NewzIntel.com

Category: Science

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: AI applications are producing cleaner cities, smarter homes and more efficient transit

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Mohammadamin Ahmadfard, Postdoctoral Fellow, Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, Toronto Metropolitan University

    Artificial intelligence (AI) is quietly transforming how cities generate, store and distribute energy, acting as the invisible conductor that orchestrates cleaner, smarter and more resilient cities.

    By integrating renewables — from solar panels and wind turbines to geothermal grids, hydrogen plants, electric vehicles and batteries — AI can enable cities to manage diverse energy sources as a single, intelligent system.

    One striking example is the Oya Hybrid Power Station in South Africa. Here, AI-driven controls seamlessly co-ordinate solar, wind and battery storage to deliver reliable power to up to 320,000 households. Using AI makes this kind of integration not only possible, but dramatically more efficient.

    Recent research shows AI can also optimize how batteries, solar and the grid interact in buildings. A 2023 study found that deep learning and real-time data helped a boarding school in Turin, Italy increase low-cost energy purchases and cut its electricity bill by more than half.

    Cleaner, smarter energy grids

    AI models are increasingly able to predict weather with greater precision. These predictions allow electric grid operators to plan hours ahead, storing excess energy in batteries or adjusting supply to meet demand before a storm or heatwave hits.

    Using AI to respond strategically to weather is a game-changer. In Cambridge, England, a system called Aardvark uses satellite and sensor data to generate rapid, accurate forecasts of sun and wind patterns.

    Unlike traditional supercomputer-driven weather models, Aardvark’s AI can deliver precise local forecasts in minutes on an ordinary computer. This makes advanced weather prediction more accessible and affordable for cities, utilities and even smaller organizations — potentially transforming how communities everywhere plan for and respond to changing weather.

    AI models are increasingly able to predict weather with greater precision, allowing electric grid operators to plan ahead, storing excess energy in batteries or adjusting supply to meet demand before a storm or heat wave hits.
    (Shutterstock)

    AI for smarter district heating and cooling

    In Munich, Germany, AI is improving geothermal district heating by using underground sensors to monitor temperature and moisture levels in the ground.

    The collected data feeds into a digital simulation model that helps optimize network operations. In more advanced versions, during winter cold snaps, such systems can suggest lowering flow to underused spaces like half-empty offices and boosting heat where demand is higher, such as in crowded apartments.

    This intelligent, self-optimizing approach extends the life of equipment and delivers more warmth with the same energy input.

    This is a breakthrough with enormous potential for cities in cold climates with established geothermal networks, such as Winnipeg in Canada and Iceland’s Reykjavik.

    Although these cities have not yet adopted AI-driven monitoring systems, they could benefit from AI’s real-time improvements in efficiency, comfort and energy savings during harsh winters — a principle that holds true wherever geothermal district heating and cooling exists.

    Inside the home, AI-managed smart climate systems can factor in how many people are in each room, which appliances are in use, how much natural sunlight each space receives.
    (Shutterstock)

    Smart buildings

    Inside the home, AI-managed smart climate systems can factor in how many people are in each room, which appliances are in use, how much natural sunlight each space receives and how much electricity or heat a home’s solar panels generate throughout the day.

    Based on this, AI determines how to heat or cool rooms efficiently, and can transfer energy from one space to another, balancing comfort with minimal energy use.

    Coastal cities and those in wind-heavy regions are using AI in other creative ways. In Orkney, Scotland, excess wind and tidal energy are converted into green hydrogen. Instead of letting that surplus power go to waste, an AI system called HyAI controls when to generate hydrogen based on wind forecasts, electricity prices and how full the hydrogen storage tanks are.

    When winds are strong at night and electricity is cheap, the AI can divert surplus power to produce hydrogen and store it for later use. On calmer days, that stored hydrogen can power fuel cells or buses.

    Energy storage

    AI is transforming energy storage into a smart, revenue-generating force. In Finland, a startup called Capalo AI has developed Zeus VPP, an AI-powered virtual power plant that aggregates distributed batteries from homes, businesses and other sites.

    Zeus VPP uses advanced forecasting and AI algorithms to decide when batteries should charge or discharge, factoring in energy prices, local consumption and weather forecasts. This enables battery owners to earn revenue by participating in electricity markets, while also supporting grid stability and making better use of renewable energy.

    Utility companies are also using AI to monitor everything from high-voltage transmission lines to neighbourhood transformers, dramatically increasing reliability.

    AI-powered dynamic line rating adjusts how much electricity a line can carry in real time, boosting capacity by 15 to 30 per cent when conditions allow. This helps utilities maximize the use of existing infrastructure instead of relying on costly upgrades.

    At the local level, AI analyzes smart metre data to predict which transformers are overheating due to rising EV and heat pump use.

    By forecasting these stress points, utilities can proactively upgrade equipment before failures happen — a shift from reactive to predictive maintenance that makes the grid stronger and cities more resilient.

    AI-powered public transit and mobility

    Transportation innovation is becoming part of the energy solution, with AI at the centre of this transformation. In New York City, energy company Con Edison has installed major battery storage systems to help manage peak electricity demand and reduce reliance on polluting peaker plants, which supply energy only during high-demand periods.

    More broadly, Con Edison is deploying advanced AI-powered analytics software across its electric grid — optimizing voltage, enhancing reliability and enabling predictive maintenance. Together, these efforts show how combining energy storage and AI-driven analytics can make even the world’s busiest cities more resilient and efficient.

    AI is also powering “vehicle-to-grid” innovations in California, where an AI-driven platform manages electric school buses that can supply stored energy back to the grid during periods of high demand.

    By carefully managing when buses charge and discharge, these systems help keep the grid reliable and ensure vehicles are ready for their daily routes. As this technology expands, parked electric vehicles could serve as valuable backup resources for the electricity system.

    Transportation innovation is becoming part of the energy solution.
    (Shutterstock)

    AI for clean energy initiatives

    AI is rapidly transforming cities by revolutionizing how energy is used and managed. Google, for example, has slashed cooling energy at its data centres by up to 40 per cent using AI that fine-tunes fans, pumps and windows more efficiently than any human operator.

    Organizations like the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), in collaboration with NVIDIA, Microsoft and others, have launched the Open Power AI Consortium, which is creating open-source AI tools for utilities worldwide.

    These tools will enable even the most resource-constrained cities to deploy advanced AI capabilities, without having to start from scratch, helping to level the playing field and accelerate the global energy transition.

    The result is not just cleaner air and lower energy bills, but a path to fewer blackouts and more resilient homes.

    Mohammadamin Ahmadfard receives funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and Mitacs Inc. for his postdoctoral research at Toronto Metropolitan University.

    – ref. AI applications are producing cleaner cities, smarter homes and more efficient transit – https://theconversation.com/ai-applications-are-producing-cleaner-cities-smarter-homes-and-more-efficient-transit-256291

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  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Sea of opportunity: protecting mangroves and seagrass could boost Indonesia’s new climate targets

    Source: The Conversation – Indonesia – By Brurce Muhammad Mecca, Senior Analyst, Climateworks Centre

    Aerial view of Mangrove forest, Mandalika, Nusa Tenggara Barat, Indonesia. (Shutterstock)

    Indonesia has signalled it could include blue carbon ecosystems — carbon-rich coastal and marine areas, like mangroves and seagrass — in its new climate targets. This shift follows years of relying heavily on the forestry and land sectors as well as the energy sector.

    This could be a turning point, given Indonesia is one of the most important countries globally for ocean-based climate change mitigation. Indonesia’s blue carbon ecosystems are crucial, housing 22% of the world’s mangroves and 5% of seagrass meadows.

    However, the country is losing its mangroves and seagrass in recent years due to changes in land use. As of 2019, only 16% of mangroves and 45% of seagrass were inside protected areas. Damage to mangrove and seagrass ecosystems can release carbon into the atmosphere, exacerbating climate change.

    For that reason, it’s crucial that Indonesia considers establishing more protected areas for its mangrove and seagrass ecosystems as part of its new climate targets. This could shield them from harmful activities like industrial fishing, unsustainable aquaculture, massive infrastructure development and overtourism.

    Two kinds of protected areas

    A 2023 Climateworks Centre study highlighted how Indonesia could prevent up to 60 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions per year by 2030 – equal to Singapore’s 2030 emissions reduction target – by protecting 39,000 hectares per year of mangroves and 8,600 hectares per year of seagrasses. The combined area of these mangroves and seagrasses is almost three-quarters the size of Jakarta.

    One way to do this is by including both ecosystems inside two kinds of protected areas. The first is marine protected areas (MPAs), which are areas designated by the government to protect essential ecosystems. The other kind — known as other effective area-based conservation measures (OECM) – are just as crucial for ecosystem protection.

    Many activities are prohibited in marine protected areas, such as industrial fishing, mass tourism and mining. The government plans to increase Indonesia’s MPA cover from 8% to 10% by 2030, which is an opportunity to prioritise mangroves and seagrass.

    Meanwhile, OECMs can allow Indonesia to target, recognise, and support areas beyond marine protected areas. These other conservation measures can play an important role in protecting blue carbon ecosystems across the country.

    For example, the indigenous community of Rote Ndao in Eastern Indonesia’s traditional marine management system protects the local marine ecosystems – despite not being considered an marine protected area. Research shows that Indonesia has more than 390 potential marine OECMs. Many have conservation measures that have been implemented by local communities for centuries.

    Key places to protect

    While Indonesia still urgently requires broad investment in the collection of high-quality data for mapping blue ecosystems, our findings highlight some key priority locations for mangroves and seagrass to be included in the country’s ocean strategy.

    For mangrove ecosystems, we highlight Kalimantan and Papua as areas of particular importance. Between 2009 and 2019, approximately 19% of mangroves in Kalimantan (58,000 hectares) were deforested due to palm oil and aquaculture. By comparison, Papua has a large area of carbon-dense mangroves, and a low historic rate of deforestation.

    Meanwhile, protection of seagrass is quite tricky because an Indonesian seagrass map has not been completed.

    Before defining specific seagrass areas to be protected, the government can verify the data in provinces such as Maluku, North Maluku, Bangka Belitung Islands, South East Sulawesi, West Papua and South Sulawesi. These areas have the potential for seagrass ecosystems to be included in a protection plan.

    The government could also prioritise seagrass ecosystems in the Riau Islands and West Nusa Tenggara. These regions have extensive seagrass areas lacking marine protected area coverage.

    A new target for mangrove and seagrass protection

    Indonesia can set a clear and measurable area-based target to protect its mangrove and seagrass ecosystems in the upcoming climate targets. This could align the country’s climate actions on ocean and marine to its overall climate ambition. It will also lay the foundation for attracting climate financing, which Indonesia will need to achieve its targets.

    Local participation is also important. Indonesia can design and implement its mangrove and seagrass ecosystems protection target with the involvement and consent of local communities. This would align with Indonesia’s existing targets, such as its Blue Economy Roadmap, to ensure coordinated efforts across government agencies.

    As the world works towards net zero emissions, Indonesia has a huge opportunity to boost its climate leadership. Protecting and restoring more of the country’s carbon-rich mangroves and seagrass meadows can ensure the future thriving of marine ecosystems that so many Indonesians rely on.

    Editor’s Note : In 13 August, 11.57 AM WIB, we made a correction to a sentence in the article’s previous version:

    “By comparison, Papua has a large area of carbon-dense mangroves, and a low historic rate of deforestation, with no indication of this changing.”

    The previous sentence was inaccurate because while the historic rate was low, the implication was deforestation would continue, when in fact there are indications this could change in the future.

    We replaced the sentence with “By comparison, Papua has a large area of carbon-dense mangroves, and a low historic rate of deforestation.”

    Para penulis tidak bekerja, menjadi konsultan, memiliki saham atau menerima dana dari perusahaan atau organisasi mana pun yang akan mengambil untung dari artikel ini, dan telah mengungkapkan bahwa ia tidak memiliki afiliasi di luar afiliasi akademis yang telah disebut di atas.

    – ref. Sea of opportunity: protecting mangroves and seagrass could boost Indonesia’s new climate targets – https://theconversation.com/sea-of-opportunity-protecting-mangroves-and-seagrass-could-boost-indonesias-new-climate-targets-229819

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  • MIL-OSI Submissions: 4 reasons to be concerned about Bill C-4’s threats to Canadian privacy and sovereignty

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Sara Bannerman, Professor and Canada Research Chair in Communication Policy and Governance, McMaster University

    In Canada, federal political parties are not governed by basic standards of federal privacy law. If passed, Bill C-4, also known as the Making Life More Affordable for Canadians Act, would also make provincial and territorial privacy laws inapplicable to federal political parties, with no adequate federal law in place.

    Federal legislation in the form of the Privacy Act and the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act sets out privacy standards for government and business, based on the fair information principles that provide for the collection, use and disclosure of Canadians’ personal information.

    At the moment, these laws don’t apply to political parties. Some provinces — especially British Columbia — have implemented laws that do. In May 2024, the B.C. Supreme Court upheld the provincial Information Commissioner’s ruling that B.C.’s privacy legislation applies to federal political parties. That decision is currently under appeal.

    Bill C-4 would undermine those B.C. rights. It would make inapplicable to federal parties the standard privacy rights that apply in other business and government contexts— such as the right to consent to the collection, use and disclosure of personal information — and to access and correct personal information held by organizations.

    Why should we be concerned about Bill C-4’s erasure of these privacy protections for Canadians? There are four reasons:

    1. Threats to Canada’s sovereignty

    In light of threats to Canadian sovereignty by United States President Donald Trump, the Canadian government and Canadian politicians must rethink their approach to digital sovereignty.

    Until now, Canadian parties and governments have been content to use American platforms, data companies and datified campaign tactics. Bill C-4 would leave federal parties free to do more of the same. This is the opposite of what’s needed.

    The politics that resulted in Trump being elected twice to the Oval Office was spurred in part by the datafied campaigning of Cambridge Analytica in 2016 and Elon Musk in 2024. These politics are driven by micro-targeted and arguably manipulative political campaigns.

    Do Canadians want Canada to go in the same direction?



    Read more:
    How political party data collection may turn off voters

    Are political parties spying and experimenting on Canadians via personal data collection?
    (Unsplash/Arthur Mazi), FAL

    2. Threats to Canada’s future

    Bill C-4 would undermine one of the mechanisms that makes Canada a society: collective political decisions.

    Datified campaigning and the collection of personal information by political parties change the nature of democracy. Rather than appealing to political values or visions of what voters may want in the future or as a society — critically important at this historical and troubling moment in history — datified campaigning operates by experimenting on unwitting individual citizens who are alone on their phones and computers. It operates by testing their isolated opinions and unvarnished behaviours.

    For example, a political campaign might do what’s known as A/B testing of ads, which explores whether ad A or ad B is more successful by issuing two different versions of an ad to determine which one gets more clicks, shares, petition signatures, donations or other measurable behaviour. With this knowledge, a campaign or party can manipulate the ads through multiple versions to get the desired behaviour and result. They also learn about ad audiences for future targeting.



    Read more:
    A/B testing: how offline businesses are learning from Google to improve profits

    In other words, political parties engaging in this tactic aren’t engaging with Canadians — they’re experimenting on them to see what type of messages, or even what colour schemes or visuals, appeal most. This can be used to shape the campaign or just the determine the style of follow-up messaging to particular users.

    University researchers, to name just one example, are bound by strict ethical protocols and approvals, including the principle that participants should consent to the collection of personal information, and to participation in experiments and studies. Political parties have no such standards, despite the high stakes — the very future of democracy and society.

    Most citizens think of elections as being about deliberation and collectively deciding what kind of society they want to live in and what kind of future they want to have together as they decide how to cast their ballots.

    But with datified campaigning, citizens may not be aware of the political significance of their online actions. Their data trail might cause them to be included, or excluded, from a party’s future campaigning and door-knocking, for example. The process isn’t deliberative, thoughtful or collective.

    3. Secret personal data collection

    Political parties collect highly personal data about Canadians without their knowledge or consent. Most Canadians are not aware of the extent of the collection by political parties and the range of data they collect, which can include political views, ethnicity, income, religion or online activities, social media IDs, observations of door-knockers and more.

    If asked, most Canadians would not consent to the range of data collection by parties.

    4. Data can be dangerous in the wrong hands

    Some governments can and do use data to punish individuals politically and criminally, sometimes without the protection of the rule of law.

    Breaches and misuses of data, cybersecurity experts say, are no longer a question of “if,” but “when.”

    Worse, what would happen if the wall between political parties and politicians or government broke down and the personal information collected by parties became available to governments? What if the data were used for political purposes, such as for vetting people for political appointments or government benefits? What if it were used against civil servants?

    What if it were to be used at the border, or passed to other governments? What if it were passed to and used by authoritarian governments to harass and punish citizens?

    What if it was passed to tech companies and further to data brokers?

    OpenMedia recently revealed that Canadians’ data is being passed to the many different data companies political parties use. That data is not necessarily housed in Canada or by Canadian companies.

    If provincial law is undermined, there are few protections against any of these problems.

    Strengthening democracy

    Bill C-4 would erase the possibility of provincial and territorial privacy laws being applied to federal political parties, with virtually nothing remaining. Privacy protection promotes confidence and engagement with democratic processes — particularly online. Erasing privacy protections threatens this confidence and engagement.

    The current approach of federal political parties in terms of datified campaigning and privacy law is entirely wrong for this political moment, dangerous to Canadians and dangerous to democracy. Reforms should instead ensure federal political parties must adhere to the same standards as businesses and all levels of government.

    Data privacy is important everywhere, but particularly so for political parties, campaigns and democratic engagement. It is important at all times — particularly now.

    Sara Bannerman receives funding from the Canada Research Chairs program, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, and McMaster University. She has previously received funding from the Office of the Privacy Commissioner’s Contributions Program and the Digital Ecosystem Research Challenge.

    – ref. 4 reasons to be concerned about Bill C-4’s threats to Canadian privacy and sovereignty – https://theconversation.com/4-reasons-to-be-concerned-about-bill-c-4s-threats-to-canadian-privacy-and-sovereignty-259331

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  • MIL-OSI Submissions: How old are you really? Are the latest ‘biological age’ tests all they’re cracked up to be?

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Hassan Vally, Associate Professor, Epidemiology, Deakin University

    We all like to imagine we’re ageing well. Now a simple blood or saliva test promises to tell us by measuring our “biological age”. And then, as many have done, we can share how “young” we really are on social media, along with our secrets to success.

    While chronological age is how long you have been alive, measures of biological age aim to indicate how old your body actually is, purporting to measure “wear and tear” at a molecular level.

    The appeal of these tests is undeniable. Health-conscious consumers may see their results as reinforcing their anti-ageing efforts, or a way to show their journey to better health is paying off.

    But how good are these tests? Do they actually offer useful insights? Or are they just clever marketing dressed up to look like science?

    How do these tests work?

    Over time, the chemical processes that allow our body to function, known as our “metabolic activity”, lead to damage and a decline in the activity of our cells, tissues and organs.

    Biological age tests aim to capture some of these changes, offering a snapshot of how well, or how poorly, we are ageing on a cellular level.

    Our DNA is also affected by the ageing process. In particular, chemical tags (methyl groups) attach to our DNA and affect gene expression. These changes occur in predictable ways with age and environmental exposures, in a process called methylation.

    Research studies have used “epigenetic clocks”, which measure the methylation of our genes, to estimate biological age. By analysing methylation levels at specific sites in the genome from participant samples, researchers apply predictive models to estimate the cumulative wear and tear on the body.

    What does the research say about their use?

    Although the science is rapidly evolving, the evidence underpinning the use of epigenetic clocks to measure biological ageing in research studies is strong.

    Studies have shown epigenetic biological age estimation is a better predictor of the risk of death and ageing-related diseases than chronological age.

    Epigenetic clocks also have been found to correlate strongly with lifestyle and environmental exposures, such as smoking status and diet quality.

    In addition, they have been found to be able to predict the risk of conditions such as cardiovascular disease, which can lead to heart attacks and strokes.

    Taken together, a growing body of research indicates that at a population level, epigenetic clocks are robust measures of biological ageing and are strongly linked to the risk of disease and death

    But how good are these tests for individuals?

    While these tests are valuable when studying populations in research settings, using epigenetic clocks to measure the biological age of individuals is a different matter and requires scrutiny.

    For testing at an individual level, perhaps the most important consideration is the “signal to noise ratio” (or precision) of these tests. This is the question of whether a single sample from an individual may yield widely differing results.

    A study from 2022 found samples deviated by up to nine years. So an identical sample from a 40-year-old may indicate a biological age of as low as 35 years (a cause for celebration) or as high as 44 years (a cause of anxiety).

    While there have been significant improvements in these tests over the years, there is considerable variability in the precision of these tests between commercial providers. So depending on who you send your sample to, your estimated biological age may vary considerably.

    Another limitation is there is currently no standardisation of methods for this testing. Commercial providers perform these tests in different ways and have different algorithms for estimating biological age from the data.

    As you would expect for commercial operators, providers don’t disclose their methods. So it’s difficult to compare companies and determine who provides the most accurate results – and what you’re getting for your money.

    A third limitation is that while epigenetic clocks correlate well with ageing, they are simply a “proxy” and are not a diagnostic tool.

    In other words, they may provide a general indication of ageing at a cellular level. But they don’t offer any specific insights about what the issue may be if someone is found to be “ageing faster” than they would like, or what they’re doing right if they are “ageing well”.

    So regardless of the result of your test, all you’re likely to get from the commercial provider of an epigenetic test is generic advice about what the science says is healthy behaviour.

    Are they worth it? Or what should I do instead?

    While companies offering these tests may have good intentions, remember their ultimate goal is to sell you these tests and make a profit. And at a cost of around A$500, they’re not cheap.

    While the idea of using these tests as a personalised health tool has potential, it is clear that we are not there yet.

    For this to become a reality, tests will need to become more reproducible, standardised across providers, and validated through long-term studies that link changes in biological age to specific behaviours.

    So while one-off tests of biological age make for impressive social media posts, for most people they represent a significant cost and offer limited real value.

    The good news is we already know what we need to do to increase our chances of living longer and healthier lives. These include:

    • improving our diet
    • increasing physical activity
    • getting enough sleep
    • quitting smoking
    • reducing stress
    • prioritising social connection.

    We don’t need to know our biological age in order to implement changes in our lives right now to improve our health.

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

    – ref. How old are you really? Are the latest ‘biological age’ tests all they’re cracked up to be? – https://theconversation.com/how-old-are-you-really-are-the-latest-biological-age-tests-all-theyre-cracked-up-to-be-257710

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  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Israel bombed an Iraqi nuclear reactor in 1981 − it pushed program underground and spurred Saddam Hussein’s desire for nukes

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Jeffrey Fields, Professor of the Practice of International Relations, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

    The Osirak nuclear power research station in 1981. Jacques Pavlovsky/Sygma via Getty Images

    Israel, with the assistance of U.S. military hardware, bombs an adversary’s nuclear facility to set back the perceived pursuit of the ultimate weapon. We have been here before, about 44 years ago.

    In 1981, Israeli fighter jets supplied by Washington attacked an Iraqi nuclear research reactor being built near Baghdad by the French government.

    The reactor, which the French called Osirak and Iraqis called Tammuz, was destroyed. Much of the international community initially condemned the attack. But Israel claimed the raid set Iraqi nuclear ambitions back at least a decade. In time, many Western observers and government officials, too, chalked up the attack as a win for nonproliferation, hailing the strike as an audacious but necessary step to prevent Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein from building a nuclear arsenal.

    But the reality is more complicated. As nuclear proliferation experts assess the extent of damage to Iran’s nuclear facilities following the recent U.S. and Israeli raids, it is worth reassessing the longer-term implications of that earlier Iraqi strike.

    The Osirak reactor

    Iraq joined the landmark Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in 1970, committing the country to refrain from the pursuit of nuclear weapons. But in exchange, signatories are entitled to engage in civilian nuclear activities, including having research or power reactors and access to the enriched uranium that drives them.

    The International Atomic Energy Agency is responsible through safeguards agreements for monitoring countries’ civilian use of nuclear technology, with on-the-ground inspections to ensure that civilian nuclear programs do not divert materials for nuclear weapons.

    But to Israel, the Iraqi reactor was provocative and an escalation in the Arab-Israeli conflict.

    Israel believed that Iraq would use the French reactor – Iraq said it was for research purposes – to generate plutonium for a nuclear weapon. After diplomacy with France and the United States failed to persuade the two countries to halt construction of the reactor, Prime Minister Menachem Begin concluded that attacking the reactor was Israel’s best option. That decision gave birth to the “Begin Doctrine,” which has committing Israel to preventing its regional adversaries from becoming nuclear powers ever since.

    Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin addresses the press after the 1981 attack on the Osarik nuclear reactor.
    Israel Press and Photo Agency/Wikimedia Commons

    In spring 1979, Israel attempted to sabotage the project, bombing the reactor core destined for Iraq while it sat awaiting shipment in the French town of La Seyne-sur-Mer. The mission was only a partial success, damaging but not destroying the reactor.

    France and Iraq persisted with the project, and in July 1980 – with the reactor having been delivered – Iraq received the first shipment of highly enriched uranium fuel at the Tuwaitha Nuclear Research Center near Baghdad.

    Then in September 1980, during the initial days of the Iran-Iraq war, Iranian jets struck the nuclear research center. The raid also targeted a power station, knocking out electricity in Baghdad for several days. But a Central Intelligence Agency situation report assessed that “only secondary buildings” were hit at the nuclear site itself.

    It was then Israel’s turn. The reactor was still unfinished and not in operation when on June 7, 1981, eight U.S.-supplied F-16s flew over Jordanian and Saudi airspace and bombed the reactor in Iraq. The attack killed 10 Iraqi soldiers and a French civilian.

    Revisiting the ‘success’ of Israeli raid

    Many years later, U.S. President Bill Clinton commented: “Everybody talks about what the Israelis did at Osirak in 1981, which I think, in retrospect, was a really good thing. You know, it kept Saddam from developing nuclear power.”

    But nonproliferation experts have contended for years that while Saddam may have had nuclear weapons ambitions, the French-built research reactor would not have been the route to go. Iraq would either have had to divert the reactor’s highly enriched uranium fuel for a few weapons or shut the reactor down to extract plutonium from the fuel rods – all while hiding these operations from the International Atomic Energy Agency.

    As an additional safeguard, the French government, too, had pledged to shut down the reactor if it detected efforts to use the reactor for weapons purposes.

    In any event, Iraq’s desire for a nuclear weapon was more aspirational than operational. A 2011 article in the journal International Security included interviews with several scientists who worked on Iraq’s nuclear program and characterized the country’s pursuit of a nuclear weapons capability as “both directionless and disorganized” before the attack.

    Iraq’s program begins in earnest

    So what happened after the strike? Many analysts have argued that the Israeli attack, rather than diminish Iraqi desire for a nuclear weapon, actually catalyzed it.

    Nuclear proliferation expert Målfrid Braut-Hegghammer, the author of the 2011 study, concluded that the Israeli attack “triggered a nuclear weapons program where one did not previously exist.”

    In the aftermath of the attack, Saddam decided to formally, if secretively, establish a nuclear weapons program, with scientists deciding that a uranium-based weapon was the best route. He tasked his scientists with pursuing multiple methods to enrich uranium to weapons grade to ensure success, much the way the Manhattan Project scientists approached the same problem in the U.S.

    In other words, the Israeli attack, rather than set back an existing nuclear weapons program, turned an incoherent and exploratory nuclear endeavor into a drive to get the bomb personally overseen by Saddam and sparing little expense even as Iraq’s war with Iran substantially taxed Iraqi resources.

    From 1981 to 1987, the nuclear program progressed fitfully, facing both organizational and scientific challenges.

    As those challenges were beginning to be addressed, Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990, provoking a military response from the United States. In the aftermath of what would become Operation Desert Storm, U.N. weapons inspectors discovered and dismantled the clandestine Iraqi nuclear weapons program.

    The Tammuz nuclear reactor was hit again during the 1991 Gulf War.
    Ramzi Haidar/AFP via Getty Images

    Had Saddam not invaded Kuwait over a matter not related to security, it is very possible that Baghdad would have had a nuclear weapon capability by the mid-to-late 1990s.

    Similarly to Iraq in 1980, Iran today is a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. At the time President Donald Trump withdrew U.S. support in 2018 for the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, colloquially known as the Iran nuclear deal, the International Atomic Energy Agency certified that Tehran was complying with the requirements of the agreement.

    In the case of Iraq, military action on its nascent nuclear program merely pushed it underground – to Saddam, the Israeli strikes made acquiring the ultimate weapon more rather than less attractive as a deterrent. Almost a half-century on, some analysts and observers are warning the same about Iran.

    Jeffrey Fields receives funding from the Carnegie Corporation of New York and Schmidt Futures.

    – ref. Israel bombed an Iraqi nuclear reactor in 1981 − it pushed program underground and spurred Saddam Hussein’s desire for nukes – https://theconversation.com/israel-bombed-an-iraqi-nuclear-reactor-in-1981-it-pushed-program-underground-and-spurred-saddam-husseins-desire-for-nukes-259618

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  • MIL-OSI Submissions: The Learning Refuge: How women-led community efforts help refugees resettle in Cyprus

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Suzan Ilcan, Professor of Sociology & University Research Chair, University of Waterloo

    A grassroots organization in Paphos, Cyprus, is bringing women together to address the needs of refugees in the city. (Shutterstock)

    Since 2015, the Republic of Cyprus (ROC) has seen a steady rise in migrant arrivals and asylum applications, primarily from people from Middle Eastern and African countries like Syria, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Cameroon.

    But many asylum-seekers face significant challenges. Refugees formally in the asylum system are often denied residency permits, which means they face persistent insecurity, poverty and isolation

    These conditions are compounded by restrictive and limited services for asylum-seekers. This deepens the precarity and exclusion refugees face within a political and economic system that treats them more like economic burdens than as human beings with rights who need help.

    In response to these institutional failures, citizens, volunteers and refugees themselves have begun to build grassroots networks of care and solidarity in the ROC and beyond to support refugee communities.

    In 2022 and 2023, we conducted interviews with women volunteers and refugees affiliated with The Learning Refuge, a civil society organization in the city of Paphos in southwest Cyprus that cultivates dialogue and collaboration among these two diverse groups.

    Women-led initiatives

    Many displaced people first arrive on the island of Cyprus through the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). However, the absence of a functioning asylum system or international legal protections leaves them in limbo.

    With no viable path to status in the TRNC, most cross the Green Line that bifurcates Cyprus into the ROC, where European Union asylum frameworks exist but remain limited in practice.

    Women-led community-building is often a response to the negative effects of inadequate state support and humanitarian aid for refugees. In Cyprus, this situation leaves many refugees without access to sufficient food, satisfactory health care, accommodation, employment, clothing and language training. In this current environment, refugees are increasingly experiencing insecure and fragile situations, especially women.

    In Cyprus, as in many other countries, a variety of community-building efforts are important responses to limited or restricted state support and humanitarian aid for refugees.

    Women-led efforts offer opportunities to deliver educational activities and establish networks, and to help improve the welfare and social protection of refugee women, however imperfectly.

    These and other similar efforts highlight how women refugees and volunteers can mobilize to foster dialogue and collaboration.

    The Learning Refuge

    Founded in 2015, The Learning Refuge began as community meetings in a city park. The organization then used space from a nearby music venue to conduct support activities, and later, established itself in a dedicated building.

    Organizations like The Learning Refuge emerged to address the limited state support and humanitarian assistance services available to refugees.

    The Learning Refuge cultivates dialogue and collaboration among a diverse group of community volunteers.
    (Suzan Ilcan)

    As Syrian families began arriving in Paphos in 2015, local mothers started working with Syrian children, assisting them with homework, providing skills-training opportunities and language classes.

    The Learning Refuge cultivates dialogue and collaboration among a diverse group of community volunteers, including schoolteachers, artists, musicians, local residents, refugees and other migrants.

    With the aid of 20 volunteers, the loosely organized groups provide women refugees with material support and resources to enhance collective activities, including art and music projects, while also engaging in educational and friendship activities.

    While modest in scale, the organization has formed partnerships with local and international organizations, including Caritas Cyprus, UNHCR-Cyprus and the Cyprus Refugee Council to extend its outreach to various refugee groups.

    The organization has also launched creative initiatives aimed at cultivating additional inclusive civic spaces. One such effort, “Moms and Babies Day,” was developed in response to the rising number of single mothers from Africa arriving on the island. These women often face poverty and isolation, and struggle with language barriers.

    These efforts highlight how grassroots responses — especially those led by women — can offer partial but vital educational and emotional support to refugees struggling to find their footing in a new country.

    Negotiated belonging

    Through participation in The Learning Refuge, refugee women in Paphos engage in a dynamic process of negotiated belonging, navigating challenges like language barriers, gendered isolation, domestic violence and poverty while contributing to broader community-building efforts.

    For example, Maryam, a Syrian woman and mother of three, told us how The Learning Refuge helped her children establish friendships and learn Greek. She also highlighted that it helped her form close ties with volunteers and other Syrian women living in Cyprus, and find paid work in the city.

    The volunteers and women refugees participating in The Learning Refuge’s activities emphasized not only their capacity to develop new forms of belonging and solidarity; they also help reshape communal knowledge and generate supportive spaces for women from various backgrounds.

    Our research shows that women-led community-building is an effective, though short-term, response to insufficient state support and humanitarian aid systems that leave many refugees in precarious situations.

    In varying degrees, these efforts offer women and their families spaces to learn and cultivate new relationships, and foster collective projects and better visions of resettlement and refuge.

    Suzan Ilcan receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Council of Canada.

    Seçil Daǧtaș receives funding from Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

    – ref. The Learning Refuge: How women-led community efforts help refugees resettle in Cyprus – https://theconversation.com/the-learning-refuge-how-women-led-community-efforts-help-refugees-resettle-in-cyprus-252682

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  • MIL-OSI Submissions: What’s the difference between an eating disorder and disordered eating?

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Gemma Sharp, Researcher in Body Image, Eating and Weight Disorders, Monash University

    PIKSEL/Getty

    Following a particular diet or exercising a great deal are common and even encouraged in our health and image-conscious culture. With increased awareness of food allergies and other dietary requirements, it’s also not uncommon for someone to restrict or eliminate certain foods.

    But these behaviours may also be the sign of an unhealthy relationship with food. You can have a problematic pattern of eating without being diagnosed with an eating disorder.

    So, where’s the line? What is disordered eating, and what is an eating disorder?

    What is disordered eating?

    Disordered eating describes negative attitudes and behaviours towards food and eating that can lead to a disturbed eating pattern.

    It can involve:

    • dieting

    • skipping meals

    • avoiding certain food groups

    • binge eating

    • misusing laxatives and weight-loss medications

    • inducing vomiting (sometimes known as purging)

    • exercising compulsively.

    Disordered eating is the term used when these behaviours are not frequent and/or severe enough to meet an eating disorder diagnosis.

    Not everyone who engages in these behaviours will develop an eating disorder. But disordered eating – particularly dieting – usually precedes an eating disorder.

    What is an eating disorder?

    Eating disorders are complex psychiatric illnesses that can negatively affect a person’s body, mind and social life. They’re characterised by persistent disturbances in how someone thinks, feels and behaves around eating and their bodies.

    To make a diagnosis, a qualified health professional will use a combination of standardised questionnaires, as well as more general questioning. These will determine how frequent and severe the behaviours are, and how they affect day-to-day functioning.

    Examples of clinical diagnoses include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder and avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder.

    How common are eating disorders and disordered eating?

    The answer can vary quite radically depending on the study and how it defines disordered behaviours and attitudes.

    An estimated 8.4% of women and 2.2% of men will develop an eating disorder at some point in their lives. This is most common during adolescence.

    Disordered eating is also particularly common in young people with 30% of girls and 17% of boys aged 6–18 years reporting engaging in these behaviours.

    Although the research is still emerging, it appears disordered eating and eating disorders are even more common in gender diverse people.

    Can we prevent eating disorders?

    There is some evidence eating disorder prevention programs that target risk factors – such as dieting and concerns about shape and weight – can be effective to some extent in the short term.

    The issue is most of these studies last only a few months. So we can’t determine whether the people involved went on to develop an eating disorder in the longer term.

    In addition, most studies have involved girls or women in late high school and university. By this age, eating disorders have usually already emerged. So, this research cannot tell us as much about eating disorder prevention and it also neglects the wide range of people at risk of eating disorders.

    Is orthorexia an eating disorder?

    In defining the line between eating disorders and disordered eating, orthorexia nervosa is a contentious issue.

    The name literally means “proper appetite” and involves a pathological obsession with proper nutrition, characterised by a restrictive diet and rigidly avoiding foods believed to be “unhealthy” or “impure”.

    These disordered eating behaviours need to be taken seriously as they can lead to malnourishment, loss of relationships, and overall poor quality of life.

    However, orthorexia nervosa is not an official eating disorder in any diagnostic manual.

    Additionally, with the popularity of special diets (such as keto or paleo), time-restricted eating, and dietary requirements (for example, gluten-free) it can sometimes be hard to decipher when concerns about diet have become disordered, or may even be an eating disorder.

    For example, around 6% of people have a food allergy. Emerging evidence suggests they are also more likely to have restrictive types of eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa and avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder.

    However, following a special diet such as veganism, or having a food allergy, does not automatically lead to disordered eating or an eating disorder.

    It is important to recognise people’s different motivations for eating or avoiding certain foods. For example, a vegan may restrict certain food groups due to animal rights concerns, rather than disordered eating symptoms.

    What to look out for

    If you’re concerned about your own relationship with food or that of a loved one, here are some signs to look out for:

    • preoccupation with food and food preparation

    • cutting out food groups or skipping meals entirely

    • obsession with body weight or shape

    • large fluctuations in weight

    • compulsive exercise

    • mood changes and social withdrawal.

    It’s always best to seek help early. But it is never too late to seek help.

    In Australia, if you are experiencing difficulties in your relationships with food and your body, you can contact the Butterfly Foundation’s national helpline on 1800 33 4673 (or via their online chat).

    For parents concerned their child might be developing concerning relationships with food, weight and body image, Feed Your Instinct highlights common warning signs, provides useful information about help seeking and can generate a personalised report to take to a health professional.

    Gemma Sharp receives funding from an NHMRC Investigator Grant. She is a Professor and the Founding Director and Member of the Consortium for Research in Eating Disorders, a registered charity.

    – ref. What’s the difference between an eating disorder and disordered eating? – https://theconversation.com/whats-the-difference-between-an-eating-disorder-and-disordered-eating-256787

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  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Canada Day: Symbols take centre stage in debates about Canadian nationalism

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Paul Hamilton, Associate Professor of Political Science, Brock University

    The recent resurgence of Canadian nationalism is a response to explicit threats made by United States President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly expressed his desire to make Canada the 51st American state.

    Canadian flag sales have skyrocketed, informal and formal boycotts of American goods are continuing and Canadians are being urged to stay home and spend their vacation dollars domestically. Even in Québec, pro-Canadian sentiments are evident. Canadian nationalism is back.



    Read more:
    Is Trump’s assault on Canada bringing Québec and the rest of the country closer together?

    Yet only a decade ago, the newly elected Justin Trudeau labelled Canada the first “post-national nation” in an interview with The New York Times. In essence, the prime minister suggested, Canada was moving beyond nationalism to some new phase of social identity. Nationalism, like a step in the launch of a spacecraft, would be jettisoned now that it was a vestigial and outdated feature of Canadian society.

    As we argue in a recently presented paper to be published soon, Canadians are nowhere near either a homogeneous, popularly held identity, nor are they “beyond nationalism” as if it were an outdated hairstyle.

    Instead, Canadian steps toward a united, widely held nationalism continue to be stymied by both substantial constitutional issues (Québec, western alienation, Indigenous aspirations to self-determination) but also by battles over banal symbols of national identity. Canadians are, in the words of journalist Ian Brown, “a unity of contradictions.”

    The importance of symbols

    In his influential book, Banal Nationalism, British social science scholar Michael Billig highlighted the role of symbols like stamps, currency and flags to identify barely noticed transmitters of national consciousness.

    Writing in 1995, at a time of ethnic nationalist resurgence in the former Yugoslavia, Billig contrasted the understated, reserved nationalism of citizens of established states like Canada with the dangerous, passionate expressions of nationalism in the Balkans.

    This genteel nationalism is barely noticed much of the time, but proposals to alter national symbols arouse debate — like during the great Canadian flag debate of the mid-1960s — and expose deep emotional attachments. Canadians, too, are nationalists.

    But they’re also citizens of a liberal democracy where nationalistic narratives compete to define and unite the nation. Societies evolve and generational change can lead to new symbols reflecting changing values. The historical episodes of discontent pertaining to national symbols show how Canadian society has evolved since its drift away from Britain after the Second World War.

    During the flag debate, Liberal Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson said Canada needed a new flag that would present a united nation rather than a confusing amalgamation of different people. Conservative Leader John Diefenbaker, on the other hand, argued Canada should be “all Canadian and all British” during the debate, adding that any Canadian who disagreed should “be denounced.”

    The leaders could not agree, with Diefenbaker opting for something like the status quo and Pearson for a complete redesign that would represent all Canadians, regardless of national heritage. In a 1964 La Presse article on the debate, columnist Guy Cormier crudely voiced Québec’s concerns that Pearson’s handling of the flag debate was an attempt to “artificially inseminate” his agenda on the province. The Philadelphia Evening Bulletin reported on the debate, declaring that “tinkering with a nation’s flag is sort of like playing volleyball with a hornets nest.”

    Mountie symbolism

    As Canada became increasingly more multicultural in the 1980s, another symbol became the centre of controversy. A Sikh entering the RCMP wanted to be able to wear a turban instead of the traditional Stetson.

    Despite government and RCMP support, public opinion was mixed. Racist lapel pins were sold with the message “Keep the RCMP Canadian” as some argued the old uniform should remain and that new recruits should adapt to it.

    While few Canadians knew much about the design and history of the RCMP uniform, almost all Canadians consider it an iconic representation of Canada. Changes to it represent a threat to some, inclusion for others.

    Changes to the anthem, passport

    Changes to O Canada, the national anthem, have been proposed over the past decades. Recently, a more inclusive version was drafted, changing “in all thy sons command” to “all of us command.”

    Conservative MPs and some television pundits argued the change wasn’t necessary and the anthem doesn’t belong to a political party. Opponents argued that most people aren’t offended by the anthem’s lyrics, the anthem wasn’t broken and was not in need of fixing. Ultimately, the change was made, with great praise from some and vexation from others.

    Removing images of the late Terry Fox in 2023 from the Canadian passport, a document few think about until checking its expiry date before a vacation, caused significant uproar.

    Other images from Canadian history were also removed, but Fox’s removal was most notable since he was someone most Canadians consider the embodiment of a Canadian hero.

    The response to these changes ranged from mild — with those arguing that Canada needs more Terry Fox, not less, — to furious, as some accused Trudeau of being out of touch with Canadians and a “fault finder-in-chief.”

    Far from trivial, these arguments over national symbols reveal how deeply some Canadians are attached to them. The nature of Canadian identity and nationalism will continue to be dated and contested. In that respect, Canadians are no different than the citizens of any other country.

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

    – ref. Canada Day: Symbols take centre stage in debates about Canadian nationalism – https://theconversation.com/canada-day-symbols-take-centre-stage-in-debates-about-canadian-nationalism-259847

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  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Trump’s f-bomb: a psychologist explains why the president makes fast and furious statements

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Geoff Beattie, Professor of Psychology, Edge Hill University

    Donald Trump’s latest forthright outburst was made as part of his attempts to create a peace deal with Iran and Israel. “I’m not happy with Israel,” he told reporters on June 24. “We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don’t know what the fuck they’re doing.”

    This came a day after Trump had announced a ceasefire between Israel and Iran. By the next day, the ceasefire had been violated by both Iran and Israel. Trump was clearly furious, and his language showed it.

    This was not a verbal slip – there was no immediate correction, no apology, no nonverbal indication of embarrassment. He just stormed off, clearly angry.

    This is not the kind of language that is normally associated with a president. Some have been reported to use the f-word before, but usually behind closed doors.

    Donald Trump uses the f-word in a press conference.

    We expect presidents to be calm, measured, thoughtful, considered. Trump’s comment was none of these things. Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th US president, once recommended a foreign policy strategy that was based on speaking softly and carrying a big stick. He was suggesting quiet menace, but Trump showed frustration, barely contained. His furious, aggressive response was like something straight out of an old psychology textbook.

    In the 1930s, psychologists developed the frustration-aggression hypothesis to explain how aggressive behaviour can arise. The hypothesis suggested that when a person’s goal is blocked in some way, it leads to frustration, which then results in aggression. Aggression was considered a “natural” way of releasing this unpleasant state of frustration. They were clearly different times.

    Over the next few decades, this hypothesis was thought by most psychologists to be a gross oversimplification of complex human behaviour. It assumed a direct causal relationship between frustration and aggression, ignoring all the other situational and cognitive factors that can intervene.

    Human beings are more complex than that, psychologists argued — they find other ways of dealing with their frustrations. They use their rational system of thought to find solutions. They don’t have to lash out when they’re frustrated in this seemingly primitive way.

    Perhaps, that’s why many people feel shocked when they watch this US president in certain situations. To many of us, it all seems so basic, so unsophisticated, so frightening.

    Fast v slow thinking

    The Nobel laureate and psychologist Daniel Kahneman, in his book Thinking, Fast and Slow (2011), characterised the two systems that underpin everyday decision-making. His work may help with understanding of what’s going on here.

    He describes system one as the evolutionary, basic system. It operates unconsciously, automatically and very quickly, handling everyday tasks like reading other people’s emotions, without any effort. It is an intuitive system designed to work in a world full of approach and avoidance, scary animals and friendly animals. It is heavily reliant on affect to guide decision-making.

    In contrast, system two is slower, more deliberative. It requires conscious effort and is used for complex thinking, solving difficult problems, or making careful decisions.

    The relationship between the two systems is critical, and that may get us thinking about Trump in more detail.

    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.

    Kahneman says that system one is a bit of a “workaholic”, beavering away all the time, making “suggestions” for system two to endorse. Good decisions – depend upon system two checking the suggestions of system one. But system one often jumps quickly and unconsciously to certain conclusions. System two should check them, but often doesn’t, even when it would be easy.

    Here is a well-known example. Answer the following question: “A bat and ball cost one pound ten pence, the bat costs one pound more than the ball. How much does the ball cost?”

    One answer looks blatantly obvious – but it isn’t correct. The correct answer (after a bit of thought) is five pence.

    About 80% of university students give the very quick and incorrect answer of ten pence because it “looks” right. Their system two never checked.

    In many people, it seems system two is not used nearly enough. There are striking individual differences in the way that people rely on emotion and gut instinct versus the rational system in making decisions.

    Emotional decisions?

    It appears that Trump makes decisions very quickly (classic system one), often without extensive deliberation or consultation with advisers. Both in his presidency and in his business career, he seemed to prioritise immediate action over any sort of prolonged and thoughtful analysis. That’s why he changes his mind so often.

    His decisions seem to be driven by strong emotions. His response to events, opponents and issues are often passionate and visceral. This could lead to to decisions being unduly influenced by personal feelings, first impressions based on arbitrary cues, and interpersonal perceptions, rather than anything more substantial.

    Trump’s style of decision-making emphasises immediacy and emotional conviction, which can be effective in rallying supporters and creating a sense of decisiveness. However, it also can lead to unpredictable outcomes and, as has been seen again and again, somewhat controversial, impulsive actions.

    Many suggest that Trump’s decision-making style reflects his background in the high-pressure and high-stakes world of business, where quick judgements and gut instinct can be advantageous in these sorts of competitive winner-takes-all environments

    But the world at war is a more precarious place, where system one needs to be kept more firmly in check. Gut instincts may have a role to play, but that old lazy system two needs to be more vigilant. Especially, it would seem, in Trump’s case.

    This article features references to books that have been included for editorial reasons, and may contain links to bookshop.org. If you click on one of the links and go on to buy something from bookshop.org The Conversation UK may earn a commission.

    Geoff Beattie 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. Trump’s f-bomb: a psychologist explains why the president makes fast and furious statements – https://theconversation.com/trumps-f-bomb-a-psychologist-explains-why-the-president-makes-fast-and-furious-statements-259735

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  • MIL-OSI Submissions: I analyzed more than 100 extremist manifestos: Misogyny was the common thread

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Karmvir K. Padda, Researcher and PhD Candidate, Sociology, University of Waterloo

    Two years have passed since a 24-year-old former student walked into a gender studies classroom at the University of Waterloo and stabbed the professor and two students.

    The attack left the campus shaken and sparked national outrage. Many saw the attack as a shocking but isolated act of violence. But a close analysis of his 223-word manifesto reveals much more.

    What emerges is a chilling picture of how deep-seated misogyny, disguised as grievance and moral outrage, can escalate ideological violence. Though short, the manifesto is saturated with anti-feminist, conspiratorial rhetoric.

    As a researcher looking at digital extremism and gender-based violence, I’ve analyzed more than 100 manifestos written by people who carried out mass shootings, stabbings, vehicular attacks and other acts of ideologically, politically and religiously motivated violent extremism in Canada, the United States and beyond.

    These attackers may not belong to formal terrorist organizations, but their writings reveal consistent ideological patterns. Among them, one stands out: misogyny.

    Misogyny is the ‘gateway drug’

    The Waterloo case is not unique. In fact, it mirrors a growing number of violent incidents where gender-based hate plays a central role. Reports by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue and Public Safety Canada show misogynist extremism is rising in Canada. It’s often entangled with white nationalism, anti-LGBTQ+ hate and anti-government sentiment.

    According to political sociologist Yasmin Wong, misogyny now acts as a “gateway drug” to broader extremist ideologies. This is particularly true in digital spaces where hate and grievance are cultivated algorithmically.

    In my analysis of manifestos collected from 1966 to 2025, gender identity-driven violence appeared in nearly 40 per cent of them. These violent beliefs were either the primary or a significant secondary motivation for the attack. This includes direct expressions of hatred toward women, trans and queer people and references to feminist or LGBTQ+ movements.

    ‘Salad bar’extremism

    The Waterloo attacker did not explicitly identify as an “incel” (involuntary celibate), but the language in his manifesto closely echoes those found in incel and broader manosphere discourse. Feminism is portrayed as dangerous, gender studies as ideological indoctrination and universities as battlegrounds in a supposed culture war.

    The Waterloo attacker destroyed a Pride flag during the attack, referred to the professor he targeted as a “Marxist,” and told police he hoped his actions would serve as a “wake-up call.”

    At one point, he praised leaders like Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Canadian far-right politician Maxime Bernier as “based Chads.” “Based Chads” is a slang term used in online extremist communities to glorify or refer to dominant and assertive males.

    Alongside anti-feminist messaging, the attacker’s writing echoes common far-right narratives: fear of “cultural Marxism,” disdain for liberal elites, and the belief that violence is necessary to awaken the public. He referenced prior mass attacks, including the 2011 Norway massacre and the 2019 Christchurch mosque shooting. These two incidents are frequently celebrated in far-right spaces.

    These references place him within a transnational digital subculture where misogyny, white supremacy and ideological violence are valourized.

    It reflects what researchers described as “salad bar extremism”: a mix-and-match worldview where misogyny is blended with white nationalism, anti-government sentiment and conspiratorial thinking to justify violence.

    Manifestos rationalize violence

    The authors of manifestos are frequently dismissed as “nutters” — demented or socially unstable people.

    But the manifestos are valuable documents for understanding how ideology works. They show how people rationalize violence, where their ideas come from and how they see themselves as political entities. They also reveal the role of digital communities in shaping those beliefs.

    Researchers can use them to map ideological ecosystems and identify patterns. These analyses can inform prevention strategies.

    The Waterloo manifesto is no exception. It draws from a familiar ideological playbook — one that dehumanizes feminists, academics and LGBTQ+ people while portraying violence as both righteous and necessary.

    These are not isolated ideas; they are symptoms of a wider digital ecosystem of online hate and ideological grooming.



    Read more:
    The stabbing attack at the University of Waterloo underscores the dangers of polarizing rhetoric about gender

    Deliberate, ideologically motivated attacks

    While a psychological assessment of the attacker raised questions about a psychotic break, there was no clinical diagnosis of psychosis. His actions — planning the attack, writing and posting a manifesto, selecting a specific target — were deliberate and ideologically motivated.

    Yet the terrorism charge brought against him by federal prosecutors was ultimately dropped. The judge ruled his beliefs were “too scattered and disparate” to constitute a coherent ideology.

    But his manifesto shared language and ideological frameworks recognizable across incel, anti-feminist and far-right communities. The idea that this doesn’t constitute “ideology” reflects how outdated our legal and policy frameworks have become.

    Confronting ongoing danger

    Two years on, we remember the victims of the Waterloo attack. We must also confront the larger danger the attack represents.

    Misogyny is not just a cultural or emotional problem. Instead, it increasingly functions as an ideological gateway, connecting personal grievance with broader calls for violent extremism.

    In this era of rising lone-actor violence, it is one of the most consistent and dangerous drivers of extremism.

    If we continue to treat gender-based hate as peripheral or personal, we will keep misunderstanding the nature of violent radicalization in Canada. We must name this threat and take it seriously, because that’s the only way to prepare for what’s coming next.

    Karmvir K. Padda receives research funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council

    – ref. I analyzed more than 100 extremist manifestos: Misogyny was the common thread – https://theconversation.com/i-analyzed-more-than-100-extremist-manifestos-misogyny-was-the-common-thread-259347

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  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Poached gecko seen alive in the wild

    Source: NZ Department of Conservation

    Date:  01 July 2025

    The gecko was one of three females illegally taken and held in captivity until they were discovered during a Department of Conservation (DOC) investigation in 2022.

    All three required life-saving surgery at Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa Massey University’s Wildbase Hospital to remove stuck eggs, and after successful recuperation, the trio were returned to their alpine home in November 2023.  

    Last month, a nature watcher photographed a striking, bright green gecko on a tree in a West Coast conservation area and uploaded photos to iNaturalist NZ – Mātaki Taiao – a site where nature lovers share their observations.

    The photo was spotted by the sharp-eyed New Zealand Herpetological Society president, Nick Harker, who recognised the unique markings along her back. A careful check with previous photos of the gecko confirmed her identity.

    It was amazing to see the gecko alive and apparently well after her ordeal, says Nick Harker.

    “She and two of her friends were stolen, smuggled to the North Island, kept in captivity and then had major surgery – which is a lot to go through.

    “This gecko species is sensitive to changes in its environment and vulnerable to a range of threats, so we were delighted to see her alive.

    “West Coast green geckos have fragmented populations and often live in isolated pockets, so every individual – and especially every female – is important.”

    DOC Senior Technical Advisor Lynn Adams says the gecko sighting shows the power of citizen science in monitoring and identifying lizards.

    “Green geckos live in trees and are highly camouflaged, making them difficult to see and monitor. We love it when people share their observations and photos, which in this case confirmed the survival of the repatriated gecko.

    “Photos of lizards sent to us or posted to iNaturalist and other sites have helped identify new species and new populations we didn’t know about.”   

    The photos show the gecko with wrinkled flanks – a sign she may have given birth although this can’t be confirmed. In one photo, taken from below, you can see the faint scar from her surgery.  

    The threatened West Coast green gecko (Naultinus tuberculatus) may only breed every two to three years, producing just one or two young.

    New Zealand has an incredible diversity of gecko and skink species – all of which are found only here and nowhere else in the world. There are 126 species and counting as new species are still being discovered.  

    Introduced predators such as mice, rats, stoats, cats and even wasps pose a threat to all lizards.

    People can report lizard sightings to DOC at herpetofauna@doc.govt.nz.

    The taking of lizards is an offence under the Wildlife Act and carries penalties of up to two years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to $100,000. People can help prevent lizard smuggling by reporting suspicious activities to our 24-hour hotline, 0800 DOC HOT (0800 362 468).

    Background information

    For information on how to identify and report lizards see: Amphibian and Reptile Distribution Scheme

    These sites can help identify lizards: New Zealand Herpetological Society and iNaturalistNZ

    Wildbase website

    Contact

    For media enquiries contact:

    Email: media@doc.govt.nz

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Breast Cancer Risk in Younger Women May Be Influenced by Hormone Therapy

    Source: US Department of Health and Human Services – 3

    Scientists at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have found that two common types of hormone therapy may alter breast cancer risk in women before age 55. Researchers discovered that women treated with unopposed estrogen hormone therapy (E-HT) were less likely to develop the disease than those who did not use hormone therapy. They also found that women treated with estrogen plus progestin hormone therapy (EP-HT) were more likely to develop breast cancer than women who did not use hormone therapy. Together, these results could help to guide clinical recommendations for hormone therapy use among younger women.
    The two hormone therapies analyzed in the study are often used to manage symptoms related to menopause or following hysterectomy (removal of uterus) or oophorectomy (removal of one or both ovaries). Unopposed estrogen therapy is recommended only for women who have had a hysterectomy because of its known association with uterine cancer risk.
    “Hormone therapy can greatly improve the quality of life for women experiencing severe menopausal symptoms or those who have had surgeries that affect their hormone levels,” said lead author Katie O’Brien, Ph.D., of NIH’s National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). “Our study provides greater understanding of the risks associated with different types of hormone therapy, which we hope will help patients and their doctors develop more informed treatment plans.”
    The researchers conducted a large-scale analysis that included data from more than 459,000 women under 55 years old across North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Women who used E-HT had a 14% reduction in breast cancer incidence compared to those who never used hormone therapy. Notably, this protective effect was more pronounced in women who started E-HT at younger ages or who used it longer. In contrast, women using EP-HT experienced a 10% higher rate of breast cancer compared to non-users, with an 18% higher rate seen among women using EP-HT for more than two years relative to those who never used the therapy.
    According to the authors, this suggests that for EP-HT users, the cumulative risk of breast cancer before age 55 could be about 4.5%, compared with a 4.1% risk for women who never used hormone therapy and a 3.6% risk for those who used E-HT. Further, the association between EP-HT and breast cancer was particularly elevated among women who had not undergone hysterectomy or oophorectomy. That highlights the importance of considering gynecological surgery status when evaluating the risks of starting hormone therapy, the researchers noted.
    “These findings underscore the need for personalized medical advice when considering hormone therapy,” said NIEHS scientist and senior author Dale Sandler, Ph.D. “Women and their health care providers should weigh the benefits of symptom relief against the potential risks associated with hormone therapy, especially EP-HT. For women with an intact uterus and ovaries, the increased risk of breast cancer with EP-HT should prompt careful deliberation.”
    The authors noted that their study is consistent with previous large studies that documented similar associations between hormone therapy and breast cancer risk among older and postmenopausal women. This new study extends those findings to younger women, providing essential evidence to help guide decision-making for women as they go through menopause.
    Reference: O’Brien KM, et al. 2025. Hormone therapy use and young-onset breast cancer: a pooled analysis of prospective cohorts included in the Premenopausal Breast Cancer Collaborative Group. Lancet Oncol 26: 911–23.

    Previous National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences News Release
    April 16, 2024 Microplastics, Algal Blooms, Seafood Safety Are Public Health Concerns Addressed by New Oceans and Human Health Centers April 16, 2024

    See all News Releases

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: All Have Right to Make Informed Choices, Secretary-General Says on World Population Day

    Source: United Nations General Assembly and Security Council

    Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for World Population Day, observed on 11 July:

    On this World Population Day, we celebrate the potential and promise of the largest youth generation ever.

    They are not only shaping our future; they are demanding one that is just, inclusive, and sustainable.

    The theme — “Empowering young people to create the families they want in a fair and hopeful world” — reaffirms the promise of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development:  that every person has the right to make informed choices about their lives and futures.

    Many young people today face economic uncertainty, gender inequality, health challenges, the climate crisis and conflict.

    Still, they are leading — with courage, conscience and clarity.  And they are calling for systems that uphold their rights and support their choices.

    I urge countries to invest in policies that ensure education, healthcare, decent work, and the full protection of their reproductive rights.

    Let us stand with young people and build a future where every person can shape their destiny in a world that is fair, peaceful and full of hope.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: ‘Don’t Agonize — Organize, Help Realize Change Our World Urgently Needs’, Deputy Secretary-General Tells Sciences Po Graduating Class

    Source: United Nations 4

    Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s remarks at the graduation ceremony for the Paris School of International Affairs, Sciences Po, in Paris today:

    Let me begin with the most important word of all:  congratulations.

    You now join a long line of Sciences Po alumni who have shaped our world — including some of whom are doing it every day at the United Nations as they work in my office supporting the Secretary-General.

    Let’s also take a moment to recognize your families, friends and loved ones — who have been with you every step of the way.  They deserve a round of applause.

    Students representing more than 120 nationalities come here to learn how the world works, and how it can work better.  That spirit of global curiosity and purpose has also carried me through every chapter of my own journey:  designing schools and hospitals in my home country of Nigeria; advising four Presidents on poverty reduction, development policy planning and public sector reform; supporting Member States to lead the process that transformed global aspirations into the Sustainable Development Goals; and now as the longest-serving Deputy Secretary-General in United Nations history, supporting the Secretary-General on some of the most complex situations in our history, from COVID to Ukraine to Sudan and Gaza and today’s continuing crisis in the Middle East.

    Today, I want to reflect on the lessons I have learned along the way.

    First, don’t agonize, organize.  We live in a world of hurt.  A world that is messy, complicated and often overwhelming.  And I know it might be easy to feel paralysed by the scale and hopelessness of today’s challenges.  Don’t. Because more than ever, those challenges are connected — and we solve them by seeing those connections and coming together.

    When I served as Nigeria’s Minister for Environment, my job was never just about the environment.  When Lake Chad was drying up, it wasn’t just an ecological crisis — it was a security crisis.  Boko Haram was born and abducted 200 schoolgirls.  When we faced population and urban sprawl and tensions rose between farmers and herders, it wasn’t just about water access — it was about food systems and growing cities. When I met girls walking hours to fetch water, missing school every day — it wasn’t just about resources — it was about gender equality.

    We didn’t work in siloes.  We built coalitions across sectors — civil society, young people, traditional leaders, the private sector — to find real solutions.  We didn’t agonize, we organized.  And, yes, there’s plenty to agonize about today — especially when multilateralism is under attack and international cooperation is on the back foot. But I have seen what’s possible when we find common ground and forge ahead.

    Just look at the last two months at the UN.:  a landmark Pandemic Treaty approved at the World Health Organization; major new protections for our oceans at the World Ocean Conference in Nice; and from Paris, I head to Sevilla — where the world is coming together to commit to better finance sustainable development.

    So, when the problems seem larger than life, too tangled, too tough — don’t agonize.  Organize.  Mobilize.   And help realize the change our world so urgently needs. Remember you did not fail for want of trying.

    The second lesson — keep learning and delivering.

    Graduation isn’t the end of learning.  In many ways, it’s just the start of your lifelong journey.

    When I joined the UN, I was not steeped in the intricacies of international diplomacy.  Throughout my career, I have had to learn fast — and deliver even faster.  So will you.

    Even now, I am learning every day — about artificial intelligence (AI), about geothermal energy, space debris, biotechnology, cybersecurity.  You will face even more change, even faster, especially in the new era of super technologies.  Regardless of the task that is put in front of you, get ahead of it. Learn more.  Do more.  Show your stuff and deliver.  Performance opens doors.  Yes, some of life is luck and privilege.  But I guarantee:  the harder you work, the luckier you will get.

    Third, make hope your most powerful asset.  The world is a cynical place.  And international affairs is not for the faint of heart.  There will be setbacks and critics.  There will be many days when the problems seem too big, and the politics too small.  When anxieties grip you like a fever.  Just look around:  war in Ukraine, atrocities in Sudan, catastrophe in Gaza, climate chaos everywhere.

    But never forget, hope is not a four-letter word.  Hope is the courage to build when others are tearing down.  Hope is the decision to get up one more time, to negotiate one more deal, even when the odds are against you.

    I have sat with young girls who survived the worst horrors of war and sexual violence.  And in their eyes, I saw not just pain — but power.  The power to heal, to lead, to hope, to survive and thrive.

    Hope is not the absence of fear.  It is the refusal to be defined by it.  So, carry it with you.  Guard it fiercely.  Because hope is not just a feeling.  It’s a force.

    Fourth, hold onto your moral compass.

    Your degree will open doors.  But your integrity will tell you which ones are worth walking through.  And in today’s world — where the global moral compass is spinning — that clarity matters more than ever.

    We live in a world where military spending is soaring, while development budgets shrink.  Where fossil fuel subsidies dwarf investments in climate action.  Where conflict and hardship has forced more people from their homes than at any time since the Second World War.

    In this world, your role as changemakers is not just to make the right deals.  It is to draw the right lines.  There will be pressure to stay silent.  There will be moments when abandoning principles may seem an easier choice.  But integrity matters most.

    As Deputy Secretary-General, I have had to tell hard truths to powerful people. To remind leaders of the many promises they made — and the people they made them to.  It is never easy to challenge power.  But we don’t serve power.  We serve people.  And if we truly serve people, we must use our superpower and stand for justice, dignity and solidarity.

    As we mark Beijing+30, we cannot talk about a future and leave women and girls behind.  Gender equality is not charity.  It powers our agency.  And human rights.  And everyone wins when we leave no one behind.  But let’s be honest, we are not there yet.  So, to the men here today, I say:  don’t stand in the way.  Don’t walk ahead.  Walk with.  Stand with. And speak up.  For the other half of your society, women.

    The final lesson is this:  invest time in what truly sustains you.

    Your career will have highs and lows.  Plans change.  Titles come and go.  But what will carry you through are the people who know you beyond your résumé.  Friends, families, mentors, partners.  Protect those bonds.  Nurture them.  Because in the toughest moments, those relationships will remind you of who you are, why you started and why you must keep going.  So, no matter how far you go, or how fast — never lose sight of what, and who, matters most.

    Today, you are not just stepping into the world.  You are inheriting its unfinished business, and its boundless possibilities.  As I look out, I see the next generation of climate champions, human rights defenders and world class diplomats.  And I am filled with hope.  Whatever path you choose, walk it with courage and conviction.

    Congratulations, Class of 2025.  The world is waiting.  And I, for one, can’t wait to see what you will do.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: The rising rate of type 2 diabetes in young New Zealanders is becoming a health crisis

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lynne Chepulis, Associate Professor, Health Sciences, University of Waikato

    vadimguzhva/Getty Images

    No longer just a condition of middle age, type 2 diabetes is increasingly affecting children, teenagers and young adults in New Zealand. And our health system is nowhere near ready to manage this surge.

    Type 2 diabetes is a condition where the body stops properly using insulin, the hormone that helps control blood glucose. Glucose then builds up in the blood. Over time, that can damage the heart, kidneys, eyes, nerves and more.

    This condition is more aggressive in young people. It progresses faster, causes complications earlier, and is harder to manage, often due to the accumulation of damage across their lifetime. People with young-onset type 2 diabetes also tend to die earlier than those diagnosed later in life.

    Our research looks at who has been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes across the Waikato and Auckland regions of New Zealand. From a dataset of more than 65,000 people with type 2 diabetes, 1,198 were aged under 25 years.

    More than a quarter of people (28.0%) with diabetes under the age of 25 had type 2 diabetes (the rest mostly have type 1 diabetes – an unrelated autoimmune condition), up from less than 5% of this age group 20 years ago.

    Further, only one in four young people with type 2 diabetes meet their blood glucose (HbA1c) targets, meaning a higher need for more doctor visits, more medication, and more chance of serious problems later on.

    This rise in under 25s with type 2 diabetes has been flagged in recent years, but our research gives a clear picture of just how worrying the trend is.

    Even though all young people with diabetes have access to specialist care, healthcare access remains challenging for many, particularly Māori and Pacific communities which are disproportionately affected.

    And the pressure isn’t just on patients – it’s on the entire health system.

    Young people with type 2 diabetes may need care, medication and effective treatment plans for the rest of their lives. That means higher costs for general practice, increased demand on diabetes clinics, and a growing strain on hospitals and emergency services.

    There are also rising wellbeing costs associated with young-onset type 2 diabetes. These young people often miss school or work. They struggle with the emotional toll of living with a chronic illness. Some lose trust in a health system that doesn’t always meet their needs, and for some it feels like the start of a long, unsupported journey.

    Addressing the deeper causes

    There’s no one cause for young-onset type 2 diabetes. Obesity is a huge factor. Nearly 90% of young people in our research were overweight or obese, and childhood obesity has been rising in New Zealand for years.

    Poverty plays a big role, too. It’s harder for families with less money to buy healthy food or get access to regular healthcare.

    Health inequality in New Zealand also matters. Type 2 diabetes can be inter-generational and children born to mothers with diabetes are at a much higher risk of developing the disease.

    Opportunities to turn this rising tide exist, but it needs a multi-pronged approach. That starts with addressing child poverty, making healthy food affordable and accessible, and making sure families have the support they need.

    Patients need to be well-supported right from their time of diagnosis.

    This means culturally respectful care, better access to medications and tech and making sure no one is left behind just because of their postcode or their background.

    Managing type 2 diabetes in young people is also not the same as managing it in older adults. Clinicians need appropriate support to provide integrated care, including resources and programmes that are age appropriate.

    Ideally, we also need to screen and detect those at high risk early on.

    Young-onset type 2 diabetes screening programmes have been effective in other countries such as the United States but are not yet widespread in New Zealand.

    Timely screening of at-risk asymptomatic young people could catch type 2 diabetes early, delaying or even preventing serious complications. Yet right now, many young people are being diagnosed late.

    The increase in type 2 diabetes in young people demands serious investment, coordinated effort and long-term commitment. With better detection, smarter treatment plans, and a stronger, more connected health system, the problem can be addressed.

    Lynne Chepulis receives funding from the Health Research Council of New Zealand.

    – ref. The rising rate of type 2 diabetes in young New Zealanders is becoming a health crisis – https://theconversation.com/the-rising-rate-of-type-2-diabetes-in-young-new-zealanders-is-becoming-a-health-crisis-259978

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Conscious Integration: The Brian Berneman Story, launched globally 3rd July

    Source: Press Release Service

    Headline: Conscious Integration: The Brian Berneman Story, launched globally 3rd July

    The world premiere of Conscious Integration: The Brian Berneman Story, a heartfelt documentary that invites viewers into Brian’s inspiring journey from neuroscience to visionary wellness leadership. The film will launch globally with in-person screenings on July 3, 2025.

    The post Conscious Integration: The Brian Berneman Story, launched globally 3rd July first appeared on PR.co.nz.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: New research organisations established on 1 July

    Source: New Zealand Government

    Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Dr Shane Reti says today marks a major milestone for New Zealand’s science and innovation sector with the launch of three new science organisations designed to unlock innovation, drive economic growth, and improve the lives of hardworking Kiwis. 
    “Science, innovation and technology are the engine rooms of a productive economy and our Government is committed to powering up our scientists and innovators to deliver for New Zealanders,” says Dr Reti. 
    “From today, six Crown Research Institutes will merge to form two new entities: the Bioeconomy Science Institute and the Earth Science Institute. Meanwhile, ESR will refocus its mission to become the Public Health and Forensic Science Institute.
    “These changes are about sharpening our focus and lifting performance. By bringing together complementary research skills and infrastructure, we’re enabling greater collaboration, better alignment with Government priorities, and stronger commercial outcomes.
    “These new organisations will be set up to deliver real-world value, creating jobs, boosting exports, and helping New Zealand compete globally.”
    The new institutes will remain Crown companies, but with a renewed mandate to deliver economic benefits for New Zealand. 
    “This reform is a practical step to ensure our science sector is agile, responsive, and focused on outcomes that matter – jobs, growth and innovation. We’re backing our scientists to turn ideas into impact, and to help New Zealand lead in areas like biotechnology, climate resilience, and public health,” says Dr Reti.
    Dr Reti also acknowledged the contributions of outgoing Chairs and Board members of the seven Crown Research Institutes, whose leadership has laid the groundwork for this new chapter. He extended thanks to the dedicated staff across the institutes, whose work continues to make a meaningful difference to New Zealand’s economy and communities.
    “This Government is committed to building a science system that delivers results. These reforms are about unlocking the full potential of our research sector to fuel economic growth, drive innovation, and secure a more prosperous future for all New Zealanders,” Dr Reti says. 

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: We have drugs to manage HIV. So why are we spending millions looking for cures?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bridget Haire, Associate Professor, Public Health Ethics, School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney

    Alim Yakubov/Shutterstock

    Over the past three decades there have been amazing advances in treating and preventing HIV.

    It’s now a manageable infection. A person with HIV who takes HIV medicine consistently, before their immune system declines, can expect to live almost as long as someone without HIV.

    The same drugs prevent transmission of the virus to sexual partners.

    There is still no effective HIV vaccine. But there are highly effective drugs to prevent HIV infection for people without HIV who are at higher risk of acquiring it.

    These drugs are known as as “pre-exposure prophylaxis” or PrEP. These come as a pill, which needs to be taken either daily, or “on demand” before and after risky sex. An injection that protects against HIV for six months has recently been approved in the United States.

    So with such effective HIV treatment and PrEP, why are we still spending millions looking for HIV cures?

    Not everyone has access to these drugs

    Access to HIV drugs and PrEP depends on the availability of health clinics, health professionals, and the means to supply and distribute the drugs. In some countries, this infrastructure may not be secure.

    For instance, earlier this year, US President Donald Trump’s dissolution of the USAID foreign aid program has threatened the delivery of HIV drugs to many low-income countries.

    This demonstrates the fragility of current approaches to treatment and prevention. A secure, uninterrupted supply of HIV medicine is required, and without this, lives will be lost and the number of new cases of HIV will rise.

    Another example is the six-monthly PrEP injection just approved in the US. This drug has great potential for controlling HIV if it is made available and affordable in countries with the greatest HIV burden.

    But the prospect for lower-income countries accessing this expensive drug looks uncertain, even if it can be made at a fraction of its current cost, as some researchers say.

    So despite the success of HIV drugs and PrEP, precarious health-care systems and high drug costs mean we can’t rely on them to bring an end to the ongoing global HIV pandemic. That’s why we also still need to look at other options.

    Haven’t people already been ‘cured’?

    Worldwide, at least seven people have been “cured” of HIV – or at least have had long-term sustained remission. This means that after stopping HIV drugs, they did not have any replicating HIV in their blood for months or years.

    In each case, the person with HIV also had a life-threatening cancer needing a bone marrow transplant. They were each matched with a donor who had a specific genetic variation that resulted in not having HIV receptors in key bone marrow cells.

    After the bone marrow transplant, recipients stopped HIV drugs, without detectable levels of the virus returning. The new immune cells made in the transplanted bone marrow lacked the HIV receptors. This stopped the virus from infecting cells and replicating.

    But this genetic variation is very rare. Bone marrow transplantation is also risky and extremely resource-intensive. So while this strategy has worked for a few people, it is not a scalable prospect for curing HIV more widely.

    So we need to keep looking for other options for a cure, including basic laboratory research to get us there.

    How about the ‘breakthrough’ I’ve heard about?

    HIV treatment stops the HIV replication that causes immune damage. But there are places in the body where the virus “hides” and drugs cannot reach. If the drugs are stopped, the “latent” HIV comes out of hiding and replicates again. So it can damage the immune system, leading to HIV-related disease.

    One approach is to try to force the hidden or latent HIV out into the open, so drugs can target it. This is a strategy called “shock and kill”. And an example of such Australian research was recently reported in the media as a “breakthrough” in the search for an HIV cure.

    Researchers in Melbourne have developed a lipid nanoparticle – a tiny ball of fat – that encapsulates messenger RNA (or mRNA) and delivers a “message” to infected white blood cells. This prompts the cells to reveal the “hiding” HIV.

    In theory, this will allow the immune system or HIV drugs to target the virus.

    This discovery is an important step. However, it is still in the laboratory phase of testing, and is just one piece of the puzzle.

    We could say the same about many other results heralded as moving closer to a cure for HIV.

    Further research on safety and efficacy is needed before testing in human clinical trials. Such trials start with small numbers and the trialling process takes many years. This and other steps towards a cure are slow and expensive, but necessary.

    Importantly, any cure would ultimately need to be fairly low-tech to deliver for it to be feasible and affordable in low-income countries globally.

    So where does that leave us?

    A cure for HIV that is affordable and scalable would have a profound impact on human heath globally, particularly for people living with HIV. To get there is a long and arduous path that involves solving a range of scientific puzzles, followed by addressing implementation challenges.

    In the meantime, ensuring people at risk of HIV have access to testing and prevention interventions – such as PrEP and safe injecting equipment – remains crucial. People living with HIV also need sustained access to effective treatment – regardless of where they live.

    Bridget Haire has received funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council. She is a past president of the Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations (now Health Equity Matters).

    Benjamin Bavinton receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council, the Australian government, and state and territory governments. He also receives funding from ViiV Healthcare and Gilead Sciences, both of which make drugs or drug classes mentioned in this article. He is a Board Director of community organisation, ACON, and is on the National PrEP Guidelines Panel coordinated by ASHM Health.

    – ref. We have drugs to manage HIV. So why are we spending millions looking for cures? – https://theconversation.com/we-have-drugs-to-manage-hiv-so-why-are-we-spending-millions-looking-for-cures-258391

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: We have drugs to manage HIV. So why are we spending millions looking for cures?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bridget Haire, Associate Professor, Public Health Ethics, School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney

    Alim Yakubov/Shutterstock

    Over the past three decades there have been amazing advances in treating and preventing HIV.

    It’s now a manageable infection. A person with HIV who takes HIV medicine consistently, before their immune system declines, can expect to live almost as long as someone without HIV.

    The same drugs prevent transmission of the virus to sexual partners.

    There is still no effective HIV vaccine. But there are highly effective drugs to prevent HIV infection for people without HIV who are at higher risk of acquiring it.

    These drugs are known as as “pre-exposure prophylaxis” or PrEP. These come as a pill, which needs to be taken either daily, or “on demand” before and after risky sex. An injection that protects against HIV for six months has recently been approved in the United States.

    So with such effective HIV treatment and PrEP, why are we still spending millions looking for HIV cures?

    Not everyone has access to these drugs

    Access to HIV drugs and PrEP depends on the availability of health clinics, health professionals, and the means to supply and distribute the drugs. In some countries, this infrastructure may not be secure.

    For instance, earlier this year, US President Donald Trump’s dissolution of the USAID foreign aid program has threatened the delivery of HIV drugs to many low-income countries.

    This demonstrates the fragility of current approaches to treatment and prevention. A secure, uninterrupted supply of HIV medicine is required, and without this, lives will be lost and the number of new cases of HIV will rise.

    Another example is the six-monthly PrEP injection just approved in the US. This drug has great potential for controlling HIV if it is made available and affordable in countries with the greatest HIV burden.

    But the prospect for lower-income countries accessing this expensive drug looks uncertain, even if it can be made at a fraction of its current cost, as some researchers say.

    So despite the success of HIV drugs and PrEP, precarious health-care systems and high drug costs mean we can’t rely on them to bring an end to the ongoing global HIV pandemic. That’s why we also still need to look at other options.

    Haven’t people already been ‘cured’?

    Worldwide, at least seven people have been “cured” of HIV – or at least have had long-term sustained remission. This means that after stopping HIV drugs, they did not have any replicating HIV in their blood for months or years.

    In each case, the person with HIV also had a life-threatening cancer needing a bone marrow transplant. They were each matched with a donor who had a specific genetic variation that resulted in not having HIV receptors in key bone marrow cells.

    After the bone marrow transplant, recipients stopped HIV drugs, without detectable levels of the virus returning. The new immune cells made in the transplanted bone marrow lacked the HIV receptors. This stopped the virus from infecting cells and replicating.

    But this genetic variation is very rare. Bone marrow transplantation is also risky and extremely resource-intensive. So while this strategy has worked for a few people, it is not a scalable prospect for curing HIV more widely.

    So we need to keep looking for other options for a cure, including basic laboratory research to get us there.

    How about the ‘breakthrough’ I’ve heard about?

    HIV treatment stops the HIV replication that causes immune damage. But there are places in the body where the virus “hides” and drugs cannot reach. If the drugs are stopped, the “latent” HIV comes out of hiding and replicates again. So it can damage the immune system, leading to HIV-related disease.

    One approach is to try to force the hidden or latent HIV out into the open, so drugs can target it. This is a strategy called “shock and kill”. And an example of such Australian research was recently reported in the media as a “breakthrough” in the search for an HIV cure.

    Researchers in Melbourne have developed a lipid nanoparticle – a tiny ball of fat – that encapsulates messenger RNA (or mRNA) and delivers a “message” to infected white blood cells. This prompts the cells to reveal the “hiding” HIV.

    In theory, this will allow the immune system or HIV drugs to target the virus.

    This discovery is an important step. However, it is still in the laboratory phase of testing, and is just one piece of the puzzle.

    We could say the same about many other results heralded as moving closer to a cure for HIV.

    Further research on safety and efficacy is needed before testing in human clinical trials. Such trials start with small numbers and the trialling process takes many years. This and other steps towards a cure are slow and expensive, but necessary.

    Importantly, any cure would ultimately need to be fairly low-tech to deliver for it to be feasible and affordable in low-income countries globally.

    So where does that leave us?

    A cure for HIV that is affordable and scalable would have a profound impact on human heath globally, particularly for people living with HIV. To get there is a long and arduous path that involves solving a range of scientific puzzles, followed by addressing implementation challenges.

    In the meantime, ensuring people at risk of HIV have access to testing and prevention interventions – such as PrEP and safe injecting equipment – remains crucial. People living with HIV also need sustained access to effective treatment – regardless of where they live.

    Bridget Haire has received funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council. She is a past president of the Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations (now Health Equity Matters).

    Benjamin Bavinton receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council, the Australian government, and state and territory governments. He also receives funding from ViiV Healthcare and Gilead Sciences, both of which make drugs or drug classes mentioned in this article. He is a Board Director of community organisation, ACON, and is on the National PrEP Guidelines Panel coordinated by ASHM Health.

    – ref. We have drugs to manage HIV. So why are we spending millions looking for cures? – https://theconversation.com/we-have-drugs-to-manage-hiv-so-why-are-we-spending-millions-looking-for-cures-258391

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA News: National Security Presidential Memorandum/NSPM-5

    Source: US Whitehouse

    MEMORANDUM FOR THE VICE PRESIDENT

    THE SECRETARY OF STATE

    THE SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY

    THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE

    THE ATTORNEY GENERAL

    THE SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR

    THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE

    THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

    THE SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

    THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION

    THE SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY

    THE DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE

    THE DIRECTOR OF THE CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE

        AGENCY

    THE CHAIRMAN OF THE JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF

    THE ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT AND CHIEF OF

       STAFF

    THE DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND

       BUDGET

    THE ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT FOR NATIONAL

       SECURITY AFFAIRS

    THE ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT AND HOMELAND

        SECURITY ADVISOR

    THE COUNSEL TO THE PRESIDENT

    THE ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT FOR ECONOMIC

        POLICY

    THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE

    THE DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND

       TECHNOLOGY POLICY

    THE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE UNITED STATES OF

       AMERICA TO THE UNITED NATIONS

    THE ADMINISTRATOR OF THE SMALL BUSINESS

       ADMINISTRATION

    THE ADMINISTRATOR OF THE UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR

       INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

    THE DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF PERSONNEL

       MANAGEMENT

    SUBJECT:       Reissuance of and Amendments to National Security Presidential Memorandum 5 on Strengthening the Policy of the United States Toward Cuba

    Section 1.  Purpose.  The United States recognizes the need for more freedom and democracy, improved respect for human rights, and increased free enterprise in Cuba.  The Cuban people have long suffered under a Communist regime that suppresses their legitimate aspirations for freedom and prosperity and fails to respect their essential human dignity.

    My Administration’s policy will be guided by the national security and foreign policy interests of the United States, as well as solidarity with the Cuban people.  I will seek to promote a stable, prosperous, and free country for the Cuban people.  To that end, we must channel funds toward the Cuban people and away from a regime that has failed to meet the most basic requirements of a free and just society.

    In Cuba, dissidents and peaceful protesters are arbitrarily detained and held in terrible prison conditions.  Violence and intimidation against dissidents occur with impunity.  Families of political prisoners are retaliated against for peacefully protesting the improper confinement of their loved ones.  Worshippers are harassed, and free association by civil society organizations is blocked.  The right to speak freely, including through access to the internet, is denied, and there is no free press.  The United States condemns these abuses.

    The initial actions set forth in this memorandum, including restricting certain financial transactions and travel, encourage the Cuban government to address these abuses.  My Administration will continue to evaluate its policies so as to improve human rights, encourage the rule of law, foster free markets and free enterprise, and promote democracy in Cuba.

    Sec. 2.  Policy.  It shall be the policy of the executive branch to:

    (a)  End economic practices that disproportionately benefit the Cuban government or its military, intelligence, or security agencies or personnel at the expense of the Cuban people.

    (b)  Ensure adherence to the statutory ban on tourism to Cuba.

    (c)  Support the economic embargo of Cuba described in section 4(7) of the Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (LIBERTAD) Act of 1996 (the embargo), including by opposing measures that call for an end to the embargo at the United Nations and other international forums and through regular reporting on whether the conditions of a transition government exist in Cuba.

    (d)  Amplify efforts to support the Cuban people through the expansion of internet services, free press, free enterprise, free association, and lawful travel.

    (e)  Not reinstate the “Wet Foot, Dry Foot” policy, which encouraged untold thousands of Cuban nationals to risk their lives to travel unlawfully to the United States.

    (f)  Ensure that engagement between the United States and Cuba advances the interests of the United States and the Cuban people.  These interests include:  advancing Cuban human rights; encouraging the growth of a Cuban private sector independent of government control; enforcing final orders of removal against Cuban nationals in the United States; protecting the national security and public health and safety of the United States, including through proper engagement on criminal cases and working to ensure the return of fugitives from American justice living in Cuba or being harbored by the Cuban government; supporting United States agriculture and protecting plant and animal health; advancing the understanding of the United States regarding scientific and environmental challenges; and facilitating safe civil aviation.

    Sec. 3.  Implementation.  The heads of executive departments and agencies (agencies) shall begin to implement the policy set forth in section 2 of this memorandum as follows:

    (a)  Within 30 days of the date of this memorandum, the Secretary of the Treasury and the Secretary of Commerce, as appropriate and in coordination with the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Transportation, shall initiate a process to adjust current regulations regarding transactions with Cuba.

    (i)    As part of the regulatory changes described in this subsection, the Secretary of State shall identify any entities or subentities, as appropriate, that are under the control of, or act for or on behalf of, or for the benefit of, the Cuban military, intelligence, or security services or personnel (such as Grupo de Administracion Empresarial S.A. (GAESA), its affiliates, subsidiaries, and successors), and publish a list of those identified entities and subentities with which direct or indirect financial transactions would disproportionately benefit such services or personnel at the expense of the Cuban people or private enterprise in Cuba.

    (ii)   Except as provided in subsection (a)(iii) of this section, the regulatory changes described in this subsection shall prohibit direct or indirect financial transactions with those entities or subentities on the list published pursuant to subsection (a)(i) of this section.

    (iii)  The regulatory changes described in this subsection shall not prohibit transactions that the Secretary of the Treasury or the Secretary of Commerce, in coordination with the Secretary of State, determines are consistent with the policy set forth in section 2 of this memorandum and:

    (A)  concern Federal Government operations, including Naval Station Guantanamo Bay and the United States mission in Havana;

    (B)  support programs to build democracy in Cuba;

    (C)  concern air and sea operations that support permissible travel, cargo, or trade;

    (D)  support the acquisition of visas for permissible travel;

    (E)  support the expansion of direct telecommunications and internet access for the Cuban people;

    (F)  support the sale of agricultural commodities, medicines, and medical devices sold to Cuba consistent with the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7201 et seq.) and the Cuban Democracy Act of 2002 (22 U.S.C. 6001 et seq.);

    (G)  relate to sending, processing, or receiving authorized remittances;

    (H)  otherwise further the national security or foreign policy interests of the United States; or

    (I)  are required by law.

    (b)  Within 30 days of the date of this memorandum, the Secretary of the Treasury, in coordination with the Secretary of State, shall initiate a process to adjust current regulations to ensure adherence to the statutory ban on tourism to Cuba.

    (i)    The amended regulations shall require that educational travel be for legitimate educational purposes.  Except for educational travel that was permitted by regulation in effect on January 27, 2011, all educational travel shall be under the auspices of an organization subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, and all such travelers must be accompanied by a representative of the sponsoring organization.

    (ii)   The regulations shall further require that those traveling for the permissible purposes of non academic education or to provide support for the Cuban people:

    (A)  engage in a full-time schedule of activities that enhance contact with the Cuban people, support civil society in Cuba, or promote the Cuban people’s independence from Cuban authorities; and

    (B)  meaningfully interact with individuals in Cuba.

    (iii)  The regulations shall continue to provide that every person engaging in travel to Cuba shall keep full and accurate records of all transactions related to authorized travel, regardless of whether they were effected pursuant to license or otherwise, and such records shall be available for examination by the Department of the Treasury for at least 5 years after the date they occur.

    (iv)   The Secretary of State, the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Commerce, and the Secretary of Transportation shall review their respective agencies’ enforcement of all categories of permissible travel within 90 days of the date the regulations described in this subsection are finalized to ensure such enforcement accords with the policies outlined in section 2 of this memorandum.

    (c)  The Secretary of the Treasury shall regularly audit travel to Cuba to ensure that travelers are complying with relevant statutes and regulations.  The Secretary of the Treasury shall request that the Inspector General of the Department of the Treasury inspect the actions taken by the Department of the Treasury to implement this audit requirement.  The Inspector General of the Department of the Treasury shall provide a report to the President, through the Secretary of the Treasury, summarizing the results of that inspection within 180 days of the adjustment of current regulations described in subsection (b) of this section and annually thereafter.

    (d)  The Secretary of the Treasury shall adjust the Department of the Treasury’s current regulation defining the term “prohibited officials of the Government of Cuba” so that, for purposes of title 31, part 515 of the Code of Federal Regulations, it includes Ministers and Vice-Ministers; members of the Council of State and the Council of Ministers; members and employees of the National Assembly of People’s Power; members of any provincial assembly; local sector chiefs of the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution; Director Generals and sub-Director Generals and higher of all Cuban ministries and state agencies; employees of the Ministry of the Interior (MININT); employees of the Ministry of Defense (MINFAR); secretaries and first secretaries of the Confederation of Labor of Cuba (CTC) and its component unions; chief editors, editors, and deputy editors of Cuban state-run media organizations and programs, including newspapers, television, and radio; and members and employees of the Supreme Court (Tribuno Supremo Nacional).

    (e)  The Secretary of State and the Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations shall oppose efforts at the United Nations or (with respect to the Secretary of State) any other international forum to lift the embargo until a transition government in Cuba, as described in section 205 of the LIBERTAD Act, exists.

    (f)  The Secretary of State, in coordination with the Attorney General, shall provide a report to the President assessing whether and to what degree the Cuban government has satisfied the requirements of a transition government as described in section 205(a) of the LIBERTAD Act, taking into account the additional factors listed in section 205(b) of that Act.  This report shall include a review of human rights abuses committed against the Cuban people, such as unlawful detentions, arbitrary arrests, and inhumane treatment.

    (g)  The Attorney General shall, within 90 days of the date of this memorandum, issue a report to the President on issues related to fugitives from American justice living in Cuba or being harbored by the Cuban government.

    (h)  The Secretary of State and the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development shall review all democracy development programs of the Federal Government in Cuba to ensure that they align with the criteria set forth in section 109(a) of the LIBERTAD Act.

    (i)  The Secretary of State shall convene a task force, composed of relevant agencies, including the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, and appropriate non-governmental organizations and private-sector entities, to examine the technological challenges and opportunities for expanding internet access in Cuba, including through Federal Government support of programs and activities that encourage freedom of expression through independent media and internet freedom so that the Cuban people can enjoy the free and unregulated flow of information.

    (j)  The Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall continue to discourage dangerous, unlawful migration that puts Cuban and American lives at risk.  The Secretary of Defense shall continue to provide support, as necessary, to the Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security in carrying out duties regarding interdiction of migrants.

    (k)  The Secretary of State, in coordination with the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Defense, the Attorney General, the Secretary of Commerce, and the Secretary of Homeland Security, shall annually report to the President regarding the engagement of the United States with Cuba to ensure that engagement is advancing the interests of the United States.

    (l)  All activities conducted pursuant to subsections (a) through (k) of this section shall be carried out in a manner that furthers the interests of the United States, including by appropriately protecting sensitive sources, methods, and operations of the Federal Government.

    Sec. 4.  Earlier Presidential Actions.  (a)  This memorandum amends sections 1 and 3 of National Security Presidential Memorandum 5 of June 16, 2017 (Strengthening the Policy of the United States Toward Cuba) (NSPM-5), and reissues NSPM-5 in its entirety.  It does not otherwise amend the text or timelines reflected in the original NSPM-5 and is not intended to direct agencies to repeat actions already implemented under that NSPM.

    (b)  This memorandum supersedes and replaces both National Security Presidential Directive 52 of June 28, 2007 (U.S. Policy toward Cuba), and Presidential Policy Directive 43 of October 14, 2016 (United States-Cuba Normalization).

    (c)  This memorandum does not affect either Executive Order 12807 of May 24, 1992 (Interdiction of Illegal Aliens), or Executive Order 13276 of November 15, 2002 (Delegation of Responsibilities Concerning Undocumented Aliens Interdicted or Intercepted in the Caribbean Region).

    Sec. 5.  General Provisions.  (a)  Nothing in this memorandum shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

    (i)  the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or

    (ii)  the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

    (b)  This memorandum shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.

    (c)  This memorandum is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

    (d)  The Secretary of State is hereby authorized and directed to publish this memorandum in the Federal Register.

    DONALD J. TRUMP

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Mensa IQ Test – Free International Mensa IQ Quiz with Instant Results Now Offered by QuickIQTest.org

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    New York City, June 30, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) —  QuickIQTest.org, a trusted leader in online cognitive assessments, proudly announces the official launch of its Free Mensa IQ Test 2025. Designed to closely mirror the structure and rigor of a Mensa international IQ test, this new online Mensa IQ test offers individuals around the world an engaging and accessible way to evaluate their intelligence according to Mensa standards.

    ⇒ Reveal Your Cognitive Strengths with a Real Mensa IQ Test!

    As part of its 2025 initiative to expand cognitive assessment opportunities, QuickIQTest.org now provides a free Mensa practice test built to simulate an authentic Mensa intelligence test. Participants can measure essential cognitive abilities, including logical reasoning, pattern recognition, and problem-solving skills, while receiving instant results and a detailed breakdown of their cognitive strengths.

    “Our mission is to make high-quality intelligence testing available to everyone,” said a spokesperson for QuickIQTest.org. “With this online Mensa IQ test, global users can discover their potential, practice with realistic Mensa test questions, and prepare for future challenges.”

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    The newly updated Mensa IQ practice test features advanced scoring algorithms, a user-friendly interface, and full compatibility across devices, allowing seamless access for all. Whether preparing for the Mensa Norway IQ test, exploring an interest in mental challenges, or simply curious about is Mensa IQ test accurate, this free Mensa IQ test online is the perfect solution.

    Users can instantly access the Mensa test free without any downloads or subscriptions required. From Mensa sample test exercises to complete Mensa practice test free offerings, QuickIQTest.org ensures a reliable and enriching online experience.

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    For those interested in exploring more Mensa-style testing opportunities — including Mensa IQ test answers, Mensa online IQ test details, and the best online Mensa test options — visit QuickIQTest.org today.

    What Is a Mensa IQ Test?

    An IQ or intelligence quotient test is a standardized assessment designed to measure various aspects of human intelligence. The Mensa IQ test specifically evaluates individuals who score within the top 2% of the population, identifying those with advanced cognitive abilities. These tests are gateways to membership in Mensa International, the world’s largest and oldest high-IQ society.

    An IQ test, Mensa style, aims to measure intelligence objectively. It’s not about academic knowledge or memorization, but raw intellectual processing, how efficiently and accurately a person can solve unfamiliar problems.

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    History and Evolution of IQ Testing

    IQ testing has evolved significantly since its origins in the early 20th century. French psychologist Alfred Binet developed the first modern intelligence test to assess children’s learning potential. Over time, these early models expanded into more sophisticated forms, such as the Stanford-Binet and Wechsler scales. Today, digital platforms like QuickIQTest.org carry forward this tradition, offering advanced, user-friendly tools that make high-quality testing widely available.

    As organizations like Mensa gained global recognition, specialized exams like the Mensa intelligence test emerged. These are designed to evaluate fluid intelligence—the innate ability to think logically, solve problems, and detect patterns rather than rely on learned knowledge.

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    Types of Intelligence Measured

    The Mensa IQ Quiz online offered by QuickIQTest.org is structured to assess multiple forms of cognitive functioning, including:

    • Logical reasoning – Ability to follow sequences, rules, and arguments
    • Pattern recognition – Identifying visual and numerical patterns
    • Spatial awareness – Understanding shapes and objects in space
    • Quantitative reasoning – Working with numbers and abstract concepts

    ⇒ Discover How You Score on the Mensa IQ Test!

    This multidimensional testing approach ensures that the online Mensa test remains balanced, challenging, and reflective of real-world problem-solving. Unlike knowledge-based exams, this test focuses on natural cognitive ability, providing meaningful insights across all backgrounds and education levels.

    QuickIQTest.org continues to innovate how users engage with intelligence testing. Through its Mensa IQ test free platform, it empowers individuals worldwide to explore their potential with professional-grade accuracy and instant feedback.

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    How Do Online Mensa IQ Tests Work?

    The rise of digital testing platforms has made assessing intelligence from the comfort of home easier than ever. Services like QuickIQTest.org provide a seamless way to take an authentic Mensa IQ Quiz online, designed to replicate the structure and challenge level of official assessments used by Mensa International.

    ⇒ Find Out If You Qualify for Mensa Today!

    Structure and Typical Question Formats

    The Mensa IQ practice test on QuickIQTest.org typically consists of various non-verbal, logic-based questions that challenge different aspects of cognitive performance. Common formats include:

    • Visual analogies: Identify the missing piece in a visual pattern
    • Number series: Determine the following number in a logical sequence
    • Matrix reasoning: Choose the image that completes a matrix
    • Pattern recognition: Spot the rule that governs a set of symbols

    These questions are intentionally culture-free and language-neutral, ensuring fairness and accessibility. The Mensa IQ Quiz reflects the kinds of problems one might encounter on the Mensa intelligence test, giving users a realistic preview of the real experience.

    ⇒ Get Your Mensa IQ Test Results Instantly!

    Timed vs. Untimed Online IQ Tests

    Most Mensa online IQ tests, including the one provided by QuickIQTest.org, use a timed format to evaluate accuracy and speed of reasoning. Time constraints add a layer of difficulty, requiring users to think quickly and strategically under pressure.

    However, QuickIQTest.org also allows users to pause and return later if needed, providing flexibility while maintaining test integrity. This hybrid model makes the test more inclusive without sacrificing the quality of results.

    Whether preparing for the Mensa Norway IQ test, training for mental agility, or simply curious about how your brain works, the online Mensa test offers a structured yet user-friendly environment.

    ⇒ Try the Mensa IQ Test That Everyone’s Talking About!

    How Results Are Calculated

    After completing the test, users receive instant feedback with a detailed performance analysis. Scores are calculated using psychometric modeling based on standard deviation and population averages, which estimate where the individual ranks compared to the general population.

    The results from QuickIQTest.org are easy to understand and based on real scientific methods. The platform’s algorithm evaluates consistency, accuracy, and completion time to provide a precise cognitive profile. Many users report that their scores from the Mensa IQ test answers offered here closely match what they later receive from official testing centers.

    By taking the Mensa practice test free exams, users can gain valuable insight into their reasoning ability and better prepare for the official Mensa qualification.

    ⇒ Test Your Intelligence with a Trusted Mensa IQ Format

    Benefits of Taking a Mensa Practice Test Online

    Taking a Mensa practice test online is more than just an intellectual challenge. It’s an effective way to uncover personal strengths, enhance self-awareness, and evaluate readiness for official Mensa qualification. At QuickIQTest.org, users can experience a structured, intuitive version of the Mensa IQ test designed to match real-world testing standards closely.

    Whether you’re preparing for the Mensa Norway IQ test or simply want to know how your reasoning skills compare globally, here’s why millions are turning to QuickIQTest.org for a trusted experience.

    ⇒ See How You Rank with the Mensa IQ Challenge!

    1. Accessible from Anywhere, Anytime

    The digital nature of the online Mensa IQ test at QuickIQTest.org makes it available on demand, removing common barriers like testing centers, fees, and scheduling. This is especially valuable for international users who may not have access to local Mensa offices.

    You can begin the Mensa IQ test online from any device, desktop, tablet, or smartphone, making it ideal for busy professionals, students, and lifelong learners.

    2. Realistic Mensa Test Questions and Format

    The Mensa test questions included in the QuickIQTest.org version are modeled on the structure of official exams. These include questions that measure fluid intelligence, your ability to think abstractly and identify logical patterns.

    Using a Mensa sample test, users can familiarize themselves with the challenges they’ll face in real Mensa evaluations. This practice benefits individuals who plan to apply to Mensa International formally.

    ⇒ Take the Most Accurate Mensa IQ Quiz with QuickIQTest.org!

    3. Timed Assessment Simulates Real Testing Conditions

    One key benefit of using this platform is its timed testing format, which adds an authentic layer of difficulty to the assessment. Users must manage their time wisely and stay focused under mild pressure, just as they would during an official test.

    QuickIQTest.org also offers flexibility by allowing users to pause and resume if needed, ensuring accessibility without sacrificing accuracy.

    4. Detailed, Instant Results

    Upon completion, the Mensa IQ test answers are calculated and analyzed using a standardized scoring system based on IQ distribution. This ensures that the results are meaningful, not random or arbitrary.

    The free Mensa International IQ test gives users immediate feedback with a breakdown of performance areas useful for tracking improvement over time or comparing results with national and international averages.

    ⇒ Complete a Realistic Mensa IQ Test Online!

    5. Cost-Free Experience with Professional Quality

    QuickIQTest.org delivers a Mensa practice test free of charge, with no hidden fees or sign-up requirements. This no-strings-attached model has made the platform a most recommended choice for those interested in taking a Mensa IQ quiz online.

    Users receive a high-quality assessment built on real psychometric science even without payment. That’s part of why many regard it as one of the most accurate ways to test IQ digitally.

    6. Confidence Building for Future Testing

    Taking a Mensa practice test helps reduce test anxiety by familiarizing users with the format and expectations of intelligence testing. This confidence can be a game-changer during actual Mensa entrance exams.

    Users often report improved performance on later exams after using the Mensa test free platform as their preparation tool.

    ⇒ Take the Next Step: Mensa IQ Testing Starts Here!

    7. Useful for Educational and Professional Planning

    Understanding your cognitive strengths can offer value beyond the test itself. Many use their IQ test Mensa results for career planning, educational development, or personal insight.

    By identifying strong areas in logic, memory, or pattern recognition, individuals can better align their future goals with how their mind naturally operates.

    8. Legitimate and Trusted Platform

    QuickIQTest.org is a highly regarded service used by thousands seeking an accurate Mensa IQ test alternative online. The platform is recognized for its reliability, scientific structure, and commitment to user privacy.

    You can confidently take the Mensa online IQ test, knowing your experience is aligned with international testing practices.

    ⇒ Want to Join Mensa? Start with This IQ Test!

    Free vs. Paid Mensa IQ Test

    With growing interest in intelligence testing, people often wonder whether they should take a free Mensa IQ test or invest in a paid one. While many online platforms offer both, the real difference lies in the test’s design quality, scoring accuracy, and trustworthiness. QuickIQTest.org offers one of the most reliable solutions, delivering a Mensa IQ test online that’s accessible, professional, and based on genuine IQ testing principles.

    ⇒ Take the Free Mensa IQ Test Officially at QuickIQTest.org!

    What’s Included in a Free Mensa International IQ test?

    A Mensa practice test, free of charge, can still offer tremendous value if a scientifically grounded platform develops it. At QuickIQTest.org, users can take a free Mensa IQ test replicating the structure and challenge level of formal IQ assessments. It includes:

    • 20 to 40 timed logic-based questions
    • Instant scoring based on international IQ distribution
    • Cognitive performance breakdown
    • Familiarization with Mensa test questions and problem-solving formats

    The free online Mensa IQ test is a legitimate way to prepare for more formal assessments, especially if you’re considering applying to the Mensa International IQ test.

    Unlike many “free” quizzes online that are mostly entertainment-focused, this test is based on psychometric standards and cognitive science,  making it one of the most accurate free resources available.

    ⇒ Test Your Logical Skills with a Mensa IQ Format!

    Are Paid Tests More Accurate or Detailed?

    Sometimes, paid IQ tests offer additional features such as detailed analytics, personality insights, or official certification for academic or professional use. However, price does not always equal quality.

    QuickIQTest.org proves that an online, free Mensa IQ test can still deliver serious, research-backed results. Their algorithm calculates scores using valid statistical models that align with global IQ norms.

    For users asking, “Is Mensa IQ test accurate if it’s free?” — the answer depends on the source. In the case of QuickIQTest.org, the platform is structured to offer a highly reliable Mensa-style testing experience without hidden fees or subscriptions.

    Many users find that their IQ test Mensa scores from QuickIQTest.org are consistent with those they receive on formal Mensa evaluations.

    ⇒ Try the Most Popular Mensa IQ Test Online!

    Red Flags to Avoid in Online Testing Sites

    Not all online IQ tests are created equal. Here are some warning signs to avoid:

    • Vague or overly simplistic questions: Real Mensa sample test formats include complex reasoning challenges.
    • No scoring explanation: A legitimate platform should explain how your score is calculated.
    • Clickbait-style results: Avoid tests that give generic or overly flattering results without clear metrics.
    • Aggressive upselling or paywall traps: Some sites lure users with a “free” label only to demand payment after they complete the transaction.
    • No credibility or transparency: The platform should clarify its methodology and data use policy.

    QuickIQTest.org avoids all of these pitfalls. The Mensa test is structured, transparent, and built to replicate the experience of a Mensa-style intelligence test. It’s one of the most trusted options for users seeking clarity and confidence before pursuing formal membership with the Mensa International IQ test.

    ⇒ Take a Mensa IQ Test That Reflects Real Results!

    How to Prepare for a Mensa IQ Test

    Preparing for a Mensa IQ test is about more than just intelligence; it’s about readiness. Whether you aim to qualify for the Mensa International IQ test or simply want to measure your cognitive abilities with a high-standard Mensa IQ test online, preparation helps sharpen your edge.

    The Mensa IQ Quiz, available at QuickIQTest.org, can help you build the confidence and accuracy needed to succeed. This preparation process includes becoming familiar with question styles, reducing test-day anxiety, and boosting your ability to concentrate under time pressure.

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    Practice Mensa-Style Question Types

    The official Mensa intelligence test isn’t based on rote knowledge; it assesses your ability to solve problems, think abstractly, and detect patterns. The most effective way to prepare is to consistently work through Mensa test questions in a format similar to the real test.

    Some of the major categories you’ll encounter include:

    • Raven’s matrix-style pattern recognition
    • Logical progressions in shapes and numbers
    • Odd-one-out visual discrimination
    • Verbal reasoning and analogies
    • Spatial rotations and transformations

    QuickIQTest.org is the most recommended source for a Mensa sample test that closely reflects these categories. Users can take the free Mensa practice test multiple times to build familiarity, speed, and confidence with each question type.

    ⇒ Start the Journey to Mensa Membership with This IQ Test!

    Managing Test Anxiety

    Nervousness is normal, but if unmanaged, it can disrupt your ability to think clearly and finish within the time limit. Since the Mensa online IQ test is typically timed, staying calm is essential for optimal performance.

    Here are effective ways to control anxiety before and during the test:

    • Create a calm environment: Choose a quiet, comfortable place to take the test.
    • Establish a pre-test routine: Drink water, stretch, and do a quick mental warm-up.
    • Practice breathing techniques: Slow breathing helps reduce cortisol levels.
    • Mentally rehearse success: Visualize yourself completing the test calmly and efficiently.
    • Use the platform repeatedly: The more you take the free Mensa IQ test at QuickIQTest.org, the less intimidating the process becomes.

    Knowing what to expect and rehearsing under real conditions—using the Mensa test, free format—can dramatically lower stress.

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    Tips to Improve Focus and Performance

    Mental clarity plays a huge role in your outcome. To improve your focus and achieve an accurate score on your online Mensa test, consider these strategies:

    • Take practice tests when you’re mentally sharp, such as mid-morning.
    • Limit screen time beforehand to reduce eye strain and mental fatigue.
    • Eat a light, protein-rich snack before testing for sustained energy.
    • Use noise-canceling headphones or ambient sounds to eliminate distractions.
    • Practice skipping hard questions and circling back later.

    The IQ test, the Mensa model from QuickIQTest.org, allows you to engage with realistic time pressure and genuine question logic. Practicing under these conditions enhances both speed and precision.

    ⇒ Try Mensa IQ Test Free and Accurate at QuickIQTest.org!

    Use a Reliable Practice Source

    Above all, choose a platform that mirrors the integrity of official Mensa testing. Not all online IQ tests are credible. With QuickIQTest.org, you’re training with one of the most accurate and trusted online formats. Their Mensa IQ test free system aligns with psychometric best practices and gives instant, meaningful results.

    This test also benefits those preparing for region-specific exams like the Mensa Norway IQ test, offering a versatile preparation path for global candidates.

    By repeatedly using the Mensa practice test free provided by QuickIQTest.org, users set themselves up mentally, emotionally, and strategically for success.

    ⇒ Find Out Where You Stand with the Mensa IQ Exam!

    Most Accurate Online Mensa IQ Test in 2025

    As the demand for online intelligence testing continues to grow in 2025, finding a trusted and most accurate Mensa IQ test online has become more critical. While dozens of websites and apps claim to offer valid assessments, only a few provide the depth, credibility, and design quality needed to reflect an actual Mensa intelligence test experience. Among them, QuickIQTest.org stands out as a highly regarded platform offering a legitimate, science-backed way to measure your IQ.

    ⇒ Try the Official Free Mensa IQ Test with Fast Scoring!

    Trusted Platforms and Apps

    The internet is saturated with IQ tests, but very few are structured by actual psychometric testing principles. When evaluating platforms, it’s essential to look for those that:

    • Offer pattern-based logic questions similar to official Mensa test questions
    • Provide timed tests that simulate the real testing pressure..
    • Deliver scoring based on standard deviation from the IQ bell curve..
    • Offer a well-explained breakdown of performance.

    QuickIQTest.org ticks every one of these boxes. The platform’s online Mensa test is not a personality quiz or a gamified distraction. It is a research-based tool offering accurate feedback about fluid intelligence and reasoning capabilities.

    ⇒ Take the Most Accurate Mensa IQ Quiz with QuickIQTest.org!

    Certified vs. Unofficial Tests

    One common question from test takers is: Are certified tests better than unofficial ones?

    Certified Mensa admissions tests, typically taken under supervised conditions, are the gold standard for official membership. However, high-quality online IQ assessments can serve as a highly accurate predictor of whether someone might qualify for Mensa. The key is to choose a platform designed by experts in cognitive science and pattern recognition.

    QuickIQTest.org is not claiming to replace official testing but offers a Mensa IQ practice test that provides a strong, data-backed indication of your potential Mensa eligibility. It is one of the most reliable platforms for those who want to prepare, assess their standing, or challenge their intellect.

    Many users begin with the free Mensa IQ test and later, based on their results, take the official supervised exam. The scores align well with what people typically achieve in certified evaluations.

    ⇒ Explore Your IQ with an Accurate Mensa-Based Test

    User Reviews and Reliability

    Credibility is built over time,  and QuickIQTest.org has developed a growing user base of individuals who report high satisfaction with the platform’s structure, accuracy, and transparency.

    Standard user feedback highlights:

    • Realistic difficulty that matches the Mensa IQ test answers users encounter in formal tests
    • Clear explanations of score metrics and how IQ is calculated
    • No hidden fees or misleading claims
    • Seamless user experience and clean test design

    One user noted, “I took the Norway Mensa IQ test after using QuickIQTest.org and scored within the same range. It really helped me prepare.”

    Thousands of learners have used the platform’s Mensa practice test free to sharpen their cognitive skills and explore their intellectual strengths.

    When people ask, “Is the Mensa IQ test accurate if taken online?” the answer is yes,  when you choose a platform like QuickIQTest.org. Its consistency, logic-based framework, and precise scoring method make it one of the most trusted online tools available in 2025.

    ⇒ Take the Classic Mensa IQ Test Online Anytime!

    Understanding Your IQ Score

    After completing a Mensa IQ Quiz online, the next crucial step is interpreting your results. Your score is more than just a number—it reflects how your cognitive abilities compare with the general population. Whether you’re using a free Mensa IQ test or a more structured Mensa intelligence test, it’s essential to understand what the score represents, how it’s calculated, and what it doesn’t say about you.

    ⇒ Curious About Your IQ? Take the Mensa Test Now!

    What Your Score Means

    IQ scores are designed to follow a standard distribution, with the average set at 100. When you take a Mensa IQ practice test through a reliable source like QuickIQTest.org, your final score is calculated based on the number of correct answers, the difficulty of questions, and how your performance compares to others.

    Your result is often accompanied by a percentile rank, which shows how many people you outperformed. For example:

    • A score of 100 means your intelligence level is right in the middle of the population.
    • A score of 130 or above may indicate potential eligibility for Mensa.
    • A score below 85 is still within the standard curve but on the lower end of the distribution.

    QuickIQTest.org provides immediate, easy-to-read score explanations after each Mensa online IQ test, helping users see where they stand and what it might mean for their educational or professional development.

    ⇒ See If You Make the Cut with This Mensa IQ Test!

    Average, High, and Low IQ Ranges

    Most online tests use the Wechsler scale or similar bell curves. Here’s how typical IQ scores are categorized:

    • Below 70: Considered well below average; may indicate developmental challenges
    • 70–84: Below average range
    • 85–114: Average range (majority of the population)
    • 115–129: Above average
    • 130+: High IQ; potential Mensa qualification

    The Mensa practice test, free at QuickIQTest.org, aligns its scoring with these global standards, offering users an accurate assessment of where they fall.

    While scoring above 130 on the IQ test doesn’t automatically mean Mensa membership, it’s often a strong indicator that you might qualify if you pursue the official supervised exam.

    ⇒ Reveal Your Cognitive Strengths with a Mensa IQ Test!

    Limitations and Misconceptions

    IQ tests measure specific types of intelligence—remarkably fluid reasoning, pattern recognition, and logic. They do not assess:

    • Creativity
    • Emotional intelligence (EQ)
    • Social skills
    • Practical problem-solving
    • Wisdom or moral judgment

    A common misconception is that a high IQ automatically equates to success or genius. While many high-IQ individuals thrive academically or professionally, success is influenced by many other factors, including motivation, opportunity, and emotional resilience.

    Another myth is that taking the Mensa IQ test multiple times will significantly inflate your score. While practice improves familiarity, accurate intelligence scores remain relatively stable over time.

    That said, tools like QuickIQTest.org offer meaningful insights and preparation. They’re designed for those aiming to join Mensa and for anyone curious about their cognitive strengths.

    ⇒ Test Yourself Against Mensa Standards!

    8. Mensa IQ Test for Kids, Teens, and Adults

    Intelligence testing isn’t limited to adults. An adequately designed Mensa IQ test can help assess children, teenagers, and adults’ cognitive ability. However, it’s essential to recognize that age plays a critical role in measuring and interpreting IQ. Whether for educational placement, personal insight, or curiosity, the online Mensa IQ test at QuickIQTest.org adapts well across age groups by offering a flexible, pattern-based format appropriate for different developmental stages.

    Age-Appropriate IQ Assessments

    IQ testing must be aligned with age-related expectations to be accurate. The mental tasks a 10-year-old can solve differ significantly from those expected of a 30-year-old. Modern IQ tests adjust scoring to ensure fair comparisons across ages.

    QuickIQTest.org provides an IQ test and a Mensa platform suitable for teens and adults. It is typically recommended for ages 14 and up. For younger children, supervised testing with child-specific formats is more appropriate. However, for teens preparing for academic challenges or seeking Mensa eligibility, the Mensa practice test offers an excellent simulation of the logic-based reasoning questions used in official exams.

    Adults aged 20, 40, or 65 can use the Mensa online IQ test to evaluate cognitive agility. Unlike knowledge tests, these pattern-recognition exercises are designed to minimize age or cultural bias.

    ⇒ Start the Mensa IQ Test Online Free with QuickIQTest.org!

    Educational vs. General Intelligence Tests

    Educational IQ tests often assess verbal comprehension, arithmetic skills, and memory, traits aligned with classroom performance. In contrast, a Mensa intelligence test focuses on fluid intelligence: your ability to reason and think abstractly.

    The free Mensa IQ test from QuickIQTest.org is particularly well-suited for general intelligence evaluation. It doesn’t require prior academic knowledge. Instead, it asks questions based on logic, patterns, and spatial awareness—abilities that tend to be stable across diverse educational backgrounds.

    This makes the Mensa test a free experience appealing to students looking to challenge themselves and working professionals interested in their cognitive strengths.

    ⇒ Discover the IQ Test Modeled After Mensa Exams!

    How Schools or Employers May Use Results

    Schools may recommend IQ testing for gifted program eligibility or special education placement. An above-average score—particularly in problem-solving and pattern recognition—can support a child’s placement in accelerated academic tracks.

    Some employers also use intelligence testing in hiring processes, especially for roles requiring critical thinking, analysis, or technical decision-making. While many organizations don’t ask for an actual Mensa IQ test, scores from high-quality platforms like QuickIQTest.org can provide personal insight and potentially be included in a professional portfolio.

    It’s worth noting that many individuals voluntarily share their Mensa IQ test answers or scores with mentors, educators, and coaches to guide future development.

    The Mensa practice test is free, and it’s a low-pressure way to get started, whether you’re a student preparing for higher education or a professional seeking a mental challenge.

    ⇒ Unlock Your IQ Potential with This Mensa-Based Test!

    9. Is a Mensa IQ Test Legitimate?

    With the explosion of online testing platforms, it’s natural to question whether a Mensa IQ test taken online is accurate or valid. While not every internet quiz holds scientific value, well-structured assessments like those offered by QuickIQTest.org are developed to reflect genuine intelligence-testing principles. When done correctly, an online Mensa IQ test can provide results closely aligned with traditional, supervised testing used in clinical or academic settings.

    ⇒ Measure Your Intelligence with a Mensa-Style Quiz

    How Accurate Are Online IQ Tests Compared to Clinical Ones?

    Clinical IQ assessments, like the Stanford-Binet or WAIS-IV, are typically administered in controlled environments by certified professionals. They are used in education, employment, and mental health contexts and offer highly detailed insight into cognitive performance. They assess several forms of intelligence, including working memory, spatial reasoning, and processing speed.

    While online versions don’t provide the same depth, many use similar formats, particularly for fluid intelligence (the ability to identify patterns, solve problems, and reason abstractly). A properly designed Mensa practice test mimics these core aspects with visual pattern recognition, number series, and logic puzzles. QuickIQTest.org uses time-based challenges and varied question structures to replicate these elements, producing surprisingly consistent results with official Mensa entry exams.

    Many users of QuickIQTest.org report that their scores from this free Mensa IQ test fall within the same range as those received from in-person evaluations.

    ⇒ Start a Mensa IQ Assessment from Anywhere!

    How to Tell If a Test Is Scientifically Valid

    With so many tests online claiming to be “official” or “accurate,” how can you spot the real ones?

    Here are signs of scientific credibility in an online Mensa IQ test:

    • Timed sections: Intelligence isn’t just about getting the correct answer—it’s about speed and efficiency under time pressure.
    • Standardized scoring: Real IQ tests distribute results on a bell curve. Look for scores where 100 is average, with clear percentile rankings.
    • Diverse questions: A valid test includes spatial, numeric, and abstract reasoning,  each targeting different cognitive functions.
    • Adaptive difficulty: The test should gradually increase in complexity, which mirrors how official Mensa assessments are structured.
    • No personality quizzes or gimmicks: IQ tests aren’t mood surveys but analytical and performance-based.

    QuickIQTest.org delivers on all these fronts. Their online Mensa IQ test uses a scoring algorithm rooted in psychometric testing standards. The platform is built not to entertain, but to challenge users across different reasoning dimensions.

    ⇒ Take the IQ Test Designed for High Performers!

    Credentials to Look For in a Reliable IQ Test

    Even if a test is online, it should still meet standards that suggest professional input and real-world value. You don’t need a clinical psychologist to validate it, but some benchmarks help:

    • Developer transparency: Reputable IQ tests often mention who created the test, ideally, experts in cognitive science or psychometric testing.
    • Consistent user reviews: Real users should report that their scores feel realistic and reflect other intelligence evaluations they’ve taken.
    • No unrealistic promises: Beware of tests that guarantee Mensa admission or claim impossible accuracy. A legitimate Mensa intelligence test will acknowledge that only official, supervised tests can grant membership.

    At QuickIQTest.org, the goal is not to mislead users. Instead, they offer a highly regarded, free Mensa test alternative that enables individuals to evaluate their reasoning ability before deciding whether to apply for official Mensa testing.

    ⇒ Find Out If You Have a Mensa-Eligible Score!

    The Role of a Mensa Practice Test

    Think of a Mensa IQ test online like a practice run—it’s not a certification, but it’s the next best thing. It offers valuable preparation, helps reduce test anxiety, and gives you a clear picture of your strengths.

    Additionally, it is an excellent IQ screening tool because the Mensa sample test at QuickIQTest.org is patterned after real Mensa questions. It gives users honest feedback while preserving the integrity of what a real test should feel like.

    ⇒ Take the Mensa IQ Test Officially at QuickIQTest.org

    FAQS

    Can I take a free Mensa IQ test online?

    Taking a free Mensa IQ test online is possible, especially for practice and personal evaluation. While official Mensa tests must be supervised and often involve a fee, trusted platforms like QuickIQTest.org provide access to a Mensa IQ test online that mimics the structure and complexity of the real thing. This Mensa practice test free version includes timed questions and instant scoring, offering an effective way to understand how you might perform on a formal Mensa assessment. It benefits those interested in preparing before attempting an official supervised exam.

    How does the online Mensa IQ test work?

    An online Mensa IQ test generally presents a series of timed questions designed to test logic, spatial awareness, pattern recognition, and numerical reasoning. These tests are based on the same principles as formal IQ assessments used by Mensa International. At QuickIQTest.org, the structure includes:

    • Timed sections: Questions must be answered within a specific time limit to simulate real-world conditions.
    • Adaptive scoring: The test evaluates accuracy and the difficulty of questions answered correctly.
    • Instant results: Once completed, you receive a score range that corresponds with general IQ benchmarks, giving you an idea of where you stand compared to the population.

    This Mensa IQ practice test provides an accessible way to explore your intellectual strengths before considering official testing.

    How accurate is the online Mensa IQ test?

    The accuracy of an online Mensa IQ test depends on how well it follows accepted psychometric standards. While online versions do not replace supervised clinical assessments, services like QuickIQTest.org aim to provide a highly accurate and reliable evaluation. Their test uses cognitive science and logic-based structures similar to official IQ tests. It focuses on visual and numerical reasoning rather than learned knowledge, which makes it more reflective of your innate problem-solving abilities. While the score cannot be used for formal Mensa membership, it can indicate your potential and help guide whether you should pursue official testing.

    What does my IQ score mean?

    Your IQ score is a numerical expression of your cognitive performance relative to the general population. Most scoring systems are based on a bell curve, with 100 as the average IQ. Here’s a general breakdown:

    • 85–115: Average range (most people fall here)
    • 116–129: Above average
    • 130 and above: Gifted; potential Mensa qualification
    • Below 85: May indicate challenges in some areas of reasoning.

    When you take the IQ test, Mensa style, at QuickIQTest.org, your score will fall within a percentile rank, giving context to where you stand. However, it’s essential to understand that IQ is just one measure of cognitive potential and does not capture creativity, emotional intelligence, or other forms of intelligence.

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    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NASA to Provide Coverage of Progress 92 Launch, Space Station Docking

    Source: NASA

    NASA will provide live coverage of the launch and docking of a Roscosmos cargo spacecraft delivering approximately three tons of food, fuel, and supplies to the Expedition 73 crew aboard the International Space Station.
    The unpiloted Roscosmos Progress 92 spacecraft is scheduled to launch at 3:32 p.m. EDT, Thursday, July 3 (12:32 a.m. Baikonur time, Friday, July 4), on a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
    Live launch coverage will begin at 3:10 p.m. on NASA+. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media.
    After a two-day, in-orbit journey to the station, the spacecraft will dock autonomously to the space-facing port of the orbiting laboratory’s Poisk module at 5:27 p.m. on Saturday, July 5. NASA’s rendezvous and docking coverage will begin at 4:45 p.m. on NASA+.
    The Progress 92 spacecraft will remain docked to the space station for approximately six months before departing for re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere to dispose of trash loaded by the crew.
    Ahead of the spacecraft’s arrival, the Progress 90 spacecraft will undock from the Poisk module on Tuesday, July 1. NASA will not stream undocking.
    The International Space Station is a convergence of science, technology, and human innovation that enables research not possible on Earth. For nearly 25 years, NASA has supported a continuous U.S. human presence aboard the orbiting laboratory, through which astronauts have learned to live and work in space for extended periods of time. The space station is a springboard for developing a low Earth economy and NASA’s next great leaps in exploration, including missions to the Moon under Artemis and, ultimately, human exploration of Mars.
    Learn more about the International Space Station, its research, and crew, at:
    https://www.nasa.gov/station
    -end-
    Jimi RussellHeadquarters, Washington202-358-1100james.j.russell@nasa.gov  
    Sandra Jones / Joseph ZakrzewskiJohnson Space Center, Houston281-483-5111sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov / joseph.a.zakrzewski@nasa.gov

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NASA+ is Coming to Netflix This Summer

    Source: NASA

    NASA announced Monday its latest plans to team up with a streaming service to bring space a little closer to home. Starting this summer, NASA+ live programming will be available on Netflix.
    Audiences now will have another option to stream rocket launches, astronaut spacewalks, mission coverage, and breathtaking live views of Earth from the International Space Station.
    “The National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 calls on us to share our story of space exploration with the broadest possible audience,” said Rebecca Sirmons, general manager of NASA+ at the agency’s headquarters in Washington. “Together, we’re committed to a Golden Age of Innovation and Exploration – inspiring new generations – right from the comfort of their couch or in the palm of their hand from their phone.”
    Through this partnership, NASA’s work in science and exploration will become even more accessible, allowing the agency to increase engagement with and inspire a global audience in a modern media landscape, where Netflix reaches a global audience of more than 700 million people.
    The agency’s broader efforts include connecting with as many people as possible through video, audio, social media, and live events. The goal is simple: to bring the excitement of the agency’s discoveries, inventions, and space exploration to people, wherever they are.
    NASA+ remains available for free, with no ads, through the NASA app and on the agency’s website.
    Additional programming details and schedules will be announced ahead of launch.
    For more about NASA’s missions, visit:

    Home Page

    -end-
    Cheryl WarnerHeadquarters, Washington202-358-1600cheryl.m.warner@nasa.gov

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Givi Mikanadze appointed as new Minister of Education, Science and Youth of Georgia

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    TBILISI, June 30 (Xinhua) — Givi Mikanadze has been appointed Minister of Education, Science and Youth of Georgia. The new minister was introduced by Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze at a briefing at the Georgian government administration on Monday.

    G. Mikanadze replaced Alexander Tsuladze in the ministerial post, who announced his resignation on Monday.

    Before his appointment, G. Mikanadze was the Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Education, Science and Youth Affairs.

    A. Tsuladze has held the post of Minister of Education, Science and Youth since October 2024. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Davis Holds Service Academy Dinner Honoring NC-01 Appointees

    Source: US Congressman Don Davis (NC-01)

    Rocky Mount, N.C. – On Wednesday, June 18, Congressman Don Davis (NC-01) hosted a Service Academy Dinner at his Rocky Mount district office. The event celebrated a group of exceptional young high school graduates from eastern North Carolina who received appointments to the United States Military Service Academies.

     

    [Front row, from left: Leonardo Fletcher-Fontana, and Congressman Don Davis. Back row, from left: Abel Dees, Nicholas Santiago, and Parker Stokes. Not pictured: Dylan Sawyer]

    “These young leaders represent the very best of eastern North Carolina,” said Congressman Davis. “Their drive, discipline, and desire to serve our country inspire us all. It was a true honor to recognize their hard work and celebrate this milestone with their families.”

    The dinner highlighted the achievements of each appointee and recognized the rigorous process required for nomination and acceptance into the academies. 

    Abel Dees of Nash County and Parker Stokes of Pitt County, appointed to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, were honored for their academic excellence, high GPAs and test scores, and strong leadership in student government and athletics. Leonardo Fletcher-Fontana of Pitt County will attend the U.S. Air Force Academy. He was recognized for his JROTC leadership and dedication to mental health advocacy and community service. Nicholas Antonio Santiago of Perquimans County, appointed to the U.S. Naval Academy, was celebrated for achievements in academics, athletics, the arts, and volunteerism, including service as a part-time firefighter. Dylan Sawyer of Pitt County, also appointed to the Naval Academy, was acknowledged in absentia for academic distinction at the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics and his involvement in STEM, leadership programs, and youth engagement.

    The evening concluded with a message of gratitude from the Congressman to the families and communities supporting these students.

    “Behind every appointee is a circle of support: parents, teachers, coaches, and mentors, who have helped them reach this point,” said Congressman Davis. “We all know these students will go on to do wonderful things in the future.” 

    Congressman Davis can nominate students to four U.S. service academies: West Point, Naval, Air Force, and Merchant Marine; the Coast Guard Academy does not require a nomination. A nomination is required but does not guarantee admission. These academies offer a full scholarship in exchange for military service after graduation.

    For more information about service academies, please contact (252) 999-7600. 

    Congressman Don Davis serves as the vice ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee and sits on the Subcommittees on Tactical Air and Land Forces and Readiness. He graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1994 and is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Davis Holds Service Academy Dinner Honoring NC-01 Appointees

    Source: US Congressman Don Davis (NC-01)

    Rocky Mount, N.C. – On Wednesday, June 18, Congressman Don Davis (NC-01) hosted a Service Academy Dinner at his Rocky Mount district office. The event celebrated a group of exceptional young high school graduates from eastern North Carolina who received appointments to the United States Military Service Academies.

     

    [Front row, from left: Leonardo Fletcher-Fontana, and Congressman Don Davis. Back row, from left: Abel Dees, Nicholas Santiago, and Parker Stokes. Not pictured: Dylan Sawyer]

    “These young leaders represent the very best of eastern North Carolina,” said Congressman Davis. “Their drive, discipline, and desire to serve our country inspire us all. It was a true honor to recognize their hard work and celebrate this milestone with their families.”

    The dinner highlighted the achievements of each appointee and recognized the rigorous process required for nomination and acceptance into the academies. 

    Abel Dees of Nash County and Parker Stokes of Pitt County, appointed to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, were honored for their academic excellence, high GPAs and test scores, and strong leadership in student government and athletics. Leonardo Fletcher-Fontana of Pitt County will attend the U.S. Air Force Academy. He was recognized for his JROTC leadership and dedication to mental health advocacy and community service. Nicholas Antonio Santiago of Perquimans County, appointed to the U.S. Naval Academy, was celebrated for achievements in academics, athletics, the arts, and volunteerism, including service as a part-time firefighter. Dylan Sawyer of Pitt County, also appointed to the Naval Academy, was acknowledged in absentia for academic distinction at the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics and his involvement in STEM, leadership programs, and youth engagement.

    The evening concluded with a message of gratitude from the Congressman to the families and communities supporting these students.

    “Behind every appointee is a circle of support: parents, teachers, coaches, and mentors, who have helped them reach this point,” said Congressman Davis. “We all know these students will go on to do wonderful things in the future.” 

    Congressman Davis can nominate students to four U.S. service academies: West Point, Naval, Air Force, and Merchant Marine; the Coast Guard Academy does not require a nomination. A nomination is required but does not guarantee admission. These academies offer a full scholarship in exchange for military service after graduation.

    For more information about service academies, please contact (252) 999-7600. 

    Congressman Don Davis serves as the vice ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee and sits on the Subcommittees on Tactical Air and Land Forces and Readiness. He graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1994 and is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rutherford Leads Bipartisan, Bicameral Florida Delegation Letter Urging State Management of South Atlantic Red Snapper

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman John Rutherford (4th District of Florida)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Monday, U.S. Congressman John H. Rutherford (FL-05) led a bipartisan, bicameral group of Florida legislators in a letter to U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick in support of Florida state management of red snapper and other reef fish in the South Atlantic.

    “Every local angler I talk to says there are more red snapper off the coast of Northeast Florida than ever before,” said Rutherford. “Yet, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) under President Biden only gave us one day to fish last summer. It’s time to hand over the South Atlantic fishery management to our Governors DeSantis, Kemp, and McMaster.”

    Rutherford was joined by Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) and Representatives Aaron Bean (FL-04), Gus Bilirakis (FL-), Vern Buchanan (FL-16), Kat Cammack (FL-03), Mario Diaz-Balart (FL-26), Bryon Donalds (FL-19), Neal Dunn (FL-02), Randy Fine (FL-06), Scott Franklin (FL-15), Carlos Gimenez (FL-26), Laurel Lee (FL-15), Anna Paulina Luna (FL-13), Brian Mast (FL-18), Cory Mills (FL-07), Jared Moskowitz (FL-23), Jimmy Patronis (FL-01), Maria Salazar (FL-27), Greg Steube (FL-17), and Daniel Webster (FL-11).

    Read the full letter below:

    Dear Secretary Lutnick,

    We, the undersigned members of Florida’s congressional delegation, write to share our support for the request of Governors DeSantis, Kemp, and McMaster to implement state management of red snapper and other reef fish in the South Atlantic.  For too long, Florida anglers in the South Atlantic have been largely shut out of red snapper harvest opportunities despite unprecedented growth and record abundance in this fishery.

    NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service recently determined that red snapper is no longer overfished and approved a final rule to end overfishing.  We thank you for rejecting the bottom closures that were in the Biden Administration’s proposed rule.  Closing bottom fishing from December to February for 55 species off the east coast of Florida would have been devastating to our state’s economy.  The drastic nature of the proposal highlights the need for significant changes to South Atlantic red snapper management to ensure reasonable harvest opportunities in this fishery, and we look forward to working with President Trump and his administration to achieve that goal.

    Florida has demonstrated its ability to use sound science to successfully manage red snapper in the Gulf. This success was made possible by President Trump during his first administration when he gave the five Gulf states a leading role in managing the red snapper fishery.  Since then, the health of Florida’s Gulf red snapper population has continued to improve, growing the season from 3 to 126 days.  We believe the current abundance of South Atlantic red snapper, combined with strong interest from states in the region to take on a greater role in data collection and management, presents an extraordinary opportunity to make state-led management in the South Atlantic a resounding success, much like the model seen in the Gulf.

    While the federal government has struggled to collect reliable data and timely estimates of recreational red snapper harvests, Florida and the South Atlantic states have the capability of collecting accurate data which will provide more quality fishing opportunities while promoting conservation.  We urge the Department of Commerce to work swiftly with Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina to grant the states the authority to manage red snapper and other reef fish in the South Atlantic. We look forward to advancing state management for the benefit of fishermen, conservation, and our coastal economy. 

    ###

     

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: A student of the State University of Management became the author of the best startup in Russia: the results of the All-Russian competition “Startup as a Diploma” have been announced

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: State University of Management – Official website of the State –

    On June 27, 2025, the final of the All-Russian competition of final qualification works in the format “Startup as a Diploma” was held at the National Center “Russia”, the winner of which was a student of the State University of Management.

    The author of the best startup in Russia, a 4th-year student of the Institute of Industry Management of the State University of Management of the educational program “Small and Medium Business Management” Danila Yakovlev, has developed a glass processing technology that allows obtaining a finished product for sale – glass pebbles. The project “

    The Minister of Science and Higher Education Valery Falkov, the Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education Olga Petrova and the Deputy Director of the Department of State Youth Policy and Educational Activities of the Ministry of Education and Science Alexander Vedekhin, as well as the First Deputy Chair of the Committee on Science and Higher Education of the State Duma Ksenia Goryacheva addressed the young entrepreneurs and guests of the event with welcoming words.

    Our student’s performance did not leave the members of the expert jury indifferent – following the results of the final pitches, Danila Yakovlev became the absolute winner of the competition and took 1st place. In addition, he received a special prize from the Moscow School of Management “Skolkovo”, a certificate for participation in the acceleration program “Academy of Innovators” and other gifts from the competition partners. The scientific director of the project Victoria Degtyareva received special gratitude.

    Only 14 finalists presented their innovative ideas to the expert jury. The podium of honor looks like this:
    1st place – startup “Innovative glass pebbles”#Proesklo “, State University of Management;
    2nd place – startup “Automated irrigation system – Control’s”, Russian State Agrarian University – MSCHA named after K.A. Timiryazeva;
    3rd place – Startup Recyclix – plastic processing, Far Eastern Federal University.

    The event brought together over 400 participants – students from different regions of Russia, experts, entrepreneurs, industry representatives, universities and government bodies. The hosts were Olga Serebryannikova, Director of the Project Office for the Development of Youth Entrepreneurship in Higher Education Institutions, and Andrey Goryachev, a finalist of the 2024 Startup as a Diploma competition. The young entrepreneurs and guests of the event were addressed with welcoming speeches by the Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation Valery Falkov, First Deputy Chairperson of the Committee on Science and Higher Education of the State Duma of the Russian Federation Ksenia Goryacheva, Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation Olga Petrova and Deputy Director of the Department of State Youth Policy and Educational Activities of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia Alexander Vedekhin.

    The final became an important part of the large-scale joint work of university teams, mentors and partners in the development of youth entrepreneurship. Students and employees of the State University of Management, including his scientific supervisor, Associate Professor of the Department of Innovation Management Victoria Degtyareva, came to support Danila at the final stage of the competition. Also on the day of the final, an exhibition of the TOP-50 projects of the Startup as a Diploma competition of 2025 was held at the site of the National Center “Russia”, where one could get acquainted with another innovative development of the State University of Management – the project of the Business Incubator resident Mikhail Zorin HolterTECH (a wireless Holter designed to monitor the work of the heart), which was also highly appreciated by the experts of the competition this year.

    We asked Danila Yakovlev for details about his project.

    «

    What is unique about your product and what advantages does it provide? — The technology itself is not unique, but for some reason large businesses do not use it. Construction companies tried to make materials cheaper with this technology, but we transferred the product to another industry where people are willing to pay for beauty and comfort. In addition, we were able to significantly reduce the time and labor costs of the processing process, which allows us to save on electricity and human resources. Plus, given the integration into an existing business, our raw material cost is negative, that is, the waste generator pays us to take this glass from them. It should also be added that the production line can fit on 100 square meters, and only two operators can control it. In terms of numbers, this is a very promising project.

    What investments will be required to fully launch the project? – We have outlined several stages of investment. At the first stage, we will need 3.5 million rubles to purchase equipment to complete the first line, launch and adjust the process.

    What difficulties do you face in the process of project implementation and how do you overcome them? — The main problem today is that I have 24 hours in a day, like everyone else. I understand that all entrepreneurs are busy people. Every hour is not that expensive, but it is very valuable. Sometimes there is simply not enough time to sleep or spend time with family. In addition, unemployment in Russia is now extremely low, everyone works somewhere, but for some reason no one wants to here. Fortunately, there are young ambitious students who are eager to work not for money, but for the sake of prospects. And in general, you can’t say “problems”. There are tasks that need to be solved. And there are dreams. I invite everyone to achieve them together. We now need a warehouse manager, even a young one with no experience, we need simple warehouse employees, sales managers. We need everyone. If you want, we will accept everyone. We have a lot of ideas, we have an agreement with the State University of Management and students can do paid internships with us. I think together we can build a cool future.

    How do you see the future?

    The full interview with Danila Yakovlev will soon be available on the GUU channel on RuTube.

    We are posting Danila’s contact on Telegram for those who would like to join his project or do an internship: https://t.me/yakovleff_dan

     

    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: UConn’s Sir Cato T. Laurencin Recognized as Springer Nature Editor of Distinction

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    Dr. Cato T. Laurencin is the founding editor-in-chief of the Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, recognized as the leading voice in the field, published by Springer Nature.

    “We are proud to work with Professor Sir Cato Laurencin on the Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities. As the Founding Editor-in-Chief of this important journal, he has made great strides in the advancement of research on racial and ethnic health disparities. The journal’s 2024 CiteScore is 7.5, ranking 5 out of 524 journals in the Anthropology category,” said Katherine Lang, executive publisher, Journals – Springer Nature.

    Professor Sir Cato T. Laurencin is the University Professor at UConn and Albert and Wilda Van Dusen Distinguished Endowed Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at UConn School of Medicine, professor of Chemical Engineering, professor of Materials Science and Engineering, and professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Connecticut. He is the chief executiveoOfficer of The Cato T. Laurencin Institute for Regenerative Engineering, a cross-university institute created and named in his honor at UConn.

    He completed his B.S.E. in Chemical Engineering at Princeton. At the same time, he completed the Program in African-American Studies at Princeton. He received his M.D., Magna Cum Laude from the Harvard Medical School and his Ph.D. in Biochemical Engineering/Biotechnology from M.I.T. Under the auspices of King George III of England, Laurencin was bestowed Knighthood by the Governor-General of St. Lucia.

    Laurencin is a professor of Africana Studies at the University of Connecticut and chaired the Inaugural World Congress on Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, held in 2025 in St. Lucia. He received the Herbert V. Nickens Award from the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) for his work in advancing social justice and fairness. The NAACP awarded him the Spingarn Medal, given for “the highest or noblest achievement by an African American.” Previously the award was given to Dr. Charles Drew, Martin Luther King Jr., and Maya Angelou, among others. The W. Montague Cobb/NMA Health Institute and the National Medical Association created the Cato T. Laurencin Lifetime Research Achievement Award in his honor, bestowed at the opening ceremonies of the National Medical Association meeting.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Juvenile estuarine crocodile removed at Biboohra

    Source: Tasmania Police

    Issued: 30 Jun 2025

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    The crocodile was captured in a baited trap.

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    The 1.8m female has been rehomed at a crocodile farm.

    A 1.8m juvenile female estuarine crocodile has been removed from the wild at Biboohra north of Mareeba on the Atherton Tablelands.

    The crocodile was reported to the Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation (DETSI) on 11 June 2025.

    Wildlife rangers from the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service assessed water bodies in the Biboohra area and located the animal in an irrigation channel.

    On 24 June 2025, rangers set a baited trap and the crocodile was captured on 27 June 2025. It has been since been placed in a crocodile farm.

    DETSI would like to thank the Mareeba Shire Council and people in the Mareeba area for their ongoing interest and assistance in crocodile matters, particularly those people who have submitted crocodile sighting reports.

    Sighting reports provide important information about crocodiles, including their location, and wildlife rangers investigate each sighting report.

    The Biboohra area is considered atypical habitat for estuarine crocodiles. All estuarine crocodiles confirmed to be present in that area are targeted for removal from the wild.

    DETSI is aware of community concerns regarding the potential for estuarine crocodiles in the Barron River.

    DETSI has conducted comprehensive surveys of the Barron River over the past ten years and has not observed any estuarine crocodiles, though the river is known to be inhabited by freshwater crocodiles.

    All crocodile sightings should be reported in a timely manner to DETSI via the QWildlife app, making an online crocodile sighting report, or by calling 1300 130 372. Wildlife rangers investigate every crocodile sighting report received.

    MIL OSI News –