We all know that the forests of the world are being cut down at alarming rates. Deforestation contributes to climate change, loss of biodiversity, and new emerging diseases. I was fortunate to take advantage of my recent trip to India to visit a re-forestation project in Imphal, Manipur.  One man, Moirangthem Loiya, initiated a project 20 years ago to plant thousands of trees, and convert a barren hillside into a verdant subtropical rainforest. I had the honor of being able to visit this forest with the intention of beginning some scientific work there. I have been studying deforestation and avian diseases for a long time, but this will be an opportunity to explore how a new forest affects the birds and their parasites. Imphal is the capital of Manipur, near the border with Myanmar. The Meitei language is dominant and the place seems very far removed from mainland India. They use rupees, but otherwise, it seems like a very different country: there has been a movement for Manipur independence for many years. I got to taste foods of Manipur, and explore Imphal in a short but memorable trip. I met wonderful people, and gave a seminar at the university. My host was Sumanth Kuduvalli, an award-winning wildlife filmmaker. I planted a tree in my father’s memory and saw forests in different stages of reforestation. It is really time that I begin some work in India, and this is a project of optimism, where wildlife is coming back, and people are reversing humanity’s damage. India is now the country with the highest population. There is basically no space left, so any efforts to preserve nature are exceedingly important.

I was in India to attend a wedding, and also spend some time with relatives in Delhi and Goa. The wedding was an incredible Punjabi event, with live singers and dancer, plus of course vast amounts of delicious culinary delights. However, Delhi is smoggy and chaotic: this is raw humanity, a city of 33 million people struggling to mean something. Goa on the other hand was sublime.  Warm sea and sunsets. I hope to be back to India soon, I always feel surprisingly at home. 

Greetings to all my friends and family from Stockholm!  This year went quickly with a lot of traveling and a lot of adventures. Some of my favorite photos are in this blog. I got to spend a lot of time in Sweden/Europe for the first half of the year because of my sabbatical. Then in the fall I started teaching again at SFSU: Introductory Biology for more than 300 students. It was more work than I had imagined, since I had never taught it before. It was actually fun to re-learn material that I had not studied for more than 30 years. Photosynthesis and the Krebs cycle were in my mind again.

Research is going well too. We wrote a paper about a very interesting virus that infects malaria parasites. This will be a new line of research for my lab. I am also planning to do some work in the DRC Congo. That trip got postponed because of the unrest in the country, but I am preliminarily planning to get there this summer.  I will soon be in India, for a wedding, and then an exploration of a new project in Manipur. It is always so fulfilling to have these opportunities and I continue to be fortunate with my health and resources.

The world is plagued by many problems: especially concerning to me was the milestone of reaching 8 billion humans on the planet. I am hoping for a major shift in our thinking, but all of us are responsible for the planet. I can’t deny that I am a major contributor to climate change and I am a consumer.  It is hard to celebrate with so many troubles facing our species. But there is also a lot to be grateful for, and a lot of beauty in humanity and nature.  I wish you all a wonderful new year and happy holidays!

An amazing perk in my life is that my sister lives in Hawaii. And I got invited to visit for Thanksgiving! The flight was not cheap but still relatively affordable for the Thanksgiving break. After all the intercontinental flights I have been taking, 5 hours just doesn’t seem that long any more. I arrived Tuesday night and now it is Monday and I am flying back to SFO.

The first thing I notice when I land is the warm humid air. At the airport, there is a long open-air hallway and then the amnesty bin for fruits and vegetables before entering baggage claim. Visitors are not allowed to bring any produce to the islands, although at this point, I can’t imagine that a typical tourist would be carrying anything that wasn’t already here. The islands have been decimated by invasive pests, from microbes all the way up to pigs and trees. And everyone knows that the most invasive species is the human. Hawaii will never be like it was, but there are still some endemic species that have survived and conservation biologists are working very hard to preserve them.

My sister has two fun dogs that greet me as if I was their long-lost friend, every time they see me; first thing in the morning, or when I arrive at the front door. They always want to play and jump around. We went for walks and played catch at the Kailua Beach. I got to do a preemptive run around Diamondhead on Thanksgiving morning, before we had the huge meal, with many vegan options, including vegan stuffing, baked beans, mashed potatoes and vegan pumpkin pie. A big group of friends made for a memorable Thanksgiving.

The tourists have come back! Traffic is back to normal, and parking along the North Shore was definitely a challenge on this holiday weekend. I didn’t get to see any sea turtles, because the waves were huge and choppy. But still swimming in the warm ocean in November makes a trip to Hawaii so much more rejuvenating than staying in California, where the beaches can be warm, but the water is always too cold. Lying in the sun on a hot beach is my favorite pastime; perhaps my body needs more vitamin D. I can just lay there all day and not have to look at my phone or read a book. It just feels like an infusion of pleasure drugs to me.

Honolulu has become a foodie destination and I will just mention just one superb vegan option, Tane Japanese Izakaya. The food reminded me of Shizen in San Francisco, with creative sushi rolls, delicious ramen, and spicy brussels sprouts. I love it when I can go to a restaurant and eat everything on the menu and know it will all be delicious. I will definitely be back, to this restaurant and delightful Oahu.