12.8.2022

German Coup Arrests

Twenty-five people suspected of plotting to overthrow the German government were arrested early yesterday in raids involving thousands of officers across Germany. More than two dozen others are being investigated in relation to the scheme.

Prosecutors claim the group consists of members of the Reichsbürger movement, an association that reportedly views the post-World War 2 government as illegitimate. Members allegedly made plans to storm legislative assemblies and to position its members as ministers of a new state. Among those detained were a former lawmaker, several soldiers, and Heinrich XII—a descendant of a lesser-known royal family who reportedly reached out to Russian ambassadors as part of the plot.

The arrests come amid a surge in antistate activity in Germany, partly in response to pandemic restrictions, including a failed attempt to storm parliament in 2020. Earlier this year, German officials announced they would disarm 1,500 extremists as part of a crackdown on domestic threats.

Moore v. Harper

The US Supreme Court yesterday heard oral arguments in a case over the degree to which state legislatures have the authority to regulate federal elections and processes and how much oversight state courts have.

At the center of Moore v. Harper is the independent state legislature theory, which rests on two provisions of the Constitution: Article I's elections clause and Article II's electors clause. Proponents of the theory contend the two clauses say state courts don't have the authority to supervise how state legislatures run congressional and presidential elections, while critics argue the clauses haven't been fully understood to assume unchecked authority. 

The case is an appeal of a ruling by the North Carolina Supreme Court that ordered a new congressional map after finding the state's Republican version violated the North Carolina Constitution because it displayed characteristics of partisan gerrymandering (see 101). A decision on the case is expected next summer. 

Oldest-Known DNA Discovered

In an unprecedented genetic analysis, scientists have recovered and analyzed the oldest-known DNA from more than 100 plants and animals that thrived in Northern Greenland roughly 2 million years ago. The study provides insight not only into the characteristics of individual species but also paints a broad picture of a prehistoric ecosystem unachievable using any other single method. 

Instead of studying individual specimens, researchers examined chunks of preserved Arctic permafrost for fragments of genetic material dispersed through the sediment (what is eDNA?). The search identified 102 types of plants, including 24 previously undiscovered, along with dozens of creatures—including mastodons, horseshoe crabs, ants, and more. Taken together, the results suggest the now arid Arctic desert was once a temperate forest with warm coastal waters. 

Researchers hope to extend the work to other areas where climate and geology may have preserved genetic material for millions of years. Learn more about the Pleistocene epoch here.

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Historybook: Mary, Queen of Scots born (1542); The US declares war on Japan (1941); Musician Jim Morrison born (1943); John Lennon murdered outside his residence in New York City (1980); North American Free Trade Agreement, NAFTA, signed into law (1993); Astronaut and senator John Glenn dies (2016).