Raising An AI Pet

"When it comes to data-privacy concerns, the core problem is that the public has very little transparency into what companies are actually doing."

"If you're having highly personal conversations, [with these sweet and cuddly AI toy-companions] there are companies on the other end that are doing the listening and the talking."

R.J. Cross, director, consumer privacy campaign, U.S. Public Interest Research Group

 

"[AI companion toys ranked at No. 9 in official] Top 10 Products of the Year [list in 2025]."

"After all, they not only look cute but also speak nicely."

"They have already outperformed 90 percent of human partners."

Taobao online shopping platform, China 

Zhou Yushu, co-founder of ROPET and a professor at Renmin University of China, poses for photos with AI pet products he has developed, in Beijing, capital of China, May 23, 2025. (Xinhua/Ma Sijia)

"As an extension of traditional pets, AI companions offer stickiness and sustainability."

"Annual compound growth rate has exceeded 8 percent in recent years, and forecasts indicate it could reach 10 percent over the next five years."

Professor Wei Xiang,  University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences  

AI companion pets are the latest consumer sensation out of China where young people have taken to talking pets with no need of being taken for walks nor the routine of messy clean-ups afterward, taking the place of marriage. The digital creatures have become comfort companions, replacing human-to-human interaction; an emotional safety net that owners can confide in without fear of their inner thoughts being broadcast about a circle of friends potentially causing embarrassment and requiring explanations.

AI pets have endeared themselves mostly to young, unattached adults as well as to children. Chinese tech-producing companies including Huawei have designed and developed AI pets with young Chinese who live alone specifically in mind as pet-consumers of the AI-variety. Most of the 'pets' have a fluffy body with large, expressive eyes that light up and have the appearance of emotional expression. Their proliferation has state support within a tightly integrated industrial supply mechanism.

 

The Shenzhen Toy Industry Association projects the AI toy market in China is set to surpass US$1.4 billion by year 2030 at an annual compound growth rate of over 70 percent. This is big business under the umbrella of the state as an experiment in social engineering manipulation that may restore a level of emotional satisfaction and fulfillment absent in a social aura of discontent over economic stability linked to difficulties in securing life partners and establishing families.

Ropet robotic pets mimic the behaviour of a real animal. They require regular feeding and make grumbling sounds when hungry. If you present it with fruits like apples, oranges, or bananas, its eyes—two LED screens—light up with images of food, making interactions with it more enjoyable. PHOTO: CHINA DAILY

 

AI toys with distinct personalities are being offered, such as digital pets by the Shanghai-based tech company Robopoet where, in Las Vegas last month, Fuzozo made its U.S. debut, dubbed the CES event's 'cutest' renditions of 'tech'. Attendees crowded around the show floor to experiment with the palm-size devices to test their responses in various languages, witness how they wobble and briefly appear 'dizzy' when shaken. Two units placed in proximity can communicate with one another for the amused appreciation of onlookers.

 

Most AI toy owners are women in their 20s and 30s who share their experiences on Chinese social media platforms. Female users on Rednote speak of their pets filling an emotional void: "Other people are getting married and giving birth; I'm already raising an AI pet". Moreover, one that can express joy with widened eyes. While real living pets come with real-life problems, AI pets present none of those tedious responsibility burdens.

 

AI pets are considered part of the 'emotional economy', steadily rising in popularity. "This is exactly the need AI pets currently meet: providing emotional companionship along with minimal caregiving costs", pointed out Qi Ye, associate professor of psychology, Renmin University, Beijing. Urban younger generations weighted by the struggle for good grades, find good jobs settle down and have multiple children, find the AI-toy companion trend particularly resonating to their emotional needs.

Zhang Yachun talking to her AI-powered robot named Aluo, AFP

Lapsed START Treaty ... World Doomsday Clock

89 SecsMidnight Doomsday Clock

"The last nuclear arms control deal between the United States and Russia is set to expire today— [Feb.5] though eleventh-hour talks are reportedly working to prolong it. Unnamed sources told Axios the two countries were weighing an extension of the New START treaty, which limits the size of both countries’ nuclear arsenals and provides for inspections and information exchanges. Russia had halted inspections in 2023 in response to U.S. military support for Ukraine, and Trump did not formally respond to a proposal from Moscow last September to extend the treaty for a year. As China expands its own nuclear arsenal and U.S. allies in Europe question the reliability of Washington’s nuclear umbrella as a deterrent, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said yesterday that “the risk of a nuclear weapon being used is the highest in decades.”   

"Details on the reported talks to extend the deal were not immediately available. In January, Trump had told the New York Times that the United States would seek “a better agreement” than New START that should also include China. A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said yesterday that it would not be fair for Beijing to join nuclear disarmament talks given its nuclear arsenal was smaller than the United States’. Russia said it remained open to diplomacy to “comprehensively stabilize the strategic situation” and that it regretted the lapse of the deal."

Council on Foreign Relations  

"[Trump has made it clear that] in order to have true arms control in the 21st century, it's impossible to do something that doesn't include China because of their vast and growing stockpile."

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio

 

"[Russia will maintain its] responsible, thorough approach to stability when it comes to nuclear weapons."

"Of course, it will be guided primarily by its national interests."

Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesman

 

"[Moscow] remains ready to take decisive military-technical measures to counter potential additional threats to the national security."

"At the same time, our country remains open to seeking political diplomatic ways to comprehensively stabilize the strategic situation on the basis of equal and mutually beneficial dialogue solutions, if the appropriate conditions for such cooperation are shaped."

Russian Foreign Ministry   

An unarmed Trident II D5 missile is test-launched from the Ohio-class U.S. Navy ballistic missile submarine USS Nebraska off the coast of Californi-a, U.S. March 26, 2018. U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Ronald Gutridge/Reuters

 

"If the president supports, or is willing to tolerate, the prospect of nuclear proliferation by allies, a post-American nuclear order may materialize quickly…Such an outcome would rapidly accelerate Trump’s push to shift defense burdens to allies by diminishing their reliance on U.S. conventional and nuclear deterrence."

"But in doing so, it would also undercut the United States’ influence over allied policies while creating significant new nuclear risks."

Rebecca Lissner/Erin D. Dumbacher, CFR experts, Foreign Policy 

The last remaining nuclear arms pact between Russia and the United States has now expired, leaving no limits on the atomic arsenals of the two largest holders of atomic arms in the world, for the first time in over a half-century. Termination of the New START Treaty took place on Thursday, February 5, 2026, leading arms control experts to the opinion that an unconstrained nuclear arms race may now proceed.

Last year, at a similar expiration juncture, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated his readiness to cement the limits the treaty imposes for another year, should Washington agree. This year, American President Donald Trump appears noncommittal-to-indifferent over extending the Treaty once again, indicating he is holding out for China to become an integral third-party of a new pact. Beijing's response to that expectation was a clear 'not interested'.  

The pact's expiration occasioned President Putin to discuss the matter with Chinese President Xi Jinping the day before the treaty expired, emphasizing the U.S. failure in responding positively to Mr. Putin's recommended overture for another extension for the limitations, emphasizing that Russia "will act in a balanced the responsible manner based on thorough analysis of the security situation".

With the expiration of the New START, the United States and Russia reached an agreement to re-establish high-level military-to-military dialogue following a meeting between senior officials representing both sides that took place in Abu Dhabi, according to the U.S. military command in Europe. New START restricted each side to no greater numbers than 1,550 nuclear warheads on no more than 700 missiles and bombers.

The treaty was signed by then-U.S. president Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev, his Russian counterpart, in 2010. The treaty was originally meant to expire in 2021, but had been extended on mutual agreement for an additional five years -- now elapsed. 

"Today, I can reveal that the U.S. Government is aware that China has conducted nuclear explosive tests, including preparing for tests with designated yields in the hundreds of tons."

“China conducted one such yield producing nuclear test on June 22 of 2020,” he said, without providing further details. A former senior US official told CNN that information about China’s 2020 test had been declassified.

"[The Chinese military sought] to conceal testing by obfuscating the nuclear explosions because it recognized these tests violate test ban commitments."

"China has used decoupling – a method to decrease the effectiveness of seismic monitoring – to hide their activities from the world."

U.S. Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Thomas DiNanno  

Land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles at V-day ceremony Tienanmen Square, Beijing, September 3, 2025. Getty Images

Law and Order Impeded by Rogue Police

"It is alleged that these officers have demonstrated varying degrees of criminality and associations to criminal networks."

"We are alleging that some police officers were collecting personal and private information unlawfully and distributing it to members of organized crime, which ultimately resulted in serious harm in our communities."

"[Criminals sought and obtained] confidential information from various Toronto police officers. In some cases, police officers were offered bribes for this information." 

Deputy Chief Ryan Hogan, York Regional Police

 

"In all, three officers and one retired officer have been charged with offences related to unlawful queries and the distribution of confidential, personal information."

"Four officers face bribery charges in connection to this operation." 

"[A plan was uncovered to] support the operation of illegal cannabis dispensaries by accepting bribes to obstruct any possible enforcement action to be taken at those locations."

York Regional Police

 

"[This is] a painful and unsettling moment."

"I was not provided an opportunity to make investigative decisions [impacting] the speed and flow of the investigation."

Toronto Police Service Chief Myron Demkiw  

From left to right: Toronto Police Service Chief Myron Demkiw, York Regional Police Chief Jim MacSween and York Regional Police Deputy Chief Ryan Hogan. The three men spoke at a press conference on Feb. 5, 2026, to announce the arrest of seven Toronto police officers and one retired Toronto officer. York Regional Police

 

An investigation of Toronto police officers of some months' duration was finally wrapped up when an investigation into a conspiracy to commit murder, led to the arrest of seven of Toronto's police officers and a retired officer. Ranging in age from 24 to 57 years, the officers were suspended from duty; in the case of four of those charged, suspension without pay is being sought in reflection of the serious nature of the charges.

 

One officer's charges include drug trafficking (MDMA, cocaine, Oxycodone, Adderall and Xanax) along with trafficking property obtained by crime, leading to a total of 17 charges. A total of eight charges were levied against another officer who faces charges including breach of trust and possession of a prohibited weapon. The investigation led as well to the arrest of another 19 suspects.

 

A conspiracy to murder a member of corrections management working at an Ontario facility was uncovered in June of 2025, which led to the investigation being initiated. Over a 36-hour period, suspects appeared at the targeted man's home on three occasions. Evidence is lacking, according to police, that the corrections member had been involved in criminal activity of any kind. Speculation is that his "commitment to integrity in his position" may have led to his being targeted.  

 

Security camera footage shows a gunman entering a Toronto pub during a mass shooting in March 2025 that was linked to tow truck industry violence. Toronto police arrested 10 people in connection with the incident. (CBC News: The National)

 

Surveillance footage revealed three masked men returning to the residence armed with a loaded handgun, likely intending to commit murder. A vehicle was rammed by the suspects into a police cruiser where officers tasked to protect the victim were at the scene in response to discovering the man had become a target. It was there and then that the three suspects were arrested.

 

Police allege that a Toronto police officer had accessed confidential information unlawfully relating to the victim, giving it to a key figure within a criminal network who forwarded the information on within the network. At a later time, three other suspects who were part of the murder plot were also arrested. A number of serious criminal acts were identified by police which included seven shootings in York Region. A suspect could be seen shooting in residential neighbourhoods in one surveillance video.

 

 Police uncovered a plan led by a key figure in the criminal network to "support the operation of illegal cannabis dispensaries by accepting bribes to obstruct any possible enforcement action to be taken at those locations". One of the criminals the investigation revealed was affiliated with the tow  truck industry, long plagued with violence and extortion in the Greater Toronto Area linked to a turf war. Over $4.2 million in assets and over a dozen arrests took place in last year's industry crackdown. 

 

Toronto Police Service Chief Myron Demkiw came to the defence of involvement by the Toronto police in the investigation, brushing aside allegations that it represented a conflict of interest since the investigation was led by York Regional Police. The charged officers represented four different divisions within the Toronto Police Service. The retired officer had been a member of the Emergency Management Unit. Arrested with him was his son, both suspects in the investigation of criminal activity. 

 

John Madeley Sr. (left) and John Madeley Jr. (right), the father and son accused in Project South, a seven-month-long investigation into organized crime and corruption.  CTV News

 

 

 

"Go Get Help!"

Austin, 13, recounts how he swam over two miles for four hours to get help for his mother and siblings who were stranded at sea.   ABC Australia

 

"The actions of the 13-year-old boy cannot be praised highly enough -- his determination and courage ultimately saved the lives of his mother and siblings."

"This incident is a reminder that ocean conditions can change rapidly."

"Thankfully, all three people were wearing life-jackets, which contributed to their survival." 

South West District off Inspector James Bradley, Australia

 

"I knew it would be a long way -- but the kayak kept taking in water, I was fighting rough seas."

"I was very puffed out but I couldn't feel how tired I was. The waves were massive."

"Just keep swimming, just keep swimming [he told himself]."

"I just said 'all right, not today, not today, not today'. I have to keep on going."

"I was thinking about mum, Beau and Grace. I was also thinking about my friends and my girlfriend -- I have a really good bunch of friends,."

"When I hit the floor I thought, how am I on land right now - is this a dream?"

"[Finally] I hit the bottom of the beach and I just collapsed."

13-year-old Austin Appelbee

 

"[It was] one of the hardest decisions I ever had to make. I knew he was the strongest and he could do it."

"I have three babies. All three of them made it. That was all that mattered."

"I had assumed Austin had made it a lot quicker than he had. As the day progressed, no vessels and nothing coming to save us."

"If he hasn't made it, what have I done, have I made the wrong decision, and is anyone going to come and save my other two?"

Joanne Appelbee, mother of three, Australia

The family was on holiday in Geographe Bay, Western Australia    Getty Images

 

An emergency call was received on Friday around 6:00 p.m. by Western Australia Police, alerting them that a woman and her two children had been swept out to sea in rough conditions. Joanne Appelbee had gone out with her three children on what had been a beautiful day to spend it  kayaking and paddleboarding in Geographe Bay, southwestern Australia off the coast of Quindalup. They hadn't reckoned with the sudden turn in the weather when conditions swiftly deteriorated and their joyous vacation turned into a dangerous situation. 

 

Joanne in fear of the situation she found herself and her three children in, vulnerable to an open sea that had suddenly turned rogue, made the difficult decision to remain where she was with 12-year-old Beau and daughter Grace, eight years old. She and the younger two children awaited rescue, clinging for eight hours in the roiling, wind-swept ocean to a paddleboard. Older son Austin was directed by his mother to set out on his own to make the perilous journey back to land where he could appeal for help for all of them.

 

Paddling off with his kayak in a determined effort to complete the mission assigned to him, knowing his success in reaching shore would mean the difference between life and death for his family, Austin encountered a number of decision-making imperatives that added to the stress he was under, but made those decisions and forced himself to complete a heroic journey, while taxing his strength and endurance to a point well beyond exhaustion. And when he had completed the initial portion of his feat of endurance, he continued on until his task was completed.

 

He described the failure of his kayak and the inevitable decision to abandon it. Instead swimming. And because his lifejacket constrained his movements, he abandoned it as well. As daylight faded and the conditions on the water became even more concerning, he swam for four kilometres alternating between a breaststroke, freestyle and survival backstroke for long distance energy-preservation. As he swam he made himself think of his family, his friends and his everyday life, pleasant thoughts that inspired him onward.

 

When he finally reached shore, stepping out of the water, there was no time to rest, to recuperate and regain some strength, since time was of the essence and so much depended on spurring a rescue operation for his family at sea. There was another kilometre left to challenge the completion of his mission. This time on land, he sprinted forward and onward where he found his mother's phone where they'd left their belongings, and called emergency services to report his family stranded at sea. Multiple maritime sea rescue services and a rescue helicopter were dispatched to locate and bring mother Joanne, younger son Beau and daughter Grace to safety.  

 

A map showing roughly where the family was found in Geographe Bay, and the wind speed. (ABC News)

 

"[Austin's survival was a] remarkable achievement." 

"He must be an accomplished swimmer, but even then, the water was cold enough to incapacitate him without unrelenting effort." 

"He was clearly driven on by the desire to save  his family -- this is a common and critical factor in such survival scenarios."

Mike Tipton, survival expert, professor of Human and Applied Physiology, University of Portsmouth, Britain  

Joanne and Austin with Beau, 12, and Grace, eight   ABC News/Briana Shepherd

 

Cognitive Capacity of Two-Month-Old Infants

"Parents and scientists have long wondered what goes on in a baby’s mind and what they actually see when they view the world around them. This research highlights the richness of brain function in the first year of life."

"Although at two months, infants’ communication is limited by a lack of language and fine motor control, their minds were already not only representing to how things look, but figuring out to which category they belonged."

"This shows that the foundations of visual cognition are already in place from very early on and much earlier than expected."

Dr. Cliona O'Doherty, Trinity Cusack Lab, Trinity College, London 

 

Baby Sadie with mum Donna at her 2-month Foundcog scan. Cusack Lab.  2026.

"This study represents the largest longitudinal study with functional magnetic resonance imaging [fMRI] of awake infants. The rich dataset capturing brain activity opens up a whole new way to measure what babies are thinking at a very early age. It also highlights the potential for neuroimaging and computational models to be used as a diagnostic tool in very young infants."

"Babies learn much more quickly than today’s AI models and by studying how they do this, we hope to inspire a new generation of AI models that learn more efficiently, so reducing their economic and environmental costs."

Rhodri Cusack, Thomas Mitchel Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience, School of Psychology, Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience 

 According to a newly published study, babies are able to distinguish between various objects they view at two months of age. Previously, scientists had no idea that such young infants had the mental acuity to make such distinctions. "It really tells us that infants are interacting with the world in a lot more complex of a way than we might imagine. Looking at a two-month-old, we maybe wouldn't think that they're understanding the world to that level", explained Dr. O'Doherty.

 

Data was studied taken from 130 two-month-old infants who, while awake, underwent brain scans, while viewing images commonly seen in the first year of life from a variety of categories, including trees and animals. Viewing an image such as that of a cat, the babies' brains might 'fire' in such a way that researchers were enabled to record the results. If they observed an inanimate object, the infants' brains would fire differently, indicating the infants' early capacity to differentiate something live from a static object.

 

The study technique, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), enabled scientists to closely examine visual function more accurately than could be done in the past. Previous studies tended to draw conclusions from observing how long an infant's gaze would be fixed on an object. It was thought from such observations that infants as young as three to four months could distinguish between live and inanimate categories -- as example, between animals and furniture.  

 

Baby Maeve Truzzi-Scott (right) attends her 2-month Foundcog scan with her mum, Dr Anna Truzzi (co-author), and her dad, Dr Ian Cecil Scott. Cusack Lab. 2026.

"Until recently, we could not reliably measure how specific areas of the infant brain interpreted visual information. By combining AI and neuroimaging, our study offers a very unique insight, which helps us to understand much more about how babies learn in their first year of life." 

"The first year is a period of rapid and intricate brain development. This study provides new foundational knowledge which will help guide early-years education, inform clinical support for neurodevelopmental conditions and inspire more biologically-grounded approaches in artificial intelligence."

Dr. Anna Truzzi, Queen’s University Belfast   

The study results were published in Nature Neuroscience. Such an interpretive advance in assessing the capacity of very young children to begin understanding the world around them will assuredly be of value to doctors and researchers in acknowledging the advanced speed of cognitive development in infancy.  The study lead author, Dr. O'Doherty from Trinity College Dublin in Ireland, explained the method of making the experience comfortable for participating babies.

 

To ensure the babies felt secure and the comfort of feeling snug prevailed as their reaction to pictorial exposure of objects and living creatures tested their differentiation capabilities, the babies were placed reclining on a bean bag. The images, pointed out Dr. O'Doherty "appear really big above them while they're lying down. It's like IMAX for babies". 

 

Baby Blaise attends her 9-month Foundcog scan with her mother Mary at Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience in Dublin, Ireland. (Cusack Lab via AP)

 

When Cold-Induced Dormancy in Reptiles is Life-Saving

"When temperatures drop and sustain to near-freezing or below, reptiles and amphibians, including non-native green iguanas, can go into a state of torpor, where they temporarily lose muscle control and appear 'frozen' -- sometimes even falling out of trees."

"Green iguanas cause  damage to residential and commercial landscape vegetation and are often considered a nuisance by property owners."

"Iguanas are attracted to trees with foliage or flowers, most fruits [except citrus] and almost any vegetable." 

"[They can also cause damage by digging burrows that] erode and collapse sidewalks, foundations, seawalls, berms and canal banks."

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission 

Cold-stunned iguanas may look dead, but they're just in a state of shock. (Cristobal Herrera/South Florida Sun Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Iguanas nonchalantly clutching tree trunks in Florida are a common sight. Not an unattractive sight by any means. The trees that grow in Florida are themselves out-of-the-ordinary in the view of northern dwellers, the addition of  iguanas that have proliferated since the 1960s as 'transplanted' (foreign-'invasive') species of reptiles add an extremely exotic touch. For those people not repulsed by the sight of reptiles, it can be fascinating watching the iguanas as they make their home in the Florida greenscape.

 

Originally from the temporal range of Central and South America as well as some areas of the Caribbean where they inhabit rainforest canopies adjacent to water sources, all it took for them to spread and adjust themselves to the forgiving climate of Florida was their sales potential for people looking for exotic pets sold through the pet trade in Hawaii, Florida and Texas. The Florida Everglades is trying to cope with a wide influx of Burmese pythons, following a similar route to introduction away from their native habitat.

 

Now Floridians are being introduced to a new phenomenon, finding iguanas dropping from the trees, appearing dead, as a result of an cold snap, unusual for frigid temperatures below freezing hitting the Sunshine State. Iguanas in trees, clinging to tree trunks with their clinging claws, a fairly normal, unremarkable sight. Those same iguanas dropping from the trees, appearing lifeless marks a startling abnormality. 

 

The FWC says residents can take advantage of Florida's freeze by transporting cold-stunned green iguanas to one of its facilities, no permit required, to be euthanized. (Saul Martinez/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Unusual and unwelcome plunging temperatures in Florida have made the difference as Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach have been assailed with record-low temperatures, plummeting to -1C. The most frigid temperatures in 15 years in South Florida. To address the issue of iguanas suddenly becoming vulnerable to the unaccustomed cold, an executive order was issued by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission giving permission to area residents to gather the cold-stunned creatures without a permit to transfer them to five designated FWC offices.

 

Green iguanas are recognized as an invasive species in Florida. Their presence has "adverse impacts on Florida's environment and economy", according to the Florida Wildlife Commission. Under normal circumstances, residents are not allowed to possess green iguanas without a permit, even for transportation purposes. Those residents who do trouble themselves to 'rescue' the iguanas by taking them to any available FWC facility are enabling their disposal, as they are destined to either be killed humanely or transferred for live animal sales -- presumably to be used as meat for iguana-dining-preparations.  

 

A green iguana enjoys fresh leafy greens. These reptiles have thrived in Florida's generally warm climate. (iStock)

 

Iguanas can reach impressive sizes in their maturity. Their life expectancy in the wild is up to ten years, but in captivity (maintained in a zoo or as a pet) they can live up to 19 years. Male iguanas have the potential of growing to five feet in length (including the tail) and can weigh up to 17 pounds. They can swim as semi-aquatic creatures in both saltwater and freshwater. They are able to accustom themselves to living in both rural and urban landscapes.

 

Ron Magill, Zoo Miami communications director, explains that the reptiles can revert to a lethargic state when temperatures fall below 10C. When nature steps in to provide an alternative state of protection through temporary musculature immobilization (semi-hibernation), to enable them to survive the cold, awaiting the return of more reptile-salubrious weather conditions.  

 

Green iguanas are an invasive species that threaten Florida's native wildlife and plants. (iStock) 

"When collecting live, cold-stunned green iguanas for removal, members of the public should wear protective gloves, pants and long-sleeved shirts to protect themselves from potential scratches." 

"The iguanas must be contained in a secure, escape-proof, cloth sack or bag. Only cloth sacks or bags may be used for primary containment to ensure breathability — and they must be securely closed shut." 

"Once transport has begun, collection bags or sacks must remain closed or sealed until they are transferred to FWC staff." 

"This is to both keep the iguanas from escaping into a new location and to prevent the iguanas from getting loose in your vehicle if they start to recover from torpor."

"Iguanas can recover from cold-stunning more quickly than you might expect and, once recovered, can act defensively, with long tails that whip and sharp teeth and claws."

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission 

 

Terra Nullius, Svalbard: Cold Shore

"Norway now finds itself in the most serious security situation since 1945."

"[Svalbard has for too long been seen by nations as a place where] everyone who wants to can come up and do almost whatever they want."

"That's not the fact. This is Norwegian sovereign territory. So we're making that a bit clearer."

Eivind Vad Petersson State Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Norway 

The Svalbard Archipelago   Photo: Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP via Getty Images

 

Following World War 1, Norway's claim to the Arctic archipelago and its islands was officially recognized. The Svalbard Treaty of 1920 banned the presence of activity linked to the military while granting all other nations choosing to sign on to the agreed-upon treaty access to hunting, fishing, mining and land ownership. Over the years, close to fifty countries added their names to the treaty which allowed them access.

 

Of late, studies of the geology of Svalbard and the ocean floor surrounding it have identified vast amounts of copper, zinc, cobalt, lithium and rare earth elements buried in the ocean floor. These are eagerly-sought-after minerals that power electric car battery technologies and wind turbines. It was  generally taken that the Svalbard Treaty granted signatories rights to its surrounding seas and seabed. Until January 2024 when Norway's governing party announced it would pursue deep-sea mineral exploration in an enormous sweep of its seabed.

 

The remote, frigid island, viewed as hostile to human life on a prolonged basis where minus 34 Celsius temperatures were not unknown, were initially home to Norwegian miners and Russian fur trappers. Longyearbyen, Svalbard's largest town, these days boasts candlelit restaurants, hotels, daily flights to the mainland, and is home to 2,500 people from 50 countries. According to the town's mayor, a surge in investment, official visits and strategic attention has recently focused on Svalbard.

 

 

Recently, the Energy Ministry of Norway publicly declared that Norway's goal in exploiting the natural geology of the area had a defined purpose; the goal of "profitable and sustainable" pursuit of seabed minerals, including the seabed around Svalbard. As Norway moves toward consolidating its sovereign rule over the island, its attitude toward foreigners and civil rights has hardened. Foreigners since 2021 were able to cast a vote in the political arena. 

 

That changed when authorities declared that voting in local elections would be off limits to foreigners living on Svalbard if they had not lived on Norway's mainland for the previous three years. "Should have been done a long time ago", said Mr. Petersson. The Svalbard Treaty guaranteed "equal access, not equal rights", he said, pointing out that in other countries foreigners are not given the right to vote. 

 

Svalbard is located about 800 kilometers from the North Pole, one of the only places on Earth where instant connection is possible with polar-orbiting satellites, leading to uninterrupted, clearer feeds and faster downloading speeds; more advantageous than anywhere else on the planet. In fact SvalSat, the world's largest satellite downloading station is based on Svalbard. 

 

Telecommunications domes of KSAT, Kongsberg Satellite Services, on a mountain near Longyearbyen. Photo: Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP via Getty Images 

Fur traders from the Pomor region in northwestern Russia arrived at Svalbard some 300 years ago. The Soviets established several coal mining towns in Svalbard a century ago and had signed the Treaty. Of the mining towns, only one, Barentsburg, remains and still operates minimally. Once there was a population of 1,000, now reduced to around 300. One Russian official claimed the archipelago should be renamed the "Pomor Islands".

 

A powerful radar system monitoring space weather and the atmosphere is at the service of Chinese scientists. Data gathered from this equipment have been shared with the China Research Institute of Radiowave Propagation, a Chinese defense organization. Members of the U.S. House Select Commission on the Chinese Communist Party are convinced China is performing military research on Svalbard in defiance of the Treaty proscription. 

 

Outside the Yellow River Station where the Chinese scientists live a pair of granite lions stands guard.  

Norway ordered the Chinese to remove the lions, each of which weighs 900 kilograms, installed 20 years ago when the Chinese government agents arrived on Svalbard. For the first time last summer, the archipelago's sole university,   the University Center, operated by the Norwegian government, barred entry to Chinese students, identified by Norwegian intelligence agencies as a potential security risk. 

 

Criticisms of China's activities represent "nothing but distortion of facts and groundless speculation", according to officials at the the Chinese Embassy in Norway. As for the lions standing guard, they continue to remain where they were placed two decades earlier. 

"While the Russian geopolitical threat remains paramount, Chinese encroachments facilitated by an isolated Russia may complicate the Arctic security landscape in the longer term. The coast guard agencies of Russia and China recently signed a cooperation agreement on strengthening maritime law enforcement to great fanfare in Murmansk, a city on Russia’s western flank close to Norway."

"Moreover, when all other Arctic coast guard agencies suspended their participation in the Arctic Coast Guard Forum, Russia invited China to join the forum—clear signs of China’s expanding presence in the High North."

"As Iris A. Ferguson, U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense for arctic and global resilience, has put it, Chinese efforts aim “to normalize its presence and pursue a larger role in shaping Arctic regional governance and security affairs.”"

Center for Strategic and International Studies  

The world’s northernmost Lenin statue looks over the abandoned Russian city of Pyramiden on Svalbard, summer 2018. Photo: Alina Bykova