‘Himalayan Viagra’ under threat from climate change

BOSTON: A parasitic fungus that is more valuable than gold, and is nicknamed “Himalayan Viagra” due to its demand as an impotence cure, could vanish if current harvesting and climate trends continue, according to a study using data from four nations, including India. The fungus, Ophiocordyceps sinensis, survives by preying on ghost moth caterpillars in the highest reaches of the Himalayas. Demand for the fungus as an aphrodisiac, impotence cure and remedy for the deadly SARS virus helped to jumpstart a global trade, researchers said. PTI

Hounsou to play Peace Nobel winner Mukwege in ‘Panzi’

Mumbai: Oscar-nominated actor Djimon Hounsou is set to portray the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize winner Denis Mukwege in biopic “Panzi”. The film will be helmed by actor-turned-director Marie-Helene Roux, reported Variety.  Mukwege is a prominent Congolese gynecologist who founded the Panzi Hospital in Bukavu, where for decades he has been treating thousands of women who have been raped by armed rebels. He was jointly awarded this year’s Nobel Peace Prize with Iraqi Yazidi human rights activist Nadia Murad for “their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict”. PTI

World’s oldest shipwreck found in Black Sea

Bulgaira: The remains of an ancient Greek trading ship lies on the sea bed at the bottom of the Black Sea near Bulgaira. An ancient Greek trading ship dating back more than 2,400 years has been found virtually intact at the bottom of the Black Sea. The ship was dated back to 400 BC, a time when the Black Sea was a trading hub filled with Greek colonies. AFP