Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sasha Grishin, Adjunct Professor of Art History, Australian National University

Should the National Gallery of Australia be staging a major Paul Gauguin exhibition?

At first glance, the question may appear a little strange. Gauguin (1848-1903) is a hugely significant figure in most European constructs of modern art and a key artist in any discussion of French neo-primitivism, post-impressionism and symbolism. His paintings at auction realise staggering sums of money: in 2022 one changed hands for more than US$105 million.

But the ethical case against Gauguin is that he was a violent, fist-swinging thug, a paedophile and a serial rapist.

Painting a violent fantasy

Gauguin was a “sex tourist”, who dumped his wife and five children in poverty in Europe and took up residence in French Polynesia, where he married three native children, the youngest 13, the others 14.

He had numerous children with them and infected some of them with syphilis, before he died aged 54. These “child brides” served as models in many of his paintings that took the form of exotic, erotic fantasies.

Curator and art historian Ashley Remer sums up the case against Gauguin:

From a museum perspective, choosing to showcase men like Gauguin does, in its own way, support rape culture […] [Gauguin] purposefully and consistently made the choice to exploit and assault young girls.

The English art critic Alistair Sooke bluntly describes him as a “19th-Century Harvey Weinstein”.

Gauguin wrote of his Tahitian women that she:

lives almost as do animals […] like she-cats, she bites when in heat and claws as if coition were painful. She asks to be raped. […] Giving her a good beating every week [makes her] obey a little. She thinks very poorly of the lover who does not beat her.

Many of his paintings create a fantasy world of a “primitive” Polynesia he really neither saw nor experienced, but imagined, with scantily clad submissive very young girls in exotic native huts with pagan deities in the background, which he copied from photographs of gods from India and Indonesia.

For Gauguin, the missionaries had already spoilt Polynesia by the time he arrived in June 1891. Most women he encountered were fully clad and some engaged with modern life. He created his fake erotic exotica as a personal quest and for the European viewer’s delectation.

Ethical responsibility

Is the correct course of action for a public art gallery to exhibit and celebrate Gauguin’s work, while highlighting the fact he was a seriously flawed human being?

Or is this to quietly condone domestic violence and paedophilia, on the condition that the participants say “three Hail Marys” after seeing the show?

I do not know the answer to this question, but feel uncomfortable in an atmosphere where so much dismay is expressed concerning domestic violence in Australia to be simultaneously celebrating an artist for whom violence against women was part of his everyday life.

The idea of ethical responsibility for art institutions may not be new, but today it is a rapidly expanding concept.

The traditional questions of legal provenance have been joined by questions concerning gender equity and, increasingly, the investigation of the moral character of the artist.

Dennis Nona, for example, was once the most widely exhibited Torres Strait Islander artist in Australia. But once he was sentenced to jail for sexual assault, the National Gallery in Canberra – along with most public art galleries in Australia – removed every work of his from display.

It could be argued Nona’s art in no way reflected the crimes for which he was convicted. In the case of Gauguin, his criminal lifestyle lies at the very core of his art.

Tahiti to Australia

The National Gallery’s exhibition boasts to be the largest Gauguin exhibition to be shown in Australia – over 140 works drawn from 65 private and public collections worldwide.

The curator, Henri Loyrette, has assembled Gauguin’s paintings, drawings, prints, sculptures, ceramics and decorative arts, together with cultural items from the Musée de Tahiti et des Îles.

The main idea was to bring Gauguin’s vision of Tahiti to Australia and, along the way, glance at Gauguin’s journey from his early Impressionist-inspired work through to his late Polynesian pieces. After Canberra, the exhibition will travel to the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, Texas.

It is an exhibition where you may despise the artist, yet invariably admire the formal properties of his art. Gauguin was a brilliant colourist, an exceptional draughtsman and had that rare ability to reinvent the medium with which he engaged. This applied to his remarkable carvings in wood, his reimagining of the potential of the woodcut and of course his late, colour-saturated, sun-drenched images of French Polynesia.

For a contemporary viewer, his paintings in this exhibition, including Tahitian women (1891), Three Tahitians (1899) and Te faaturuma (the brooding woman) (1891), reflect an ideology and lifestyle as inappropriate 121 years ago, when Gauguin died, as it is today.

London’s Tate Modern held its major Gauguin retrospective 14 years ago. As I recall, it was a standing-room-only affair that broke all sorts of attendance records.

The National Gallery exhibition is much more modest in scope and is supplemented by the spirited SaVĀge K’lub installation that addresses issues in Polynesian culture.

It will be interesting to see how contemporary Australian audiences respond.

Gauguin’s World: Tōna Iho, Tōna Ao is at the National Gallery of Australia until October 7.

If this article has raised issues for you, or if you’re concerned about someone you know, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

The National Sexual Assault, Family and Domestic Violence Counselling Line – 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) – is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week for any Australian who has experienced, or is at risk of, family and domestic violence and/or sexual assault.

Sasha Grishin 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. Paul Gauguin was a violent paedophile. Should the National Gallery of Australia be staging a major exhibition of his work? – https://theconversation.com/paul-gauguin-was-a-violent-paedophile-should-the-national-gallery-of-australia-be-staging-a-major-exhibition-of-his-work-230545

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lesley Hughes, Professor Emerita, Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University

The appointment of high-profile New South Wales Liberal politician Matt Kean to chair the Climate Change Authority has sparked questions about what this body does. How does it influence climate policy in Australia?

When Prime Minister Anthony Albanese
announced the appointment this week, he said Kean was “uniquely qualified” to lead the authority.

Kean, the former NSW treasurer and energy minister, said he would follow the authority’s tradition of providing independent advice to government “based on facts, science, evidence, engineering and economics”. He added:

And the experts tell us, and I agree with them, that if we get this transition right, we can not only put downward pressure on electricity bills for families and businesses right across the country, but we can protect our environment and make our economy even stronger and more prosperous for everyone forever.

I’ve been a member of the authority since 2022, in addition to my academic role. Here, I explain the authority’s priorities for the year ahead, and how it plans to help Australia thrive in our future low-emissions world.

What is the Climate Change Authority?

The Gillard Labor government established the Climate Change Authority through the Climate Change Authority Act 2011.

The independent statutory body provides expert advice to the federal government on climate change policy. Essentially, it aims to help the government to pursue evidence-based strategies to act decisively and effectively on this global challenge.

It produces an annual climate change statement and helps set Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets. These tasks are specified in the Climate Change Act.

Setting emissions reduction targets is part of Australia’s obligations under the Paris Agreement to limit global warming.

If the federal climate change minister rejects any part of the annual statement or the recommended emissions reduction targets, they must tell the parliament why, in writing.

The authority also conducts regular reviews of climate-related legislation, as well as its own independent research and analysis.

It comprises a chair, a chief scientist and up to seven other members, of which I am one.

Kean will assume the role of chair in early August when the current chair, Grant King, steps down.

Another new member, Patty Akopiantz, will join the authority to fill the position vacated by Sam Mostyn, who is shortly to be sworn in as governor general.

The authority has 65 staff and annual funding of around A$14 million. This includes the substantial boost in funding under Labor of $42.6 million over four years from 2022–23.

The authority meets at least eight times a year. A summary of each meeting is published on the authority’s website.

The work of the authority is distinct from, but complementary to, the role of the Net Zero Economy Agency. That agency works directly with investors, business, and regions to facilitate an orderly transition to a decarbonised economy.

What’s on the agenda in 2024?

The authority has three significant tasks this year. The first is to review the technology and emissions pathways that will best support Australia’s transition to net-zero emissions by 2050. It covers six sectors: agriculture and land; the built environment; electricity and energy; industry and waste; resources; and transport.

The final report will be handed to the minister at the beginning of August, before Kean takes the chair.

The second major task in this year is to recommend a 2035 emissions reduction target for Australia. This is central to Australia’s commitments under the Paris Agreement, which involves ratcheting up emissions reduction over time.

In developing its advice, the authority is undertaking analysis across four areas:

• alignment with the overall goals of the Paris Agreement including the global carbon emissions budget
• wellbeing of the Australian population, with analysis of climate impacts on natural systems and human communities
• the feasibility of emissions reduction targets in different sectors
• the opportunities and costs for the Australian economy.

These reviews involved extensive consultation and consideration of more than 300 submissions.

Kean will present the recommended 2035 emissions reduction target and accompanying report to the minister in October.

The third major task for the authority is delivering the third annual “progress advice report” to the minister later this year. It will include a preliminary assessment of reforms to the Safeguard Mechanism – a policy imposing emissions-reduction requirements on Australia’s most polluting companies. The authority is assessing whether the mechanism is achieving its goals.

Helping Australia make the most of the transition

All this comes on top of several busy years for the authority.

In April last year, it released a report on Australia’s carbon sequestration potential, based on commissioned CSIRO analyses.

In October, the authority produced a report which found Australia is not yet on track to meet its legislated 2030 emissions reduction target, but that the target is still achievable. The report made 42 recommendations to help achieve the goal.

In December, the authority released its second review of the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Act, and its fourth review of carbon credits.

Australia is one of the world’s most vulnerable developed countries when it comes to climate change. We have already experienced devastating extreme events such as catastrophic flooding and the Black Summer bushfires. And our precious natural icon, the Great Barrier Reef has been decimated by multiple coral bleaching events.

But we also have abundant renewable resources to decarbonise our economy and exports. Ultimately, it’s the authority’s job to help Australia capitalise on these opportunities.

Lesley Hughes is a member of the Climate Change Authority. She has previously received funding from the Australian Research Council. She is affiliated with the Climate Council of Australia, the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists and the Biodiversity Council.

– ref. What’s next for the Climate Change Authority under Matt Kean’s leadership? – https://theconversation.com/whats-next-for-the-climate-change-authority-under-matt-keans-leadership-233433

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Janice Lord, Associate Professor in Botany, University of Otago

In a world increasingly affected by light pollution, we can take time during the shorter days and longer nights around Matariki to appreciate the superpowers of our nocturnal bugs.

As diurnal creatures, our world view is strongly biased towards a daytime perspective. We pay more attention to events happening during daylight, and sometimes overlook the fascinating world of nocturnal insects.

Human eyes are very poor at gathering enough light particles – photons – to see clearly at night. We need the light of a full moon to have much hope of navigating safely.

For millennia, then, we’ve used fire and more recently electricity to artificially light up the night. Nocturnal insects now deal with a very different nightscape than they did even a century ago.

It’s been estimated that 23% of the world’s land area is affected by light pollution. This is thought to be one of the factors contributing to insect decline worldwide.

Recent research suggests about a third of insects attracted to artificial lights will die by morning, often from exhaustion. If those insects have been prevented from mating and laying eggs, there are huge implications for population survival, as well as for ecosystem functions such as pollination and biocontrol.

Nocturnal superpowers

Many bugs are more active at night, most likely to avoid daytime predators. Some can also make their own light. New Zealand glow worms, the larvae of fungus gnats, use bioluminescence to hunt.

Elsewhere in the world, some flying beetles are commonly known as fireflies due to the fiery crackles of light they produce to confuse and ward off predators.

Moonlight is roughly one million times less intense than sunlight. But nocturnal insects can navigate, see colour and detect movement with only the light from the stars and moon.

This superpower is due in part to their incredible compound eyes. These are made up of millions of tiny lenses that each capture the maximum amount of light from a small field of view, and focus it onto a bundle of photoreceptors.

The ability to make sense of very low light levels is also due to higher contrast sensitivity at the expense of detail. Moths in particular boast several adaptations that aid in navigating and perceiving in low light.

Many New Zealand moths are nocturnal, and their eyes are largely specialised for motion detection, differentiating between intensities of light rather than distinct wavelengths.

Compared with day-flying butterflies, which can perceive more detail and differentiate wavelengths as colours, moths have evolved greater perception of contrast and large-scale changes in their visual environment. But this comes at the expense of spatial sensitivity.

LED lights and moths

Contrary to myth, nocturnal insects do not fly around artificial lights because they confuse them with the moon or stars. Recent research, filming moths with high-speed cameras, found they use moonlight and starlight to differentiate between “up” and “down” as they fly.

Their erratic flight around your outside light is actually due to them trying to orientate themselves to a nonexistent horizon.

The colour of artificial lights can also affect how attractive they are to nocturnal insects. In recent years, Dunedin (like many cities around the world) has been replacing old high-pressure sodium bulbs in street lights with LEDs that use less energy and have lower maintenance costs.

But this hasn’t been so great for night-flying insects. Moths can detect light wavelengths as low as 300 nanometres (invisible to human eyes) and as high as 700nm (orange-red to humans). But many have a peak sensitivity at 400nm (human blue).

The old sodium bulbs produced a warm orange or golden glow. But the brighter LEDs commonly produce a cool white light at the blue end of the spectrum, right at peak sensitivity for many moths. Warmer LED lights (with a lower colour temperature) can be less attractive to flying insects, and also help reduce light pollution across the city.

Helping our night bugs

Closer to home, we can make a difference for our own backyard bugs (and other nocturnal and twilight fauna) by reducing light pollution.

Something as simple as closing curtains at night will discourage flying insects from crashing into windows – and getting inside!

Using motion-activated outside lights, rather than having them permanently on,
can reduce the deaths toll in your local moth populations. And selecting warmer coloured light bulbs and fairy lights will make them less attractive to nocturnal insects.

Finally, turning off your lights and venturing outside will not only give your backyard bugs a break, but also help you appreciate the wonders of the night sky at Matariki.

Janice Lord has collaborated on a Dunedin City Council -funded project to investigate the effect of light sources on moths. She is affiliated with the New Zealand Entomological Society.

Connal McLean is affiliated with The Entomological Society of New Zealand and The Moths & Butterflies of New Zealand Trust

– ref. Want to help our precious nocturnal bugs during Matariki’s longer nights? Turn the lights down low – https://theconversation.com/want-to-help-our-precious-nocturnal-bugs-during-matarikis-longer-nights-turn-the-lights-down-low-232701

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Narelle Hopkin (Towie), Academic chair of journalism, Murdoch University

Ironically, younger generations are using smartphones for anything but actual phone calls.

Many people under 40 appear far more comfortable letting their fingers do the talking, using text or images, rather than speech, to communicate over the phone.

A 2023 survey of more than 1,000 Gen Z Australians aged between 18 and 26 found that almost 60% dread making or accepting a phone call. Another from the United States found that 81% of millennials get anxious before making a call.

Like spiders and heights, speaking on the phone – with all its real-time imperfections – is a modern-day phobia and fast becoming a lost art.

So what’s going on, and what impact might it have on young people’s careers?

People feel ambushed by phone calls

I head up the journalism school at Murdoch University. In few other fields of study is the ability to make timely, effective phone calls so critical for success.

To explore young people’s attitudes to phone use further, I carried out an informal survey of 15 students.

Presenting their responses at last year’s Journalism Education and Research Association of Australia conference, I suggested that “telephobia” may be causing the loss of a key communication skill in younger generations.

Among my students, many said they find it rude to receive voice calls out of the blue or without warning.

Some even said that they will not answer voice calls at all, even from a parent. It was easier to let them divert to voicemail, and respond later via text.

Getting a phone call from an unknown number can be even more nail-biting – why is this person calling instead of sending a text? Many said such cold calls trigger a deep fear that something is wrong.

Going on to find out there actually was no emergency made many feel ambushed – and annoyed – that a cold caller had caused unnecessary alarm.

But journalism students may still have an edge. In a podcasting class with intake from various majors, I found that commonplace interview tasks sent anxiety levels much higher than in other classes I have taught in almost a decade lecturing journalism students alone.

Something intangible but important is lost in text

Telephone and face-to-face interviews are well-known in both industry and academia to be more powerful than email.

The skill or confidence to ask uncomfortable questions is a key part of decent interviewing, with phone interviews a second choice to meeting with someone face-to-face.

In-person conversations allow for connection, the building of trust and empathy and the transmission of non-verbal language.

Two studies from Canada back this up, finding people overestimate their persuasiveness when communicating via email. Participants made requests either in person or via email.

Both groups were equally confident about the success of their requests, but those made face-to-face were a staggering 34 times more effective.

The skill needs a greater focus

My colleagues across the Australian media have told me the incoming class of reporters often have more technical prowess than generations past. But many still need reminding to pick up the phone rather than send an email when securing or carrying out interviews.

In the classroom at Murdoch University, we have doubled the amount of time spent teaching the art of interviewing.

We’ve found that students are more successful, and their anxiety is lowered, when early lessons are devoted to practising phone calls. The aim is to try at least 10 phone calls in the classroom, starting with classmates and then moving onto strangers.

But across journalism schools and the wider workforce, it’s likely to remain an uphill battle.

According to communications researchers Leanna Kim and Sang-Hwa Oh, many new technologies hinder rather than promote voice calling, which may be causing even greater reliance on new devices.

Telephone anxiety was negatively associated with preference for phone calls, suggesting that using an alternative mode of communication, instead of a phone call, might not be simply a matter of convenience, but an outcome of escaping anxiety.

This is despite research showing an individual’s fear of an interaction being awkward often turns out to be overblown.

We are never going back to the days where the family landline had pride of place stuck in the hallway, and its own special chair to sit on. But voice calls will always play an important role in communication.

Younger generations just need to pick up the phone and let their voices be heard.

Narelle Hopkin (Towie) 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. Young people hate making phone calls – could it be hurting their careers? – https://theconversation.com/young-people-hate-making-phone-calls-could-it-be-hurting-their-careers-232167

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lisa M. Given, Professor of Information Sciences & Director, Social Change Enabling Impact Platform, RMIT University

Debate continues to rage in Australia over whether children should (or can) be banned from social media. Following politicians’ recent promises to ban those under 16 from the platforms, eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant has raised concerns that imposing age restrictions could push children to use social media in secret and limit their access to critical social supports.

A recent analysis in the United Kingdom found a social media ban “would solve nothing”, citing evidence from an 18-year study across 168 countries that showed “no causal relationship” between internet access and young people’s wellbeing.

The Australian federal government is committed to trial age assurance technology to restrict children’s access. For now, it’s unclear what tech solutions currently exist that could effectively restrict access by age.

Other countries have tried, and mostly failed, to ban children from accessing online content for decades. Australia would be wise to heed the lessons learned from these experiences.

What has the United States tried?

The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule (COPPA) was introduced in the United States in 1998. It continues to influence how children – globally – access information online.

COPPA imposes several requirements on “operators of websites or online services” who gather personal information from children under 13. This includes the need to obtain parental consent.

To comply with this law, many companies (including social media platforms) imposed bans on children under 13 from accessing online services.

However, these bans have been heavily criticised for contributing to age fraud online. They also limit children’s rights to access information and rights to self-expression, as protected under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Another wide-reaching attempt to restrict children’s access to “obscene or harmful content over the internet” was introduced in the United States in 2000.

The Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) required schools and libraries to control the content children could access online. This was typically achieved using internet filters which blocked searching for particular words.

However, these blunt instruments often blocked useful information. A blocked search for the word “breast” to limit access to pornographic content could also block information on breast cancer, for example.

Over many years, research has shown internet filtering is ineffective at shielding children from bad experiences online.

Unsuccessful age bans

Many other countries have imposed bans on children’s access to online content, with varying degrees of success.

South Korea imposed a “shutdown law” in 2011. It was designed to address online gaming addiction by limiting those under 16 from accessing gaming sites after midnight.

However, many children used accounts in their parents’ names to continue accessing gaming sites. The law also faced legal challenges, with parents concerned about restrictions on their rights to parent and educate their children. The law was abolished in 2021.

In 2015, the European Union introduced legislation that would ban children under 16 from accessing online services (including social media) without parental consent.

The proposed legislation was controversial. There was a significant outcry from technology companies and human rights organisations. They claimed the rules would violate children’s rights to expression and access to information.

The law was amended to allow individual countries to opt out of the new age ban, with the United Kingdom opting to keep limits only for those under age 13. This patchwork approach meant individual countries could set their own limits.

In 2023, for example, France enacted a law requiring social media platforms to restrict access for teens under 15 unless authorised by a parent or guardian.

Today, Europe leads the world in imposing significant online protections for children, with huge implications for tech companies.

In 2023 a new Digital Services Act was introduced, which forbids platforms like Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and Snapchat from targeting children with personalised advertisements.

Rather than banning children from online services, this legislation focuses on controlling how very large platforms engage with children. It’s meant to ensure protections are in place to manage harmful content and algorithmic influences on platform use.

What can Australia learn from these global attempts?

A critical message over the last two decades is that bans are not effective. While technological interventions (like filtering and age assurance technologies) continue to improve, there are many workarounds (such as using others’ accounts) that make it impossible to ban children outright.

One effective approach has focused on protecting children’s personal data. This has led to long-standing requirements for companies to comply with restrictions. India and Brazil have recently introduced similar data-focused protections for children.

However, for older children, significant restrictions can conflict with UN protections for children’s rights. Australia must carefully balance potential conflicts when attempting to limit or ban children’s online access.

Even if Australia did impose a ban for children under 16, it would be unlikely to reshape global approaches to such bans.

The US and EU are large markets, with significant influence on the actions of technology companies. As with COPPA’s influence on limiting social media access for children under 13 globally, it’s likely that American and European policy innovations will continue to play a primary role in shaping global approaches.

Australia should lead by aligning its approach to these international endeavours to bolster appropriate protections for young children. At the same time, we should help parents educate older children about appropriate social media use.

This strikes an appropriate balance between protecting children’s rights to access information and express themselves, while ensuring guardrails are in place to do so safely.

Lisa M. Given receives funding from the Australian Research Council. She is a Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia and of the Association for Information Science and Technology.

– ref. Other countries have struggled to control how kids access the internet. What can Australia learn? – https://theconversation.com/other-countries-have-struggled-to-control-how-kids-access-the-internet-what-can-australia-learn-233239

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Janet Davies, Respiratory Allergy Stream Co-chair, National Allergy Centre of Excellence; Professor and Head, Allergy Research Group, Queensland University of Technology

Allergies happen when your immune system overreacts to a normally harmless substance like dust or pollen. Hay fever, hives and anaphylaxis are all types of allergic reactions.

Many of those affected reach quickly for antihistamines to treat mild to moderate allergies (though adrenaline, not antihistamines, should always be used to treat anaphylaxis).

If you’re using oral antihistamines very often, you might have wondered if it’s OK to keep relying on antihistamines to control symptoms of allergies. The good news is there’s no research evidence to suggest regular, long-term use of modern antihistamines is a problem.

But while they’re good at targeting the early symptoms of a mild to moderate allergic reaction (sneezing, for example), oral antihistamines aren’t as effective as steroid nose sprays for managing hay fever. This is because nasal steroid sprays target the underlying inflammation of hay fever, not just the symptoms.

Here are the top six antihistamines myths – busted.

Myth 1. Oral antihistamines are the best way to control hay fever symptoms

Wrong. In fact, the recommended first line medical treatment for most patients with moderate to severe hay fever is intranasal steroids. This might include steroid nose sprays (ask your doctor or pharmacist if you’d like to know more).

Studies have shown intranasal steroids relieve hay fever symptoms better than antihistamine tablets or syrups.

To be effective, nasal steroids need to be used regularly, and importantly, with the correct technique.

In Australia, you can buy intranasal steroids without a doctor’s script at your pharmacy. They work well to relieve a blocked nose and itchy, watery eyes, as well as improve chronic nasal blockage (however, antihistamine tablets or syrups do not improve chronic nasal blockage).

Some newer nose sprays contain both steroids and antihistamines. These can provide more rapid and comprehensive relief from hay fever symptoms than just oral antihistamines or intranasal steroids alone. But patients need to keep using them regularly for between two and four weeks to yield the maximum effect.

For people with seasonal allergic rhinitis (hayfever), it may be best to start using intranasal steroids a few weeks before the pollen season in your regions hits. Taking an antihistamine tablet as well can help.

Antihistamine eye drops work better than oral antihistamines to relieve acutely itchy eyes (allergic conjunctivitis).

Myth 2. My body will ‘get used to’ antihistamines

Some believe this myth so strongly they may switch antihistamines. But there’s no scientific reason to swap antihistamines if the one you’re using is working for you. Studies show antihistamines continue to work even after six months of sustained use.

Myth 3. Long-term antihistamine use is dangerous

There are two main types of antihistamines – first-generation and second-generation.

First-generation antihistamines, such as chlorphenamine or promethazine, are short-acting. Side effects include drowsiness, dry mouth and blurred vision. You shouldn’t drive or operate machinery if you are taking them, or mix them with alcohol or other medications.

Most doctors no longer recommend first-generation antihistamines. The risks outweigh the benefits.

The newer second-generation antihistamines, such as cetirizine, fexofenadine, or loratadine, have been extensively studied in clinical trials. They are generally non-sedating and have very few side effects. Interactions with other medications appear to be uncommon and they don’t interact badly with alcohol. They are longer acting, so can be taken once a day.

Although rare, some side effects (such as photosensitivity or stomach upset) can happen. At higher doses, cetirizine can make some people feel drowsy. However, research conducted over a period of six months showed taking second-generation antihistamines is safe and effective. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you’re concerned.

Myth 4. Antihistamines aren’t safe for children or pregnant people

As long as it’s the second-generation antihistamine, it’s fine. You can buy child versions of second-generation antihistamines as syrups for kids under 12.

Though still used, some studies have shown certain first-generation antihistamines can impair childrens’ ability to learn and retain information.

Studies on second-generation antihistamines for children have found them to be safer and better than the first-generation drugs. They may even improve academic performance (perhaps by allowing kids who would otherwise be distracted by their allergy symptoms to focus). There’s no good evidence they stop working in children, even after long-term use.

For all these reasons, doctors say it’s better for children to use second-generation than first-generation antihistimines.

What about using antihistimines while you’re pregnant? One meta analysis of combined study data including over 200,000 women found no increase in fetal abnormalities.

Many doctors recommend the second-generation antihistamines loratadine or cetirizine for pregnant people. They have not been associated with any adverse pregnancy outcomes. Both can be used during breastfeeding, too.

Myth 5. It is unsafe to use higher than the recommended dose of antihistamines

Higher than standard doses of antihistamines can be safely used over extended periods of time for adults, if required.

But speak to your doctor first. These higher doses are generally recommended for a skin condition called chronic urticaria (a kind of chronic hives).

Myth 6. You can use antihistamines instead of adrenaline for anaphylaxis

No. Adrenaline (delivered via an epipen, for example) is always the first choice. Antihistamines don’t work fast enough, nor address all the problems caused by anaphylaxis.

Antihistamines may be used later on to calm any hives and itching, once the very serious and acute phase of anaphylaxis has been resolved.

In general, oral antihistamines are not the best treatment to control hay fever – you’re better off with steroid nose sprays. That said, second-generation oral antihistamines can be used to treat mild to moderate allergy symptoms safely on a regular basis over the long term.

Janet Davies receives funding from the ARC, NHMRC, Department of Health and Aging, and MRFF. She has conducted research on diagnostics in collaboration with Abionic SA, Switzerland, supported by the National Foundation for Medical Research Innovation with co-contribution from Abionic. Her allergy research has been supported by in kind services or materials from Sullivan Nicolaides Pathology (Queensland), Abacus Dx (Australia), Stallergenes (France), Stallergenes Greer (Australia), Swisens (Switzerland), Kenelec (Australia), and ThermoFisher (Sweden), as well as cash or in kind contributions from Partner Organisations for the NHMRC AusPollen Partnership Project GNT1116107, Australasian Society Clinical Immunology Allergy, Asthma Australia; Stallergenes Australia; Bureau Meteorology, Commonwealth Scientific Industrial Research Organisation, Federal Office of Climate and Meteorology Switzerland. QUT owns patents relevant to grass pollen allergy diagnosis (US PTO 14/311944 issued, AU2008/316301 issued) for which Janet Davies is an inventor. She is the Executive Lead, Repository and Discovery Pillar, and Co-Chair Respiratory Allergy Stream for the National Allergy Centre of Excellence.

Connie Katelaris has received funding from the NHMRC for aerobiological research. Unrelated to this article, she has been a consultant on advisory boards or has received honoraria for presentations from Takeda, CSL Behring, GSK, Sanofi, Phavaris, Biocryst, KalVista, Astra Zeneca, Stallergenes, Novartis. She has had an unrestricted research grant from CSL Behring. None of the presentations for these companies was on any topic related to this article and did not involve discussions on intranasal steroid sprays or antihistamines.

Unrelated to this article, Joy Lee has received funding from the Centre of Research Excellence in Treatable traits in Asthma, Sanofi, Fondazione Menarini and GSK. This funding support was solely used for presenting at educational meetings in asthma and travel grants to attend international meetings and conferences in Asthma. She has been on advisory boards for Tezepelumab (Astra Zeneca). She is affiliated with the National Allergy Centre of Excellence as the co-chair of the Respiratory Allergy Leadership Group. A/Prof Lee declares she has not received any funding directly from any of the above pharmaceutical companies directly related to the selling, education or patient use of antihistamines or intranasal steroids. In this article we discuss antihistamines and intranasal steroids generically as classes of medications and do not specifically advocate for one particular brand over another.

– ref. Can I take antihistamines everyday? More than the recommended dose? What if I’m pregnant? Here’s what the research says – https://theconversation.com/can-i-take-antihistamines-everyday-more-than-the-recommended-dose-what-if-im-pregnant-heres-what-the-research-says-228390

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne

The United Kingdom general election will be held in a week, on July 4. Polls close at 7am AEST on July 5. The 650 members of the House of Commons are elected by first-past-the-post, in which the candidate with the most votes wins the seat.

In the UK, votes are not counted at individual polling places, but are instead transported to a central place for counting within that seat. This delays the results, so the vast majority of seats will be declared from late morning to mid-afternoon AEST on July 5.

The Guardian’s national poll tracker has Labour leading the Conservatives by just over 20 points. Vote shares are 41.3% Labour, 21.0% Conservatives, 15.5% for the far-right Reform, 11.1% Liberal Democrats and 5.8% Greens. Recent individual polls have Labour leading the Conservatives by 16 to 24 points.

In the last few weeks, there has been a surge for Reform and to a lesser extent the Lib Dems, at the expense of both Labour and the Conservatives. Labour’s lead over the Conservatives has been unchanged.

If these polls are replicated at the election, Labour will win a landslide, owing to the first-past-the-post system. The Guardian’s seat forecast is for Labour to win 424 of the 650 seats, the Conservatives 135, the Lib Dems 47 and the Scottish National Party (SNP) 19.

At the December 2019 election, Boris Johnson led the Conservatives to a thumping victory, as they won 365 of the 650 seats to 202 for Labour, on popular vote shares of 43.6% Conservative to 32.1% Labour. The Conservatives have governed in the UK since winning the 2010 election.

Under Johnson, the Conservatives led in the polls until late 2021, when there were many scandals about Johnson’s parties during COVID.

But it was not until Johnson was ousted as Conservative leader and PM, and replaced first by Liz Truss in September 2022 then Rishi Sunak in October 2022 that the Conservatives fell into a completely uncompetitive position that has them facing a landslide defeat next week. The Conservatives are likely to regret ousting Johnson.

In Scottish polls, Labour is ahead of the Scottish National Party by single-digit margins. In 2019, Labour won just one of 59 Scottish seats and the SNP took 48, after Labour finished third in vote shares behind the Conservatives and SNP. So, Labour will gain many seats from the SNP if these Scottish polls are correct.

In two seat polls of Clacton, Reform leader Nigel Farage has a double-digit lead over the Conservatives, so he should win Clacton.

US: Biden gains on Trump ahead of debate

The United States general election will be held on November 5. There will be a debate hosted by CNN on Thursday US time between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, which will occur at 11am AEST Friday. Trump is now 78 and Biden will be almost 82 by the election.

The FiveThirtyEight aggregate of national polls has Trump barely ahead of Biden by 41.0–40.9%, with 9.3% for independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Trump led by one point two weeks ago.

However, the latest high-profile polls from Siena College for The New York Times and Quinnipiac University have Trump leading by three to four percentage points head-to-head, and more when third-party candidates are included.

Presidents are not elected by the national vote, but by using a state-based system where each state has electoral college votes equal to its federal House seats (population-based) and senators (always two). With two minor exceptions, states award all their electoral votes to the state’s winner. There are 538 total electoral votes, so it takes 270 to win.

FiveThirtyEight suggests Trump has clear leads in three states Biden won in 2020: Georgia, Arizona and Nevada. In three other Biden-won states (Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania), it’s close to tied. If Biden wins these three states, and doesn’t lose any electoral votes other than where Trump has leads now, he wins the election by a 270–268 margin.

In economic data, May was a good month for US workers as real (inflation-adjusted) earnings rose 0.5% in hourly terms and 0.4% in weekly terms, after drops in April. In the 12 months to May, real hourly earnings rose 0.8% and real weekly earnings rose 0.5%.

There was no change to headline inflation in May, and this was the lowest monthly inflation since at least May 2023. Core inflation was up 0.2% in May, its lowest monthly rate since at least November 2023.

The US uses two surveys for its monthly employment situation that sometimes give contradictory numbers. In May, the establishment survey suggested 272,000 jobs had been created, but the household survey
suggested 408,000 jobs were lost. Financial markets and economists believe the establishment survey is more accurate.

Far-right likely to win most seats at snap French parliamentary election

After dire results for his Renaissance party at the European parliament election on June 9, French President Emmanuel Macron announced a snap election for the French lower house, two years into a five-year term.

The 577 seats are elected by a single-member system in two rounds, on Sunday and July 7. The top two candidates in a seat, plus any others who receive at least 12.5% of registered voters (a high barrier as it factors in turnout), advance to the July 7 runoffs, where first-past-the-post is used. A candidate can withdraw before the runoffs. The overwhelming majority of runoffs will be two-candidate contests.

Polls have the far-right National Rally (RN) in the mid-30s, an alliance of four left-wing parties (NFP) that will run one candidate per seat in the high-20s, Ensemble (a coalition that includes Renaissance and other parties) at about 20% and the conservative Republicans at about 7%.

If the first-round results this Sunday reflect the polls, Ensemble will finish third in the large majority of seats, with the final two RN vs NFP. Poll forecasts of the runoffs suggest RN will win the most seats, but be short of a majority (289 seats are needed for this).

Ensemble had 249 seats going into this election, the NFP 149, RN 89 and Republicans 54. Seat forecasts have Ensemble winning about 100 seats, so this election is likely to be a disaster for Macron.

I covered these elections for The Poll Bludger on June 17 and June 24. My June 17 article also covered the left landslide at June 2 Mexican presidential and legislative elections, and the formation of a South African government after the May 29 election. My June 24 article covered the final European parliament results from the June 6–9 election.

Adrian Beaumont 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. Latest polling shows UK Labour likely to win landslide at next week’s election, while Biden gains on Trump across the pond – https://theconversation.com/latest-polling-shows-uk-labour-likely-to-win-landslide-at-next-weeks-election-while-biden-gains-on-trump-across-the-pond-232834

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katherine Riley, Lecturer, School of Nursing, University of Wollongong

Winter school holidays are either here or coming up, depending on where in Australia you live. Maybe you’re
planning a rural escape.

Rural tourism is crucial for job growth and sustainability of small rural towns. However, for rural emergency departments, school holidays are often the busiest times.

No-one plans a trip to the emergency department on holidays. But if you need health care, there are often other ways of accessing it than turning up at a rural hospital.

Here’s why it’s so important to leave rural emergency departments for life-threatening illness or injuries, and some other options for seeking care.

We’re short of doctors and nurses

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare reports a significant shortfall of nurses and specialist doctors in rural towns compared with staffing levels in big cities.

This means many small rural emergency departments only have nurses on staff, with doctors on call or consulted remotely from a larger hospital.

In a study published earlier this year, my colleagues and I discovered this dynamic was especially challenging for rural emergency nurses when critically ill patients presented.

One nurse told us:

We need more staff. I mean, I look at these emergency TV shows, and you see them in Kings Cross at the big hospitals there or overseas, they get a phone call […] there’s a resus coming in. Everyone’s standing around the bed with all their signs on, the airway/circulation/team leader […] and here, we have two people. It’s just so different. It’s just a false sense of reality. It’s ridiculous.

So emergency departments should be used for emergencies only. These include:

• sudden collapse
• chest pain or pressure lasting more than ten minutes
• breathing difficulty
• serious mental health condition
• uncontrollable bleeding.

When emergency departments are used responsibly, this can reduce the pressure on staff. It ensures the most seriously ill receive the care they need promptly.

What are my alternatives?

Here are four ways you and your family can be better prepared for your rural holiday and avoid an unnecessary visit to the emergency department.

1. Pack your scripts and medical history summary

Bring essential scripts and medications with you. This reduces the need to visit the local emergency department and ensures you have what you need during your stay.

Do you have a chronic condition or have had a recent illness or surgery? Make sure you speak to your GP before you go. They can provide a medical health summary that includes your recent treatments and medications. Alternatively, if you have access to My Health Record, ask your GP to prepare a shared health summary and upload it to your record. If you need medical care, this summary will assist in a timely assessment.

2. Call Healthdirect, NURSE-ON-CALL or 13HEALTH depending on where you are

Healthdirect is a 24-hour telephone health advice line (known as NURSE-ON-CALL in Victoria or 13HEALTH in Queensland). By calling the relevant number, you will be connected to a registered nurse who will ask a series of questions and provide evidence-based advice and guidance. The Healthdirect website also offers an interactive symptom checker to advise whether you should see a GP, go to an emergency department, or manage your symptoms at home (or in this case, on holidays):

• Healthdirect – 1800 022 222

• NURSE-ON-CALL (Vic) – 1300 60 60 24

• 13HEALTH (Qld) – 13 43 25 84.

3. Need a GP? How about GP telehealth services?

For minor health concerns or non-urgent issues, GP telehealth services are a remote-access option that can be used when away from home. Before you go away, check with your GP to see if they offer a telehealth service.

4. Go to an Urgent Care Clinic

The Australian government has funded the opening of Urgent Care Clinics across the country. These clinics provide medical assessment and care for urgent illnesses or injuries. They have been created as a solution to divert people away from busy emergency departments. But these Urgent Care Clinics are not suitable for people experiencing emergency or life-threatening conditions.

Urgent Care Clinics are ideal for illnesses and injuries that would require urgent treatment such as gastroenteritis, minor infections, lacerations and back pain. Check here to find your closest clinic.

Please keep the emergency department for life-threatening illnesses or injuries, and if needed, call 000 for an ambulance immediately.

Katherine Riley is affiliated with CRANAplus, the peak professional body for Australia’s remote and isolated health workforce.

Rebekkah Middleton 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 a country escape these school holidays? 4 ways to avoid clogging up the emergency department – https://theconversation.com/planning-a-country-escape-these-school-holidays-4-ways-to-avoid-clogging-up-the-emergency-department-232262

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Janet Hoek, Professor of Public Health, University of Otago

Australia will become the first country to restrict vape sales to pharmacies from next week. This new policy represents a very different approach to the path Aotearoa New Zealand is taking, and includes some important steps.

First, it recognises that to benefit population health, vaping products should not be treated as everyday consumer items.

Second, it introduces a distribution system that moves away from the commercial, profit-driven approach currently operating in New Zealand. Pharmacists are highly trained health professionals. Unlike general retailers who are not trained to understand addiction, pharmacists can advise people transitioning from smoking to vaping and support vaping cessation.

Third, pharmacists’ comprehensive code of ethics provides a further incentive to avoid supplying vaping products to underage people.

Should New Zealand follow Australia?

Our research with young people found they quickly identified “dodgy dairies” with lax age verification procedures. Unlike these outlets, pharmacists would face professional sanctions if caught supplying underage youth.

So, should New Zealand adopt Australia’s approach?

Limiting the supply of vaping products is a key measure in reducing uptake among young people. However, we are troubled that Australia will be regulating vaping products more stringently than smoked tobacco, which causes more serious physical harms.

New Zealand’s government has signalled stricter regulation of vaping products, yet it recently repealed a law regulating smoked tobacco products stringently.

We strongly support protecting young people from taking up vaping. However, policies should be both comprehensive and proportionate, and must greatly reduce the appeal, addictiveness and availability of smoked tobacco as well as vaping products.

History of inadequate nicotine product regulation

Although vaping offers people who smoke a less harmful alternative to tobacco, it is not harmless. Many people who have never smoked regularly now vape. Overall, nicotine use among young people has risen.

Rates of daily vaping among people aged 15–17 have increased from under 1% in 2017–18 to more than 15% in 2022–23. This increase is causing considerable concern among parents, teachers, health researchers, community workers, policy makers and young people themselves.

New Zealand regulators initially responded by limiting the vape flavours general retailers could sell to tobacco, menthol and mint. However, the nicotine marketplace has evolved more rapidly than the policies regulating it.

The advent of “pod” vapes in 2019 and disposables in 2020 brought in very cheap, attractively packaged products with high nicotine concentrations. Specialist vape retailer numbers exploded. Not surprisingly, uptake in youth vaping quickly accelerated.

Vaping manufacturers rapidly circumvented recent efforts to limit availability of disposable vapes. Low-cost disposable vapes remain widely available, despite new requirements for removable batteries.

Measures restricting specialist vape stores from operating within 300 metres of schools failed to have a marked impact, likely because they neither applied retrospectively nor included general retailers in their ambit.

Additional measures to protect children from product marketing have limited the concentration of nicotine vapes may contain, restricted flavour descriptors and disallowed use of cartoons on packaging.

It is too early to assess what effect these changes have had. However, a recent mystery shopper test found variable compliance with these policies.

Despite Prime Minister Christopher Luxon declaring before the 2023 election that he was “up for” looking at a complete vaping ban, the coalition government has not extended all measures introduced by the previous Labour government. Exceptions include increasing penalties that may be imposed on retailers and committing to more intensive monitoring.

A call for proportionate policies

Before the government’s unpopular repeal of New Zealand’s smokefree generation law, New Zealand had adopted a proportionate approach to nicotine products.

Innovative regulation such as retailer reduction and denicotinisation was expected to lead to plummeting use of smoked tobacco, the most harmful product. At that point, moving vaping products from a commercial supply model to a health-promoting model would have been logical.

Hansard records associate health minister Casey Costello as stating that repealing the policy to limit the number of retailers was not an “end position”. She explained:

We’re removing this legislation because we’re repealing the legislation that’s in there. As I said, it’s not an end position.

While the minister’s meaning is not completely clear, her comment indicates she may consider legislation proportionate to product risk in the future.

In the interim, we recommend disallowing vaping product displays in all general retail outlets and ensuring specialist vape stores displays are not visible to the general public.

Establishing robust limits on proximity and density could drain vape store swamps and ensure vapes are not easily available near schools. Disallowing discounting and giveaways of all nicotine products and introducing plain packaging would also reduce these products’ availability and appeal to children, and bring vaping product regulation in line with tobacco policy.

Given the minister’s stated willingness to consider reducing the availability of smoked tobacco, we strongly recommend she reintroduce the evidence-based, proportionate measures she had no mandate to repeal.

Janet Hoek receives funding from the Heatlh Research Council and NZ Cancer Society; she has previously received funding from the Royal Society Marsden Fund. She is a member of several advisory committees, including the Health Coalition Aotearoa, and international government and NGO groups.

Jude Ball receives funding from the Health Research Council and has previously received funding from the Marsden Fund (Royal Society of New Zealand), the Health Promotion Agency and the Cancer Society. She is affiliated with ASPIRE Aotearoa and the Adolescent Health Research Group, and is an active member of the Public Health Association of New Zealand.

– ref. Australians will soon only be able to buy vapes from pharmacies. Should New Zealand follow suit? – https://theconversation.com/australians-will-soon-only-be-able-to-buy-vapes-from-pharmacies-should-new-zealand-follow-suit-233204

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Camille Mellin, Senior Lecturer and ARC Future Fellow, School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide

Coral bleaching is becoming much more common as a result of increasingly severe and frequent marine heatwaves. Four global mass bleaching events have happened since 1998. Two of these were in the past decade.

Unless greenhouse gas emissions are cut to slow global warming, our new research shows that, by 2080, coral bleaching will start in spring, rather than late summer. Some events will last into autumn. The Great Barrier Reef’s maximum annual heat stress will double by 2050 if emissions do not slow.

Marine heatwaves stress corals, which then expel the symbiotic algae living in their tissue. These corals are left white and weakened. While not all bleached corals die immediately, prolonged heat stress harms their health and reproduction.

Our research used daily data on sea surface temperatures (instead of monthly data that models typically use) and supercomputing to produce high-resolution projections of marine heatwaves. We showed the risk of coral bleaching will be greatest along the equator. That’s also where the most biodiverse coral reefs are found.

Coral reefs cover only 1% of our oceans, but host at least 25% of all marine species. More than half a billion people worldwide depend on coral reefs for food.

So coral reefs are vital for the health of the ocean and people. They are also among the ecosystems most at risk from climate change.

Longer bleaching season will hit spawning

The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration monitors marine heatwaves globally. Seasonal coral bleaching alerts are based on this data. Predicting coral bleaching risk over entire decades has proved much more challenging.

Recent improvements in climate modelling now allow marine heatwaves and coral bleaching risks to be predicted with high accuracy. Using daily projections of heat stress from many global climate models, we show the severity and duration of coral bleaching will soon reach uncharted territory.

By mid-century coral bleaching is expected to start in spring for most of Earth’s reefs, rather than late summer as is typical today. In equatorial regions, corals will be at high risk of bleaching all year round by the end of the century.

In many regions, corals spawn only once a year. These spectacular mass spawning events happen in a single week following a full moon in spring.

By 2040, this spawning event could coincide with severe bleaching risk. This would greatly reduce their reproductive success, causing large-scale coral loss.

Equatorial regions most at risk

We show the future risk of severe coral bleaching is uneven globally.

The greatest risk is along the equator. Equatorial regions are home to the most biodiverse coral reefs, including conservation hotspots such as the Coral Triangle. To make matters worse, marine life in these regions is particularly vulnerable to accelerated climate change.

Many equatorial species are already living at temperatures near their upper tolerance. They also generally have low abilities to move to track shifting climates. This leaves them at high risk of extinction.

Our research shows equatorial regions are set to benefit least from efforts to curb emissions. We expect significant emission cuts will reduce the annual duration of severe bleaching conditions in all areas except these regions.

The projected highest climate impacts coincide with highest social reliance on coral reefs. This will challenge human populations that rely heavily on their local reefs for their livelihoods and nutrition.

Improving coral reef management

Our research identifies Earth’s reef regions that are at lowest risk of increased bleaching. This will help conservation managers and policymakers prioritise efforts to limit loss of coral reef biodiversity.

We predict much less risk of coral bleaching in regions such as the northern coasts of Venezuela and Colombia, Socotra Island (opposite the Gulf of Aden) and Alor Kecil in Indonesia. Seasonal upwellings occur here, bringing cooler water to the surface that’s likely to limit the severity of heatwaves.

Identifying these future havens for coral reefs will help maximise the success of coral conservation strategies such as assisted evolution, coral restoration or transplantation.

These strategies can help maintain healthy coral populations at local scales, particularly if used on reefs where future climate impacts will be lower. By pinpointing these havens, our research will strengthen coral conservation.

Our research includes a user-friendly web-based tool for mapping future coral bleaching. It will help pinpoint locations for effective management interventions.

Curbing greenhouse gas emissions is the main solution to reduce future climate impacts on corals. However, other strategies are also vital to maximise coral reefs’ adaptation to climate change.

Camille Mellin receives funding from the Australian Research Council and the University of Adelaide’s Environment Institute.

Damien Fordham receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

– ref. Devastating coral bleaching will be more common, start earlier and last longer unless we cut emissions – https://theconversation.com/devastating-coral-bleaching-will-be-more-common-start-earlier-and-last-longer-unless-we-cut-emissions-232473

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anthony Waddle, Schmidt Science Fellow in Conservation Biology, Macquarie University

All over the world, frogs are being wiped out by the chytrid fungus. At least 500 species have declined, including as many as 90 species now presumed extinct.

This catastrophic and ongoing biodiversity loss surpasses the devastation wrought by other notorious invasive species such as cats, rats and even cane toads. Short of removing species from the wild and treating them in captivity, few strategies exist to deal with the chytrid threat.

Our new research, published today in the journal Nature, offers a promising option.

Outbreaks of chytrid (pronounced “KY-trid”) are more common in cold winter months – just like seasonal human flu. We found a way to combat these winter outbreaks using heat. Our purpose-built “frog saunas” allow affected amphibians to warm up and bake off their infections. They are so simple you can build a frog sauna using supplies from the hardware store.

Why should we care about frogs?

If frogs’ good looks are not enough for you to care about their welfare, perhaps learning how they contribute to the environment or human health will pique your interest.

Frogs eat insects that carry and spread human diseases. Their skin is also a rich source of new medicines that could help us combat antibiotic-resistant “superbugs” or curb the startling increase in opioid addiction.

The frogs themselves are food for many predators, including humans.

Often starting life as a tadpole eating algae, before morphing into a carnivorous adult, frogs carry energy from aquatic ecosystems onto land – where it can be transferred throughout the food web. So losing a single frog species can have serious flow-on effects.

The origin and spread of chytrid

It’s likely the chytrid fungus originated in Asia, where the pathogen seems to coexist with native amphibians. But chytrid is deadly elsewhere, possibly because other frogs have no natural defences.

Chytrid harms frogs by disrupting the integrity of their skin, depleting electrolytes needed for heart function. Infected frogs can die of cardiac arrest.

Chytrid has spread worldwide through the trade of amphibians, becoming a seemingly permanent part of ecosystems. As eradicating chytrid from the wild is not possible, we need a way to help frogs battle infection.

Introducing frog saunas

Research has shown chytrid is worse in winter. My colleagues and I wondered whether, if frogs had access to warmth during winter, could they fight off infection?

The fungus can’t tolerate high temperatures, so if we gave frogs a place to stay warm – even for a few hours a day – perhaps they could survive and recover.

We tested this idea, both in the laboratory and in outdoor experiments.

First we established that endangered green and golden bell frogs will select temperatures that reduce or eliminate chytrid infections, when given the opportunity.

Then we conducted experiments in the lab, with 66 infected frogs. The group given the option of choosing the temperature they liked best rapidly cleared their infection. The group placed in a set, warm temperature also cleared their infection, but it took longer. The low-temperature control group remained infected.

Next, we wanted to see what would happen if frogs that cured infections with heat would still get sick. Or were they immune? The group of 23 heat-cured frogs were 22 times more likely to survive the second infection than the 23 frogs that were heat-treated but not previously infected. So frogs cured with heat acquire resistance to future infections.

Finally, we wanted to see if this could work in a natural setting. We ran outdoor experiments with 239 frogs. Half were infected with chytrid one week before the experiment began. Then they were placed in enclosures with artificial structures that heat up in the sun, called “frog saunas”. But the frogs could choose from shaded and unshaded areas, with or without saunas.

We found frogs flocked to the sunny saunas, heated up their little bodies, and quickly fought off infection. Think of frog saunas as little factories that pump out healthy, chytrid-resistant frogs.

The frog saunas could be used on a wider scale. We believe they would be best suited to supporting populations of Australian green and golden bell frogs, but they could be useful for other species too.

The saunas are made of inexpensive materials that can be found at your local hardware store, making them accessible to the general public and wildlife managers alike.

We are already building shelters at Sydney Olympic Park, working with Macquarie University and the Sydney Olympic Park Authority. The park is home to one of the largest remaining populations of green and golden bell frogs.

Want to get involved?

You can become a citizen scientist and help save frogs from extinction. Start by downloading the FrogID app to learn how frogs are faring. Record frog calls with the app for scientists to identify them. This helps provide valuable data for frog conservation.

Build a frog sauna for your backyard, to help keep them healthy through winter.

It’s essentially a brick-filled greenhouse, warmed by sunlight. All you need is some common clay ten-hole masonry bricks, black paint and cable ties – and a little greenhouse to put the sauna inside.

Changing the fate of frogs

Since the discovery of chytrid more than 25 years ago, the pathogen has been a seemingly insurmountable challenge to endangered frog conservation. Now, we have developed a promising, inexpensive and widely applicable strategy to combat chytrid.

Amphibians are such a diverse group that no single approach will be suitable for all species. So this is no silver bullet. But a useful tool for even one threatened or endangered species is cause for optimism.

The concept could also be applied to other wildlife diseases, where differences between the physiology of the host and pathogen can be exploited.

Anthony Waddle received research funding from the Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment, the Frog and Tadpole Study Group of New South Wales, the Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales, the Australian Research Council, Macquarie University, the University of Melbourne, and CSIRO. Anthony was supported by scholarships from the University of Melbourne and the American Australian Assocation. He is currently supported by a fellowship from the Schmidt Science Fellows, in partnership with the Rhodes Trust.

– ref. Our ‘frog saunas’ could help save endangered species from the devastating chytrid fungus – https://theconversation.com/our-frog-saunas-could-help-save-endangered-species-from-the-devastating-chytrid-fungus-231605

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cher McGillivray, Assistant Professor Psychology Department, Bond University

Have you ever asked your child to do something simple but no matter how many times you ask, they keep ignoring you?

For example, on a school morning you may call out, “Sarah, put your shoes on. We have to go!” as you are trying to finish an email, clean up breakfast dishes and make it to work on time yourself.

You get no answer and no signs of shoe wearing. So you repeat it, this time a little louder and then again. You finally get a frustrated response from your child: “but I can’t find my shoes!”. And so you yell back, “well you should have had them organised last night like I told you!” Yet again, you are all starting the day stressed.

You may find yourself wondering why it seems your kids listen to their teachers, coaches, friends’ parents … basically anyone else but you.

Why is this? And how can you talk to your child so they listen?

Your child’s development and their ability to listen

As a starting point, it may help to understand children don’t have the same capacity to listen as adult. Or the same capacity to care about what you are asking them.

Children between two and seven are naturally ego-centric.

This means they think mostly about themselves and their immediate needs. They are not are likely to to be able to take on other people’s perspectives. So they don’t care that if they muck around and don’t put their shoes you might miss your important 9 o’clock meeting.

Around 13, the brain starts to change. Research shows teenagers start to find voices that are not from their family more interesting. This is part of growing up, preparing them for life beyond their family.

This marks a significant shift from younger children, whose brains are primarily attuned to prioritise their parents’ voices. But it also means when you ask your adolescent to unpack the dishwasher before they leave for school, they are less likely to think it is important.

This situation can be made more complex if a child is neurodivergent and has issues with attention or taking on new information. Or if they have hearing issues.

Why do they listen to their teacher but not me?

Kids also tend to be more comfortable with their parents than any other adults. So they know they can zone out from us and we will still love them.

This is not the same with a school teacher, netball coach or other adult they are less familiar with. There are extra factors working in a teacher’s favour (although teachers will tell you, students do not listen all the time).

Schools have a structured approach that naturally enforces rules and consistency. For examples, bells ring to signal the start of the day, the teacher stands at the front of the class to signal the start of a lesson. Teachers are also trained in how to teach as well as skills to manage classroom dynamics effectively.

Peer pressure – and the desire to fit in – can also work in a positive way here, too. If all the other kids in the class or soccer team are doing what they are told, other kids are likely to follow suit.

Communication is not just talking

So there are some things stacked against us as parents. But there are things we can do to approach this parent-child dynamic differently.

According to psychologist Albert Mehrabian’s model of communication, only 7% of our feelings and attitudes are conveyed through the words we use in spoken communications. He suggests 38% is via tone and voice and the remaining 55% is conveyed through body language.

So when our children are not speaking back, they are still communicating with us. They could be doing this via facial expressions, posture and hand gestures. These can all give us clues to help us connect and communicate with them.

For example, their silence may mean, “I can’t find my shoes. But I’m worried I might get in trouble” Or it could mean, “I don’t want to go to school today”. Or, “I am finding this drawing I am doing really fun and I don’t want to stop”.

What can you do differently?

So if Sarah has not responded or appeared with her shoes on, instead of yelling out again, you could try going and finding where she is. Crouch down to her level, make eye contact and with a smile, ask if she has any ideas where her shoes are? Would she like some help?

Where you can, it is important to give children choice, so they feel like they have some control over their life.

You are also being what psychologists call a “trustful parent” here. You are signalling to your child they are competent and their opinion matters. You are supporting them to find their lost shoes (rather than fighting against them).

Tips for getting your child to listen

There are also some things we can do as parents to stack the odds in our favour:

• try not to communicate when we are distracted or on the go. This is more likely to result in a calm and gentle instruction or request to your child. If children feel like they are “in trouble” they can go into a defensive mode and zone out

• keep your instructions simple and achievable. Break things down if needs be

• thank your child for doing things.

In the meantime, keep observing the world through their eyes. This may not always result in them doing what you ask, when you ask it. But hopefully it will mean less parental angst for you and your child will also feel heard.

Cher McGillivray 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 won’t my kids listen to me? A psychologist explains – https://theconversation.com/why-wont-my-kids-listen-to-me-a-psychologist-explains-231831

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Natasha Szuhan, Lecturer, History and Sociology, Australian National University

This year, Australian news outlets have covered several highly concerning incidents of AI-generated deepfake porn being used to target women and girls.

In May, a Discord list created by Year 11 boys at Yarra Valley Grammar made headlines for its ranking of female students using terms such as “object”, “mid” and “unrapeable”.

That same month, a male student at Salesian College was expelled for spreading deepfake porn images of a female teacher. More recently, deepfake nudes depicting about 50 female students from Bacchus Marsh Grammar were circulated online.

These events have sparked outrage among parents, teachers, students and the broader public as we realise any girl or woman can now be targeted.

This kind of gender-based abuse doesn’t occur in a vacuum. So, is porn itself partly to blame for men’s exploitation of women via porn? It’s something feminists have debated for decades.

Despite the sexual revolution that spread across the Western world in the 1960s, Western feminists have been unable to reach a consensus on whether porn is a largely liberating force, or an oppressive one.

How harmful is porn? The jury is out

Contemporary feminists have a complicated relationship with porn. Some say it can be ethical, educational and empowering, while others say its many mental, physical and social harms far outweigh any benefits.

The research, too, is far from conclusive. While some studies shows an association between porn consumption and harmful real-world attitudes, there is little evidence as to if or how the viewing of porn itself could impact these attitudes.

In Australia, the average age of first porn exposure is 13.2 years for males and 14.1 years for females. But despite a more recent focus on young people, there remains a large blind spot in the research when it comes to the kinds of porn young people are viewing.

We know from research that people learn sexual norms while viewing explicit content. We also know exposure to porn impacts young people’s expectations of sexual encounters. As such, we should be open to the possibility of a link between young people’s porn consumption and sexual violence.

And while porn comes in many forms, ranging from romantic to very exploitative categories, these genres are generally hosted on the same domain, which can make it hard to avoid certain types. In Pornhub’s 2023 Year in Review, many of the most popular categories reflected the objectification, domination and degradation of women.

The start of the sex wars

In the 1980s, the “sex wars” were fought between two factions of women: “anti-porn” and “pro-sex” feminists. The former focused on the harms of porn while the latter’s emphasis was on sexually liberating women from social and gender norms.

The anti-porn feminists, most notably US activists
Andrea Dworkin and Catherine Mackinnon, argued the sexual culture that emerged after the sexual revolution actually undermined women’s sexual autonomy and power. They warned that porn was exacerbating this by romanticising sexual violence and the domination and dehumanisation of women.

They proposed addressing the issue by introducing civil rights ordinances based on the premise that pornography “constitutes discrimination on the basis of sex” since it naturalised female subordination to men. These laws would allow women who had been sexually discriminated against or harmed as a result of porn to sue pornographers civilly.

The counter group of pro-sex (or “sex-postive”) feminists came to the fore at a 1982 conference on sexuality at Barnard College, New York. When the ordinances were proposed, they baulked at the assertion that feminists could rely on the patriarchal political system to fix the problem – but offered no alternative.

While the pro-sex group agreed porn could be misogynistic, they opposed the anti-porn stance as it diverted attention away from their focus: women’s “own sexual desires”.

Eventually, the pro-sex position congealed around the idea of women’s sexual liberation and choice, while the anti-porn position increasingly became associated with prudishness and even alleged misandry (“man-hating”).

As the pro-sex feminists emerged victorious, legitimate concerns about the oppressive relationship between sex, violence and power were stifled – and sexual domination in porn was recast as being liberating. “Sex-positive” feminism continues to flourish today.

The ongoing division between feminists ultimately allowed for the porn industry to expand. Collectively, feminists were unable to reckon with the normalisation of female submission in sex and society.

Is there a solution?

The sex wars teach us two things. The first is that political solutions to cultural problems don’t work if they don’t address root issues. The second is that socio-sexual problems require a whole-of-community remedy.

We need to have a candid conversation about how to approach sexism more broadly, to ultimately find responses that support women in dealing with the social and interpersonal effects of porn. We might start, for instance, by taking the burden off individuals and holding the porn and social media industries accountable for helping to spread exploitative content.

As many experts have pointed out, the government’s proposed age verification legislation – which looks to restrict kids’ access to porn – is unlikely to address existing societal issues of abuse and misogyny. The solution, instead, will require integrating the pro-sex and anti-porn positions and concerns. Together, both groups must settle on a shared vision of liberal female sexuality in the digital age.

In 2024, the sexual liberation of women hasn’t prevented them from being abused, exploited and objectified via harmful forms of porn. Until we can all agree on the parameters of the root issues – misogyny, patriarchy and power – it’s unlikely this exploitation will stop.

Failing that, new generations will have to grapple with even more technologically extreme versions of these issues.

Natasha Szuhan 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. Feminists can’t agree whether porn is harmful or liberating – and in this vacuum, image-based abuse continues – https://theconversation.com/feminists-cant-agree-whether-porn-is-harmful-or-liberating-and-in-this-vacuum-image-based-abuse-continues-232494

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rosemary Hill, Adjunct Professor, James Cook University

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton’s pledge to build seven nuclear energy plants, if elected, has triggered heated political debate – mostly about the costs and timetable of the plan. But the concept of nuclear energy in Australia must overcome an arguably even bigger hurdle: how to dispose of high-level nuclear waste.

Nuclear power is only a viable alternative to fossil fuel burning if there is somewhere to store the waste – and only if this can be done safely, without exorbitant cost and with community support.

A CSIRO analysis last month showed there is no economic argument for nuclear energy in Australia, even without considering the substantial cost of waste disposal and storage. Include waste in the maths, and the Coalition’s proposal looks a whole lot worse.

What’s more, nuclear power stations produce high-level radioactive waste. It is dangerous for hundreds of thousands of years — and so far, the world has failed to deliver a safe, permanent storage method. Is this a problem Australia really wants to take on?

What is high-level nuclear waste?

Nuclear reactors work by using fission, or the splitting of uranium atoms, to produce energy. Once the uranium has been used to produce energy it is considered “spent”. Spent fuel can either be disposed of or reprocessed to recover and reuse some of its contents, such as plutonium. Both spent and reprocessed nuclear fuel must eventually be disposed of.

Nuclear waste is classed according to how much radiation it emits – either low, intermediate or high. Nuclear power plants produce high-level waste, which is radioactive for a very long time.

Negative health effects in humans from exposure to high-level radiation include birth defects, impaired tissue and organ functioning, and increased risk of cancer.

Nuclear waste only becomes safe after it decays. For high-level waste, this can take hundreds of thousands of years. That means the waste must be disposed of and stored for a very, very long time.

How is high-level nuclear waste currently stored?

No permanent and safe storage for high-level nuclear waste is yet in operation.

The current temporary options are either “wet” or “dry” storage. Wet storage entails putting the waste in a pond and covering it with several metres of water to keep it cool. Dry storage involves putting the waste in containers made of concrete and steel.

These options are not a long-term solution. They are vulnerable to corrosion as well as natural disasters such as cyclones, tsunamis, earthquakes, fires and floods.

There are also risks from human-induced hazards such as war, terrorist attack, arson and accidents. For example, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has threatened the safety of Ukrainian nuclear facilities such as the Zaporizhzhya plant, where spent nuclear fuel rods are reportedly kept in metal casks inside concrete containers in an open-air yard.

Can we put it underground?

Each reactor – even the small ones – will produce several tonnes of high-level waste each year – far more than the Coke can-sized amount of waste Dutton claims. The Coalition says it would find a permanent solution for storing nuclear waste from the plants. This is easier said than done.

The only permanent storage solution on the cards around the world is to place it in a “deep geological repository”. This involves encasing the waste and lowering it into a chamber drilled far underground. There are many challenges associated with this storage method. They include:

• cost: the construction, decommissioning, closure and monitoring of such a facility in South Australia has been estimated at A$41 billion

• siting: the location must be geologically stable, to prevent waste from escaping over many thousands of years

• transport: the further waste has to be moved, the greater the safety risks. This is relevant to the Coalition’s plan, under which seven nuclear sites would be distributed around Australia

• preventing corrosion and leakage: the waste container must be sufficiently robust to corrosion and the invasion of microbes. The shaft to the underground storage also needs to be sealed

• social acceptance: in a democratic country such as Australia, communities must agree to host a nuclear waste site and be satisfied it is safe. This includes securing “free, prior and informed consent” from Traditional Owners.

Finland is the country closest to realising this storage method. It has selected a site for a deep geological repository 500 metres underground, and begun construction. But the project has taken decades and suffered numerous technical problems.

Scientists have also raised safety concerns, such as how the project will perform over the very long term, including during freezing of rocks in the next ice age.

Neither the United Kingdom nor the United States has moved beyond temporary storage of high-level nuclear waste.

The Coalition must come clean

Other nations have struggled to find long-term solutions for nuclear waste storage. There is every reason to expect Australia would face the same problems.

Importantly, Australia has for decades failed to find a suitable place for the long-term storage of small quantities of low- and intermediate-level nuclear waste from medical isotopes and the Lucas Heights research reactor. Even though these wastes are comparatively benign, every proposal has faced strong local opposition.

Ahead of the next federal election, the Coalition must explain to Australians how and where it intends to store radioactive waste from its nuclear plants. Without that detail, voters cannot fairly assess the plan.

Rosemary Hill is affiliated with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Commission on Economic, Environmental and Social Policy, and the World Commission on Protected Areas.

Ian Lowe was President of the Australian Conservation Foundation from 2004 to 2014. His doctoral research was funded by the UK Atomic Energy Authority.

– ref. Nuclear energy creates the most dangerous form of radioactive waste. Where does Peter Dutton plan to put it? – https://theconversation.com/nuclear-energy-creates-the-most-dangerous-form-of-radioactive-waste-where-does-peter-dutton-plan-to-put-it-233213

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Naeni, PhD candidate in digital technologies in Iran, Deakin University

After Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was killed in a helicopter crash on May 20, the Iranian government had to schedule an early election to choose a new president.

The regime has approved six presidential candidates to run in the election on June 28. The pool includes four hardliners, one centrist and one reformist.

The main competition is expected to be between two hardliners and the reformist candidate. One of the hardliners is Saeed Jalili, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council from 2007 to 2013. He is likely to receive support among ideologically similar segments of society.

The other hardliner, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the current speaker of parliament, is also hoping to secure the votes of pro-regime supporters. There is some speculation that one of these candidates may withdraw in favour of the other.

The sole reformist candidate, Masoud Pezeshkian, currently an MP, is seeking to revive the social capital of the so-called reformist camp. Under former President Hassan Rouhani administration’s from 2013 to 2021, reformists failed to fulfil their promises and gradually aligned themselves with the centre of power, where they remain.

All of the candidates, including Pezeshkian, have emphasised their commitment to adhering to the policies set forth by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. As a result, the question of who will win has lost any real significance.

The more pressing issue will be the voter turnout. Recent parliamentary and presidential elections have seen less than 50% voter turnout, the lowest it’s ever been since the 1979 revolution. Iran’s leaders have also faced multiple nationwide protests in recent years.

Thus, the clerical establishment’s primary objective is to encourage public participation in this week’s election and restore its legitimacy.

This might be a tall order. According to a survey conducted by the Iranian Students Polling Agency, 73% of participants reported not watching the first televised presidential debate on June 18. The agency has also noted that only 18.5% of respondents said they are seriously following election news.

This lack of engagement has created a strange situation in recent weeks. To boost voter turnout, the Iranian leadership and its approved candidates are using social media to try to engage with Iranians – despite the fact all major Western social media platforms have been blocked in the country.

So, how is this working?

The Iranian government has blocked Western platforms like X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp and Telegram because of the potential they could be used during protests to fuel greater unrest.

However, around 80% of people use Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to get around the restrictions.

Many Iranian officials themselves are also active on these restricted platforms. For instance, Hossein Dalirian, spokesman for Iran’s National Cyberspace Center, a body at the core of internet censorship in Iran, tweeted recently:

I suggest that all six candidates use this [cyber] space to present their plans.

Meanwhile, the official news agency, IRNA, has advocated for increased online activity, emphasising the fact there are “31 million active [Iranian] users” on Instagram. It also reported that “lethargy” has resulted in insufficient engagement with election news on social media, in particular Instagram.

What are the candidates saying?

Amid the growing government concerns over electoral engagement, some of the candidates have significantly boosted their presence on the blocked platforms to try to reach everyday Iranians. The table below shows how many posts the six candidates have put on X from June 10–23:

Most of these candidates have previously supported internet censorship, highlighting the paradox in their campaign strategies. For instance, in February, Jalili advocated for more stringent internet restrictions, warning that without bold action, “the country will face damage”.

Yet, the campaigns are now strategically using social media to highlight issues likely to resonate with younger voters.

For instance, all of them have voiced their opposition to the morality police’s enforcement of women wearing the hijab in public. They have also positioned themselves, hypocritically, as champions of internet freedom.

Jalili, for example, has tweeted his “admiration for active users of cyberspace” and has described online platforms as a “valuable opportunity that should not be left behind”.

The reformist candidate, Pezeshkian, has promised to “free the internet” and “stand against censorship”, while being mindful to toe the line and maintain allegiance to the Supreme Leader.

He has also condemned the use of “violence” against women without a hijab.

Similarly, Ghalibaf has been so bold as to state internet censorship is unjustifiable given that “VPN usage has reached 67%”. (It was not clear where his statistic came from.)

Is this online engagement working?

These statements reveal a calculated effort to appeal to the youth and the broader public’s growing demand for social and political change. Beyond the official accounts of the candidates, an extensive network of supporters are also promoting their narratives on X, Instagram and Telegram.

However, despite these efforts, public engagement has reportedly remained low. A Tehran-based data analytics company reported on June 23 that, less than a week before the election, online public engagement is “very far” from creating a vibrant electoral atmosphere.

This persistently low engagement suggests voter turnout will remain a significant challenge for the clerical establishment. Under these conditions, a reported high voter turnout on Friday would either be an astonishing development or a fabricated claim.

Amin Naeni 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. Social media platforms are blocked in Iran. Candidates in this week’s presidential election are embracing them anyway – https://theconversation.com/social-media-platforms-are-blocked-in-iran-candidates-in-this-weeks-presidential-election-are-embracing-them-anyway-232717

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Carol Maher, Professor, Medical Research Future Fund Emerging Leader, University of South Australia

Anyone who lived through the COVID pandemic would likely understand that even a small period of isolation can cause physical and mental stress.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange – who will return to Australia after reaching a plea deal with the US Department of Justice – is reported to have suffered various mental and physical challenges during his almost 15 years in some form of isolation.

Assange was first arrested in Britain in 2010 after Swedish authorities said they wanted to question him over sex crime allegations.

After exhausting legal avenues to stop an extradition to Sweden, in June 2012 he entered Ecuador’s embassy in London, where he remained for seven years.

In early 2019, he was jailed for skipping bail and held at London’s Belmarsh prison where he spent most of the following five years fighting extradition to the US. Now, he’s coming home.

While we have no idea how Assange is coping from being cooped up inside for so long with few visitors, we do know that isolation can have a severe negative impact on many people.

How physical inactivity impacts your body

Physical activity is vital for overall health. It keeps your heart strong, helps manage weight, and builds muscle and bone strength.

Regular exercise also lifts your mood, reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety, and sharpens your mind. Plus, it boosts your immune system, making you more resistant to infections and diseases.

When you don’t move enough, especially in isolation, your health can take a hit. Muscles weaken and joints stiffen, making you less strong and flexible.

Your heart health suffers, too, raising the risk of high blood pressure, heart attacks and strokes because your heart isn’t getting the workout it needs.

Metabolic issues such as obesity and type 2 diabetes become more common with inactivity, especially if you don’t have access to healthy food.

Isolation often means less fresh air and sunlight, both crucial for good health. Poor ventilation can lead to respiratory problems. Lack of sunlight can cause vitamin D deficiency, weakening bones and the immune system, and increasing the risk of fractures.

These effects fit with the reports that Assange suffered a mini-stroke in 2021 and a broken rib from persistent coughing fits while in isolation.

What about mental health?

Social disconnection comes in two main forms, both of which have serious consequences for our mental health.

The first is social isolation. The reasons for being isolated are many and varied, including geographical distance, lack of access to transport, or incarceration.

The end result is the same: you have few relationships, social roles or group memberships, and limited social interaction.

The second form of social disconnection is more invisible but just as harmful.

Loneliness is that subjective, unpleasant feeling of wanting but lacking satisfying relationships with others.

You can be isolated and not feel lonely, but the two are often unwelcome bedfellows.

Social connection is not a luxury. It’s a fundamental need, as essential to our health as food and water.

Just as hunger reminds us to eat, loneliness acts as a signal alerting us that our social relationships are weak and need to be improved if we are to remain healthy.

The science around the health impacts of social disconnection is clear, especially when it is prolonged. So much so, the World Health Organization recently launched a Commission on Social Connection to increase awareness of the impact of social isolation and loneliness on health and have it recognised as a global health priority.

Substantial evidence shows social isolation and loneliness are linked to poorer cognitive functioning and an increased risk of dementia, though possibly in different ways.

Among adults aged 50 years and over, chronic (meaning persistent and severe) loneliness and social isolation may increase the risk of dementia by around 50%.

A lack of cognitive stimulation that naturally occurs when interacting with others, whether it’s old friends or strangers, might explain the link between social isolation and cognitive difficulties (think “use it or lose it”).

On the other hand, loneliness may impact cognitive health through its effects on emotional wellbeing. It’s a well-known risk factor for developing depression, anxiety and suicidality.

For instance, studies show the chances of developing depression in adults is more than double in people who often feel lonely, compared with those who rarely or never feel lonely.

Other research examining 500,000 middle-aged adults over nine years showed living alone doubled the risk of dying by suicide for men, while loneliness increased the risk of hospitalisation for self-harm in both men and women.

In a 2023 report, the US Surgeon General’s advisory concluded:

Given the totality of the evidence, social connection may be one of the strongest protective factors against self-harm and suicide among people with and without serious underlying mental health challenges.

What about after release?

When a person leaves long-term isolation, they’ll face many challenges as they re-enter society.

The world will have changed. There’s a lot to catch up on, from technological advancements to shifts in social norms.

In addition to these broader changes, there’s a need to focus on rebuilding physical and mental health. Health issues that developed during isolation can persist or worsen. A weakened immune system might struggle with new infections in a post-COVID world.

To navigate this transition, it’s important to establish a routine that includes regular exercise, nutritious meals and comprehensive medical and psychological care.

Gradually increasing social interactions can also help in rebuilding relationships and social connections. These steps are supportive in restoring overall health and wellbeing in a changed world.

Carol Maher receives funding from the Medical Research Future Fund, the National Health and Medical Research Council, the National Heart Foundation, the Channel 7 Children’s Research Foundation, the SA Department for Education, the SA Office for Early Child Development, Preventive Health SA, the SA Department for Innovation and Skills, the SA Office for Recreation, Sport and Racing, Healthway, Hunter New England Local Health District, the Central Adelaide Local Health Network, LeapForward, EML, and the 15 Minute Challenge.

Johanna Badcock is a co-founder and board member of the Global Initiative on Loneliness and Connection. She receives consultancy fees from National Institutes of Health. She is affiliated with The University of Western Australia.

– ref. Julian Assange was isolated for more than a decade. Here’s what that does to the body and mind – https://theconversation.com/julian-assange-was-isolated-for-more-than-a-decade-heres-what-that-does-to-the-body-and-mind-233214

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Isaac Gross, Lecturer in Economics, Monash University

A key measure of inflation has jumped, climbing to 4% in May after edging up from a recent low of 3.4% in February.

The Bureau of Statistics monthly consumer price indicator produced an annual inflation rate of 3.6% in April. This was the same as the longer-established Bureau of Statistics quarterly measure, which produced 3.6% in March.

The upward turn suggests the Reserve Bank will have to revisit the case for an interest rate hike when it meets next in early August.

At that meeting, it will also have before it the monthly and the quarterly figures for June, which will be released in late July.

The most significant contributors to the annual increase were housing, food and non-alcoholic beverages, transport, and alcohol and tobacco.

These are the industries that have been grappling with elevated costs, reflecting broader global supply chain disruptions and domestic market dynamics, especially those related to housing.

The Reserve Bank has kept its cash rate on hold since November despite inflation remaining a good deal above its 2–3% target band.

Adding to pressure on the board to increase rates once again will be Australia’s resilient labour market, which continues to record historically low unemployment.

Is it as bad as it sounds?

The answer is no, and yes. While the annual headline inflation rate did jump to 4%, part of the jump was due to what economists call “base effects”.

When today’s figures for May 2024 arrived, the figure for May 2023 dropped out of the annual calculation. That figure was particularly low (prices fell by 0.42% that month), making an increase in the measured annual rate published today all but inevitable.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers noted today that the monthly index actually “edged down” in May, falling 0.1%.

But to get an accurate read, it is best to focus on an “underlying” measure that tries to adjust for noisy month-to-month jumps.

Andrew Lilley, an economist at Barrenjoey, believes the best underlying measure is one that adjusts for seasonal differences and excludes the price of travel and some other volatile purchases.

This underlying rate of inflation has remained consistently above 4% over the past year, well above the Reserve Bank’s inflation target.

But, ultimately, the most important word in the bureau’s description of its monthly consumer price index indicator is “indicator”.

The monthly indicator isn’t an official figure in the same way as the quarterly consumer price index, which is used in contracts and displayed in big print at the top of the Reserve Bank’s website.

The monthly indicator measures only about 70% of the prices used to produce the quarterly index.

It is the official quarterly index that will guide the Reserve Bank in its decision about whether or not to increase interest rates.

It’ll get it in the last week of July.

Isaac Gross 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. Australia’s inflation rate jumps to 4%, putting an RBA rate rise back on the agenda – https://theconversation.com/australias-inflation-rate-jumps-to-4-putting-an-rba-rate-rise-back-on-the-agenda-233331

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Park Thaichon, Associate Professor of Marketing, University of Southern Queensland

The property market is a competitive space where finding a nice home, in the area you want, at a price you can afford is a hard ask.

With buyers outnumbering available properties, the pressure is even greater causing some would-be buyers to develop a fear of missing out (FOMO) and to make irrational decisions.

FOMO might make you worry others are finding nicer homes and getting better deals, or that prices will rise to the point where you are priced out of the market altogether. This could cause you to pay too much or to buy a property in an area unsuitable for your needs.

Then there is fear of making a mistake (FOMM), which can also cause problems if you’re a home hunter. You might be reluctant to bid or to negotiate because you are afraid of choosing the wrong property or paying more than it’s worth.

Problems caused by FOMO and FOMM

The principles of contagion theory, crowd psychology and the scarcity principle we identified in our research on panic-buying during the pandemic, can be applied to any purchasing decisions. In this instance we applied them to buying properties in a competitive housing market.

Contagion theory applies when people act irrationally under the influence of a crowd. Crowd psychology is similar but relates to how a crowd behaves in certain circumstances, while scarcity principle is the idea if there are fewer items available, their value increases.

Each of these can increase the likelihood of several behaviours when purchasing a property. These include:

Underbidding and overbidding

Fearing other buyers might get the house, house hunters might get caught up in a bidding war and end up paying more than planned. Conversely, buyers with FOMM might fear spending too much so bid too low to start with and risk losing the house.

Following the crowd and peer pressure influence

Buyers might feel pressured to buy in a certain area because it’s popular, even if it is not best fit for them. This can lead to paying more for a house just because others are doing the same.

Delaying decisions

FOMM can lead to taking too long to decide. This delay can mean missing out on good deals or being forced to rush into a decision and end up overpaying.

Avoiding negotiation

Some buyers might avoid negotiating the price or special conditions such as building and pest inspections and finance approval because they fear the seller will reject their offer. This can result in paying more than they need to if there are problems later.

Excessive inspections and appraisals

While inspections and appraisals are important, too many can suggest indecisiveness driven by fear, resulting in wasted money on unnecessary assessments, and more importantly, wasted time and delayed decisions.

Removing fear from the buying process

Start with thorough research and preparation by learning about different neighbourhoods and house prices. The history of properties and suburbs can be found for free on property websites and is a good place to start.

Seek professional guidance from real estate agents or financial advisers to help you through the process.

Get insights on market trends from an agent from a selling company or bank to help find homes that meet your criteria. Keep in mind these agents will get some form of incentive from your purchase.

All the big banks or loan officers can provide free property reports on specific properties or suburbs.

Don’t forget to check council mapping and water authority documents to check for potential future road projects and other developments and for an area’s flood rating.

Perform due diligence by thoroughly inspecting properties and reviewing contracts to ensure they meet your needs and are a good investment.

For example, it is a good idea to hire a home inspector to check for any hidden issues before making an offer.

Another common mistake made by most buyers is not asking their solicitor to check and give suggestions before signing a contract or offer.

A solicitor can check the sale contract before you sign, review the disclosure documents, give advice on your mortgage contract, carry out title searches and explain the results and explain how the purchase may affect your liability for land tax.

Do some contingency planning by preparing for unexpected price increases and for the presence of other strong bidders to reduce anxiety about making the wrong decision. Setting aside extra funds could help deal with higher than expected prices or unexpected repairs that need doing.

In the end, plan well and make decisions without letting emotions take over. Taking your time to find the right home that fits your budget and goals, rather than rushing into a purchase due to fear of missing out or making a mistake.

Park Thaichon 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. How fear of missing out can lead to you paying more when buying a home – https://theconversation.com/how-fear-of-missing-out-can-lead-to-you-paying-more-when-buying-a-home-233197