NewzIntel.com

Category: Science

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: New food safety booklet features science-backed tips to avoid food poisoning

    Source: NZ Ministry for Primary Industries

    Whether you’re making family dinner, heating up leftovers, packing lunch for the kids, or having friends over for a barbecue, New Zealand Food Safety has great science-backed tips to keep everyone safe.

    “Every year, thousands of New Zealanders get food poisoning. Many of these foodborne illnesses are due to poor food preparation, cooking, or storage at home,” says New Zealand Food Safety deputy director-general Vincent Arbuckle.

    “There’s a wide range of symptoms, ranging from the inconvenient to the life-threatening for people vulnerable to illness.

    “New Zealand Food Safety already has a wealth of science-based information on its Food safety at home webpages to help you prevent getting foodborne illnesses. This year, to coincide with World Food Safety Day tomorrow, we have distilled all this expertise into a new booklet of simple tips for avoiding foodborne illness in the home.”

    From the store to your table, the ‘Food safety at home’ booklet is packed with science-based food-safety advice. It contains:

    • The latest evidence-based recommendations for preparing, cooking, storing, and transporting food safely. Did you know:  Handwashing is one of the best ways to prevent foodborne illness. Washing them before preparing or eating food helps prevent germs spreading to your food.
    • Updated advice on handling and cooking raw meat and meat products; barbecuing and eating outdoors; keeping at-risk people safe; and how long you can keep leftovers. Did you know: You can keep leftovers for up to 4 days in the fridge if you are going to eat them hot. But leftovers of cooked meals you won’t be reheating – like pasta salad – should only be kept for 2 days.
    • Dedicated sections on use-by and best-before dates and advice for shellfish gatherers. Did you know: If a food is past its use-by date, throw it away as it’s not safe to eat. But if it’s past its best-before and it smells and looks okay, it probably is. Check it, sniff it, taste it – don’t waste it.

    World Food Safety Day – jointly led by the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – highlights the importance of food safety for the health, prosperity and wellbeing of people around the world.  The theme for 2025 is “Science in action”.

    “Our advice is based on up-to-date science, it’s now up to you to take action,” says Mr Arbuckle.

    You can download your own ‘Food safety at home’ booklet on our website. And, to celebrate World Food Safety Day, try our quiz on Facebook tomorrow to see how food safety savvy you are.

    Food safety at home booklet [PDF, 1.1 MB]

    Food safety at home

    World Food Safety Day

    For further information and general enquiries, call MPI on 0800 00 83 33 or email info@mpi.govt.nz

    For media enquiries, contact the media team on 029 894 0328.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Pressley, Haiti Caucus Condemn Trump’s Bigoted Travel Ban 2.0

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07)

    WASHINGTON – Today, House Haiti Caucus Co-Chairs Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) and Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09) issued the following statement on Donald Trump’s executive order that bans citizens of 12 countries, including Haiti, from traveling to the United States, and places partial restrictions on citizens of seven more nations:

    “We condemn Donald Trump’s bigoted travel ban in the strongest possible terms. Let’s be clear: the President of the United States has committed an unambiguously xenophobic attack on the most vulnerable people in the world, many of whom will die as a direct consequence of his cruelty. These are children, women, and men who are fleeing political turmoil and war, who are trying to survive famine and natural catastrophes. Haitians and so many others are drowning, and Donald Trump just ripped a life preserver from their desperate arms and tied weights around their ankles,” said the Co-Chairs. 

    “But the continuation of their suffering is the point. This is a targeted abuse of hundreds of millions of Black and Brown people at a scale of cruelty even beyond the historically despicable Muslim and African Bans, and it’s undergirded by nothing but baseless accusations and one man’s insatiable hate. The American people know that. No matter what sick justifications he gives or sadistic lies he spins, we see this vile, unlawful act for what is. Just as we see him for who he is. 

    “We call on all people of conscience to recognize this cruelty for what it is, and join us in standing with the innocent people who Donald Trump sought to hurt through this executive order. In the face of such brutal inhumanity, they need more than our support, and they need more than our love. Only our unwavering and absolute commitment to fight against this depraved act in the courts, in our communities, and in the halls of Congress is sufficient at this moment.”

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Carbajal Introduces Bill Package to Prevent Deportation of U.S. Servicemembers’ Parents

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Salud Carbajal (CA-24)

    Representative Salud Carbajal (D-CA-24) introduced a legislative package to prevent the deportation of servicemembers’ parents. The package includes his bipartisan legislation, the Protect Patriot Parents Act, which would make parents of U.S. military servicemembers eligible for Lawful Permanent Resident status, preventing potential deportations or separations of military families. The package also contains a bill that would grant longtime Central Coast resident and military mother, Juana Flores, permanent resident status.

    At a recent press conference on Capitol Hill, Rep. Carbajal joined Representatives Darren Soto (D-FL-09) and Lou Correa (D-CA-46) to speak about previously deported Central Coast resident Juana Flores, the mother of U.S. Air Force Sergeant Caesar Flores. Amid public outcry, Rep. Carbajal aided the family in securing Mrs. Flores’ return to the U.S., and worked with President Biden’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to secure humanitarian parole for Flores.

    Previously, Mrs. Flores was deported from her home in Goleta, California despite living in the U.S. for over 30 years and building a life in Santa Barbara County with her husband, 10 children, and 19 grandchildren.

    “As a veteran and immigrant myself, I find it unconscionable that someone like Sergeant Flores could step up to serve in the military and be willing to sacrifice their life for our country, only to have their family torn apart,” said Rep. Carbajal. “That’s why I’m introducing legislation to shape an immigration system that is fair, keeps families together, and recognizes the positive contributions immigrants make to our country.”

    “I wholeheartedly support the passage of this bill. My grandmother is not a criminal, and it is both unjust and inhumane to treat her as one. No family should have to endure forced separation—especially when our loved ones are serving this country and fighting for the freedoms we all cherish. We must uphold the values of dignity, compassion, and justice for every family affected,” said Andrea Gómez Flores, granddaughter of Juana Flores.

    “The Protect Patriot Parents Act supports American troops and families. Deportations of US military service members or their families defy the public interest and contradict the social and moral conscience of the United States of America. We have a responsibility as a nation to provide family unity for those who serve in our Armed Forces. Our country has an obligation to each and every family with sons, daughters, husbands, or wives who serve our country in the military,” said Kraig Rice & Judge Frank Ochoa (ret.), Attorneys for Juana Flores.

    Recent estimates project that there are as many as 80,000 undocumented spouses and parents of U.S. active duty and former servicemembers living in the U.S.

    But despite their service and sacrifice for the U.S., servicemembers from mixed-status families do not have the security of knowing their family members can safely reside in the country without threat of deportation.

    Rep. Carbajal is a co-sponsor of Representative Darren Soto’s (D-FL-09) Protect Patriot Spouses Act, which would render military spouses eligible for adjustment to permanent resident status by amending the Immigration and Nationality Act to remove the inadmissibility standard because of an unlawful entry into the United States by the migrant spouse. It would also allow eligible veteran spouses who have already been removed or voluntarily departed the United States to apply for an immigrant visa from abroad and then become authorized to return to the country while their application is pending.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: June 05, 2025 Rep. Mullin Leads Clean Energy and Climate Initiatives in the FY26 Appropriations Package  Washington, D.C. – On World Environment Day, U.S. Rep. Kevin Mullin announced a series of federal initiatives he’s leading to accelerate climate solutions and clean energy innovation.   As part of the House Appropriations process for Fiscal Year 2026, Rep. Mullin… Read More

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Kevin Mullin California (15th District)

    Washington, D.C. – On World Environment Day, U.S. Rep. Kevin Mullin announced a series of federal initiatives he’s leading to accelerate climate solutions and clean energy innovation.  

    As part of the House Appropriations process for Fiscal Year 2026, Rep. Mullin led 21 lawmakers in submitting a range of funding requests, including several that were bipartisan, that seek to enhance America’s environmental leadership, speed our transition to clean energy, and promote the well-being of communities across the nation. 

    “We must invest in innovative, science-based solutions to help combat the climate crisis, preserve our planet and strengthen America’s global competitiveness,” said Rep. Mullin. “My funding requests reflect the urgent need to modernize our energy systems, protect public health, and lead the world in clean technology development.” 

    The House Appropriations Committee will now review these requests for consideration in the FY26 Appropriations package.   

    Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal Research  
    Rep. Mullin co-led a bipartisan request to increase funding for research and development of marine carbon removal technologies within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Oceans are our planet’s largest carbon sink, and advancing marine-based solutions can restore ecosystems, capture atmospheric carbon, and benefit coastal economies. 

    Solar and Wind Grid Integration Programs  
    Proposed clean energy projects could double the nation’s power supply, but it takes an average of 5 years to connect them to the grid. Rep. Mullin is requesting robust funding for Solar and Wind Energy Systems Integration programs through the Department of Energy (DOE). These funds would support technologies that enable faster, more secure integration of renewable energy into the grid, helping to meet climate goals and stabilize energy infrastructure.  

    Standardizing Communication for Grid-Connected Devices  
    Rep. Mullin is supporting efforts within the Department of Energy to standardize communication between smart devices – such as electric vehicle chargers, smart thermostats, and home batteries – and the electric grid.  Standardization will improve grid capacity and flexibility, which would boost efficiency and help avoid costly upgrades to transmission infrastructure. 

    Environmental Health Sciences Core Centers Rep. Mullin is requesting $42 million for the National Institute of Health’s Environmental Health Sciences Core Centers, which are at the forefront of research into how pollutants like PFAS and microplastics affect human health. Their work is vital to understanding and preventing chronic diseases, which are the leading cause of death and a major driver of U.S. healthcare costs. 

    Groundwater Rise Report 

    In coastal regions across the country, rising seas and extreme rainfall are causing groundwater levels to rise, which increases risks to public health, infrastructure and trillions of dollars in property. Rep. Mullin requests $2 million for the U.S. Geological Survey to  forecast groundwater rise nationally and better prepare communities.  

    Digital Coast Program  

    Rep. Mullin co-led a bipartisan request for robust funding for NOAA’s Digital Coast Program, a popular program that leverages geographical information systems (GIS) to collect and analyze data. The program consolidates and makes publicly available information that helps coastal managers better plan for storms, flooding, natural disasters and other challenges that impact vulnerable communities.  

    Next-Generation Solar Demonstrations  
    Solar energy is a critical tool for American defense applications. Rep. Mullin is requesting at least $40 million to support demonstrations of next-generation solar technology in the military. 

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: We tracked 13,000 giants of the ocean over 30 years, to uncover their hidden highways

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ana M. M. Sequeira, Associate Professor, Research School of Biology, Australian National University

    Alexandra Vautin, Shutterstock

    Big animals of the ocean go about their days mostly hidden from view. Scientists know this marine megafauna – such as whales, sharks, seal, turtles and birds – travel vast distances to feed and breed.

    But almost a third are now at risk of extinction due largely to fishing, shipping, pollution and global warming.

    Protecting them can be difficult, because we don’t often know where these animals are.

    New research I led sought to shed light on the issue. My colleagues and I gathered 30 years of satellite tracking data to map hotspots of megafauna activity around the globe.

    We tracked 12,794 animals from 111 species to find out where they go. The results reveal underwater “highways” where megafauna crisscross the global Ocean. They also show where megafauna dwell for feeding and breeding. Now we know where these special places are, we have a better chance of protecting them.

    Satellite tracking reveals marine megafauna migration pathways and places of residence.
    Sequeira et al (2025) Science

    Pulling all the data together: a mega task

    For more than 30 years, marine biologists have tagged large animals in the sea with electronic devices and tracked their movements via satellite. The trackers capture data on everything from speed of travel, to direction of movement and where the animals spend most of their time.

    I put a call out to the global research community to bring together the tracking data. I hoped it would help scientists better understand the animals’ movements and identify their favourite places.

    Some 378 scientists from 50 countries responded. We assembled the world’s largest tracking dataset of marine megafauna. It includes species of flying birds, whales, fishes (mostly sharks), penguins, polar bears, seals, dugongs, manatees and turtles. They were tracked between 1985 and 2018, throughout the world’s oceans.

    Ana Sequeira swimming with a whale shark in Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia, to collect samples.
    Australian Institute of Marine Science

    Mapping reveals a lack of protection

    When we started analysing the data, it showed the tagged animals used some parts of the ocean more frequently than others. Most of them travelled to the central Indian Ocean, northeast Pacific Ocean, Atlantic north, and waters around Mozambique and South Africa.

    It’s likely this reflects a lack of data from elsewhere. However, these species are known to go to places where they are most likely to find food, so we expect some areas to be used more than others (including the areas we detected).

    Then we were able to identify the world’s most “ecologically and biologically significant areas” for the tracked animals.

    Currently only about 8% of the global ocean is protected. And only 5% of the important marine megafauna areas we identified occur within these existing marine protected areas.

    This leaves all of the other important marine megafauna areas we identified unprotected. In other words, the species using those areas are likely to suffer harm from human activities taking place at sea.

    More than 90% of the important marine megafauna areas we identified are exposed to high plastic pollution, shipping traffic or to intensifying global warming. And about 75% are exposed to industrial fishing.

    We also found marine megafauna tend to spend most of their time within exclusive economic zones. This area lies beyond the territorial sea or belt of water 12 nautical miles from the coast of each country, extending 200 nautical miles from shore. The presence of megafauna in these exclusive economic zones means individual countries could increase the protection afforded within their jurisdictions.

    About 40% of the important marine megafauna areas were located in these zones. But about 60% were on the high seas.

    The future of marine megafauna conservation

    The High Seas Treaty, recently adopted by the United Nations and signed by 115 countries, governs the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological biodiversity on the open ocean.

    Working alongside this treaty, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework aims to protect 30% of the global ocean by 2030. This presents an opportunity to ensure important marine megafauna areas are well represented.

    We used an optimisation algorithm to identify the best areas to protect, when it comes to marine megafauna. We gave priority to areas that are potentially used for feeding, breeding, resting and migrating across all the different species.

    But even if important marine megafauna areas are selected when 30% of the ocean is protected, about 60% of these areas would still stay unprotected.

    Significant risks from human activities will remain. Management efforts must also focus on reducing harm from fishing and shipping. Fighting climate change and cutting down noise and plastic pollution should also be key priorities.

    Like for most megafauna on land, the reign of marine megafauna might come to an end if humanity does not afford these species greater protection.

    Ana M. M. Sequeira receives funding from the Australian Research Council and a Pew Marine Fellowship from the Pew Charitable Trusts. She is also affiliated with the University of Western Australia.

    – ref. We tracked 13,000 giants of the ocean over 30 years, to uncover their hidden highways – https://theconversation.com/we-tracked-13-000-giants-of-the-ocean-over-30-years-to-uncover-their-hidden-highways-254610

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Resident-to-resident aggression is common in nursing homes. Here’s how we can improve residents’ safety

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joseph Ibrahim, Professor, Aged Care Medical Research Australian Centre for Evidence Based Aged Care, La Trobe University

    Wbmul/Shutterstock

    The Coroners Court of Victoria is undertaking an inquest into the deaths of eight aged care residents across six facilities, over a nine-month period in 2021.

    Each death occurred after an interaction between residents, known as resident-to-resident aggression.

    If your loved one is living in aged care, it’s natural to be distressed and concerned for their safety after hearing about these deaths.

    Here’s what we know about when and where it’s more likely to happen, how relatives can safeguard their loved ones, and what’s happening across the system to reduce the risk of it occurring.

    What does it look like?

    Resident-to-resident aggression refers to aggressive and intrusive interactions between long-term care residents that would likely be unwelcome and potentially cause the recipient physical or psychological distress or harm. It includes physical, sexual and verbal aggression.

    However, the term “aggression” is potentially misleading. In most cases, the residents involved are not consciously intending to cause harm.

    The prevalence of resident-to-resident aggression in aged care has been estimated at 20%, but is likely under-reported. This means that over a month, 20% of aged care residents are likely to experience an incident of resident-to-resident aggression. This is usually verbal abuse or an invasion of privacy.

    The variation in reported prevalence rates makes it hard to know if the rate is increasing.

    The consequences of resident-to-resident aggression range in seriousness from functional decline, to psychological or physical injury, to death.

    In 2017, we published a national study of deaths from resident-to-resident aggression in nursing home residents in Australia. Over 14 years, we identified 28 deaths.

    Almost 90% of residents involved – either as an “exhibitor” (often referred to as the aggressor) or a target – had dementia. Three-quarters of those diagnosed with dementia had a history of behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia, including wandering and physical aggression.

    Exhibitors of aggressive behaviour were mostly male (85.7%), often younger, and more recently admitted to the aged care facility than the target.

    Resident-to-resident aggression leading to death was most likely to occur between two male residents.

    Half of all incidents leading to death involved a resident pushing and the target falling, leading to injuries such as hip fracture and head injury. This underscores the vulnerabilities posed by physical frailty among aged care residents.

    Incidents resulting in death occurred mostly in communal areas, reflecting the ongoing challenges of an aged care system that relies on residents living together.

    Learning from past incidents

    Resident-to-resident aggression was previously brought to national attention by the death of a resident at the Oakden facility in South Australia. This led to a coronial inquest and the facility closed in 2017.

    The case raised issues including the need for residents exhibiting potentially aggressive behaviour to have regular clinical reviews, accurate and detailed documentation, and adequate escalation and reporting of any incidents of aggression.

    Since 2021, facilities have been required to report incidents of “unreasonable use of force”. The Australian Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission monitors these events through the Serious Incident Response Scheme.

    The last report, from March 2023, provides a series of case studies and highlights the need for better approaches to behaviour support and risk assessment.

    However, prevention requires a broader systems-based approach to better understand the problem, and generate and evaluate interventions. This should include reviewing trends at the facility, provider and national level.

    Approaching individual situations

    Resident-to-resident aggression is expected to become more common as more people are diagnosed with dementia.

    Cognitive impairment in both the exhibitor of aggressive behaviour and targets makes this more complex, as a resident could become either one, depending on the precipitating circumstances.

    In one-third of the cases we analysed, the exhibitor of aggressive behaviour and the target had been involved in an earlier incident together in the past 12 months. This suggests there are opportunities for intervention.

    Are police involved?

    When serious injury or death occurs, it is the role of police to investigate the incident and refer to the Office of Public Prosecutions, if appropriate.

    Attributing legal responsibility is problematic and criminal charges are rarely filed. This may be because the residents involved are unfit for police interview or unfit to stand trial.

    Alternatively, prosecution may not be deemed in the public interest.

    Managing symptoms of dementia

    Dementia may impair a person’s ability to reason, express their needs and manage their emotions. It can also impair their ability to respond, in a socially acceptable way, to interpersonal conflict.

    Behaviour-management strategies to support the person with dementia include having a calm environment with a familiar routine and clear communication.

    Over the past decade, more formal services have become available to help manage behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia.

    Dementia Support Australia operates a Severe Behaviour Response Team which is available 24/7, responding to referrals from health professionals within 48 hours.

    Specialist dementia care units also operate across Australia, as recommended by the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety final report.

    Managing dementia symptoms requires multidisciplinary expertise spanning the aged care, disability and mental health sectors. Yet integrating these services remains a challenge.

    The federal government has committed to addressing the sub-optimal management of residents living with dementia.

    Supporting your loved one

    If you’re worried about your loved one, the first step is to express these concerns directly to the facility staff, as you would with any other matter. Open communication helps the facility staff to get to know your loved one and provide more tailored support.

    Being better informed about the subject can help you to advocate for your loved one.

    The Older Persons Advocacy Network is available to residents for free, independent and confidential support. They can advocate for you if you feel your concerns aren’t being heard or your loved one’s care is compromised.

    What happens next with the inquest?

    The Coroners Court will investigate this important and distressing issue and aims to reduce the number of preventable deaths.

    The coroner will hear the evidence, and may make formal recommendations about how to improve resident safety. Government agencies are required to consider and respond to these recommendations.

    It’s clear we have a long way to go to safeguard the rights of older people living in residential care.

    Joseph Ibrahim is a medical specialist in geriatrics and an academic with over 30 years of clinical experience. He is a Professor with the Australian Centre for Evidence Based Aged Care, La Trobe University and an Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University. He previously received funding from state and national government for research into the safety and quality of aged care homes and resident-on-resident aggression. He has also been an expert witness for criminal and coroners court cases as well as the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.

    Amelia Grossi 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. Resident-to-resident aggression is common in nursing homes. Here’s how we can improve residents’ safety – https://theconversation.com/resident-to-resident-aggression-is-common-in-nursing-homes-heres-how-we-can-improve-residents-safety-257818

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Is black mould really as bad for us as we think? A toxicologist explains

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Musgrave, Senior lecturer in Pharmacology, University of Adelaide

    Peeradontax/Shutterstock

    Mould in houses is unsightly and may cause unpleasant odours. More important though, mould has been linked to a range of health effects – especially triggering asthma.

    However, is mould exposure linked to a serious lung disease in children, unrelated to asthma? As we’ll see, this link may not be real, or if it is, it’s so rare to not be a meaningful risk. Yet we still hear mould in damp homes described as “toxic”.

    Indeed, mouldy homes can harm people’s health, but not necessarily how you might think.

    What is mould?

    Mould is the general term for a variety of fungi. The mould that people have focused on in damp homes is “black mould”. This forms unsightly black patches on walls and other parts of damp-affected buildings.

    Black mould is not a single fungus. But when people talk about black mould, they generally mean the fungus Stachybotrys chartarum or S. chartarum for short. It’s one of experts’ top ten feared fungi.

    The focus on this species comes from a report in the 1990s on cases of haemorrhagic lung disease in a number of infants. This is a rare disease where blood leaks into the lungs, and can be fatal. The report suggested chemicals known as mycotoxins associated with this species of fungus were responsible for the outbreak.

    What are mycotoxins?

    A variety of fungi produce mycotoxins to defend themselves, among other reasons.

    Hundreds of different chemicals are listed as myocytoxins. These include ones in poisonous mushrooms, and ones associated with the soil fungi Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus.

    The fungus typically associated with black mould S. chartarum can produce several mycotoxins. These include roridin, which inhibits protein synthesis in humans and animals, and satratoxins, which have numerous toxic effects including bleeding in the lungs.

    While the satratoxins, in particular, were mentioned in the report from the 90s in children, there are some problems when we look at the evidence.

    The amount of mycotoxins S. chartarum makes can vary considerably. Even if significant amounts of mycotoxin are present, getting them into the body in the required amount to cause damage is another thing.

    Inhaling spores in contaminated (mouldy) homes is the most probable way mycotoxins enter the body. For instance, we know mycotoxins can be found in S. chartarum spores. We also know direct injection of high concentrations of mycotoxin-bearing spores directly in the noses of mice can cause some lung bleeding.

    Stachybotrys chartarum mycotoxins have been blamed for lung issues after exposure to black mould.
    Kateryna Kon/Shutterstock

    But just because inhaling spores is the probable route of contamination doesn’t mean this is very likely.

    That’s because S. chartarum doesn’t release a lot of spores. Its spores are typically embedded in a slimy mass and it rarely produces the spore densities needed to replicate the animal studies.

    The original reports suggesting the US infants who were diagnosed with haemorrhagic lung disease were exposed to toxic levels of mycotoxins were also flawed.

    Among other issues, the concentrations of mould spores was calculated incorrectly. Subsequent correction for these issues resulted in the association between S. chartarum and this disease cluster basically disappearing.

    The American Academy of Asthma Allergy and Immunology states while there is a clear, well-established relationship between damp indoor spaces and detrimental health effects, there is no good evidence black mould mycotoxins are involved.

    But mould can cause allergies

    Moulds can affect human health in ways unrelated to mycotoxins, typically through allergic reactions. Moulds including black moulds can trigger or worsen asthma attacks in people with mould allergies.

    Some rarer but severe reactions can include allergic fungal sinusitis, allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis and rarer still, hypersensitivity pneumonitis.

    These can typically be controlled by removing the mould (or removing the person from the source of mould).

    People with impaired immune systems (such as people taking immune-suppressant medications) may also be prone to mould infections.

    In a nutshell

    There is sufficient evidence that household mould is associated with respiratory issues attributable to their allergic effects.

    However, there is no strong evidence mycotoxins from household mould – and in particular black mould – are associated with substantial health issues.

    Ian Musgrave has received funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council to study adverse reactions to herbal medicines and has previously been funded by the Australian Research Council to study potential natural product treatments for Alzheimer’s disease. He is currently a member of one of the Therapeutic Goods Administration’s statutory councils.

    – ref. Is black mould really as bad for us as we think? A toxicologist explains – https://theconversation.com/is-black-mould-really-as-bad-for-us-as-we-think-a-toxicologist-explains-258173

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Trump’s justifications for the latest travel ban aren’t supported by the data on immigration and terrorism

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Charles Kurzman, Professor of Sociology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

    Taliban fighters guard the former U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, on June 5, 2025. AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi

    The Trump administration on June 4, 2025, announced travel restrictions targeting 19 countries in Africa and Asia, including many of the world’s poorest nations. All travel is banned from 12 of these countries, with partial restrictions on travel from the rest.

    The presidential proclamation, entitled “Restricting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats,” is aimed at “countries throughout the world for which vetting and screening information is so deficient as to warrant a full or partial suspension on the entry or admission of nationals from those countries.”

    In a video that accompanied the proclamation, President Donald Trump said: “The recent terror attack in Boulder, Colorado, has underscored the extreme dangers posed to our country by the entry of foreign nationals who are not properly vetted.”

    The latest travel ban reimposes restrictions on many of the countries that were included on travel bans in Trump’s first term, along with several new countries.

    But this travel ban, like the earlier ones, will not significantly improve national security and public safety in the United States. That’s because migrants account for a minuscule portion of violence in the U.S. And migrants from the latest travel ban countries account for an even smaller portion, according to data that I have collected. The suspect in Colorado, for example, is from Egypt, which is not on the travel ban list.

    As a scholar of political sociology, I don’t believe Trump’s latest travel ban is about national security. Rather, I’d argue, it’s primarily about using national security as an excuse to deny visas to nonwhite applicants.

    Terrorism and public safety

    In the past five years, the U.S. has witnessed more than 100,000 homicides. Political violence by militias and other ideological movements accounted for 354 fatalities, according to an initiative known as the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data, which tracks armed conflict around the world. That’s less than 1% of the country’s homicide victims. And foreign terrorism accounted for less than 1% of this 1%, according to my data.

    The Trump administration says the U.S. cannot appropriately vet visa applicants in countries with uncooperative governments or underdeveloped security systems. That claim is false.

    The State Department and other government agencies do a thorough job of vetting visa applicants, even in countries where there is no U.S. embassy, according to an analysis by the CATO Institute.

    The U.S. government has sophisticated methods for identifying potential threats. They include detailed documentation requirements, interviews with consular officers and clearance by national security agencies. And it rejects more than 1 in 6 visa applications, with ever-increasing procedures for detecting fraud.

    Members of the Yemeni community and others wave American and Yemeni flags as they gather on the steps of Brooklyn’s Borough Hall to protest President Donald Trump’s first travel ban on Feb. 2, 2017, in New York.
    AP Photo/Kathy Willens

    The thoroughness of the visa review process is evident in the numbers.

    Authorized foreign-born residents of the U.S. are far less likely than U.S.-born residents to engage in criminal activity. And unauthorized migrants are even less likely to commit crimes. Communities with more migrants – authorized and unauthorized – have similar or slightly lower crime rates than communities with fewer migrants.

    If vetting were as deficient as Trump’s executive order claims, we would expect to see a significant number of terrorist plots from countries on the travel ban list. But we don’t.

    Of the 4 million U.S. residents from the 2017 travel ban countries, I have documented only four who were involved in violent extremism in the past five years.

    Two of them were arrested after plotting with undercover law enforcement agents. One was found to have lied on his asylum application. One was an Afghan man who killed three Pakistani Shiite Muslim immigrants in New Mexico in 2022.

    Such a handful of zealots with rifles or homemade explosives can be life-altering for victims and their families, but they do not represent a threat to U.S. national security.

    Degrading the concept of national security

    Trump has been trying for years to turn immigration into a national security issue.

    In his first major speech on national security in 2016, Trump focused on the “dysfunctional immigration system which does not permit us to know who we let into our country.”

    His primary example was an act of terrorism by a man who was born in the U.S.

    The first Trump administration’s national security strategy, issued in December 2017, prioritized jihadist terrorist organizations that “radicalize isolated individuals” as “the most dangerous threat to the Nation” – not armies, not another 9/11, but isolated individuals.

    If the travel ban is not really going to improve national security or public safety, then what is it about?

    Protesters wave signs during a demonstration against President Donald Trump’s revised travel ban on May 15, 2017, in Seattle.
    AP Photo/Ted S. Warren

    Linking immigration to national security seems to serve two long-standing Trump priorities. First is his effort to make American more white, in keeping with widespread bias among his supporters against nonwhite immigrants.

    Remember Trump’s insults to Mexicans and Muslims in his escalator speech announcing his presidential campaign in 2015. He has also expressed a preference for white immigrants from Norway in 2018 and South Africa in 2025.

    Trump has repeatedly associated himself with nationalists who view immigration by nonwhites as a danger to white supremacy.

    Second, invoking national security allows Trump to pursue this goal without the need for accountability, since Congress and the courts have traditionally deferred to the executive branch on national security issues.

    Trump also claims national security justifications for tariffs and other policies that he has declared national emergencies, in a bid to avoid criticism by the public and oversight by the other branches of government.

    But this oversight is necessary in a democratic system to ensure that immigration policy is based on facts.

    Charles Kurzman has received funding for research on terrorism from the National Institute of Justice and the National Science Foundation.

    – ref. Trump’s justifications for the latest travel ban aren’t supported by the data on immigration and terrorism – https://theconversation.com/trumps-justifications-for-the-latest-travel-ban-arent-supported-by-the-data-on-immigration-and-terrorism-255471

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Sen. Markey Hosts Listening Session on the Impacts of Republican Attacks on Digital Equity

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey
    Senate Republicans recently voted to repeal an FCC rule increasing access to Wi-Fi hotspots for students and educators at home
    Washington (June 5, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, hosted a virtual listening session Wednesday to hear from digital equity advocates about the impacts of the Trump administration’s efforts to cut funding for digital equity programs in Massachusetts and across the country. From the administration’s termination of Digital Equity Act funding, to Republican efforts to block E-Rate funding for Wi-Fi hotspots for students and educators at home, these actions have had dire consequences for efforts to close the digital divide. More than 200 digital equity champions from across Massachusetts joined the Senator’s listening session to share their stories.
    “Trump’s decision to cancel funding for Digital Equity Act grants is reckless, short-sighted, and illegal,” said Senator Markey. “These grants were promises — real, actionable investments in real communities to bridge the very real gaps in internet access, digital skills, and opportunity. I appreciated listening to and learning from the many digital equity advocates in Massachusetts about the impact these cuts will have on their organizations and the populations they serve. I will carry their stories with me in our fight for a just digital future.”
    “Everyone deserves access to the internet. It’s essential for being able to participate in our economy and utilize the resources and services that so many of us rely on,” said Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey. “It’s terrible that the Trump Administration is blocking our efforts to bring internet access to veterans, rural communities and individuals with disabilities across the state. They need to restore this funding.”
    “Massachusetts is committed to empowering our most vulnerable citizens with digital skills training, devices and other resources to thrive in our digital society,” said Michael Baldino, Director of the Massachusetts Broadband Institute. “As we work to achieving universal access to reliable broadband service, we are disappointed that the federal government has stripped critical funds that are necessary for us to implement our statewide digital equity plan.”
    “Through Ameelio’s work, correctional staff see how connection to the outside world betters everyone behind bars – the incarcerated people and their fellow officers alike,” said April Feng, CEO of Ameelio. “When people are connected to those who they love and those who love them, to the best parts of their lives, they have hope. And that hope will sustain them to serve their time meaningfully, go to school, find a job, build a home, and enable a future. Investing in digital equity behind the walls is not just a matter of improving conditions for incarcerated individuals — it is a public safety and economic imperative.”
    Senator Markey is the House author of the E-Rate program, which has invested nearly $62 billion to connect schools and libraries to the internet across the country. Massachusetts schools and libraries have received more than $895 million from the E-Rate program and another $97 million from the Emergency Connectivity Fund, a $7 billion program that Senator Markey created within the American Rescue Plan to provide devices and connectivity for students and educators at home.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Sens. Markey, Baldwin, Rep. Carter Announce Legislation to Protect Public TV Channels

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey
    Bill Text (PDF)
    Washington (June 5, 2025) – Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.) and Representative Troy A. Carter Sr. (LA-02), member of the House Energy & Commerce Committee, today announced the introduction of the Protecting Community Television Act, legislation that would undo rulemaking from the first Trump administration’s Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that effectively limited the resources available for public, educational, and government (PEG) channels.
    Under the Communications Act, cable companies negotiate franchise agreements with local governments to provide cable services in a community. The Act caps franchise fees that a cable company pays to the local government at 5% of revenue. This revenue helps fund PEG stations, as well as other community services such as public libraries and emergency responders. In addition, cable companies historically paid up to 5% cap and provided additional, in-kind support to the community, such as free cable service to schools or access to building studios. In 2019, the FCC issued a new rule that counted those in-kind contributions towards the 5% cap, meaning cable companies could reduce their cash payments by claiming the value of those services. With fewer cash resources, local governments were forced to choose between investing in PEG programming or supporting other public services. The result has been less funding for PEG stations.
    “Millions of Americans rely on community television to keep up with the news that matters most to them, stay plugged into enriching, educational programming, and hold their local governments to account. But the Trump administration has forced communities across the country to pull the plug on public programming,” said Senator Markey. “At a time when news and media have become more consolidated than ever before, I am proud to partner with Senator Baldwin and Representative Carter to reintroduce the Protecting Community Television Act to uphold local access to public, education, and government channels for every household in our country.”
    “I’m proud to cosponsor this bill and stand with communities that depend on local media to stay informed, connected, and heard. PEG channels are lifelines for civic engagement and public education, especially in times of crisis, and they shouldn’t be collateral damage in a corporate accounting maneuver. This legislation restores the original promise Congress made: that local governments should have the tools they need to meet community needs without being forced to choose between vital services and local voices,” said Congressman Carter.
    The legislation is endorsed by Democratic Leader Schumer (D-N.Y), and Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Angus King (I-Me.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.).
    The Protecting Community Television Act is endorsed by Alliance for Community Media, National Association of Counties, National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors, National League of Cities, MassAccess, and Maine Community Media Association.
    “The Alliance for Community Media welcomes the re-introduction of the Protecting Community Television Act and want to thank Senator Markey and Representative Carter for their support for community access television. Passage of the Act will reduce fees that drain away monetary support for local community media channels across the country. At a time when we have fewer and fewer local journalists and reliable local information sources, cities and towns need community access television more than ever, and this bill will help sustain our operations,” said Mike Wassenaar, President & CEO, Alliance for Community Media.
    “Counties rely on public communications channels to disseminate local news and updates to residents in a timely manner,” said Matthew Chase, Executive Director of the National Association of Counties. “By preserving monetary support for public, educational and government channels through franchise fees, counties would ensure that essential local content remains accessible to residents. Counties thank Senators Ed Markey and Tammy Baldwin for introducing the Protecting Community Television Act and urge its swift passage”
    “The Protecting Community Television Act (PCTA) is elegant legislation that seeks to protect benefits consistent with the Cable Act and cable franchising principles since 1984.  In 2019, the Federal Communications Commission issued an order that undermines this ability by redefining the term “franchise fees” as used in the Cable Act and substituting its definition for that written by Congress in 1984. The Protecting Community Television Act remedies that altered meaning by protecting local public, educational and community access television so folks in communities across the country can continue to access relevant and timely local news that they rely on. Thanks to Senators Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.) and Congressman Troy Carter (D-LA) for continuing to advocate for the PCTA, which reaffirms Congress’ original intent to protect the long-standing ability of local governments to manage public property and provide for local media through public, educational and governmental access channels (PEG Access) in cable franchise agreements,” said Mike Lynch, Legislative Director for National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Dmitry Chernyshenko: Seven winners of the third wave of selection of research centers in the field of artificial intelligence will receive 4.7 billion rubles

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Government of the Russian Federation – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    At the Government Coordination Centre, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko presented the results of the selection of the third wave of research centres in the field of artificial intelligence (AI). The winning universities and research organisations will receive grants to conduct research and create breakthrough world-class industry solutions.

    Dmitry Chernyshenko reported that the winners were HSE University, Innopolis, ISP RAS, ITMO University, MIPT, Skoltech, and for the first time, Lomonosov Moscow State University will be involved in the research.

    “Each of the seven selected third wave centers will receive 676 million rubles for two years – until 2026 – to conduct fundamental research in the field of strong, trusted, multi-agent AI. The total amount of budget funding will be 4.7 billion rubles for all centers,” he added.

    The Deputy Prime Minister noted that President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin set the task of focusing on fundamental areas in the field of AI and conducting research in other areas, but with the mandatory use of AI technologies. Within the framework of the federal project “Artificial Intelligence”, the operator of which is the Ministry of Economic Development, a grant competition is being held for research centers.

    “Investments in AI research centers have already proven their effectiveness. The first wave of centers dealt with issues of strong, trusted, ethical artificial intelligence. The second wave is dedicated to industry research for medicine, transport, industry and smart cities. These centers create almost half of all Russian scientific groundwork in AI. President Vladimir Putin set the task of publishing at least 450 papers at top-level conferences in the field of AI in the world by 2030 – A*. We see that investments are achieving results, so the Government continues to develop such support programs,” Dmitry Chernyshenko emphasized.

    He added that an important foresight session on fundamental and exploratory research in the field of AI was held in 2024. At it, leading Russian scientists with a global reputation identified 10 priority areas for the development of science in the field of artificial intelligence in the coming years.

    “These areas are a strategic benchmark for public investment, which, as a rule, also attracts off-budget investment. The selection of the third wave was carried out taking into account these priorities, and we plan to conduct further research in Russia in relation to them. The Ministry of Economic Development and the Ministry of Education and Science are also preparing a unified research program in the field of AI, which will consolidate this logic,” concluded Dmitry Chernyshenko.

    He asked the selected centers to support the winners and prize winners of the AI Olympiads, who also took part in the event.

    A total of 19 applications from centers from 10 regions of Russia were submitted for selection. The centers’ programs state the key areas of foresight in fundamental and exploratory research in the field of AI, conducted in 2024: agent/multi-agent systems, elements of strong AI, fundamental and generative AI models.

    “Artificial intelligence today has a significant impact on the development of many sectors of the economy. On the instructions of the President, the national strategy for the development of AI until 2030 is being implemented. Support for the activities of research centers in this area is a critically important tool that allows us to create a research base for the comprehensive development of sovereign AI in the country,” said First Deputy Minister of Economic Development Maxim Kolesnikov.

    Grigory Bokov, Director of the Research Center for Artificial Intelligence at Lomonosov Moscow State University, said that the goal of their center is to develop modern artificial intelligence technologies, including in the direction of so-called general artificial intelligence, capable of solving a wide range of problems, just as humans do.

    “We combine deep scientific research with applied developments that can already be in demand in the economy, industry, medicine and education. The project involves specialists from seven departments of Moscow State University, including leading Russian and foreign scientists,” he said.

    Expert support for the competitive selection and subsequent support for the implementation of research center activity programs is provided by the Strategic Agency for Support and Formation of AI Developments (SAPFIR), a project office created on the basis of the Skolkovo Foundation.

    “In the next two years, SAPFIR will focus on supporting research centers to achieve all their goals in both the scientific and commercial parts. Their activities will contribute to the creation of a technological reserve for Russia in the field of artificial intelligence, as well as attracting and developing the best personnel in the country,” said SAPFIR Director Tatyana Soyuznova.

    Let us recall that in 2021, the first wave of research centers in the field of AI was selected as part of the federal project “Artificial Intelligence” (national program “Digital Economy”). Six scientific and educational organizations received state support totaling more than 8 billion rubles. Their work resulted in 165 articles in leading scientific journals, 206 publications at top-level conferences, as well as the creation and support of 15 frameworks. Together with 36 industrial partners, including Sber, Yandex, MTS and other large companies, the centers have already implemented about 50 applied solutions.

    As part of the second selection wave, support was received by industry AI centers based at leading universities and research centers, such as the N.N. Blokhin National Medical Research Center of Oncology, S.P. Korolev Samara University, and others. These centers focus on training industry specialists, creating databases, and supporting specialized frameworks. RUB 3.8 billion from the federal budget has been allocated to finance their activities in 2023–2026.

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Securing a Healthier Future for SUNY Downstate

    Source: US State of New York

    overnor Kathy Hochul today received the Downstate Community Advisory Board proposal for the more than $1 billion State reinvestment in SUNY Downstate’s hospital. Following months of community input and engagement, the advisory board advanced a proposal that aims to stabilize and renovate the facility and deliver a modern hospital to Central Brooklyn.

    “Central Brooklyn deserves world-class health care, and with this historic $1 billion investment, we’re securing a brighter, healthier future for SUNY Downstate and the communities it serves,” Governor Hochul said. “This plan was shaped by the voices of those who know and rely on Downstate — community members, faculty and staff — and their input was critical to getting this right. I’m grateful to SUNY and the advisory board for their commitment to building a strong, sustainable future SUNY Downstate, and I look forward to thoroughly reviewing the proposed plan.”

    The proposal from the advisory board will:

    • Retain all current inpatient and outpatient services, including maternity and kidney transplant services
    • Convert all double occupancy rooms to private rooms with showers and add additional rooms, resulting in 225 operational beds (with the goal of increasing the current 165 average daily census)
    • Modernize and expand the emergency department to 45 stations
    • Establish/renovate dedicated inpatient specialty units for cardiology, oncology, and orthopedics
    • Build a new hospital annex, including a state-of-the-art ambulatory surgery center that expands services in oncology and cardiology
    • Address the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing infrastructure issues that have resulted in repeated system failures
    • Improve leadership and operations to achieve greater operational sustainability

    SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. said, “SUNY Downstate has long served as a cornerstone of care for Brooklynites – and as a result of Governor Hochul’s leadership and investment, it will continue to do so long into the future. Thank you to Governor Hochul, to the advisory board, and to every community member who contributed to this proposal that will ensure a strong and sustainable SUNY Downstate hospital for the communities we are proud to serve.”

    The advisory board’s task was to consider recommendations to establish a reasonable, scalable and fiscally responsible plan for the financial health, viability, and sustainability of SUNY Downstate within a range of available funds.

    The advisory board – consisting of healthcare and community leaders – worked throughout the past nearly six months to gather input and ideas directly from the community to inform the proposal. Over the course of their deliberations, the advisory board:

    • Held four public hearings (one more than statutorily required) on January 22, February 27, March 13, and April 28, with two in Community Board #9 and two in Community Board #17
    • Met with numerous community stakeholders including the SUNY Downstate Medical School Department Chairs, the Brooklyn for Downstate advocacy group (twice), the leadership at SUNY Downstate, and other regional healthcare providers
    • Carefully reviewed analysis of the community health needs (including the Brooklyn for Downstate data needs analysis and recommendations for the future of SUNY Downstate, the Community Health Needs Assessment 2022 prepared by the NYC Health & Hospitals, and the New York State Department of Health’s Study of Healthcare System Inequities and Perinatal Access in Brooklyn report), Downstate Hospital’s financials, and the condition of Downstate Hospital’s physical plant
    • Engaged a team of consultants to provide expert analysis, infrastructure assessment, financial modeling, architectural and engineering scenarios, and coordination, including ADENA Consulting Group, LLC, QPK Design, Ramboll, Ewing Cole, and Kaufman Hall. In addition, at stakeholders’ request, the advisory board engaged Deloitte to independently assess the reasonableness of the financial modeling and identify options to reduce the ongoing operating deficit.

    After gathering public and stakeholder input over many months, the approach now recommended by the advisory board was presented to the public as an option under consideration at the fourth public hearing on April 28. View materials from the public hearings here.

    Downstate’s hospital provides inpatient and outpatient health care services in Central Brooklyn and leads in research and scholarship to address health disparities in New York City and across the state.

    Last year, SUNY Downstate’s hospital faced a $100 million annual deficit and was at risk of being unable to operate without additional funding, while contending with a hospital facility in disrepair and vulnerable to major crises, including recent major infrastructure incidents.

    In response, Governor Hochul worked with the Legislature and SUNY to develop a plan to engage community leaders in developing a sustainable future for Downstate and provided a historic capital investment. The Governor championed $750 million in capital funding for SUNY Downstate’s hospital in the 2024-25 and 2025-26 Enacted State Budgets, and directed SUNY to dedicate its anticipated $50 million annual capital allocations in each of the next seven years to bring the total investment to more than $1 billion.

    SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University President Dr. Wayne J. Riley said, “This plan represents an extraordinary investment in SUNY Downstate’s hospital and a bright future for our patients, our students, and our faculty and staff. I want to thank Governor Hochul, the Brooklyn legislative delegation, the SUNY Board of Trustees and Chancellor King, the faculty and staff of SUNY Downstate, and the faith leaders, labor organizations, and other community stakeholders who have worked together to envision a strong and achievable future for SUNY Downstate.”

    SUNY Trustee and Chair of the Academic Medical Centers and Hospitals Committee Eric Corngold said, “SUNY is proud of the unique and important role SUNY Downstate plays in Central Brooklyn and New York State. We are committed to a strong and sustainable future for SUNY Downstate and grateful to Governor Hochul for a historic investment in SUNY Downstate’s hospital.”

    New York State Health Commissioner Dr. James V. McDonald said, “Governor Hochul has shown a strong commitment to strengthening health care across New York—from expanding mental health services to supporting the nursing workforce and modernizing medical facilities. Investing in SUNY Downstate’s hospital is a critical step that will improve health outcomes and better serve the residents of Central Brooklyn.”

    SUNY Downstate Chair of the Department of Community and Family Health Dr. Enitza George, M.D., MBA, MSAI. said, “After six months of working with the DCAB members, I believe these recommendations truly reflect our commitment to listening to the community. We carefully considered what’s needed and balanced it with what’s possible given the current funding. I’m genuinely excited about what’s next—for Brooklyn as a whole and for Downstate in particular.”

    SUNY Downstate Community Advisory Board Member Pastor Louis Hilton Straker Jr. said, “Reinvesting in Downstate will not only mean improved care, it will also mean a sense of safety and dignity for Central Brooklynites. Over the last year, we’ve seen how different voices and perspectives can enter a room and come together to deliver for our communities. Let Downstate serve as a sign of hope on what we can do when New Yorkers stand by each other and insist on solutions.”

    SUNY Downstate Community Advisory Board Member Dr. Lesly Kernisant said, “In my decades of caring for Brooklyn patients, a simple fact is clear: modern facilities and comprehensive services lead to improved care. This investment in SUNY Downstate’s future–which includes vital support for maternal health care–marks an important moment in the collective effort to reduce health disparities and secure a better future for our community.”

    Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said, “Securing this historic investment in SUNY Downstate is a major victory for Brooklyn—preserving critical services, modernizing the hospital, and reaffirming our commitment to equitable, high-quality care. By establishing the Community Advisory Board, we ensured that the voices of patients, workers, and the community were central to every discussion about Downstate’s future. I applaud Senator Myrie and all my Brooklyn colleagues whose tireless advocacy made this moment possible and who continue to lead the charge toward the full revitalization of SUNY Downstate Medical Center.”

    Assemblymember Amy Paulin said, “Securing $1 billion for Downstate is historic – I applaud Governor Hochul and the community leaders who helped shape this proposal. This is an important moment to be investing in our healthcare ecosystem, and Downstate’s modernization can serve as a model for vulnerable facilities across the state.”

    Assemblymember Brian Cunningham said, “As the representative for Central Brooklyn and SUNY Downstate, I have made it a priority to advocate to Governor Hochul and legislative leaders for the investments this hospital needs to serve our community and the city. Through this year’s budget process, we fought to secure critical funding for Downstate and for the healthcare infrastructure that so many New Yorkers rely on. With federal threats to Medicaid mounting, this new commitment from the state could not be more important. I commend the Governor for her leadership in protecting access to care and driving equity across the healthcare system.

    Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn said, “SUNY Downstate was founded 165 years ago, and served as a vital healthcare institution and safety-net hospital, helping over 300,000 Brooklynites annually, regardless of their ability to pay. In recent years, our borough’s only academic medical center kept trying to provide innovative, high-quality-care for all, while its 19th century infrastructure crumbled; putting the Downstate Hospital in serious peril; while leaving our most vulnerable constituents with next-to-nothing for healthcare. Gov. Hochul took decisive action, when other leaders swept this problem under the rug, and worked with the Brooklyn Delegation and our communities to deliver a one billion-dollar solution ensuring a bright future for SUNY Downstate and the Brooklynites who depend on it. Thank you to the Advisory Board for providing a blueprint to revitalize SUNY Downstate into a world-class, state-of-the-art health center that will truly save the lives of Brooklynites today and for decades to come.”

    New York City Council Member Farah N. Louis said, “I wholeheartedly applaud Governor Hochul for this historic and transformative $1 billion investment in SUNY Downstate Medical Center—a bold commitment that demonstrates extraordinary leadership and responsiveness to the urgent needs of Central Brooklyn residents. Knowing that this funding will restore full inpatient and outpatient care over 200 beds is a massive achievement in our fight to save this institution. As our community continues to advocate for a transformative and responsive investment, I am proud that our concerns were heard to bring modernized facilities and high-quality services to the working-class families of Central Brooklyn. Governor Hochul listened to the needs of our neighborhoods and I look forward to the strengthening of this essential institution.”

    New York City Council Member Mercedes Narcisse said, “This $1 billion investment and the restoration of 225 beds are crucial steps in ensuring Downstate stays open and continues to serve our community. I am deeply grateful to Governor Hochul for her leadership and unwavering commitment to preserving this essential healthcare institution in Central Brooklyn. By implementing the majority of the Downstate Community Advisory Board’s recommendations, we are listening to those who know best and ensuring a brighter, healthier future for all who rely on Downstate.”

    Bishop Orlando Findlayter said, “We’ve seen private hospitals across the city close or limit services in recent years, which has been a rising threat to the healthcare of New Yorkers in underserved communities. But thanks to leadership from the Governor and our local community, Downstate will ensure the long-term commitment of all existing inpatient and outpatient services, and will serve as a beacon of care and community.”

    Assemblymember Latrice Walker said, “The release of the Downstate Community Advisory proposal for the reinvestment of more than $1 billion is a victory for the entire Central Brooklyn community, including the constituents of my district who rely on SUNY Downstate Hospital. I’d like to thank all the people who have fought so hard to get us to this point. That includes advocates, SUNY leadership, lawmakers, union leaders, and members of the faith and medical communities. And, of course, we would not be at this critical juncture without the leadership of Gov. Kathy Hochul. The proposal, which follows months of community input, retains kidney transplant and maternity services – which are priorities for my community, as we battle high rates of diabetes and fight for better Black maternal health outcomes. I look forward to the modernization of the emergency department, infrastructure upgrades and many other improvements stemming from the proposal. We have collectively struck a decisive blow in the ongoing effort to combat health disparities in Brooklyn communities of color. The quality of one’s care should not be determined by zip code.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: African Medical Centre of Excellence (AMCE) Opens its Doors to the Public as it Seeks to Transform Healthcare in Africa

    Source: Africa Press Organisation – English (2) – Report:

    ABUJA, Nigeria, June 5, 2025/APO Group/ —

    The African Medical Centre of Excellence (AMCE) officially opened today, marking a historic milestone in Africa’s journey towards healthcare sovereignty. The US$300 million tertiary medical facility, developed by African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) (www.Afreximbank.com) in partnership with King’s College Hospital London, welcomed His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as guest of honour, represented by His Excellency, Senator Kashim Shettima, Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, alongside high-ranking Government and private sector officials, including the Minsters of Health, Finance, and Foreign Affairs, Nigeria Customs Services, Nigeria Immigration Services, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) and Bank of Industry (BOI), among others.

    Located in Abuja and designed to meet the highest global standards, AMCE Abuja offers world-class services across oncology, haematology, cardiology, and general medical services. More than a hospital, the facility represents a bold statement of Africa’s determination to reduce dependence on foreign health systems and reverse the estimated US$6-10 billion Africans spend annually seeking treatment abroad.

    The opening of AMCE Abuja comes at a critical time, as Africa seeks to strengthen its healthcare systems and reduce reliance on external providers. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the vulnerabilities of this reliance, with global supply shortages putting immense pressure on African nations. Similarly, past responses to health crises like Ebola have reinforced the urgent need for resilient, homegrown solutions. Decades after independence, millions of Africans continue to suffer from diseases like sickle cell and malaria, conditions that could be better managed with targeted local research and investment. Yet these illnesses often receive limited global attention or funding, leaving critical treatment gaps. AMCE Abuja represents a bold step forward, bringing world-class care to the continent, centering African health priorities, and laying the groundwork for a healthier, more self-reliant future. In strategic partnership with Bank of Industry (BOI), and Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL), AMCE reflects what’s possible when African institutions unite with shared purpose.

     “Today, we are not merely unveiling a building, we are making a bold, collective statement: we will no longer accept medical vulnerability as destiny. The African Medical Centre of Excellence stands as proof that Africa is ready to compete with the best in global healthcare. I commend Afreximbank and its visionary President, Professor Benedict Oramah, and salute the partnership with King’s College Hospital for turning this audacious dream into reality. This is what happens when African institutions confront African challenges with African solutions.

    “Over the past two years, we have taken deliberate steps to transform Nigeria’s health sector—from unlocking the healthcare value chain through the Presidential Initiative (PVAC), to expanding pharmaceutical production, regulatory systems, and diagnostic access, and securing over $2.2 billion in new investments through the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Initiative. But excellence must be sustained. That’s why we’re investing in the roads, power, and connectivity that enable great institutions to thrive. With the largest stem cell lab in West Africa and plans for a medical school, this Centre is more than a hospital, it is a place to heal the sick, and to train the future.” — H.E. Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Federal Republic of Nigeria, represented by H.E. Senator Kashim Shettima, Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria

    Commenting on the momentous achievement, Prof. Benedict Oramah, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of both Afreximbank and AMCE, thanked the Federal Government of Nigeria for providing the land on which the AMCE stands, adding: ” In 2013, I had my own close call when I became seriously ill and was evacuated to King’s College Hospital in London, where a frantic battle to save my life ensued. Being here today is a testament to the power of cutting-edge medical research, clinical knowledge, and a solid healthcare ecosystem. The event we mark today is proof that society is better off saving lives than burying its dead, and that it is a living person who can contribute to development and social transformation. This experience led me to conclude that one of the major contributions I could make to Africa was to help Afreximbank deliver on its health and medical strategy in every way possible. Our vision for the African Medical Centre of Excellence is not just to provide top-notch healthcare but to serve as a catalyst for the transformation of the African health sector, making a bold statement to the world that Africa is finally taking its destiny into its own hands in healthcare sovereignty and global standards.”

    President Oramah also announced the launch of the Africa Life Sciences Foundation to act as the vehicle for mobilising appropriate risk capital to drive research efforts and called on African and non-African governments, banks, high net worth individuals and corporate organisations to join the Bank in investing in the hospital, through this platform.

    Brian Deaver, Chief Executive Officer of AMCE, highlighted the facility’s comprehensive approach: “Today, we don’t just open a hospital—we launch a healthcare revolution for Africa. AMCE represents a paradigm shift in how specialised medical care is delivered on the continent. Our integrated model encompasses early diagnosis, advanced treatment, and long-term disease management, creating a seamless continuum of care that improves patient outcomes and health experiences.”

    He added: “Our mission extends beyond treatment to include world-class medical education, groundbreaking research, and continuous innovation. By combining international expertise with local talent development, AMCE will build sustainable healthcare capacity that serves generations to come.  

    AMCE’s opening signals a new era for Africa — one in which self-reliance replaces dependency, and world-class care is no longer the privilege of a few but the standard for many. By anchoring healthcare delivery, talent development, and innovation on the continent, AMCE is not just stemming the outflow of medical dollars, but redefining Africa’s place in the global health ecosystem.

    Through its clinical partnerships with King’s College Hospital, London and The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, AMCE will be home to advance research, education, and medical excellence by fostering continuous knowledge exchange. In its next phase, AMCE will expand to include a second 350-bed hospital, medical and nursing schools, a medical sciences foundation, research centres, and residential facilities. Together, this integrated ecosystem will position Nigeria as a leading hub for specialist healthcare, medical training, and clinical research on the continent.

    Professor Clive Kay, Chief Executive Officer of King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust said, “We are proud to partner with Afreximbank on this important initiative. The African Medical Centre of Excellence represents a positive step forward, and by bringing together world-class clinical standards, training, and research, we aim to share our expertise and support the development of a sustainable model of care that responds directly to the needs of African patients”.

    Now open, AMCE welcomes patients, healthcare professionals, researchers, and partners to join its mission of delivering world-class healthcare, fostering innovation, and building a healthier, more self-reliant Africa. AMCE is the largest specialised private hospital in Nigeria and West Africa focusing on cardiovascular services, haematology, comprehensive oncology, and general medical services. It currently boasts of 170 beds with a plan to expand this to 500 beds upon completion. It features the largest stem cell laboratory in the region, fifteen post stem cell isolation rooms in West Africa alongside five theatres and three catheterisation laboratories. It also features a 20 bed intensive care unit, six critical care unit beds and 20 chemotherapy chairs with compounding pharmacy among others. Some of the specialised equipment in Nigeria and the region are exclusively hosted by AMCE Abuja. They include the 18 Mev cyclotron, 3 Tesla Magnetic Resonance Imaging, 256 slices computed tomography, brachytherapy machine with iridium source, 4 biosafety cabinets and 128 slices computed tomography machines, among others. 

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Auburn Team Wins 2025 NASA Moon and Mars Design Competition

    Source: NASA

    A team from Auburn University took top honors in NASA’s 2025 Revolutionary Aerospace Systems – Academic Linkage (RASC-AL) Competition Forum, where undergraduate and graduate teams competed to develop new concepts for operating on the Moon, Mars and beyond. 
    Auburn’s project, “Dynamic Ecosystems for Mars Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS) Testing, Evaluation, and Reliability (DEMETER)” advised by Dr. Davide Guzzetti, took home top prize out of 14 Finalist Teams from academic institutions across the nation. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University took second place overall for their concept, “Adaptive Device for Assistance and Maintenance (ADAM),” advised by Dr. Kevin Shinpaugh. The University of Maryland took third place overall with their project, “Servicing Crane Outfitted Rover for Payloads, Inspection, Operations, N’stuff (SCORPION),” advised by Dr. David Akin, Nich Bolatto, and Charlie Hanner. 
    The first and second place overall winning teams will present their work at the 2025 AIAA Accelerating Space Commerce, Exploration, and New Discovery (ASCEND) Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada in July. 

    The RASC-AL Competition, which took place from June 2-4, 2025, in Cocoa Beach, Florida, is a unique initiative designed to bridge the gap between academia and the aerospace industry, empowering undergraduate and graduate students to apply their classroom knowledge to real-world challenges in space exploration. This year’s themes included “Sustained Lunar Evolution – An Inspirational Moment,” “Advanced Science Missions and Technology Demonstrators for Human-Mars Precursor Campaign,” and “Small Lunar Servicing and Maintenance Robot.”  
    “The RASC-AL Competition cultivates students who bring bold, imaginative thinking to the kinds of complex challenges we tackle at NASA,” said Dan Mazanek, RASC-AL program sponsor and senior space systems engineer at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. “These teams push the boundaries of what’s possible in space system design and offer new insights. These insights help build critical engineering capabilities, preparing the next generation of aerospace leaders to step confidently into the future of space exploration.” 
    As NASA continues to push the boundaries of space exploration, the RASC-AL Competition stands as an opportunity for aspiring aerospace professionals to design real-world solutions to complex problems facing the Agency. By engaging with the next generation of innovators, NASA can collaborate with the academic community to crowd-source new solutions for the challenges of tomorrow. 
    Additional 2025 Forum Awards include: 
    Best in Theme: Sustained Lunar Evolution: An Inspirational Moment 

    Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University 

    Project Title: Project Aeneas 

    Advisor: Dr. Kevin Shinpaugh 

    Best in Theme: Advanced Science Missions and Technology Demonstrators for Human-Mars Precursor Campaign 

    Auburn University 

    Project Title: Dynamic Ecosystems for Mars ECLSS Testing, Evaluation, and Reliability (DEMETER) 

    Advisor: Dr. Davide Guzzetti 

    Best in Theme: Small Lunar Servicing and Maintenance Robot 

    Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University 

    Project Title: Adaptive Device for Assistance and Maintenance (ADAM) 

    Advisor: Dr. Kevin Shinpaugh 

    Best Prototype: South Dakota State University 

    Project Title: Next-gen Operations and Versatile Assistant (NOVA) 

    Advisor: Dr. Todd Letcher, Allea Klauenberg, Liam Murray, Alex Schaar, Nick Sieler, Dylan Stephens, Carter Waggoner 

    RASC-AL is open to undergraduate and graduate students studying disciplines related to human exploration, including aerospace, bio-medical, electrical, and mechanical engineering, and life, physical, and computer sciences. RASC-AL projects allow students to incorporate their coursework into space exploration objectives in a team environment and help bridge strategic knowledge gaps associated with NASA’s vision. Students have the opportunity to interact with NASA officials and industry experts and develop relationships that could lead to participation in other NASA student research programs.   
    RASC-AL is sponsored by the Strategies and Architectures Office within the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters, and by the Space Mission Analysis Branch within the Systems Analysis and Concepts Directorate at NASA Langley. It is administered by the National Institute of Aerospace.   
    For more information about the RASC-AL competition, including complete theme and submission guidelines, visit: http://rascal.nianet.org. 
    National Institute of Aerospace

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NASA Earth Scientist Elected to National Academy of Sciences

    Source: NASA

    Earth scientist Compton J. Tucker has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences for his work creating innovative tools to track the planet’s changing vegetation from space. It’s research that has spanned nearly 50 years at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, where he is a visiting scientist after retiring in March. 
    Tucker’s research began with identifying wavelengths of light that are absorbed or reflected as plants undergo photosynthesis, and has evolved into calculating the health and productivity of vegetation over time with satellites. 
    “I’m honored and surprised,” Tucker said of his election. “There were opportunities at the Goddard Space Flight Center that have enabled this work that couldn’t be found elsewhere. There were people who built satellites, who understood satellite data, and had the computer code to process it. All the work I’ve done has been part of a team, with other people contributing in different ways. Working at NASA is a team effort of science and discovery that’s fun and intellectually rewarding.” 

    Tucker earned his master’s and doctoral degrees from Colorado State University, where he worked on a National Science Foundation-funded project analyzing spectrometer data of grassland ecosystems. In 1975, he came to NASA Goddard as a postdoctoral fellow and used what he learned in his graduate work to modify the imager on National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) meteorological satellites and modify Landsat’s thematic mapper instrument. 
    He became a civil servant at the agency in 1977, and continued work with radiometers to study vegetation – first with handheld devices, then with NOAA’s Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer satellite instruments.  He has also used data from Landsat satellites, Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer instruments, and commercial satellites. His scientific papers have been cited 100,000 times, and one of his recent studies mapped 10 billion individual trees across Africa’s drylands to inventory carbon storage at the tree level.
    “The impact of Compton Tucker’s work over the last half-century at Goddard is incredible,” said Dalia Kirschbaum, director of the Earth Sciences Division at NASA Goddard. “Among his many achievements, he essentially developed the technique of using satellites to study photosynthesis from plants, which people have used to monitor droughts, forecast crop shortages, defeat the desert locust, and even predict disease outbreaks. This is a well-deserved honor.”

    The National Academy of Sciences was proposed by Abraham Lincoln and established by Congress in 1863, charged with advising the United States on science and technology. Each year, up to 120 new members are elected “in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research,” according to the organization.
    In addition his role as a visiting scientist at Goddard, Tucker is also an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland and a consulting scholar at the University of Pennsylvania’s University Museum. He was awarded the National Air and Space Collins Trophy for Current Achievement in 1993 and the Vega Medal by the Swedish Society of Anthropology and Geography in 2014. He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Geophysical Union, and won the Senior Executive Service Presidential Rank Award for Meritorious Service in 2017, among other honors. 
    By Kate Ramsayer
    NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NASA’s IXPE Obtains First X-ray Polarization Measurement of Magnetar Outburst

    Source: NASA

    What happens when the universe’s most magnetic object shines with the power of 1000 Suns in a matter of seconds? Thanks to NASA’s IXPE (Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer), a mission in collaboration with ASI (Italian Space Agency), scientists are one step closer to understanding this extreme event. 
    Magnetars are a type of young neutron star – a stellar remnant formed when a massive star reaches the end of its life and collapses in on itself, leaving behind a dense core roughly the mass of the Sun, but squashed down to the size of a city. Neutron stars display some of the most extreme physics in the observable universe and present unique opportunities to study conditions that would otherwise be impossible to replicate in a laboratory on Earth.

    The magnetar 1E 1841-045, located in the remnants of a supernova (SNR Kes 73) nearly 28,000 light-years from Earth, was observed to be in a state of outburst by NASA’s Swift, Fermi, and NICER telescopes on August 21, 2024. 
    A few times a year, the IXPE team approves requests to interrupt the telescope’s scheduled observations to instead focus on unique and unexpected celestial events. When magnetar 1E 1841-045 entered this brighter, active state, scientists decided to redirect IXPE to obtain the first-ever polarization measurements of a flaring magnetar.
    Magnetars have magnetic fields several thousand times stronger than most neutron stars and host the strongest magnetic fields of any known object in the universe. Disturbances to their extreme magnetic fields can cause a magnetar to release up to a thousand times more X-ray energy than it normally would for several weeks. This enhanced state is called an outburst, but the mechanisms behind them are still not well understood. 
    Through IXPE’s X-ray polarization measurements, scientists may be able to get closer to uncovering the mysteries of these events. Polarization carries information about the orientation and alignment of the emitted X-ray light waves; the higher the degree of polarization, the more the X-ray waves are traveling in sync, akin to a tightly choreographed dance performance. Examining the polarization characteristics of magnetars reveals clues about the energetic processes producing the observed photons as well as the direction and geometry of the magnetar magnetic fields. 
    The IXPE results, aided by observations from NASA’s NuSTAR and NICER telescopes, show that the X-ray emissions from 1E 1841-045 become more polarized at higher energy levels while still maintaining the same direction of propagation. A significant contribution to this high polarization degree comes from the hard X-ray tail of 1E 1841-045, an energetic magnetospheric component dominating the highest photon energies observed by IXPE. “Hard X-rays” refer to X-rays with shorter wavelengths and higher energies than “soft X-rays.” Although prevalent in magnetars, the mechanics driving the production of these high energy X-ray photons are still largely unknown. Several theories have been proposed to explain this emission, but now the high polarization associated with these hard X-rays provide further clues into their origin.

    The results are presented in two papers published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, one led by Rachael Stewart, a PhD student at George Washington University, and the other by Michela Rigoselli of the Italian National Institute of Astrophysics..  
    “This unique observation will help advance the existing models aiming to explain magnetar hard X-ray emission by requiring them to account for this very high level of synchronization we see among these hard X-ray photons,” said Stewart. “This really showcases the power of polarization measurements in constraining physics in the extreme environments of magnetars.”
    Rigoselli, lead author of the companion paper, added, “It will be interesting to observe 1E 1841-045 once it has returned to its quiescent, baseline state to follow the evolution of its polarimetric properties.”
    IXPE is a space observatory built to discover the secrets of some of the most extreme objects in the universe. Launched in December 2021 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on a Falcon 9 rocket, the IXPE mission is part of NASA’s Small Explorer series. 
    IXPE, which continues to provide unprecedented data enabling groundbreaking discoveries about celestial objects across the universe, is a joint NASA and Italian Space Agency mission with partners and science collaborators in 12 countries. IXPE is led by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. BAE Systems, headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, manages spacecraft operations together with the University of Colorado’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics in Boulder.
    Learn more about IXPE’s ongoing mission here:
    https://www.nasa.gov/ixpe
    Media Contact
    Elizabeth LandauNASA Headquarterselizabeth.r.landau@nasa.gov202-358-0845
    Lane FigueroaMarshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.lane.e.figueroa@nasa.gov256.544.0034 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NASA’s PACE Mission Reveals a Year of Terrestrial Data on Plant Health

    Source: NASA

    A lot can change in a year for Earth’s forests and vegetation, as springtime and rainy seasons can bring new growth, while cooling temperatures and dry weather can bring a dieback of those green colors. And now, a novel type of NASA visualization illustrates those changes in a full complement of colors as seen from space.

    [embedded content]
    Researchers have now gathered a complete year of PACE data to tell a story about the health of land vegetation by detecting slight variations in leaf colors. Previous missions allowed scientists to observe broad changes in chlorophyll, the pigment that gives plants their green color and also allows them to perform photosynthesis. But PACE now allows scientists to see three different pigments in vegetation: chlorophyll, anthocyanins, and carotenoids. The combination of these three pigments helps scientists pinpoint even more information about plant health. Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center

    NASA’s Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) satellite is designed to view Earth’s microscopic ocean plants in a new lens, but researchers have proved its hyperspectral use over land, as well.
    Previous missions measured broad changes in chlorophyll, the pigment that gives plants their green color and also allows them to perform photosynthesis. Now, for the first time, PACE measurements have allowed NASA scientists and visualizers to show a complete year of global vegetation data using three pigments: chlorophyll, anthocyanins, and carotenoids. That multicolor imagery tells a clearer story about the health of land vegetation by detecting the smallest of variations in leaf colors.
    “Earth is amazing. It’s humbling, being able to see life pulsing in colors across the whole globe,” said Morgaine McKibben, PACE applications lead at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “It’s like the overview effect that astronauts describe when they look down at Earth, except we are looking through our technology and data.”

    Anthocyanins are the red pigments in leaves, while carotenoids are the yellow pigments – both of which we see when autumn changes the colors of trees. Plants use these pigments to protect themselves from fluctuations in the weather, adapting to the environment through chemical changes in their leaves. For example, leaves can turn more yellow when they have too much sunlight but not enough of the other necessities, like water and nutrients. If they didn’t adjust their color, it would damage the mechanisms they have to perform photosynthesis.
    In the visualization, the data is highlighted in bright colors: magenta represents anthocyanins, green represents chlorophyll, and cyan represents carotenoids. The brighter the colors are, the more leaves there are in that area. The movement of these colors across the land areas show the seasonal changes over time.
    In areas like the evergreen forests of the Pacific Northwest, plants undergo less seasonal change. The data highlights this, showing comparatively steadier colors as the year progresses.
    The combination of these three pigments helps scientists pinpoint even more information about plant health.
    “Shifts in these pigments, as detected by PACE, give novel information that may better describe vegetation growth, or when vegetation changes from flourishing to stressed,” said McKibben. “It’s just one of many ways the mission will drive increased understanding of our home planet and enable innovative, practical solutions that serve society.”
    The Ocean Color Instrument on PACE collects hyperspectral data, which means it observes the planet in 100 different wavelengths of visible and near infrared light. It is the only instrument – in space or elsewhere – that provides hyperspectral coverage around the globe every one to two days. The PACE mission builds on the legacy of earlier missions, such as Landsat, which gathers higher resolution data but observes a fraction of those wavelengths.
    In a paper recently published in Remote Sensing Letters, scientists introduced the mission’s first terrestrial data products.
    “This PACE data provides a new view of Earth that will improve our understanding of ecosystem dynamics and function,” said Fred Huemmrich, research professor at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, member of the PACE science and applications team, and first author of the paper. “With the PACE data, it’s like we’re looking at a whole new world of color. It allows us to describe pigment characteristics at the leaf level that we weren’t able to do before.”
    As scientists continue to work with these new data, available on the PACE website, they’ll be able to incorporate it into future science applications, which may include forest monitoring or early detection of drought effects.
    By Erica McNamee
    NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Jack Kaye Retires After a Storied Career at NASA

    Source: NASA

    Jack Kaye [NASA HQ—Associate Director for Research, Earth Science Division (ESD)] has decided to retire on April 30, 2025, following 42 years of service to NASA – see Photo 1. Most recently, Kaye served as associate director for research of the Earth Science Division (ESD) within NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD). In this position, he was responsible for the research and data analysis programs for Earth System Science that addressed the broad spectrum of scientific disciplines from the stratopause to the poles to the oceans.

    A New York native, Kaye’s interest in space was piqued as a child watching early NASA manned space launches on television. He would often write to NASA to get pictures of the astronauts. In high school, he started an after school astronomy club. Despite a youthful interest in Earth science, as he explained in a 2014 “Maniac Talk” at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Kaye pursued a slightly different academic path. He obtained a Bachelor’s of Science in chemistry from Adelphi University in 1976 and a Ph.D. in theoretical physical chemistry at the California Institute of Technology in 1982. For his graduate studies, he focused on the quantum mechanics of chemical reactions with an aim toward being able to understand and calculate the activity.
    Following graduate school, Kaye secured a post-doctoral position at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, where he studied the chemistry of Earth’s atmosphere with a focus on stratospheric ozone. It was while working in a group of meteorologists at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center that Kaye returned to his roots and refocused his scientific energy on studying Earth.
    “NASA had a mandate to study stratospheric ozone,” Kaye said in an interview in 2009. “I got involved in looking at satellite observations and especially trying to interpret satellite observations of stratospheric composition and building models to simulate things, to look both ways, to use the models and use the data.”
    Kaye has held numerous science and leadership positions at NASA. He began his career at GSFC as a researcher for the Stratospheric General Circulation and Chemistry Modeling Project (SGCCP) from 1983–1990 working on stratospheric modeling.  In this role, he also worked on an Earth Observing System Interdisciplinary proposal.  His first role at NASA HQ was managing  as program scientist for the Atmospheric Chemistry Modeling and Analysis Program (ACMAP), as well as numerous other missions. In this role, he was a project scientist for the Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science (ATLAS) series of Shuttle missions. While managing ATLAS, Kaye oversaw the science carried out by a dozen instruments from several different countries. He also managed several other Earth Science missions during this time. See the link to Kaye’s “Maniac Talk.”
    Kaye entered the Senior Executive Service in 1999, where he continued to contribute to the agency by managing NASA’s Earth Science Research Program. In addition, Kaye has held temporary acting positions as deputy director of ESD and deputy chief scientist for Earth Science within SMD. Throughout his career he has focused on helping early-career investigators secure their first awards to establish their career path—see Photo 2.

    On numerous occasions, Kaye spoke to different groups emphasizing the agency’s unique role in both developing and utilizing cutting-edge technology, especially remote observations of Earth with different satellite platforms – see Photo 3. With the launch of five new NASA Earth science campaigns in 2020, Kaye stated, “These innovative investigations tackle difficult scientific questions that require detailed, targeted field observations combined with data collected by our fleet of Earth-observing satellites.”

    Kaye has also represented NASA in interagency and international activities and has been an active participant in the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), where he has served for many years as NASA principal of the Subcommittee on Global Change Research. He served as NASA’s representative to the Subcommittee on Ocean Science and Technology and chaired the World Meteorological Organization Expert Team on Satellite Systems. Kaye was named an honorary member of the Asia Oceania Geoscience Society in 2015. He previously completed a six-year term as a member of the Steering Committee for the Global Climate Observing System and currently serves an ex officio member of the National Research Council’s Roundtable on Science and Technology for Sustainability and the Chemical Sciences Roundtable, as well as a member of the Roundtable on Global Science Diplomacy.
    NASA has honored Kaye with numerous awards, including the Distinguished Service Medal in 2022 and the Meritorious Executive in the Senior Executive Service in 2004, 2010, and 2021. In 2024 he was awarded the NASA-USGS Pecora Individual Award honoring excellence in Earth Observation. He was named a Fellow by the American Meteorological Society in 2010 and by the American Association of the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in 2014. Kaye was elected to serve as an office of the Atmospheric and Hydrospheric Science section of the AAAS (2015–2018). AGU has recognized him on two occasions with a Citation for Excellence in Refereeing.
    Over the course of his career Kaye has published more than 50 papers, contributed to numerous reports, books, and encyclopedias, and edited the book Isotope Effects in Gas-Phase Chemistry for the American Chemical Society. In addition, he has attended the Leadership for Democratic Society program at the Federal Executive Institute and the Harvard Senior Managers in Government Program at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
    “The vantage point of space provides a way to look at the Earth globally, with the ability to observe Earth’s interacting components of air, water, land and ice, and both naturally occurring and human-induced processes,” Kaye said in a November 2024 article published by Penn State University. “It lets us look at variability on a broad range of spatial and temporal scales and given the decades of accomplishments, has allowed us to characterize and document Earth system variability on time scales from minutes to decades.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: In Memoriam: Dr. Stanley Sander

    Source: NASA

    Dr. Stanley Sander dedicated more than five decades to atmospheric science at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, beginning his JPL career as a graduate research assistant in 1971. A leading figure in atmospheric chemistry, Stan made foundational contributions to our understanding of stratospheric ozone depletion, tropospheric air pollution, and climate science related to greenhouse gases.
    His pioneering work in laboratory measurements—particularly of reaction rate constants, spectroscopy, and photochemistry—was designed to forge consensus among often disparate measurements.  His steadfast application of the scientific method was essential for furthering scientific research, as well as for providing sound advice for use in air quality management and environmental policies. His expertise extended beyond Earth’s atmosphere, with studies of methane chemistry on Mars, halogens on Venus, and hydrocarbons in Titan’s atmosphere.
    Stan’s scientific output was vast. He authored over 180 peer-reviewed publications, beginning with his 1976 paper on sulfur dioxide oxidation. His work spans major aspects of atmospheric chemistry—from chlorine, bromine, and nitrogen oxides to sulfur compounds and peroxides. The rate constants, cross-sections, and photochemical data produced in his lab form the cornerstone of atmospheric modeling crucial to the scientific foundation of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.  He played a central role in the widely used JPL Chemical Kinetics and Photochemical Data for Use in Atmospheric Studies reports, which have collectively garnered over 10,000 citations. His spectroscopic research, which included development of novel spectrometers and polarimeters, resulted in insightful data from sites at JPL, the Table Mountain Facility as well as the California Laboratory for Remote sensing (CLARS). These activities have contributed significantly to the calibration and validation of satellite missions like TES, OCO, OMI, and SAGE, helped advance remote sensing technologies, and informed local air quality metrics.
    Stan was not only a brilliant scientist but a deeply respected mentor and leader. He guided 40 postdocs at JPL, 14 graduate students at Caltech, and 14 undergraduate researchers. At JPL, he held key leadership roles including Supervisor of the Laboratory Studies and Modeling Group, Chief Engineer and Acting Chief Technologist in the Science Division, and Senior Research Scientist.  Those of us lucky enough to be fostered by Stan in this capacity will always remember his kindness first approach and steadfast resolve in the face of challenges.
    Stan’s contributions were recognized with numerous honors, including two NASA Exceptional Achievement Medals, a NASA Exceptional Service Medal, and elected as a fellow for both the American Geophysical Union (2021) and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2024). Although the announcement of his AAAS Fellowship came posthumously, he was informed of this honor before his passing.
    Stan was a rare combination of scientific brilliance, humility, and kindness. He was not only a leader in his field, but also a generous collaborator and cherished mentor. His loss is profoundly felt by the scientific community and by all who had the privilege of working with him. His legacy, however, will endure in those he mentored and the substantial contributions he made to scientific knowledge. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ramirez, Jacobs, Jayapal, Pocan, 18 Members of Congress Introduce Legislation to Condition Weapons to Israel, Save Lives

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Delia Ramirez – Illinois (3rd District)

    The legislation comes as the government of Netanyahu escalates ground operations in Gaza and the West Bank and the Trump Administration advocates for the displacement of Palestinians

    Washington, D.C. – Today, Members of Congress Delia C. Ramirez (IL-03), Sara Jacobs (CA-51), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), and Mark Pocan (WI-02)  led 18 members of Congress to introduce the Block the Bombs Act. The legislation would withhold the transfer of offensive weapons to Israel and demand Israel’s compliance with U.S. and international law. Given Netanyahu and Trump’s plan to continue and expand ground operations in Gaza and the West Bank and displace Palestinians, the Block the Bombs Act is an important and time-sensitive step to assert Congress’s oversight authority to protect civilians from starvation, displacement, and death.

    Watch the Press Conference

     

    Amid the negotiation of a new ceasefire deal, it is reported that the death toll in Gaza has surpassed 54,000 people, while the entire 2.1 million population of Gaza faces prolonged food shortages due to Israeli military blockades. Nearly half a million people are facing a possible famine, acute malnutrition, starvation, illness, and death. Since filing the bill, 36 people, including children, were killed while sleeping in a school-turned-shelter in Gaza City, and more than two dozen have been killed close to aid distribution points in Gaza. The actions of Netanyahu’s government in Gaza have been described by Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert as “war crimes” against Palestinians. 

    “Netanyahu and Trump are a lethal, unaccountable, extremist duo. Trump has bypassed Congressional oversight on weapons transfers. The Israeli government is currently escalating attacks on the civilian population of Gaza. They are both out of control. Congress needs to assert its oversight authority,” said Congresswoman Ramirez. “Enough is enough. By introducing the Block the Bombs Act, a broad coalition is listening to the American people who don’t want their taxpayers’ money to continue supporting gross violations of US, international, and humanitarian law.”

    “Self-defense cannot be justification for killing tens of thousands of people, imposing a humanitarian blockade, or forcing the displacement of a population. And yet, this is exactly what the Netanyahu Government has done for more than a year in Gaza. The United States shouldn’t facilitate this any longer by transferring offensive weapons to Israel that will be used to prolong and compound this mass suffering and death,” said Congresswoman Jacobs. “While I will always support the Iron Dome and other defensive systems, I believe we can’t in good conscience send offensive weapons systems that have caused significant civilian casualties and violated U.S. and international law.” 

    “This is a moment of great moral consequence. Over the past year and a half, the Government of Israel has repeatedly used U.S.-supplied weapons in violation of both international and U.S. laws,” said Jayapal. “We can no longer be complicit and allow our tax dollars to facilitate this violence and destruction. I am proud to co-lead this bill that would prevent the transfer of the most egregious offensive weapons to Israel without firm assurances that they will not be used indiscriminately against civilian populations.”

    “For the last year and a half, Benjamin Netanyahu has laid siege to Gaza, killing at least 54,000 people, repeatedly displacing the entire population, and cutting off access to desperately needed humanitarian aid,” said Congressman Pocan. “This commonsense bill will prevent more unchecked transfers of these offensive weapons systems that are used to violate international human rights laws and hopefully help bring this devastating conflict to an end.”

    The Block the Bombs Act requires Israel’s government to establish in writing the use of offensive weapons in accordance with US and International law, and it must be approved by Congress through a joint resolution. The legislation focuses on the worst-offending offensive weapons that are supplied by the US and have been involved in the grossest civilian casualties and documented violations of international law in Gaza. It does not impact Iron Dome or Israel’s ability to defend itself. 

    The bill is cosponsored by Representatives Becca Balint (VT-AL), André Carson (IN-07), Greg Casar (TX-35), Lloyd Doggett (TX-37), Veronica Escobar (TX-16) Maxwell Frost (FL-10), Jesús Chuy García (IL-04), Jonathan Jackson (IL-01), Hank Johnson (GA-04), Summer Lee (PA-12), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Lateefah Simon (CA-12), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Nydia Velázquez (NY-07), and Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12).

    It also has the support of local and national organizations like Adalah Justice Project, American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), Americans for Justice in Palestine Action (AJP Action), Amnesty International USA, Arab Resource & Organizing Center Action (AROC Action), Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC), Center for Constitutional Rights, Center for International Policy Advocacy, Center for Jewish Nonviolence, Christians for a Free Palestine, Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Defense for Children International – Palestine, Demand Progress, Emgage Action, Friends Committee on National Legislation, Global Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and United Church of Christ, Human Rights Watch, Illinois Muslim Action Network, IfNotNow Movement, IMEU Policy Project, Indivisible, Jewish Voice for Peace Action, Jews for Racial & Economic Justice (JFREJ), Justice Democrats, MADRE, MPower Change Action Fund, Muslim Advocates, New Internationalism Project, Institute for Policy Studies, Presbyterian Church (USA), Progressive Democrats of America (PDA), Rabbis for Ceasefire, Rising Majority, Sunrise Movement, The American Council for Judaism, The United Methodist Church – General Board of Church and Society, US Campaign for Palestinian Rights Action, US Council of Muslim Organizations (USCMO), Win Without War, Working Families Party

    “The Block the Bombs Act is a historic bill that prohibits the transfer and sale of specific U.S. weapons to Israel that the Israeli government has consistently used to commit atrocities against civilians in violation of both international and U.S. law,”” said Brad Parker, Associate Director of Policy at the Center for Constitutional Rights. “It’s a straightforward challenge to United States complicity in Israel’s genocidal campaign in Gaza as Israeli forces block humanitarian assistance and directly target schools, hospitals, and civilians. As the Israeli government escalates the murder, starvation, and forcible transfer of Palestinians with President Trump’s full support, we recognize and appreciate the bold leadership of Reps. Ramirez, Jacobs, Jayapal, and Pocan.”

    “Despite opportunities to change course, the Biden administration failed to do so. And now the Trump administration is failing to do so. They have to stop providing weapons to Israel, and they won’t do it without Congressional oversight. Which is why this Block the Bombs Bill is so important. It is your right to demand it, and we are standing with Congresswoman Ramirez to build support for it,” said Paul O’Brien, Executive Director of Amnesty International, during a press conference.

    “Our weapons have been used to inflict atrocity after atrocity against Palestinians in Gaza. This is why HR 3565, the Block the Bombs Act, is so necessary. By passing it, Congress will prevent the Trump administration from delivering more bombs, artillery shells, and tank rounds that would enable further atrocities against the Palestinian people,” expressed Josh Ruebner, Policy Director of IMEU, at a press conference. 

    “We’ve documented how the Israeli government has collectively punished the civilian population, deprived the population of objects indispensable to its survival, and used starvation as a weapon of war. This year, Human Rights Watch found that US officials are complicit in Israel’s war crimes and will remain so unless and until weapons are suspended. Legislation like the Block the Bombs Act is long overdue. We hope members will support this effort in recognition of the humanity and dignity of the population suffering in Gaza and to bring US actions in line with US and international law,” Ida Sawyer, Director for Crisis and Conflict of Human Rights Watch. 

    For photos and videos of the event, click here. 

    BACKGROUND:

    Israel’s war in Gaza began after a Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages. Israel’s military campaign has killed over 54,000 people, mostly women and children. The offensive has destroyed vast areas, displaced around 90% of the population, and left people almost completely reliant on international aid. According to the United Nations, Gaza is “the hungriest place on Earth. The agency warns that the entire Palestinian territory’s population is at risk of famine, given that the mission to deliver help is “one of the most obstructed aid operations in recent history.”

    At the moment, Hamas militants are still holding 58 hostages, around a third believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How Trump’s ‘gold standard’ politicizes federal science

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By H. Christopher Frey, Glenn E. Futrell Distinguished University Professor of Environmental Engineering, North Carolina State University

    President Donald Trump holds up an executive order promoting coal production, with Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin, left, and the secretaries of Interior and Energy behind him. AP Photo/Evan Vucci

    The first time Donald Trump was president, the head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency developed a regulation known as the “science transparency” rule. The administration liked to call it the “secret science” rule.

    “Transparency” sounds positive, but this rule instead prevented the EPA from using some of the best available science to protect human health.

    For example, it required the EPA to ignore or downplay studies that established links between exposure to chemicals and health damage if those studies were based on confidential patient information that could not be released to the public. The problem: Many health studies, including those underpinning many U.S. pollution rules, rely on confidential patient information.

    A U.S. District Court struck down the rule on procedural grounds a few weeks after it was issued. But now, the idea is back.

    Trump’s so-called Restoring Gold Standard Science executive order of May 23, 2025, resurrects many features of the EPA’s vacated rule, but it applies them to all federal agencies.

    To many readers, the executive order might sound reasonable. It mentions “transparency,” “reproducibility” and “uncertainty.” However, the devil is in the details.

    What’s wrong with transparency and reproducibility?

    “Transparency” implies that scientists should adequately explain all elements of their work, including hypotheses, methods, results and conclusions in a way that helps others see how those conclusions were reached.

    “Data transparency” is an expectation that scientists should share all data used in the study so other scientists can recalculate the results. This is also known as “reproducibility.”

    Trump’s executive order focuses on reproducibility. However, if there are errors in the data or methods of the original study, being able to reproduce its results may only ensure consistency but not scientific rigor.

    More important to scientific rigor is “replicability.” Replicability means different scientists, working with different data and different methods, can arrive at consistent findings. For example, studies of human exposure to a set of pollutants at different locations, and with different populations, that consistently find relationships to health effects, such as illness and premature death, can increase confidence in the findings.

    Replicability doesn’t require releasing confidential health data, as reproducibility would. Instead, it looks for the same results broadly from other sources.

    During the first Trump administration, people in cities across the U.S. participated in marches for science, protesting the administration’s actions to cut the use of scientific evidence out of policymaking.
    Michael Siluk/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

    The science transparency rule in the first Trump administration was intended to limit the EPA’s ability to consider epidemiologic studies like those that established the health harms from exposure to secondhand smoke and to PM2.5, fine particles often from pollution.

    Many large-scale studies that assess how exposure to pollution can harm human health are based on personal data collected according to strict protocols to ensure privacy. Preventing policymakers from considering those findings means they are left to make important decisions about pollution and chemicals without crucial evidence about the health risks.

    These attempts to create barriers to using valid science echoed tactics used by the tobacco industry from the 1960s well into the 1990s to deny that tobacco use harmed human health.

    Uncertainty: A matter of balance

    Trump’s new executive order also emphasizes “uncertainty.”

    In the first Trump administration, the EPA administrator and his hand-picked science advisers, none of whom were epidemiologists, focused on “uncertainty” in epidemiological studies used to inform decisions on air quality standards.

    The EPA’s scientific integrity policy requires that policymakers “shall not knowingly misrepresent, exaggerate, or downplay areas of scientific uncertainty associated with policy decisions.”

    That might sound reasonable. However, in the final 2020 rule for the nation’s PM2.5 air quality standard, EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler stated that “limitations in the science lead to considerable uncertainty” to justify not lowering the standard, the level considered unhealthy. PM2.5 comes largely from fossil fuel combustion in cars, power plants and factories.

    In contrast, an independent external group of scientific experts, which I was part of as an environmental engineer and former EPA adviser, reviewed the same evidence and came to a very different conclusion. We found clear scientific evidence supporting a more stringent standard for PM2.5.

    Skepticism versus denial

    The executive order also requires that science be conducted in a manner that is “skeptical of its findings and assumptions.”

    A true skeptic can be swayed to change an inference based on evidence, whereas a denialist holds a fixed view irrespective of evidence. Denialists tend to cherry-pick evidence, set impossible levels of evidence and engage in logical fallacies.

    The first Trump administration stacked the EPA Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee, which advises EPA on setting health-protective air quality standards, with opponents of environmental regulation, including people connected to industries the EPA regulates. The committee then amplified uncertainties. It also shifted the burden of proof in ways inconsistent with the statutory requirement to protect public health with an adequate margin of safety.

    The current administration has been dismantling science advisory committees in various agencies again and purging key EPA committees of independent experts.

    Who decides when politics trumps science

    According to Trump, “violations” of his executive order will be determined by a “senior appointee designated by the agency head.” This means a political appointee accountable to the White House. Thus, science in each federal agency will be politicized.

    The political appointee is required to “correct scientific information.”

    Anyone can file a “request for correction” regarding a published agency report. During the first Trump administration, chemical companies or their representatives repeatedly filed requests for changes to final EPA toxicity assessments on ethylene oxide and chloroprene. The administration delayed health-protective actions, which were finally addressed during the Biden administration for both chemicals.

    The request for correction process is intended to correct errors, not to bias assessments to be more favorable to industry and to delay protective actions.

    The bottom line on Trump’s ‘gold standard’

    While the language of the executive order may seem innocuous based on a casual reading, it risks undermining unbiased science in all federal agencies, subject to political whims.

    Setting impossible bars for “transparency” can mean regulators ignore relevant and valid scientific studies. Overemphasizing uncertainties can be used to raise doubt and unduly undermine confidence in robust findings.

    A politicized process also has the potential to punish federal employees and to ignore external peer reviewers who have the temerity to advance evidence-based findings contrary to White House ideology.

    Thus, this executive order could be used to deprive the American public of accurate and unbiased information regarding chemicals in the environment. That would prevent the development of effective evidence-based policies necessary for the protection of human health, rather than advancing the best available science.

    H. Christopher Frey receives funding from the California Air Resources Board via a research grant to North Carolina State University. He was on leave from NCSU to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from 2021 to 2024. From 2021 to 2022, he served as Deputy Assistant Administrator of Science Policy. From 2022-20224, he served as the senate-confirmed Assistant Administrator of the Office of Research and Development and concurrently served as the EPA Science Advisor. He was a member of the EPA Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee from 2008 to 2012, and chaired CASAC from 2012 to 2015.

    – ref. How Trump’s ‘gold standard’ politicizes federal science – https://theconversation.com/how-trumps-gold-standard-politicizes-federal-science-258277

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICE releases 2024 SEVP annual report

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s 2024 Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) annual report detailing trends in the foreign student population studying in the United States is now available. The 2024 calendar year report analyzes data in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), a web-based system that the Department of Homeland Security uses to maintain and manage information on foreign students and exchange visitors who enter the United States temporarily and solely for the purpose of pursuing a full course of study or participating in a U.S. Department of State-designated program.

    The total number of active F-1 and M-1 student records in SEVIS was 1,582,808 in calendar year 2024, an increase of 5.3 percent from calendar year 2023. These foreign students were from more than 229 countries and territories.

    Asia had the largest number of active foreign student records in the United States, with 1,134,953 foreign students, accounting for 71.7 percent of the foreign student population. The 422,335 foreign student records from India represented an increase of 11.8 percent compared to 2023, while the 329,541 foreign student records from China represented a small decrease of 0.25 percent compared to 2023.

    California schools enrolled the largest number of foreign students at 237,763 while New York schools enrolled the second largest number of foreign students at 172,522.

    Roughly 91 percent of all foreign students were enrolled in an SEVP-certified associate, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral program. Specifically, foreign students in the United States pursued 1,434,748 degrees in higher education, which is an increase of nearly 82,000 from calendar year 2023. Bachelor’s or master’s degrees were the most popular, accounting for 79 percent of higher education degrees sought.

    There was a decrease in the number of SEVP-certified schools eligible to enroll foreign students with 7,234 SEVP-certified schools in 2024 compared to 7,683 schools in 2023.

    In 2024, the total number of unique foreign student SEVIS records with work authorization through a form of practical training was 381,140. This number removes duplicate counts for foreign students who may have had more than one work authorization issued in 2024. Foreign students may participate in more than one type of training program in the course of a year and thus may be counted multiple times. The number of foreign students approved for each type of practical training without removing duplicates was 194,554 through (optional practical training) OPT, 95,384 through STEM OPT (science, technology, engineering and math optional practical training) and 130,586 through CPT (curricular practical training).

    The report lists the top 25 employers for students participating in pre- and post-completion OPT, STEM OPT and CPT in calendar year 2024.

    The full 2024 SEVIS by the Numbers report can be viewed online, as well as previous years SEVIS data. Both SEVP and the Department of State use SEVIS to maintain critical information that allows DHS to protect national security and monitor foreign students and exchange visitors.

    ICE reviews SEVIS records for potential violations and refers cases with possible national security concerns to its field offices for further investigation. Additionally, SEVP analyzes student and school records for administrative compliance with federal regulations related to studying in the United States.

    Learn more about SEVP

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Director General in Syria to Strengthen Cooperation in Safeguards, Cancer Care and Food Security

    Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

    IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi meets with the President of Syria, Ahmed Al-Sharaa in Damascus on 4 June 2025. (Photo: D. Candano/IAEA)

    The IAEA Director General has been in Syria this week to clarify remaining safeguards issues and support the country’s use of nuclear science and technology in the areas of human health, particularly cancer care and food and agriculture.

    Mr Grossi met President Ahmed Al-Sharaa in Damascus on 4 June and recognised “his courage in cooperating with full transparency to close a chapter of Syria’s past that diverted resources necessary for development.”

    Mr Grossi added: “With a new government committed to engaging with the international community, we have an opportunity to resolve outstanding issues.”

    “Immediate and unrestricted access” to sites relevant for inspections was granted by President Al-Sharaa, and the Director General confirmed that IAEA teams conducted verification activities during his visit.

    In his meeting with the Syrian President, Mr Grossi also announced a comprehensive programme to support the country with medical equipment and training for hospitals, as well as help in agriculture and water management. They also explored the possibility of nuclear power in Syria.

    During his visit, Mr Grossi also met Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani with whom he signed a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen cooperation in the areas of food security and cancer control. The IAEA will support Syria with medical equipment and hospital training, as well as with assistance in food and agriculture to enhance food safety and security.

    Advancing Cancer Care

    Each year, more than 1400 women in Syria are diagnosed with gynaecological cancer. For many, access to a specialized form of internal radiotherapy called brachytherapy could significantly improve chances of survival.

    To help these women receive the treatment they need, the IAEA, through its Rays of Hope Initiative, is working with local medical teams to build Syria’s first fully equipped brachytherapy suite at Al-Biruni Hospital in Damascus. This life-saving facility is being made possible with the financial support of the government of Italy.

    “We are supporting the reconstruction of Syria’s radiotherapy, nuclear medicine, and radiology services,” said Mr Grossi. “We’re providing equipment like CT scanners, brachytherapy machines for women’s cancers, and other tools not currently available in the country, and we will train personnel on the ground to use them.”

    Atoms4Food

    Through cooperation on Atoms4Food, the IAEA and Syria will work together to strengthen food security for the country’s population using nuclear and isotopic applications to improve agricultural practices.

    “Food security is, of course, of great importance to Syria, and the IAEA is well positioned to assist,” said Mr Grossi. “Nuclear techniques can make a big difference in areas like crop development, water management, insect sterilization, or pest control. We do this around the world, and now we’re opening a new chapter for Syria and its people.”

    Technical Cooperation and Capacity Building

    Earlier this year, an IAEA expert mission travelled to Syria and carried out assessments on the status of Syria’s Secondary Standards Dosimetry Laboratory (SSDL) to provide recommendations to the Atomic Energy Commission of Syria (AECS) to enhance radiation safety in the country. 

    National radiotherapy services were also evaluated, and technical input delivered to strengthen clinical practices. Experts from the IAEA’s technical cooperation programme also held a series of technical training sessions and practical workshops on advanced radiotherapy techniques in Damascus.  

    The IAEA will continue to support capacity building through the clinical training of local radiation oncologists, medical physicists and radiotherapy technologists while the brachytherapy machine is on its way to Al-Biruni Hospital.

    The IAEA has been delivering support to Syria including  medical equipment  such as portable and mobile X ray machines, non-destructive testing devices and portable ultrasound units following the devastating earthquake in February 2023. 

    The mission of Mr Grossi to Syria this week was made possible with logistical support from the Government of Italy.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: HSE Wins AI Research Center Selection

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: State University Higher School of Economics – State University Higher School of Economics –

    The Higher School of Economics has become one of the winners of the third wave of research centers in the field of artificial intelligence. The HSE Center for Optimization and Adaptation of Large Fundamental Models (AI Center) will work on creating new methods and tools to make training, use, and adaptation of complex artificial intelligence models cheaper and more efficient.

    At the Russian Government Coordination Center, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko presented the results of the selection of the third wave of research centers in the field of artificial intelligence (AI). The winning universities and research organizations will receive grants to conduct research and create breakthrough world-class industry solutions.

    Dmitry Chernyshenko reported that the winners were HSE, Innopolis, ISP RAS, ITMO, MIPT, Skoltech, and for the first time, Lomonosov Moscow State University will be involved in the research.

    “Investments in AI research centers have already proven their effectiveness. The first wave of centers dealt with issues of strong, trusted, ethical artificial intelligence. The second wave is dedicated to industry research for medicine, transport, industry and smart cities. These centers create almost half of all Russian scientific groundwork in AI. President Vladimir Putin has set the task of publishing at least 450 papers at top-level conferences in the field of AI in the world by 2030 — A*. We see that investments are achieving results, so the government continues to develop such support programs,” Dmitry Chernyshenko emphasized.

    A total of 19 applications from centers from 10 regions of Russia were submitted to the competition. The centers’ programs stated key areas of foresight in fundamental and exploratory research in the field of AI, conducted in 2024: agent/multi-agent systems, elements of strong AI, fundamental and generative AI models.

    Expert support for the competitive selection and subsequent support for the implementation of research center activity programs is provided by the Strategic Agency for Support and Formation of AI Developments (SAPFIR), a project office created on the basis of the Skolkovo Foundation.

    “In 2025, the Strategic Agency for Support and Formation of AI Developments (SAPFIR), created on the basis of the Skolkovo Foundation, acted as the coordinator of the third wave of the competitive selection of research centers in the field of artificial intelligence. Each of the 7 winners will receive 676 million rubles for 2 years to conduct research in the field of strong, trusted, multi-agent artificial intelligence. Over the next 2 years, SAPFIR will focus on supporting research centers to achieve all their goals in both the scientific and commercial parts. Their activities will contribute to the creation of a technological reserve in Russia in the field of artificial intelligence, as well as attracting the best personnel of the country to the development of science in the field of artificial intelligence,” said SAPFIR Director Tatyana Soyuznova.

    The Higher School of Economics has confirmed its readiness to successfully cope with the tasks set thanks to the rich experience accumulated during the previous stages. For the period 2021–2024 HSE AI Center of the first wave has implemented more than 20 socially significant projects and about 30 initiatives for industrial partners. Initially, its activities were focused on companies with a high degree of maturity of AI technologies (IT, fintech, telecommunications), but subsequently the center managed to extend its competencies to less prepared industries, such as tourism, transport, household chemicals and genetics. This made it possible to develop solutions with prospects for scaling in industries, taking into account the priorities of the National Strategy for the Development of AI.

    The HSE AI Center’s third wave program will be aimed at creating new architectures and approaches to reduce training costs, as well as to improve the efficiency and adaptation of large fundamental models. Scientific research will cover four key areas AI foresight: architecture and algorithms of machine learning, development of fundamental and generative models, ensuring security and trust, system management and decision-making. Innovative software products will be used in the financial sector, science and education, information security and the labor market. The center’s partners include the country’s leading technology companies (Sber, VTB, Alfa-Bank, MTS Web Services, Gazprombank, T-Bank, ALMI Partner) and government agencies (the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, the Federal Service for Labor and Employment (Rostrud)).

    The head of the HSE AI Center will be Alexey Naumov, Doctor of Computer Science, Director Institute of AI and Digital SciencesHe has authored over 40 A* level AI conference publications on high dimensional probability, statistics, machine learning, reinforcement learning, and is a member of the AI Alliance scientific advisory board.

    “Our center will focus on creating fundamentally new architectures and effective methods that will significantly reduce the costs of training and operating large fundamental models of artificial intelligence, increase their performance, and expand the range of possible applications,” said Alexey Naumov. “This will allow us to get closer to creating strong artificial intelligence capable of solving the most complex problems and bringing real benefits to society and business. We actively collaborate with leading technology companies and scientific organizations, combining the efforts of the best scientists and practitioners to achieve our goals and make a significant contribution to the future of AI technologies.”

    The core of the HSE AI Center will be Institute of AI and Digital Sciences Faculty of Computer Science at HSE. Leading researchers and experts will also work on projects within the third wave Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge (ISSEK), Center of Language and Brain, MIEM im. A.N. Tikhonova, Labor Market Research Laboratories, International Laboratory of Intangible Assets Economy, HSE – Perm, and also Schools of Computer Science, Physics and Technology of the National Research University Higher School of Economics – Saint Petersburg.

    The HSE AI Center project office team, led by Deputy Vice-Rector Elena Kozhina, will coordinate work on projects and initiatives aimed at developing AI technologies and implementing innovative solutions in various sectors of the economy and social sphere. The project office will become a key link in the successful implementation of projects, ensure effective interaction between all participants in the processes and allow for the effective implementation of orders from industrial partners.

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why Canada needs a law that gives workers the right to govern their workplace

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Tom Malleson, Associate Professor of Social Justice & Peace Studies, Western University

    Democratic worker co-operatives are workplaces where workers collectively own the firm and elect the governing board. (Shutterstock)

    A major fault line in contemporary society is that while our political lives are governed by democratic principles, our economic lives largely are not.

    At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, for example, Maple Leaf Foods experienced an outbreak in its Brandon, Man. factory. Not only were workers ordered to keep working in unsafe conditions, they were forced to work overtime.

    Walmart has long been accused of forbidding its cashiers from sitting down, even during long shifts.

    At one of its warehouses in Pennsylvania, Amazon allowed the temperature to reach an unbearable 102 F in 2011. When employees pleaded to open the loading doors to let in fresh air, management refused, claiming this would lead to employee theft. Instead, Amazon parked ambulances outside and waited for employees to collapse from heat stroke. Employees who were sent home because of the heat were given demerits for missing work, and fired if they accumulated too many.

    These examples reflect the fact that, in most workplaces, employees have no say in who manages them or how major decisions are made. Entering the workplace typically means leaving the freedoms of democratic society behind and entering a private domain unilaterally controlled by an employer. For most workers who are not in senior management, the main job of every job is to follow orders. Functionally speaking, workers are servants.

    In its governance structure, the modern workplace operates as a kind of mini dictatorship. Although workplace discipline isn’t enforced with physical violence, supervisors still have the power to discipline or punish those who dissent.

    But what if there were an actual legal right to workplace democracy?

    My research scrutinized the pros and cons of such novel legislation by drawing on decades of research comparing conventional, top-down firms with democratic worker co-operatives (where workers collectively own the firm and elect the governing board).

    Why workplace democracy matters

    In large American firms, the average CEO-to-worker pay ratio is now a jaw-dropping 351 to one. As CEO, Jeff Bezos made roughly 360,000 times more than Amazon’s minimum wage workers. This inequality ripples across society with significant consequences.

    By contrast, most worker co-ops maintain a pay ratio of three to one and only very rarely exceed 10 to one.

    There’s also a stark difference in how workers are treated. While conventional firms lay off workers whenever it’s profitable to do so, co-ops do everything in their power to save jobs.

    Top-down decision-making also breeds degradation and disrespect. A 2016 Oxfam report, for instance, documented how some Tyson Foods employees were prevented from using the bathroom to the point where some urinated themselves and other felt compelled to wear diapers to work.

    A Gallup survey from 2021 found that across the American economy as a whole, only 20 per cent of workers strongly agreed with the statement that “my opinions seem to count.”

    In co-ops, workers are generally treated with more respect and dignity. They typically participate more in decision-making, have higher job satisfaction and have less antagonism with management.

    In conventional workplaces, many employees hate or fear their boss. Roughly 17 per cent of the workforce opt for self-employment in order to get away from the tyranny of the boss, even though self-employed workers typically earn about 15 per cent less than their salaried counterparts and receive less than half the benefits.

    Worker co-operatives are typically less dominating than conventional firms because workers elect their managers and can create self-managing teams where workers have more autonomy over matters like scheduling and how tasks are carried out. Though co-ops are far from perfect, with workers often feeling that they aren’t able to participate in decision-making as much as they would like.

    Most workers are trapped in undemocratic jobs

    Most workers have no viable alternative to undemocratic work, and so no choice but to suffer its harms. While in theory, workers can quit and rely on welfare or social assistance, in practice, this isn’t viable because welfare rates are often too low to live on.

    Starting a business or becoming self-employed is another theoretical option, but it’s too financially risky to be a serious alternative for most.

    Joining a worker co-operative is the most promising alternative, but there were less than 400 worker co-ops in Canada in 2022, representing less than one per cent of employment.

    Converting an existing workplace into a co-op faces serious barriers too. Even if the workers desperately want a conversion, if the employer doesn’t, they’re out of luck; their employer owns the organization and can simply say no.

    So what’s the solution?

    Canada needs a new law to expand democracy by granting workers the legal right to collectively buy into the firms they work for. The process would resemble how unionization works today.

    It would start after a majority of employees sign a declaration stating their intent to form a worker co-operative. After this threshold is reached, a formal process would be triggered: employers would be required to disclose all relevant financial documents with the workers, and workers would receive education on the managerial, technical and legal requirements of co-ops. Co-op development bankers would provide loans and financing options.

    Once this is done, workers would hold a final vote. If a simple majority (50 per cent plus one) votes in favour, the employer would be paid the fair market value for the firm and the business would be restructured as a worker co-operative.

    Importantly, the law would allow this transition even if the employer is opposed, just as collective bargaining legislation allows workers to unionize without employer approval. It would also ensure owners are fairly compensated; owners shouldn’t lose their property, but they should lose the right to unilaterally govern other human beings in perpetuity, especially when those others are willing and ready to govern themselves.

    Of course, this law might bring some economic disruption. It’s possible that certain owners might oppose democratic ownership so strongly that they would rather shut down the business altogether than work as equals, but such cases would likely be rare.

    On the other hand, research shows that worker co-ops are just as productive as conventional firms (if not more so) and they have similar survival rates. This is highly reassuring for the overall well-being of the economy.

    Moreover, workers would need to invest significant amounts of their own money in order to buy out the firm, so conversions will occur only after serious consideration.

    The bottom line is that while the costs of this legislation would likely be modest, the benefits to workers and society at large would be substantial: reduced inequality and domination, increased job security and respect. Canada should establish a right to buy-in as soon as possible.

    Tom Malleson has received funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.

    – ref. Why Canada needs a law that gives workers the right to govern their workplace – https://theconversation.com/why-canada-needs-a-law-that-gives-workers-the-right-to-govern-their-workplace-257776

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Japanese walking: the benefits of this fitness trend

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Sean Pymer, Academic Clinical Exercise Physiologist, University of Hull

    A fitness trend known as Japanese walking is capturing attention online, promising major health benefits with minimal equipment and time.

    Based on interval-style bursts of fast and slow walking, Japanese walking was developed by Professor Hiroshi Nose and Associate Professor Shizue Masuki at Shinshu University in Matsumoto, Japan. It involves alternating between three minutes of walking at a higher intensity and three minutes at a lower intensity, repeated for at least 30 minutes, four times per week.

    The higher-intensity walking should be done at a level that is “somewhat hard”. At this level, it is still possible to talk, but holding a full conversation would be more difficult.

    The lower-intensity walking should be done at a level that is “light”. At this level, talking should be comfortable, though a little more laboured than an effortless conversation.

    Get your news from actual experts, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter to receive all The Conversation UK’s latest coverage of news and research, from politics and business to the arts and sciences.

    Japanese walking has been likened to high-intensity interval training or Hiit, and has been referred to as “high-intensity walking”, although it is less taxing than true Hiit and is performed at lower intensities.

    It is also easy to perform and requires only a stopwatch and space for walking. It requires little planning and is less time-consuming than other walking targets, such as achieving 10,000 steps a day. This makes it suitable for most people.

    What does the evidence show?

    Japanese walking offers significant health benefits. A 2007 study from Japan compared this method to lower-intensity continuous walking, with a goal of achieving 8,000 steps per day. Participants who followed the Japanese walking approach experienced notable reductions in body weight. Blood pressure also dropped – more so than in those following the lower-intensity continuous walking routine.

    Leg strength and physical fitness were also measured in this study. Both improved to a greater extent in those following the Japanese walking programme, compared to those completing moderate-intensity continuous walking.

    A longer-term study also found that Japanese walking protects against the reductions in strength and fitness that happen with ageing.

    These improvements in health would also suggest that Japanese walking can help people live longer, though this has not yet been directly studied.

    There are a few things to consider with this new walking trend. In the 2007 study, around 22% of people did not complete the Japanese walking programme. For the lower intensity programme, with a target of 8,000 steps per day, around 17% did not complete it. This means that Japanese walking may not be suitable for everyone, and it might not be any easier or more attractive than simple step-based targets.

    Achieving a certain number of steps per day has also been shown to help people live longer. For those aged 60 and older, the target should be around 6,000 to 8,000 steps a day and 8,000 to 10,000 for those aged under 60. Similar evidence does not appear to exist for Japanese walking… yet.

    So is this walking trend really the be-all and end-all? Or does it matter less about what exercise you do and more about how often and how hard you do it? The answer is likely to be the latter.

    Research tells us that people who regularly perform more bouts of moderate to vigorous physical activity live longer, regardless of how long each bout is.

    This means that we should focus on ensuring we perform regular moderate to vigorous physical activity and make it habitual. If that activity happens to be Japanese walking, then it’s a worthwhile choice.

    Sean Pymer receives funding from The National Institute for Health and Care Research.

    – ref. Japanese walking: the benefits of this fitness trend – https://theconversation.com/japanese-walking-the-benefits-of-this-fitness-trend-257302

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why Dippy the dinosaur remains beloved, 120 years after arriving at the Natural History Museum

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Michael J. Benton, Professor of Vertebrate Palaeontology, University of Bristol

    Shutterstock/I Wei Huang

    Dippy – a complete cast of a diplodocus skeleton – is Britain’s most famous dinosaur. It has resided at the Natural History Museum in London since 1905 and is now on show in Coventry where it is “dinosaur-in-residence” at the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum.

    Dippy, the star attraction in the huge entrance hall of the Natural History Museum from 1979 to 2018, is now on tour around the UK, with Coventry as its latest stop. It had previously been shown in Dorchester, Birmingham, Belfast, Glasgow, Newcastle, Cardiff, Rochdale, Norwich and London.

    So what is it that makes Dippy so popular? I got a sense of the dino’s appeal in August 2021 when I gave a lecture under the Dippy skeleton in Norwich Cathedral.

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    The lecture was about dinosaur feathers and colours. It highlighted new research that identified traces of pigment in the fossilised feathers of birds and dinosaurs. I wanted to highlight the enormous advances in the ways we can study dinosaurs that had taken place in just a century.

    Before arriving, I thought that Dippy would fill the cathedral – after all the skeleton is 26 metres long and it had filled the length of the gallery at the Natural History Museum. However, Dippy was dwarfed by the gothic cathedral’s scale. In fact, the building is so large that five Dippys could line up, nose to tail, from the great west door to the high altar at the east end.

    This sense of awe is one of the key reasons to study palaeontology – to understand how such extraordinary animals ever existed.

    I asked the Norwich cathedral canon why they had agreed to host the dinosaur, and he gave three answers. First, the dinosaur would attract lots of visitors. Second, Dippy is from the Jurassic period, as are the rocks used to construct the cathedral. Finally, for visitors it shared with the cathedral a sense of awe because of its huge size. Far from being diminished by its temporary home, visitors still walked around and under Dippy sensing its grandeur.

    Dippy at the unveiling ceremony at the Reptile Gallery of the Natural History Museum in 1905.
    WikiMedia

    Dippy arrived in London in 1905 as part of a campaign for public education by the Scottish-American millionaire Andrew Carnegie (1835–1919). At the time, there was a debate in academic circles about the function of museums and how far professionals should go in seeking to educate the public.

    There was considerable reticence about going too far. Many professors felt that showing dinosaurs to the public would be unprofessional in instances where they moved from description of facts into the realm of speculation. They also did not want to risk ridicule by conveying unsupported information about the appearance and lifestyle of the great beasts. Finally, many professors simply did not see such populism as any part of their jobs.

    Henry Fairfield Osborn in 1916.
    Wiki Commons

    But, at that time, the American Museum of Natural History was well established in New York and its new president, Henry Fairfield Osborn (1857-1935) was distinctly a populist. He sponsored the palaeo artist Charles Knight (1874-1953), whose vivid colour paintings of dinosaurs were the glory of the museum and influential worldwide. Osborn was as hated by palaeontology professors as he was feted by the public.

    Carnegie pumped his steel dollars into many philanthropic works in his native Scotland and all over America, including the Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh. When he heard that a new and complete skeleton of a diplodocus had been dug up in Wyoming, he bought it and brought it to his new museum. It was named as a new species, Diplodocus carnegiei.

    On a visit to Carnegie’s Scottish residence, Skibo Castle, King Edward VII saw a sketch of the bones and Carnegie agreed to donate a complete cast of the skeleton to Britain’s Natural History Museum.

    The skeleton was copied by first making rubber moulds of each bone in several parts, then filling the moulds with plaster to make casts and colouring the bones to make them look real. The 292 pieces were shipped to London in 36 crates and opened to the public in May 1905. Carnegie’s original Dippy skeleton only went on show in Pittsburgh in 1907, after the new museum building had been constructed.

    Illustration of the Brontosaurus by Charles Knight (1897).
    Wiki Commons

    Carnegie had got the royal bug and donated further complete Dippy casts to the great natural history museums in Berlin, Paris, Vienna, Bologna, St Petersburg, Madrid, Munich, Mexico City and La Plata in Argentina. Each of these nations, except France, had a king or tsar at the time. The skeletons went on show in all these locations, except Munich, and Dippy has been seen by many millions of people in the past 120 years.

    Dippy’s appeal

    Dippy’s appeal is manifold. It’s huge – we like our dinosaurs big. It has been seen up close by more people around the world than any other dinosaur. It also opens the world of science to many people. Evolution, deep time, climate change, origins, extinction and biodiversity are all big themes that link biology, geology, physics, chemistry and mathematics.

    Also, since 1905, palaeontology has moved from being a largely speculative subject to the realms of testable science. Calculations of jaw functions and limb movements of dinosaurs can be tested and challenged. Hypotheses about physiology, reproduction, growth and colour can be based on evidence from microscopic study of bones and exceptionally preserved tissues, and these analyses can be repeated and refuted.

    Dippy has witnessed over a century of rapid change and its appeal is sure to continue for the next.

    Dippy is on display at the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum in Coventry until February 21 2026.

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

    – ref. Why Dippy the dinosaur remains beloved, 120 years after arriving at the Natural History Museum – https://theconversation.com/why-dippy-the-dinosaur-remains-beloved-120-years-after-arriving-at-the-natural-history-museum-209945

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Mel Stride promises the Tories won’t repeat the mistakes of Liz Truss – except they already have

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Tim Bale, Professor of Politics, Queen Mary University of London

    It’s a mistake to think that, when it comes to the UK economy, the Conservatives have always been seen by British voters as a safer pair of hands than Labour. But, notwithstanding the damaging austerity imposed on the country by David Cameron’s chancellor, George Osborne, it was, by and large, the case between 2008 and 2022. This was a period bookended by the global financial crisis that occurred under Gordon Brown’s watch as Labour chancellor and then prime minister, and by Liz Truss’s disastrous 49-day stint in the top job.

    In reality, people were already beginning to lose faith in the Tories’ economic competence when Truss beat Rishi Sunak in the race to succeed Boris Johnson in Number 10. But she right royally trashed whatever reputation the party still had on that score and, as a result, set it on the road that led to its cataclysmic defeat at the polls last July.

    Another leadership race duly followed that election. But instead of using it as an opportunity both to conduct a thorough postmortem and issue a full-throated apology for the mess they’d made of things across a whole range of domestic policy, the candidates stayed largely in the party’s comfort zone.

    The country’s crumbling public services got hardly a mention, any acknowledgement of their dire state drowned out by discussion of immigration and taxation. The eventual winner, Kemi Badenoch, was apparently convinced that the Conservatives had lost because they “talked right but governed left”.

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    Clearly that message doesn’t seem to have persuaded the public. The Tories are now even more unpopular than they were at the general election. They rarely break 20% in the opinion polls and consistently finish behind not just a very poorly-regarded Labour government but a surging Reform UK.

    Cue the decision by Mel Stride, a cabinet minister in Rishi Sunak’s doomed government and now Badenoch’s shadow chancellor, to issue an apology of sorts. This was, however, not an apology for the mess the Conservatives made of the country during 14 (arguably wasted) years in office – but for the month and half in which they were led by Truss.

    Sir Mel (as he is now) was never much of a fan, but he’s now taking public potshots at the former prime minister in a very well trailed speech. Apparently it was only during this short period, when Truss delivered her now legendary “mini-budget” that derailed the economy, that it all went wrong.

    “For a few weeks,” he declared, “we put at risk the very stability which Conservatives had always said must be carefully protected. The credibility of the UK’s economic framework was undermined by spending billions on subsidising energy bills and tax cuts, with no proper plan for how this would be paid for.”

    “Never again,” he continued, “will the Conservative party undermine fiscal credibility by making promises that we cannot afford.” Stride here seemed to be conveniently forgetting that, at least in the judgment of the respected Institute for Fiscal Studies, that was exactly what he and his colleagues did when they presented their manifesto to the country at last year’s general election – long after Truss had departed Downing Street.

    As such, Stride’s speech is unlikely to impress anyone. Rather than a confession of collective guilt and an acknowledgement of a pattern of behaviour stretching over years, it seeks to deflect the blame onto a one-off event and onto one already-derided individual (or maybe two if one includes the man who actually delivered the bungled mini-budget, Kwasi Kwarteng).

    Moreover, such is the presidentialised nature of British politics these days, that, unless a message is delivered by the party leader, it won’t be seen as representing its official position. Nor will it cut through to voters.

    More profoundly, Stride’s “contrition” (the closest he got to actually saying sorry) is meaningless because rather than challenge any of his party’s underlying assumptions, it actually doubles down on them.

    To stand a chance of signalling to a sceptical public that they’ve truly changed, the Tories need to break out of their essentially Thatcherite-cum-culture-warrior comfort zone. But obsessed (and in some ways understandably so) as they are with the potentially existential threat posed to them by Reform UK, that currently seems like a very distant prospect. And so, therefore, does another Tory government.

    Tim Bale 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. Mel Stride promises the Tories won’t repeat the mistakes of Liz Truss – except they already have – https://theconversation.com/mel-stride-promises-the-tories-wont-repeat-the-mistakes-of-liz-truss-except-they-already-have-258324

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: UK looks to military gap years to boost recruitment in the face of growing geopolitical tension

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Sarah Mills, Professor of Human Geography, Loughborough University

    Harrogate, 2019. Steve Gill – Visuals/Shutterstock

    The UK government recently endorsed proposals in its strategic defence review to consider the creation of military gap years for young people in the UK.

    It would potentially be similar to a scheme offered by the Australian Defence Force. Young Australian citizens can spend 12 months doing paid work in a variety of roles in the Navy, Army or Air Force.

    In Australia in 2023, 664 young people enlisted in the gap year programme, and 374 of these transferred on to a role in the permanent Australian Defence Force. Like in Australia, the gap year model in the UK would be optional and for over 18s to get a “taste” of military life.

    These gap years would be a part of recruitment strategy. The proposal comes at a time of global geopolitical crisis, national youth unemployment and a shortage of soldiers (a global problem).

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    Another key reason for the introduction of these gap years, highlighted in defence secretary John Healey’s oral statement on the review, is to “reconnect the nation with those who defend us”. Keir Starmer, in his speech, spoke of “a new spirit of service, flowing from every part of society … everyone benefiting, everyone playing their role”.

    Young people are seen as a key part of building these connections. Another avenue raised in the review is to increase the number of cadet forces, a voluntary uniformed national youth organisation for teenagers that can also be linked to schools.

    An evaluation of cadet forces in the UK has outlined significant positive outcomes for young people, including for their employment and career prospects.

    Air cadets at the Lord Mayor’s Show, London, 2021.
    Sandor Szmutko/Shutterstock

    The strategic defence review also proposed “working with the Department for Education to develop understanding of the armed forces among young people in schools”, but details of this are still unclear.

    These suggestions form part of a trend towards increasing military presence in children and young people’s lives. My research has found that, over the last decade, successive UK governments have encouraged programmes with a military ethos within schools and character education to foster grit and gumption.

    Watered-down national service?

    My research shows that calls to reintroduce some form of military service appear at times of political, social or economic crisis. It’s not surprising then, that in the last few years we have seen several proposals in this area. Most notable is previous prime minister Rishi Sunak’s election pledge in 2024 that school leavers would have to do a year of compulsory military or voluntary service.

    A voluntary gap year – national service “lite” – would be a more palatable approach compared to formal conscription, which is still active in several countries.

    Starmer has been keen to distance himself from the language of national service, especially as he has also committed to introducing votes at 16: compulsory national service doesn’t poll well with young people.

    The UK has also recently scrapped its voluntary National Citizen Service, a non-military, short-term youth programme centred on local community action that has cost over £1.5 billion since 2010.

    But the fact that two successive prime ministers in the space of one year have pitched some form of military experience for school leavers tells us that this is not necessarily about benefits for youth, but about the concerning geopolitical landscape and the urgent need to boost recruits.

    In 2025 compared to the last few decades, the state’s concern is less about youth crime, apathy or patriotism, but rather growing international security threats and the nation’s preparedness.

    It is important to remember that the debate about national service in the UK is fuelled by generational nostalgia. In the UK, formal national service ran from the late 1940s to early 1960s for men aged between 17 and 21. Ever since those final troops were discharged in 1963, there has been a debate about “returning” to national service.

    Research shows that those who were actually part of compulsory national service after the second world war generally don’t think we should bring it back. This debate is cyclical, and each time it happens, it reveals what the state and adults think about young people more generally, usually shaped by moral panics.

    Would a gap year be popular?

    Given the current economic climate, it could be that a paid short-term year of military service is more attractive to UK teenagers and their CVs than ever before. However, we must reflect on why it might be so attractive in the present moment and understand the wider, structural issues shaping the lives of children and young people today.

    The costs of austerity and inequality in the UK run deep for children and young people. These issues cannot be solved by a defence focused gap year and there are other pressing demands to support young people in this country. For example, youth sector representatives are urging the UK government to reverse the long-term decline in funding on youth services.

    The impetus for a military gap year in the report is strategic defence, not unemployment. But there is no guarantee the defence sector itself will be keen to embrace this idea.

    When Sunak proposed national service last year, defence experts and ministers raised concerns about the British Army and Navy’s current capacity and resources to deliver such a programme. They also highlighted the potential impact of such a scheme on the morale of professional, dedicated and highly-skilled force personnel.

    The actual feasibility of any new programme is uncertain, especially with the current fiscal situation. One thing my research suggests is certain though, is that this national debate will circle back around again and again.

    Sarah Mills has received research funding from UKRI (ESRC), the British Academy and the Royal Geographical Society. She is currently an unpaid member of the advisory ‘College of Experts’ group of researchers for the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (UK Government) https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/dcms-college-of-experts

    – ref. UK looks to military gap years to boost recruitment in the face of growing geopolitical tension – https://theconversation.com/uk-looks-to-military-gap-years-to-boost-recruitment-in-the-face-of-growing-geopolitical-tension-258207

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: UK brands are celebrating Eid – here’s what makes an effective and inclusive campaign

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Afshan Jalil, PhD Candidate in Consumer Behaviour and Muslim Fashion, University of the West of Scotland

    In the run-up to Eid al-Adha – a major Muslim festival that celebrates the prophet Ibrahim’s devotion and coincides with the end of the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca – UK retailers are joining the celebrations.

    Big brands like Next have launched festive collections of clothing, accessories and gifts, sharing social media messages aimed at Muslim consumers. But while this growing recognition of Eid’s commercial importance reflects a welcome shift, some campaigns still fall flat.

    As a researcher of Muslim fashion and identity in the UK, I study how Muslim consumers express themselves through clothing and how brands respond to their values. Despite a rise in Eid-related marketing, much of it feels superficial or disconnected from the community it targets.

    So, what makes for effective marketing to Muslim consumers during Eid and where do brands go wrong?

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    Muslims account for around 6.5% of the UK population, and their economic impact continues to grow. In 2019, they contributed an estimated £31 billion to the UK economy, a figure that is rising steadily. Eid, like other major holidays such as Christmas or Diwali, drives increased spending on clothes, food, gifts and travel.

    More brands are recognising this potential. From supermarkets offering special Eid meal deals, to fashion retailers launching modest clothing lines, corporate participation is becoming more visible. This is a step forward, signalling acknowledgement of British Muslims as both part of society and valuable customers.

    Why performative marketing fails

    However, visibility alone is not enough. Eid campaigns often lean on cliches, crescent moons, calligraphy or generic Eid Mubarak messages. These may show representation, but do not necessarily demonstrate genuine cultural understanding.

    Consumer culture theory helps explain why. It shows that consumption is not just about buying products, it’s about identity, belonging and self-expression. My ongoing PhD research into Muslim fashion consumption reveals that clothing during Eid is closely tied to how people see themselves: as British, Muslim, and as individuals navigating both identities.

    This is especially true for younger Muslims. Eid is more than a religious event, it’s a chance to express identity through fashion, celebration and community. The choices they make in what to wear and where to shop reflect their values and heritage.

    When brands treat Eid as an afterthought, Muslim consumers notice. Campaigns that feel rushed, last minute, out of touch or simply performative can come across as exploitative rather than inclusive.

    Customers are frequently motivated to express their dissatisfaction with fashion businesses on social media. A brand could face public criticism if it releases new collections without involving Muslim designers, for example. In 2023, fashion retailer PrettyLittleThing also came under fire for an Eid range of clothing deemed inappropriate by many Muslims for modest dressing for women (the company said it didn’t intend to cause offence and celebrated multiple holidays as part of its attempt “to build a community of everybody”).

    Authentic engagement begins with listening

    Successful campaigns are created locally by the community rather than being run by outsiders. Brands that collaborate with Muslim content creators, seek community input and consider Eid’s traditions and significance typically deliver messages that are well received.

    Timing and action matter. Companies which prepare for Eid in advance are more likely to develop effective marketing or successful partnerships. For example, Tesco’s “Everyone’s Welcome” campaign in the UK is well known for its inclusive approach. In 2023 it launched its special Iftar range that could be bought in store and cooked for the special evening meal that marks the end of a day’s fasting during Ramadan.

    Beyond celebrations and festivals, brands that think carefully about what Muslims need, for example in sport, will more likely succeed with their messaging, because they demonstrate an understanding of cultural and identity issues. The Nike campaign featuring a Muslim athlete is frequently praised for presenting an open narrative.

    Brands like Aab and Inaya have a lot of devoted clients since they were created by designers who follow modest fashion. Their success depends more on their trust and cultural awareness than just their products alone.

    Eid al-Adha is a powerful symbol of faith, identity and community that goes beyond just a commercial opportunity. While occasion messages or seasonal messages may seem like respectful gestures, when done without real understanding, they can come across as hollow or insincere marketing. Ultimately, this can harm a brand’s reputation as people may feel disappointed.

    Around Eid al-Adha and Eid Al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan, businesses and brands must go beyond token gestures. Building trust with Muslim communities requires ongoing respect and cultural knowledge, with meaningful engagement throughout the year. Authenticity, not aesthetics, is the key to forming lasting relationships with Muslim customers.

    Afshan Jalil currently serves as the Volunteer Marketing Manager for Hamilton Women Club, a community initiative for Muslim women, associated with Hamilton Mosque, South Lanarkshire UK.

    – ref. UK brands are celebrating Eid – here’s what makes an effective and inclusive campaign – https://theconversation.com/uk-brands-are-celebrating-eid-heres-what-makes-an-effective-and-inclusive-campaign-258107

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –