Every year, hundreds of rhinos in South Africa are killed for their horns. Fake horns, embedded cameras, and aggressive enforcement have all been used in an effort to combat poaching. Conservationists now have a new tool in the anti-poaching toolkit — radiation.

The Rhisotope Project is inserting a small amount of radioisotopes into the horns of sedated rhinos. The amount of radiation is detectable by scanners at airports, international borders, and postal facilities, but poses no danger to the animals or humans. The goal is to make the horns undesirable to poachers by increasing the risk of transporting them, and to collectors by virtue of being radioactive.

Fake rhino horns with radioisotopes inserted into them were tested at various locations in United States airports, and they were caught by detectors every time.

Thirty rhinos have been treated so far by the project, with a goal of treating a total of 180 this year. The project is open to all rhino owners and reserves. Rhysotope plans to expand beyond Africa and protect other species, such as elephants, pangolins, and even plants.

Previously:
• A couple of rhinos casually walk inside a building as if they own the joint (video)
• The last male white rhino in the world has died
• Rhino horns aren’t really horns

A contentious $7 million bet on prediction platform Polymarket has sparked disagreement between the Polymarket and UMA communities.

The bet, which speculated on whether Ukraine would agree to a mineral deal with U.S. President Donald Trump before April, saw its “yes” probability surge from 9% to 100% between March 24 and 25, despite no official agreement being reached.

Polymarket relies on UMA, an optimistic oracle system, to determine the outcomes of its prediction markets.

In this system, anyone can propose a resolution by staking a $750 USDC.e bond, which can then be challenged. If a dispute arises, UMA token holders vote to settle the matter.

In this case, the bet resolved as “yes,” leading many users to suspect manipulation by a “UMA whale” — a holder of a large number of UMA tokens capable of influencing the vote.

Polymarket responded via its Discord server, admitting the resolution was unexpected but denying it constituted a “market failure” that would warrant refunds.

It clarified that the market was resolved too soon, as no deal between Ukraine and the U.S. has been confirmed, yet it stood by the UMA voting process to correct the outcome.

Polymarket has since turned to its community for suggestions on preventing future issues, promising clearer rules and forthcoming updates, though it has yet to detail specific changes.

Read more: Polymarket Suffers UMA Governance Attack After Rogue Actor Becomes Top-5 Token Staker