Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Carla Eisemberg, Senior Lecturer in STEM Pathways, Charles Darwin University

“Miss, miss, can I play with your robot?”

The question comes from a young local school girl standing in front of our stall at Barunga Festival, 80 kilometres southeast of Katherine in the Northern Territory. She points at our broken robot. We are hot, tired and getting ready to pack up, and explain to her that it is no longer working.

She insists she would like to play with it anyway. So we concede. In five minutes, she has fixed it and returns a fully functional robot.

Not for the first time, we wonder about the new discoveries and innovations humanity is missing out on because remote and rural children are not given genuine opportunities to engage and follow careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

For the past four years, we have been on the road with STEM outreach in remote communities. We have recently returned home from this year’s trip. Our work shows these children don’t have to miss out.

Fewer opportunities

STEM skills are becoming core competencies for most job types and are identified as a key tool for long-term economic growth and global competitiveness.

Australia will need 312,000 additional technology workers by 2030 to meet industry demand.

Filling this gap is made harder by the fact that in Australia, 15-year-old students from remote areas lag behind in science by an average of 1.5 years, compared to those from metropolitan areas. They also perform significantly below the international average in mathematics.

A major factor responsible for this is that remote students have fewer career and education opportunities, poorer access to resources and a fragmented network of contacts for career advice.

It is also harder for rural and remote schools to obtain staff who are adequately qualified to teach STEM subjects. Remote children don’t have access to the same STEM experiences as city kids, who can visit their local – and large – science museums. For remote children, even basic activities such as the classic volcano experiment (using baking soda and vinegar) can be a novelty.

But this does not indicate a lack of talent for STEM.

A full day STEM extravaganza

We have worked on STEM engagement and outreach in remote areas of the Amazon, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste and northern Australia.

For the past four years, our Radicle Centre team from Charles Darwin University has been delivering STEM engagement and outreach to remote and rural communities and schools in the Northern Territory. During our roadshow, undergraduate and postgraduate students from STEM fields join our crew, sharing their passion for science and technology.

Our roadshow has visited the same schools since 2020. Each year, we offer STEM workshops that are contextualised to students’ experiences and environment. For example, the workshops usually portray fauna, flora and stories from the Northern Territory.

It is a full school day STEM extravaganza! In 2024, we engaged with over 400 children from nine remote and rural schools and communities in the Northern Territory.

These kinds of outreach programs can play an important role in rural and remote areas by building, supporting, and maintaining STEM capability – provided they recognise, respect, and tailor their content to the local context.

Teachers welcome our visits, as in most cases there are very few opportunities for STEM activities at their schools.

Despite this lack of opportunity, many children who live in these parts of the world seem to have a knack for science and technology. From a wind-powered Christmas tree complete with lights created by school students in the Kikori Region of Papua New Guinea, to a super-fast miniature solar car designed by two school students from the Northern Territory – we are consistently wowed by the talent in remote regions.

A holistic approach is needed

Many children we have met every year confidently tell us they would like to become scientists, engineers or IT professionals. Which leads to a complex question: what is next for them?

Fewer rural and remote students attend university than those living in cities. And those who leave home to attend university face financial, personal and social challenges.

To truly support remote students who are undertaking university STEM courses, there is a need for a more holistic approach.

In Brazil, for example, university students from remote locations are offered a full assistance package that includes free accommodation and meals at university, as well as a stipend, and social and psychological support. Such approaches are few and far between in Australia.

Building an inclusive STEM workforce requires a long-term commitment from individuals, industry and the government.

Diversity drives innovation. The lack of support for rural and remote students to follow careers in STEM has wide implications.

It can be personally devastating for those that have potential but were never given the chance to develop it. But it also comes at a high cost to our society, which is deprived of a diverse STEM workforce and consequently will never benefit from the discoveries and innovations that our remote youth could make, if given the opportunity.

Carla Eisemberg receives funding from the Northern Territory Government and Commowealth.

Sarah Ruth Sutcliffe receives funding from the Northern Territory Government and Commonwealth.

– ref. An annual roadshow is helping kids from remote Australia realise their dreams of becoming a scientist – https://theconversation.com/an-annual-roadshow-is-helping-kids-from-remote-australia-realise-their-dreams-of-becoming-a-scientist-244659

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anam Bilgrami, Senior Research Fellow, Macquarie University Centre for the Health Economy, Macquarie University

Last week, Parliament passed sweeping reforms to Australia’s aged care system. These “once-in-a-generation” changes, set to begin next year on July 1, aim to improve how care is provided to older Australians at home, in their communities and in nursing homes.

The new Aged Care Act focuses on improving quality and safety, protecting the rights of older people and ensuring the financial sustainability of aged care providers.

A key change is the introduction of a new payment system, requiring wealthier people to contribute more for non-clinical services.

If you – or a loved one – are planning for aged care, here’s what the changes could mean for you.

What to expect from the home care overhaul

Over the past decade, there’s been a noticeable shift towards “ageing at home”. The number of Australians using home care has more than quadrupled, surpassing those in nursing homes.

To meet growing demand, the government is adding 107,000 home care places over the next two years, with a goal to reduce wait times to just three months.

Starting July 1 2025, Support at Home will replace the Home Care Packages program. The table below shows some of the key differences between these two programs.

Home Care Packages are currently delivered under four annual government subsidy levels, covering care and provider management costs. Under Support at Home, the number of home care budget levels will double to eight, with the highest level increasing to A$78,000.

This aims to provide more tailored support and accommodate those needing higher levels of care.

Under the new system, recipients will receive quarterly budgets aligned to their funding level and work with their chosen provider to allocate funds across three broad service categories:

• clinical care, such as nursing or physiotherapy

• independence support, including personal care, transport and social support

• everyday living assistance, such as cleaning, gardening and meal delivery.

Clinical care services will be fully government-funded, as these are crucial to supporting health and keeping people out of hospitals.

But recipients will contribute to the costs of independence and everyday living services under a new payment model, reflecting the government’s stance that these are services people have traditionally funded themselves over their lifetimes.

This will replace the basic daily fee and income-tested care fee that some people currently pay. Contributions will vary by income and assets (based on the age pension means test) and by service type.

Support at Home also includes additional funding for specific needs:

• older Australians with less than three months to live will receive priority access to $25,000 in funding over 12 weeks

• up to $15,000 will be available for assistive technologies and home modifications, eliminating the need to reserve home care budgets for these.

What if I or my loved one is already receiving a Home Care Package?

If you were receiving a package, on the waiting list, or assessed as eligible for one on September 12 2024, the government’s “no worse off” principle guarantees you won’t pay more under the new system.

Current recipients will have their Support at Home budget aligned with their existing package, and any unspent funds will roll over.

How nursing home fees will change

Australia’s nursing home sector is struggling financially, with 67% of providers operating at a loss. To ensure sustainability and support upgrades to facilities, the government is introducing major funding changes.

What stays the same?

The Basic Daily Fee, that everyone in nursing homes pays, set at 85% of the basic age pension (currently $63.57 a day or $23,200 annually), will not change.

What’s changing?

The government currently pays a Hotelling Supplement of $12.55 per day per resident to cover everyday living services like cleaning, catering and laundry ($4,581 annually).

From July 1 2025, this supplement will become means-tested. Residents with annual incomes above $95,400 or assets exceeding $238,000 (or some combination of these) will contribute partially or fully to this cost.

Currently, residents with sufficient means also pay a means-tested care fee between $0–$403.24 per day. This will be replaced by a “non-clinical care contribution”, capped at $101.16 daily and payable for the first four years of care. Only those with assets above $502,981 or incomes above $131,279 (or some combination of these) will pay this contribution.

Importantly, no one will pay more than $130,000 in combined contributions for Support at Home and non-clinical care in nursing homes over their lifetime.

Changes to accommodation payments

The way nursing home accommodation costs are paid is also changing from July 1 2025:

• residents who pay their room price via a refundable lump sum will have 2% of their payment retained annually by the provider, up to a maximum of 10% over five years. For example, a $400,000 lump sum payment would result in $360,000 being refunded if a person stays five years or more, with the provider keeping $40,000

• daily accommodation payments (a rent-style interest charge) will no longer remain fixed for the duration of a person’s nursing home stay. Instead, these payments will be indexed twice annually to the Consumer Price Index

• providers will be able to set room prices up to $750,000 without government approval, an increase from the current $550,000 limit.

People with lower means (those who are fully subsidised by the government for their accommodation costs) will not be affected by these changes.

What if I own my home?

The treatment of the family home in means testing for nursing home costs will remain unchanged.

Its value is only assessed if no “protected person” (such as a spouse) lives in it, and even then, it’s capped at $206,039 (as at September 20 2024).

What happens to current nursing home residents?

The new rules for contributions and accommodation will apply only to those entering nursing homes from July 1 2025.

Existing residents will maintain their current arrangements and be no worse off.

Feeling overwhelmed?

These reforms aim to improve care delivery, fairness and sustainability, with the government emphasising that many older Australians – particularly those with lower incomes and assets – will not pay more.

The government has provided case studies to illustrate how home care and nursing home costs will differ under the new system for people at various income and asset levels.

Still, planning for aged care can be daunting. For more tailored advice and support, consider reaching out to financial advisors, services, or online tools to help you navigate the changes and make informed decisions.

Anam Bilgrami does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Planning for old age? Here’s what the aged care changes mean for you – https://theconversation.com/planning-for-old-age-heres-what-the-aged-care-changes-mean-for-you-244816

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra

As she reads the economic commentators, Reserve Bank Governor Michele Bullock might, in moments of doubt, wonder whether she’s making a similar mistake to her predecessor Philip Lowe.

Lowe ended up discredited because of some poor calls. He had signalled the bank would hold rates down for longer than turned out to be the case.

Presently, a big debate is underway about whether Bullock and the bank have got it wrong in their stand that rates shouldn’t be cut “in the near term”.

But that’s a debate Treasurer Jim Chalmers, for all his talk this week about Australia’s weak economy in the wake of Wednesday’s national accounts, won’t be drawn into.

It’s no secret the government is impatient for a rate cut, and frustrated we’re not seeing one. But it can’t say so, because that would invite attacks it was pressuring the independent bank.

A few months ago, Chalmers declared high interest rates were “smashing” the economy. Despite the fact he’d previously made the point, it turned into a big headline, feeding a feral news cycle. Chalmers learned a sharp lesson: even saying the obvious can be politically dangerous.

Others are forthright. Pradeep Philip, head of Deloitte Access Economics, says: “The private economy has been clobbered and we’d be in a recession if it wasn’t for government spending. Australia has been in an income per capita recession for some time now. The imperative for fiscal sustainability is stronger than ever and the case for a rate cut is palpable.”

ACTU secretary Sally McManus was blunt this week. “Central banks in almost all advanced economies have already started cutting their official cash rates – and it is time for Australia’s Reserve Bank to do the same.”

There’s no expectation the bank will be sympathetic to calls for a cut when it meets next week. It still argues inflation must fall further before a reduction can safely and sustainably be made. But the bank’s language will be carefully monitored for any sign of softening.

Its critics assert, variously, that the bank’s thinking is flawed – in particular, the belief unemployment needs to climb further to bring inflation to the acceptable level needed for a rate cut – or that it has backed itself into a corner because Bullock earlier flagged there’d be no cut this year.

Weeks ago, expectations about a rate cut were being pushed well into 2025. A government with its back to the wall hopes (but doesn’t necessarily expect) Wednesday’s figures might bring that forward to early next year.

Labor hardheads accept one cut wouldn’t significantly shift the government’s low popularity. But they do think it would show voters there’s light at the end of the tunnel.

Meanwhile, Chalmers was this week forced back onto the argument that, yes, people are hurting, but “Australians would be much worse off and growth in our economy would be even weaker without our responsible and balanced approach to the budget and without our cost-of-living support”.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is talking up his second-term agenda but, as it crafts campaign lines, Labor will need to rely heavily on the alleged dangers posed by a Dutton government. Its focus groups are said to show people do think they’d be worse off under Dutton. Voters are disillusioned with the government but don’t assume change is risk-free.

Expect to hear a lot about how Dutton as health minister (way back when) went after Medicare. How he never backs wage rises. How he didn’t support cost-of-living help.

With a sour electorate, the best thing going for Labor may be its negative campaign, however unedifying that might be.

Dutton has so far been successful in his attack lines against Labor, delivered sharply and cleanly, while he’s kept the opposition a relatively small target with just a few popular policy offerings (such as on social media, and gambling reform).

But as he produces more policies, his vulnerability will increase. And as Labor unveils election giveaways, Dutton will be forced into awkward choices.

He’s promised the costing of his nuclear policy before Christmas and this will open him to more criticism over what many experts see as an unrealistic option. Nuclear power, however, is likely to be only a second-order issue, because it’s blue-sky stuff when it comes to Australia’s immediate energy needs. Voters think about their power bills in the next year or two, not decades hence.

Albanese has flagged he has a couple of big policy announcements to make over the summer, starting this month. One is expected to be an expanded child-care policy, with the final shape still being settled. The other remains firmly under wraps.

The Australian Financial Review reported this week the government was “mulling” another round of power bill discounts to take to the election. It would seem an obvious promise, and the Coalition would have to decide how to respond.

The Coalition’s soft underbelly will be its alternative economic policy, given there’s no easy way out of Australia’s malaise.

It argues government spending is too high, and is crowding out the private sector. But when it finally says (and it can’t get away with not saying) what it would cut, that will bring a backlash. Just declaring it would slash the public service won’t wash.

The Coalition says we must boost productivity. But how’s that to be done? If it involves winding back industrial relations changes, that’s risky territory in an election campaign.

On Thursday the Productivity Commission called on “everyday Australians” to come up with ideas on how to boost productivity. “We are looking for practical policy ideas from people in all walks of life on how Australia can work smarter, more efficiently, and more productively,” commission chair Danielle Wood said.

Perhaps people can copy Dutton in on their emails to the commission.

In the bowels of the bureaucracy and the offices of the treasurer and finance minister, they’re already at work on a March 25 budget that, depending on Albanese’s election timing, may never be delivered.

Within Labor, people differ on the pros and cons of launching the campaign off the back of a budget. It enables the government to frame its forward pitch and dominate the start of the campaign. But the debate can bog down in detail, and put the grim numbers up in lights.

Back at the Reserve Bank, Chalmers saw his legislation to set up a new monetary board pass last week, in a deal with the Greens. He intends to transfer all the current board onto the monetary board, except those who opt to be on the bank’s governance board. That will mean he’ll have a couple of vacancies to fill on the monetary board.

The first meeting of the monetary board is scheduled for March 31-April 1. If there’s no rate fall ahead of that, is it possible the new board could, on April Fool’s Day, make its first big decision a rate cut?

Michelle Grattan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Grattan on Friday: frustrated government can only bite its tongue as it waits on Michele Bullock – https://theconversation.com/grattan-on-friday-frustrated-government-can-only-bite-its-tongue-as-it-waits-on-michele-bullock-245284

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ben Zunica, Lecturer in Mathematics Education, University of Sydney

A major international test has revealed a concerning gender gap in maths among Australian school students.

In the 2023 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), Australia’s boys did much better than girls.

Year 4 boys outperformed girls by the equal highest margin out of 58 countries that did the test. The story is not much better for Year 8 students – Australia had the 12th-largest gender gap of the 42 countries.

This is out of character with other subjects, such as literacy, where the gender gap is either much smaller, or girls outperform boys.

Why is there a gap?

International researchers have been aware of a gender gap in maths for decades and have been trying to understand why and how to fix it and how to fix it.

It has previously been suggested boys are just better at mathematics than girls. However, this has been thoroughly debunked, with many studies finding no statistically significant biological difference between boys and girls in maths ability.

Yet figures consistently show girls are under-represented in the most advanced maths courses at school. For example, for the two most advanced Year 11 and 12 courses in New South Wales, girls are outnumbered by a ratio of roughly two to one.

A ‘boys’ subject?‘

Studies suggest social factors and individual motivation are playing a part in the maths gender gap.

Research has found stereotyping is a problem, with maths been seen as a “boys’ subject”. These ideas start developing from an early age, even as young as five.

These stereotypes can negatively impact girls’ motivation in maths and their self-efficacy (their perception of how well they can do), which then impacts performance.

Girls are also more likely to develop maths anxiety, which may be due to lacking confidence in their ability.

Another possible reason for this gap is it is not as important for girls themselves to be seen as skilled at maths as it is for boys. This has been linked to differences in subject engagement and subsequent performance.

Given how important mathematical skills are for workplaces today and in the future, we need to change these attitudes.

Read more:
‘Maths anxiety’ is a real thing. Here are 3 ways to help your child cope

What can we do?

Unfortunately, there are no simple answers. However, we recommend three strategies to help narrow the gap.

1. Treat boys and girls equally when it comes to maths: there is a noted tendency to expect boys to engage in more challenging maths than girls. If parents and teachers expect less from girls, we are feeding the stereotype that maths is “more suited to boys”. Simply holding beliefs that boys are better at maths can result in spending more time with or giving more attention to boys in maths. It can also be seen in behaviours where we think we are being supportive, such as reassuring a struggling girl, “it’s ok if you’re not great at maths”!

2. Talk to girls about maths: girls historically report lower confidence in maths when correlated with their actual achievement. This means girls potentially have inaccurate beliefs about their ability. So we need to understand how they feel they are progressing and make sure they understand their genuine progress.

3. Make use of female maths role models: when girls see themselves represented in maths-intensive careers – such as engineers, actuaries, chemists, economists, data scientists, architects and software developers – they are more likely to see the importance and value of maths. We know this can inspire young people.

The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Why are boys outperforming girls in maths? – https://theconversation.com/why-are-boys-outperforming-girls-in-maths-245357

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Di Johnson, Senior Lecturer, Griffith University

This week, the government announced details of planned reforms to allow more Australians to access free or low-cost financial advice through their super funds or advice firms.

The reforms will create a new class of financial adviser, who will only need a diploma. They’ll be allowed to provide personalised advice on a targeted range of financial decisions, particularly regarding retirement planning and life insurance.

Some groups have already raised concerns in the wake of the announcement. These include that lowering the required qualification level to a diploma could lead to lower quality advice, and that some funds could find ways to charge new fees for no service.

For the reforms to succeed, the government will need to ensure quality regulation – and importantly, that the underserved customers it is targeting end up getting true value for money.

Read more:
New ‘best practice’ principles for superannuation products are coming. We asked a panel of experts what should be included

A new class of adviser

Currently, superannuation funds can offer free advice to their own members. But this is very limited in scope and restricted to the offerings within a fund.

They can also refer members to receive more comprehensive paid advice, either from within the fund or an external provider.

Traditional financial advisers need at least a bachelor’s degree. The new class of advisers will be a kind of “para-professional” in the advice space, expected to have diploma-level qualifications.

They’ll only be allowed to provide advice on products issued by “prudentially regulated entities”. These include superannuation, life insurance and retirement income products.

For example, a young person could get personalised advice on whether opting into selected life insurances would be a better choice than having no life insurance. That decision could be especially significant for someone early in their career or with a super balance under $6,000.

Superannuation investment choices made at age 21 can also make a huge difference to retirement income at 71.

Funds will be able to charge for this advice individually, or else by collectively spreading costs across all members.

The ability to charge individual, one-off fees (not ongoing and no commissions allowed) could open up a path for this new class of adviser to work within traditional advice firms – within limits.

That may be a useful strategy to boost the numbers of graduates choosing financial advice roles more broadly as a career.

The problem to solve

Navigating Australia’s financial system is complex – not least when it comes to planning for retirement. Personal financial advice is important at all stages of life to increase inclusion and fairness, and improve financial outcomes.

Superannuation funds have an obligation under the Retirement Income Covenant to help members choose retirement income products, but have been without affordable advice options.

At an average annual fee of $5,500, comprehensive financial advice is simply out of reach for many.

Even if this cost was somehow brought down, affordability isn’t the only issue.

Many Australians are reluctant to approach traditional financial advice firms. Some find themselves turned away at first contact, with firms giving preference to higher-income, higher-net-worth clients.

The practice of denying service to some clients can be especially frustrating for those who are willing and able to pay the asking price.

But it makes sense when you consider the incentives many financial advice firms face. These include making competitive profits in a relatively highly regulated emerging profession, faced with a tight labour market.

Without an alternative trustworthy advice option, many Australians will end up financially excluded.

So what are we willing to pay for advice?

One report commissioned by the Financial Services Council found most Australians don’t want to pay more than $500 a year for financial advice, but that willingness to pay depends on the scope.

However, some recent trials offering more detailed retirement advice below the level of comprehensive advice, suggest there may be willingness to pay at around the $900 mark.

But both of these figures fall well short of the current estimated average cost of financial advice of $5,500.

The other option, using superannuation balances to pay advice fees up to a cap, has been problematic, with some advisers charging up to $20,000 from members’ super funds.

What are the risks?

One criticism is that having a lower qualification requirement risks leaving Australians with lower quality advice.

It’s true the diploma-level qualification is lower than the bachelor-level or higher required for professional financial advisers. But it is proportionate to the new targeted scope of advice offered.

It will be up to the government to carefully regulate the industry to ensure the new class of adviser only provides advice within their expertise and authorisation, complies with the best interests duty and meets other obligations.

Another criticism is that charging advice fees collectively across a super fund could mean some members subsidise others and effectively pay “fees for no service”.

But it’s important to note that collective charging is already in place for a number of services that only selected members utilise at any point in time. This includes switching asset allocations, providing advice within a fund and operating call centre services.

It also has some established guardrails to protect members.

The details of charging arrangements would fall into the Australian Securities and Investments Commission’s remit as regulatory guidance.

Value for money

If they proceed, the true test of these reforms will lie in whether Australians feel they are getting trustworthy service at the right price point.

What will that value for money look like? My analysis suggests advice for $300 to $500 a year that gets the basics right – superannuation asset allocations, life insurances, beneficiary forms and basic retirement planning.

If costs can be kept under $1,000 for more detailed retirement planning, it will put pressure on traditional advice firms to justify charging more for a similarly restricted scope of advice.

If well priced and well implemented, the new class of adviser could serve many more Australians, helping to normalise accessible, affordable advice.

Dr Di Johnson is a Senior Lecturer at Griffith University, including in the Financial Planning discipline; a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, an academic member of the Financial Advice Association of Australia (FAAA), a member of the Academy of Financial Services (AFS), and the Economic Society of Australia (ESA) including the Women in Economics Network (WEN). Dr Johnson has received research funding in the past from the Financial Planning Education Council (FPEC), and contributed to projects partly funded or supported by financial planning industry partners.

– ref. The government wants to create a new class of financial adviser for super fund members. Here’s why – and how it might work – https://theconversation.com/the-government-wants-to-create-a-new-class-of-financial-adviser-for-super-fund-members-heres-why-and-how-it-might-work-245289

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vassili Kitsios, Senior Research Scientist, Climate Forecasting, CSIRO

A new machine-learning weather prediction model called GenCast can outperform the best traditional forecasting systems in at least some situations, according to a paper by Google DeepMind researchers published today in Nature.

Using a diffusion model approach similar to artificial intelligence (AI) image generators, the system generates multiple forecasts to capture the complex behaviour of the atmosphere. It does so with a fraction of the time and computing resources required for traditional approaches.

How weather forecasts work

The weather predictions we use in practice are produced by running multiple numerical simulations of the atmosphere.

Each simulation starts from a slightly different estimate of the current weather. This is because we don’t know exactly what the weather is at this instant everywhere in the world. To know that, we would need sensor measurements everywhere.

These numerical simulations use a model of the world’s atmosphere divided into a grid of three-dimensional blocks. By solving equations describing the fundamental physical laws of nature, the simulations predict what will happen in the atmosphere.

Known as general circulation models, these simulations need a lot of computing power. They are usually run at high-performance supercomputing facilities.

Machine-learning the weather

The past few years have seen an explosion in efforts to produce weather prediction models using machine learning. Typically, these approaches don’t incorporate our knowledge of the laws of nature the way general circulation models do.

Most of these models use some form of neural network to learn patterns in historical data and produce a single future forecast. However, this approach produces predictions that lose detail as they progress into the future, gradually becoming “smoother”. This smoothness is not what we see in real weather systems.

Researchers at Google’s DeepMind AI research lab have just published a paper in Nature describing their latest machine-learning model, GenCast.

GenCast mitigates this smoothing effect by generating an ensemble of multiple forecasts. Each individual forecast is less smooth, and better resembles the complexity observed in nature.

The best estimate of the actual future then comes from averaging the different forecasts. The size of the differences between the individual forecasts indicates how much uncertainty there is.

According to the GenCast paper, this probabilistic approach creates more accurate forecasts than the best numerical weather prediction system in the world – the one at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts.

Generative AI – for weather

GenCast is trained on what is called reanalysis data from the years 1979 to 2018. This data is produced by the kind of general circulation models we talked about earlier, which are additionally corrected to resemble actual historical weather observations to produce a more consistent picture of the world’s weather.

The GenCast model makes predictions of several variables such as temperature, pressure, humidity and wind speed at the surface and at 13 different heights, on a grid that divides the world up into 0.25-degree regions of latitude and longitude.

GenCast is what is called a “diffusion model”, similar to AI image generators. However, instead of taking text and producing an image, it takes the current state of the atmosphere and produces an estimate of what it will be like in 12 hours.

This works by first setting the values of the atmospheric variables 12 hours into the future as random noise. GenCast then uses a neural network to find structures in the noise that are compatible with the current and previous weather variables. An ensemble of multiple forecasts can be generated by starting with different random noise.

Forecasts are run out to 15 days, taking 8 minutes on a single processor called a tensor processor unit (TPU). This is significantly faster than a general circulation model. The training of the model took five days using 32 TPUs.

Machine-learning forecasts could become more widespread in the coming years as they become more efficient and reliable.

However, classical numerical weather prediction and reanalysed data will still be required. Not only are they needed to provide the initial conditions for the machine learning weather forecasts, they also produce the input data to continually fine-tune the machine learning models.

What about the climate?

Current machine learning weather forecasting systems are not appropriate for climate projections, for three reasons.

Firstly, to make weather predictions weeks into the future, you can assume that the ocean, land and sea ice won’t change. This is not the case for climate predictions over multiple decades.

Secondly, weather prediction is highly dependent on the details of the current weather. However, climate projections are concerned with the statistics of the climate decades into the future, for which today’s weather is irrelevant. Future carbon emissions are the greater determinant of the future state of the climate.

Thirdly, weather prediction is a “big data” problem. There are vast amounts of relevant observational data, which is what you need to train a complex machine learning model.

Climate projection is a “small data” problem, with relatively little available data. This is because the relevant physical phenomena (such as sea levels or climate drivers such as the El Niño–Southern Oscillation) evolve much more slowly than the weather.

There are ways to address these problems. One approach is to use our knowledge of physics to simplify our models, meaning they require less data for machine learning.

Another approach is to use physics-informed neural networks to try to fit the data and also satisfy the laws of nature. A third is to use physics to set “ground rules” for a system, then use machine learning to determine the specific model parameters.

Machine learning has a role to play in the future of both weather forecasting and climate projections. However, fundamental physics – fluid mechanics and thermodynamics – will continue to play a crucial role.

Vassili Kitsios is a senior research scientist at CSIRO, a co-chair of the Machine Learning for Climate and Weather Working Group of the Australian Climate Community Earth System Simulator National Research Infrastructure consortium, an associate editor for the Theoretical and Computational Fluid Dynamics journal, a member of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the National Computational Merit Allocation Scheme, an elected committee member of the Australasian Fluid Mechanics Society, and an affiliate research fellow of the Monash University mechanical and aerospace engineering department.

– ref. AI weather models can now beat the best traditional forecasts – https://theconversation.com/ai-weather-models-can-now-beat-the-best-traditional-forecasts-245168

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah McLean, Lecturer in Environmental Health, Swinburne University of Technology

It’s a common myth that only food of animal origin, such as meat, seafood, eggs and dairy, can give you food poisoning.

But many plant-based foods, such as burgers, salads or desserts, can also contain disease-causing microbes (pathogens), yet appear perfectly fine.

As we head into the warmer months, here’s what you need to think about to keep you and your party guests safe from food-borne illness if you’re serving plant-based food.

With a little preparation, you can make your next summer barbecue or picnic memorable for all the right reasons.

It’s a risky time of year

Summer means get-togethers with families and friends, at the beach, in the park and at home – in the heat, sometimes without access to refrigeration, or with food left out on the table.

And plant-based foods will likely be on the menu, such as burgers, salads and fruit.

There’s often no easy way to tell if food is safe to eat. It doesn’t have to look spoiled, with telltale signs it’s gone bad, such as unpleasant changes in smell or texture. So even if a food doesn’t look or smell “off” it can still make you or your guests sick.

Depending on the food’s available nutrients, acidity, water content and how it has been processed and stored, plant-based food can still provide the right conditions for pathogens to grow, yet look perfectly fine.

So let’s take a look a look at an Australian barbecue, with a spread including plant-based burgers, salads and fruit.

1. Burgers

Vegan barbecue items such as lentil burgers and processed plant-based patties contain high levels of protein and moisture. This may promote the growth of bacteria if they’re are not properly cooked or stored.

For example, a study in Finland tested vacuum sealed vegetarian sausages and found a high proportion contained Clostridium botulinum spores. This is the organism that causes botulism, a rare illness affecting the nervous system that can be fatal if untreated.

2. Salads

Starchy salads, such as ones containing potato, pasta or rice, are prone to contamination by Bacillus cereus, a species of bacteria widespread in the environment. It produces heat-stable spores that survive cooking. The bacteria then multiply when the food is stored in warm temperatures.

Leafy greens and raw sprouts, such as alfalfa, are also often implicated in outbreaks of illnesses caused by Escherichia coli (or E. coli for short) and Salmonella because these items are usually eaten raw.

Salads and other dishes that require lots of handling during preparation can also be contaminated with pathogens in the kitchen.

For example, many people naturally carry Staphylococcus aureus in their nose. These bacteria can end up in food and produce toxins if the cook doesn’t wash their hands properly before handling food.

People who handle food are also often linked to foodborne outbreaks of norovirus due to poor hand hygiene.

These pathogens generally cause gut symptoms such as vomiting and/or diarrhoea that will get better in about a few days to a week. However, some people will have severe or life-threatening complications. For example, shiga toxin produced by E. coli is a frequent cause of haemolytic uraemic syndrome, a serious condition that can lead to permanent kidney damage or death.

3. Fruit

While many people are familiar with the food safety risks of desserts containing custard or cream, fewer may be aware of the risks associated with the humble fruit platter.

Fruit platters can be risky as cutting the fruit can transfer bacteria naturally present on the peel or rind to the internal surfaces.

In 2018, 22 cases of listeriosis were linked to eating cantaloupes (rockmelons) supplied by an Australian grower. Last year in the United States, a deadly outbreak of salmonellosis was also traced to eating contaminated cantaloupes.

Frozen berries have also been implicated in multiple outbreaks of hepatitis A in Australia and overseas in recent years.

What can I do?

If you’re preparing plant-based food for a barbecue or picnic this summer, here’s how to minimise the risk of making you or your guests sick:

• before handling food wash your hands well, separate raw and cooked food, and work with clean utensils and surfaces. This is to avoid contaminating food yourself, and to avoid contamination between foods

• cook items such as plant-based burgers and vegetarian sausages until piping hot

• after cooking starchy foods such as rice, pasta and potatoes, transfer them to a shallow container to cool on the counter. Then place the container in the fridge. Don’t put these starchy items in the fridge hot because this raises the temperature inside the fridge, which could allow faster growth of microbes

• avoid buying damaged or bruised fruit and vegetables, and store cut fruit in the fridge

• transport food to an event in an insulated bag or ice box containing ice bricks and take it out only when it is time to serve

• once food has been served, leftovers should be covered and returned to the fridge or an insulated container. If the food has been out of the fridge for four hours or longer (including storage, preparation, transport and serving), throw it out.

It is also worth considering how much food you really need. It’s easy to over-cater, creating leftovers that can make you sick if not stored correctly.

Sarah McLean does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. 3 surprising vegan foods that can make you sick this summer – https://theconversation.com/3-surprising-vegan-foods-that-can-make-you-sick-this-summer-242582

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yi Yang, Research Fellow, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne

When Finlay Browne died at just 16 years old, “Down syndrome” was listed on his death certificate as a cause of death.

But Finlay did not die of Down syndrome. A coroner found earlier this year that the teenager died due to complications from a bowel obstruction, and noted “issues concerning the adequacy of care and treatment” provided at his local hospital.

Since Finlay died his family have spoken out many times about the need to improve health care for people with an intellectual disability.

But sadly Finlay is not alone. Our new study published in The Lancet Public Health shows Australians with disability are around four times more likely to die early than people without disability.

Our research

We looked at census data from more than 15 million Australians aged 0–74 between 2011–20, and analysed death certificate information of those who died during this period (around 463,000 people).

We found people with disability are dying of conditions such as cancer, heart disease, chronic lung conditions and diabetes at a much higher rate than the rest of the population.

Men with disability are dying at almost four times the rate of men without disability. Meanwhile, women with disability are dying at almost five times the rate of their non-disabled peers.

While our study drew on large data sets and used complex statistical techniques, we are conscious that the dots on our graphs represent many premature and preventable deaths of people like Finlay.

Why the disparity?

The diseases causing the early deaths of many Australians with disability are generally more common among people living in disadvantaged circumstances. We know poverty, poor-quality housing and exclusion from the health system contribute to early death. These circumstances are more common among Australians with disability compared to the overall population.

People with disability face the same issues as many other Australians when trying to access good health care, such as lack of availability, rising costs and long wait times. But they also face additional challenges. For example:

• buildings where health services are located are not always accessible to people with disability

• people with disability sometimes experience discrimination by health-care staff including GPs, nurses and hospital staff

• people with disability often see multiple health professionals for the same health conditions and report a lack of communication between health professionals treating them.

Unfortunately the results of our study are not surprising. People with disability, families and advocacy organisations have spoken for many years about poor health outcomes for people with disability, as well as early deaths that, with the right action, could have been prevented.

The recent Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability heard directly from people with disability about the impacts of poverty, poor housing and discrimination in the health system on health and wellbeing.

What can we do?

Our study is the first of its type and size in Australia, which is telling.

Historically, understanding patterns in causes of death has informed our public health priorities. But up until now, patterns in causes of death for people with disability have largely not been prioritised, gathered or analysed. With inadequate data, public health efforts have systematically neglected people with disability.

Yet poorer health outcomes for people with disability are not inevitable.

We need to see concerted, coordinated action across metropolitan, regional and rural Australia to prevent more unnecessary deaths. As a nation, we need to tackle the conditions in which many people with disability live – starting with poverty and the lack of affordable, accessible housing.

We also need to make health care more accessible and affordable for people with disability.

But, none of this will be enough if we don’t confront discrimination in health care head on. This will involve making changes in policies, processes and systems at all levels of health care that adjust for the needs of people with disability.

We also need to think about whether our general disease prevention strategies, some of which have been hugely successful, are reaching people with disability. For example, are people with disability able to access routine screening in the same way as others? Or are they missing out?

Ultimately, we need to debunk the myth that poor health is part and parcel of having a disability. What is inevitable is that Australians with disability will keep dying before their time unless we take action, and make the health and wellbeing of people with disability a national priority.

George Disney receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council.

Kirsten Deane is one of the University of Melbourne representatives on the National Centre of Excellence in Intellectual Disability Health. She is also a former board member and long standing member of a number of disability representative organisations including Down Syndrome Australia and Down Syndrome Victoria.

Yi Yang does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Australians with disability are 4 times more likely to die early – often not due to their disability – https://theconversation.com/australians-with-disability-are-4-times-more-likely-to-die-early-often-not-due-to-their-disability-245262

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Wesley Morgan, Research Associate, Institute for Climate Risk and Response, UNSW Sydney

Australia has long tried to be two things at once – a trusted friend to Pacific nations in a bid to reduce China’s influence, and a giant exporter of fossil fuels. This diplomatic tightrope has become increasingly hard to walk, as Pacific nations see climate change as an existential threat.

This week, Australia’s government was forced to make a choice in a very public forum. It chose fossil fuels.

Disappointed by the slow pace of United Nations climate talks, Vanuatu and other Pacific nations launched a case at the International Court of Justice in the Netherlands to clarify the obligations countries have to prevent harm to the Earth’s climate system for current and future generations.

While international climate negotiations are often conducted behind closed doors, this case is being broadcast in public. We can clearly see the arguments Australia has laid out and the countries it has aligned itself with.

In the courtroom on Monday, Australia sided with major emitters and fossil fuel exporters such as Saudi Arabia, the United States and China to try and minimise their legal liability in contributing to climate change.

What’s at stake in this case?

This week marks a milestone in a five-year legal campaign, travelling from a university tutorial in Vanuatu’s capital, Port Vila, through the halls of the United Nations in New York and now to the world’s court in the Hague. The International Court of Justice is the only international court able to settle disputes between United Nations member states.

In 2019, 27 law students at the University of the South Pacific were given a challenge: find the most ambitious legal pathways towards climate justice. They decided filing a case with the world court fitted the bill.

In 2023, Vanuatu and other nations succeeded in passing a resolution at the UN General Assembly requiring the world court to give an advisory opinion on two questions – what obligations do states have under international law to protect the climate from greenhouse gas emissions, and what are the legal consequences for states causing “significant harm” to the earth’s climate?

Ahead of the hearing, the world court has received a record number of written submissions. Justices will hear two weeks of oral submissions. They will then produce an advisory opinion, expected to set a new benchmark in international law, by clarifying the legal obligations countries have to tackle emissions.

While an advisory opinion is not binding, the court’s findings will feed into national court cases and UN climate talks.

For Australia, this case presents a direct challenge. It has no plans to phase down fossil fuel exports. In fact, it plans to expand them.

If the court’s opinion draws clear lines between fossil fuel exporters and climate damage, it could have severe implications for Australia. It could, for instance, pave the way to compensation lawsuits for climate damage.

Since 2000, Australia has approved more than 700 oil, gas and coal projects. Dozens more are in the approvals pipeline. Just this week the federal government cleared the way for three new coal mines.

Australia is now one of the world’s largest exporters of coal and gas. This is relatively new. While coal has been exported since 1801, large-scale exports of liquefied natural gas only began a decade ago.

When burned overseas, emissions from Australia’s fossil fuel exports are now more than double those of its entire domestic economy. These emissions damage our global climate, increasing risk of harm to people in Australia and worldwide.

What did Australia argue at the Hague?

In bringing the case, Vanuatu has argued actions causing climate change are unlawful under a range of international obligations including the law of the sea, human rights law and environmental law.

Australian delegates commended Vanuatu’s leadership in bringing this case and reiterated Australia’s commitment to working with the Pacific on climate.

But after the diplomatic niceties, Australian Solicitor-General Stephen Donaghue got down to business. He told the court only the Paris Agreement – which requires countries to set targets to cut domestic emissions – should apply when it comes to mitigating climate change.

Donaghue also argued greenhouse gas emissions are different to, say, one country’s toxic waste damaging the environment of another. This, he argued, was because emissions have many sources.

Donaghue and the Australian delegation argued the court should take a narrow view of obligations to cut emissions and suggested responsibility for harms caused by climate change could not be pinned on individual states.

Australia has also argued protecting human rights does not extend to obligations to tackle climate change.

In 2022, Torres Strait islanders told a UN Human Rights Committee that a failure to address climate change violated their human rights. In response, the Australian government used very similar arguments, claiming climate change was best addressed through UN climate negotiations.

What does this mean?

The court’s opinion will be handed down next year.

Despite Australia’s arguments, recent rulings by other courts and tribunals suggest the court may not decide in our favour.

For example in May, the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea found greenhouse gas emissions were a form of marine pollution (because they acidify and heat the ocean), which countries have obligations to prevent. The tribunal rejected arguments that state obligations were limited to implementing the Paris Agreement.

A ruling on a similar case from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights is expected before the end of the year.

Relationships with Pacific states are likely to come under strain as the proceedings in the Hague roll on.

Matters could come to a head next year, when the court will release its advisory opinion.

A decision is still pending on whether Australia will host COP31, the 2026 UN climate talks, alongside Pacific island countries.

If our COP bid succeeds, it could give Canberra a chance to signal a shift away from fossil fuel exports in favour of green exports such as critical minerals and green iron. Doing so would align Australia’s interests with the Pacific – and present it much more clearly as a partner of choice.

Wesley Morgan is a fellow with the Climate Council

Liam Moore does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Trusted partner to the Pacific, or giant fossil fuel exporter? This week, Australia picked a side – https://theconversation.com/trusted-partner-to-the-pacific-or-giant-fossil-fuel-exporter-this-week-australia-picked-a-side-245268

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dominic Redfern, Associate Professor, School of Art, RMIT University

When I was asked to write about Arts Project Australia’s survey show at TarraWarra Museum of Art, Intimate Imaginaries, the term “outsider art” popped unbidden into my mind. As a term it is truly unwanted here, and indeed anywhere in contemporary art discourse.

Despite its origins, in the book of the same name by Roger Cardinal, for use in describing art that emerges outside of the official culture of the art school and gallery system, there is something exclusive about this designation. But let us name it to tame it.

The idea of the “outsider” is instructive in the sense that it draws our attention to the margin and by extension, the centre. The insider is, by definition, at the centre of things. The outsider is on the margins, in some way less representative of the whole. This simply doesn’t hold water when applied to Intimate Imaginaries.

For this is art of immediacy, this is art at the heart of where we live.

Reflecting Australia

Arts Project Australia has been supporting artists with intellectual disabilities for more than 50 years.

Their work in championing these artists cannot be underestimated in terms of its social impact, nor the quality of art. While their artists are characterised by their diversity, they punch above their weight in painting, drawing, ceramic and soft sculpture.

Much of Intimate Imaginaries put me in mind of the small revolution wrought by artists of the post second world war period who brought the industrialised, urbanised, capitalist society into focus through their choice of material and subject matter. Think of nouveau realisme (Daniel Spoerri, Arman), neo dada (power couple Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns) and pop art in Britain and America (Claes Oldenberg, Marjorie Strider, Rosalyn Drexler).

Intimate Imaginaries cleaves very close to that democratic vision. This is art reflecting back at us what it is to live in contemporary Australia. We see people, places, things and experiences close to our everyday suffused with a vitality often left wanting in more overtly political or theory burdened contemporary art.

While the idea of the everyday is very present in the show, there are also examples of other forms of contemporary practice.

Seriality, in the form of diaphanous circular forms, are a daily practice for Fulli Andrinopoulos, in their untitled works across many years. The practice of repeating key motifs or icons can be found throughout Modernism in the work of Josef Albers, who painted squares almost exclusively for the later part of his career, or in the work of our own John Nixon.

Andrinopoulos’ practice recalls Om Kawara’s Today series of date paintings as well as the Japanese art of Shodo, specifically the ensō , the circular form which symbolises the universe (Dharmadhatu), the zen mind and mu (emptiness).

In video performance from multi-disciplinary artist Chris O’Brien, O’Brien inhabits the police procedural, scaffolding his characters with catch phrases and poignant improvisations. His work calls to mind the deft mix of surrealist banality found in the work of Heath Franco and his sometime collaborator Matthew Griffin.

The televisual for O’Brien is an extension of his wider engagement with suburbia as evidenced in his ceramic and soft sculptural work.

Soft sculpture, and the ceramic renderings of soft forms, is also a highlight of the show in the work of Terry Williams, reminiscent for me of the work of aeroplane obsessive, Hans-Jörg Georgi.

Achieving authenticity

There are too many great artists to single out in the space available but if this exhibition has a uniting thread or theme, it is that of authenticity.

These are artists seemingly untroubled by what they “should” make. These works positively thrum with affect; these are artists deeply connected to their subject matter.

While there is humour, there is little in the way of cynicism or ironic posturing. There is no shopping for the topical, no virtue signalling.

This is work that puts me in mind of Claude Levi Strauss’s notion of the bricoleur. French for “handyman” and the name of a chain of hardware stores in France, the bricoleur transforms the “at hand” into a model of their own vision, their sense of what it is that makes up and animates the world.

This is work that finds the sacred close at hand.

Not a transcendent, other worldly significance, but the sacred present in the stuff of the everyday. To take one of many examples, look at Lisa Reid’s ceramic work, Mum’s 1971 Elna Supermatic Sewing Machine (2024). I am transported to my mother’s side as she helped me make a tunic to be Richard the Lion Heart.

This work captures the talismanic quality that such objects can impress upon us. More than nostalgia, Reid confers upon this household object an alchemical power.

A related practice takes on another level of poignancy in the work of Alan Constable, a legally blind artist whose practice consists of meticulously transposing cameras into clay: equal parts a fascination with technology and artifice, and a redemptive curiosity.

Talking to curator Anthony Fitzpatrick, he addressed the title of the show, Intimate Imaginaries and spoke of the imaginary as constantly mediating our encounter with the material world; an overlay of meaning we interpose, so it reflects meaning rather than chaos back at us.

Magical realism seems another apt reference here. In this exhibition the world is seen with great clarity and yet not reduced to mindless matter ticking into entropy.

Rather, it is suffused, stuffed with liveliness and intra-personal significance.

It is no surprise Fitzpatrick chose to bring this important show to TarraWarra. He has form through his work with the DAX Centre which collects and exhibits the work of artists with mental illness. He clearly has a feeling for art as a matter of urgency, a sense-making necessity for us as humans. Here is a curator with a passion for art’s deep connection to the fundamentals of our humanity.

Intimate Imaginaries is at the TarraWarra Museum of Art, Victoria, until March 10 2025.

Dominic Redfern does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Arts Project Australia gives us a small revolution: art reflecting back at us what it is to live in contemporary Australia – https://theconversation.com/arts-project-australia-gives-us-a-small-revolution-art-reflecting-back-at-us-what-it-is-to-live-in-contemporary-australia-243703

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Javiera Olivares-Rojas, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Monash University

Australia’s ecosystems face an unprecedented crisis. From rainforests in the continent’s north to the alpine bogs and fens of the alps, ecosystems are being pushed towards collapse.

Why? To date, the reasons for declines across all types of ecosystems have not been well summarised. Our new research set out to shed light, providing the first national synthesis of threats to 103 ecological communities listed as threatened under Australian environmental law.

Our study exposed a sobering reality. Our ecological communities face 49 diverse threats, ranging from land clearing and grazing to pollution and changed fire patterns. Many ecosystems face multiple serious threats. Recovery will be complex and difficult – but not impossible.

Australia is renowned for its unique and diverse ecosystems, which are home to species found nowhere else. Every day we delay conservation action, we risk losing more of what makes Australia special.

Supporting humanity’s survival

An ecosystem is a complex and dynamic interplay between living and non-living parts, including plants, animals, soil, water and climate. Collectively, ecosystems perform vital processes such as nutrient cycling, cleaning air and water, storing carbon and pollinating plants. Humanity’s survival depends on many of these services.

The terms “ecosystem” and “ecological community” technically refer to slightly different things, but are used interchangeably in conservation management. For accuracy, here we refer to “ecological communities” because these are the entities listed for protection under Australia’s national environment legislation.

Since European colonisation, Australia’s ecosystems and ecological communities have been under immense pressure. More than 100 are now at risk of collapse. They range from coastal swamp forests, rainforests and vine thickets in Australia’s east, shrublands and woodlands of the west, and giant kelp forests in the south-eastern oceans.

But while the perils facing Australia’s threatened species have been heavily researched, comparatively little is known about threats to entire communities.

We wanted to close that knowledge gap.

A perfect storm

We developed a comprehensive dataset of threats to Australian threatened ecological communities – eight broad threat categories and 49 specific threats in all.

We found each community is affected by multiple threats – ranging from six to 27 threats each.

Take, for example, the community known as “White Box-Yellow Box-Blakely’s Red Gum Grassy Woodland and Derived Native Grassland”. It’s dominated by a range of eucalypts, along with several native tussock grass and other plant species in the ground layer.

This ecological community once covered large areas of Victoria, New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory and southern Queensland. But more than 90% of this has been cleared. It now faces 23 distinct threats in the remaining area, including fragmentation, increased nutrients in the soil from fertilisers and inappropriate livestock grazing regimes.

Meanwhile, the “Alpine sphagnum bogs and fens community” – in southern NSW, the ACT, northern Victoria and Tasmania – also faces multiple threats. These include invasive herbivores, more frequent and intense bushfires, and droughts. Combined, these threats damage fire-sensitive vegetation and peat soils that store water and carbon, and have limited capacity to recover between fires.

Nearly all communities are impacted by invasive species and disease, and habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation (99% and 98% of communities, respectively).

Overall, we found 49 different threats affecting the communities we examined. The following were present across almost all, or many, communities:

• habitat loss, driven primarily by agriculture (91%) and urban development (56%)

• invasive weeds (90%)

• climate change and severe weather events (85%)

• changed fire regimes (84%), either too frequent or suppressed.

Where to now?

Our results are a powerful reminder of the severity and scale of the conservation challenges Australia faces. The situation is dire. But our research also points to potential solutions.

Almost all threatened communities could benefit from three key management strategies: habitat restoration, invasive weed management, and improved fire management.

Restoring ecosystems involves reversing damage caused by land clearing and other threats, and replacing vegetation where it has been lost.

Invasive weed management involves controlling or removing plants that out-compete native species for resources or exacerbate other threats such as fires.

In the critically endangered Cumberland Plain Woodland, for example, removing invasive African Olive can help restore native understorey.

Fire management could involve reintroducing First Peoples’ cultural burning practices in some areas or creating ecologically appropriate fire regimes in others.

Importantly, we’ve previously found an overlap between threats impacting ecosystems and species at the same location. This presents an opportunity for integrated, more streamlined conservation efforts.

Hope on the horizon?

The next steps are clear.

A more consistent approach is needed to identify, document and categorise threat data for ecosystems.

We need a coordinated national approach to restoration, and more funding for on-ground conservation. This would help Australia meet the global goal of restoring 30% of degraded ecosystems by 2030.

Australia also needs stronger environmental protection to prevent further irreplaceable loss.

Finally, we must rapidly reduce greenhouse gas emissions to do our fair share to tackle climate change.

Australia’s threatened ecological communities are in a critical state. Without rapid and strategic intervention, they will continue to decline. The time for targeted conservation is now.

Javiera Olivares-Rojas received funding from the National Environmental Science Science Program Threatened Species Recovery Hub, Project 7.6, to conduct this work.

Jessica Walsh receives funding from the Australian Research Council (DECRA) and the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust.

– ref. Scientists counted 49 ways Australia is destroying the ecosystems we hold dear – but there is hope – https://theconversation.com/scientists-counted-49-ways-australia-is-destroying-the-ecosystems-we-hold-dear-but-there-is-hope-240434

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anna DeMello, Research Fellow in Public Health, University of Otago

Vaping rates among young people continue to be a major public health concern, both in Aotearoa New Zealand and elsewhere.

New vape legislation currently before the health select committee proposes a ban on disposable vapes and restrictions on retailers (except specialist vape shops) which would no longer be able to display vaping products.

Currently, vaping products are widely available and aggressive marketing of youth-oriented designs and flavours has encouraged experimentation among young people.

These products contain nicotine and have powerful addictive potential. They also carry other risks, such as increasing young people’s susceptibility to lung inflammation, infection or injury.

The 2023/24 NZ Health Survey found 10.5% of people aged 15 to 17 vaped daily. Among young adults aged 18 to 24, 26.5% were vaping daily.

The latest ASH Year 10 Snapshot Survey, which involves adolescent students aged 14 to 15, reported that vaping has imposed a heavier burden on Māori, with 22% of Māori Year 10 students vaping daily, compared to 10% among all Year 10 students.

But how are young people experiencing vaping, and how does it affect their lives?

To address this question, we undertook in-depth interviews with 20 adolescents (aged 16 to 18) who live in Aotearoa and consider themselves moderately to heavily addicted to vaping.

Our research explains how addiction affected their wellbeing, interpersonal relationships and self-view.

Young people feel repulsed by their vaping addiction

Initially, participants found vaping offered pleasurable new sensations and helped them to fit in with their peers. But their views changed as they recognised they had become addicted.

They began to feel highly resentful of the hold vaping had over them and it became disgusting rather than pleasurable.

It’s not even a fun thing [anymore] […] I got sick of [having this] device in your mouth [to] blow out flavoured smoke. That sounds gross. I really hate it.

Nearly all wanted to quit, but their addiction felt overwhelming and some began feeling fatalistic and doomed to continue vaping.

I’m probably slowly killing [my lungs], killing myself. I’ll worry about it [when it happens].

Many participants felt judged by adults in their lives, particularly family members but also teachers and people they encountered in public spaces. These participants resented comments and criticisms, which often came without offers of support.

It’s the worst feeling. I got into [vaping], I know that’s my fault, but it’s hard to get out.

To avoid judgements that left them feeling worse, some hid their vaping, which increased feelings of isolation. Many worried about how adults viewed them and felt their reputation would be damaged if someone they knew saw them vaping.

A lot of people shun [it]. So, I wouldn’t usually walk down the street with [a vape]. I wait until I’m somewhere more secluded.

Young people blame themselves and feel lost

Perceived judgement from others made the regret, guilt and intense self-blame participants experienced worse because they saw no escape from their addiction.

Few considered how vaping companies had targeted them, or how inadequate government regulation had failed them; many blamed themselves and wished they could turn the clock back.

There [are so many] downsides. If I [could change things], I would 100% [never] touch a vape […] I would pay thousands if I could go back.

[I never thought] this would happen to me. But, at the end of the day it’s nobody else’s fault.

These feelings severely affected several participants’ mental wellbeing and they had withdrawn and felt anxious and depressed.

I personally just don’t even look at myself anymore, because I don’t recognise myself […] it takes a [big toll] on self-image.

Tackling young people’s vaping with robust policies

We found that vaping addiction negatively affected participants’ relationships and how they saw themselves. They felt judged and unsupported in managing their addiction to vaping.

These findings reinforce the need for stronger upstream policies that protect young people from aggressive marketing. Ending the sale of disposable vaping products is an important first step and we are pleased the health select committee has recommended amending the law and to end vape discounting and loyalty programmes.

However, more could and should be done to reduce the availability of vaping products and limit attributes that appeal particularly to young people. This includes:

• ending vaping product sales in generic retailers such as dairies and service stations, and limiting product sales to age-restricted (R-18) specialist shops

• capping vape retailer numbers and reducing outlet density, particularly in more deprived areas

• restricting all (current and future) general and specialist vape retailers from operating within 500 metres of schools and marae

• monitoring the impact of a ban on disposable vape sales (as the government plans to do) to ensure companies do not undermine the measure.

Targeted cessation programmes could also help young people to quit, but these must take an empathetic approach and respond to their particular needs.

Anna DeMello does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. ‘It’s the worst feeling’ – young New Zealanders regret their vaping addictions but feel unsupported to quit – https://theconversation.com/its-the-worst-feeling-young-new-zealanders-regret-their-vaping-addictions-but-feel-unsupported-to-quit-245018

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kelvin (Shiu Fung) Wong, Senior Lecturer in Clinical Psychology, Swinburne University of Technology

Spotify has just released its 2024 Spotify Wrapped, the music streaming site’s annual presentation of each user’s yearly listening habits. It gives you a fun recap of your most listened to songs, artists and genres from the past year – complete with stats like how many minutes you listened and your top genre “phases” or “moments”.

The tradition has seized the cultural zeitgeist throughout the whole year, with a lot of online discourse surrounding what music will top your listens for the year.

In addition to the exciting way the list is presented (aesthetically pleasing tiles, interactive elements), the answer to its ability to captivate may be found in one simple idea: we inherently like understanding ourselves.

But what does this mean? We can unpack this further in the psychological theories of self-concept, social comparison and social connection.

Self-concept

Self-concept is how we see ourselves. It develops from our experiences and our responses to these experiences.

Music is one of those unique mediums that reflects what we’ve experienced (for example, a break-up) and how we feel (sadness and yearning).

So, when we see a yearly list of our top artists, genres and songs, it’s like looking into a mirror that tells us who we’ve been throughout the year.

This drive towards self-reflection is likely because it fulfils some of our most fundamental human needs. Remember that time when everyone was doing the Myers-Briggs personality test?

In 1943, the American psychologist Abraham Maslow developed his theory of human needs.

According to this theory, humans have a need for esteem (gaining respect and recognition within our communities) and self-actualisation (realisation of one’s potential). Neither of these can occur without first an understanding of who we currently are. Sharing a list, then, is a way of saying to others, “this is me!”.

But sharing your Wrapped list serves more functions than simply self-expression. It facilitates social comparison and social connection.

Social comparison

In 1954, American social psychologist Leon Festinger published his social comparison theory.

He believed humans are naturally inclined to compare themselves to others. We constantly evaluate where we stand in relation to those around us.

When you post your Wrapped list, you aren’t just saying, “this is what I listened to” or “this is who I am”. You’re also inviting others to engage in a subtle social dialogue.

Seeing someone else with the same song on their list might spark a sense of connection. Seeing that you’re in the top 1% of Taylor Swift fans might make you feel even a little superior (and others a little envious).

(As a side note, I hope this happens to me again this year.)

Seeing someone else’s Wrapped can also inspire and validate. If a friend’s list includes a mix of genres you’ve never explored, you might feel encouraged to branch out. Or you might see someone else’s list and feel relieved you’re not the only one obsessed with an artist.

Whether conscious or subconscious, these comparisons drive engagement with Spotify.

Social connection

Sharing our Spotify Wrapped satisfies another fundamental human need: belonging.

Humans are inherently social creatures who want to feel loved and accepted. Music is one of the oldest ways we’ve connected with one another.

Sharing our Wrapped lists isn’t just about showing off who we are, but about finding common ground. It’s about finding your tribe, a group of people we can feel safely connected to.

This is even more important during a period in which people’s opinions are becoming more divided and for a younger generation where loneliness is becoming an increasing problem.

Building on your own wrap

This urge to know about yourself and to share is very human.

This year, however, I challenge you to go beyond just dropping a like on someone’s story.

Sure, the dopamine hit is great and is part of what keeps us coming back to this yearly ritual. But it takes more than that to meet our need for connection.

This year, use Spotify Wrapped to start up a conversation with someone. Maybe about how their experiences and feelings this year led to the songs appearing on their list. You might learn something new about them and create or revitalise a meaningful connection.

And that’s a wrap.

Kelvin (Shiu Fung) Wong does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Spotify Wrapped is about more than what songs you listen to – it’s about what makes you you – https://theconversation.com/spotify-wrapped-is-about-more-than-what-songs-you-listen-to-its-about-what-makes-you-you-245019

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Heslop, Associate Professor of Population Health, UNSW Sydney

Over the past two years, we have seen much written about the “promise and peril” of artificial intelligence (AI). Some have suggested AI systems might aid in the construction of chemical or biological weapons.

How realistic are these concerns? As researchers in the field of bioterrorism and health intelligence, we have been trying to separate the genuine risks from the online hype.

The exact implications for “chem bio” weapons are still uncertain. However, it is very clear that regulations are not keeping pace with technological developments.

Assessing the risks

Assessing the risk an AI model presents is not easy. What’s more, there is no consistent and widely followed way to do it.

Take the case of large language models (LLMs). These are the AI engines behind chatbots such as ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini.

In September, OpenAI released an LLM called o1 (nicknamed “Strawberry”). Upon its release, the developers claimed the new system had a “medium” level risk of helping someone create a biological weapon.

This assessment might sound alarming. However, a closer reading of the o1 system card reveals more trivial security risks.

The model might, for example, help an untrained individual navigate a public database of genetic information about viruses more quickly. Such assistance is unlikely to have much material impact on biosecurity.

Despite this, media quickly reported that the new model “meaningfully contributed” to weaponisation risks.

Beyond chatbots

When the first wave of LLM chatbots launched in late 2022, there were widely reported fears that these systems could help untrained individuals unleash a pandemic.

However, these chatbots are based on already-existing data and are unlikely to come up with anything genuinely new. They might help a bioterrorism enterprise come up with some ideas and establish an initial direction, but that’s about it.

Rather than chatbots, AI systems with applications in the life sciences are of more genuine concern. Many of these, such as the AlphaFold series, will aid researchers fighting diseases and seeking new therapeutic drugs.

Some systems, however, may have the capacity for misuse. Any AI that is really useful for science is likely to be a double-edged sword: a technology that may have great benefit to humanity, while also posing risks.

AI systems like these are prime examples of what is called “dual-use research of concern”.

Prions and pandemics

Dual-use research of concern in itself is nothing new. People working on biosecurity and nuclear non-proliferation have been worrying about it for a long time. Many tools and techniques in chemistry and synthetic biology could be used for malicious ends.

In the field of protein science, for example, there has been concern for more than a decade that new computational platforms might help in the synthesis of the potentially deadly misfolded proteins called prions, or in the construction of novel toxin weapons. New AI tools such as AlphaFold may bring this scenario closer to reality.

However, while prions and toxins may be deadly to relatively small groups people, neither can cause a pandemic that could wreak true havoc. In the study of bioterrorism, our main concern is with agents that have pandemic potential.

Historically, bioterrorism planning has focused on Yersinia pestis, the bacterium that causes plague, and variola virus, which causes smallpox.

The main question is whether new AI systems make any tangible difference to an untrained individual or group seeking to obtain pathogens such as these, or to create something from scratch.

Right now, we simply do not know.

Rules to assess and regulate AI systems

Nobody yet has a definitive answer to the question of how to assess the new landscape of AI-powered biological weapons risk. The most advanced planning has been produced by the outgoing Biden administration in the United States, via an executive order on AI development issued in October 2023.

A key provision of the executive order tasks several US agencies with establishing standards to assess the impact new AI systems may have on the proliferation of chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear weapons. Experts often group these together under the heading of “CBRN”, but the new dynamic we call CBRN+AI is still uncertain.

The executive order also established new processes for regulating the hardware and software needed for gene synthesis. This is the machinery for turning the digital ideas produced by an AI system into the physical reality of biological life.

The US Department of Energy is soon due to release guidance on managing biological risks that might be generated by new AI systems. This will provide a pathway for understanding how AI might affect biosecurity in the coming years.

Political pressure

These nascent regulations are already coming under political pressure. The incoming Trump administration in the US has promised to repeal Biden’s executive order on AI, concerned it is based on “radical leftist ideas”. This stance is informed by irrelevant disputes in American identity politics that have no bearing on biosecurity.

While it is imperfect, the executive order is the best blueprint for helping us comprehend how AI will impact proliferation of chemical and biological threats in the coming years. To repeal it would be a great disservice to the US national interest, and global human security at large.

David Heslop has previously received funding from Australian Defence Force Strategic Policy Grants to conduct research in areas related to this article.

Joel Keep does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Chatbots won’t help anyone make weapons of mass destruction. But other AI systems just might – https://theconversation.com/chatbots-wont-help-anyone-make-weapons-of-mass-destruction-but-other-ai-systems-just-might-244514

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cameron McTernan, Lecturer of Media and Communication, University of South Australia

Just days out from the United States presidential election last month, X (formerly Twitter) suddenly crippled the ability of many major media and political organisations to reach audiences on the social media platform.

Without warning, the platform, under tech billionaire Elon Musk’s stewardship, announced major changes to the main pathway these organisations use to disseminate content. This pathway is known as the application programming interface, or API. The changes meant users of the free tier API would be limited to 500 posts per month – or roughly 15 per day.

This had a huge impact on news media outlets, including The Conversation – especially with one of the biggest political events in the world just around the corner. It meant software programs designed to quickly and easily share stories wouldn’t work and newsrooms had to scramble to post stories manually.

In turn, it also had a huge impact on the public’s ability to access high quality, independent news at a time when there was a flood of polarising fake news and deepfakes on X and other social media platforms.

But this is just one example of how social media companies are throttling public access to quality news content, which research has shown is a proven antidote to the insidious effect of misinformation and disinformation. If this trend continues, the implications for democracy will be severe.

The backend of online communication

An API acts like a service corridor between websites and other internet services such as apps. Just like your computer has a keyboard and mouse at the front, then a series of sockets at the back, APIs are the backend that different websites and services use to communicate with each other.

An example of an API in action is the weather updates on your phone, where your device interacts with the API of some meteorology service to request temperatures or wind speeds.

Access to social media APIs has also been essential for news companies. They use APIs to publish stories across their various platforms at key intervals during the day.

For instance, The Conversation might publish a story on X, Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky all at the same time through an automated process that uses APIs.

Journalists and researchers can also use APIs to download collections of posts to identify and analyse bot attacks and misinformation, study communities and understand political polarisation.

My own research on political behaviours online is one such example of a study that relied on this data access.

APIpocalypse

API restrictions – such as those suddenly imposed by X before the US presidential election – limit what goes in and what comes out of a platform, including news.

Making matters worse, Meta has removed the News Tab on Facebook, replaced the CrowdTangle analytics tool with another system that is less open to journalists and academics, and appears to have reduced the recommendation of news on the platforms.

X also seems to have reduced the reach of posts including links to news sites, starting in 2023.

After once being open and free, Reddit’s APIs are also essentially inaccessible now without expensive commercial licenses.

The net result is that it is getting harder and harder for the public to access high quality, independent and nonpartisan news on social media. It is also getting harder and harder for journalists and researchers to monitor communities and information on social media platforms.

As others have said, we really are living through an “APIpocalypse”.

The exact effect of this on any of the 74 national elections around the world this year is unclear.

And the harder it is to access APIs, the harder it will be to find out.

A public hunger for quality news

Research suggests there has been renewed diversification in the social media sector. This will likely continue with the recent explosion of X clones such as Bluesky in the aftermath of the US presidential election.

News organisations are capitalising on this by expanding their profile on these emerging social media platforms. In addition, they are also focusing more on email newsletters to reach their audience directly.

There is an enormous public hunger for reliable and trustworthy information. We know that globally people value quality, nonpartisan news. In fact, they want more of it.

This should give news media outlets hope. It should also inspire them to rely less on a few monolithic tech companies that have no incentive to provide the public with trustworthy information, and continue investing in new ways to reach their audiences.

Cameron McTernan receives funding from the Canadian Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council as part of the Global Media and Internet Concentration Project.

– ref. Social media platforms are throttling access to news – with far-reaching implications for democracy – https://theconversation.com/social-media-platforms-are-throttling-access-to-news-with-far-reaching-implications-for-democracy-244644

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rona Carroll, Senior Lecturer, Department of Primary Health Care and General Practice, University of Otago

The growing politicisation and rise in misinformation about the use of puberty blockers for gender-affirming healthcare has resulted in bans and restrictions internationally.

New Zealand’s government has tasked the Ministry of Health with consulting the public on whether additional safety measures or regulations should be put in place for puberty blockers.

I argue it is inappropriate to open a public consultation on a healthcare issue when disinformation about transgender people has been well documented, especially as there appear to be no measures to prevent malicious or misleading survey responses.

Medical decisions should be guided by scientific or clinical concerns and remain free from political interference. Banning or restricting access to puberty blockers would go against best-practice recommendations from major medical bodies – including the Endocrine Society, the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, the American Psychiatric Association and the American Psychological Association – and likely cause harm to young people.

How puberty blockers work

Puberty blockers are medications which can be used to delay the onset of puberty. In gender-affirming healthcare, they may be prescribed when a young person experiences gender incongruence and accompanying distress with their body. Gender incongruence is when a person’s gender and their assigned sex do not match.

By pausing the physical changes of puberty, a young person with gender incongruence can get on with their adolescence. They can be free from the fear of potentially unwanted irreversible changes occurring to their body.

When they are older, they may decide to stop the puberty blocker and let puberty resume as it would have done. The age range for the start of puberty is wide and people who have used puberty blockers will recommence puberty within this range.

Some may choose to take hormone therapy to develop physical changes which match their experienced gender. This step is a separate decision with different healthcare input and consent.

The same medications are used for other health issues including precocious (early) puberty, menstrual disorders and prostate cancer. This has given health professionals decades of experience in using these medications. There are no concerns around the reversibility or safety of these medications when they are used in these other situations.

Ethics of clinical trials

The Ministry of Health published an evidence brief last month which found a low risk of physical harm from using puberty blockers. It also highlighted the limitations in the quality of the evidence of benefits.

The highest quality of evidence is a randomised controlled trial, where one group is given an intervention while the other is not. In these trials neither the researchers nor the participants know who is in which group. But puberty blockers result in obvious differences, meaning this is not a feasible research option.

There are other ethical considerations and methodological limitations with designing randomised trials in this context. There is a need for further research, but restricting access to this care to those enrolled in clinical trials would be coercive and unethical. No other area of paediatric medicine is held to this standard.

However, the evidence brief did not consider the harm of not using puberty blockers, the lack of evidence for any alternative treatments or the lack of harm when using these medications in other medical contexts.

Puberty blockers can prevent future distress

Puberty blockers delay the onset of puberty, but don’t necessarily result in a measurable effect at the time they are taken. The main impact is seen when people are older. The physical effects of a puberty that does not match a person’s gender can have serious negative consequences for transgender adults.

In my role as a GP, I regularly hear from transgender adults (who have not had puberty blockers) struggling with distress related to bodily changes which occurred during puberty.

I have met people who don’t speak because their deep voice causes others to make incorrect assumptions about their gender. Some harm themselves or avoid leaving the house because of the distress caused by their breasts. Others seek costly surgical treatments.

This is when the benefits of maintaining equitable access to puberty blockers for those who need them become obvious. People are seeking hormones, surgery and mental health support for changes which could have been prevented by using puberty blockers when they were younger.

The ministry’s position statement recommends that puberty blockers are prescribed by health professionals who have expertise in this area, with input from interdisciplinary colleagues.

In my experience this describes how puberty blockers are currently being prescribed in New Zealand. Clinicians are already cautious in their prescribing. They work with multidisciplinary input to best support the young person and their family. They recognise the importance of mental health and family support for young people.

However, access to this best-practice care varies throughout the country. This should be properly resourced to ensure access to quality care wherever young people live.

We have seen the distress caused by banning gender affirming care overseas. A recent study estimated that anti-transgender laws in the US were linked to an increase in suicide attempts among transgender young people.

The New Zealand government’s intention to explore regulations of puberty blocker prescriptions has not been seen in any other area of healthcare.

Restrictions leading to inequitable access to this care would go against best-practice recommendations. The people who would suffer are young people and their families.

Rona Carroll is affiliated with the Professional Association for Transgender Health Aotearoa.

– ref. NZ is consulting the public on regulations for puberty blockers – this should be a medical decision not a political one – https://theconversation.com/nz-is-consulting-the-public-on-regulations-for-puberty-blockers-this-should-be-a-medical-decision-not-a-political-one-245020

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jiayue-Clara Jiang, Postdoctoral Researcher in Human Genomics, The University of Queensland

Heart disease is the leading cause of death globally in both men and women.

It accounts for one in three deaths for Australian women, yet women with heart disease remain under-studied, under-diagnosed and under-treated.

Meanwhile, depression affects about twice as many women as men. Our recent study indicates women are in double jeopardy, as those with a higher genetic predisposition to depression were also found to have increased heart disease risk. The same pattern is not observed for men.

Here’s what we’re learning and what we need need to investigate.

Read more:
Women are less likely to receive CPR than men. Training on manikins with breasts could help

The brain-heart link

Previous studies have shown people with depression also have a higher risk of developing heart disease.

The cause of this relationship is complex.

For example, some psychiatric medications are known to have adverse effects that lead to weight gain and higher cholesterol levels.

At the same time, depression can lead to lifestyle behaviours such as smoking, poor diet and reduced exercise which can exacerbate the risk of developing heart disease.

Researchers haven’t looked in detail at the shared biological factors and whether they differ in men and women.

We examined genetic links

Our research, led by the University of Queensland’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience, used genomic and health data from about 345,000 people in the United Kingdom to investigate the brain-heart link in females and males separately.

Human genetic studies have previously identified many parts of our DNA that contribute to different diseases. These allow researchers to determine if a person’s genetic makeup puts them at a higher risk of developing a particular disease.

We used study data to calculate each person’s genetic risk of depression. Then we checked whether this risk was associated with a higher risk of developing heart disease in the future.

Our study found women with a higher genetic risk of depression are more likely to develop cardiovascular disease (specifically, coronary artery disease, atrial fibrillation and heart failure).

This link was observed even among women who had never had a diagnosis of depression or other psychiatric disorders, nor reported use of any psychiatric medication. This indicates the increased heart disease risk in women is not simply a result of behavioural changes or medication use following a depression diagnosis.

Interestingly, the same was not observed in men.

What the results mean

The results suggest the same genetic or biological factors that increase the risk of depression may also play a role in heart disease in women.

The study found this sex difference could not be explained by a difference in well-known heart disease risk factors, such as BMI, high blood pressure or smoking.

The risk of heart disease in women is also known to increase after menopause. However, we found a similar link between the genetic risk of depression and the future incidence of heart disease regardless of whether women had undergone menopause or not.

Underestimated heart risks in women

Heart disease risk calculators are used by doctors around the world to identify people at high risk of developing heart disease. In Australia, we use the AusCVDRisk calculator.

These risk calculators bring together information on well-known risk factors, such as blood pressure and blood cholesterol levels. Appropriate interventions (lifestyle changes and/or medication) are recommended in people with high risk to reduce the chances of having a heart attack or a stroke.

But studies have shown relying on these traditional risk factors alone tends to underestimate heart disease risk in women. Improving the risk prediction accuracy in women requires the consideration of female-specific risk factors.

Currently, only QRISK3 (used by doctors in the UK) directly incorporates a diagnosis of depression into its risk calculation. However, this calculator considers the effect of a depression diagnosis on heart disease risk to be similar in men and women. Our new paper suggests women’s genetic risk of depression can put them at greater risk.

Read more:
Why women are still being underdiagnosed with heart disease

Calling for more effective screening in women

Further research is needed to understand whether depression risk can help better predict heart disease risk in women. But this study highlights the importance of frequent heart health checks in women with a family history or diagnosis of depression. This is especially true for younger women, a group with a high depression prevalence but traditionally thought to have low heart disease risk.

When it comes to heart disease, women are not just “smaller men”. As such, research focused on understanding heart disease in women is essential for developing tailored approaches.

At the same time, increased awareness around sex differences in heart disease is crucial to encourage more women to prioritise getting their heart health checked.

JCJ is supported by a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) IDEAS grant (2000637).

Sonia Shah receives funding from the National Heart Foundation and the National Health and Medical Research Council.

– ref. The genetic risk of depression is a stronger predictor of heart problems in women than men: new research – https://theconversation.com/the-genetic-risk-of-depression-is-a-stronger-predictor-of-heart-problems-in-women-than-men-new-research-244162

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tanya Latty, Associate Professor, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney

Beetles are the most diverse group of animals on Earth, accounting for nearly a quarter of all known animal species. Australia is thought to be home to a whooping 30,000 beetle species, and they are crucial to keeping our ecosystems healthy.

Beetles can be distinguished from other insects by their hard, shell-like wing covers called “elytra”. Unlike other insects, beetles hide their soft, thin wings beneath these protective covers when they are not in use.

Summer is a great time to go beetle-watching in Australia. While beetles can be found all year round, many species are more visible and numerous when the weather heats up.

Beetles come in a brilliant range of colours, patterns and textures – even metallic – which makes them especially fun to spot. Here are five beautiful beetles to look out for this summer.

1. Flower chafers

Although bees get all the glory, beetles are the unsung pollinators of many native plants.

Flower chafers (from the subfamily Cetoniinae) are named after their habit of visiting flowers to feed on nectar and pollen. This makes them important pollinators.

Flower chafer larvae live in rotting wood or leaf litter. There are 146 species in Australia, found in all states and territories..

One of the most common is the fiddler beetle (Eupoecila australasiae), found along Australia’s east coast. It features striking black, green and occasionally yellow markings in a fiddle-shaped pattern.

Female fiddler beetles lay eggs in soil or rotting logs. The larvae burrow through the soil to feed, emerging as adults in the spring.

The fiddler beetle feeds on native flowers such as Angophora, Melaleuca and Leptospermum (tea trees) and may occasionally eat rotting fruit.

Beetle-pollinated flowers are often white or cream, with nectar placed where beetles can readily reach it. The below video shows a native tree on which multiple species are feeding at once.

2. Stag beetles

The larvae of stag beetles (from the family Lucanidae) feed on decaying wood – breaking down tough, fibrous material and returning essential nutrients to the soil.

Adult stag beetles have been described as “beautiful baubles” for their shimmery exoskeletons in shades of gold, green, purple and blue.

Stag beetles are most abundant in Tasmania, New South Wales and Victoria, but are also found in Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia.

3. Christmas beetles

In southern and eastern Australia, the festive season is traditionally marked by the arrival of large numbers of iridescent Christmas beetles (Anoplognathus).

Of the 36 species of Christmas beetle, all but one are found exclusively in Australia, making them a truly iconic part of the country’s natural heritage.

Although Christmas beetles were once reliable heralds of summer, their numbers now appear to be declining. A lack of long-term population monitoring makes it challenging to confirm this trend, however.

4. Jewel beetles

Jewel beetles (from the family Buprestidae) feature brilliantly coloured, metallic bodies – features thought to deter predators.

Australia is lucky to have 1,200 species of these beautiful living jewels, found all across the continent.

Adult jewel beetles feed on nectar and pollen, while their larvae usually bore through the wood of trees or the roots of plants.

5. Diamond weevils

The diamond weevil (Chrysolopus spectabilis) is the crown jewel of Australia’s weevil family. It comes in a startling array of colours, from blue to yellow and green.

Diamond weevils are found commonly along the east coast of Australia, eating plant material such as Acacia leaves.

The species is one of Australia’s first insects named by European scientists. It was first collected in 1770 by naturalist Joseph Banks, who landed at Botany Bay with Captain Cook.

Saving our beetles

Despite their ecological importance and phenomenal diversity, beetles are understudied. Scientists are constantly finding new species, such as the adorable fluffy longhorn beetle (Excastra albopilosa) recently discovered in the Gold Coast hinterland.

Unfortunately beetles – like many other insect species – face increasing threats from habitat loss, climate change and the misuse of insecticide.

A few simple actions can help native beetles to thrive.

Planting nectar-rich natives helps provide a reliable food source for flower-feeding beetles. Choose native plants with large, bowl-shaped or flattened flowers which makes the nectar easy for insects to reach. Good examples include the dwarf apple (Angophora hispida), white kunzea (Kunzea ambigua) and rice flower (Ozothamnus diosmifolius).

As a bonus, flowers also attract pest-eating beetles such as ladybirds.

Many beetles rely on decaying leaves and wood for food and shelter. So try to avoid disturbing or removing rotting wood and leaf litter from natural habitats.

Avoid using insecticides in home gardens. Many insecticides commonly used to target pest beetles, such as the invasive Argentinian scarab, indiscriminately kill beneficial ground-dwelling beetle larvae.

And help scientists better understand beetle populations and their conservation needs by uploading beetle sightings to online platforms such as iNaturalist and Canberra Nature Mapr.

Public sightings can have a big impact. Participants in the annual Christmas Beetle Count have rediscovered seven species not seen for decades.

By protecting our valuable – and stunning – Australian beetles, we can ensure they survive for future generations to enjoy.

Tanya Latty receives funding from The Australian Research Council, Saving our Species and AgriFutures Australia. She is affiliated with Invertebrates Australia, The Australian Entomological Society and the Australasian Society for the Study of Animal Behaviour.

James Bickerstaff is affiliated with Invertebrates Australia and The Australian Entomological Society.

– ref. Australia boasts some of the world’s most stunning beetles. Look out for these 5 beauties this summer – https://theconversation.com/australia-boasts-some-of-the-worlds-most-stunning-beetles-look-out-for-these-5-beauties-this-summer-244483

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James C. Fisher, Lecturer, Australian National University

Australian grandmother Donna Nelson was convicted today by a panel of three judges and six jurors of illegally transporting nearly two kilograms of drugs into Japan. She was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment.

As typically occurs when citizens of Western countries face trial in Japan, her case has provoked condemnation of Japan’s so-called “hostage justice” system – and particularly its 99% conviction rate.

Like all countries, Japan’s criminal justice process has many objectionable features. One is its extremely lengthy pre-trial detention, almost always without bail. Nelson’s ran to nearly two years. This certainly warrants critique, although this period will be discounted from her sentence.

Nelson also alleges poor interpretation during her initial police questioning. It is not clear, however, that even flawless translation would have materially altered how her case was handled.

Her reportedly extensive solitary confinement and restrictions on communication with anyone but her lawyer (for very brief periods, and never during police interrogation) are also problematic features of Japanese criminal investigations. These should be reformed.

However, Australian criticisms around the fairness of Japanese criminal trials – and Nelson’s conviction, in particular – are problematic. They reveal much about the preconceptions of Western audiences.

A high bar for prosecutions

As many experts in Japanese law have previously tried to explain, the high conviction rate in Japan does not necessarily mean trials are unfair.

It’s due to the extreme caution of Japanese prosecutors, who work with very limited resources and face severe professional consequences for “failure” at trial (that is, an acquittal). As a result, prosecutors only send to trial defendants they are certain a court will convict.

If conviction rates are lower in Australia, it is generally because defendants are being indicted on the basis of evidence too weak for Japanese prosecutors to ever dream of sending to court.

There is something to be said for Japan’s approach. Trials are traumatic for defendants, victims and jurors. They are arguably best avoided when justice and rehabilitation can be achieved through less punitive means.

Proving intent

The real question, then, is whether it was wrong to indict Nelson in the first place.

The fact of her drug possession was undisputed. Nelson, however, denied knowingly bringing the drugs into Japan, claiming she was duped as part of a “romance scam”.

The prosecution’s job was to prove Nelson intended to import the drugs. The presence of drugs in someone’s luggage will generally lead a court (in any jurisdiction) to infer such an intention, in effect forcing the defendant to demonstrate things are not how they outwardly appear.

Australian drug law and policy does something similar in treating mere possession of large quantities of drugs as presumptive evidence of an intention to supply to others.

Legal experts acknowledge this inference represents a “compromise” with the presumption of innocence, but one necessary for effective law enforcement. Subjective states of mind are notoriously hard to prove, and circumstantial evidence is often all a court has to go on in such cases.

Nelson’s seemingly impeccable character is not a persuasive argument against drawing this inference. Good people can and do break the law in uncharacteristic and irrational ways. Particularly if – as Nelson asserts — they have been manipulated by a skilled criminal operator.

Nelson’s lawyers complained the authorities seemed more intent on reiterating her guilt than investigating the man she alleges deceived her. But the inevitable priority for law enforcement everywhere is to indict the person caught red-handed with a suitcase full of drugs. They won’t generally expend their limited investigative resources on substantiating the person’s explanation for why things are not as they seem.

Smuggling enterprises survive precisely because their operatives are highly skilled at vanishing without a trace when things go south. This leaves the carrier to take the fall.

A potential diplomatic intervention

The legal difficulties in these kinds of cases explain why intervention generally comes through diplomatic efforts. We have seen this recently in the negotiations over potentially transferring the surviving “Bali Nine” members from Indonesian to Australian detention.

But the Australian authorities are unlikely to compromise vital relations with Japan by implying disrespect for the integrity of its legal process or the country’s right to strictly punish crimes committed on its territory.

So, any intervention would probably only extend to requests that Nelson’s sentence be served partially in Australia on compassionate grounds. And even this is unlikely before a substantial portion of her sentence has elapsed.

The Japanese criminal process is designed to procure a defendant’s compliance and confession. This leaves it chiefly to prosecutors’ discretion to ensure only the strongest cases are tried and in all probability lead to convictions.

This expectation of a confession sounds egregious, but all systems of criminal justice seek somehow to incentivise defendants — inevitably including some wrongly accused — to confess.

Australia does the same thing by generally imposing harsher sentences on defendants who maintained their innocence at trial than those who pleaded guilty and spared the legal system the expense of a full hearing.

It’s understandable Australians might find Nelson’s conviction upsetting. But it is not clear that someone similarly apprehended in Australia would have a different experience or result.

James C. Fisher does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Donna Nelson’s guilty verdict is not an aberration. Japan has a high criminal conviction rate for a reason – https://theconversation.com/donna-nelsons-guilty-verdict-is-not-an-aberration-japan-has-a-high-criminal-conviction-rate-for-a-reason-245258

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jessica Holloway, Senior Research DECRA Fellow, Institute for Learning Sciences and Teacher Education, Australian Catholic University

NAPLAN 2024 results for individual schools were released on Wednesday.

This follows national and individual student results earlier this year.

This is an opportunity for schools to identify areas for growth or improvement. But while these results can provide valuable insights, it’s important to keep them in perspective.

This is especially the case if you have searched the My School website and seen your child’s school has not performed particularly well overall or in comparison to similar schools.

NAPLAN is not everything

NAPLAN tests students in years 3, 5, 7 and 9 in literacy and numeracy. While these skills are obviously important, NAPLAN results are just one of many indicators of a school’s performance.

Keep in mind students benefit and grow from many areas of schooling, many of which cannot be captured by a test.

Achievements in non-tested areas such as arts, sports and community engagement all contribute to a well-rounded education.

Avoid comparisons

It is natural to want to compare your school’s results with the one down the road or a friend or relative’s school. However, each school faces its own unique challenges and opportunities.

So try to avoid comparisons. Instead, focus on the school’s progress and improvements over time: have they improved their scores from last year? This might indicate they are using effective teaching strategies.

Also ask if what your student receives from their school is meeting their needs – are they happy to go to school? Are they engaged with learning? Are they exposed to a range of different subjects and activities? Do they have a supportive group of friends?

What else is the school doing?

NAPLAN was designed to assess Australian schooling as a whole. But standardised testing that tests all students on the same content, at the same time, only provides a small picture of how a school is performing.

Other factors to consider are:

• ongoing efforts to improve teaching quality and efforts that support the unique needs of their students

• whether adequate resources are available for the types of supports and programs important to your student

• what kinds of support are provided to students so they keep learning and growing at school.

All of these will differ based on the needs and interests of your student. It might be additional tutoring programs or a robust arts program. It might be a school culture that encourages individuality and creativity.

What does your school say?

Teachers, who work closely with students every day, can provide helpful context and insights about what the results mean for the school’s goals and priorities.

If you are concerned about what the results mean for your child, start by asking their teacher for advice. You can also ask to speak with the principal for additional guidance.

Check in with your child

This is also an important time to ask your child about their experience with NAPLAN and how they feel about their school’s results. Find out if they are aware of the results or if their friends are talking about it.

Understanding whether they feel happy, confident or worried can help you best support them.

This feedback is also useful for understanding if their needs are being met. Schools should be supportive environments that foster resilience and a positive attitude toward learning .

Look at the big picture

These results are a chance for parents to reflect on the broader aspects of their child’s education, including both academic and extracurricular activities.

Rather than comparing test scores with other schools, consider the diverse opportunities the school offers.

Keep in mind one school that performs better on NAPLAN might not have the same opportunities as another school. Or they might not provide the suitable environment to help your student thrive.

Each family must make decisions about what is best for their student. NAPLAN results should only be one factor in that consideration.

Jessica Holloway has received funding from the Australian Research Council.

– ref. What should you do if your child’s school has not done well in NAPLAN this year? – https://theconversation.com/what-should-you-do-if-your-childs-school-has-not-done-well-in-naplan-this-year-245272

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Bartos, Professor of Economics, University of Canberra

Australia’s economic growth remains in the slow lane, at only 0.3% for the September quarter, keeping Australia close to recession territory.

However, the national accounts data released on Wednesday by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) puts growth slightly higher than the snailish 0.2% recorded the previous quarter.

Although growth is painfully slow, this could well be seen by next year as the turning point when the trend started to move into positive territory.

Slowest growth in 4 years

The annual rate of growth, 0.8% since September 2023, is the slowest since 2020.

Most of it was driven by public-sector spending and investment. The main government spending was for energy rebates, plus social benefits including the National Disability Insurance Scheme and aged care. Public investment included roads, hospitals and imports of defence equipment.

Gross domestic product (GDP) per head of population continues to fall, for the seventh consecutive quarter. Were it not for immigration, Australia’s growth would be going backwards – what many commentators call a per capita recession.

Cost of living still hurting

This means that average Australians’ standard of living, as measured by GDP, continues to decline. Not that GDP is the only thing that matters. GDP is limited – it only measures the dollar value of goods and services produced in Australia.

Thirty-six years ago, feminist economist Marilyn Waring wrote If Women Counted, pointing out that GDP did not measure the value of unpaid work (mostly by women) and nature.

That said, most people would prefer economic growth in their pockets, rather than living standards going backwards. It is why cost-of-living pressures – despite inflation falling – continue to bite. The government will be desperately hoping this statistic turns around before the election.

There is some good news for households in the ABS release. Disposable income rose, due to wages growth and income tax cuts. So households were able to save more, with the saving ratio growing from 2.4% to 3.5%. That is, more Australian families can set money aside for the future. It’s not yet at pre-COVID levels but heading in the right direction.

Productivity drops

Australia’s productivity, as measured by GDP per hour worked, declined by 0.8% over the year to September 2024. This is a worry. The most effective way to lift living standards over the longer term is to improve productivity.

Neither government nor academic economists agree on why our productivity has dropped, and solutions remain elusive. Some of them involve increasing investment in skills and training, and more effective use of capital resources.

On that latter element, there may be relief down the track. The good news is that business investment in machinery, equipment and software remained high. In comments released with Wednesday’s figures, the ABS said:

the last time we saw sustained levels of investment this high was during the mining construction boom between 2012 and 2014.

Other things being equal, more business investment in capital should give rise to higher productivity.

Australia’s slow GDP growth largely reflects high interest rates. By keeping interest rates high, the Reserve Bank of Australia makes it more expensive for businesses to borrow money to hire new staff or buy new equipment.

This puts the brakes on business growth, pulls the economy downwards, and helps control inflation. That is what the Reserve Bank is aiming for. Inflation has indeed fallen, to its lowest rate since the March quarter in 2021.

In that sense the low growth number for September may be good news for borrowers. The RBA won’t be as fearful of cutting interest rates and overheating the economy – there is little chance of that.

Stephen Bartos does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Australians still feeling pain in the hip-pocket but there are positive signs of growth ahead – https://theconversation.com/australians-still-feeling-pain-in-the-hip-pocket-but-there-are-positive-signs-of-growth-ahead-245150

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lee Smales, Associate Professor, Finance, The University of Western Australia

On Tuesday, Commonwealth Bank announced it was planning to move customers using one of its legacy accounts to its newer “Smart Access” account.

The catch? That migrated customers would then be charged a $3 “assisted withdrawal fee” whenever they took money out at a bank branch, post office or over the phone.

The move sparked uproar, with politicians on both sides immediately calling for a rethink of the decision.

On Wednesday, they got one, sort of. Commonwealth Bank announced it would pause the account changes for six months for the “10%” of affected individuals it said would be worse off under the change.

The spat has drawn attention to the fight over what’s fair in the effort to keep cash and bank branches alive for the Australians who still rely on them.

Clearly, letting the banks charge their own extra fees is a political non-starter. But the government has some other ideas, including a cash mandate for essentials and a possible new rural services levy to keep branches open.

Why is it so important to keep bank branches open and cash access alive, particularly in the regions? How might a levy work, and what are the alternatives?

Read more:
Businesses will have to accept cash for essentials under government plan

Losing access hurts the regions

Since 2017, more than 2,000 bank branches have closed across Australia. Many of the losses have been in rural areas.

Demographic changes and population decline in rural areas, a shift to digital banking and a continued fall in cash use all mean there is simply far less foot traffic.

Branches themselves are costly to maintain. In addition to rent, wages and security costs, it is expensive to move cash around the country – often prohibitively so for the more remote reaches of Australia.

Rural bank branch closures can have significant social and economic impacts on rural communities, disadvantaging them in comparison to those in urban areas.

Of particular concern are vulnerable groups who may lack reliable transportation options or adequate internet access.

Losing a local banking presence can also have serious impacts on small businesses. Credit access is constrained if credit assessors based in urban areas fail to understand the needs of rural businesses.

Some businesses are highly dependent on cash and need access to branches to manage their cash “float” (used for providing change and covering minor expenses).

Reliable access to cash is also particularly important for businesses based in remote regions who may have unstable network access (needed to operate EFTPOS machines), or in sectors such as tourism.

Read more:
The government wants to keep cash alive for buying essentials. Here’s why it’s such a challenge for businesses

A rural services levy

Last month, it was revealed that Treasury was considering a new levy on Australia’s banks to help fund regional banking.

Under the proposal, the levy paid by each bank would depend on the number of regional branches and ATMs it maintained, relative to its household deposits.

Preliminary estimates reported in the Australian Financial Review suggest the banks with large regional networks would be the biggest beneficiaries of such a scheme, as you’d expect.

This includes Bendigo and Adelaide Bank, estimated to receive about $200 million a year under the proposal. NAB and Rabobank could also be net beneficiaries due to their large agribusiness presence.

Banks with an online-only presence, such as ING and Macquarie, would predictably be among the biggest losers, a group which also includes Commonwealth and Westpac.

It’s estimated these banks could pay individual levies north of $60 million a year. For Westpac, it could be more than $100 million.

Could there be unintended consequences?

Some have expressed concerns that imposing such a penalty on online-only banks would further stifle competition in what is already a noncompetitive sector.

Between them, Australia’s big four banks currently control more than 75% of the mortgage and deposit market.

There’s also a broader risk that bank levies get passed on to customers in the form of higher mortgage rates or lower interest rates on deposits.

Research examining a levy imposed on German banks in 2011 found that on average, regional banks raised their lending rates by around 0.14% in response. That’s equivalent to more than half of the typical 0.25% move in the RBA cash rate.

Lessons from around the world

Australia isn’t the only country struggling with the challenges of regional banking.

Direct levies are rare. However, a variety of other policies focused on regulatory mandates have aimed to provide and maintain access to banking in regional areas.

India has experimented with mandates to maintain branch networks in smaller towns and rural areas.

In the US, the Community Reinvestment Act requires banks to meet the needs of regional communities, otherwise they face limits on expansion.

In Canada and the UK, banks are required to consult with communities before closing branches and must provide alternatives, such as mobile banking.

In South Africa, there is a combination of mandated services in remote areas and incentives that see banks earning points under a formal economic inclusion and empowerment framework.

Leaning on the post office

Across several countries, the post office has played a crucial role in providing basic banking services, similar to the Bank@Post program run by Australia Post.

In consultation with communities, expanding the Bank@Post program could be one of the most viable ways to support regional banking into the future.

Expanding banking services could further offer a “win-win” for Australia Post. Its own branches are also dealing with lower foot-traffic as fewer letters are sent.

The UK’s banking hub system, in which major banks are members of a not-for-profit company and operate through the Post Office, offers one possible framework for such an expansion.

Lee Smales does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. What’s fair in the fight to keep bank branches open and access to cash alive? – https://theconversation.com/whats-fair-in-the-fight-to-keep-bank-branches-open-and-access-to-cash-alive-245161

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Deryn Lee Thompson, Lecturer in Nursing, University of South Australia

So, you’ve enjoyed a picnic in the sunshine. Or you’ve sat on the grass for a twilight concert. But you’ve come away with itchy and scratchy skin.

Could you have an allergy to grass? Or is something else going on?

Grass has tiny hairs

One possible reason we get a rash is the physical structure of grass itself.

Blades of grass are covered in tiny “hairs” (called trichomes), which you can view under a microscope.

These help protect the grass from being eaten by insects or animals, damaged by ultraviolet rays or losing too much water.

Trichomes can also cause tiny scratches to the skin and the skin reacts by becoming red and may feel itchy.

Some species of grass are also firmer or stiffer so may feel more “scratchy” when people sit on them.

Skin is a complex organ and is linked to the immune system. When irritated, the skin and immune system recognise something is happening and release complex chemicals that can cause redness and itching.

People with dry, red, itchy skin conditions often find their skin is extra sensitive to grass and other irritants like fertilisers or sprays. For example, if you have eczema (also called dermatitis) your skin looks and feels dry, as your skin barrier is damaged.

Could it be an allergy?

Grass allergy involves aero-allergens, that is, the grass pollen in the air. Symptoms include runny or a stuffy nose, itchy nose and eyes and even itchy ears.

If you have these symptoms allergy specialists may perform a skin prick test to identify particular aero-allergen triggers.

After the allergist takes your detailed history, drops of various allergens are placed on the forearm, along with a positive and negative control. A sterile lancet pricks the skin through the drop. After 15 minutes the test is read, with positive reactions showing a “wheal and flare” response (a lump like a mosquito bite and redness). The allergist then interprets the findings.

But, in the absence of hay fever-like symptoms, dermatologists may perform allergy patch testing to investigate contact allergies (dermatitis) to specific plants, for example Compositae.

In a patch test the dermatologist places a series of small chambers (or sticky dots) on the back, each one containing a different potential allergen. The test takes several days to produce results. If a reaction develops under a test chamber, the dermatologist may confirm allergic contact dermatitis.

But definitive results are tricky as these two allergy tests can’t tell you if your rash is from physical irritation – such as the tiny scratches – rather than an allergy.

How can I avoid it?

The best way to reduce physical irritation problems with grass it to limit contact. This could involve simple things like wearing long sleeves or pants, or sitting on a rug or towel.

Many Australians do have dry skin, but do not often realise how dry it is. So, applying a basic thick moisturiser to the face and body skin can help place a barrier between the grass and the skin. Sunscreen is also recommended when outdoors.

For people who have dry, red or itchy skin conditions or those who experience itchiness when sitting on the grass, taking antihistamines a minimum of 30 minutes before you sit on the grass may help lessen the itchiness.

How can I calm my skin?

If you do develop a an irritant rash, here are a few tips. You could try

• taking an antihistamine

• rinsing skin with tepid water

• washing off the potential irritants with a non-soap-based bland body cleanser can be helpful. Then, re-apply a layer of thick, bland, fragrance-free moisturiser.

If none of these measures help, see a pharmacist for advice on using an appropriate strength cortisone cream which may help reduce the symptoms.

Be aware of more serious signs of an allergic reaction. If in addition to red bumps and itchiness, other symptoms such as shortness of breath, cough, wheeze, chest tightness or facial swellings develop while sitting on the grass, people may need urgent medical care.

Deryn Lee Thompson is affiliated with Eczema Support Australia in a voluntary capacity.
Deryn is affiliated with Loreal, Ego Pharmaceuticals and Quality Use of Medicines Alliance having received honorariums for educational talks or advisory work.

– ref. Why does grass make my skin itch? – https://theconversation.com/why-does-grass-make-my-skin-itch-243046

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander M. Hynd, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, UNSW Sydney

On Tuesday night, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol sent shockwaves through the world by declaring martial law in the country.

Yoon’s opponents in the National Assembly immediately sought to mass at the legislature to block the decree. This led to a dramatic confrontation with soldiers over control of the building.

However, in the early hours of Wednesday, sufficient numbers of South Korean legislators gained entry to the chamber. Of the 300 members, 190 made it inside, which is far more than the 150 needed for the vote to take place. They unanimously voted down the president’s order at around 1am.

Meanwhile, around the legislature, Yoon’s opponents continued to gather in a tense standoff with military.

By around 4:30am, armed forces had withdrawn and Yoon had publicly conceded that his attempt had failed. The order would be rescinded. It ended a short-lived but nevertheless major constitutional crisis of authority between the president and the National Assembly.

What is martial law?

Martial law suspends key democratic freedoms, giving the military authority to exercise more powers in times of war or major threats to public safety.

A decree by Yoon’s newly empowered martial law commander, Army Chief of Staff General Park An-su, proclaimed:

[…] all political activities, including those related to the National Assembly, regional assemblies, political parties, the forming of political organisations, rallies and protests are banned.

This martial law decree also declared heavy restrictions on press freedom and an end to an ongoing strike by junior South Korean doctors.

However, little immediate attempt was made to implement the decree. As a result, there was widespread reporting of opposition activities in real time.

Why was martial law declared?

Yoon justified the martial law by accusing his domestic political opponents of “anti-state activities plotting rebellion”.

He claims he was
protecting the constitution from “pro North Korean forces”. This is a rhetorical label frequently applied by some South Korean conservatives to their liberal opponents.

The broader context to this decision is months of domestic political battles between the South Korean leader and the opposition-dominated National Assembly.

Yoon cited his opponents’ repeated recent attempts to seek impeachment of key members of his administration, and their blocking of budget legislation, as further justification for martial law.

Who is South Korea’s president?

Yoon was elected with a very narrow majority in 2022. He’s subsequently seen a range of political corruption scandals, further depleting his support.

Recent polling indicates he only holds around 25% approval from the Korean public.

Tensions were particularly high around Yoon’s wife and South Korea’s first lady, Kim Keon-hee, whose behaviour Yoon publicly apologised for in early November after a series of embarrassing scandals involving alleged corruption.

Legacy of authoritarianism

Impeachment is definitely on the cards, particularly if South Koreans turn out in huge numbers over the coming weekend to demand an end to Yoon’s time in office.

Since transition to democratic rule in 1987, South Korea has made considerable progress in democratic consolidation, with a strong and engaged civil society.

At the same time, there is a long record of scandal, impeachment and even alleged criminality among Korea’s democratically elected presidents.

Most recently in 2017, former President Park Geun-hye’s term in office ended early after public protests and impeachment around an influence-peddling scandal.

Park was sentenced to a lengthy prison term for related crimes in 2018. She was pardoned by her successor in 2021.

On one hand, the successful opposition to Yoon’s martial law decree has demonstrated the democratic resilience of South Korea’s institutions and political culture.

Opponents of martial law included the head of Yoon’s conservative People Power Party, Han Dong-hoon, who denounced the president’s decree as “wrong” and promised he would “stop it with the people”.

But for some of Yoon’s opponents, his power grab was an all too familiar reminder of the country’s mid-20th-century legacy of authoritarian, military-led rule.

Where do things go from here?

This is the first time martial law has been declared in South Korea in its modern democratic era.

Immediate economic damage to the country’s currency and markets may bounce back, but the country’s hard-won international reputation as a stable and mature democracy could take a sustained hit.

While the immediate constitutional crisis has now receded, the political crisis remains. Questions have already turned to Yoon’s future.

The main opposition Democratic Party has vowed to initiate a formal impeachment process against the much-weakened president unless he resigns immediately.

Alexander M. Hynd has recently received funding from the Korea Foundation. He is a non-resident fellow at the University of Vienna’s European Centre for North Korean Studies

– ref. South Korea had martial law for 6 hours. Why did this happen and what can we expect now? – https://theconversation.com/south-korea-had-martial-law-for-6-hours-why-did-this-happen-and-what-can-we-expect-now-245260

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Niusha Shafiabady, Associate Professor in Computational Intelligence, Australian Catholic University

Door handles, taps, playground slides, furry pets… Getting zapped by static electricity is a common experience. But the physics that causes the spark is surprisingly intricate.

If you’re getting zapped often, understanding the causes of static may help you avoid at least some of the shocks.

What is static electricity?

To understand static electricity, we have to peer inside the building blocks of matter: atoms.

Every atom has a heavy nucleus in the centre and several electrons that orbit this nucleus. The nucleus itself contains subatomic particles called protons and neutrons.

All subatomic particles have intrinsic physical properties, such as mass, spin and charge. Charge is what comes into play when we talk about static shocks. It is either positive or negative. Each electron has a negative charge (-1), while each proton has a positive charge (+1).

In normal conditions, the number of electrons and protons in an atom is equal. This makes the total electric charge of the atom neutral.

But charged particles exert a force on each other, known as electrostatic force. Opposite charges (positive and negative) attract each other, while charges of the same kind repel each other.

Within an atom, electrostatic force is what keeps electrons orbiting the nucleus. The ones farthest away from the nucleus can sometimes escape, leaving the atom positively charged (more protons than electrons). By contrast, other atoms can attract an electron and become negatively charged (more electrons than protons).

This imbalance is what we know as static electricity.

From charge to discharge

Now, let’s take two surfaces with a difference in static charge. Say your hand has built up a negative charge by gathering additional electrons. As you reach for a metal object, the electrons hop across, forming a tiny, short-lived electric current.

That current is what’s known as an electrostatic discharge: electrons from a negatively charged object jump to a positively charged one if they’re close enough. The discharge is what you feel as the zap of a static shock.

So why do electrons build up on certain objects, like our own hands or the fur of a cat?

The answer lies with another physical force: friction.

At a microscopic level, even the smoothest surface isn’t perfectly smooth, but rather rough and irregular. When two surfaces slide across each other, all these irregularities cause friction as they “catch” on each other.

In certain materials (for example, copper), a small amount of energy is what makes those electrons jump ship from their atoms. This energy can be supplied by forces such as friction.

So why did the door handle zap me?

The last concept you need to keep in mind is to do with whether materials are good at letting electricity travel through them (conductors), or are good at blocking it (insulators).

The human body is a great conductor of electricity. All you need is some build-up of electrons on your skin from friction, and the next suitable thing you touch will cause a static discharge.

A typical example is if you wear rubber shoes and walk on carpet. The friction between the two materials will cause some of the electrons on the carpet’s surface to transfer to the rubber. Because rubber is an insulator, the additional static charge will be distributed over your body. The next time you touch another conductor – say, something metal – you get a static shock.

You can experience the same effect when taking off a jumper, or brushing your hair. Some dogs and cats may build up static in their fur, and you and your pet can both get a zap when you reach for a pat.

What can I do to prevent static shocks?

Several factors contribute to the frequency and intensity of static shock, including sensitivity, body size, clothing material, temperature and air humidity.

Some people are more sensitive to static shock than others – they just feel it more. Also, a bigger body requires more charge, so smaller people may get zapped more often depending on their clothes, environment and what they touch or the surfaces they walk on.

Dry, cold air also increases the probability of static shock. This is because dry, cold air is a better conductor compared to humid, warm air.

While static shocks aren’t pleasant, they’re usually not harmful. However, they can create nuisance and even damage sensitive electronic devices. A static electricity spark can also ignite flammable gases, so it’s a risk factor for things such as oil and gas transportation.

People who need to avoid static electricity on the job – in computer repairs, for example – may even wear anti-static wrist or waist straps. This is a strip of conductive material connected to a wire on one end, while the other end of the wire is connected to a table leg or something else that transfers the extra electrons to the ground.

There are a few practical tips if you want to reduce static shocks:

• use a humidifier to increase air humidity in your home

• keep your skin moisturised to reduce friction between your body and clothes

• be mindful of what type of sole your shoes have – these have a significant role in building up a static charge. Soles made out of insulating materials like rubber are worse for this than leather, for example.

You can also carry a small metal object in your pocket, like a coin or a key, and touch it to metal surfaces to discharge the electrons on purpose before the static has a chance to zap you.

Niusha Shafiabady does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Why do I get static shocks from everyday objects? Is it my shoes? – https://theconversation.com/why-do-i-get-static-shocks-from-everyday-objects-is-it-my-shoes-240554

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daryl Efron, Associate Professor, Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) impacts the ability to maintain attention to tasks. Often, it also involves impulsive behaviour – saying or doing things without stopping to think first – as well as hyperactivity.

ADHD is the most common developmental disorder in childhood, affecting 5–8% of children worldwide.

Not all children and adolescents with ADHD need medication, particularly if they are functioning well at school and at home. Children with ADHD can also be supported with behavioural and educational strategies, as well as by working on the associated problems that commonly occur alongside ADHD, such as learning difficulties, emotional problems like anxiety, social challenges and autism spectrum disorder.

However, around four in five children with ADHD are prescribed medication.

One of the most common concerns parents have about ADHD medication is their child’s appetite and weight. So what can families expect? And how can parents optimise their child’s calories and nutrition?

Medication can reduce symptoms

Decades of research shows stimulant medication is the most effective way to reduce the main symptoms of ADHD. It can improve the ability to sustain attention and complete tasks, and reduce impulsive behaviours.

Two stimulants are approved to treat ADHD: methylphenidate (known by brand names such as Ritalin) and dexamphetamine (known by brand names such as Vyvanse). Both come in short- and long-acting forms.

These medicines work well in about 80% of patients and often improve the child’s school performance, relationships and self-image.

But they don’t suit all children. A minority become irritable, withdrawn or socially blunted. They may start finding it’s hard to have fun, for example.

If parents observe these or other negative effects, they can stop the medication. The child will return to their normal self by the next day, and their clinician and parents can consider alternatives.

The most common side effect of stimulant medication is reduced appetite. This happens in most children who take stimulants, for the hours the medication is active. This often means they are not hungry during the school day and have little or no lunch.

How can you boost your child’s food and nutrition intake?

When starting on stimulants, some children lose weight.

But they usually regain this over time as they get used to a different pattern of eating that includes a similar amount of daily calories. This might include:

• eating a hearty breakfast before the medication kicks in. Stimulant medications typically take about 30 to 60 minutes to start working (long-acting medications have a slower onset than short acting)

• eating enjoyable snacks throughout the day, such as muesli bars or chips

• having a substantial after-school snack. Some kids have a mini meal when they get home from school, and then another main meal at around 7pm.

Nutrition and energy-dense breakfasts or after school snacks could include a full cream milk smoothie with banana, protein powder and peanut or almond butter.

High-calorie powdered food supplements – which are rich in protein and essential vitamins and minerals – in milk are another option. These are available from the chemist or supermarket.

If the child’s ADHD symptoms are only problematic at school, they will only need to take the medication on school days, and not on weekends or school holidays. They can catch up with eating on non-medication days.

It’s also important to use the dose that achieves maximal benefit with tolerable side effects. The aim is often to reduce the child’s symptoms to close the levels of children without ADHD.

Using these strategies, most children can maintain a healthy weight while they take stimulant medication.

What if my child is still losing weight?

Occasionally, weight loss is more problematic, and alternate solutions need to be considered.

These might include:

• using a short-acting medication (these usually last for 3–4 hours) to just cover the mornings. Or adding an afternoon dose, after the child’s appetite has returned and they have eaten lunch

• trying one of the non-stimulant ADHD medications, such as atomoxetine (Strattera) or guanfacine (Intuniv). These are not usually as effective as the stimulants, but can be helpful to reduce ADHD symptoms. They have their own side effects, but do not suppress appetite

• using a lower dose of the stimulant (aiming to provide some benefits with fewer side effects) in combination with a non-stimulant medication.

What about children’s height?

The other potential growth side effect of stimulant medication is on children’s height. There is some evidence that if a child takes stimulant medication consistently for many years, particularly in higher doses, they may lose 1–2 cm off their adult height.

However, it would be unusual for ADHD medication to stunt growth so much that a child has to stop taking it. Optimising nutrition is the best way to prevent this.

What else do doctors and parents look out for?

Children and adolescents with ADHD who are treated with medication need to be monitored regularly. They should have appointments with their prescribing doctor (usually a paediatrician) or GP at least every six months to monitor the treatment’s effectiveness and side effects.

Their medical review is likely to include a discussion of academic, social and emotional functioning – sometimes with the aid of questionnaires completed by teachers and parents – and a physical check-up including measurement of height, weight and blood pressure.

Whether or not a child with ADHD takes medication, it’s important in all cases to pay attention to lifestyle factors that can influence their health, including their sleep, nutrition, exercise and use of electronic devices.

Daryl Efron received funding from The Royal Children’s Hospital Research Foundation in 1995 to conduct a research study comparing two stimulants medications to treat ADHD.
In approximately 2003-5 he was an unpaid consultant to two of the companies that were introducing long-acting stimulant medications to the Australian market.

– ref. ADHD medications affect children’s appetites. Here’s how to manage this – https://theconversation.com/adhd-medications-affect-childrens-appetites-heres-how-to-manage-this-240786

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Frank Nicholas, Emeritus Professor of Animal Genetics, University of Sydney

Orange and tortoiseshell house cats (torties) have long been an enigma for hair coloration in mammals: now, the genetic basis of their distinctive coat colour has been unveiled.

Orange is an ancient colour variety. Ginger cats are evident in Egyptian tomb artworks and some mummified cats may have been gingers. From Garfield and Puss in Boots to Hermione Granger’s Crookshanks and Goose the Flerken in the Marvel universe, ginger (or orange) cats are everywhere in popular culture today.

Orange isn’t the most typical coat colour in cats. Most cats are non-orange, usually brown or grey tabbies with some pattern of black stripes, swirls or spots, or black or blue solid-coloured cats.

Tortoiseshell cats have a brindling pattern (mixture) of orange and non-orange hairs throughout the coat, with some areas mostly orange or non-orange. Calico cats have distinct patches of orange and non-orange, in addition to extensive regions of white. Gingers are mostly male, while tortoiseshells are typically female.

Now, after more than 110 years, two new studies finally reveal the gene and the variant for orange coat colour.

A visionary theory

In 1912, before the XX/XY sex-determining system was discovered in cats, American geneticist Clarence Cook Little proposed a visionary theory to explain how cats inherit orange and non-orange coat colours.

He built on the idea of a “sex-producing factor”, symbolised as X, that was gaining acceptance at that time (mainly from work on sex-determination in insects). He proposed:

1. let’s suppose female cats have two copies (XX) of the sex-producing factor X, while male cats have just one copy (X—)

2. let’s also suppose there is something associated with the sex-producing factor X that affects coat colour and exists in two forms: normal (the non-orange form) and variant (the orange form).

This theory predicts that tortoiseshell cats have one of each form of the X factor, in which case they must be XX, and therefore must be female. Because males have only one X factor, they will be either orange or non-orange, but never tortoiseshell.

Little’s theory also explains the common observation that ginger cats are mostly male. If matings are not arranged on the basis of coat colour, and if we assume, for example, that 20% of male cats are ginger (having just one X factor of the orange form), the proportion of female ginger cats is expected to be much lower, as they need to receive two copies of the orange X factor.

Mathematically this can be calculated as 20% x 20% = 4%, meaning that we would expect only 4% of female cats to be orange.

Eventually, the X factor was revealed as the X chromosome, and the “—” as the Y chromosome.

Tortoiseshell and calico males do sometimes occur, but it’s usually due to an abnormality of the number of sex chromosomes, such as one too many X chromosomes (XXY), which also causes sterility.

Modern science confirms Little’s visionary theory

Little’s set of assumptions gave rise to predictions that have actually worked in practice for more than 110 years. This is a great example of the power and utility of what might have initially appeared to be an extraordinary theory.

The newly posted, not yet peer-reviewed reports of independent discoveries by a Japanese team and an American team have now found the something that Little proposed to be associated with the sex-producing factor X.

It’s a gene that’s part of the X chromosome. It produces a protein whose name is a bit of a mouthful: RHO GTPase-Activating Protein 36. The official gene symbol ARHGAP36 is not very descriptive, so we will simply call it the Orange gene.

The Orange gene has a known role in hair follicle development, but scientists didn’t previously know it is also involved in pigment production. This means that a new pathway for pigment production has been discovered, opening the way for exciting and important research into a basic biological process.

A curious bit of deleted DNA

The other important discovery by these research teams is that the orange form proposed by Little is a large DNA deletion (loss of genetic material) of part of the Orange gene, and the non-orange form is the unchanged or “wild-type” version of that same gene.

While the deletion does not appear to change the protein that is produced by the gene, it does seem to impact when and where the protein is produced. Both discovery teams showed the Orange gene is persistently switched on in orange areas but is mostly switched off in non-orange areas of a cat’s coat.

Even though much remains to be discovered, ginger cats and their owners around the world can rejoice – the genetic basis of their distinctive coat colour has finally been worked out, more than 110 years after it was first proposed.

Frank Nicholas is a joint beneficiary of funding from the Ronald Bruce Anstee bequest to the University of Sydney, for the support of the Anstee Hub for Inherited Disorders in Animals (AHIDA) and for Online Mendelian Inheritance in Animals (OMIA).

Imke Tammen has received funding from various funding bodies for the investigation of inherited diseases in livestock; and is a joint beneficiary of funding from the Ronald Bruce Anstee bequest to the Sydney School of Veterinary Science for the Anstee Hub for Inherited Diseases in Animals (AHIDA) and for Online Mendelian Inheritance in Animals (OMIA).

Leslie A. Lyons has previously received funding from commercial genetic testing laboratories to support other studies not associated with this study.

– ref. Ginger, tortie, calico – the mystery gene responsible for orange colour in cat coats has been found – https://theconversation.com/ginger-tortie-calico-the-mystery-gene-responsible-for-orange-colour-in-cat-coats-has-been-found-244934