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Marine populations have been reduced by 50 percent on average in the last four decades mainly due to overfishing, marine habitats destruction and climate change.
The World Wide Fund for Nature, WWF, has published a report entitled "Living Blue Planet". The report tracked thousands of marine species between 1970 and 2012. The results showed a steep decline of almost 50 percent of marine populations, including marine mammals, birds, reptiles, and fish.
Species essential to commercial and subsistence fishing may be suffering the greatest declines, with a dramatic loss of 74 percent of popular food fish that includes tuna, mackerel and bonitos.
The report also showed a steep decline in coral reefs, mangroves and sea grasses that support fish species. Over one-third of fish tracked by the report rely on coral reefs, and these species suffered a dangerous decline of 34 percent between 1979 and 2010.
This is NEWS Plus Special English.
The first human head transplant may be carried out in December 2017, as Italian neurosurgeon Dr. Sergio Canavero has announced that he, along with a team of surgeons from China and other countries, is expected carry out the surgery at Harbin Medical University in northeast China.
Ren Xiaoping, a professor from Harbin Medical University, is the head of the Chinese team for the operation. He said his team and Dr. Canavero have been talking about pre-clinical research cooperation for the operation, but the exact timetable, place and whether or not they should operate on patients with any particular disease have not been determined yet.
Ren said it is possible to carry out a human head transplant if the condition of pre-clinical research is as effective and sound as expected and various supports are there for the operation within two years.
The preparations for the operation are already underway.
Prominent and dedicated scientists from around ten universities at home and abroad are willing to join the team, including plastic surgeons from Fudan University in Shanghai, engineering professors from Beijing and others from North America and Europe.
