Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Samuel Cornell, PhD Candidate, School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney

A man was airlifted to hospital last weekend after falling ten metres from a waterfall in Queensland’s
Tamborine National Park, which was closed to due to storms. And last month, a major safety operation was launched to rescue nine bushwalkers in Wollemi National Park near Sydney after one walker fell from a cliff and suffered a head injury.

These are just the latest in a string of recent incidents that underscore the potential dangers of visiting Australia’s national parks. Visitor numbers to national parks are increasing. This is partly due to the provision of roads, boardwalks and other infrastructure which have greatly improved accessibility. People can now reach locations that, in many cases, would previously have required more competence, care, and skill to get to.

It means masses of people are being funnelled into potentially dangerous locations for which they may be unprepared. This poses risks to human life and safety, and places a heavy burden on already stretched emergency services called to conduct rescues and retrieve bodies.

An urgent rethink is needed into how we invite and prepare visitors to interact responsibly with these natural environments.

Visit, but be prepared

National parks need people. Visitors to national parks are vital to maintaining community, political and financial support for their existence. And increasing visitor numbers in national parks means more people can experience the physical and mental health benefits of spending time in nature.

Australia’s national parks are generally very accessible. In some popular locations, visitors can drive right up to a site and explore it via a highly engineered boardwalk. At lookouts, visitors are often protected by barriers and warning signs.

Social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok play a role in promoting national parks as accessible destinations. In Victoria, national parks authorities have suggested unprepared visitors are taking unnecessary risks in a bid to capture social media images, forcing emergency services to undertake dangerous rescues.

Parks authorities themselves use social media to promote access to picturesque places, but increasingly do so with safety in mind.

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Safety first? Not always

As visitor numbers to national parks increases, so too do the numbers of safety incidents.

In Western Australia, an average of 77 incidents per year occurred between 2011 and 2017. Most were falls or water-related, such as drowning.

And in Victoria in the five years to 2020, the State Emergency Service reportedly conducted 365 “high-angle rescues” – complex operations in high, steep locations.

Many incidents in national parks happen repeatedly at the same place. The latest incident at Cedar Creek Falls comes after a teenager drowned there in 2021. At the Babinda Boulders in Far North Queensland, 21 drownings have reportedly been recorded. This suggests current mechanisms for enhancing safety or communicating risk at known hazardous locations aren’t working.

It also stands to reason that the infrastructure we build to attract people to national parks, and to guide them and keep them safe, may be propelling them into risky situations.

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Stick to the path, and stay alive in national parks this summer

Rethinking access to the wild

So how best do we prevent deaths and injuries in national parks, while still encouraging people to venture into the outdoors?

Many people do not believe national parks are inherently dangerous places to visit. But erecting warning signs to alert them to the risks is not necessarily the answer.

One study focused on beaches in Victoria showed less than half of visitors even saw the signs. The answer is not to plaster an area with signs, either: an overabundance of safety messages can create “information overload” and means people are likely to ignore them.

However, there is research to suggest signs warning people of legal consequences or fines, rather than risks to their personal safety, may be more effective at ensuring safe behaviour.

Well-designed infrastructure in national parks can enhance the visitor experience, and protect the environment by directing people away from sensitive areas. But parks authorities should consider whether some infrastructure is encouraging people into dangerous situations, and whether certain areas should be closed off to the the public entirely.

Authorities could devise online training programs that teach people key outdoors skills, such as basic first aid and what to do if they get lost.

Finally, all this raises important questions around personal responsibility. Research conducted at four national parks in Western Australia showed many people viewed safety as a shared responsibility between visitors and parks management – but when things go wrong, place the blame on parks management. The same research showed parks visitors can be reluctant to accept the shift of responsibility back onto themselves.

Studies are needed to determine if encouraging visitors to take more responsibility for their actions would lead to fewer safety incidents – and if so, how best to get people to adopt this attitude shift.

Recent tragedies in our national parks highlight the crucial need to reevaluate visitor management strategies. National parks are a public good – and we need to make sure they stay that way.

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Samuel Cornell receives funding from Meta Platforms, Inc. His research is also supported by a UNSW University Postgraduate Award, as well as project funding from the Royal Life Saving Society – Australia. He is affiliated with Surf Life Saving Australia and Surf Life Saving NSW. He is currently conducting work with Queensland National Parks and Wildlife Service in a research capacity.

Amy Peden receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council, Meta Platforms, Royal Life Saving Society – Australia and Surf Life Saving Australia. She holds an honorary affiliation with Royal Life Saving Society – Australia.

– ref. Thousands of visitors flock to Australia’s national parks each year – and many take silly risks. How do we keep people safe? – https://theconversation.com/thousands-of-visitors-flock-to-australias-national-parks-each-year-and-many-take-silly-risks-how-do-we-keep-people-safe-220659

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Theresa Larkin, Associate professor of Medical Sciences, University of Wollongong

Head hair comes in many colours, shapes and sizes, and hairstyles are often an expression of personal style or cultural identity.

Many different genes determine our hair texture, thickness and colour. But some people’s hair changes around the time of puberty, pregnancy or after chemotherapy.

So, what can cause hair to become curlier, thicker, thinner or grey?

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Curly or straight? How hair follicle shape plays a role

Hair is made of keratin, a strong and insoluble protein. Each hair strand grows from its own hair follicle that extends deep into the skin.

Curly hair forms due to asymmetry of both the hair follicle and the keratin in the hair.

Follicles that produce curly hair are asymmetrical and curved and lie at an angle to the surface of the skin. This kinks the hair as it first grows.

The asymmetry of the hair follicle also causes the keratin to bunch up on one side of the hair strand. This pulls parts of the hair strand closer together into a curl, which maintains the curl as the hair continues to grow.

Follicles that are symmetrical, round and perpendicular to the skin surface produce straight hair.

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Life changes, hair changes

Our hair undergoes repeated cycles throughout life, with different stages of growth and loss.

Each hair follicle contains stem cells, which multiply and grow into a hair strand.

Head hairs spend most of their time in the growth phase, which can last for several years. This is why head hair can grow so long.

Let’s look at the life of a single hair strand. After the growth phase is a transitional phase of about two weeks, where the hair strand stops growing. This is followed by a resting phase where the hair remains in the follicle for a few months before it naturally falls out.

The hair follicle remains in the skin and the stems cells grow a new hair to repeat the cycle.

Each hair on the scalp is replaced every three to five years.

Hormone changes during and after pregnancy alter the usual hair cycle

Many women notice their hair is thicker during pregnancy.

During pregnancy, high levels of oestrogen, progesterone and prolactin prolong the resting phase of the hair cycle. This means the hair stays in the hair follicle for longer, with less hair loss.

A drop in hormones a few months after delivery causes increased hair loss. This is due to all the hairs that remained in the resting phase during pregnancy falling out in a fairly synchronised way.

Hair can change around puberty, pregnancy or after chemotherapy

This is related to the genetics of hair shape, which is an example of incomplete dominance.

Incomplete dominance is when there is a middle version of a trait. For hair, we have curly hair and straight hair genes. But when someone has one curly hair gene and one straight hair gene, they can have wavy hair.

Hormonal changes that occur around puberty and pregnancy can affect the function of genes. This can cause the curly hair gene of someone with wavy hair to become more active. This can change their hair from wavy to curly.

Researchers have identified that activating specific genes can change hair in pigs from straight to curly.

Chemotherapy has very visible effects on hair. Chemotherapy kills rapidly dividing cells, including hair follicles, which causes hair loss. Chemotherapy can also have genetic effects that influence hair follicle shape. This can cause hair to regrow with a different shape for the first few cycles of hair regrowth.

Hormonal changes as we age also affect our hair

Throughout life, thyroid hormones are essential for production of keratin. Low levels of thyroid hormones can cause dry and brittle hair.

Oestrogen and androgens also regulate hair growth and loss, particularly as we age.

Balding in males is due to higher levels of androgens. In particular, high dihydrotestosterone (sometimes shortened to DHT), which is produced in the body from testosterone, has a role in male pattern baldness.

Some women experience female pattern hair loss. This is caused by a combination of genetic factors plus lower levels of oestrogen and higher androgens after menopause. The hair follicles become smaller and smaller until they no longer produce hairs.

Reduced function of the cells that produce melanin (the pigment that gives our hair colour) is what causes greying.

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Theresa Larkin 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. From straight to curly, thick to thin: here’s how hormones and chemotherapy can change your hair – https://theconversation.com/from-straight-to-curly-thick-to-thin-heres-how-hormones-and-chemotherapy-can-change-your-hair-219329

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bruno Alves Buzatto, Lecturer, Flinders University

Scorpions are among the most ancient of land animals. Fossils indicate they were roaming the Earth more than 400 million years ago. For perspective, the non-bird dinosaurs became extinct about 65 million years ago.

Scorpions trivialise the 100-million-year reign of the dinosaurs — they saw them come and go and are still here today. In fact, the external anatomy of scorpions has changed little, based on what we’ve seen from 400 million-year-old fossils.

While formally describing a new scorpion species from the Pilbara region of Western Australia, we discovered another species with identical external morphology (shape and structure). The only way to tell the two species apart was by looking at the morphology of the male reproductive organs.

You’d think that is a very small difference, but it’s not uncommon for telling apart species in other groups, like spiders and millipedes. But these are the first scorpion species distinguished solely by male reproductive anatomy.

Our find, published in the Australian Journal of Zoology, hints significantly more scorpion species await discovery in Australia than previously suspected.

A widespread and popular group

Most Australians think of scorpions as exotic desert animals. But they are fairly widespread, ranging from salt lakes in central Australia to ancient rain forests in Tasmania.

Surprisingly, our estimates (based largely on unpublished DNA sequence data we have access to), indicate that less than 10% of Australia’s scorpion species have been scientifically described or named. Describing them means scientifically documenting and applying a unique scientific name to a new species while following the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature.

The scorpion genus Urodacus is endemic to mainland Australia and represents one of the largest radiations (increases in diversity) of scorpion species on the continent. Most Urodacus species live in deep spiralling burrows, enabling them to survive in arid ecosystems. In some habitats, these scorpions are a significant part of the ecosystem and comprise much of its biomass.

Despite their reclusive habits, Urodacus are popular exotic “pets” and are among the most popular invertebrates offered by online stores in Australia. There’s also a large community of scorpion enthusiasts.

Trading of scorpions is dependent on an unknown level of harvesting from natural populations. Some Urodacus species are known to live for 15–20 years, but in captivity, their longevity is usually less than a year.

With minimal knowledge about the diversity and distributions of Australian scorpions, the potential for serious impacts to their conservation is high. Traded scorpion species are often unnamed, and some may also live in very small areas.

For example, the two new species we described, Urodacus uncinus and Urodacus lunatus, are restricted to creeks and drainage lines, with a known area of as little as 50 square kilometres. Such small distributions make species particularly vulnerable to habitat loss, which is a growing threat in Australia.

Surprisingly, there is no regulation for scorpion ownership in most Australian states, although you need a permit to keep them as pets in the Northern Territory and Queensland. Collecting them from the wild is only regulated in conservation areas.

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We don’t know enough about our scorpions

The two new species we just described are large (more than 7cm long) yellow scorpions. Males of both species have a striking enlargement in the tip of their “tails”, with a swollen venom gland and a sting that is more strongly curved than in any other known species of the genus.

The task to fully document and understand the diversity of Australian scorpions is colossal. Approximately 3,000 scorpion species are known worldwide, but in Australia only 47 species are currently described and named. Based on our estimates, we think there could be at least 500 scorpion species here.

Only 13 new Australian scorpion species have been described in the last 45 years. At this rate, many are likely to become extinct before they are even named.

Further research on Australian scorpions will also reveal more of these animals’ incredible biology. One example is their curious reproduction. Scorpion mating rituals include a dance during which males of some species even sting the females as part of the courtship.

Sperm transfer occurs via what could be described as a “detachable penis”, placed on the ground by the male. During mating, part of this organ breaks off in the female reproductive tract and functions as a “mating plug” that prevents the female from remating until the babies from the last mating are born.

Burrowing scorpions give birth to live young that are gestated for up to 18 months within an organ somewhat like a uterus. After birth, mother scorpions carry their babies on their back until they disperse to live a largely solitary life.

Undiscovered secrets

These fascinating behaviours are only a small portion of scorpion natural history discovered to date and they are likely to harbour many more as yet undiscovered secrets.

Next to nothing is known about Australian scorpions, which is surprising given their diversity and ecological importance. More research on Australia’s scorpions is urgently needed to help recognise and protect threatened species and their habitats.

Expanding our knowledge about native scorpions would also help with the regulation of wild collections and allow captive breeding to further develop more responsible pet ownership as a force for conservation, rather than a risk.

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Bruno Alves Buzatto currently works for Flinders University. He has previously been funded by the University of Western Australia, Macquarie University, the Australian Research Council, Australian Geographic and National Geographic. Bruno has also previously worked as a principal biologist for Bennelongia Environmental Consultants in Western Australia.

Erich S. Volschenk owns Alacran Environmental Science, an environmental consultancy business specialising in the diagnoses of terrestrial invertebrates. He has previously received funding from Australian Biological Resources Study.

– ref. Less than 10% of Australian scorpions are known to science. We’ve added two new species to the list – https://theconversation.com/less-than-10-of-australian-scorpions-are-known-to-science-weve-added-two-new-species-to-the-list-220330

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hunter Fujak, Lecturer in Sport Management, Deakin University

From relatively humble beginnings, the Australian Open has emerged as a centrepiece in both the global tennis and Australian sporting calendar. With the 2024 tournament approaching, the event is now a centurion – it’s been 101 years since it became a designated grand slam, and 119 years since the very first edition.

While the Australian Open is now firmly known as a Melbourne event, the tournament used to rotate across Australasia until 1972. Between 1905 and 1971, it was most often hosted in Sydney (17 times), Melbourne (16), Adelaide (15), Brisbane (seven), Perth (three), and across the ditch in New Zealand (once in Christchurch, once in Hastings).

These early tournaments were a far cry from the economic enterprise of the modern grand slam; the 1909 edition, for instance, was held in the Perth Zoo.

And even after the International Lawn Tennis Federation designated the Australian Open as one of the four grand slam tournaments in 1923, it lagged behind the others for quite some time. This was mainly due to Australia’s remoteness, the inconvenient timing of the tournament in December or January, the comparatively poor facilities and the low prize money.

In fact, the tournament did not really flourish until the 1980s – well into the “open era” of professional tennis.

The growth of the Australian Open since the 1980s has occurred in parallel to the development of Melbourne as a cosmopolitan city. Australia’s deindustrialisation and financial deregulation in the early 1970s saw Sydney rise as the commercial capital of the country, while Melbourne languished.

In response, Melbourne turned to sport and culture as a form of economic salvation, moving away from manufacturing and towards tourism, leisure and spectacle.

This resulted in significant infrastructure investment, including new grandstand capacity at Flemington racecourse and the installation of lights at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Perhaps most significant was the building of Melbourne Park as a permanent facility for the Australian Open in 1988.

Despite controversy around the necessary rezoning of public lands to create Melbourne Park, the relocation from the grass courts of Kooyong tennis club was an immediate success. Total attendance increased from 140,000 to 266,436 in the first year.

The tournament has progressed by leaps and bounds since then. The 2023 tournament broke attendance records, with 839,192 people coming through the gates.

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By the numbers

The modern Australian Open is a major contributor to the Australian economy, as well as a mammoth operational undertaking.

The 2023 tournament featured a total of 817 players from 68 nations and was reported on by more than 800 journalists and photographers from 52 nations. Incredibly, more than 12,000 staff from Tennis Australia, Melbourne & Olympic Parks and other related agencies helped stage the tournament.

Economically, over six million people have attended the Australian Open in the past decade, contributing an estimated A$2.71 billion (US$1.76 billion) to the Victorian state economy. In 2020, the last tournament before COVID, visitors booked 574,970 hotel night stays and spent on average A$209 per day.

The inherent cultural value of the Australian Open is apparent in annual surveying of local sentiment, with 99% of Victorians agreeing in 2022 “it is important for Victoria to host the Australian Open each year”.

Strong local support is important given the Victorian government invested A$972 million (US$629 million) of taxpayer funds to redevelop Melbourne Park between 2010 and 2019 to secure the Australian Open hosting rights through 2046.

Future challenges

The length of this deal is significant, given Saudi Arabia and other nations have become increasingly aggressive in attempting to rebrand themselves as global sporting powers by making bids to host prestigious events.

Notably, it has emerged in recent weeks that Saudi Arabia is exploring an investment in professional tennis that could, at minimum, jeopardise Australian Open lead–up events that are held across the country in early January.

The tennis tour has also entered a period of talent renewal following the retirements of generational players Roger Federer, Serena Williams and soon Rafael Nadal. As a result, the tournament is having to market new, less familiar faces to an Australian public. Hence, the focus on rising stars Coco Gauff, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner on this year’s tournament website.

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Perhaps the tournament’s biggest challenge, however, will be its longer-term adaption to climate change. Players have frequently cited the Australian Open as particularly taxing due to the heat, which can at times be extreme. The first heat policy was only introduced in 1998.

In response to this growing challenge, a more extensive, research-based extreme heat policy was introduced in 2019. The new heat stress measure, which can result in the suspension of play, considers four climate factors: air temperature, radiant heat, humidity and wind speed. It also takes into account the physiological differences between the adult players, wheelchair participants and junior athletes.

Severe heat is not just a risk for athletes, but attendees. During the 2014 tournament for instance, 970 attendees were treated for heat exhaustion on a single day when the temperatures hit 42 degrees. A ball kid also fainted.

Climate change poses challenges beyond heat. The Black Summer bushfires of 2019, for instance, brought several days of smoke that caused breathing problems among some players. In 2023, the tournament was suspended twice on a single day, first due to heat and then torrential rain.

Tournament organisers have added an extra day to this year’s tournament to become a 15-day event. This will not only help mitigate any weather-induced scheduling congestion, but will also reduce the number of late-night finishes, which have drawn the ire from players and fans.

This will no doubt help the tournament deal with short-term challenges, but further adaptation may be necessary to ensure its long-term success. If history is any indication, the Australian Open has proven itself open to change.

Hunter Fujak 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. A short history of the Australian Open – from a Perth Zoo sideshow to economic juggernaut – https://theconversation.com/a-short-history-of-the-australian-open-from-a-perth-zoo-sideshow-to-economic-juggernaut-217443

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

Problems with focus and impulse control can be common developmental stages through which children and adolescents naturally progress. But they can also be symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a chronic condition.

ADHD is a pattern of inattention or hyperactivity and impulsivity (or both) that interferes with functioning or development, and persists into adulthood. ADHD affects around 7.6% of children aged three to 12 years and 5.6% of teens.

ADHD can significantly influence family dynamics and can affect a child’s ability to learn and interact socially. Raising children with behavioural, developmental or learning difficulties can also make parenting more challenging, with parents navigating feelings of frustration, grief and guilt.

While medication is most effective at minimising core ADHD symptoms, non-drug interventions can also reduce the daily impacts of ADHD symptoms. Parenting/family training is one such intervention. So what does it involve and is it effective?

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Positive praise and natural consequences

Parenting training is widely used and can take different forms. Sometimes a psychologist works with one or both parents to give them skills specific to their family and situation. It’s sometimes a structured in-person program for groups of parents. It can also be delivered online, at parents’ own pace or in virtual classrooms.

Most parent/family training will teach parents forms of:

• positive praise. Notice when your child is behaving in a desirable way and give them positive feedback. For example,“Wow, you’re playing so nicely. I really like the way you’re keeping all the blocks on the table.” Praise nurtures self esteem and their sense of self. Praise teens for starting homework without being reminded or coming home at the agreed time

• effective limit-setting. Establish ground rules in a quiet moment of family time, where everyone has a say and understands the boundaries, consequences, and expectations

• natural consequences, such as missing out on watching a TV show because packing up took too long. This allows the child to experience failure or loss, but empowers them with what they can focus on or improve the next time round

• planned ignoring of annoying but not serious behaviours such as making faces or messy rooms. Make a decision to ignore it and breathe. Model desirable behaviours, such as looking after your possessions and fitting in with family life

• positive parent-child interactions. “Connection before correction” helps a parent shape their child’s behaviour and can reduce disruptions.
  Emotionally connect by, for example, establishing eye contact, using a gentle tone and getting down on their level. This attunement allows the child to be able to regulate their behaviour and better manage their emotions.

Parents aren’t to blame for their child’s symptoms; the aim of training is to teach parents skills to meet the above-average parenting needs of children with ADHD.

Take inattention, for example. If a task is boring to a child with ADHD, their brain will struggle to pay attention – even if they want to. ADHD clinical neuropsychologist Russell Barkley explains ADHD like this: the back part of the brain is where you learn, the front part is what you do, and ADHD splits them apart. You can know things but you won’t do them – it’s a performance disorder.

Having a few household rules, schedules, opportunities to problem-solve, effectively using instructions and, most importantly, expressions of love can give children positive environments that will help their mental health over time.

How effective is parent training?

The Australian evidence-based ADHD treatment guidelines reviewed the evidence and found medication treatment was more effective than non-pharmacological treatment in reducing core ADHD symptoms. But combined therapies were better than either treatment alone.

The United Kingdom’s National Institute of Clinical Excellence recommends ADHD management plans include treatments to address the child’s psychological, behavioural and educational or occupational needs.

There is evidence to support parenting training for children aged five to 17, and greater evidence for its use in children under five and families of children who also have oppositional defiant disorder or conduct disorder, who require more intensive support.

But more research is needed about the duration and form of the parent training.

The World Health Organization also recommends parenting interventions because they strengthen the parent-child relationship, assist with alternatives to violent discipline and reduce emotional problem behaviours in children.

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How do you access parent training?

Most psychologists offer family training and will charge you the same fee as a normal session.

You can also upskill with the free Triple P Parenting Program online.

Happy Families also has an online parenting ADHD course.

Bond University researchers are also conducting a free, online group parenting program, which includes positive parenting skills. This will be part of a randomised control trial to develop an evidenced-based parenting intervention.

The aim with all of these programs is to better understand the child’s life and have compassionate responses to their ADHD and behavioural symptoms. So rather than just focusing on their behaviour – which is an outward expression of an inward emotion – it encourages parents to embrace their uniqueness and help them in their struggles.

How else can you support your child with ADHD?

Set boundaries and be clear about your expectations, but also be compassionate to your child and pick your battles.

Break instructions into simple tasks and allow them to choose and focus on one thing they’re struggling with at a time. Brainstorm what they need to improve, or an area that frustrates them. This will often be organisation, time management and planning. Ask how you can help and stay calm. Celebrate the small wins along the way.

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Be curious and seek to understand and connect with your child. Even though your relationship may feel strained or disconnected at times, remember disagreement need not destabilise the relationship. Children express their full emotions, without restraint, among people they feel most safe with.

Finally, ensure you look after yourself, connect with other parents who can support you. Try not to place your anxiety, stress and fears onto your child. Talk to a friend or psychologist so your child feels safe and able to share anything with you and knows you will cope.

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. What is ‘parent training’ for families of children with ADHD? – https://theconversation.com/what-is-parent-training-for-families-of-children-with-adhd-217381

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ehsan Noroozinejad, Senior Researcher, Urban Transformations Research Centre, Western Sydney University

The world faces an increasing shortage of housing and an escalating climate emergency. These urgent global issues call for quick action and innovative solutions.

The numbers show us how stark things are. Construction activities and building operations produce more than 40% of the carbon emissions driving global warming.

At the same time, 1.6 billion people live in subpar housing. An alarming 100 million have no house at all. In both Australia and globally, the housing crisis is a pressing and unresolved issue.

Prefabricated building technology offers promising alternative solutions to this dual crisis. Prefab housing modules are made offsite in a factory. The finished components/modules can then be transported and assembled swiftly at the site of the building.

This approach could transform the housing scene. Affordable dwellings could be produced on a massive scale, while greatly reducing the environmental impacts.

This is not merely about building homes. A shift to prefab construction would be a strategic move in line with the Paris Agreement to mitigate climate change.

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Cost-efficient and eco-friendly

Prefab modular construction could be considered a greener alternative in the construction sector. By greatly reducing construction waste (which accounts for 40% of landfill) and carbon emissions, it tackles these major environmental concerns head-on. A 2022 study showed modular construction can slash carbon emissions by up to 45% compared to conventional techniques.

The controlled factory-based environment of prefab construction makes it more efficient. This includes integrated reclamation and recycling of construction waste.

This approach is highly cost-effective. It’s about being resource-savvy and reducing waste to the bare minimum.

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Using standardised designs and components on a large scale also cuts the cost of incorporating energy-efficient elements such as better insulation and renewable energy. Building in this way creates structures that are effective, efficient, resilient and help us combat climate change.

Among many possible construction materials, wood or timber is among the most preferred for prefab modular buildings. Timber is renewable and an efficient carbon sink. The timber in buildings locks away the CO₂ the trees absorbed from the atmosphere when they were growing.

One creative and sustainable solution to housing shortages is to build modular, adjustable prefab dwelling units. These units are robust and can be adapted to various climates and housing needs with ease.

In a world where cities are growing fast and housing needs are pressing, prefab construction can deliver quality, affordable homes at an impressive pace. It’s an efficient solution for a budget-conscious, carbon-constrained world.

Prefab buildings take many forms

The beauty of prefab construction lies in its adaptability, making it the building industry’s chameleon.

It can look good almost anywhere, from bustling cityscapes to serene countryside. Imagine a building technique that can seamlessly transition from a cozy mountain cabin to a stylish metropolitan apartment building.

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Modular homes can be enlarged, modified or even disassembled and moved as communities grow and needs change.

This approach promotes long-term resilience by being adaptable to changes in the climate and housing needs. These buildings are constructed not only for the present, but also for the high-performance requirements of the future.

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Leading examples from overseas

We can learn from success stories overseas.

A community-focused project in England: the prefab modular homes in Cambridge are more than just buildings; they are community cornerstones. As well as providing roofs over heads, the project is about creating a sense of belonging. These units, meticulously designed and sustainably built, are shaping the narrative of affordable housing.

Scandinavian eco-friendly living: Scandinavians have taken modular construction to heart. In this region, known for its design prowess and environmental stewardship, many modular homes are architectural marvels that embody sustainability. Cozy, energy-efficient homes with sleek designs prove that eco-friendly living can be both stylish and functional.

Versatile modular solutions in the Netherlands: Finch Buildings offers a kaleidoscope of sustainable housing. Here, modular construction is about flexibility and diversity, catering to a range of needs and styles. These timber modular solutions can adapt to different lifestyles and preferences. Housing can be as diverse as the people it shelters.

Singapore’s urban blueprint: the city-state is a showcase for the incredible possibilities of prefab modular construction. It’s seamlessly woven into urban planning. Imagine a city where buildings are not just structures, but pieces of a larger, sustainable puzzle. It is a model of how urban development can co-exist with environmental consciousness.

So what’s stopping Australia?

Australia has been slower than many countries to adopt prefab modular construction. The challenges include:

• limited government support and incentives compared to other countries

• a need for more training and expertise in designing and implementing prefab modular construction

• the traditional procurement process in construction is not well suited for prefab methods, so a shift in thinking and approach from construction managers and suppliers is required

• the Australian regulatory environment needs to evolve to promote productivity and support modern construction methods like prefabrication

• a cultural shift within the industry is also needed, so owners and developers demand more sustainable and efficient construction methods.

The situation is changing in Australia as the housing crisis has intensified. Recognition of the need for more sustainable, efficient construction methods is growing, leading to a gradual shift in government support and industry adoption.

Read more:
Building in the same old ways won’t end the housing crisis. We need innovation to boost productivity

Making development sustainable

The potential role of prefab modular construction in tackling the challenges of climate change and housing shortages cannot be overstated.

Prefab building is charming not just because it is flexible but also because the architectural features have been thoughtfully considered. Every module can be carefully crafted to complement its surroundings.

Adopting this strategy demonstrates a dedication to development that is ecologically conscious, promotes resilience and sustainability and, by meeting house needs, improves community wellbeing.

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

– ref. A prefab building revolution can help resolve both the climate and housing crises – https://theconversation.com/a-prefab-building-revolution-can-help-resolve-both-the-climate-and-housing-crises-220290

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Esterman, Professor of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, University of South Australia

Do you have family members or friends sick with a respiratory infection? If so, there’s a good chance it’s COVID, caused by the JN.1 variant currently circulating in Australia.

In particular, New South Wales is reportedly experiencing its highest levels of COVID infections in a year, while Victoria is said to be facing a “double wave” after a surge late last year.

But nearly four years into the pandemic, data collection is less comprehensive than it was, and of course, fewer people are testing. So what do we know about the extent of this wave? And importantly, are we adequately protected?

Read more:
I have COVID. How likely am I to get long COVID?

Difficulties with data

Tracking COVID numbers was easier in the first half of last year, when each state and territory provided a weekly update, giving us data on case notifications, hospitalisations, ICU numbers and deaths.

In the second half of the year some states and territories switched to less frequent reporting while others stopped their regular updates. As a result, different jurisdictions now report at different intervals and provide varying statistics.

For example, Victoria still provides weekly reports, while NSW publishes fortnightly updates.

While each offer different metrics, we can gather – particularly from data on hospitalisations – that both states are experiencing a wave. We’re also seeing high levels of COVID in wastewater.

Meanwhile, Northern Territory Health simply tell you to go to the Australian government’s Department of Health website for COVID data. This houses the only national COVID data collection. Unfortunately, it’s not up to date, difficult to use, and, depending on the statistic, often provides no state and territory breakdowns.

Actual case notifications are provided on a separate website, although given the lack of testing, these are likely to be highly inaccurate.

The Department of Health website does provide some other data that gives us clues as to what’s happening. For example, as of one month ago, there were 317 active outbreaks of COVID in aged care homes. This figure has been generally rising since September.

Monthly prescriptions for antivirals on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme were increasing rapidly in November, but we are not given more recent data on this.

Read more:
We’re in a new COVID wave. What can we expect this time?

It’s also difficult to obtain information about currently circulating strains. Data expert Mike Honey provides a regularly updated snapshot for Australia based on data from GISAID (the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data) that shows JN.1 rising in prevalence and accounting for about 40% of samples two weeks ago. The proportion is presumably higher now.

What’s happening elsewhere?

Many other countries are currently going through a COVID wave, probably driven to a large extent by JN.1. These include New Zealand, Spain, Greece and the United States.

According to cardiologist and scientist Eric Topol, the US is currently experiencing its second biggest wave since the start of the pandemic, linked to JN.1.

Are vaccines still effective?

It’s expected the current COVID vaccines, which target the omicron variant XBB.1.5, are still effective at reducing hospitalisations and deaths from JN.1 (also an omicron offshoot).

The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) updated their advice on booster shots in September last year. They recommended adults aged over 75 should receive an additional COVID vaccine dose in 2023 if six months had passed since their last dose.

They also suggest all adults aged 65 to 74 (plus adults of any age who are severely immunocompromised) should consider getting an updated booster. They say younger people or older adults who are not severely immunocompromised and have already had a dose in 2023 don’t need further doses.

This advice is very confusing. For example, although ATAGI does not recommend additional booster shots for younger age groups, does this mean they’re not allowed to have one?

Read more:
What are the new COVID booster vaccines? Can I get one? Do they work? Are they safe?

In any case, as of December 6, only 19% of people aged 65 and over had received a booster shot in the last six months. For those aged 75 and over, this figure is 23%. Where is the messaging to these at-risk groups explaining why updating their boosters is so important?

Should we be concerned by this wave?

That depends on who we mean by “we”. For those who are vulnerable, absolutely. Mainly because so few have received an updated booster shot and very few people, including the elderly, are wearing masks.

For the majority of people, a COVID infection is unlikely to be serious. The biggest concern for younger people is the risk of long COVID, which research suggests increases with each reinfection.

What should we expect in 2024?

It’s highly likely we will see repeated waves of infections over the next 12 months and beyond, mainly caused by waning immunity from previous infection, vaccination or both, and new subvariants.

Unless a new subvariant causes more severe disease (and at this stage, there’s no evidence JN.1 does), we should be able to manage quite well, without our hospitals becoming overwhelmed. However, we should be doing more to protect our vulnerable population. Having only one in five older people up to date with a booster and more than 300 outbreaks in aged care homes is not acceptable.

For those who are vulnerable, the usual advice applies. Make sure you’re up to date with your booster shots, wear a P2/N95 mask when out and about, and if you do get infected, take antivirals as soon as possible.

Adrian Esterman 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. COVID is surging in Australia – and only 1 in 5 older adults are up to date with their boosters – https://theconversation.com/covid-is-surging-in-australia-and-only-1-in-5-older-adults-are-up-to-date-with-their-boosters-220839

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Goldsworthy, Senior Research Scientist, CSIRO

Despite so many people having air conditioning at home now, many are still unsure how to use it efficiently. And air conditioning uses a lot of energy. For example, running all the lights in an average home all day and night consumes about the same energy as one hour of air conditioning of the same space.

Many people think they can save money and energy by just blasting the air conditioning at a very low temperature, such as 17°C, for a short period of time to chill the room – before switching it off and enjoying the chilled air until another blast is needed later on. But it requires a lot of energy to get a room to a very chilly temperature.

While running it briefly and intermittently at a very cool temperature may feel thrifty, it won’t be the most energy efficient choice. Here’s what to do instead.

Read more:
Heat pumps can cut your energy costs by up to 90%. It’s not magic, just a smart use of the laws of physics

Start by reducing how hot your home gets

First, try to minimise the need for air conditioning. Look for ways to stop your house getting hot in the first place.

Heat can come in from outside through surfaces such as walls, windows, and ceilings. Hot air can creep in under doors or through open windows and vents. Appliances and people inside can also generate heat (although the heat impact of people is generally relatively small, unless there’s a large group).

To reduce some of this heat, you can:

• close blinds and windows before it starts getting hot

• use draft stoppers around external doors to stop hot air wafting inside

• plant trees (deciduous trees will let sunlight through in winter)

• install external shading, particularly on north and western aspects of your house

• improving ceiling and wall insulation, window glazing and sealing (if time and budget allow)

• reduce use of the oven and cooktop on very hot days (more efficient appliances, however, reduce this heating effect and save energy).

Rooftop solar systems provide a dual benefit of adding shade on the roof to stop heat coming in that way, as well as offsetting power usage.

If you’re in a double storey house, the lower level can be a few degrees cooler; it can help just to hang out downstairs on a very hot day.

Read more:
Spare a thought for air-conditioning repair people. As the planet warms, they’re really up against it

Set your air conditioning to the highest level that’s comfortable

Turning our attention to the air conditioning unit itself, the most energy efficient action is to set the temperature to the highest value that’s still comfortable (26°C during the day and 22°C when sleeping is often recommended). Then, just let it run.

Modern units (that feature technology known as an “inverter”) will adjust their output efficiently to maintain the indoor temperature at the setting you’ve chosen.

Be careful, however; setting the temperature too low can result in the unit using more power than you think it’s using (based on star rating label).

Older non-inverter units will cycle on and off to maintain the temperature, and you will generally be able to hear and feel it going on and off. (The newer inverter units, by contrast, don’t tend to cycle on and off as much; they usually just stay on and continuously modulate their output).

For non-inverter units, in general, remaining on for much longer than it is off indicates the air conditioning is working very hard. This may suggest the unit is too small for the space you’re trying to cool, or that you just have a lot of heat in the house (are you cooking a roast?). It could also suggest a fault.

Ceiling fans and servicing can help

Regardless of the type of air conditioning you have, for each 1°C the temperature is lowered, energy use increases by 5 to 10%. So it’s important not to over-cool. That’s why repeatedly blasting the air conditioning at a very low temperature over the course of the day isn’t wise.

Using ceiling fans along with air conditioning can make things feel cooler by 2-3°C due to the air movement, meaning you can set your air conditioning at a higher temperature. Fans use minimal power compared to air conditioning.

Clean the air filters regularly (your manual will explain how) and make sure air grills and vents are not blocked by furniture or, for outdoor units, by vegetation.

If parts of your outdoor units are heavily corroded or badly bent, the unit likely won’t work as well. Animals can cause damage to outdoor units but parts can often be easily replaced.

If your air conditioning doesn’t seem to work well, makes unusual sounds, or if fault codes show up on the display unit, get it serviced.

And if a cool change comes through, switch off the air conditioning and open as many windows and doors as possible to allow the breeze to flow through the house.

If you have a time-of-use electricity tariff (it’ll say on your electricity bill if you do), reducing use in the afternoon and early evening can save a lot. Energy prices can be double or more at these times.

An efficient unit can save you money in the long run

When it comes time to replace your air conditioning, carefully consider the energy efficiency or star rating.

The more stars the better; even a half star higher could more than pay for itself over the life of the unit (especially if you also use it in winter for heating).

Several state governments also have incentive schemes that can help cover the cost of upgrades or replacements.

Mark Goldsworthy works for CSIRO, which researches air conditioning as well as performing Minimum Energy Performance Standards testing of air conditioning systems for the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, and providing the energy rating method used in the NatHERS residential building energy rating software. However, CSIRO is unlikely to receive any direct benefit from this article.

– ref. How do I use air conditioning efficiently? Is it better to blast it briefly throughout the day, or just leave it on? – https://theconversation.com/how-do-i-use-air-conditioning-efficiently-is-it-better-to-blast-it-briefly-throughout-the-day-or-just-leave-it-on-220130

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kira Westaway, Associate Professor, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University

Giant creatures are usually associated with dinosaurs, woolly mammoths or mystical beasts. But if you go back though the human lineage you’ll find a very distant relative that stood three metres tall and weighed around 250 kilograms. This was Gigantopithecus blacki, the mightiest of all the primates and one of the biggest unresolved mysteries in palaeontology.

Despite surviving for nearly two million years in what is now the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of southern China, the entire species is represented in the fossil record only by a few thousand teeth and four jawbones. Nothing from the neck down.

Added to that is its mysterious disappearance from the fossil record at a time when other primates were flourishing. Where did the giants go and what brought them down?

Since 2015, a team of Chinese, Australian and US scientists has been chasing this mighty beast in the distinctive terrains of southern China. Our findings are published in Nature today and reveal a story of seasonality, stress and vulnerability.

Finding the window of extinction

Extensive exploration and excavations in hundreds of caves over a five-year period has been narrowed down into evidence from 22 caves in two regions of Guangxi: Chongzuo, near the Vietnamese border, and Bubing Basin, close to Nanning. Eleven of these caves contain evidence of G. blacki and the other eleven – of a similar age range – do not.

Our team applied several dating techniques to sediments from the caves: luminescence dating of feldspars (a common rock-forming mineral), electron spin resonance dating of quartz, and uranium series dating of stalagmites and similar deposits, as well as fossils. Altogether we ended up with a staggering 157 radiometric ages.

We used these data sets to establish exactly when G. blacki dropped out of the fossil record, to define a “window of extinction”. This window allowed us to target a period of time to look closely at the environmental changes.

Next, we looked at eight sources of environmental and behavioural evidence, including ancient pollen grains, other animal bones and micro details in the sediments.

Furthermore, we gained a wealth of information from G. blacki teeth themselves – from isotopic signatures, trace elements and the wear patterns on the surface of the teeth. This evidence can indicate diet, migration patterns, habitat preferences, diversity of food sources and stress.

This data represents the largest collection of well-dated evidence for the giant ape and for the first time is supported by well-documented environmental and behavioural changes. It reveals the rise and fall of G. blacki in comparison to its closest primate relative – the orangutans.

Stronger seasons

Surprisingly, G. blacki went extinct between 295,000 and 215,000 years ago, much more recently than previously assumed. Before this time, G. blacki flourished in a rich and diverse forest.

But between 600,000 and 300,000 years ago the environment became more variable. An increase in the strength of the seasons caused a change in the structure of the forest plant communities. By 200,000 years ago, the forests started to deteriorate.

Despite being a close relative of G. blacki, orangutans were able to adapt their size, behaviour and habitat preferences to accommodate to these forest changes. Their fossils display a flexible and balanced diet with very little stress during this period.

But G. blacki made the fatal mistake of relying on a less nutritious back-up food like twigs and bark when their favourite food sources such as fruit-bearing plants were unavailable. This meant the diversity of the giant apes’ food decreased and their less mobile body size compared to the more agile orangutans restricted their geographic range for foraging.

Surprisingly, G. blacki also increased in body size over this period, which further contributed to food source problems and caused immense chronic stress to the species. This stress can be seen in the trace element mapping of their teeth, providing an insight into a species on the brink of extinction.

Failure to adapt

As a direct consequence, G. blacki numbers dwindled as the species was placed under increasing environmental stress.

It would seem that by having such specific food and habitat preferences, G. blacki was vulnerable to environmental and habitat changes. Its size and choice of food hampered its adaptation compared to more agile and mobile species like orangutans.

The story of G. blacki is a lesson in extinction – how some species are more equipped to survive change and others are more vulnerable. This is a lesson we must take on board with the looming threat of a sixth mass extinction event.

Trying to understand past extinctions is a good starting point to understand primate resilience. It may offer clues to the fate of other large animals, both in the past and in the future.

Read more:
What is a ‘mass extinction’ and are we in one now?

Kira Westaway receives funding from The Australian Research Council

Marian Bailey receives funding from the Australian Government RTP Stipend.

Renaud Joannes-Boyau receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

Simon Haberle receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

Yingqi Zhang receives funding from Chinese Academy of Sciences and The Australian Research Council.

– ref. Giant ‘kings of apes’ once roamed southern China. We solved the mystery of their extinction – https://theconversation.com/giant-kings-of-apes-once-roamed-southern-china-we-solved-the-mystery-of-their-extinction-219304

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alison Poulton, Senior Lecturer, Brain Mind Centre Nepean, University of Sydney

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a condition that can affect all stages of life. Medication is not the only treatment, but it is often the treatment that can make the most obvious difference to a person who has difficulties focusing attention, sitting still or not acting on impulse.

But what happens once you’ve found the medication that works for you or your child? Do you just keep taking it forever? Here’s what to consider.

What are ADHD medications?

The mainstay of medication for ADHD is stimulants. These include methylphenidate (with brand names Ritalin, Concerta) and dexamfetamine. There is also lisdexamfetamine (branded Vyvanse), a “prodrug” of dexamfetamine (it has a protein molecule attached, which is removed in the body to release dexamfetamine).

There are also non-stimulants, in particular atomoxetine and guanfacine, which are used less often but can also be highly effective. Non-stimulants can be prescribed by GPs but this may not always be covered by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and could cost more.

Read more:
Do kids grow out of ADHD as they get older?

How stimulants work

Some stimulants prescribed for ADHD are “short acting”. This means the effect comes on after around 20 minutes and lasts around four hours.

Longer-acting stimulants give a longer-lasting effect, usually by releasing medication more slowly. The choice between the two will be guided by whether the person wants to take medication once a day or prefers to target the medication effect to specific times or tasks.

For the stimulants (with the possible exception of lisdexamfetamine) there is very little carry-over effect to the next day. This means the symptoms of ADHD may be very obvious until the first dose of the morning takes effect.

One of the main aims of treatment is the person with ADHD should live their best life and achieve their goals. In young children it is the parents who have to consider the risks and benefits on behalf of the child. As children mature, their role in decision making increases.

Read more:
Is it anxiety or ADHD, or both? How to tell the difference and why it matters

What about side effects?

The most consistent side effects of the stimulants are they suppress appetite, resulting in weight loss. In children this is associated with temporary slowing of the growth rate and perhaps a slight delay in pubertal development. They can also increase the heart rate and may cause a rise in blood pressure. Stimulants often cause insomnia.

These changes are largely reversible on stopping medication. However, there is concern the small rises in blood pressure could accelerate the rate of heart disease, so people who take medication over a number of years might have heart attacks or strokes slightly sooner than would have happened otherwise.

This does not mean older adults should not have their ADHD treated. Rather, they should be aware of the potential risks so they can make an informed decision. They should also make sure high blood pressure and attacks of chest pain are taken seriously.

Stimulants can be associated with stomach ache or headache. These effects may lessen over time or with a reduction in dose. While there have been reports about stimulants being misused by students, research on the risks of long-term prescription stimulant dependence is lacking.

Read more:
My child has been diagnosed with ADHD. How do I make a decision about medication and what are the side effects?

Will medication be needed long term?

Although ADHD can affect a person’s functioning at all stages of their life, most people stop medication within the first two years.

People may stop taking it because they don’t like the way it makes them feel, or don’t like taking medication at all. Their short period on medication may have helped them develop a better understanding of themselves and how best to manage their ADHD.

In teenagers the medication may lose its effectiveness as they outgrow their dose and so they stop taking it. But this should be differentiated from tolerance, when the dose becomes less effective and there are only temporary improvements with dose increases.

Tolerance may be managed by taking short breaks from medication, switching from one stimulant to another or using a non-stimulant.

Read more:
How do stimulants actually work to reduce ADHD symptoms?

Too many prescriptions?

ADHD is becoming increasingly recognised, with more people – 2–5% of adults and 5–10% of children – being diagnosed. In Australia stimulants are highly regulated and mainly prescribed by specialists (paediatricians or psychiatrists), though this differs from state to state. As case loads grow for this lifelong diagnosis, there just aren’t enough specialists to fit everyone in.

In November, a Senate inquiry report into ADHD assessment and support services highlighted the desperation experienced by people seeking treatment.

There have already been changes to the legislation in New South Wales that may lead to more GPs being able to treat ADHD. Further training could help GPs feel more confident to manage ADHD. This could be in a shared-care arrangement or independent management of ADHD by GPs like a model being piloted at Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District, with GPs training within an ADHD clinic (where I am a specialist clinician).

Not every person with ADHD will need or want to take medication. However, it should be more easily available for those who could find it helpful.

Read more:
GPs could improve access to ADHD treatment. But we still need specialists to diagnose and start medication

Alison Poulton is a director of the Australasian ADHD Professionals Association. She has previously taken part in an advisory panel and received personal fees and non-financial support from Takeda Pharmaceuticals, which manufactures ADHD medications including some mentioned in this article. She has received book royalties from Disruptive Publishing (ADHD Made Simple).

– ref. ADHD medication – can you take it long term? What are the risks and do benefits continue? – https://theconversation.com/adhd-medication-can-you-take-it-long-term-what-are-the-risks-and-do-benefits-continue-218694

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Albert Van Dijk, Professor, Water and Landscape Dynamics, Fenner School of Environment & Society, Australian National University

2023 was a year of record-breaking heat, devastating storms and floods, deepening droughts and raging wildfires. These events showed how climate change is affecting the global water cycle and our livelihoods.

Our international team of researchers today released a report, the Global Water Monitor, documenting the impact of the record heat in 2023 on the water cycle. We used data from thousands of ground stations and satellites to provide real-time information on various environmental parameters.

The report summarises conditions and events in 2023 and long-term trends. We found global warming is profoundly changing the water cycle. As a result, we are seeing more rapid and severe droughts as well as more severe storms and flood events.

Scores of countries had record average annual temperatures in 2023. Severe droughts hit three continents. The world’s largest forests suffered, with Canada battling huge fires and the Amazon hit hard by drought.

Read more:
A heatwave in Antarctica totally blew the minds of scientists. They set out to decipher it – and here are the results

Heat is drying out the world

The most obvious sign of the climate crisis is the unprecedented heat waves that swept the globe in 2023. Earth’s hottest year on record gave us a glimpse of what a typical year with 1.5°C of warming may look like. Global warming consistently more than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels is expected to have extreme and irreversible impacts on the Earth system.

Some 77 countries experienced their highest average annual temperature in at least 45 years. Temperature records were shattered from Canada to Brazil, Spain to Thailand.

The high temperatures were often accompanied by very low air humidity. The relative air humidity of the global land surface was the second-driest on record in 2023.

Rapid drying of farms and forests caused crops to fail and forests to burn. Lack of rain and soaring temperatures intensified multi-year droughts in vulnerable regions such as South America, the Horn of Africa and the Mediterranean.

Read more:
Fire is consuming more than ever of the world’s forests, threatening supplies of wood and paper

The past two decades have significantly increased air temperatures and reduced air humidity. This continuing trend toward drier conditions is threatening agriculture, biodiversity and overall water security.

These conditions heighten heat stress and increase the water needs of people, crops and ecosystems.

Scorching conditions inflicted extensive damage on the world’s largest forests. Massive wildfires ravaged Canada during the northern summer. Later in the year the Amazon rainforest and rivers descended into severe drought.

The world’s forests have been soaking up a lot of our fossil fuel emissions. That’s because plant photosynthesis absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Large disturbances like fire and drought reduce or even reverse that function.

Read more:
Unprecedented drought in the Amazon threatens to release huge stores of carbon – podcast

Water cycle changes fuel intense storms

A change in circulation and sea temperatures in the Pacific Ocean to El Niño conditions influenced the global water cycle in 2023. But this happened against a backdrop of increasing sea surface temperatures due to global warming.

Rising sea surface and air temperatures have been intensifying the strength and rainfall intensity of monsoons, cyclones and other storm systems.

We saw this happen close to home. Cyclone Jasper battered northern Queensland and severe storms formed in south-east Queensland, leaving a trail of destruction. The cyclone moved much slower than expected, causing torrential rains and widespread flooding.

Read more:
North Queensland’s record-breaking floods are a frightening portent of what’s to come under climate change

In 2023, we also saw other cyclones behave in unexpected and deadly ways. A cyclone travelled across to New Zealand. The longest-lived cyclone ever recorded battered south-eastern Africa for weeks. And a cyclone developed in the Mediterranean Sea, crossing from Greece to destroy reservoir dams in Libya, killing thousands.

The estimated global damage from cyclones in 2023 surpassed US$45 billion.

Warmer sea temperatures fuel such freak events. As the climate crisis deepens, we can expect more unprecedented storms.

Read more:
Cyclone Freddy was the most energetic storm on record. Is it a harbinger of things to come?

Outlook: 2024 and beyond

At the start of 2024, the greatest risk of developing or intensifying drought appears in Central and South America (except southern Brazil and Uruguay), southern Africa and western Australia.

Regions that received much rainfall towards the end of 2023 are unlikely to develop drought for at least several months. These include the Sahel region and the Horn of Africa, northern Europe, India, China and South-East Asia.

The events of 2023 show how the threat of ongoing climate change to our planet and lives is growing by the year. There were many such events in 2023, and the human and economic toll was large. These events should not be viewed as isolated incidents but as part of a broader emerging pattern.

Globally, the frequency and intensity of rainfall events and flooding are increasing. At the same time, there are also more and faster developing droughts, or flash droughts, that can cause crop failure and destructive wildfires within weeks or months. With the global food challenge, biodiversity crisis and an extremely urgent need to reduce carbon emissions, these droughts and fires are among our greatest global threats.

Overall, 2023 provided a stark reminder of the consequences of our continued reliance on fossil fuels and the urgent need but apparent inability of humanity to act decisively to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

Albert Van Dijk receives or has previously received funding from several government-funded agencies, grant schemes and programmes.

– ref. How 2023’s record heat worsened droughts, floods and bushfires around the world – https://theconversation.com/how-2023s-record-heat-worsened-droughts-floods-and-bushfires-around-the-world-220836

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anchal Garg, Psychology researcher, Bond University

Have you ever found yourself thinking about loved ones during a boring meeting? Or going over the plot of a movie you recently watched during a drive to the supermarket?

This is the cognitive phenomenon known as “mind wandering”. Research suggests it can account for up to 50% of our waking cognition (our mental processes when awake) in both western and non-western societies.

So what can help make this time productive and beneficial?

Mind wandering is not daydreaming

Mind wandering is often used interchangeably with daydreaming. They are both considered types of inattention but are not the same thing.

Mind wandering is related to a primary task, such as reading a book, listening to a lecture, or attending a meeting. The mind withdraws from that task and focuses on internally generated, unrelated thoughts.

On the other hand, daydreaming does not involve a primary, active task. For example, daydreaming would be thinking about an ex-partner while travelling on a bus and gazing out the window. Or lying in bed and thinking about what it might be like to go on a holiday overseas.

If you were driving the bus or making the bed and your thoughts diverted from the primary task, this would be classed as mind wandering.

The benefits of mind wandering

Mind wandering is believed to play an important role in generating new ideas, conclusions or insights (also known as “aha! moments”). This is because it can give your mind a break and free it up to think more creatively.

This type of creativity does not always have to be related to creative pursuits (such as writing a song or making an artwork). It could include a new way to approach a university or school assignment or a project at work.
Another benefit of mind wandering is relief from boredom, providing the opportunity to mentally retreat from a monotonous task.

For example, someone who does not enjoy washing dishes could think about their upcoming weekend plans while doing the chore. In this instance, mind wandering assists in “passing the time” during an uninteresting task.

Mind wandering also tends to be future-oriented. This can provide an opportunity to reflect upon and plan future goals, big or small. For example, what steps do I need to take to get a job after graduation? Or, what am I going to make for dinner tomorrow?

Read more:
Alpha, beta, theta: what are brain states and brain waves? And can we control them?

What are the risks?

Mind wandering is not always beneficial, however. It can mean you miss out on crucial information. For example, there could be disruptions in learning if a student engages in mind wandering during a lesson that covers exam details. Or an important building block for learning.

Some tasks also require a lot of concentration in order to be safe. If you’re thinking about a recent argument with a partner while driving, you run the risk of having an accident.

That being said, it can be more difficult for some people to control their mind wandering. For example, mind wandering is more prevalent in people with ADHD.

Read more:
How your brain decides what to think

What can you do to maximise the benefits?

There are several things you can do to maximise the benefits of mind wandering.

• be aware: awareness of mind wandering allows you to take note of and make use of any productive thoughts. Alternatively, if it is not a good time to mind wander it can help bring your attention back to the task at hand

• context matters: try to keep mind wandering to non-demanding tasks rather than demanding tasks. Otherwise, mind wandering could be unproductive or unsafe. For example, try think about that big presentation during a car wash rather than when driving to and from the car wash

• content matters: if possible, try to keep the content positive. Research has found, keeping your thoughts more positive, specific and concrete (and less about “you”), is associated with better wellbeing. For example, thinking about tasks to meet upcoming work deadlines could be more productive than ruminating about how you felt stressed or failed to meet past deadlines.

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

– ref. It’s normal for your mind to wander. Here’s how to maximise the benefits – https://theconversation.com/its-normal-for-your-mind-to-wander-heres-how-to-maximise-the-benefits-219490

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Darius von Guttner Sporzynski, Historian, Australian Catholic University

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark’s announcement of her abdication in her New Year’s Eve address, citing her age and health, was a significant shock to the Danes.

Margrethe became Queen of Denmark following the death of her father, King Frederik IX, in 1972. When Queen Elizabeth II died in 2022, Margrethe became Europe’s longest-reigning monarch and is the world’s longest-serving current female head of state. She is also the world’s sole queen regnant – that is, a queen who reigns in her own right independent of her spouse’s rank and titles.

Her decision to abdicate marks a significant departure from what she had repeatedly said before: her intention was to remain on the throne for life, as did her predecessors. Queen Margrethe II will break the nearly 900-year-old tradition of lifelong reign in Denmark.

The abdication ceremony is scheduled for Sunday January 14, coinciding with the 52nd anniversary of Margrethe’s accession to the throne. This historic moment will also see Crown Princess Mary becoming the first Australian-born queen consort as wife of the new king, Frederik X.

But while this announcement may have come as a shock, royal abdications – once rare and often scandalous events – have become more frequent over the past century.

When it isn’t ‘duty first’

Abdications, whether influenced by personal, political or health-related factors, significantly impact royal families, state institutions and national identities. Each instance of abdication holds the potential to shift public perceptions regarding the monarchy’s value as an institution and ignite debates about the monarchy’s relevance.

In 2014, Juan Carlos I of Spain – once praised as a restorer of democracy – abdicated amid scandal and self-exiled to Saudi Arabia. After his abdication, thousands of people across Spain marched calling for a referendum into the future of the monarchy and Spain’s return to a republican system.

The most notable abdication of the 20th century was of King Edward VIII of Britain in 1936. King for less than a year, Edward’s intention to marry Wallis Simpson – an American socialite in the process of her second divorce – created a constitutional crisis because the democratically elected government of the United Kingdom did not support his decision to both marry and remain king.

Edward VIII was further constrained by his role as the head of the Church of England, which then prohibited remarriage if a former spouse was still alive. He was the first British head of state to abdicate since James II/VII in 1688 was declared to have abandoned the throne, and Edward’s abdication in pursuit of personal happiness was a watershed moment in royal British history.

Read more:
A new monarch who is a divorcee would once have scandalised. But Charles’ accession shows how much has changed

This event’s lasting impact was epitomised by his niece, Queen Elizabeth II, who throughout her reign embodied the ethos of placing “duty first, self second”.

Across the Channel, in Europe’s constitutional monarchies, the position of a monarch is not seen as sanctioned by divine command but as established by secular law and abdications are not seen as a dereliction of duty.

In the last 25 years, monarchs of Belgium (King Albert II), Luxembourg (Grand Duke Jean) and the Netherlands (Queen Beatrix) voluntarily handed down the office to their successors.

Their renunciation of the office was a novelty after most of their predecessors stayed in the role for life, but was seen as functional and symptomatic of the constitutional nature of their office.

Global abdications

The 2013 abdication of Pope Benedict XVI, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church and the head of state of the Vatican City, was as unexpected as it was unprecedented. Benedict XVI was the first pope to step down since Gregory XII, who was forced to resign in 1415, and the first pope to do so voluntarily since Celestine V in 1294.

The pontiff offered a frank justification for his decision: someone of his age was no longer suited to the papacy in the modern world. His abdication paved the way for election of his successor and established a precedent for the retirement of popes with the retiring pontiff to be called “pope emeritus”.

Read more:
Pope’s resignation is a recognition of human frailty in an ageing world

Outside Europe, Emperor Akihito of Japan abdicated in 2019, the first emperor to abdicate in 200 years. He explained his actions in similar terms to Benedict XVI and Margarethe II, citing his health and that it was time for a younger monarch to exercise a complex constitutional role.

This century has also seen similar steps taken by rulers of Bhutan, Qatar, Kuwait and Malaysia.

Queen Margrethe II’s abdication is a sign of times. Monarchs, after years of service, can exercise the right to retire, paralleling the rights of the citizens of their realms.

This shift, while upending centuries-old traditions, suggests a more relatable and empathetic view of monarchy, aligning it closer with contemporary values of personal agency.

Read more:
Japan: a new emperor and a new era – but women are still excluded from the Chrysanthemum Throne

Darius von Guttner Sporzynski 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. Queen Margrethe II is the first Danish monarch to abdicate in 900 years – but it is just a sign of the times – https://theconversation.com/queen-margrethe-ii-is-the-first-danish-monarch-to-abdicate-in-900-years-but-it-is-just-a-sign-of-the-times-220663

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Garritt C Van Dyk, Lecturer, University of Newcastle

French supermarket Carrefour has fired a warning shot in a price war with global food brands, dropping PepsiCo products last week because of “unacceptably high” increases.

This has seen Pepsi soft drinks removed from stores across Europe, as have Doritos, Quaker breakfast cereals and other food produced by the multinational.

It is usually the job of shoppers and consumer advocates to call out corporations for overstepping the mark on pricing, often targeting retailers. But this time, in a pre-emptive strike against the source of the increases, Carrefour pushed back, showing they were not the problem.

This is a radical departure from the usual policy of retailers passing on costs directly to consumers.

Refusing to carry producers’ brands – known as delisting products – can be risky for retailers, prompting customers to move to competitors who stock their favourite goods.

In Australia, 65% of the grocery retail sector is controlled by Woolworths (37%) and Coles (28%), raising concerns about market dominance and a lack of real competition.

Strict rules set by the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) govern the requirements for delisting to ensure there is no abuse of market power.

Market share vs brand value

In 2015 biscuit and snack food producer Arnott’s raised prices on 54 products by 10% and Coles refused to carry them.

This decision to stand up to the multinational (contradicting the stereotype it took advantage of its market dominance) was welcomed by many consumers.

However, some were not willing to go without their Tim Tams and Coles ultimately agreed to let Arnott’s raise the prices of 44 products.

Woolworths had a similar issue with Arnott’s in 2019 over prices and promotions, refusing to pass through an increase due to drought and currency fluctuations.

The opposite, however, happened earlier in the same year, when Uncle Toby’s withheld inventory from Woolworths because they did not agree to pass on price hikes.

Runaway prices

Carrefour’s dispute with PepsiCo should be viewed in the context of the cost of food in Europe blowing out over the past two years, with average prices up 30% since 2021.

These increases have prompted retailers to be more transparent with consumers about how their profits compare to those of producers.

Revealing the cause of the price increases, and refusing to pass them on, distances the retailers’ business model from the producers’ opportunistic attempts to increase profits.

Price gouging or legitimate cost increases?

This week, Treasurer Jim Chalmers echoed calls from the Coalition to investigate supermarket pricing and review the ACCC’s grocery code to ensure savings are passed on as costs abate.

Data from the ABS shows wholesale food costs only rose 0.7% in the most recent quarter, while the price for a typical basket of consumer food items rose 3.2%.

This gap also appears in Europe, where the percentage of “unexplained” rises in food prices increased from 3% to 10% from 2022 to 2023.

Bigger production costs did not account for all of the increases, leading to the conclusion producers were taking advantage of consumers, blaming the war in Ukraine, increased transport costs and global supply chain disruption to rationalise higher prices on the shelf.

In a 2023 report into European food inflation, Allianz said this was “catch-up profit-taking” to recover losses from previous years.

The rise of shrinkflation

So-called “shrinkflation” – where the price of goods doesn’t change but they are sold in smaller quantities for the same price – has also made consumers groups sceptical.

In Australia, it is factored into the calculation of inflation for household goods and services as measured by the Consumer Price Index. The ABS characterises shrinkflation as a “quality decrease”.

Consumer advocacy group CHOICE has noted shrinkflation in Australia since 2016 in its Community Forum, citing size reductions in products ranging from chocolate bars to breakfast cereals.

Read more:
Amid allegations of price gouging, it’s time for big supermarkets to come clean on how they price their products

In Europe, Carrefour instituted a bold in-store campaign last year of naming and shaming brands that downsized products using signage that highlights the shrinkage.

This allows consumers to make informed decisions without limiting their buying options. But it also risks backlash from producers over how their goods are displayed on the shelf.

Without regulation, or a similar campaign from retailers, Australian consumers must check unit prices to ensure they are not paying more for less.

A chance to generate goodwill

Carrefour’s stand against a global brand and decision to delist their products recognises consumers everywhere are feeling the impact of higher prices.

At a time when the Senate is investigating claims of price gouging by Australia’s largest supermarket chains, more transparency would be a welcome change.

From negotiations at the farm gate to the multinational boardroom, there is an opportunity for the big grocery retailers to pass on savings where possible, and increase brand loyalty.

Read more:
The cost of living is biting. Here’s how to spend less on meat and dairy

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

– ref. As Australian supermarkets are blamed over food costs, French grocer Carrefour targets Pepsi for ‘unacceptable’ price rises – https://theconversation.com/as-australian-supermarkets-are-blamed-over-food-costs-french-grocer-carrefour-targets-pepsi-for-unacceptable-price-rises-220646

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Donald Rothwell, Professor of International Law, Australian National University

South Africa has taken Israel to the International Court of Justice (ICJ, also known as the World Court) in The Hague claiming genocide has been committed against Palestinians during the Gaza conflict.

A charge of genocide before the court in the midst of a heated armed conflict is exceptional.

Likewise, the significance of South Africa’s claim against Israel has immense cultural, diplomatic, historical, and political significance. Israel has rejected South Africa’s claim and vowed to contest the case against it.

International court cases such as these typically run for many years before a final judgement is reached, however South Africa has also requested provisional measures – a form of international injunction – and preliminary hearings will take place in The Hague on January 11 and 12.

A decision on South Africa’s provisional measures request will most likely be made by the end of January with the potential to have a profound impact on Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.

Read more:
After 3 months of devastation in the Israel-Hamas war, is anyone ‘winning’?

Which laws are in question?

The 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Genocide Convention) was adopted following the 1940s holocaust by the Nazi regime, which resulted in the deaths of six million Jewish people.

The Genocide Convention was one of the most significant responses by the then fledgling United Nations to the holocaust. It was intended to clearly define genocide, prevent future genocides, and make nation states accountable for genocide.

There are a total of 153 parties to the Genocide Convention, including Israel and South Africa, and it is widely seen as one of the pillars of the United Nations human rights system.

States are accountable for genocide before the International Court of Justice, while individuals can be charged with the crime of genocide and placed on trial at the International Criminal Court.

Genocide is defined in the Convention as “acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group” and extends to:

• killing members of the group, or causing serious bodily harm to members of the group

• deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction

• imposing measures to prevent births.

What is South Africa’s case about?

South Africa’s case against Israel under the Genocide Convention was commenced on December 29 2023 following lodgement of an 84 page application instituting the proceedings.

South Africa has brought the case by relying on the principle that as a party to the Genocide Convention, it has an obligation to enforce legal rights owed to all people that genocide not be allowed. The claim could have been commenced by any other party to the convention, however, South Africa has been raising concerns about genocide in Gaza since October 30.

The claim gives an historical context to Israel’s conduct in Palestine, recounts the Hamas terrorist attacks on October 7, and details Israel’s subsequent Gaza military operations.

Particular attention is given to the actions and conduct of Israeli political and military leaders, especially their statements as to how Israel intended to respond to the Hamas attacks, and the extent and scale of Israel’s military operations and military objectives in Gaza.

South Africa then details Israel’s actual military conduct during the Gaza campaign and the consequences for Palestinian civilians. This conduct is linked directly back to acts of genocide as defined in the Genocide Convention.

South Africa’s court case takes two forms: a claim that Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, and the urgent request for provisional measures (international legal speak for expediting the process).

South Africa has requested that the court order that Israel’s political and military leaders, and Israel’s military, immediately cease any activities that amount to an ongoing campaign of genocide against the Palestinian people.

South Africa will need to prove, both in law and in facts, that the case is admissible, that the World Court has jurisdiction to hear this claim, and that the application is urgent, requiring orders to prevent irreparable harm.

Importantly at this stage, South Africa does not need to conclusively prove genocide has taken place. That comes at the later phase, called the Merits phase. South Africa does, however, need to demonstrate that Palestinians face irreparable harm and that, on the facts, Israel’s conduct could be considered to be acts of genocide.

Israel will no doubt robustly resist any assertion genocide is occurring and argue its political and military leaders are acting consistently with international law in response to the threat posed by Hamas. Particular attention will probably be given to Israel’s right of self-defence following the October 7 attacks.

Read more:
South Africa’s foreign policy under Ramaphosa has seen diplomatic tools being used to provide leadership as global power relations shift

How do cases like these work?

The International Court of Justice has been thrust into the middle of the Israel-Hamas conflict.

However, it is not being asked to play the role of the United Nations Security Council and settle that dispute. The court’s role, as a United Nations organ is purely to apply the Genocide Convention and international law.

It will, nevertheless, be acutely aware of the significance of its role, especially in the face of claims of an ongoing genocide. This has been reflected in how it has moved quickly to hear South Africa’s case.

There are two potential outcomes from South Africa’s provisional measures request.

The court may decline to order provisional measures. It may, for example, find it lacks jurisdiction and that South Africa’s case is inadmissible on technical legal grounds, or the facts do not support the claims made.

Read more:
Hamas’ use of sexual violence is an all-too-common part of modern war – but not in all conflicts

Or the court may uphold South Africa’s request and order provisional measures. Any provisional measures ruling against Israel would require a radical modification of Israel’s military operations in Gaza.

The court cannot, however, enforce its decisions. In 2022, for example, Russia ignored an International Court of Justice provisional measures order following its invasion of Ukraine.

No matter what the court orders, Israel will retain its right of self-defence against Hamas.

Donald Rothwell receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

– ref. South Africa is taking Israel to court for genocide in Palestine. What does it mean for the war in Gaza? – https://theconversation.com/south-africa-is-taking-israel-to-court-for-genocide-in-palestine-what-does-it-mean-for-the-war-in-gaza-220660

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Garritt C Van Dyk, Lecturer, University of Newcastle

French supermarket Carrefour has fired a warning shot in a price war with global food brands, dropping PepsiCo products last week because of “unacceptably high” increases.

This has seen Pepsi soft drinks removed from stores across Europe, as have Doritos, Quaker breakfast cereals and other food produced by the multinational.

It is usually the job of shoppers and consumer advocates to call out corporations for overstepping the mark on pricing, often targeting retailers. But this time, in a pre-emptive strike against the source of the increases, Carrefour pushed back, showing they were not the problem.

This is a radical departure from the usual policy of retailers passing on costs directly to consumers.

Refusing to carry producers’ brands – known as delisting products – can be risky for retailers, prompting customers to move to competitors who stock their favourite goods.

In Australia, 65% of the grocery retail sector is controlled by Woolworths (37%) and Coles (28%), raising concerns about market dominance and a lack of real competition.

Strict rules set by the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) govern the requirements for delisting to ensure there is no abuse of market power.

Market share vs brand value

In 2015 biscuit and snack food producer Arnott’s raised prices on 54 products by 10% and Coles refused to carry them.

This decision to stand up to the multinational (contradicting the stereotype it took advantage of its market dominance) was welcomed by many consumers.

However, some were not willing to go without their Tim Tams and Coles ultimately agreed to let Arnott’s raise the prices of 44 products.

Woolworths had a similar issue with Arnott’s in 2019 over prices and promotions, refusing to pass through an increase due to drought and currency fluctuations.

The opposite, however, happened earlier in the same year, when Uncle Toby’s withheld inventory from Woolworths because they did not agree to pass on price hikes.

Runaway prices

Carrefour’s dispute with PepsiCo should be viewed in the context of the cost of food in Europe blowing out over the past two years, with average prices up 30% since 2021.

These increases have prompted retailers to be more transparent with consumers about how their profits compare to those of producers.

Revealing the cause of the price increases, and refusing to pass them on, distances the retailers’ business model from the producers’ opportunistic attempts to increase profits.

Price gouging or legitimate cost increases?

This week, Treasurer Jim Chalmers echoed calls from the Coalition to investigate supermarket pricing and review the ACCC’s grocery code to ensure savings are passed on as costs abate.

Data from the ABS shows wholesale food costs only rose 0.7% in the most recent quarter, while the price for a typical basket of consumer food items rose 3.2%.

This gap also appears in Europe, where the percentage of “unexplained” rises in food prices increased from 3% to 10% from 2022 to 2023.

Bigger production costs did not account for all of the increases, leading to the conclusion producers were taking advantage of consumers, blaming the war in Ukraine, increased transport costs and global supply chain disruption to rationalise higher prices on the shelf.

In a 2023 report into European food inflation, Allianz said this was “catch-up profit-taking” to recover losses from previous years.

The rise of shrinkflation

So-called “shrinkflation” – where the price of goods doesn’t change but they are sold in smaller quantities for the same price – has also made consumers groups sceptical.

In Australia, it is factored into the calculation of inflation for household goods and services as measured by the Consumer Price Index. The ABS characterises shrinkflation as a “quality decrease”.

Consumer advocacy group CHOICE has noted shrinkflation in Australia since 2016 in its Community Forum, citing size reductions in products ranging from chocolate bars to breakfast cereals.

Read more:
Amid allegations of price gouging, it’s time for big supermarkets to come clean on how they price their products

In Europe, Carrefour instituted a bold in-store campaign last year of naming and shaming brands that downsized products using signage that highlights the shrinkage.

This allows consumers to make a informed decisions without limiting their buying options. But it also risks backlash from producers over how their goods are displayed on the shelf.

Without regulation, or a similar campaign from retailers, Australian consumers must check unit prices to ensure they are not paying more for less.

A chance to generate goodwill

Carrefour’s stand against a global brand and decision to delist their products recognises consumers everywhere are feeling the impact of higher prices.

At a time when the Senate is investigating claims of price gouging by Australia’s largest supermarket chains, more transparency would be a welcome change.

From negotiations at the farm gate to the multinational boardroom, there is an opportunity for the big grocery retailers to pass on savings where possible, and increase brand loyalty.

Read more:
The cost of living is biting. Here’s how to spend less on meat and dairy

Garritt C Van Dyk 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. As Australian supermarkets blamed over food costs, French grocer Carrefour targets Pepsi for ‘unacceptable’ price rises – https://theconversation.com/as-australian-supermarkets-blamed-over-food-costs-french-grocer-carrefour-targets-pepsi-for-unacceptable-price-rises-220646

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marco Amati, Professor of International Planning, Centre for Urban Research, RMIT University

The Howard government (1996-2007) shifted migration policy away from family migration and towards skilled migrants. Our recently published research analysed changes in migrant clusters at the level of local neighbourhoods. We also looked at where these clusters are located.

Understanding where cultural diversity occurs and how quickly people are being assimilated can help policymakers to ensure resources are fairly distributed and communities’ resilience enhanced. These issues affect place-based health, urban planning and disaster risk management policies. Better targeting of services is also vital for fostering a sense of belonging, social cohesion and inclusion across Australian society.

In particular, evaluating whether the skilled migration policy has been a success involves understanding whether or not highly educated immigrants are finding jobs that match their qualifications. Our research suggests this hasn’t been the case.

How migrants get a foothold in society

Different theories of settlement and integration make different assumptions about how migrants will settle in society. In our research we found segmented assimilation best characterises migrant experiences from 2001 to 2021. This means there are different “segments”, such as occupations and locations, available to migrants to get a foothold before assimilating.

Using language spoken at home as an indicator, we show diversity is higher in urban areas than in rural areas in all states and territories except the Northern Territory. Diversity is also spread more evenly throughout urban areas. Rural areas have pockets of diversity.

Using language spoken at home, we can see the cultural diversity of protected regions in Northern Territory and Western Australia because of the high populations of Indigenous peoples. A different picture emerges in the cities.

For example, comparing the picture in Sydney in 2001 to 2021, diversity has grown to encompass most of the inner suburbs. It has fallen away in the outer suburbs or peri-urban areas.

Over the same time in Melbourne, diversity has gone from being evenly spread to becoming patchy in the inner areas. (Our research paper maps the diversity changes in the other capital cities.)

While the overall trend of migrant movement is towards the suburbs, we found this trend isn’t statistically significant compared to other trends. For example, other patterns of movement, such as people moving from suburbs towards the city centre, might also be significant.

The graphs below show the clustering of diversity in different cities. Zero in the Moran’s index indicates diversity is randomly spread. The index increases as diversity becomes more clustered. For example, there might be schools or other facilities that encourage clustering.

For most of the larger cities clustering is relatively fixed over time. Levels of clustering in Adelaide and Melbourne have stayed higher than in other cities.

What features allow clusters of diversity to persist?

We then examined the features of these clusters across Australia. In other words, what are the physical features of these places? And what are the characteristics of their residents?

Overwhelmingly, people born in Asia and especially China now dominate clusters of diversity. They have replaced European-dominated migration, which was still apparent in 2001.

Another major shift occurred early in the 2000s and came to dominate during the “skilled migrant” era. This has been the ability of migrants to speak good English. The data show migrants tended to be increasingly tertiary-educated and employed in managerial professions.

Surprisingly, despite these skills, these workers tend to have lower incomes than non-migrants. New immigrants with good education and language skills may have difficulties finding jobs that match their education levels. They earn less than their non-migrant counterparts, which suggests they are overqualified for the jobs they do find.

The data also reveal how much physical features may be associated with diversity. Using an AI technique known as SHAP (Shapley Additive exPlanations) on the five census years (2001 to 2021), we showed travel to work by public transport is most strongly associated with diversity. However, the strength of this falls away over time.

Crowded houses are at first linked with diversity, but this trend is reversed in later years. Rented houses also decrease in association, possibly in line with more migrants owning homes in the suburbs.

Continually diverse, upwardly and outwardly mobile

During the “Hanson years” of immigration policy in Australia, the country moved away from family-based migration towards a policy that made sense economically, but in its extreme form was anti-humanitarian.

Beneath the signature changes in policy on refugees and asylum seekers, our research papers show a longer-term and arguably more significant groundswell of change in our cities. This was assimilation based on migrant desires that all Australians share: good English, home ownership, suburbanisation and good public transport.

Marco Amati receives funding from the Australian Research Council and Australian Urban Research Infrastructure Network (AURIN). This work was funded by High Impact Project 2022 “Nationwide Longitudinal Database for Emerging CALD Communities and Social-Environmental Inequities”.

Joe Hurley receives funding from the Australian Research Council and Australian Urban Research Infrastructure Network (AURIN). This work was funded by the AURIN High Impact Project 2022 “Nationwide Longitudinal Database for Emerging CALD Communities and Social-Environmental Inequities”. Joe is on the technical advisory committee for the Council Alliance for Sustainable Built Environment.

Dr. Qian (Chayn) Sun receives funding from NCRIS-enabled Australian Urban Research Infrastructure Network (AURIN). She researches and teaches fundamental and applied Geospatial Technology and Science at RMIT University. She is the founder of GISail (Geospatial Informatics and Intelligence) research group. This work was funded by High Impact Project 2022 “Nationwide Longitudinal Database for Emerging CALD Communities and Social-Environmental Inequities”.

Siqin (Sisi) Wang is affiliated with Spatial Sciences Institute, University of Southern California, US as an Associate Professor and double affiliated to RMIT, Australia as a Senior Lecturer and University of Queensland, Australia as a Honorary Research Fellow.

– ref. Australia’s skilled migration policy changed how and where migrants settle – https://theconversation.com/australias-skilled-migration-policy-changed-how-and-where-migrants-settle-215068

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arosha Weerakoon, Senior Lecturer and General Dentist, School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland

TikTok is full of videos that demonstrate DIY hacks, from up-cycling tricks to cooking tips. Meanwhile, a growing number of TikTok videos offer tips to help you save money and time at the dentist. But do they deliver?

Here are five popular dental TikTok trends and why you might treat them with caution.

1. Home-made whitening solutions

Many TikTok videos provide tips to whiten teeth. These include tutorials on making your own whitening toothpaste using ingredients such as hydrogen peroxide, a common household bleaching agent, and baking soda (sodium bicarbonate).

In this video, the influencer says:

And then you’re going to pour in your hydrogen peroxide. There’s really no measurement to this.

But hydrogen peroxide in high doses is poisonous if swallowed, and can burn your gums, mouth and throat, and corrode your teeth.

High doses of hydrogen peroxide may infiltrate holes or microscopic cracks in your teeth to inflame or damage the nerves and blood vessels in the teeth, which can cause pain and even nerve death. This is why dental practitioners are bound by rules when we offer whitening treatments.

Sodium bicarbonate and hydrogen peroxide are among the components in commercially available whitening toothpastes. While these commercial products may be effective at removing surface stains, their compositions are carefully curated to keep your smile safe.

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From old and crispy to bold glamour – TikTok filters are helping us tell stories online

2. Oil pulling

Oil pulling involves swishing one tablespoon of sesame or coconut oil in your mouth for up to 20 minutes at a time. It has roots in Ayurvedic medicine, a traditional medicine practice that originates from the Indian subcontinent.

While oil pulling should be followed by brushing and flossing, I’ve had patients who believe oil pulling is a replacement for these practices.

There has been some research on the potential of oil pulling to treat gum disease or other diseases in the mouth. But overall, evidence that supports the effectiveness of oil pulling is of low certainty.

For example, studies that test the effectiveness of oil pulling have been conducted on school-aged children and people with no dental problems, and often measure dental plaque growth over a few days to a couple of weeks.

À lire aussi :
What happens to teeth as you age? And how can you extend the life of your smile?

Chlorhexidine is an ingredient found in some commercially available mouthwashes.
In one study, people who rinsed with chlorhexidine mouthwash (30 seconds twice daily) developed less plaque on their teeth compared to those who undertook oil pulling for eight to 10 minutes.

Ultimately, it’s unlikely you will experience measurable gain to your oral health by adding oil pulling to your daily routine. If you’re time-poor, you’re better off focusing on brushing your teeth and gums well alongside flossing.

3. Using rubber bands to fix gaps

This TikTok influencer shows his followers he closed the gaps between his front teeth in a week using cheap clear rubber bands.

But this person may be one of the lucky few to successfully use bands to close a gap in his teeth without any mishaps. Front teeth are slippery and taper near the gums into cone-shaped roots. This can cause bands to slide and disappear into the gums to surround the tooth roots, which can cause infections and pain.

If this happens, you may require surgery that involves cutting your gums to remove the bands. If the bands have caused an infection, you may lose the affected teeth. So it’s best to leave this sort of work to a dental professional trained in orthodontics.

4. Filing or cutting teeth to shape them

My teeth hurt just watching this video.

Cutting or filing teeth unnecessarily can expose the second, more sensitive tooth layer, called dentine, or potentially, the nerve and blood vessels inside the tooth. People undergoing this sort of procedure could experience anything from sensitive teeth through to a severe toothache that requires root canal treatment or tooth removal.

You may notice dentist drills spray water when cutting to protect your teeth from extreme heat damage. The drill in this video is dry with no water used to cool the heat produced during cutting.

It may also not be sterile. We like to have everything clean and sterile to prevent contaminated instruments used on one patient from potentially spreading an infection to another person.

Importantly, once you cut or file your teeth away, it’s gone forever. Unlike bone, hair or nails, our teeth don’t have the capacity to regrow.

5. DIY fillings

Many people on TikTok demonstrate filling cavities (holes) or replacing gaps between teeth with a material made from heated moulded plastic beads. DIY fillings can cause a lot of issues – I’ve seen this in my clinic first hand.

While we may make it look simple in dental surgeries, the science behind filling materials and how we make them stick to teeth to fill cavities is sophisticated.

Filling a cavity with the kind of material made from these beads will be as effective as using sticky tape on sand. Not to mention the cavity will continue to grow bigger underneath the untreated “filled” teeth.

À lire aussi :
‘Bone smashing’: broken bones, tooth loss and blood vessel damage are just a few of the harms of this bizarre TikTok trend

I know it’s easy to say “see a dentist about that cavity” or “go to an orthodontist to fix that gap in your teeth you don’t like”, but it can be expensive to actually do these things. However if you end up requiring treatment to fix the issues caused at home, it may end up costing you much more.

So what’s the take-home message? Stick with the funny cat and dog videos on TikTok – they’re safer for your smile.

Arosha Weerakoon’s Ph.D. research on the effect of physiological ageing on tooth structure and the effect of dentine site on adhesive adaptation was funded by Colgate Palmolive Australia and the School of Dentistry Post-Graduate Research Fund. She is the principal dentist and owner of a general dental practice located in the Sunshine Coast.

– ref. 5 dental TikTok trends you probably shouldn’t try at home – https://theconversation.com/5-dental-tiktok-trends-you-probably-shouldnt-try-at-home-218044

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Garritt C Van Dyk, Lecturer, University of Newcastle

French supermarket Carrefour has fired a warning shot in a price war with global food brands, dropping PepsiCo products last week because of “unacceptably high” increases.

This has seen Pepsi soft drinks removed from stores across Europe, as have Doritos, Quaker breakfast cereals and other food produced by the multinational.

It is usually the job of shoppers and consumer advocates to call out corporations for overstepping the mark on pricing, often targeting retailers. But this time, in a pre-emptive strike against the source of the increases, Carrefour pushed back, showing they were not the problem.

This is a radical departure from the usual policy of retailers passing on costs directly to consumers.

Refusing to carry producers’ brands – known as delisting products – can be risky for retailers, prompting customers to move to competitors who stock their favourite goods.

In Australia, 65% of the grocery retail sector is controlled by Woolworths (37%) and Coles (28%), raising concerns about market dominance and a lack of real competition.

Strict rules set by the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) govern the requirements for delisting to ensure there is no abuse of market power.

Market share vs brand value

In 2015 biscuit and snack food producer Arnott’s raised prices on 54 products by 10% and Coles refused to carry them.

This decision to stand up to the multinational (contradicting the stereotype it took advantage of its market dominance) was welcomed by many consumers.

However, some were not willing to go without their Tim Tams and Coles ultimately agreed to let Arnott’s raise the prices of 44 products.

Woolworths had a similar issue with Arnott’s in 2019 over prices and promotions, refusing to pass through an increase due to drought and currency fluctuations.

The opposite, however, happened earlier in the same year, when Uncle Toby’s withheld inventory from Woolworths because they did not agree to pass on price hikes.

Runaway prices

Carrefour’s dispute with PepsiCo should be viewed in the context of the cost of food in Europe blowing out over the past two years, with average prices up 30% since 2021.

These increases have prompted retailers to be more transparent with consumers about how their profits compare to those of producers.

Revealing the cause of the price increases, and refusing to pass them on, distances the retailers’ business model from the producers’ opportunistic attempts to increase profits.

Price gouging or legitimate cost increases?

This week, Treasurer Jim Chalmers echoed calls from the Coalition to investigate supermarket pricing and review the ACCC’s grocery code to ensure savings are passed on as costs abate.

Data from the ABS shows wholesale food costs only rose 0.7% in the most recent quarter, while the price for a typical basket of consumer food items rose 3.2%.

This gap also appears in Europe, where the percentage of “unexplained” rises in food prices increased from 3% to 10% from 2022 to 2023.

Bigger production costs did not account for all of the increases, leading to the conclusion producers were taking advantage of consumers, blaming the war in Ukraine, increased transport costs and global supply chain disruption to rationalise higher prices on the shelf.

In a 2023 report into European food inflation, Allianz said this was “catch-up profit-taking” to recover losses from previous years.

The rise of shrinkflation

So-called “shrinkflation” – where the price of goods doesn’t change but they are sold in smaller quantities for the same price – has also made consumers groups sceptical.

In Australia, it is factored into the calculation of inflation for household goods and services as measured by the Consumer Price Index. The ABS characterises shrinkflation as a “quality decrease”.

Consumer advocacy group CHOICE has noted shrinkflation in Australia since 2016 in its Community Forum, citing size reductions in products ranging from chocolate bars to breakfast cereals.

Read more:
Amid allegations of price gouging, it’s time for big supermarkets to come clean on how they price their products

In Europe, Carrefour instituted a bold in-store campaign last year of naming and shaming brands that downsized products using signage that highlights the shrinkage.

This allows consumers to make a informed decisions without limiting their buying options. But it also risks backlash from producers over how their goods are displayed on the shelf.

Without regulation, or a similar campaign from retailers, Australian consumers must check unit prices to ensure they are not paying more for less.

A chance to generate goodwill

Carrefour’s stand against a global brand and decision to delist their products recognises consumers everywhere are feeling the impact of higher prices.

At a time when the Senate is investigating claims of price gouging by Australia’s largest supermarket chains, more transparency would be a welcome change.

From negotiations at the farm gate to the multinational boardroom, there is an opportunity for the big grocery retailers to pass on savings where possible, and increase brand loyalty.

Read more:
The cost of living is biting. Here’s how to spend less on meat and dairy

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

– ref. As Australian supermarkets face blame over food costs, French grocer Carrefour targets Pepsi over ‘unacceptable’ price rises – https://theconversation.com/as-australian-supermarkets-face-blame-over-food-costs-french-grocer-carrefour-targets-pepsi-over-unacceptable-price-rises-220646

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julian Novitz, Senior Lecturer, Writing, Department of Media and Communication, Swinburne University of Technology

In the classic comedy Ghostbusters (1984), newly hired secretary Janice raises the subject of reading, while idly flipping through the pages of a magazine. The scientist Egon Spengler responds with a brusque dismissal: “print is dead.”

Egon’s words now seem prescient. The prevailing assumption of the past couple of decades is that print media is being slowly throttled by the rise of digital. Print magazines, in particular, are often perceived as being under threat.

While not nearly as popular as they once were, magazines haven’t died. New ones have started since the dire predictions began, while others continue to attract loyal readerships.

So what’s the enduring appeal of the print magazine? Why didn’t it die, as so many predicted?

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Printed words in an online world

The word “magazine” derives from the term for a warehouse or storehouse. In its essence, it is any publication that collects different types of writing for readers. Each instalment includes a range of voices, subjects and perspectives.

Print magazine culture has certainly seen a decline since its heyday in the 20th century. Once-popular print magazines have moved entirely online or are largely sustained by growing digital subscriptions.

Elsewhere, internet media sites, of the type pioneered by Buzzfeed and its imitators, increasingly fulfil the need for diverse and distracting short-form writing.

The explosion of social media has also cut into the advertising market on which print magazines have traditionally depended.

Online audiences have come to expect new content daily or even hourly. Casual readers are less willing to wait for a weekly or monthly print magazine to arrive in the post or on a newsstand. The ready availability of free, or significantly cheaper, digital content may deter them from purchasing print subscriptions or individual issues.

Turning from screens to the page

And yet print magazines refuse to die. Established periodicals, such as the New Yorker and Vogue, stubbornly cling to a global readership in both print and digital formats.

New titles are emerging as well – 2021 saw the launch of 122 new print magazines in the United States alone. The number is smaller than some previous years, and this perhaps reflects the generally shrinking market for print media.

But given the accepted wisdom, it is remarkable there are any new periodicals at all.

In Australia, print magazines sales have risen 4.1% in 2023 and previously axed publications – such as Girlfriend – are now receiving one-off, nostalgic returns to print.

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The market for print magazines isn’t exactly thriving. But they haven’t vanished as quickly as anticipated.

Some commentators have attributed the enduring appeal of print magazines to the physical experience of reading. We absorb information differently from the page than from the screen, perhaps in a less frantic and distractable way.

“Digital fatigue” from the years of the pandemic has arguably resulted in a small pivot back to print media. The revived interest in print magazines has also been attributed to the “analog” preferences of Gen Z readers.

As the writer Hope Corrigan has noted, there is also something appealing about the aesthetics of print magazines. The care taken with layout, images and copy can’t always be replicated on as screen. Indeed, magazines with a significant focus on photography and visual design – such as fashion and travel magazines – are enduring in print.

Magazine expert Samir Husni has observed that emerging independent print magazines are more focused on targeting a niche readership. Advances in printing technology have made smaller print runs more cost-effective. This allows new magazines to focus on quality over quantity.

The new wave of print magazines tend to have a higher cover price and standard of production. They are also published less frequently, with quarterly or biannual schedules becoming more common.

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What was old is cool again?

This trend moves away from the idea of magazines as cheap and disposable. Rather, it reframes them as a luxury product.

Print magazines cannot compete with digital media in providing constantly up-to-date content to a mass audience. But they can potentially maintain a dedicated readership with a meaningful and aesthetically pleasing publication.

This means print magazines may be spared some of the turbulence suffered by media websites that are solely dependent on digital advertising revenue. The past few years have seen staffing upheavals, mass resignations and shutdowns at popular magazine-style websites such as Deadspin, the Onion AV Club, the Escapist and Jezebel (although the latter has since returned). The original vision and standards for these sites have arguably suffered from the constant drive to increase daily traffic and reduce costs.

Print magazines may also be seeing a revived interest from advertisers. Recent research indicates a strong preference for print advertising among consumers. Readers are far more likely to pay attention to a print advertisement and trust its content. By contrast, online advertising is more likely to be ignored or dismissed.

In a 2021 profile of magazine collector Steven Lomazow, Nathan Heller writes:

[…] what made magazines appealing in 1720 is the same thing that made them appealing in 1920 and in 2020: a blend of iconoclasm and authority, novelty and continuity, marketability and creativity, social engagement and personal voice.

While the circulation and influence of print magazines may have reduced, they are not necessarily dead or even dying. They can be seen as moving into a smaller, but sustainable, place in the media landscape.

Julian Novitz ne travaille pas, ne conseille pas, ne possède pas de parts, ne reçoit pas de fonds d’une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n’a déclaré aucune autre affiliation que son organisme de recherche.

– ref. Magazines were supposed to die in the digital age. Why haven’t they? – https://theconversation.com/magazines-were-supposed-to-die-in-the-digital-age-why-havent-they-217371

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Thea van de Mortel, Professor, Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Griffith University

We tend to just think of viruses in terms of their damaging impacts on human health and lives. The 1918 flu pandemic killed around 50 million people. Smallpox claimed 30% of those who caught it, and survivors were often scarred and blinded. More recently, we’re all too familiar with the health and economic impacts of COVID.

But viruses can also be used to benefit human health, agriculture and the environment.

Viruses are comparatively simple in structure, consisting of a piece of genetic material (RNA or DNA) enclosed in a protein coat (the capsid). Some also have an outer envelope.

Viruses get into your cells and use your cell machinery to copy themselves.
Here are six ways we’ve harnessed this for health care and pest control.

Read more:
How do viruses get into cells? Their infection tactics determine whether they can jump species or set off a pandemic

1. To correct genes

Viruses are used in some gene therapies to correct malfunctioning genes. Genes are DNA sequences that code for a particular protein required for cell function.

If we remove viral genetic material from the capsid (protein coat) we can use the space to transport a “cargo” into cells. These modified viruses are called “viral vectors”.

Viral vectors can deliver a functional gene into someone with a genetic disorder whose own gene is not working properly.

Some genetic diseases treated this way include haemophilia, sickle cell disease and beta thalassaemia.

2. Treat cancer

Viral vectors can be used to treat cancer.

Healthy people have p53, a tumour-suppressor gene. About half of cancers are associated with the loss of p53.

Replacing the damaged p53 gene using a viral vector stops the cancerous cell from replicating and tells it to suicide (apoptosis).

Viral vectors can also be used to deliver an inactive drug to a tumour, where it is then activated to kill the tumour cell.

This targeted therapy reduces the side effects otherwise seen with cytotoxic (cell-killing) drugs.

We can also use oncolytic (cancer cell-destroying) viruses to treat some types of cancer.

Tumour cells have often lost their antiviral defences. In the case of melanoma, a modified herpes simplex virus can kill rapidly dividing melanoma cells while largely leaving non-tumour cells alone.

3. Create immune responses

Viral vectors can create a protective immune response to a particular viral antigen.

One COVID vaccine uses a modified chimp adenovirus (adenoviruses cause the common cold in humans) to transport RNA coding for the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein into human cells.

Read more:
How the puzzle of viral vector vaccines was solved, leading to today’s COVID-19 shots

The RNA is then used to make spike protein copies, which stimulate our immune cells to replicate and “remember” the spike protein.

Then, when you are exposed to SARS-CoV-2 for real, your immune system can churn out lots of antibodies and virus-killing cells very quickly to prevent or reduce the severity of infection.

4. Act as vaccines

Viruses can be modified to act directly as vaccines themselves in several ways.

We can weaken a virus (for an attenuated virus vaccine) so it doesn’t cause infection in a healthy host but can still replicate to stimulate the immune response. The chickenpox vaccine works like this.

The Salk vaccine for polio uses a whole virus that has been inactivated (so it can’t cause disease).

Others use a small part of the virus such as a capsid protein to stimulate an immune response (subunit vaccines).

An mRNA vaccine packages up viral RNA for a specific protein that will stimulate an immune response.

5. Kill bacteria

Viruses can – in limited situations in Australia – be used to treat antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections.

Bacteriophages are viruses that kill bacteria. Each type of phage usually infects a particular species of bacteria.

Unlike antibiotics – which often kill “good” bacteria along with the disease-causing ones – phage therapy leaves your normal flora (useful microbes) intact.

6. Target plant, fungal or animal pests

Viruses can be species-specific (infecting one species only) and even cell-specific (infecting one type of cell only).

This occurs because the proteins viruses use to attach to cells have a shape that binds to a specific type of cell receptor or molecule, like a specific key fits a lock.

The virus can enter the cells of all species with this receptor/molecule. For example, rabies virus can infect all mammals because we share the right receptor, and mammals have other characteristics that allow infection to occur whereas other non-mammal species don’t.

When the receptor is only found on one cell type, then the virus will infect that cell type, which may only be found in one or a limited number of species. Hepatitis B virus successfully infects liver cells primarily in humans and chimps.

We can use that property of specificity to target invasive plant species (reducing the need for chemical herbicides) and pest insects (reducing the need for chemical insecticides). Baculoviruses, for example, are used to control caterpillars.

Similarly, bacteriophages can be used to control bacterial tomato and grapevine diseases.

Read more:
‘Phage therapy’ could treat some drug-resistant superbug infections, but comes with unique challenges

Other viruses reduce plant damage from fungal pests.

Myxoma virus and calicivirus reduce rabbit populations and their environmental impacts and improve agricultural production.

Just like humans can be protected against by vaccination, plants can be “immunised” against a disease-causing virus by being exposed to a milder version.

Thea van de Mortel teaches into the Master of Infection Prevention and Control program at Griffith University.

– ref. Viruses aren’t always harmful. 6 ways they’re used in health care and pest control – https://theconversation.com/viruses-arent-always-harmful-6-ways-theyre-used-in-health-care-and-pest-control-217379

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Holly Thorpe, Professor in Sociology of Sport and Gender, University of Waikato

The COVID-19 pandemic was – and continues to be – hugely disruptive and stressful for individuals, communities and countries. Yet many seem desperate to close the chapter entirely, almost as if it had never happened.

This desire to forget and move on – labelled “lockdown amnesia” by some – is understandable at one level. But it also risks missing the opportunity to learn from what happened.

And while various official enquiries and royal commissions have been established to examine the wider government responses (including in New Zealand), the experiences of ordinary people are equally important to understand.

As researchers interested in women and gender roles, we wanted to capture some of this. For the past three years, our research has focused on what happened to everyday women during this period of uncertainty and disruption – and what lessons might be learned.

Pandemic amnesia

Individual memory can become vague as time goes on. But this can also be affected by broader narratives (in the media or official responses) that overwrite our own recollections of the pandemic.

Political calls to “live with the virus”, and media hesitancy to publish COVID-related stories due to perceived audience fatigue, can create a collective sense of needing to “move on”. Looking back can be seen as questionable, or even attacked.

Indeed, misinformation and disinformation have been used, in the words of leading pandemic social scientist Deborah Lupton, to “challenge science and manufacture dissent against attempts to tackle [such] crises”.

But as the memory scholar Sydney Goggins has put it, such “public forgetting leads to a cascade of impacts on policy and social wellbeing”.

Read more:
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A gendered pandemic

Responding to the rapidly changing social, cultural and economic impacts of the pandemic, feminist scholars have highlighted the particular physical and emotional toll on women worldwide.

This has included social isolation and loneliness, increased domestic and emotional labour, the rise in domestic and gender-based violence, job losses and financial insecurity. Black, Indigenous, minority and migrant women have felt these impacts particularly keenly.

The same trends have been observed in Aotearoa New Zealand. And whereas some countries embraced pandemic recovery strategies that recognised these gender differences, this hasn’t been the case in New Zealand.

The gendered abuse of women leaders – former prime minister Jacinda Ardern and scientist Siouxsie Wiles, for example – have been well documented. But the experiences of ordinary women, their struggles and strategies to look after themselves and others, have had much less attention.

Experiences of everyday women

Our study involved 110 women in Aotearoa New Zealand. We set out to understand how they adapted their everyday practices – work, leisure, exercise, sport – to maintain or regain wellbeing, social connections and a sense of community.

Despite many differences between the women in our sample, there were also shared experiences. We referred to the ruptures in the patterns, rhythms and routines of their lives as “gender arrhythmia”.

The women responded to the psycho-social and physical challenges, such as disrupted sleep or weight changes, by creating counter-rhythms – taking up hobbies, exercising, changing diet.

Read more:
The pandemic’s disproportionate impact on women is derailing decades of progress on gender equality

The pandemic also prompted many to reflect on how their pre-pandemic routines and rhythms had caused various forms of “alienation”: from their own health and wellbeing, meaningful social connections, ethical and sustainable work practices, and pleasure.

The disruption of the pandemic caused many to reevaluate the importance of work in their lives. As one reflected:

COVID-19 has made me reassess what is the most important thing. Is it making money? Actually, no, not at all.

Others were prompted to question and challenge the gendered demands on women to “do everything” and “be everywhere” for everyone:

I think as women, because we’re so good at multitasking, we just put so much on our plates. I think we need to learn just to say no, because we’re not superhuman. And ultimately, all of this responsibility is weighing us down.

Our research also highlighted how the pandemic affected women’s relationships with familiar spaces and places. Leaving home for a walk, run or bike ride became important everyday practices that proved highly beneficial for most women’s subjective wellbeing.

Some came to appreciate physical activity for the general joys of movement and connection with people and places, rather than simply to achieve particular goals like fitness or weight loss.

Special challenges for young women

As part of our overall project, we also focused on 45 young women (aged 16 to 25). This highlighted the importance of recognising how gender, ethnicity and socioeconomic circumstances intersect.

Listening to their pandemic stories, we found young women played important roles in supporting their families and communities.

Read more:
COVID-19 has laid bare how much we value women’s work, and how little we pay for it

In particular, Māori, Pacific and others from diverse ethnic or migrant backgrounds carried increased responsibilities in the home, including childcare, cleaning, cooking and shopping. While many did so willingly, these extra burdens took a toll on their schooling, mental health and wellbeing.

For many young women, the pandemic was a radical disruption to their everyday lives and routines during a critical stage of identity development. They missed key milestones and events, and crucial phases of education and social development.

Many still grieve for some of those losses. And some are struggling to rebuild social connections, motivation and aspirations.

For example, some described being passionate and aspiring athletes before the pandemic. But social anxieties and body-image issues left over from lockdowns have been hard to shake, and have seen them struggle to return to sport.

The invisible work of migrant women

We also looked deeply at the experiences of 12 middle-class migrant women, and how prolonged border closures created real anxiety about “not being there” for families overseas.

As one nurse working on the front line of COVID care in NZ explained:

About a year ago, the cases of COVID in my homeland were increasing so rapidly. My family were not very well and I was depending on social media […] trying to reach out to them. I was really scared at that time, not being able to see your family when they really need you, not being able to be with them.

Some of the women in our sample also experienced increased anti-immigrant sentiments which further affected their health and wellbeing – and their feelings of belonging. As one said:

I’ve become extremely sensitive. I cry about small things. My doctor said “go and get some fresh air, it’s good for you” […] I went outside for a walk, and someone shouted at me, screamed at me. I got terrified for my life. How do you expect me to have wellbeing when no one in the society accepts you?

This arm of the research suggests a real need for investment in policies and support strategies specifically for migrant women and their communities in any future global health emergency.

Read more:
New Zealanders are learning to live with COVID – but does that mean having to pay for protection ourselves?

Communities of care

A key feature of our study was the highly creative ways women cultivated “communities of care” during the pandemic. Even when they were struggling themselves, they reached out to friends and family – and particularly other women.

The majority of our participants were prompted to think differently about their own health and wellbeing, and what is important in their lives (now and in the future).

Throughout the pandemic, women have worked quietly, behind the scenes, in their families, communities and workplaces, supporting their own and others’ health and wellbeing. This invisible labour is rarely acknowledged or celebrated.

Many still feel the toll of economic hardship, violence and exhaustion. And less tangible feelings of disillusionment remain in a society that has so quickly “moved on” from the pandemic.

Acknowledging and addressing pandemic amnesia – personal and collective – is an important first step in documenting, learning from, and using these experiences to better prepare for future events. Next time, we need to ensure the necessary support is available for those most in need.

The authors wish to acknowledge the other members of the research team: Dr Nikki Barrett, Dr Julie Brice, Dr Allison Jeffrey and Dr Anoosh Soltani.

Holly Thorpe receives funding from a Royal Society Te Apārangi James Cook Research Fellowship.

Grace O’Leary, Mihi Joy Nemani, and Nida Ahmad do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Wanting to ‘move on’ is natural – but women’s pandemic experiences can’t be lost to ‘lockdown amnesia’ – https://theconversation.com/wanting-to-move-on-is-natural-but-womens-pandemic-experiences-cant-be-lost-to-lockdown-amnesia-218510

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dana M Bergstrom, Honorary Senior Fellow, University of Wollongong

Climate scientists don’t like surprises. It means our deep understanding of how the climate works isn’t quite as complete as we need. But unfortunately, as climate change worsens, surprises and unprecedented events keep happening.

In March 2022, Antarctica experienced an extraordinary heatwave. Large swathes of East Antarctica experienced temperatures up to 40°C (104°F) above normal, shattering temperature records. It was the most intense heatwave ever recorded anywhere in the world.

So shocking and rare was the event, it blew the minds of the Antarctic climate science community. A major global research project was launched to unravel the reasons behind it and the damage it caused. A team of 54 researchers, including me, delved into the intricacies of the phenomenon. The team was led by Swiss climatologist Jonathan Wille, and involved experts from 14 countries. The collaboration resulted in two ground-breaking papers published today.

The results are alarming. But they provide scientists a deeper understanding of the links between the tropics and Antarctica – and give the global community a chance to prepare for what a warmer world may bring.

Head-hurting complexity

The papers tell a complex story that began half a world away from Antarctica. Under La Niña conditions, tropical heat near Indonesia poured into the skies above the Indian Ocean. At the same time, repeated weather troughs pulsing eastwards were generating from southern Africa. These factors combined into a late, Indian Ocean tropical cyclone season.

Between late February and late March 2022, 12 tropical storms had brewed. Five storms revved up to become tropical cyclones, and heat and moisture from some of these cyclones mashed together. A meandering jet stream picked up this air and swiftly transported it vast distances across the planet to Antarctica.

Below Australia, this jet stream also contributed to blocking the eastward passage of a high pressure system. When the tropical air collided with this so-called “blocking high”, it caused the most intense atmospheric river ever observed over East Antarctica. This propelled the tropical heat and moisture southward into the heart of the Antarctic continent.

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Luck was on Antarctica’s side

The event caused the vulnerable Conger Ice Shelf to finally collapse. But the impacts were otherwise not as bad as they could have been. That’s because the heatwave struck in March, the month when Antarctica transitions to its dark, extremely cold winter. If a future heatwave arrives in summer – which is more likely under climate change – the results could be catastrophic.

Despite the heatwave, most inland temperatures stayed below zero. The spike included a new all-time temperature high of -9.4°C (15.1°F) on March 18 near Antarctica’s Concordia Research Station. To understand the immensity of this, consider that the previous March maximum temperature at this location was -27.6°C (-17.68°F). At the heatwave’s peak, 3.3 million square kilometres in East Antarctica – an area about the size of India – was affected by the heatwave.

The impacts included widespread rain and surface melt along coastal areas. But inland, the tropical moisture fell as snow – lots and lots of snow. Interestingly, the weight of the snow offset ice loss in Antarctica for the year. This delivered a temporary reprieve from Antarctica’s contribution to global sea-level rise.

Learning from the results

So what are the lessons here? Let’s begin with the nice bit. The study was made possible by international collaboration across Antarctica’s scientific community, including the open sharing of datasets. This collaboration is a touchstone of the Antarctic Treaty. It serves as a testament to the significance of peaceful international cooperation and should be celebrated.

Less heartwarmingly, the extraordinary heatwave shows how compounding weather events in the tropics can affect the vast Antarctic ice sheet. The heatwave further reduced the extent of sea ice, which was already at record lows. This loss of sea ice was exacerbated this year resulting in the lowest summer and winter sea ice ever recorded. It shows how disturbances in one year can compound in later years.

The event also demonstrated how tropical heat can trigger the collapse of unstable ice shelves. Floating ice shelves don’t contribute to global sea-level rise, but they acts as dams to the ice sheets behind them, which do contribute.

This research calculated that such temperature anomalies occur in Antarctica about once a century, but concluded that under climate change, they will occur more frequently.

The findings enable the global community to improve its planning for various scenarios. For example, if a heatwave of similar magnitude hit in summer, how much ice melt would there be? If an atmospheric river hit the Doomsday glacier in the West Antarctic, what rate of sea level rise would that trigger? And how can governments across the world prepare coastal communities for sea level rise greater than currently calculated?

This research contributes another piece to the complex jigsaw puzzle of climate change. And reminds us all, that delays to action on climate change will raise the price we pay.

Read more:
Record-smashing heatwaves are hitting Antarctica and the Arctic simultaneously. Here’s what’s driving them, and how they’ll impact wildlife

Dana M Bergstrom past position was at the Australian Antarctic Division. She is affiliated with the Pure Antarctic Foundation, a groups of scientists and artists interesting in communication science and knowledge to the broader community.

– ref. A heatwave in Antarctica totally blew the minds of scientists. They set out to decipher it – and here are the results – https://theconversation.com/a-heatwave-in-antarctica-totally-blew-the-minds-of-scientists-they-set-out-to-decipher-it-and-here-are-the-results-220672

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Juliana Zabatiero, Research Fellow, Curtin University

Many Australian parents worry about how much time their children spend watching screens.

While some time on devices is fine for entertainment and education, we also know it is important children do things away from TVs and devices.

This means for many families, there is a daily battle around getting kids off their screens and avoiding “tech tantrums”.

Our new research looks at how parents and carers can help children with what researchers call “technology transitions”.

Read more:
‘Screen time’ for kids is an outdated concept, so let’s ditch it and focus on quality instead

Why are transitions so tough?

Technology transitions are a lot like other transitions children experience throughout their day.

These include stopping play to get dressed, moving from having breakfast to getting in the car, or finishing time on the swing to leave the park. These can be tricky because they involve self-regulation skills that children learn and develop as they grow.

Transitioning from screen to non-screen activities is something many children would do more than once a day.

Often technology transitions can appear harder for children and their carers than other transitions because devices can be highly engaging, with developers and media designers actively working to keep children connected (think of how streaming services automatically start playing the next show and display all the similar options for viewing).

Our study

We are working on a larger project to develop an online tool with advice for parents about using digital technologies with their children.

In this part of the study, we have been exploring how to support children with technology transitions. Together with Playgroup WA, we worked with a group of 14 parents to explore different ways to move children off technology.

Over 12 weeks, we provided parents with ideas and advice to support transitions and then asked them what worked best. These resources included content from the federal government’s parenting website Raising Children Network and ABC Kids.

Families reported their top three strategies for supporting technology transitions.

Read more:
More Bluey, less PAW Patrol: why Australian parents want locally made TV for their kids

1. Prepare your kids

We would be upset if we were watching a movie and someone suddenly stopped it midway through without warning.

Just like adults, children can feel very annoyed and frustrated when their device is suddenly taken away, especially when they are enjoying a game or watching content they like.

So you need to prepare children and let them know when their time with a screen will end.

Some successful strategies parents and carers in this research used were “you can watch two episodes of this show” or “when this game is finished we will stop”. These help children to know how much time they will have with a device and that they will be able to finish an activity they are enjoying.

Telling them what activity would follow was also helpful. For example “when you have finished that game it will be time to eat” or “after you have watched that show we will go to the park”. What they are moving to may not always be fun, helping children understand what to expect helps make for a smoother transition.

Read more:
TV can be educational but social media likely harms mental health: what 70 years of research tells us about children and screens

2. Do something ‘for real-life’ inspired by the screen

You can use children’s interests in what they are watching to help them move from technologies into non-digital activities.

For example if your child has been watching Bluey you could invite them to complete a Bluey puzzle, or role-play some Bluey games such as keepy uppy or obstacle course. Families in this study reported moving from watching Fireman Sam to visiting a fire station or building a fire station with their child using blocks and other play materials in the home.

Parents also successfully used music and songs children liked to help with technology transitions. This could be playing music from a show, or turning on music kids liked to act as a fun activity to engage them in something else.

3. Give kids choice

Offering children choice in these situations can also be very powerful.

Many aspects of children’s lives are managed for them, when to go to school or pre-school, what they have to wear and using a seat belt in the car. Many of these things are not negotiable and often for good reasons.

This is why it is helpful to give children some choice in their lives when you can.

Parents reported success when providing kids with simple choices when preparing to move off technology. For example “would you like to watch two or four episodes of this show?” or “would you like to start the timer for your game or do you want me to let you know when your time is up?”

These strategies help children feel like they have some choice about how long they will use technologies.

As parents and carers navigate screens and technology with their kids, they should know they are not alone if they find transitions difficult. And there are strategies that can help.

The Raising Children Network has more ideas for supporting transitions.

Juliana Zabatiero receives funding from the Australian Research Council. This article was developed in collaboration with Australian Catholic University, University of Canberra, Curtin University, Playgroup WA, ABC Kids and the federal government’s Raising Children Network with funding from the Australian Research Council.

Kate Highfield consults for ABC Kids, with a focus on supporting healthy technology use in play and learning. With colleagues, she receives or has received funding from the Australian Research Council.

Leon Straker receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

Susan Edwards receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

– ref. 3 ways to help your child transition off screens and avoid the dreaded ‘tech tantrums’ – https://theconversation.com/3-ways-to-help-your-child-transition-off-screens-and-avoid-the-dreaded-tech-tantrums-220138

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alistair Sisson, Macquarie University Research Fellow, School of Social Sciences, Macquarie University

Virtually every week brings news of rising rents or a story of still more renters forced out of their homes by unmanageable rent increases.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics says rents climbed 6.6% in the year to October.

If you’re signing a new rent agreement the situation is worse, with landlords charging on average 8.6% more than they did a year ago, and far more – about 15% more than a year ago – in the hotpots of Sydney and Melbourne.

Reserve Bank Governor Michelle Bullock expects things to get worse before they get better. She says rents are likely to climb by a further 10% in the next six months or so before easing.

None of this need be inevitable. State and territory governments have the power to prevent outsized rent increases and de facto evictions by regulating rents, helping curb the overall rate of inflation in the process.

Research I helped conduct for Shelter NSW and the Tenants Union of NSW finds regulations to prevent excessive rent increases are increasingly common throughout advanced economies including the United States, Canada and much of Europe.

It is often said that rent controls would make things worse for both landlords and tenants by reducing investment in rental properties. But we found that, where designed well, they can help tenants by enhancing security of tenure and improving affordability.

How do rent regulations work?

There are a wide range of approaches, something that is often overlooked.

Some limit rent increases to a fixed percentage annually, ranging from 2% in Ireland to 10% in California. Some limit rent increases to the rate of inflation, although rising inflation has led many jurisdictions to place ceilings on such caps.

And most don’t regulate the initial rent for a tenancy but instead limit increases thereafter, allowing for “vacancy decontrol”.

So-called first-generation controls freeze rents, second-generation controls allow rents to increase gradually, and third-generation controls only limit rents within tenancies, allowing landlords unfettered increases when leasing to new tenants. This graph illustrates these differences.

As the graph shows, third-generation controls are less about suppressing growth over time than protecting incumbent tenants from exorbitant increases. This means they are less likely to inhibit supply.

Almost all regulations allow for exceptional rent increases when landlords significantly upgrade rental properties or face increased operating costs. This helps to ensure maintenance is not discouraged.

Some regimes even completely exempt newly-built rental properties, either permanently or for several years, which has the downside of leaving a large chunk of the market unregulated.

How could rent regulation help Australian renters?

We examined five cases of recently introduced rent regulations – in Australia’s ACT, in Ireland, Oregon, Scotland, and St Paul, Minnesota.

Like most of Australia, all had little recent history of rent regulation. Each introduced its controls in the past decade, and all but Ireland in the past five years.

We examined how helpful each of these regulations might have been by comparing each with rent increases in Sydney.

Ireland’s rent cap is the strictest. It limits annual increases to the lesser of 2% or the annual rate of overall inflation annually in a number of designated “rent pressure zones”.

If this cap was in place in Sydney over the past year, a median renter would have saved $1,976. Ireland’s is the only second-generation regime among the five, with the rent cap applying even where tenancies change.

Read more:
4 ways to bring down rent and build homes faster than Labor’s $10 billion housing fund

The caps in Scotland and St Paul would have also held down increases in Sydney. Each limits annual increases to 3%, which would have saved the median Sydney renter $1,716 in the past twelve months.

However, Scotland allows exceptional increases to cover maintenance and increased costs of up to 6% and St Paul allows exceptional increases of up to 15% and exempts homes built in the past 20 years. Both “decontrol” between tenancies.

Oregon and the ACT are far more permissive. Oregon prevents rent increases greater than 10% or 7% plus inflation annually (whichever is lower) but excludes homes built in the last 15 years.

The ACT limits increases to 110% of the most recent annual increase in Canberra rents measured by the Australian Bureau of Statistics – a unique model internationally.

Neither would have constrained the median Sydney increase over the past 12 months, although each would have prevented the more excessive increases.

Australia’s recent rent increases have been exceptional.

For most of the past decade, each one of the models examined would have permitted increases in line with or a good deal more than those in Sydney.

While they would have prevented unusually large increases, they would have left most landlords unaffected.

Read more:
Not all rent control policies are the same – the Green Party proposal deserves an open-minded debate

One of the aims of Australia’s latest National Housing and Homelessness Agreement is to encourage “security of tenure in the private rental market”.

Unlimited rent increases undermine security of tenure, building a case for Australia’s states and territories to regulate rents.

The examples we have examined show such regulations needn’t be at odds with efforts to increase supply. They show that while rent regulation is no silver bullet, it can help make renting more affordable and secure.

Alistair Sisson has received funding from the Tenants Union of NSW, Australian Council of Social Service, Shelter NSW, QShelter, National Shelter, Mission Australia and Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute. He is a member of Shelter NSW.

– ref. Rent regulations are no silver bullet, but they would help make renting fairer – https://theconversation.com/rent-regulations-are-no-silver-bullet-but-they-would-help-make-renting-fairer-218579

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ana Stevenson, Senior Lecturer, University of Southern Queensland

Glynis Johns, most famous for her role as the suffragette mother Mrs Winifred Banks in Disney’s Mary Poppins (1964), passed away last week at the age of 100.

A fourth-generation performer who made her stage debut in London when she was only three weeks old, Johns inherited her Welsh father’s love of acting. She appeared with him in The Halfway House (1944) and The Sundowners (1960) and argued for the establishment of a Welsh National Theatre as early as 1971.

Johns’s career spanned eight decades in Hollywood, Broadway and the British stage and screen. As Palm Springs’s Desert Sun reported in 1962, her “husky voice and big blue eyes” were her hallmarks. But it was her portrayal of Mrs Banks in Mary Poppins which would make her a pop culture icon.

A childhood inspiration

Feminist activists and scholars often describe the Mrs Banks character as a childhood inspiration.

As feminist communications scholar Amanda Firestone reflects on the film:

I especially loved […] Mrs Banks (Glynis Johns), who marches around the family home, putting Votes for Women sashes onto the housekeeper, cook, and the (departing) nanny. Of course, as a kid, I had no idea that the people and events embedded in the song’s lyrics were actual parts of history, but I did find a kind of joy in a vague notion of women’s empowerment.

Set in 1910, the symbolism associated with Mrs Banks references the history of the British suffragettes. Johns’ musical showstopper, Sister Suffragette, directly refers to Emmeline Pankhurst, who founded the militant Women’s Social and Political Union in 1903. In 1906 British newspapers coined the moniker “suffragette” to mock the union.

This ambivalence continued into the 1960s. Historian Laura E. Nym Mayhall argues that American concern over the impact of women’s public roles on their domestic responsibilities influenced the film’s depiction of Mrs Banks, especially her movement from a public suffragette back into an involved mother at the film’s end.

For Mayhall, the figure of the suffragette emerges in popular culture as “a symbol of modernity”: a harbinger of democracy and political progress whose characterisation would elide ongoing struggles such as the civil rights movement.

While some see the character of the suffragette mother as supporting women’s votes during the 1910s and women’s liberation during the 1960s, other readings of the film suggest a more satirical representation of the suffrage movement. Some historians even find resonances of anti-suffrage propaganda in Mrs Banks, including in her usage of her Votes for Women sash as the tail of a kite in the film’s final scene.

Looking back at film reviews offers insight into how audiences received this character – and, by extension, Johns as an actor. American studies scholar Lori Kenschaft suggests that film critics who saw Mrs Banks as a “nutty suffragette mother” reiterated popular stereotypes about suffragettes and feminists being “mentally unbalanced”.

Such stereotypes may have been reinforced by the film’s depiction of motherhood and the nuclear family. Involved parenting emerged as the bedrock of the 1960s nuclear family, an idea both supported and actively promoted by Walt Disney in both his films and his theme parks, as argued by American musicologist William A. Everett.

As Mrs Banks, Johns embodied the transition from the distant, uninvolved parenting of the British middle-class in the earlier 20th century to the involved mother who facilitated the stable nuclear family. As women’s studies scholar Anne McLeer argues, Mary Poppins, through Johns’ portrayal of Mrs Banks, demonstrated the liberated woman of the 1960s could be contained within the nuclear family: the bedrock for a Western capitalist economy.

Read more:
Will the new Mary Poppins film acknowledge the suffragettes’ success?

A long career

Beyond Mary Poppins, her most prominent role was in Stephen Sondheim’s Broadway musical A Little Night Music (1973).

Johns originated the character of ageing actress Desiree Armfeldt, becoming the first to sing Send in the Clowns. As she reflected of the classic in 1991:

It’s still part of me. And when you’ve got a song like Send in the Clowns, it’s timeless.

Sondheim composed this song with Johns’s famously husky voice in mind. Yet some were less enamoured with her performance. One 1973 theatre critic described Johns as “a now somewhat overage tomboy, kittenish and raspy-voiced, precise and amusing in her delivery of lines but utterly, utterly unseductive.”

A veteran of stage and screen, Johns appeared in more than 60 films and 30 plays. In 1998, she was honoured with a Disney Legends Award for her role as Mrs Banks. Johns also received critical acclaim throughout her career, including a Laurel Award for Mary Poppins and a Tony Award and Drama Desk Award for A Little Night Music.

Regardless of how incongruous her status as a “Disney feminist icon” may be, Johns’s extraordinary influence upon the 20th century’s cultural memory is a remarkable legacy.

Read more:
Here’s to the ladies who lunch: one of Sondheim’s greatest achievements was writing complex women

Ana Stevenson receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

Lindsay Helwig 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. Vale ‘sister suffragette’: how Glynis Johns became a pop-culture icon in the story of votes for women – https://theconversation.com/vale-sister-suffragette-how-glynis-johns-became-a-pop-culture-icon-in-the-story-of-votes-for-women-220766

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jarrad Daniel Kowlessar, Associate Lecturer, Flinders University

Rock art is one of the most intriguing records of the human past – it directly represents how our ancestors viewed their world. This provides a fundamentally different perspective compared to other archaeological items, such as stone artefacts.

Despite this beguiling potential, rock art research can be highly challenging. Different researchers can have contrasting interpretations of what the same image means. Sometimes they can’t even agree on what the rock art represents.

Given these difficulties, how can rock art contribute to understanding the past?

Our new research published in Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences uses an innovative approach to understand rock art in Arnhem Land in a fundamentally different way.

A dramatic landscape change

Our work concerns the Red Lily Lagoon area. This part of western Arnhem Land contains an internationally significant record of humanity’s past, including Australia’s oldest archaeological site.

It has also been the subject of dramatic landscape change as a result of sea levels rising significantly over the last 14,000 years.

Read more:
Remarkable new tech has revealed the ancient landscape of Arnhem Land that greeted Australia’s First Peoples

The coastline moved from hundreds of kilometres away to right up against the cliffs in the Red Lily region, before retreating northwards about 50km to its current position. These changes would have had profound implications for people living in the area.

The complex landscape of sandstone cliffs and flat floodplains would have dramatically changed: from open savanna, to mudflat, to mangrove swamp. Eventually it would become the seasonally inundated freshwater wetlands that exist in the region today.

An astonishing rock art record

Arnhem Land has an astonishing rock art record that continues to be maintained by Traditional Owners today.

The rock art in Arnhem Land can be categorised into a number of different styles, which change over millennia. These styles, including the well-known X-Ray style, are thought to align with landscape changes driven by sea level rise. For example, saltwater animals such as fish appear in the rock art record when the sea had risen enough to impact this area.

To overcome the subjective nature of interpreting the artwork, archaeologists often turn to the landscape – to understand the placements of different types of art.

This approach usually assumes that the landscape today looks similar to when the art was painted. In Arnhem Land, where rock art has been estimated to be over 15,000 years old and the landscape has changed dramatically over this time, this isn’t true.

Our research used high-resolution elevation data, created from plane and drone surveys, to understand the placement of rock art sites throughout the landscape. We also mapped buried landscapes using imaging techniques to understand how the landscape has changed over time.

We used this data to understand how much of the landscape could be seen from each rock art site during each period of landscape evolution. We also examined what type of landscape was visible from each location.

This is the first time this approach has been used in Arnhem Land. The results provide new insights into what inspired people to create rock art at different times in the past.

Valuable mangroves

Importantly, we found rock art production was most active, diverse in style, and covered the most area of the plateau during the period when mangroves completely covered the floodplains.

This may be because the mangroves provided abundant resources which sustained a large and stable human population. Or perhaps it was a response to the substantial contraction of available land caused by the sea level rise.

We also found that during the period when the sea level was rising, rock art was preferentially made in areas with long-distance views over areas of open woodland.

This may have been to facilitate hunting, or to allow careful management of landscapes during a period when many people would have been displaced from the north by sea level rise.

Detailed landscapes provide deep insights

Overall, our results show people in the past selected locations for rock art placement with intention. These rock art placements have the potential to tell us much more about the archaeology of Arnhem Land.

The locations where art is made have changed fundamentally over time. This reflects significant social and economic changes, which follow the landscape evolution over the long history of human occupation in western Arnhem Land.

Importantly, our results show that considering rock art through the lens of the modern landscape makes it impossible to make sense of the patterns of rock art placement and other archaeological records.

Our work shows more detailed models of the landscape directly surrounding archaeological sites can yield profound insights into past human activities, even those as difficult to interpret as the incredible artwork of Arnhem land.

Read more:
Threat or trading partner? Sailing vessels in northwestern Arnhem Land rock art reveal different attitudes to visitors

Jarrad Daniel Kowlessar receives funding from Flinders University.

Daryl Wesley receives funding from the Australian Research Council, Flinders University, the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory and National Geographic.

Ian Moffat receives funding from the Australian Research Council, Flinders University, the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory and the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation.

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

– ref. New analysis unlocks the hidden meaning of 15,000-year-old rock art in Arnhem Land – https://theconversation.com/new-analysis-unlocks-the-hidden-meaning-of-15-000-year-old-rock-art-in-arnhem-land-220029

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rietie Venter, Associate professor, Clinical and Health Sciences, University of South Australia

Everyone seems to have a different opinion when it comes to how often towels and bed sheets should be washed. While many people might wonder whether days or weeks is best, in one survey from the United Kingdom, almost half of single men reported not washing their sheets for up to four months at a time.

It’s fairly clear that four months is too long to leave it, but what is the ideal frequency?

Bed linen and towels are quite different and so should be washed at different intervals. While every week or two will generally suffice for sheets, towels are best washed every few days.

Anyway, who doesn’t love the feeling of a fresh set of sheets or the smell of a newly laundered towel?

Why you should wash towels more often

When you dry yourself, you deposit thousands of skin cells and millions of microbes onto the towel. And because you use your towel to dry yourself after a shower or bath, your towel is regularly damp.

You also deposit a hefty amount of dead skin, microbes, sweat and oils onto your sheets every night. But unless you’re a prolific night sweater, your bedding doesn’t get wet after a night’s sleep.

Towels are also made of a thicker material than sheets and therefore tend to stay damp for longer.

Read more:
All the reasons you might be having night sweats – and when to see a doctor

So what is it about the dampness that causes a problem? Wet towels are a breeding ground for bacteria and moulds. Moulds especially love damp environments. Although mould won’t necessarily be visible (you would need significant growth to be able to see it) this can lead to an unpleasant smell.

As well as odours, exposure to these microbes in your towels and sheets can cause asthma, allergic skin irritations, or other skin infections.

So what’s the ideal frequency?

For bedding, it really depends on factors such as whether you have a bath or shower just before going to bed, or if you fall into bed after a long, sweaty day and have your shower in the morning. You will need to wash your sheets more regularly in the latter case. As a rule of thumb, once a week or every two weeks should be fine.

Towels should ideally be washed more regularly – perhaps every few days – while your facecloth should be cleaned after every use. Because it gets completely wet, it will be wet for a longer time, and retain more skin cells and microbes.

Wash your towels at a high temperature (for example, 65°C) as that will kill many microbes. If you are conscious of saving energy, you can use a lower temperature and add a cup of vinegar to the wash. The vinegar will kill microbes and prevent bad smells from developing.

Clean your washing machine regularly and dry the fold in the rubber after every wash, as this is another place microbes like to grow.

Read more:
Research Check: can tea towels cause food poisoning?

Smelly towels

What if you regularly wash your towels, but they still smell bad? One of the reasons for this pong could be that you’ve left them in the washing machine too long after the wash. Especially if it was a warm wash cycle, the time they’re warm and damp will allow microbes to happily grow. Under lab conditions the number of these bacteria can double every 30 minutes.

It’s important to hang your towel out to dry after use and not to leave towels in the washing machine after the cycle has finished. If possible, hang your towels and bedding out in the sun. That will dry them quickly and thoroughly and will foster that lovely fresh, clean cotton smell. Using a dryer is a good alternative if the weather is bad, but outdoors in the sun is always better if possible.

Also, even if your towel is going to be washed, don’t throw a wet towel into the laundry basket, as the damp, dirty towel will be an ideal place for microbes to breed. By the time you get to doing your washing, the towel and the other laundry around it may have acquired a bad smell. And it can be difficult to get your towels smelling fresh again.

What about ‘self-cleaning’ sheets and towels?

Some companies sell “quick-dry” towels or “self-cleaning” towels and bedding. Quick-dry towels are made from synthetic materials that are weaved in a way to allow them to dry quickly. This would help prevent the growth of microbes and the bad smells that develop when towels are damp for long periods of time.

But the notion of self-cleaning products is more complicated. Most of these products contain nanosilver or copper, antibacterial metals that kill micro-organisms. The antibacterial compounds will stop the growth of bacteria and can be useful to limit smells and reduce the frequency with which you need to clean your sheets and towels.

However, they’re not going to remove dirt like oils, skin flakes and sweat. So as much as I would love the idea of sheets and towels that clean themselves, that’s not exactly what happens.

Also, excessive use of antimicrobials such as nanosilver can lead to microbes becoming resistant to them.

Rietie Venter received funding from various national and international funding bodies.

– ref. How often should you wash your sheets and towels? – https://theconversation.com/how-often-should-you-wash-your-sheets-and-towels-216083

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brad E Tucker, Astrophysicist/Cosmologist, Australian National University

What is the universe made of? This question has driven astronomers for hundreds of years.

For the past quarter of a century, scientists have believed “normal” stuff like atoms and molecules that make up you, me, Earth, and nearly everything we can see only accounts for 5% of the universe. Another 25% is “dark matter”, an unknown substance we can’t see but which we can detect through how it affects normal matter via gravity.

The remaining 70% of the cosmos is made of “dark energy”. Discovered in 1998, this is an unknown form of energy believed to be making the universe expand at an ever-increasing rate.

In a new study soon to be published in the Astronomical Journal, we have measured the properties of dark energy in more detail than ever before. Our results show it may be a hypothetical vacuum energy first proposed by Einstein – or it may be something stranger and more complicated that changes over time.

What is dark energy?

When Einstein developed the General Theory of Relativity over a century ago, he realised his equations showed the universe should either be expanding or shrinking. This seemed wrong to him, so he added a “cosmological constant” – a kind of energy inherent in empty space – to balance out the force of gravity and keep the universe static.

Later, when the work of Henrietta Swan Leavitt and Edwin Hubble showed the universe was indeed expanding, Einstein did away with the cosmological constant, calling it his “greatest mistake”.

Read more:
More than 70% of the Universe is made of ‘dark energy’, the mysterious stuff even stranger than dark matter

However, in 1998, two teams of researchers found the expansion of the universe was actually accelerating. This implies that something quite similar to Einstein’s cosmological constant may exist after all – something we now call dark energy.

Since those initial measurements, we’ve been using supernovae and other probes to measure the nature of dark energy. Until now, these results have shown the density of dark energy in the universe appears to be constant.

This means the strength of dark energy remains the same, even as the universe grows – it doesn’t seem to be spread more thinly as the universe gets bigger. We measure this with a number called w. Einstein’s cosmological constant in effect set w to –1, and earlier observations have suggested this was about right.

Exploding stars as cosmic measuring sticks

How do we measure what is in the universe and how fast it is growing? We don’t have enormous tape measures or giant scales, so instead we use “standard candles”: objects in space whose brightness we know.

Imagine it is night and you are standing on a long road with a few light poles. These poles all have the same light bulb, but the poles further away are fainter than the nearby ones.

This is because light fades proportionately to distance. If we know the power of the bulb, and can measure how bright the bulb appears to be, we can calculate the distance to the light pole.

For astronomers, a common cosmic light bulb is a kind of exploding star called a Type Ia supernova. These are white dwarf stars which often suck in matter from a neighbouring star and grow until they reach 1.44 times the mass of our Sun, at which point they explode. By measuring how quickly the explosion fades, we can determine how bright it was and hence how far away from us.

The Dark Energy Survey

The Dark Energy Survey is the largest effort yet to measure dark energy. More than 400 scientists across multiple continents work together for nearly a decade to repeatedly observe parts of the southern sky.

Repeated observations let us look for changes, like new exploding stars. The more often you observe, the better you can measure these changes, and the larger the area you search, the more supernovae you can find.

The first results indicating the existence of dark energy used only a couple of dozen supernovae. The latest results from the Dark Energy Survey use around 1,500 exploding stars, giving much greater precision.

Using a specially built camera installed on the 4-metre Blanco Telescope at the Cerro-Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile, the survey found thousands of supernovae of different types. To work out which ones were Type Ia (the kind we need for measuring distances), we used the 4-metre Anglo Australian Telescope at Siding Spring Observatory in New South Wales.

Read more:
Relax, the expansion of the universe is still accelerating

The Anglo Australian Telescope took measurements which broke up the colours of light from the supernovae. This lets us see a “fingerprint” of the individual elements in the explosion.

Type Ia supernovae have some unique features, like containing no hydrogen and silicon. And with enough supernovae, machine learning allowed us to classify thousands of supernovae efficiently.

More complicated than the cosmological constant

Finally, after more than a decade of work and studying around 1,500 Type Ia supernovae, the Dark Energy Survey has produced a new best measurement of w. We found w = –0.80 ± 0.18, so it’s somewhere between –0.62 and –0.98.

This is a very interesting result. It is close to –1, but not quite exactly there. To be the cosmological constant, or the energy of empty space, it would need to be exactly –1.

Where does this leave us? With the idea that a more complex model of dark energy may be needed, perhaps one in which this mysterious energy has changed over the life of the universe.

Read more:
From dark gravity to phantom energy: what’s driving the expansion of the universe?

Brad E Tucker receives funding from the Australian Research Council and ACT Government.

– ref. Why is the universe ripping itself apart? A new study of exploding stars shows dark energy may be more complicated than we thought – https://theconversation.com/why-is-the-universe-ripping-itself-apart-a-new-study-of-exploding-stars-shows-dark-energy-may-be-more-complicated-than-we-thought-220423

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Mann, Associate Director, Centre for Indonesian Law, Islam and Society, The University of Melbourne

Two former coordinators of one of Indonesia’s most prominent human rights organisations have escaped conviction in a defamation case brought by a powerful government minister. While their astonishing acquittal is welcome, the case marked a bleak new low for freedom of expression in one of the world’s largest democracies.

Haris Azhar and Fatia Maulidiyanti, who had coordinated the Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence (KontraS), were accused of defamation by Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan.

Luhut’s statements made it clear the case was expressly intended to create a chilling effect and smother civil society criticism of the government.

So what is the case about, and why is it so important?

Read more:
Is Joko Widodo paving the way for a political dynasty in Indonesia?

A messy web of mining interests

The case related to a 2021 YouTube video in which Haris and Fatia discussed a report published jointly by a group of Indonesian civil society organisations. In the video, the pair mentioned that Luhut was “implicated” or “involved” (bermain) in mining in Wabu Block, in the Intan Jaya district of what is now Central Papua Province.

The details are a bit complicated, but a key part of the dispute centred on this point about mining.

In 2016, Australian mining firm West Wits Mining reported to the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) that its Indonesian subsidiary Madinah Quarataa’in had entered into an agreement with another company, Tobacom Del Mandiri. They wanted to develop the Derewo River Gold Project in Intan Jaya.

Tobacom Del Mandiri is owned by another major Indonesian firm, Toba Sejahtra. Luhut has acknowledged he holds 99% of shares in Toba Sejahtra.

Representatives from both Indonesian companies have since said the partnership did not go ahead. But given his stock portfolio, the activists had a relatively firm basis for implying Luhut was “involved” in mining in Papua.

Luhut objected to this.

He also objected to Haris and Fatia referring to him as a “villain” (penjahat) and “Lord Luhut”, a favourite moniker of Indonesians online. He got the nickname because President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has entrusted him to oversee a seemingly endless list of strategic projects.

Haris and Fatia were charged with defamation under the Law on Electronic Information and Transactions (commonly known as the ITE law). Unlike in Australia, defamation is a criminal offence in Indonesia. They also faced secondary fake news charges and defamation charges under the Criminal Code.

Read more:
A twist in Indonesia’s presidential election does not bode well for the country’s fragile democracy

Making an example of activism

Under Jokowi, there has been a dramatic escalation in abuse of the Electronic Information and Transactions Law to target activists, human rights defenders, journalists, and ordinary citizens.

According to Indonesian digital rights organisation SAFEnet, 89 people were
reported under the law between January and October 2023.

Public anger over the arbitrary way the law has been applied led the government to publish guidelines for law enforcers on its implementation.

According to the guidelines, defamation charges should not be brought when assertions are based on analysis, opinion or facts.

Luhut reported Haris and Fatia to police just three months after these guidelines were published.

The trial ran from April 2023 through to January 8 2024. During the trial, Luhut complained that being called names was “deeply hurtful”.

Delivering the court’s decision, Judge Muhammad Djohan Arifin said the YouTube conversation between Haris and Fatia constituted opinion and analysis of a civil society study and their use of the word “lord” was not defamatory.

Prosecutors have said they will consider appealing the decision.

Luhut claimed he reported the activists to defend his reputation. Other statements he made during the trial left no doubt as to his real motivations.

Luhut said he wants the case to serve as a “lesson”.

The prosecution concluded its sentencing demand with a quote from a minor politician, Teddy Gusnaidi, stating:

If using the label ‘activist’ means you are immune from prosecution, criminals will form NGOs (non-government organisations) to avoid consequences for their crimes.

Luhut also claimed that he wanted to conduct an “audit” of all non-government organisations in Indonesia to determine where they get their funding.

This is disingenuous.

Indonesian civil society organisations already need government approval to
receive donor funds, and most openly publish their list of donors in their public annual reports.

The government also regularly subjects foreign donors to interrogation from everyone from police to intelligence agencies, about their planned activities.

Increasingly authoritarian tactics

Appealing to nationalistic sensibilities and raising questions about civil society organisations like this is a classic technique of authoritarian governments. It undermines organisations critical of government and redirects focus from the issues at hand.

Legal attacks like the one against Haris and Fatia are designed to wear civil society down. Fronting up in court every week is time consuming, emotionally draining, and takes activists away from their work.

Further, the use of judicial harassment to target activists, in contrast to cruder tactics such as cyberattacks or physical violence, is designed to lend an air of legitimacy to government repression.

Luhut has made it clear that the goal of the case against Haris and Fatia is to silence dissent. He appears to be succeeding.

There is already evidence that abuse of the Electronic Information and Transactions Law is having a chilling effect in Indonesian society, with a 2022 survey finding 62.9% of Indonesians were afraid of openly expressing their opinions.

Indonesian pro-democracy groups have long been willing to speak out against the state, even under the most challenging conditions. Yet repeated charges and arrests will eventually result in self-censorship and behavioural change.

In the face of mounting pressure, the government finally passed a revised version of the law on December 5 2023.

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Activists have complained that, like other regressive laws enacted in Indonesia over recent years, deliberations on the revision were conducted largely behind closed doors.

The revised law does include some improvements, including that statements made in the public interest or to defend oneself cannot be prosecuted. The maximum sentence for defamation has also been decreased to two years, yet it remains longer than provisions on defamation in the new Criminal Code, which will come into force in 2026.

Activists have argued for a complete dropping of criminal charges for online defamation. Given they have proven such an effective tool for smothering dissent, there was never any chance legislators were going to simply give up this weapon.

Haris and Fatia may be the highest profile Indonesians charged under the Electronic Information and Transactions Law, but they will not be the last.

Tim Mann 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. Indonesia is one of the world’s largest democracies, but it’s weaponising defamation laws to smother dissent – https://theconversation.com/indonesia-is-one-of-the-worlds-largest-democracies-but-its-weaponising-defamation-laws-to-smother-dissent-220651