and heavy structure that provided ballast for diving.

Echidnas, in comparison, had very thin bone walls that made it easier to walk on land, Hand said.

This indicated echidnas were descended from a water-dwelling ancestor but had evolved to live on land, the research found.

It was far more common for prehistoric mammals to go from land to water, Hand said, pointing towards seals, whales, dolphins and dugongs.

The researchers said these findings appeared to be supported by other echidna traits.

Echidnas have backward-facing hind feet that help them shift mounds of soil when burrowing.

These feet may have first developed as rudders helping the echidna's ancestor navigate fast-moving waterways, Hand said.

Echidnas also have a "diving reflex" when submerged in water, which tells their body to conserve oxygen helping them hold their breath for longer.

Echidnas and platypus are monotremes, a rare group of mammals that lay eggs instead of live young.

"We're hoping we'll discover other ancestral monotremes that will help unravel the early history of this most fascinating group of mammals," said study co-author Michael Archer.

The research was published in peer-reviewed journal PNAS.

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China to Ban Hidden Car Door Handles, Setting New Safety Standards

From next year, cars sold in China will need to have door handles with mechanical releases following safety concerns with aerodynamic doors. Hector RETAMAL / AFP/File
From next year, cars sold in China will need to have door handles with mechanical releases following safety concerns with aerodynamic doors. Hector RETAMAL / AFP/File
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China to Ban Hidden Car Door Handles, Setting New Safety Standards

From next year, cars sold in China will need to have door handles with mechanical releases following safety concerns with aerodynamic doors. Hector RETAMAL / AFP/File
From next year, cars sold in China will need to have door handles with mechanical releases following safety concerns with aerodynamic doors. Hector RETAMAL / AFP/File

China will ban hidden door handles on cars from next year over safety concerns, phasing out the minimalist design popularized by Tesla.

The new rules could prompt carmakers globally to rethink vehicle-door designs as China increasingly positions itself as a standards-setter in the rapidly expanding international EV market, according to analysts.

The rules, announced by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on Monday will take effect from January 1, 2027, and require door handles to have both interior and exterior mechanical releases.

Chinese car models already approved for launch will have an additional two years to achieve compliance, the ministry said.

The new regulations will apply to all vehicles but will mostly impact EVs, which are commonly designed with hidden handles, and will "improve the level of automotive safety design", the ministry added.

Safety concerns have risen in China recently over sleek, aerodynamic car doors that reduce drag but are prone to losing operability in the event of a crash.

One high-profile incident occurred in October, when rescuers were shown failing to open the doors of a burning Xiaomi electric vehicle in the southwestern city of Chengdu.

The driver, reported to be under the influence of alcohol, died in the crash.

Electronic or "flush" door handles were introduced with Tesla's 2012 launch of the Model S, later becoming popular with Chinese EV brands prioritizing high-tech features.

Folding into the body of the car, such door handles provide a slight boost to efficiency by reducing drag while the vehicle is in motion.

Banning the handles is part of a pattern in which "China is increasingly acting as a rule-setter rather than a rule-taker in EV and intelligent vehicle regulation," Bill Russo, founder of Shanghai-based consultancy Automobility, told AFP.

He pointed to areas including battery safety standards and remote updating as other examples of this.

Russo said he expects the new door regulations to be "echoed" abroad, particularly in Europe, "as Chinese vehicles and platforms increasingly set the baseline for global EV design".

The new rules stipulate that all doors except the tailgate "shall be equipped with a mechanical release exterior door handle".

Other rules will improve the visibility of interior handles, including by requiring permanent graphic markings, the ministry said.

China is the world's largest EV market, and its dozens of brands have growing operations abroad.

Statistics published last month showed that Chinese firm BYD last year sold more EVs than Tesla, overtaking the US industry pioneer in the annual category for the first time.

China's status as the world's largest passenger vehicle market means the country is "informally" setting global standards, Tu Le, founder of Sino Auto Insights, told AFP.

The new rules on door handles mean that "for companies like Tesla, Kia and other legacy automakers that sell their vehicles in multiple regions, they'll need to decide whether to make the change to the China product only or implement it globally," Le said.

"It's likely a pain for quite a few automakers since some of them have global designs that will need to be reconciled," he added.

Varieties

Teen Swims Four Hours to Save Family Lost at Sea off Australia

Manly Beach in Australia. (Getty Images)
Manly Beach in Australia. (Getty Images)
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Teen Swims Four Hours to Save Family Lost at Sea off Australia

Manly Beach in Australia. (Getty Images)
Manly Beach in Australia. (Getty Images)

Rescuers praised a teenage boy's "superhuman" survival instincts after he swam four hours through choppy waters off Australia to find help for his family.

The 13-year-old boy swam four kilometers (2.5 miles) back to shore to raise the alarm after his mother and two younger siblings were swept out to sea while kayaking and paddleboarding near the Western Australian tourist town of Quindalup.

Marine rescue volunteer Paul Bresland said the teenager's four-hour swim saved his family, who were eventually found clinging to a paddleboard in the open ocean.

"He swam, he reckons, the first two hours with a life jacket on," Bresland told national broadcaster ABC.

"And the brave fella thought he's not going to make it with a life jacket on, so he ditched it, and he swam the next two hours without a life jacket.

"I thought, mate, that is incredible," said Bresland, describing the boy's efforts as "superhuman".

Police inspector James Bradley said the boy's actions "cannot be praised highly enough".

"His determination and courage ultimately saved the lives of his mother and siblings," he told the ABC.

Varieties

Snakebites Kill 50,000 People Every Year in India

Healthcare workers in India face challenges administering antivenom - the life-saving antibodies that neutralize toxins in venom. (Getty Images)
Healthcare workers in India face challenges administering antivenom - the life-saving antibodies that neutralize toxins in venom. (Getty Images)
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Snakebites Kill 50,000 People Every Year in India

Healthcare workers in India face challenges administering antivenom - the life-saving antibodies that neutralize toxins in venom. (Getty Images)
Healthcare workers in India face challenges administering antivenom - the life-saving antibodies that neutralize toxins in venom. (Getty Images)

Devendra, who was a farmer in India, still remembers the moment a snake sank its fangs into his leg while he was picking mulberry leaves.

“I went to the hospital four days after I was bitten, when the pain became unbearable. But the delay cost me my leg,” he said in a short film released by Global Snakebite Taskforce (GST), an initiative working to reduce deaths and injuries by snakebites, reported the BBC.

But Devendra is still among the lucky few to have survived.

According to the federal government, around 50,000 Indians are killed by snakebites each year - roughly half of all deaths worldwide. Some estimates suggest the toll could be even higher: between 2000 and 2019, India may have seen as many as 1.2 million deaths, an average of 58,000 per year, a 2020 study said.

Now, a new report by GST has found that 99% of healthcare workers in India face challenges administering antivenom - the life-saving antibodies that neutralize toxins in venom.

Researchers surveyed 904 medical professionals across India, Brazil, Indonesia and Nigeria, the countries most affected by snakebites, and found similar barriers: poor infrastructure, limited access to antivenom and insufficient training.

In 2017, the World Health Organization (WHO) formally listed snakebite envenoming or poisoning as a “highest priority neglected tropical disease” because of the high number of deaths caused by it. An estimated 5.4 million people worldwide are bitten by snakes each year and more than 100,000 die from annually, according to the WHO.

It also states that snakebites disproportionately affect poor rural communities in low and middle-income countries.

In India, a high concentration of snakebite deaths and injuries are reported in the central and eastern regions, said Dr. Yogesh Jain, a GST member and practitioner in the central Chhattisgarh state. He added that people working in farms, including those from poor tribal communities, remain most vulnerable.

In 2024, India launched the National Action Plan for Prevention and Control of Snakebite Envenoming (NAPSE) with the aim to halve snakebite deaths by 2030. The plan focuses on better surveillance, improved antivenom availability and research, enhanced medical capacity and public awareness campaigns.

Experts agree it is a step in the right direction, but implementation has been inconsistent.

“In India, snakebites are seen as a poor person's problem,” Jain said. “That's why there isn't enough outrage or action over these completely avoidable deaths. When it comes to treating snakebites, every second counts.”