Source: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
The Russian Science Foundation has summed up the results of three competitions for 2025, including one for the extension of ongoing projects.
Following the results of the Russian Science Foundation’s competition for grant support for fundamental and exploratory scientific research in 2025–2028, 211 projects were supported. They are being carried out by research groups led by young candidates and doctors of science under the age of 35. Including three developments of the Polytechnic University, support was provided.
According to the results of the examination, the following Polytechnic projects will receive from 3 to 6 million rubles annually:
“Synaptic dysfunction in hippocampal neurons in Alzheimer’s disease and methods of their correction: the influence of the endoplasmic reticulum structure and ryanodine receptors” under the supervision of Ekaterina Pchitskaya, Institute of Coronary Heart Diseases and Bone Health; “Molecular mechanisms of the influence of recombinant interferon-lambda on the course and outcome of secondary bacterial pneumonia developing against the background of influenza infection” under the supervision of Alexey Lozhkov, Institute of Coronary Heart Diseases and Bone Health; “Modeling and optimization of thermochemical technology for hydrogen production based on the sulfur-iodine cycle” under the supervision of Ekaterina Sokolova, Institute of Economics.
Following the results of the RSF competition for conducting initiative fundamental and exploratory scientific research by young scientists and candidates of science under the age of 33 in 2025–2027, 327 projects were supported. Including five SPbPU projects:
“Innovative Alkaline Electrolytes Based on Nanofluids for Highly Efficient Hydrogen Production by Water Electrolysis”, Supervised by Sadeghi Khashayar, Institute of Economics; “Development of a Lingvodidactic Model of Sustainable Learning Using Artificial Intelligence”, Supervised by Ekaterina Shostak, Institute of Economics; “Development of Scientific and Technological Foundations for the Formation of Biomedical Materials with a Given Gradient of Properties by Selective Laser Melting for Personalized Implantology”, Supervised by Igor Polozov, Institute of Mathematics and Electronics; “Development of a System for Predicting the Failure of the Strength of Load-Bearing Metal Structures at Sub-zero Temperatures Using Digital Twin Technology”, Supervised by Ivan Vasiliev, Institute of Mathematics and Electronics; “Multimode Fiber Bragg Gratings with Optimal Spectral Response”, Supervised by Alexander Markvart, Institute of Economics and Electronics.
The grant amount will be up to 1.5 million rubles annually.
Based on the results of the competition for the extension of the deadlines for projects implemented under the supervision of young scientists in 2025–2027, the SPbPU project “Study of the antiviral activity of small interfering RNAs against rotavirus infection when administered orally in complexes with hybrid microcarriers” was supported, led by Alexandra Brodskaya, IBSiB.
The annual grant amount will be from 3 to 6 million rubles.
“I congratulate our young scientists who generate ideas and demonstrate scientific achievements. Eight applications is a good result, higher than last year. To make it even better, we will set more global tasks. We, for our part, intend to help this within the framework of the Grant Readings seminar series,” said Yuri Fomin, Vice-Rector for Research at SPbPU.
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
This photo taken on July 14, 2025 shows the booth of Apple at the digital technology section of the upcoming third China International Supply Chain Expo (CISCE) in Beijing, capital of China. The third China International Supply Chain Expo (CISCE), scheduled on July 16-20 in Beijing, is expected to focus on supply chains of advanced manufacturing, clean energy, smart vehicles, digital technology, healthy life and green agriculture. [Photo/Xinhua]
China will open the third China International Supply Chain Expo (CISCE) in Beijing on Wednesday, rallying multinational giants including Nvidia, Apple, and Airbus to showcase industrial resilience and cross-border collaboration.
With 651 enterprises and institutions from 75 countries, regions and international organizations participating –including a notable 15 percent year-on-year increase in U.S. exhibitors — the event signals robust international commitment to stabilizing supply chains.
Global giants are actively engaging. U.S. tech giant Nvidia is expected to make its debut at the expo, presenting cutting-edge robots featuring Nvidia chips. Airbus will also make its inaugural appearance, bringing its global supply chain collaborators to present the comprehensive ecosystem of the large aircraft industry.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang will attend the opening ceremony of the expo on Wednesday and participate in related activities, according to the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), the event’s organizer.
In a meeting on Tuesday with Ren Hongbin, chairman of CCPIT, Huang said that the Chinese market is large and dynamic, and the development of artificial intelligence (AI) in China is advancing rapidly.
“Multinational companies are realizing that maintaining their position in global supply chains necessitates a strong presence in China,” said Wang Yiwei, director of the Institute of International Affairs at Renmin University of China.
Unlike traditional trade fairs focusing on goods or services, CISCE pioneers a unique “chain-centric” model that visualizes end-to-end industrial collaboration. In each exhibition hall, upstream, midstream and downstream companies cluster in adjacent booths, visually demonstrating their interdependence and synergy.
Many companies across the supply chain will set up collaborative displays. For example, Apple is teaming up with Chinese suppliers for the third consecutive year to showcase cutting-edge technologies in smart manufacturing and green production.
“Multinational corporations serve as anchor companies in global industries, thriving together with upstream and downstream partners worldwide. While advancing their own growth, these corporations strengthen global industrial and supply chain resilience,” Ren said.
The third CISCE features nearly 100 high-level events, surpassing previous editions in scale and participation, according to Xu Liang, deputy secretary-general of the China Chamber of International Commerce.
A key innovation for this edition is the “Debut Zone,” dedicated to the global premieres of new products, technologies, and ecosystems, showcasing breakthrough innovations that drive industrial collaboration, Xu noted.
As the host, China will bring together a diverse group of leading state-owned and private enterprises showcasing the country’s green and digital transition. Among them, Zhejiang-based AI industry chain companies, such as Unitree Robotics, BrainCo, and Hikvision, will participate.
“Through tangible examples of global supply chains at the expo, China demonstrates its firm resolve to advance globalization towards a more open, inclusive, balanced, and win-win future. It vividly embodies the concept of building a community with a shared future, where nations are interdependent,” Wang said.
As the world’s first national-level exhibition focusing on supply chains, the expo is an internationally shared public product. First held in 2023, the expo has contributed to building more secure, stable, open and inclusive global industrial and supply chains, according to the CCPIT.
The previous editions have seen fruitful outcomes, with the 2024 session catalyzing more than 200 cooperation deals worth 152 billion yuan (about 21.26 billion U.S. dollars), a 1.3 percent increase from its inaugural run in 2023.
The expo will run from Wednesday to Sunday in Beijing, with public days commencing on Saturday.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has assured South Africans that government is hard at work to safeguard the integrity and effectiveness of the police service.
The President made these remarks in his weekly newsletter to the nation, just a day after announcing the establishment of a commission of inquiry to investigate serious allegations made by SAPS KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
“We have taken this decisive step because we are determined that the important work that has been done to rebuild our law enforcement agencies and security services should not be compromised.
“It is necessary that we establish the facts through an independent, credible and thorough process so that we can safeguard public confidence in the police service. This is particularly important as we seek to put the era of state capture behind us,” the President said.
The commission of inquiry, to be chaired by Acting Deputy Chief Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga, will investigate allegations made by General Mkhwanazi that the Minister of Police and others had colluded to interfere with police investigations.
The commission will investigate allegations relating to the infiltration of law enforcement, intelligence and associated institutions within the criminal justice system by criminal syndicates.
Among the allegations that the commission may investigate are the facilitation of organised crime; suppression or manipulation of investigations; inducement into criminal actions by law enforcement leadership; commission of any other criminal offences and intimidation, victimisation or targeted removal of whistleblowers or officials resisting criminal influence.
“The commission will investigate the role of current or former senior officials in certain institutions who may have aided or abetted the alleged criminal activity; failed to act on credible intelligence or internal warnings; or benefited financially or politically from a syndicate’s operations,” the President said.
Institutions under scrutiny include the South African Police Service, National Prosecuting Authority, State Security Agency, the Judiciary and Magistracy, and the metropolitan police departments of Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni and Tshwane.
The commission will also investigate whether any members of the National Executive responsible for the criminal justice system, were complicit, aided and abetted, or participated in the acts mentioned above.
The commission will be asked to report on the effectiveness or failure of oversight mechanisms, and the adequacy of current legislation, policies and institutional arrangements in preventing such infiltration.
It will make findings and recommendations for criminal prosecutions, disciplinary actions and institutional reform.
Once established, the commission shall consider prima facie evidence relating to the involvement of individuals currently employed within law enforcement or intelligence agencies.
Where appropriate, the commission must make recommendations on the employment status of such officials, including whether they should be suspended pending the outcome of further investigations.
The commission will also be empowered to refer matters for immediate criminal investigation and urgent decisions on prosecution, taking into account the nature of the allegations and evidence the commission will uncover.
In order for the commission to execute its functions effectively, the President decided to put the Minister of Police Senzo Mchunu on a leave of absence with immediate effect. He said the Minister has undertaken to give his full cooperation to the commission to enable it to do its work.
In his place, the President has appointed Professor Firoz Cachalia as Acting Minister of Police. Cachalia is currently a professor of law at the University of the Witwatersrand and is the chairperson of the National Anti-Corruption Advisory Council. He previously served as an MEC of Community Safety in Gauteng.
President Ramaphosa emphasised that the commission is being established against the backdrop of significant progress in rebuilding and strengthening the country’s law enforcement agencies and security services.
In recent years, the South African Police Service, the Special Investigating Unit, the Asset Forfeiture Unit and other bodies have been making important inroads in the fight against organised crime and corruption.
“It is essential that we maintain this momentum and that we intensify this work. We will ensure that the SAPS and other law enforcement agencies continue to function without hindrance as the commission undertakes its work,” the President said.
He called on all members of the law enforcement agencies and security services to remain steadfast in upholding the rule of law and adhering to their code of conduct.
“I call on all South Africans to support the commission in its work and, where appropriate, to provide any information or assistance the commission may require.
“In establishing this Commission of Inquiry, we are affirming our commitment to the rule of law, to transparency and accountability, and to building a South Africa in which all people are safe and secure,” he said. – SAnews.gov.za
The Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation, Professor Blade Nzimande, will lead a high-level South African delegation on a comprehensive visit focused on science, technology and innovation (STI) in Tunisia and Algeria.
According to the Department of Science, Technology, and Innovation (DSTI), these visits began on Monday, 14 July, and will conclude on Thursday this week.
Nzimande is visiting the two nations following invitations from the Tunisian Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Mondher Belaid, and the Algerian Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Kamel Bidari.
“Through these visits, Minister Nzimande seeks to reinforce existing science, technology and innovation bilateral cooperation between South Africa and Tunisia and Algeria, as part of a broader commitment to grow the size and intensity of intra-Africa STI cooperation for development,” the DSTI said in a statement.
Nzimande’s programme will include bilateral engagements with his Algerian and Tunisian counterparts and visits to key science institutions.
In Tunisia, the Minister will visit the Borja Cedria Technopark, the Pasteur Institute of Tunis, the Bardo National Museum for arts and history, and the City of Science Museum.
In Algeria, he will visit the Centre for the Development of Advanced Technologies, the Saad Dahlab University and the Great Mosque of Algiers.
One highlight of the Minister’s visit to Algeria will be a guest lecture organised by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Cooperation, focusing on Pan-African cooperation.
Reflecting on the importance of these visits, Nzimande said: “Our visit to Algeria and Tunisia forms part of our long-standing international relations strategy to strengthen meaningful science, technology and innovation cooperation with fellow African countries, and to advance the objectives of the African Union’s Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa (STISA).”
The Minister believes that Pan-African STI cooperation and development are paramount, given the current unstable geopolitical environment and the imperatives of securing the continent’s sustainable future.
“All our efforts are therefore aimed towards developing what we refer to as a sovereign science, technology, and innovation agenda for Africa,” the Minister said.
The two visits will conclude with the adoption of two new comprehensive Plans of Action, aimed at intensifying cooperation with Tunisia and Algeria, respectively.
“This will be an immediate and concrete implementation of the ambitions for South Africa’s science diplomacy, which Minister Nzimande had outlined in his Budget Vote speech last week,” the department said.
The Minister’s delegation includes senior officials from the ministry, the department and its entities, such as the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA), as well as experts from the Council for Mineral Technology (Mintek). – SAnews.gov.za
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Researchers from the RUDN Medical Institute and Moscow City Polyclinic No. 2 analyzed how patients after acute myocardial infarction comply with recommendations for taking dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) — a combination of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) and a P2Y12 inhibitor (ticagrelor, clopidogrel or prasugrel). The work was awarded first place in the Competition of scientific works of young scientists in the field of drug safety “LekBez 2025” at the III Russian Congress “Pharmacotherapy Safety 360°: Noli nocere!”
The study included 168 patients who demonstrated high adherence to dual antiplatelet therapy in the first 6 months after myocardial infarction and assessed how their behavior changed over the course of a year, as well as the relationship between adherence, bleeding complications of therapy and the risk of recurrent cardiovascular events.
After myocardial infarction, DAPT is critical to prevent recurrent infarctions. However, according to the study results, 43.5% of patients stopped adhering to the therapy regimen in the second half of the year, despite preferential provision of drugs in Moscow. 24.4% of patients experienced hemorrhagic complications (bleeding), which forced them to independently adjust or stop treatment. An additional problem was the rare use of the PRECISE-DAPT scale by doctors to predict bleeding, although this risk was high in 22.6% of patients when assessed in the study. These circumstances lead to a dilemma: refusal of DAPT reduces the number of bleedings, but increases the risk of recurrent infarctions. For example, non-adherent patients were hospitalized due to cardiac complications in the second half of the year more than three times more often than those who continued therapy.
“Solving this problem requires a comprehensive approach. First of all, it is necessary to implement treatment adherence monitoring by recording electronic prescriptions. This will allow doctors to track the patient’s compliance with therapy in real time and promptly adjust prescriptions. In addition, an individual approach to therapy adjustment is necessary. For example, in case of mild bleeding, it is advisable to temporarily reduce the dose of acetylsalicylic acid (19.5% of cases) or replace ticagrelor with clopidogrel (9.8%). For patients with a high risk of bleeding according to the PRECISE-DAPT scale, international recommendations provide for a reduction in the duration of DAPT to 3-6 months. It is equally important to implement continuous education among both patients and healthcare professionals. Patients need to be explained the risks associated with interrupting therapy, and doctors need to be informed about the importance of using modern bleeding risk assessment scales to prescribe the correct personalized treatment,” says Dmitry Klyuev, assistant professor at the Department of General and Clinical Pharmacology, RUDN Medical Institute.
The study was conducted by a research team from RUDN University. Among the co-authors:
Sergey Fitilev, Professor of the Department of General and Clinical Pharmacology; Irina Shkrebneva, Associate Professor of the Department of General and Clinical Pharmacology; Alexander Vozzhaev, Professor of the Department of General and Clinical Pharmacology; Anna Ovaeva, Assistant of the Department of General and Clinical Pharmacology.
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
BEIJING, July 15 (Xinhua) — A ceremony to establish a multimodal digital laboratory for the inheritance of the Manas epic culture was held recently in Atushi, Kyzylsu Kirghiz Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the prefectural administration said.
The lab was jointly established by the prefectural people’s government and Xinjiang Normal University as part of the Manas-themed International Cultural and Tourism Festival held in the prefecture from July 13 to 20.
The new laboratory will facilitate the digital preservation of materials and resources related to the epic, as well as its active dissemination through digital technologies, in order to give new impetus to this masterpiece of art, the press service said in a statement.
Vice-president of Xinjiang Normal University Liu Chenjiang noted that Manas currently faces problems such as aging heirs and limited distribution. Digital technology not only helps preserve valuable performance videos over long periods, but also allows the younger generation to immerse themselves in the charm of the epic through interactive exhibitions, VR performances and other forms.
The heroic epic “Manas” is a cycle of tales related to the life and exploits of the main character – the legendary hero Manas, the unifier of the Kyrgyz tribes. It occupies an important place in the oral folklore of the Kyrgyz. This epic poem is known as one of the three heroic epics of the national minorities of China, along with the heroic epics “King Gesar” of the Tibetan ethnic group and “Dzhangar” of the Mongolian ethnic group.
Manas was inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009. As far as historians know, it was passed down orally by folk artists who performed it with a unique chant rhythm before attempts were made to record it in written form.
In addition to the establishment of this laboratory and the holding of a thematic cultural festival, the XUAR authorities have taken various measures to promote the creative transformation and innovative development of the Manas epic, including organizing courses and competitions for storytellers and the entry into force of a legislative act on the preservation of the Manas epic in May of this year. -0-
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Press release
Natural England promotes outdoor healthcare in Sussex
Novel partnership takes treatment into green spaces, with a level 3 qualification available
Healthcare professionals from across Sussex are being trained to make more use of outdoor settings in treating those with poor mental health.
Less than half the population say they’ve been to the countryside or a local park recently[i].
But the NHS is turning to places like that to help with certain treatments.
Natural England is funding courses aimed at nurses, therapists and other healthcare professionals from across Sussex to make more use of outdoor settings in treating those with poor mental health.
The training builds on evidence being outside can help lead to lower blood pressure and a reduced risk of heart attacks and strokes[ii].
Course-goers learn a variety of skills, from being able to adapt treatments to new surroundings to using their experience and training from many years inside, outside.
By the end of the sessions, which are spread over 5 months, those attending should have the confidence and competence to work with groups in a range of outdoor settings.
The course, which carries a formal training accreditation, is suited to professionals who support children, young people and adults, including, from psychiatrists and psychologists to social and youth workers, therapists and those working in family support.
Healthcare staff have reported feeling more relaxed when outside, when not necessarily working, as well as refreshed and re-energised. It’s hoped these benefits can transfer themselves to the care they give patients.
The training is delivered by Circle of Life Rediscovery, a community interest company based in Laughton, near Lewes.
Through the workshops, the partnership between Natural England and CLR is already highlighting the need to use green spaces where we live and work to improve health and wellbeing.
Sarah Davies, Natural England’s principal adviser for partnerships in Sussex and Kent, said:
“The importance of open spaces cannot be underestimated. Nature can relax us, educate us, and help reduce anxiety and depression.
“We know there are countless benefits to connecting with nature – it makes us feel better, physically and mentally.”
Some 36 NHS staff in Sussex have done the course since 2023. It offers an ITC level 3 qualification, providing students with the necessary skills to work with individuals and groups of all ages.
The 2024 cohort of 16 health service staff recently met at Laughton Greenwood to share personal experiences of what they learned in the sessions. The group also heard from professionals with long experience in using nature to aide healthcare.
A senior nurse from Sussex who took part in the training said:
“My experience doing this course has really transformed my thinking regarding nature-based practice. I have managed to apply parts of what I learnt within my work environment and have full backing from colleagues regarding trying to utilise what I learnt.
“I never realised the true impact outdoors can have on an individual and team level and hope to see it being prescribed in the future as a treatment for certain health problems.”
The course, which carries a formal training accreditation, is suited to professionals who support children, young people and adults.
Marina Robb, director and founder of Circle of Life Rediscovery, said:
“To be able to sustainably bring the benefits of nature-based practice into the NHS and provide access to nature for physical and mental health, training NHS staff is a sensible way forward for teams and their service-users.”
This nature-based training for NHS staff coincides with a wide-ranging survey into how exposure to natural spaces positively affects people’s health, behaviour and attitude to the environment over an extended period of time.
The three-year study will involve a sample of approximately 18,000 adults across the country, in a partnership between Natural England, the University of Exeter and the Natural Environment Research Council, and developed by organisations from a range of sectors.
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
The State University of Management took part in a joint open meeting of the Presidium of the National Accreditation Council for Business and Management Education (NASDOBR) and the Council for Professional Qualifications in Management and Law.
The SUM was represented at the event by Rector Vladimir Stroyev, Vice-Rector Dmitry Bryukhanov and Academic Director of the SUM Higher School of Business and Technology, Vice-President of the Russian Association of Business Education Vladimir Godin.
The meeting was also attended by First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma of the Russian Federation Alexander Zhukov; Chairman of the Presidium of NASDOBR, Vice-Rector of RANEPA Sergey Myasoedov; Vice-President of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs Alexander Murychev; Deputy Chairman, Head of the Executive Committee of Delovaya Rossiya Nonna Kagramanyan, Chairman of the Council of the Moscow City Branch of OPORA RUSSIA Dmitry Nesvetov, and General Director of the National Agency for Qualifications Development Alexey Vovchenko.
The participants considered issues of NASDOBR activities in accreditation of MBA business education programs and preparation for pilot accreditation of the DBA program “Doctor of Business Administration”, development of professional and public accreditation of higher education programs, and intensification of work on development of business education in the regions.
The results of the work of the specialized sections of NASDOBR and RABO at the Caucasus Investment Forum and the International IT Forum with the participation of BRICS and SCO countries were summed up. The high demand for business education programs in the regions was noted, especially in terms of developing management competencies and increasing labor productivity.
In addition, those gathered discussed the expansion of the powers of the Council for Professional Qualifications in Management and Law: the creation of educational programs, their professional and public accreditation, and the formation of a system for independent assessment of qualifications in this area.
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Australians have long been some of the highest users of herbal and nutritional supplements that claim to boost mood or ease depression. These include omega-3s (found in fish oil), St John’s wort, probiotics and vitamin D.
In fact, among Australians with depression, these supplements are more popular than prescription medicines.
But do they actually work? And how do they compare to other treatments? A new review has assessed the evidence from 209 studies – here’s what it found.
Do these supplements work?
The new study aimed to assess the international evidence available for common over-the-counter products for depression in adults aged 18–60.
Despite their widespread popularity and availability, the study found there is surprisingly little research on these therapies, compared with psychological therapies and prescription antidepressants.
Only a few products had a relatively large body of evidence suggesting they were effective at treating symptoms. These were omega-3 supplements, St John’s wort, saffron, probiotics and vitamin D.
However, most products had only a single trial examining their use.
The researchers noted there was promising evidence for some herbal and nutritional supplements, where multiple studies did exist. These included folic acid, zinc, Rhodiola, lavender and lemon balm. But there is not enough evidence yet to recommend them, so more studies would be needed.
What does other research say?
These findings appear to support previous research assessing supplements for depression.
In 2024, the Australian government’s review of natural therapies also found moderate evidence that several herbal medicines can relieve symptoms in mild to moderate depression. These include curcumin (from turmeric), saffron and St John’s wort.
It also found moderate evidence St John’s wort was as effective as conventional antidepressants.
However, the major caveat is that much of the existing evidence relates to mild to moderate depression.
Mild to moderate depression usually means few symptoms beyond the minimum required for diagnosis (such as loss of pleasure and depressed mood). Major depression involves five or more symptoms along with significant distress and impact on day-to-day function.
While some products were found to have some effect in major depressive disorders – probiotics, for example – there is little evidence to suggest they’re effective where a large number of symptoms exist.
Dose and quality varies
The dose and quality of over-the-counter products can also vary significantly, which can make it difficult to identify appropriate products or assess which ones work.
In the United Kingdom, official advice for health-care practitioners acknowledges there is evidence St John’s wort can help with less severe forms of depression. But it also advises caution in recommending it, given how much the dose, preparation and quality can vary between different herbal products.
In Australia, guidelines for psychiatrists treating mood disorders such as depression note that good evidence exists for using omega-3 fatty acids (fish oils). But they highlight that there only seems to be a benefit when the product has 60% or more eicosapentaenoic acid (one of the main types of omega-3).
Whether folate supplements are effective for depression can depend on their form, which active ingredient is used, and how well the body can absorb it.
There may be other nuances in other supplements that we need more research to understand.
Are there any risks or downsides?
The study also concluded these products present few safety issues, whether used alone or in combination with other treatments. This is the reason most remain available over the counter.
However, herbal medicines and dietary supplements also contain chemicals that can work like drugs and interact with other medications.
For example, the way St John’s wort works on neurotransmitters (the body’s chemical messengers) is similar to many prescription antidepressants.
So taking it alongside antidepressants can lead to serotonin syndrome, a condition which can lead to fever and seizures in extreme instances. In rare cases, you may experience similar side effects to taking antidepressants.
For instance, some studies suggest omega-3 supplements used in addition to standard antidepressant therapy resulted in the best outcomes. But more research is needed to explore this link.
How do they stack up against other therapies?
Pharmaceutical medications, such as antidepressants, and talk therapies remain the gold standard in Australian guidelines for mood disorders. They are the most studied interventions for these disorders, which means we have the most evidence for how well they work.
However, emerging evidence is developing for other therapies too.
Lifestyle interventions to improve diet and exercise have been shown to be as effective in addressing symptoms of depression as receiving psychological treatment alone.
Nutrients are the building blocks of many body processes, and some nutrient deficiencies themselves (such as iron and B12) can cause depressive symptoms. So their potential role of nutritional supplements is perhaps unsurprising.
However, research – including our own – increasingly demonstrates eating nutrient-rich foods (rather than taking supplements) can be enough to improve symptoms in mood disorders such as depression.
The Australian government’s review of natural therapies also found the evidence for non-pharmacological treatments, such as yoga, was more certain than for herbal medicines and nutritional supplements in treating depression.
It’s also important to note that depressive symptoms rarely present alone. They can be secondary to other underlying health conditions (such as hypothyroidism) or present with other conditions.
Investigating and addressing these potential root causes and improving general health is essential in managing symptoms.
What are the key takeaways?
Some herbal and nutritional supplements do appear to have a potentially beneficial effect for less severe forms of depression. But for many of these therapies there is still not enough evidence to offer definitive recommendations.
While the Therapeutic Goods Administration regulates the safety and quality of supplements, there is still variation in product quality, dose and how well the body can absorb it.
If you’re thinking of using herbal or nutritional supplements, it’s important to consult a health professional, such as a GP, naturopath or even a psychologist.
If this article has raised issues for you, or if you’re concerned about someone you know, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.
Jon Wardle is Foundation Director of the National Centre for Naturopathic Medicine and the Maurice Blackmore Chair of Naturopathic Medicine at Southern Cross University, which undertakes training and research in nutritional and herbal therapies. He has received funding from multiple foundations and agencies to conduct research on nutritional and herbal medicines, including the National Health and Medical Research Council and Medical Research Future Fund. He was part of the both the National Health and Medical Research Council Natural Therapies Working Committee and the Department of Health Natural Therapies Review Expert Advisory Panel which supported Professor Kidd in conducting the reviews mentioned in this article. However, this article represents his personal academic opinion and does not represent the opinions of either of these organisations.
Carrie Thomson-Casey is affiliated with both major psychology professional associations the Australian Psychological Society (APS) and the Australian Association of Psychologists Inc (AAPi). Carrie is also the past convenor and now treasurer of an APS interest group Psychology and Integrative Mental Health.
Carrie is an author of one of the papers Jon has cited.
Jessica Bayes has received funding from several organisations to conduct research exploring diet and mental wellbeing, in addition to research investigating nutritional supplements. Jessica has also authored some of the articles referenced here.
This marks the first such death in this region in 18 years. But it’s a stark reminder that this historic disease, though rare nowadays, is not just a disease of the past.
So what actually is “plague”? And is it any cause for concern in Australia?
There are 3 types of ‘plague’
The word “plague” is often used to refer to any major disease epidemic or pandemic, or even to other undesirable events, such as a mouse plague. Naturally, the word can evoke fear.
But scientifically speaking, plague is a disease caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis.
Plague has three main forms: bubonic, septicemic and pneumonic.
Bubonic is the most common and is named after “buboes”, which are the painful, swollen lymph nodes the infection causes. Other symptoms include fever, headache, chills and weakness.
Bubonic plague is typically spread by fleas living on animals such as rats, prairie dogs and marmots. If an infected flea moves from their animal host to bite a human, this can cause an infection.
People can also become infected through handling an animal infected with the disease.
Septicemic plague occurs if bubonic plague is left untreated, or it can occur directly if the disease enters the bloodstream. Septicemic plague causes bleeding into the organs. The name comes from septicemia, which refers to a serious blood infection.
The recent death in the United States was due to a case of pneumonic plague, which is the most severe form. Bubonic plague can in some cases spread to the lungs, where it becomes pneumonic plague. However, pneumonic plague can also spread from person to person via tiny respiratory droplets, in a similar way to COVID. Symptoms are similar to the other forms but also include severe pneumonia.
Some 30–60% of people who contract bubonic plague will die, while the fatality rate can be up to 100% for pneumonic plague if left untreated.
This disease is one of the most important in history. The Plague of Justinian (541–750CE) killed tens of millions of people in the western Mediterranean, heavily impacting the expansion of the Byzantine Empire.
Spread by the growing trade networks of the British empire, the third and most recent plague pandemic spanned the years 1855 until roughly 1960, peaking in the early 1900s. It was responsible for 12 million deaths, primarily in India, and even reached Australia.
It’s believed the bubonic plague was largely behind these pandemics.
Plague in the modern day
First introduced into the US during the third pandemic, plague infects an average of seven people a year in the west of the country, due to being endemic in groundhog and prairie dog populations there. The last major outbreak was 100 years ago.
The countries with the most cases currently include the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Madagascar and Peru, with cases also occurring in India, central Asia and the US. Cases usually occur in rural and agricultural areas.
Plague can be treated
Plague can easily be treated with common antibiotics, typically a course of 10–14 days, which can include both oral and intravenous antibiotics. But it must be treated quickly.
The recent death is concerning, as it involves the airborne pneumonic form of the disease, the only form that spreads easily from person to person. But there’s no evidence of further spread of the disease within the US at this stage.
As Y. pestis is not found in Australian animals, there is little risk here. Plague has not been reported in Australia in more than a century.
But plague, like many diseases, is influenced by environmental conditions. The risk of climate change causing an expansion in the habitat of animal hosts means public health experts around the world should continue to monitor it closely.
The plague, though often perceived as a disease of history, is still with us and can pose a major health threat if not treated early.
Thomas Jeffries 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.
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shannon Brincat, Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Relations, University of the Sunshine Coast
We’re just a few months into US president Donald Trump’s second term but his rule has already been repeatedlycompared to tyranny.
This may all feel very new to Americans, and to the rest of us watching on from around the world. But the threat of tyranny is an ancient one.
We can learn much from how people in ancient Greece and China dealt with this issue.
Where does tyranny come from?
The peoples of classical Greece were separated into city-states known as the polis.
A few of these, such as Athens and Argos, were democratic.
Others, such as Rhodes or Chios, had had democratic features such as civic participation in public life.
These city-states routinely faced external enemies but also the threat of tyrannical take-over from within.
Things came to a head in 510 BCE under the rule of an oppressive tyrant known as Hippias. He was ultimately expelled, leading eventually to the establishment of democracy through reforms made under an Athenian statesmen called Cleisthenes.
According to Plato, tyranny is the most degenerate political regime and emerges out of democracy’s excesses.
He argued that as democratic citizens become accustomed to living by pleasure rather than reason or duty to the public good, society becomes fragmented.
Demagogues – populist leaders who gain power by appealing to base desires and prejudices of the masses – promise the people more liberties. They turn citizens away from virtue and toward tyranny.
Aristotle, who was Plato’s student, defines tyranny as the corrupted form of monarchy. The tyrant perverts the constitutional order to bring about self-serving rulership – the rule of one. Tyranny, he argued, destroys law and justice, eroding all public trust.
The approach of Plato and Aristotle to combating tyranny was closely tied to their conception of the polis and the importance of citizenship.
For the classical Greeks, citizenship was a binding relationship of reciprocal duties and obligations owed to all other citizens. The law, they believed, was king.
It was these conventions that constrained political power, especially the arbitrary rule of one.
Civic education by participation in daily democratic life promoted virtue, they believed. All citizens and the ruler were subservient to the law – a bond that tyranny destroyed.
Aristotle said a strong middle class that could best prevent tyranny because they indicated a less unequal, and therefore more stable, society.
Plato’s view was more inward looking. He saw tyranny as a political manifestation of a disordered “enslaved soul” governed by appetites rather than reason. For him, philosophical guidance back to harmony was required for the tyrant and for the people.
Only through wisdom, he argued, could the people recognise and reject demagogues and populists.
Protecting democracy from tyranny
Some city-states learned from their institutional failings when tyranny had taken them over.
For example, after a coup of aristocrats overtook Athenian democracy in 411 BCE, Athenians began to swear the Oath of Demophantos. This was among the first attempts at a constitutional safeguard of democracy against tyranny.
It legally and morally obliged citizens to resist any attempt to overthrow democracy by force. The undertaking was a reciprocal duty; as other scholars have argued, each citizen could count on the support of all others to protect the democracy when a tyrant tried again.
This made it far more likely for people to take action against a would-be-tyrant; they knew every other citizen had sworn an oath to have their back.
The Greek historians of the time support these views. For example, Herodotus in the 5th century documented the rise of several tyrants across Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). He blamed the political vacuum created by the decline of aristocratic rule. Here, the personal ambition and luxury of elites laid the path to tyrannical behaviour.
Another famous historian named Thucydides, writing at the same time, analysed the power and political corruption behind tyranny. He observed how times of crisis exposed vulnerabilities within Athens, leading to factionalism, instability, and the erosion of democracy.
Tyranny in classical China
In classical China we see a complementary, yet unique view of tyranny.
During the Warring States period (475–221 BCE), when the Zhou Dynasty was divided amongst several competing states, preventing tyranny was a central concern.
These states were mostly hereditary monarchies rather than democracies but they still emphasised accountability to the people.
Mencius, a 4th-century BCE Chinese philosopher and Confucian scholar, argued the people’s welfare was the foundation of legitimate rule.
There is, he argued, a responsibility to all under the Mandate of Heaven (天命, tiānmìng). This ancient Chinese doctrine asserted that heaven grants legitimacy to just rulers. If a ruler became despotic or failed to uphold harmony and virtue, the mandate can be withdrawn, justifying rebellion and dynastic change.
Mencius famously said a ruler who oppresses the people is not a ruler but a “mere man” who could be violently overthrown.
Xunzi, another Confucian philosopher writing in the late 4th to 3rd Centuries BCE, believed humans were inherently selfish and chaotic.
To fend off tyranny he emphasised ritual, education, and rule of law. He believed in formal ceremonies and structured practices such as court etiquette, family rites, and daily ethical conduct. These, he believed, helped cultivate virtue, regulate behaviour, and maintain social harmony.
Mozi, writing mostly in the 5th to early 4th centuries BCE, was a Chinese philosopher who opposed Confucianism and founded Mohism, offered a different view.
Opposing all hierarchies, he emphasised jiān ài(兼爱) – universal obligation or care to all others – as a core ethical and political principle.
According to Mozi, tyranny arises when rulers act selfishly – favoring their own families, states, or interests over the common good. He advocated for strong moral conduct and competence of leaders, rather than their lineage, wealth or status.
Tyranny today
Viewed together, these traditions suggest preventing tyranny requires more than just moral leadership.
Rather, it requires a notion of reciprocity – of shared obligations between citizens – and systemic safeguards against the personal ambitions of rulers.
Ethical governance, civic education, legal frameworks, and shared responsibilities are essential.
Shannon Brincat 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.
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
The Russian Academy of Sciences has announced the winners of the 2024 competition for medals with prizes for the best scientific works of young scientists and students. One of the laureates was a postgraduate student Faculty of Geology and Geophysics (FGG) of NSU Alexey Tarasov. He received the award in geology, geophysics, geochemistry and mining sciences for his research on melt inclusions in minerals of mantle peridotite xenoliths.
We talked to Alexey about his scientific path, research topic, participation in the competition and plans for the future.
— How did you end up at NSU?
— I entered NSU in 2018 after finishing school in Barnaul, based on the results of the Unified State Exam. I studied for a bachelor’s degree at the Faculty of Geography and Geography, then entered the master’s program. Now I continue my studies in graduate school.
— Why did you choose the Faculty of Geology and Geophysics?
— I have been interested in minerals since childhood, I had a small collection at home. I attended the “Young Geologist” club — there was one in Barnaul. Gradually, my hobby turned into a professional interest. I knew that Novosibirsk had a strong school in geochemistry, and this played a decisive role. There was no doubt where to go.
— Tell us about your scientific work for which you received the Russian Academy of Sciences medal.
— The overall goal of all our work is to understand how diamond deposits are formed. Diamond is a form of carbon that is stable only under very high pressure, so it forms deep in the mantle, at depths of 150–160 kilometers and more. Most diamonds formed more than 2.5 billion years ago and are still in the mantle because it is too deep to mine them.
But there are kimberlite magmas. They form in the mantle and, unlike most other magmas, rise to the surface very quickly. In doing so, they take with them fragments of mantle rocks – so-called xenoliths, and minerals – xenocrysts. Sometimes – with diamonds.
When magma reaches the surface, it forms kimberlite pipes, which are the main source of diamonds in nature. But what is kimberlite magma? What it consists of, where it comes from, and under what conditions it originates – is still not exactly known. This is a key scientific question, and I am working on solving it.
– How do you research this?
— I study melt inclusions in xenolith minerals. These are tiny drops of magma that were “sealed” in crystals during their growth and preserved in their original form. These inclusions provide a unique opportunity to reconstruct the composition of kimberlite melts at the moment of their origin — before all the changes and contaminations that occur during their ascent to the surface.
The composition of these inclusions can tell us about the temperature and pressure of formation, and the type of rock from which they formed. This helps us get closer to understanding where and how new kimberlite pipes can form, and therefore potentially predict where diamonds can be found.
— What, in your opinion, helped you receive the RAS medal?
— It’s hard to say how exactly the selection took place. But I think several factors played a role. I tried to show that my work was not just fundamental, but also had potential applied significance. In addition, at the time of application, I had six published articles in which I was the author or co-author.
But, to be honest, the main thing is not “what”, but “who”. My scientific supervisor Alexander Viktorovich Golovin. He insisted that I participate in conferences, helped with writing articles, tolerated my mistakes, demanded high quality. It was he who convinced me to apply for the RAS competition. In addition to him, other colleagues at the institute and teachers at the faculty supported me. Without them, nothing would have happened.
— How did the competition itself go?
— It was quite simple: you had to prepare an application, attach a research paper (in my case, it was a master’s thesis), provide a list of publications, and sign documents. There were no in-person stages — everything was done in writing.
— What are your plans next?
— I am continuing my postgraduate studies and working at the Institute of Geology and Mineralogy of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. I plan to defend my PhD thesis in 2027. I am currently finishing my first article, where I am the first author, and I want to publish it in a foreign journal of the 1st–2nd quartile. I already sent it six months ago, but was rejected. The reviewers pointed out the weak discussion and insufficient English.
Now I am rewriting the text, looking for a translator and funding for professional translation. In parallel, I am working on the following articles. My supervisor has set a task – five articles by the end of my postgraduate studies. To be honest, I am not sure that I will cope, but I will make every effort.
The Russian Academy of Sciences holds an annual competition for medals and prizes for young scientists and students. In 2024, 21 young scientists and 21 students received awards. Each laureate receives a medal, a diploma, a badge, and a cash prize of 100,000 rubles for young scientists and 50,000 rubles for students.
The competition covers key areas of natural, technical and human sciences and is held with the aim of encouraging young scientists, supporting professional growth and enhancing the prestige of research activities.
We congratulate Alexey Tarasov on his well-deserved award and wish him success in his future scientific research!
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
The Russian Academy of Sciences has announced the winners of the 2024 competition for medals with prizes for the best scientific works of young scientists and students. One of the laureates was a postgraduate student Faculty of Geology and Geophysics (FGG) of NSU Alexey Tarasov. He received the award in geology, geophysics, geochemistry and mining sciences for his research on melt inclusions in minerals of mantle peridotite xenoliths.
We talked to Alexey about his scientific path, research topic, participation in the competition and plans for the future.
— How did you end up at NSU?
— I entered NSU in 2018 after finishing school in Barnaul, based on the results of the Unified State Exam. I studied for a bachelor’s degree at the Faculty of Geography and Geography, then entered the master’s program. Now I continue my studies in graduate school.
— Why did you choose the Faculty of Geology and Geophysics?
— I have been interested in minerals since childhood, I had a small collection at home. I attended the “Young Geologist” club — there was one in Barnaul. Gradually, my hobby turned into a professional interest. I knew that Novosibirsk had a strong school in geochemistry, and this played a decisive role. There was no doubt where to go.
— Tell us about your scientific work for which you received the Russian Academy of Sciences medal.
— The overall goal of all our work is to understand how diamond deposits are formed. Diamond is a form of carbon that is stable only under very high pressure, so it forms deep in the mantle, at depths of 150–160 kilometers and more. Most diamonds formed more than 2.5 billion years ago and are still in the mantle because it is too deep to mine them.
But there are kimberlite magmas. They form in the mantle and, unlike most other magmas, rise to the surface very quickly. In doing so, they take with them fragments of mantle rocks – so-called xenoliths, and minerals – xenocrysts. Sometimes – with diamonds.
When magma reaches the surface, it forms kimberlite pipes, which are the main source of diamonds in nature. But what is kimberlite magma? What it consists of, where it comes from, and under what conditions it originates – is still not exactly known. This is a key scientific question, and I am working on solving it.
– How do you research this?
— I study melt inclusions in xenolith minerals. These are tiny drops of magma that were “sealed” in crystals during their growth and preserved in their original form. These inclusions provide a unique opportunity to reconstruct the composition of kimberlite melts at the moment of their origin — before all the changes and contaminations that occur during their ascent to the surface.
The composition of these inclusions can tell us about the temperature and pressure of formation, and the type of rock from which they formed. This helps us get closer to understanding where and how new kimberlite pipes can form, and therefore potentially predict where diamonds can be found.
— What, in your opinion, helped you receive the RAS medal?
— It’s hard to say how exactly the selection took place. But I think several factors played a role. I tried to show that my work was not just fundamental, but also had potential applied significance. In addition, at the time of application, I had six published articles in which I was the author or co-author.
But, to be honest, the main thing is not “what”, but “who”. My scientific supervisor Alexander Viktorovich Golovin. He insisted that I participate in conferences, helped with writing articles, tolerated my mistakes, demanded high quality. It was he who convinced me to apply for the RAS competition. In addition to him, other colleagues at the institute and teachers at the faculty supported me. Without them, nothing would have happened.
— How did the competition itself go?
— It was quite simple: you had to prepare an application, attach a research paper (in my case, it was a master’s thesis), provide a list of publications, and sign documents. There were no in-person stages — everything was done in writing.
— What are your plans next?
— I am continuing my postgraduate studies and working at the Institute of Geology and Mineralogy of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. I plan to defend my PhD thesis in 2027. I am currently finishing my first article, where I am the first author, and I want to publish it in a foreign journal of the 1st–2nd quartile. I already sent it six months ago, but was rejected. The reviewers pointed out the weak discussion and insufficient English.
Now I am rewriting the text, looking for a translator and funding for professional translation. In parallel, I am working on the following articles. My supervisor has set a task – five articles by the end of my postgraduate studies. To be honest, I am not sure that I will cope, but I will make every effort.
The Russian Academy of Sciences holds an annual competition for medals and prizes for young scientists and students. In 2024, 21 young scientists and 21 students received awards. Each laureate receives a medal, a diploma, a badge, and a cash prize of 100,000 rubles for young scientists and 50,000 rubles for students.
The competition covers key areas of natural, technical and human sciences and is held with the aim of encouraging young scientists, supporting professional growth and enhancing the prestige of research activities.
We congratulate Alexey Tarasov on his well-deserved award and wish him success in his future scientific research!
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
We’re just a few months into US president Donald Trump’s second term but his rule has already been repeatedlycompared to tyranny.
This may all feel very new to Americans, and to the rest of us watching on from around the world. But the threat of tyranny is an ancient one.
We can learn much from how people in ancient Greece and China dealt with this issue.
Where does tyranny come from?
The peoples of classical Greece were separated into city-states known as the polis.
A few of these, such as Athens and Argos, were democratic.
Others, such as Rhodes or Chios, had had democratic features such as civic participation in public life.
These city-states routinely faced external enemies but also the threat of tyrannical take-over from within.
Things came to a head in 510 BCE under the rule of an oppressive tyrant known as Hippias. He was ultimately expelled, leading eventually to the establishment of democracy through reforms made under an Athenian statesmen called Cleisthenes.
According to Plato, tyranny is the most degenerate political regime and emerges out of democracy’s excesses.
He argued that as democratic citizens become accustomed to living by pleasure rather than reason or duty to the public good, society becomes fragmented.
Demagogues – populist leaders who gain power by appealing to base desires and prejudices of the masses – promise the people more liberties. They turn citizens away from virtue and toward tyranny.
Aristotle, who was Plato’s student, defines tyranny as the corrupted form of monarchy. The tyrant perverts the constitutional order to bring about self-serving rulership – the rule of one. Tyranny, he argued, destroys law and justice, eroding all public trust.
The approach of Plato and Aristotle to combating tyranny was closely tied to their conception of the polis and the importance of citizenship.
For the classical Greeks, citizenship was a binding relationship of reciprocal duties and obligations owed to all other citizens. The law, they believed, was king.
It was these conventions that constrained political power, especially the arbitrary rule of one.
Civic education by participation in daily democratic life promoted virtue, they believed. All citizens and the ruler were subservient to the law – a bond that tyranny destroyed.
Aristotle said a strong middle class that could best prevent tyranny because they indicated a less unequal, and therefore more stable, society.
Plato’s view was more inward looking. He saw tyranny as a political manifestation of a disordered “enslaved soul” governed by appetites rather than reason. For him, philosophical guidance back to harmony was required for the tyrant and for the people.
Only through wisdom, he argued, could the people recognise and reject demagogues and populists.
Protecting democracy from tyranny
Some city-states learned from their institutional failings when tyranny had taken them over.
For example, after a coup of aristocrats overtook Athenian democracy in 411 BCE, Athenians began to swear the Oath of Demophantos. This was among the first attempts at a constitutional safeguard of democracy against tyranny.
It legally and morally obliged citizens to resist any attempt to overthrow democracy by force. The undertaking was a reciprocal duty; as other scholars have argued, each citizen could count on the support of all others to protect the democracy when a tyrant tried again.
This made it far more likely for people to take action against a would-be-tyrant; they knew every other citizen had sworn an oath to have their back.
The Greek historians of the time support these views. For example, Herodotus in the 5th century documented the rise of several tyrants across Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). He blamed the political vacuum created by the decline of aristocratic rule. Here, the personal ambition and luxury of elites laid the path to tyrannical behaviour.
Another famous historian named Thucydides, writing at the same time, analysed the power and political corruption behind tyranny. He observed how times of crisis exposed vulnerabilities within Athens, leading to factionalism, instability, and the erosion of democracy.
Tyranny in classical China
In classical China we see a complementary, yet unique view of tyranny.
During the Warring States period (475–221 BCE), when the Zhou Dynasty was divided amongst several competing states, preventing tyranny was a central concern.
These states were mostly hereditary monarchies rather than democracies but they still emphasised accountability to the people.
Mencius, a 4th-century BCE Chinese philosopher and Confucian scholar, argued the people’s welfare was the foundation of legitimate rule.
There is, he argued, a responsibility to all under the Mandate of Heaven (天命, tiānmìng). This ancient Chinese doctrine asserted that heaven grants legitimacy to just rulers. If a ruler became despotic or failed to uphold harmony and virtue, the mandate can be withdrawn, justifying rebellion and dynastic change.
Mencius famously said a ruler who oppresses the people is not a ruler but a “mere man” who could be violently overthrown.
Xunzi, another Confucian philosopher writing in the late 4th to 3rd Centuries BCE, believed humans were inherently selfish and chaotic.
To fend off tyranny he emphasised ritual, education, and rule of law. He believed in formal ceremonies and structured practices such as court etiquette, family rites, and daily ethical conduct. These, he believed, helped cultivate virtue, regulate behaviour, and maintain social harmony.
Mozi, writing mostly in the 5th to early 4th centuries BCE, was a Chinese philosopher who opposed Confucianism and founded Mohism, offered a different view.
Opposing all hierarchies, he emphasised jiān ài(兼爱) – universal obligation or care to all others – as a core ethical and political principle.
According to Mozi, tyranny arises when rulers act selfishly – favoring their own families, states, or interests over the common good. He advocated for strong moral conduct and competence of leaders, rather than their lineage, wealth or status.
Tyranny today
Viewed together, these traditions suggest preventing tyranny requires more than just moral leadership.
Rather, it requires a notion of reciprocity – of shared obligations between citizens – and systemic safeguards against the personal ambitions of rulers.
Ethical governance, civic education, legal frameworks, and shared responsibilities are essential.
Shannon Brincat 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.
We’re just a few months into US president Donald Trump’s second term but his rule has already been repeatedlycompared to tyranny.
This may all feel very new to Americans, and to the rest of us watching on from around the world. But the threat of tyranny is an ancient one.
We can learn much from how people in ancient Greece and China dealt with this issue.
Where does tyranny come from?
The peoples of classical Greece were separated into city-states known as the polis.
A few of these, such as Athens and Argos, were democratic.
Others, such as Rhodes or Chios, had had democratic features such as civic participation in public life.
These city-states routinely faced external enemies but also the threat of tyrannical take-over from within.
Things came to a head in 510 BCE under the rule of an oppressive tyrant known as Hippias. He was ultimately expelled, leading eventually to the establishment of democracy through reforms made under an Athenian statesmen called Cleisthenes.
According to Plato, tyranny is the most degenerate political regime and emerges out of democracy’s excesses.
He argued that as democratic citizens become accustomed to living by pleasure rather than reason or duty to the public good, society becomes fragmented.
Demagogues – populist leaders who gain power by appealing to base desires and prejudices of the masses – promise the people more liberties. They turn citizens away from virtue and toward tyranny.
Aristotle, who was Plato’s student, defines tyranny as the corrupted form of monarchy. The tyrant perverts the constitutional order to bring about self-serving rulership – the rule of one. Tyranny, he argued, destroys law and justice, eroding all public trust.
The approach of Plato and Aristotle to combating tyranny was closely tied to their conception of the polis and the importance of citizenship.
For the classical Greeks, citizenship was a binding relationship of reciprocal duties and obligations owed to all other citizens. The law, they believed, was king.
It was these conventions that constrained political power, especially the arbitrary rule of one.
Civic education by participation in daily democratic life promoted virtue, they believed. All citizens and the ruler were subservient to the law – a bond that tyranny destroyed.
Aristotle said a strong middle class that could best prevent tyranny because they indicated a less unequal, and therefore more stable, society.
Plato’s view was more inward looking. He saw tyranny as a political manifestation of a disordered “enslaved soul” governed by appetites rather than reason. For him, philosophical guidance back to harmony was required for the tyrant and for the people.
Only through wisdom, he argued, could the people recognise and reject demagogues and populists.
Protecting democracy from tyranny
Some city-states learned from their institutional failings when tyranny had taken them over.
For example, after a coup of aristocrats overtook Athenian democracy in 411 BCE, Athenians began to swear the Oath of Demophantos. This was among the first attempts at a constitutional safeguard of democracy against tyranny.
It legally and morally obliged citizens to resist any attempt to overthrow democracy by force. The undertaking was a reciprocal duty; as other scholars have argued, each citizen could count on the support of all others to protect the democracy when a tyrant tried again.
This made it far more likely for people to take action against a would-be-tyrant; they knew every other citizen had sworn an oath to have their back.
The Greek historians of the time support these views. For example, Herodotus in the 5th century documented the rise of several tyrants across Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). He blamed the political vacuum created by the decline of aristocratic rule. Here, the personal ambition and luxury of elites laid the path to tyrannical behaviour.
Another famous historian named Thucydides, writing at the same time, analysed the power and political corruption behind tyranny. He observed how times of crisis exposed vulnerabilities within Athens, leading to factionalism, instability, and the erosion of democracy.
Tyranny in classical China
In classical China we see a complementary, yet unique view of tyranny.
During the Warring States period (475–221 BCE), when the Zhou Dynasty was divided amongst several competing states, preventing tyranny was a central concern.
These states were mostly hereditary monarchies rather than democracies but they still emphasised accountability to the people.
Mencius, a 4th-century BCE Chinese philosopher and Confucian scholar, argued the people’s welfare was the foundation of legitimate rule.
There is, he argued, a responsibility to all under the Mandate of Heaven (天命, tiānmìng). This ancient Chinese doctrine asserted that heaven grants legitimacy to just rulers. If a ruler became despotic or failed to uphold harmony and virtue, the mandate can be withdrawn, justifying rebellion and dynastic change.
Mencius famously said a ruler who oppresses the people is not a ruler but a “mere man” who could be violently overthrown.
Xunzi, another Confucian philosopher writing in the late 4th to 3rd Centuries BCE, believed humans were inherently selfish and chaotic.
To fend off tyranny he emphasised ritual, education, and rule of law. He believed in formal ceremonies and structured practices such as court etiquette, family rites, and daily ethical conduct. These, he believed, helped cultivate virtue, regulate behaviour, and maintain social harmony.
Mozi, writing mostly in the 5th to early 4th centuries BCE, was a Chinese philosopher who opposed Confucianism and founded Mohism, offered a different view.
Opposing all hierarchies, he emphasised jiān ài(兼爱) – universal obligation or care to all others – as a core ethical and political principle.
According to Mozi, tyranny arises when rulers act selfishly – favoring their own families, states, or interests over the common good. He advocated for strong moral conduct and competence of leaders, rather than their lineage, wealth or status.
Tyranny today
Viewed together, these traditions suggest preventing tyranny requires more than just moral leadership.
Rather, it requires a notion of reciprocity – of shared obligations between citizens – and systemic safeguards against the personal ambitions of rulers.
Ethical governance, civic education, legal frameworks, and shared responsibilities are essential.
Shannon Brincat 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.
We’re just a few months into US president Donald Trump’s second term but his rule has already been repeatedlycompared to tyranny.
This may all feel very new to Americans, and to the rest of us watching on from around the world. But the threat of tyranny is an ancient one.
We can learn much from how people in ancient Greece and China dealt with this issue.
Where does tyranny come from?
The peoples of classical Greece were separated into city-states known as the polis.
A few of these, such as Athens and Argos, were democratic.
Others, such as Rhodes or Chios, had had democratic features such as civic participation in public life.
These city-states routinely faced external enemies but also the threat of tyrannical take-over from within.
Things came to a head in 510 BCE under the rule of an oppressive tyrant known as Hippias. He was ultimately expelled, leading eventually to the establishment of democracy through reforms made under an Athenian statesmen called Cleisthenes.
According to Plato, tyranny is the most degenerate political regime and emerges out of democracy’s excesses.
He argued that as democratic citizens become accustomed to living by pleasure rather than reason or duty to the public good, society becomes fragmented.
Demagogues – populist leaders who gain power by appealing to base desires and prejudices of the masses – promise the people more liberties. They turn citizens away from virtue and toward tyranny.
Aristotle, who was Plato’s student, defines tyranny as the corrupted form of monarchy. The tyrant perverts the constitutional order to bring about self-serving rulership – the rule of one. Tyranny, he argued, destroys law and justice, eroding all public trust.
The approach of Plato and Aristotle to combating tyranny was closely tied to their conception of the polis and the importance of citizenship.
For the classical Greeks, citizenship was a binding relationship of reciprocal duties and obligations owed to all other citizens. The law, they believed, was king.
It was these conventions that constrained political power, especially the arbitrary rule of one.
Civic education by participation in daily democratic life promoted virtue, they believed. All citizens and the ruler were subservient to the law – a bond that tyranny destroyed.
Aristotle said a strong middle class that could best prevent tyranny because they indicated a less unequal, and therefore more stable, society.
Plato’s view was more inward looking. He saw tyranny as a political manifestation of a disordered “enslaved soul” governed by appetites rather than reason. For him, philosophical guidance back to harmony was required for the tyrant and for the people.
Only through wisdom, he argued, could the people recognise and reject demagogues and populists.
Protecting democracy from tyranny
Some city-states learned from their institutional failings when tyranny had taken them over.
For example, after a coup of aristocrats overtook Athenian democracy in 411 BCE, Athenians began to swear the Oath of Demophantos. This was among the first attempts at a constitutional safeguard of democracy against tyranny.
It legally and morally obliged citizens to resist any attempt to overthrow democracy by force. The undertaking was a reciprocal duty; as other scholars have argued, each citizen could count on the support of all others to protect the democracy when a tyrant tried again.
This made it far more likely for people to take action against a would-be-tyrant; they knew every other citizen had sworn an oath to have their back.
The Greek historians of the time support these views. For example, Herodotus in the 5th century documented the rise of several tyrants across Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). He blamed the political vacuum created by the decline of aristocratic rule. Here, the personal ambition and luxury of elites laid the path to tyrannical behaviour.
Another famous historian named Thucydides, writing at the same time, analysed the power and political corruption behind tyranny. He observed how times of crisis exposed vulnerabilities within Athens, leading to factionalism, instability, and the erosion of democracy.
Tyranny in classical China
In classical China we see a complementary, yet unique view of tyranny.
During the Warring States period (475–221 BCE), when the Zhou Dynasty was divided amongst several competing states, preventing tyranny was a central concern.
These states were mostly hereditary monarchies rather than democracies but they still emphasised accountability to the people.
Mencius, a 4th-century BCE Chinese philosopher and Confucian scholar, argued the people’s welfare was the foundation of legitimate rule.
There is, he argued, a responsibility to all under the Mandate of Heaven (天命, tiānmìng). This ancient Chinese doctrine asserted that heaven grants legitimacy to just rulers. If a ruler became despotic or failed to uphold harmony and virtue, the mandate can be withdrawn, justifying rebellion and dynastic change.
Mencius famously said a ruler who oppresses the people is not a ruler but a “mere man” who could be violently overthrown.
Xunzi, another Confucian philosopher writing in the late 4th to 3rd Centuries BCE, believed humans were inherently selfish and chaotic.
To fend off tyranny he emphasised ritual, education, and rule of law. He believed in formal ceremonies and structured practices such as court etiquette, family rites, and daily ethical conduct. These, he believed, helped cultivate virtue, regulate behaviour, and maintain social harmony.
Mozi, writing mostly in the 5th to early 4th centuries BCE, was a Chinese philosopher who opposed Confucianism and founded Mohism, offered a different view.
Opposing all hierarchies, he emphasised jiān ài(兼爱) – universal obligation or care to all others – as a core ethical and political principle.
According to Mozi, tyranny arises when rulers act selfishly – favoring their own families, states, or interests over the common good. He advocated for strong moral conduct and competence of leaders, rather than their lineage, wealth or status.
Tyranny today
Viewed together, these traditions suggest preventing tyranny requires more than just moral leadership.
Rather, it requires a notion of reciprocity – of shared obligations between citizens – and systemic safeguards against the personal ambitions of rulers.
Ethical governance, civic education, legal frameworks, and shared responsibilities are essential.
Shannon Brincat 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.
We’re just a few months into US president Donald Trump’s second term but his rule has already been repeatedlycompared to tyranny.
This may all feel very new to Americans, and to the rest of us watching on from around the world. But the threat of tyranny is an ancient one.
We can learn much from how people in ancient Greece and China dealt with this issue.
Where does tyranny come from?
The peoples of classical Greece were separated into city-states known as the polis.
A few of these, such as Athens and Argos, were democratic.
Others, such as Rhodes or Chios, had had democratic features such as civic participation in public life.
These city-states routinely faced external enemies but also the threat of tyrannical take-over from within.
Things came to a head in 510 BCE under the rule of an oppressive tyrant known as Hippias. He was ultimately expelled, leading eventually to the establishment of democracy through reforms made under an Athenian statesmen called Cleisthenes.
According to Plato, tyranny is the most degenerate political regime and emerges out of democracy’s excesses.
He argued that as democratic citizens become accustomed to living by pleasure rather than reason or duty to the public good, society becomes fragmented.
Demagogues – populist leaders who gain power by appealing to base desires and prejudices of the masses – promise the people more liberties. They turn citizens away from virtue and toward tyranny.
Aristotle, who was Plato’s student, defines tyranny as the corrupted form of monarchy. The tyrant perverts the constitutional order to bring about self-serving rulership – the rule of one. Tyranny, he argued, destroys law and justice, eroding all public trust.
The approach of Plato and Aristotle to combating tyranny was closely tied to their conception of the polis and the importance of citizenship.
For the classical Greeks, citizenship was a binding relationship of reciprocal duties and obligations owed to all other citizens. The law, they believed, was king.
It was these conventions that constrained political power, especially the arbitrary rule of one.
Civic education by participation in daily democratic life promoted virtue, they believed. All citizens and the ruler were subservient to the law – a bond that tyranny destroyed.
Aristotle said a strong middle class that could best prevent tyranny because they indicated a less unequal, and therefore more stable, society.
Plato’s view was more inward looking. He saw tyranny as a political manifestation of a disordered “enslaved soul” governed by appetites rather than reason. For him, philosophical guidance back to harmony was required for the tyrant and for the people.
Only through wisdom, he argued, could the people recognise and reject demagogues and populists.
Protecting democracy from tyranny
Some city-states learned from their institutional failings when tyranny had taken them over.
For example, after a coup of aristocrats overtook Athenian democracy in 411 BCE, Athenians began to swear the Oath of Demophantos. This was among the first attempts at a constitutional safeguard of democracy against tyranny.
It legally and morally obliged citizens to resist any attempt to overthrow democracy by force. The undertaking was a reciprocal duty; as other scholars have argued, each citizen could count on the support of all others to protect the democracy when a tyrant tried again.
This made it far more likely for people to take action against a would-be-tyrant; they knew every other citizen had sworn an oath to have their back.
The Greek historians of the time support these views. For example, Herodotus in the 5th century documented the rise of several tyrants across Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). He blamed the political vacuum created by the decline of aristocratic rule. Here, the personal ambition and luxury of elites laid the path to tyrannical behaviour.
Another famous historian named Thucydides, writing at the same time, analysed the power and political corruption behind tyranny. He observed how times of crisis exposed vulnerabilities within Athens, leading to factionalism, instability, and the erosion of democracy.
Tyranny in classical China
In classical China we see a complementary, yet unique view of tyranny.
During the Warring States period (475–221 BCE), when the Zhou Dynasty was divided amongst several competing states, preventing tyranny was a central concern.
These states were mostly hereditary monarchies rather than democracies but they still emphasised accountability to the people.
Mencius, a 4th-century BCE Chinese philosopher and Confucian scholar, argued the people’s welfare was the foundation of legitimate rule.
There is, he argued, a responsibility to all under the Mandate of Heaven (天命, tiānmìng). This ancient Chinese doctrine asserted that heaven grants legitimacy to just rulers. If a ruler became despotic or failed to uphold harmony and virtue, the mandate can be withdrawn, justifying rebellion and dynastic change.
Mencius famously said a ruler who oppresses the people is not a ruler but a “mere man” who could be violently overthrown.
Xunzi, another Confucian philosopher writing in the late 4th to 3rd Centuries BCE, believed humans were inherently selfish and chaotic.
To fend off tyranny he emphasised ritual, education, and rule of law. He believed in formal ceremonies and structured practices such as court etiquette, family rites, and daily ethical conduct. These, he believed, helped cultivate virtue, regulate behaviour, and maintain social harmony.
Mozi, writing mostly in the 5th to early 4th centuries BCE, was a Chinese philosopher who opposed Confucianism and founded Mohism, offered a different view.
Opposing all hierarchies, he emphasised jiān ài(兼爱) – universal obligation or care to all others – as a core ethical and political principle.
According to Mozi, tyranny arises when rulers act selfishly – favoring their own families, states, or interests over the common good. He advocated for strong moral conduct and competence of leaders, rather than their lineage, wealth or status.
Tyranny today
Viewed together, these traditions suggest preventing tyranny requires more than just moral leadership.
Rather, it requires a notion of reciprocity – of shared obligations between citizens – and systemic safeguards against the personal ambitions of rulers.
Ethical governance, civic education, legal frameworks, and shared responsibilities are essential.
Shannon Brincat 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.
We’re just a few months into US president Donald Trump’s second term but his rule has already been repeatedlycompared to tyranny.
This may all feel very new to Americans, and to the rest of us watching on from around the world. But the threat of tyranny is an ancient one.
We can learn much from how people in ancient Greece and China dealt with this issue.
Where does tyranny come from?
The peoples of classical Greece were separated into city-states known as the polis.
A few of these, such as Athens and Argos, were democratic.
Others, such as Rhodes or Chios, had had democratic features such as civic participation in public life.
These city-states routinely faced external enemies but also the threat of tyrannical take-over from within.
Things came to a head in 510 BCE under the rule of an oppressive tyrant known as Hippias. He was ultimately expelled, leading eventually to the establishment of democracy through reforms made under an Athenian statesmen called Cleisthenes.
According to Plato, tyranny is the most degenerate political regime and emerges out of democracy’s excesses.
He argued that as democratic citizens become accustomed to living by pleasure rather than reason or duty to the public good, society becomes fragmented.
Demagogues – populist leaders who gain power by appealing to base desires and prejudices of the masses – promise the people more liberties. They turn citizens away from virtue and toward tyranny.
Aristotle, who was Plato’s student, defines tyranny as the corrupted form of monarchy. The tyrant perverts the constitutional order to bring about self-serving rulership – the rule of one. Tyranny, he argued, destroys law and justice, eroding all public trust.
The approach of Plato and Aristotle to combating tyranny was closely tied to their conception of the polis and the importance of citizenship.
For the classical Greeks, citizenship was a binding relationship of reciprocal duties and obligations owed to all other citizens. The law, they believed, was king.
It was these conventions that constrained political power, especially the arbitrary rule of one.
Civic education by participation in daily democratic life promoted virtue, they believed. All citizens and the ruler were subservient to the law – a bond that tyranny destroyed.
Aristotle said a strong middle class that could best prevent tyranny because they indicated a less unequal, and therefore more stable, society.
Plato’s view was more inward looking. He saw tyranny as a political manifestation of a disordered “enslaved soul” governed by appetites rather than reason. For him, philosophical guidance back to harmony was required for the tyrant and for the people.
Only through wisdom, he argued, could the people recognise and reject demagogues and populists.
Protecting democracy from tyranny
Some city-states learned from their institutional failings when tyranny had taken them over.
For example, after a coup of aristocrats overtook Athenian democracy in 411 BCE, Athenians began to swear the Oath of Demophantos. This was among the first attempts at a constitutional safeguard of democracy against tyranny.
It legally and morally obliged citizens to resist any attempt to overthrow democracy by force. The undertaking was a reciprocal duty; as other scholars have argued, each citizen could count on the support of all others to protect the democracy when a tyrant tried again.
This made it far more likely for people to take action against a would-be-tyrant; they knew every other citizen had sworn an oath to have their back.
The Greek historians of the time support these views. For example, Herodotus in the 5th century documented the rise of several tyrants across Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). He blamed the political vacuum created by the decline of aristocratic rule. Here, the personal ambition and luxury of elites laid the path to tyrannical behaviour.
Another famous historian named Thucydides, writing at the same time, analysed the power and political corruption behind tyranny. He observed how times of crisis exposed vulnerabilities within Athens, leading to factionalism, instability, and the erosion of democracy.
Tyranny in classical China
In classical China we see a complementary, yet unique view of tyranny.
During the Warring States period (475–221 BCE), when the Zhou Dynasty was divided amongst several competing states, preventing tyranny was a central concern.
These states were mostly hereditary monarchies rather than democracies but they still emphasised accountability to the people.
Mencius, a 4th-century BCE Chinese philosopher and Confucian scholar, argued the people’s welfare was the foundation of legitimate rule.
There is, he argued, a responsibility to all under the Mandate of Heaven (天命, tiānmìng). This ancient Chinese doctrine asserted that heaven grants legitimacy to just rulers. If a ruler became despotic or failed to uphold harmony and virtue, the mandate can be withdrawn, justifying rebellion and dynastic change.
Mencius famously said a ruler who oppresses the people is not a ruler but a “mere man” who could be violently overthrown.
Xunzi, another Confucian philosopher writing in the late 4th to 3rd Centuries BCE, believed humans were inherently selfish and chaotic.
To fend off tyranny he emphasised ritual, education, and rule of law. He believed in formal ceremonies and structured practices such as court etiquette, family rites, and daily ethical conduct. These, he believed, helped cultivate virtue, regulate behaviour, and maintain social harmony.
Mozi, writing mostly in the 5th to early 4th centuries BCE, was a Chinese philosopher who opposed Confucianism and founded Mohism, offered a different view.
Opposing all hierarchies, he emphasised jiān ài(兼爱) – universal obligation or care to all others – as a core ethical and political principle.
According to Mozi, tyranny arises when rulers act selfishly – favoring their own families, states, or interests over the common good. He advocated for strong moral conduct and competence of leaders, rather than their lineage, wealth or status.
Tyranny today
Viewed together, these traditions suggest preventing tyranny requires more than just moral leadership.
Rather, it requires a notion of reciprocity – of shared obligations between citizens – and systemic safeguards against the personal ambitions of rulers.
Ethical governance, civic education, legal frameworks, and shared responsibilities are essential.
Shannon Brincat 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.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
A review published in Frontiers in Pharmacology looks at over-the-counter herbal products and dietary supplements used for depression.
Prof Stella Chan,Charlie Waller Chair in Evidence-based Psychological Treatment,University of Reading,said:
“This review paper synthesised findings from a large volume of research studies investigating the effects of over-the-counter (OTC) products on depressive symptoms. It was appropriately conducted with a systematic search and provided a helpful summary of what had been studied and their findings. However, it is crucially important for readers to understand that this was a narrative review paper, meaning that it was only a summary of the findings reported from existing research papers. These papers would inevitably vary in terms of their scientific quality, including some that might report biased or misleading findings due to limitations such as small sample sizes and poor designs. Meta-analyses (that is, analyses that involve combining all existing data into a single dataset) need to be conducted before conclusive statements can be made about the effectiveness of these products.
“Additionally, this review paper excluded studies on individuals with more complicated co-morbid conditions. Individuals with more complex mental health needs should be particularly vigilant and avoid making personal health decisions based solely upon narrative review papers.”
‘Understanding the research landscape of over-the-counter herbal products, dietary supplements, and medications evaluated for depressive symptoms in adults: a scoping review’ by first author et al. was published in Frontiers in Pharmacology at 05:00 UK time on Tuesday 15th July.
The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners has appointed Dr Prabani Wood as its new Medical Director.
Dr Wood is a Hamilton-based specialist GP working at the University of Waikato Student Health Service.
Dr Wood obtained her medical degree and BA in Physiological Science from the University of Oxford and emigrated to New Zealand in 2005. She has been a GP for more than 16 years and brings a wealth of post-graduate experience in medicine, surgery, anaesthetics and public health, including a Master’s degree in public health from the University of Auckland.
In 2015, Dr Wood established a new GP practice in Hamilton, with the multi-disciplinary team providing comprehensive care to over 8,500 patients in the region.
College Chief Executive Toby Beaglehole says, “Dr Wood’s extensive academic, clinical and medical advisory experience gives her great insight into the challenging nature of general practice, primary care and rural hospital medicine. She is a passionate advocate for primary healthcare and shaping policy to deliver better health outcomes for New Zealanders, and we’re looking forward to welcoming Dr Wood onto the College team.”
A desire to join the call for change and highlight the economic case for strengthening the specialist GP workforce led Dr Wood to publish a research report with The New Zealand Initiative in April 2025. The report,‘The Heart of Healthcare: Renewing New Zealand’s Primary Care System’reviews the critical role and challenges facing general practice in New Zealand, focusing on the importance of continuity of care and systemic health care issues.
Dr Wood takes up the Medical Director’s role on Monday 11 August.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:
The Legislative Council (LegCo) will hold a meeting tomorrow (July 16) at 11am in the Chamber of the LegCo Complex. During the meeting, the Second Reading debate on the Gas Safety (Amendment) Bill 2025 will resume. If the Bill is supported by Members and receives its Second Reading, it will stand committed to the committee of the whole Council. After the committee of the whole Council has completed consideration of the Bill and its report is adopted by the Council, the Bill will be set down for the Third Reading.
The Second Reading debates on the Statute Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025 and the Supplementary Medical Professions (Amendment) Bill 2025 will also resume. If the Bills are supported by Members and receive their Second Reading, they will stand committed to the committee of the whole Council. After the committee of the whole Council has completed consideration of the Bills and their reports are adopted by the Council, the Bills will be set down for the Third Reading.
Meanwhile, the Registration of Same-sex Partnerships Bill will be introduced into the Council for the First Reading and the Second Reading. The Second Reading debate on the Bill will be adjourned.
On Member’s Bill, the Hong Kong Baptist University (Amendment) Bill 2025 will be introduced into the Council for the First Reading and the Second Reading. The Second Reading debate on the Bill will be adjourned.
On Members’ motions, Mr Chan Hak-kan will move a motion on reviewing the priorities for public works to ensure enhanced speed and efficiency of key projects. The motion is set out in Appendix 1. Dr Lo Wai-kwok, Mr Gary Zhang, Mr Adrian Ho, Mr Tony Tse and Mr Dennis Leung will move separate amendments to Mr Chan Hak-kan’s motion.
Mr Frankie Yick will also move a motion on building an elderly-friendly living environment. The motion is set out in Appendix 2. Mr Tang Ka-piu, Mr Stanley Li and Mr Tommy Cheung will move separate amendments to Mr Frankie Yick’s motion.
During the meeting, Mr Chan Kin-por and Mr Steven Ho will present the “Independent Commission Against Corruption, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China Annual Report 2024 and Reports of ICAC Advisory Committees” and the “ICAC Complaints Committee Annual Report 2024” respectively, and address the Council.
Members will also ask the Government 22 questions on various policy areas, six of which require oral replies.
The agenda of the above meeting can be obtained via the LegCo Website (www.legco.gov.hk). Members of the public can watch or listen to the meeting via the “Webcast” system on the LegCo Website. To observe the proceedings of the meeting at the LegCo Complex, members of the public may call 3919 3399 during office hours to reserve seats.
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katrina Raynor, Director of the Centre for Equitable Housing, Per Capita and Research Associate, The University of Melbourne
When the Albanese government announced the A$10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund in 2023, the news reverberated through the housing sector.
A new funding facility to help build 30,000 social and affordable rental homes in five years. Given we only increased Australia’s social housing stock by 24,000 dwellings in the decade to 2024, this represents a significant uptick.
The future fund is part of the National Housing Accord’s overall commitment to build 1.2 million new homes by the end of the decade. This target is now in serious doubt following advice from Treasury.
Nonetheless, people were genuinely excited and hopeful about the focus on meeting the housing needs of lower income people.
But stakeholders were also sceptical – and they had every right to be.
How it works
The future fund is a dedicated investment vehicle which helps finance new housing builds using the returns on the original $10 billion endowment.
It does this by distributing loans and grants via competitive funding rounds open to not-for-profits, the private sector and other levels of government.
When announcing the scheme, then Housing Minister Julie Collins said it would help address acute housing needs for people who are especially vulnerable:
[…] this will provide housing support to remote Indigenous communities, women and children experiencing domestic and family violence, older women at risk of homelessness, and veterans experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
Two funding rounds have so far been announced – 9,284 social dwellings and 9,366 affordable homes.
State and territory governments are involved in the process by providing access to land, expediting planning approvals and sometimes acting as developers.
Reasons for hope
The future fund is what the housing sector has been begging for for decades. It is a consistent, somewhat protected, pot of funding with a mandate to build social and affordable housing at scale.
It is one of several hopeful changes underway in the housing space. The housing portfolio is now ensconced in cabinet after being elevated in the first Albanese ministry.
Summerhill Village is a social housing project in Melbourne designed for older women to live independently. Author supplied, CC BY
The relocation of housing and homelessness into Treasury is another positive development. Previously, policy areas were fragmented across a variety of departments.
This is particularly welcome given we are yet to see the promised National Housing and Homeless Plan despite consultations beginning in 2023.
Room for improvement
While the future fund is a welcome infusion of money, my discussions with stakeholders have provided mixed feedback.
As with any new program, there have been teething issues. Red tape has slowed contracts, while the May election paused all negotiations.
Housing funding in Australia remains lumpy – characterised by sudden changes in the scale and priorities of funding – and policy is highly politicised.
Survival of the cheapest
Loans and grants are distributed through competitive, oversubscribed funding rounds.
Coupled with a need for quick political wins, bigger players with lower cost projects are far more likely to receive funding to guarantee a larger quantum of housing.
While this may appear to reflect greater value for money, it means the scheme is incentivised to fund affordable housing aimed at moderate income households rather than social housing aimed at more vulnerable people. New homes are not targeted where need is greatest.
Given affordable housing will be delivered at 75% of market rent, there are many people who will still not be able to afford it. While we undoubtedly need both, the need is far greater for social housing.
As the chart above shows, almost all funding in round one went to Tier One Community Housing Providers, who are the biggest developers with the most in-house capacity.
While privileging larger organisations is not necessarily a bad thing, it does mean smaller players with more location or cohort-specific strengths are continuing to miss out.
For example, only one Aboriginal Community Housing Provider was successful in the first round, sparking calls for an Aboriginal-specific funding round.
Program inefficency
Submitting bids is time consuming and uncertain, especially for funding rounds designed to stimulate new partnerships between stakeholders who haven’t worked together before.
Further, establishing partnerships and contracts with government is labour intensive and complex.
One industry insider recently joked the main things being funded by the scheme are new backyard pools for Sydney-based lawyers.
Beyond this, the future fund provides availability payments – which recur quarterly during the operating phase of projects – rather than upfront capital grants.
According to research, this is one of the most inefficient ways to fund social housing. Capital grants paid at the start to support construction are far more cost effective.
Lack of operational funds
Another key barrier is the focus on “bricks and mortar” to the exclusion of ongoing service costs.
Funding to cover tenancy support, building maintenance and operations, and other wrap-around services is essential, especially for social housing aimed at individuals with higher needs.
This is not covered by the fund and is yet to be substantively picked up by state governments either.
Clearly, there are aspects of the housing future fund that need improvement. But this is not a call to abolish the scheme.
The last thing the sector needs is another policy pivot or funding cut. In fact, doubling the fund to $20 billion would be warranted.
The 30,000 new homes fall well short of the estimated 640,000 Australian households whose housing needs are currently unmet.
The Housing Australia Future Fund is just one element – but an important one – in the suite of measures we should be using to address acute housing needs.
Katrina Raynor is the Director of Per Capita’s Centre for Equitable Housing. Per Capita is an independent think tank that receives funding from a range of sources including philanthropy, unions, individuals and government.
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katrina Raynor, Director of the Centre for Equitable Housing, Per Capita and Research Associate, The University of Melbourne
When the Albanese government announced the A$10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund in 2023, the news reverberated through the housing sector.
A new funding facility to help build 30,000 social and affordable rental homes in five years. Given we only increased Australia’s social housing stock by 24,000 dwellings in the decade to 2024, this represents a significant uptick.
The future fund is part of the National Housing Accord’s overall commitment to build 1.2 million new homes by the end of the decade. This target is now in serious doubt following advice from Treasury.
Nonetheless, people were genuinely excited and hopeful about the focus on meeting the housing needs of lower income people.
But stakeholders were also sceptical – and they had every right to be.
How it works
The future fund is a dedicated investment vehicle which helps finance new housing builds using the returns on the original $10 billion endowment.
It does this by distributing loans and grants via competitive funding rounds open to not-for-profits, the private sector and other levels of government.
When announcing the scheme, then Housing Minister Julie Collins said it would help address acute housing needs for people who are especially vulnerable:
[…] this will provide housing support to remote Indigenous communities, women and children experiencing domestic and family violence, older women at risk of homelessness, and veterans experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
Two funding rounds have so far been announced – 9,284 social dwellings and 9,366 affordable homes.
State and territory governments are involved in the process by providing access to land, expediting planning approvals and sometimes acting as developers.
Reasons for hope
The future fund is what the housing sector has been begging for for decades. It is a consistent, somewhat protected, pot of funding with a mandate to build social and affordable housing at scale.
It is one of several hopeful changes underway in the housing space. The housing portfolio is now ensconced in cabinet after being elevated in the first Albanese ministry.
Summerhill Village is a social housing project in Melbourne designed for older women to live independently. Author supplied, CC BY
The relocation of housing and homelessness into Treasury is another positive development. Previously, policy areas were fragmented across a variety of departments.
This is particularly welcome given we are yet to see the promised National Housing and Homeless Plan despite consultations beginning in 2023.
Room for improvement
While the future fund is a welcome infusion of money, my discussions with stakeholders have provided mixed feedback.
As with any new program, there have been teething issues. Red tape has slowed contracts, while the May election paused all negotiations.
Housing funding in Australia remains lumpy – characterised by sudden changes in the scale and priorities of funding – and policy is highly politicised.
Survival of the cheapest
Loans and grants are distributed through competitive, oversubscribed funding rounds.
Coupled with a need for quick political wins, bigger players with lower cost projects are far more likely to receive funding to guarantee a larger quantum of housing.
While this may appear to reflect greater value for money, it means the scheme is incentivised to fund affordable housing aimed at moderate income households rather than social housing aimed at more vulnerable people. New homes are not targeted where need is greatest.
Given affordable housing will be delivered at 75% of market rent, there are many people who will still not be able to afford it. While we undoubtedly need both, the need is far greater for social housing.
As the chart above shows, almost all funding in round one went to Tier One Community Housing Providers, who are the biggest developers with the most in-house capacity.
While privileging larger organisations is not necessarily a bad thing, it does mean smaller players with more location or cohort-specific strengths are continuing to miss out.
For example, only one Aboriginal Community Housing Provider was successful in the first round, sparking calls for an Aboriginal-specific funding round.
Program inefficency
Submitting bids is time consuming and uncertain, especially for funding rounds designed to stimulate new partnerships between stakeholders who haven’t worked together before.
Further, establishing partnerships and contracts with government is labour intensive and complex.
One industry insider recently joked the main things being funded by the scheme are new backyard pools for Sydney-based lawyers.
Beyond this, the future fund provides availability payments – which recur quarterly during the operating phase of projects – rather than upfront capital grants.
According to research, this is one of the most inefficient ways to fund social housing. Capital grants paid at the start to support construction are far more cost effective.
Lack of operational funds
Another key barrier is the focus on “bricks and mortar” to the exclusion of ongoing service costs.
Funding to cover tenancy support, building maintenance and operations, and other wrap-around services is essential, especially for social housing aimed at individuals with higher needs.
This is not covered by the fund and is yet to be substantively picked up by state governments either.
Clearly, there are aspects of the housing future fund that need improvement. But this is not a call to abolish the scheme.
The last thing the sector needs is another policy pivot or funding cut. In fact, doubling the fund to $20 billion would be warranted.
The 30,000 new homes fall well short of the estimated 640,000 Australian households whose housing needs are currently unmet.
The Housing Australia Future Fund is just one element – but an important one – in the suite of measures we should be using to address acute housing needs.
Katrina Raynor is the Director of Per Capita’s Centre for Equitable Housing. Per Capita is an independent think tank that receives funding from a range of sources including philanthropy, unions, individuals and government.
“Imagine her tenderly pressing her soft lips against yours”, writes one incel on Reddit, before concluding, “you will never get to experience this because your skeleton is too small or the bones in your face are not the right shape”.
In his debut book, The Male Complaint, Simon Copland escorts his readers through the manosphere and into the minds of its inhabitants. He illustrates how boys and men who are “terrifyingly normal” become attracted to the manosphere’s grim logic – and the cognitive distortions of anti-feminist influencers like Andrew Tate and Jordan Peterson.
While mainstream debates often cite toxic masculinity as the cause of online misogyny, Copland, a writer and researcher at the Australian National University, shifts the blame to a deeper cultural malaise. It’s caused, he argues, by the cruel optimism of the manosphere, the multiple social and economic crises of late-stage capitalism and a collective nihilistic misery in which complaint becomes futile and destruction “the only way out”.
Review: The Male Complaint – Simon Copland (Polity)
The manosphere is a network of loosely related blogs and forums devoted to “men’s interests” – sites like The Rational Male, Game Global and the subreddits ForeverAlone, TheRedPill and MensRights. These online communities, separate in their specific beliefs, are united by their misogynistic ideas – and anti-women and anti-diversity sentiments.
They’re also united by the growing tendency of the men in these communities towards nihilistic violence: not only against others, but also against themselves.
In The Male Complaint, Copland relays his dismay at discovering “a constant stream” of suicide notes on Reddit, including a subreddit, IncelGraveyard, which catalogues close to 100 suicide notes and letters posted by self-identified incels.
Since I was a kid I was fed up with ‘Don’t worry, it will get better’, ‘You will find someone’ […] it’s not even that I want a SO (significant other) anymore. Women are awful. People are awful. I have no friends.
For Copland, the violence incels inflict on themselves is a form of passive nihilism. Incels “don’t just express disgust and despair at the world, but in themselves – their looks, body, lives, personality, intelligence, and more”.
Who’s in the manosphere?
The manosphere includes men’s rights activists, pick-up artists and “Men Going Their Own Way” (male separatists who avoid contact with women altogether). And of course, incels: men who believe they are unable to find a romantic or sexual partner due to their perceived genetic inferiority and oppression.
Incels also blame their problems on women’s alleged hypergamy: the theory women seek out partners of higher social or economic status and therefore marry “up”. Put another way, hypergamy, a concept rooted in evolutionary psychology, is the belief “women are hard-wired to be gold diggers”.
Rollo Tomassi, the so-called “godfather of the manosphere”, complains on his blog that “women love opportunistically”, while “men believe that love matters for the sake of it”.
According to Tomassi, the “cruel reality” of modern dating is that men are romantics who are “forced to be realists”, while women are realists whose use “romanticisms to effect their imperatives”. Tomassi complains:
Our girlfriends, our wives, daughters and even our mothers are all incapable of idealized love […] By order of degrees, hypergamy will define who a woman loves and who she will not, depending upon her own opportunities and capacity to attract it.
Ten years ago, these communities were largely regarded as fringe groups. Today, their ideology has infiltrated the mainstream.
On Sunday, ABC TV’s Compass reported that misogyny is on the rise in Australian classrooms, with female teachers sharing their experiences of sexual assault and harassment on school grounds – ranging from boys writing stories about gang raping their teachers to masturbating “over them” in the bathrooms. One student even pretended to stab his pregnant teacher as a “joke”.
A 2025 report published by UN Women shows 53% of women have experienced some form of technology-facilitated, gender-based violence. The dark side of digitalisation disproportionately affects young women aged between 18 and 24, LGBTQI+ women, women who are divorced or who live in the city, and women who participate in online gaming.
‘Biologically bad’?
Copland argues that simplified critiques of toxic masculinity minimise the problem of male violence. They fail to consider the context and history of gendered behaviour, assuming toxic traits are somehow innate and unique to men, rather than the product of social expectations and relations.
This, in turn, promotes the idea that male violence derives from something “biologically bad” in the nature of masculinity itself. As Copland explains, “this is embedded in the term ‘toxic’, which makes it sound like men’s bodies have become diseased or infected”.
Blaming toxic masculinity for digital misogyny also embraces a form of smug politics in which disaffected men are dismissed as degenerates who are fundamentally different to “us” (meaning the activist left and leftist elites). They are “cellar dwellers”, “subhuman freaks”, or “virgin losers” who need to be either enlightened or locked up. “We”, on the other hand, are educated, progressive, superior.
This kind of rhetoric, as Copland explains, is unhelpful. It does not create the conditions for changing the opinions, narratives and futures of manosphere men because it does not allow people to understand their complaints and where those concerns come from – even if we do not agree with them.
Belittling attitudes and demeaning discourses alienate men who already feel socially isolated. This pushes those men further to the fringes – into the hands of “manfluencers” who claim to understand.
‘Not having love becomes everything’
The manosphere, Copland observes, is not “an aberration that is different and distinct from the rest of the world”, nor is it a community that exists solely on the “dark corners of the web”.
Rather, the manosphere, as an echo chamber, enables and encourages what Copland calls “the male complaint”: a sense of collective pain or “injury” so intrinsic to the group’s identity, it cannot be redressed.
As injured subjects who believe their problems are caused through no fault of their own, manosphere men cannot mend the “wound” they believe society has inflicted upon them. Their “marginalisation” and injured status are the lens through which they view themselves and the world.
In the Men Going Their Own Way (MGTOW) community, for example, some men talk about the movement as a hospital where “physicians of the male soul” use different “methods of healing” to treat the “illness of gynocentric-induced disease weighing them down”. These methods include “self-improvement” strategies that are designed to build men’s power and wealth: purchasing gym equipment, investing in the stock market, even abstaining from pornography and sex.
Others in the MGTOW community are vocally anti-victim: “You can live an extraordinary life,” one man says to another, “but you’re wasting your time on complaints and negativity”.
Even when they disagree, though, manosphere men frame women and feminism as the enemy. In this way, the machinery of the manosphere capitalises on men’s discontent, reflects that messaging back to them and displaces their anger and hurt onto an easy scapegoat.
As Copland observes, it is easier for men to blame women for their unhappiness than it is to blame the complex systems of capitalism: “if love and sex is everything, then not having love becomes everything as well”.
Blackpilled incels, lookism and anonymity
This preoccupation with intimacy is central to the incel community. It is exemplified by the various artefacts Copland embeds in his book – memes and posts from the manosphere itself.
Blackpilled incels are a subgroup of incels who believe their access to romantic and sexual relationships is doomed because of “lookism”: the belief women choose sexual partners based solely on their physical features.
Blackpilled ideology attributes romantic failure to genetically unalterable aspects of the human body, such as one’s height or skull shape. Some blackpilled incels, who call themselves wristcels, even blame their lack of sexual success on the width of their wrists.
This logic is countered by research that demonstrates men, in fact, show stronger preferences for physical attractiveness than women, with women tending to prioritise education level and earning potential.
On Reddit, incels often imagine and bitterly dismiss the potential for love and intimacy because of their looks. Ohsineon/Pexels
The manosphere, however, amplifies this type of thinking and filters out information that challenges these ideas and opinions, increasing group polarisation. Despite its promise of solidarity, the manosphere isolates boys and men, and ultimately distances them from their wider community. This segregation results in a deep sense of alienation – these boys and men become stuck in a perpetual cycle of ideological reinforcement.
The manosphere thrives on anonymity, writes Copland, which only reinforces the idea it is not designed to foster deep relationships or connections.
No silver bullets
The sense of community the manosphere claims to offer is a sham; its alienating structures do not offer boys and men genuine belonging and connection, or real solutions to their problems.
“From one day to the next, the ability to communicate depends on the whims of hidden engineers,” writes media studies professor Mark Andrejevic of online networks more broadly. The manosphere, like other virtual constructs, is subject to manipulation by those who control the infrastructure and the rules of engagement.
More than this, the manosphere does not provide an alternative to complaint. When complaint is the only option, writes Copland, nihilism and violence are the inevitable result.
When nothing matters, there are no consequences to anything, including violence […] Manosphere men do not look to convince others, but rather seek their destruction. Destruction is the outlet they find to deal with their complaint.
That’s what makes the manosphere so dangerous.
‘Popular boys must be punished’
In 2014, 22-year-old Elliot Rodger, a British-American college student, embarked on an hours-long stabbing and shooting spree in the university town of Isla Vista, California, killing six and injuring 14. On the morning of May 23 – the “Day of Retribution” – Rodger emailed a 140-page “manifesto” to his family, friends and therapists. He also uploaded several YouTube videos in which he lamented his inability to find a girlfriend, the “hedonistic pleasures” of his peers and his painful existence of “loneliness, rejection, and unfilled desires”.
In his memoir-manifesto, Rodger – the supposed “patron saint of inceldom” – explains the motive for his violence:
I had nothing left to live for but revenge. Women must be punished for their crimes of rejecting such a magnificent gentleman as myself. All of those popular boys must be punished for enjoying heavenly lives and having sex with all the girls while I had to suffer in lonely virginity.
Four years later, in April 2018, Alek Minassian, a self-described incel, drove a rented van onto a busy sidewalk in Toronto, killing 11 (nine of them women) and injuring many more. On Facebook, Minassian explained that his actions were part of the “incel rebellion” led by the “Supreme Gentleman Elliot Rodger”. Later, Minassian told police, “I feel like I accomplished my mission”.
Rodger, too, ended his final YouTube video with a similar message: “If I can’t have you girls, I will destroy you”.
In his book, Copland even draws a parallel between the Westfield Bondi Junction attack and the explanation for attacker Joel Cauchi’s violence, put forward by his father just two days after the attack: “To you, he is a monster. To me, he was a very sick boy […] he wanted a girlfriend and he’s got no social skills and he was frustrated out of his brain”.
In fact, Cauchi suffered from treatment-resistant schizophrenia and had been unmedicated at the time of the attack: “after almost two decades of treatment, Cauchi had no regular psychiatrist, was not on any medications to treat his schizophrenia and had no family living nearby”. The multifaceted causes of Cauchi’s crime are more complex than misogynistic violence.
Indeed, the pieces of the manosphere puzzle, when put together, reveal a sobering image of the male complaint. However, they demonstrate misogyny is bad for everyone – not just women and girls.
As Copland concludes:
The manosphere promises men that it can make their lives better […] But it really cannot deliver. The promises it offers are not real, and in many cases make things worse […] This is how cruel optimism works, always offering, but never delivering.
‘It’s the combinations’
Recent evidence suggests there is no single route to radicalisation, and no single cause of violent extremism. Rather, complex interactions between push, pull, and personal factors are the root causes of male violence.
The Netflix sensation Adolescence – the harrowing story of a 13-year-old boy who is arrested and charged with murder – is powered by a single question: why did Jamie kill Katie?
In attempting to answer this question, critics and fans have offered a range of explanations: bullying, low self-esteem, emotional dysregulation, obsession with love and sex, deprivation of love and sex, the manosphere. The real answer is less obvious and infinitely more complex. It can be found in a simple line of dialogue, spoken at the end of the series by Jamie’s sister.
“It’s the combinations,” Lisa says. “Combinations are everything.”
In this moment, Lisa is justifying her outfit to her parents as they await Jamie’s trial. But subtextually, her statement doubles as the most likely explanation for his actions. And it’s the closest explanation for why some boys and men commit extreme acts of violence: the combinations.
If this article has raised issues for you, or if you’re concerned about someone you know, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.
Kate Cantrell 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.
A series of atrocity sites of the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia have been formally entered onto the World Heritage list, as part of the 47th session of the World Heritage Committee.
This is not only important for Cambodia, but also raises important questions for atrocity sites in Australia.
Before this, the World Heritage list only recognised seven “sites of memory” associated with recent conflicts, which UNESCO defines as “events having occurred from the turn of the 20th century” under its criterion vi. These sat within a broader list of more than 950 cultural sites.
In recent years, experts have intensely debated the question of whether a site associated with recent conflict could, or should, be nominated and evaluated for World Heritage status. Some argue such listings would contradict the objectives of UNESCO and its spirit of peace, which was part of the specialised agency’s mandate after the destruction of two world wars.
Sites associated with recent conflicts can be divisive. For instance, when Japan nominated the Hiroshima Peace Memorial, both China and the United States objected and eventually disassociated from the decision. The US argued the nomination lacked “historical perspective” on the events that led to the bomb’s use. Meanwhile, China argued listing the property would not be conducive for peace as other Asian countries and peoples had suffered at the hands of the Japanese during WWII.
Heritage inscriptions risk reinforcing societal divisions if they conserve a particular memory in a one-sided way.
Nonetheless, the World Heritage Committee decided in 2023 to no longer preclude such sites for inscription. This was done partly in recognition of how these sites may “serve the peace-building mission of UNESCO”.
Shortly after, three listing were added: the ESMA Museum and Site of Memory, a former clandestine centre for detention, torture and extermination in Argentina; memorial sites of the Rwandan genocide at Nyamata, Murambi, Gisozi and Bisesero; and funerary and memory sites of the first world war in Belgium and France.
A number of legacy sites associated with Nelson Mandela’s human rights struggle in South Africa were also added last year.
Atrocities of the Khmer Rouge
The recently inscribed Cambodian Memorial Sites include prisons S-21 (now known as Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum) and M-13, as well as the execution site Choeung Ek.
These sites were nominated for their value in showing the development of extreme mass violence in relation to the security system of the Khmer Rouge in 1975–79. They also have value as places of memorialisation, peace and learning.
The Khmer Rouge developed its methods of disappearance, incarceration and torture of suspected “enemies” during the civil conflict of 1970–75. It established a system of local-level security centres in so-called “liberated” areas.
One of these centres was known as M-13, a small, well-hidden prison in the country’s rural southwest. A man named Kaing Guek Eav – also called Duch – was responsible for prisoners at M-13.
Shortly after the entire country fell to the Khmer Rouge in April 1975, Duch was assigned to lead the headquarters of the regime’s security system: a large detention and torture centre known as S-21.
Under his instruction, tens of thousands of people were detained in inhumane conditions, tortured and interrogated. Many detainees were later taken to the outskirts of the city to be brutally killed and buried in pits at a place called Choeung Ek.
The sites operated until early 1979, when the Khmer Rouge was forced from power.
The S-21 facility and the mass graves at Choeung Ek have long been memorialised as the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and the Choeung Ek Genocidal Centre.
However, the former M-13 site shows few visual clues to its prior use, and has only recently been investigated by an international team led by Cambodian archaeologist and museum director Hang Nisay. The site is on an island in a small river that forms the boundary between the Kampong Chhnang and Kampong Speu provinces.
Further research, site protection and memorialisation activities will now be supported, with help from locals.
From repression to reflection
The Cambodian memorial sites have been recognised as holding “outstanding universal value” for the way they evidence one of the 20th century’s worst atrocities, and are now places of memory.
In its nomination dossier for these sites, Cambodia drew on findings from the Khmer Rouge Tribunal to verify and link the conflict and the sites.
In 2010, the tribunal found Duch guilty of crimes against humanity and grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions. Duch was sentenced to 30 years in prison (which eventually turned into life imprisonment). He died in 2020.
While courts such as the International Criminal Court have previously examined the destruction of heritage as an international crime, drawing on legal findings to assert heritage status is an unusual inverse. It raises important questions about the legacies of former UN-supported tribunals and the ongoing implications of their findings.
The recent listings also raise questions for Australia, which has many sites of documented mass killing associated with colonisation and the frontier wars that lasted into the 20th century.
Might Australia nominate any of these atrocity sites in the future? And could other processes such as truth-telling, reparation and redress support (or be supported by) such nominations?
Rachel Hughes has consulted to UNESCO Cambodia.
Maria Elander 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.
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
“Sigma” is a free summer scientific and educational school for students in grades 7-11, which has been held for the third year at the Faculty of Information Technology NSUThis year the event took place from July 7 to 13.
The main idea of “Sigma” is from students to schoolchildren. The goal of the project is to bring schoolchildren closer to the university, providing the opportunity to freely choose courses, participate in rich discussions and interact with teachers who care about their interests, not grades.
This season, Sigma hosted 24 courses taught by 28 instructors, including students, graduates, and young researchers from various universities, such as NSU, MSU, SPbSU, HSE, Tyumen State University, MVSES, MSU Skolkovo, IPL SB RAS, as well as industry practitioners, including the Whatelse.lab marketing agency. The geography of the instructors covered the Novosibirsk Region, Krasnoyarsk, Tyumen, St. Petersburg, and Moscow.
Each course was built as a cycle of 3-6 lessons. The format — from discussions and mini-lectures to role-playing games and workshops — was determined by the teachers and adjusted to the course concept. The course topics included a wide range of disciplines, such as sociology, anatomy, cinematography, linguistics, programming, biotechnology, as well as Olympiad courses in chemistry and literature. Thus, participants could try themselves in the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences and engineering and understand which of them were of the greatest interest.
Kirill Kondrenko, a graduate of NSU and one of the permanent teachers at Sigma, shares his experience:
— I think that Sigma is a great opportunity for schoolchildren to gain practical skills and learn interesting things that are ignored in a comprehensive school. Last year I taught the course Online Security, and this year — Telebot on developing Telegram bots in Python. During the course, we studied the basic elements of building bots, and at the end, the students did group projects — among them were a guide to interesting places, a bot for recognizing text from voice messages, a bot for analyzing user emotions, and others. During the classes, the students liked the interactivity the most: it was worth changing just a couple of lines of code — and the bot’s behavior in Telegram completely changed.
“Sigma” creates an atmosphere in which schoolchildren with “burning eyes” receive knowledge from students with the same sincere interest. I am convinced that it is this atmosphere that influences skills and knowledge even more than the content of the classes themselves. Every day at “Sigma” there were extracurricular activities that helped “refresh the mind” and distract from the courses for a while. In my opinion, this is exactly what is lacking in ordinary schools, where students have 7-8 lessons a day.
The Sigma organizers play no less an important role than the teachers: they set the tone for the entire school, coordinate processes and create the very atmosphere in which everything happens.
Vladimir Sharapov, a second-year student at the NSU Institute of Information Technologies and the head of Sigma from the NSU Institute of Information Technologies, says:
— Sigma was my first experience in organizing such a large-scale and long-term event. It was a truly exciting and responsible adventure. Of course, there were difficulties, but we overcame all the challenges. I am sure that everything went well — including thanks to the support and trust shown to me. Special thanks to the entire team of organizers, without whom this path would not have been possible — to those who supported me on this new path.
As mentioned above, the geography of the school’s teachers was represented by different universities and regions. Tarina Iptysheva, the main organizer of Sigma, a student of SAS Tyumen State University, talks about her participation in the project:
— For me, Sigma is, first of all, about the feeling of “Peace, friendship and chewing gum!” and establishing supportive and warm relationships. And only secondly, about gaining new experience, knowledge, and getting acquainted with interesting ideas and disciplines.
I think many of the participants actually did it, at least from what they say. And that makes me incredibly happy.
And I’m also very happy when the guys say that they managed to get to know each other, become friends and find a common language – and this is probably the most valuable thing.
This year, 107 participants from the Novosibirsk region gathered at Sigma. Each could choose up to four courses and create their own educational trajectory. Upon completion of the school, the guys shared their impressions with us.
Lisa, Sigma student:
— This is my third year at the school, and I was looking forward to this season with great impatience. All my expectations were met in abundance — I am absolutely delighted with the variety of courses, the atmosphere, and, of course, the people I met or reconnected with. For me, Sigma is always about new cool acquaintances and warm meetings with old friends and new like-minded people.
I really like the idea of “from students to schoolchildren” that Sigma promotes, and that’s probably why one of the highlights of the first half of the season was Self-Government Day. I really liked the idea, and it gave me new ideas about what I’d like to do in the future.
In general, I always say that Sigma is a meaningful event of July for me. And I think the emotions and impressions I return home with after each school day are the best confirmation of this.
Yulia, a student of Sigma:
— Of course, the concept of Sigma as a place where you will be appreciated, where your opinion will be appreciated, where teachers respect you, is very important. Especially for teenagers who came here from a familiar school environment, often harsh and formal. To find yourself in such a comfortable place, where there is attention, respect and a sincere interest in you as a person — it’s really cool. Here, the teacher is interested in you, wants to share knowledge and is truly open to discussions.
We thank all the teachers and organizers, without whom Sigma would not have become what it is: a place of genuine interest, academic freedom and friendly interaction.
Special thanks to the Faculty of Information Technology of NSU and the Department of Youth Policy and Educational Work of NSU for their support in implementing the school – thanks to you, this project continues and develops.
See you next season of Sigma!
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on July 15, 2025.
A warning from the future: the risk if NZ gets climate adaptation policy wrong today Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tom Logan, Senior Lecturer Above the Bar, Civil and Natural Resources Engineering, University of Canterbury Getty Images New Zealand 2050: On the morning of February 27, the sea surged through the dunes south of the small town of Te Taone, riding on the back of Cyclone Harita’s
ABC’s and CBS’s settlements with Trump are a dangerous step toward the commander in chief becoming the editor-in-chief Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael J. Socolow, Professor of Communication and Journalism, University of Maine Will settlements by news companies with President Donald Trump turn journalists into puppets? MARHARYTA MARKO/iStock Getty Images Plus It was a surrender widely foreseen. For months, rumors abounded that Paramount would eventually settle the seemingly frivolous
Is there any hope for the internet? Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Aarushi Bhandari, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Davidson College Hate and mental illness fester online because love and healing seem to be incompatible with profits. Ihor Lukianenko/iStock via Getty Images In 2001, social theorist bell hooks warned about the dangers of a loveless zeitgeist. In “All About Love:
Hung parliament still likely outcome of Tasmanian election, with Liberals well ahead of Labor in new poll Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne A new Tasmanian DemosAU poll gives the Liberals a 34.9–24.7 statewide vote lead over Labor, implying the Liberals will win the most seats but be short of
Luxon and Peters to miss Cook Islands’ 60th Constitution Day celebrations By Caleb Fotheringham, RNZ Pacific journalist New Zealand will not send top government representation to the Cook Islands for its 60th Constitution Day celebrations in three weeks’ time. Instead, Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro will represent Aotearoa in Rarotonga. On August 4, Cook Islands will mark 60 years of self-governance in free association with New Zealand.
Keith Rankin Analysis – Reporting International Migration: Less than the Truth Analysis by Keith Rankin. Yesterday I listened to RNZ’s political commentators. The principal topic was an aspect of the recently released May 2025 international migration. Kathryn Ryan starts by reminding us of the “old saying, would the last person to leave New Zealand please turn out the lights” (a saying which has been used in
Antisemitism plan fails on a number of fronts – a contentious definition of hate is just the start Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Louise Chappell, Scientia Professor, UNSW Sydney The antisemitism strategy presented to the Albanese government has attracted considerable – and wholly justifed – criticism. Produced by Jillian Segal, the special envoy to combat antisemitism, the blueprint falls short in a range of areas essential to good public policy.
Do I have prostate cancer? Why a simple PSA blood test alone won’t give you the answer Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kevin M. Koo, NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow, The University of Queensland Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in Australia, with about 26,000 men diagnosed per year. The majority (more than 85%) are aged over 60. Prostate cancer kills around 3,900 Australians a year. Yet most prostate
Many fish are social, but pesticides are pushing them apart Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kyle Morrison, PhD Candidate in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, UNSW Sydney Kazakov Maksim, Shutterstock Scientists have detected pesticides in rivers, lakes and oceans worldwide. So what are these pesticides doing to the fish? Long before pesticides reach lethal doses, they can disrupt hormones, impair brain function and
Almost half of young workers expected to work unpaid overtime, while a quarter aren’t paid compulsory super Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Howe, Associate Dean (Research), Melbourne Law School, The University of Melbourne Anna Kraynova/Shutterstock A young person gets a job, excited to earn their first paycheck. Over time, they realise the hours are long and the payslips small. They are told to stay back to clean up
Israeli settlers shoot, beat to death 2 Palestinians in latest lynchings BEARING WITNESS: By Cole Martin in occupied West Bank Two young Palestinians were shot and beaten to death on their land, and 30 injured, by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank on Saturday. A large group of settlers attacked the rural Palestinian village of Sinjil, in the Ramallah governorate, beating Sayfollah “Saif” Mussalet, 20,
View from The Hill: Segal’s antisemitism plan gives government controversy, not clarity Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Prime Minister Anthony Albanese may be rueing what seemed a good idea at the time – the appointment of a special envoy to combat antisemitism (as well as an envoy to combat Islamophobia). Or perhaps Jillian Segal, a former president
David Robie condemns ‘callous’ health legacy of French, US nuclear bomb tests in Pacific Report by Dr David Robie – Café Pacific. – A journalist who was on the Rainbow Warrior voyage to Rongelap last night condemned France for its “callous” attack of an environmental ship, saying “we haven’t forgotten, or forgiven this outrage”. David Robie, the author of Eyes of Fire: The Last Voyage and Legacy of the
Was the Air India crash caused by pilot error or technical fault? None of the theories holds up – yet Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Guido Carim Junior, Senior Lecturer in Aviation, Griffith University Over the weekend, the Indian Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau released a preliminary report on last month’s crash of Air India flight 171, which killed 260 people, 19 of them on the ground. The aim of a preliminary report
Confusing for doctors, inequitable for patients: why Australia’s medicinal cannabis system needs urgent reform Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christine Mary Hallinan, Senior Research Fellow, Department of General Practice and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne Vanessa Nunes/Getty Images In 2024 alone, Australia’s medicines regulator, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), authorised at least 979,000 prescription applications for medicinal cannabis
Treasury warns the government it may not balance the budget or meet its housing targets Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Head, Canberra School of Government, University of Canberra Kokkai Ng/Getty In the runup to each election, federal treasury produces a “blue book” and a “red book”, with advice tailored to the priorities of the two alternative governments. One of these is given to the incoming
How do you stop an AI model turning Nazi? What the Grok drama reveals about AI training Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Aaron J. Snoswell, Senior Research Fellow in AI Accountability, Queensland University of Technology Anne Fehres and Luke Conroy & AI4Media, CC BY Grok, the artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot embedded in X (formerly Twitter) and built by Elon Musk’s company xAI, is back in the headlines after calling
Author condemns ‘callous’ health legacy of French, US nuclear bomb tests in Pacific Asia Pacific Report A journalist who was on the Rainbow Warrior voyage to Rongelap last night condemned France for its “callous” attack of an environmental ship, saying “we haven’t forgotten, or forgiven this outrage”. David Robie, the author of Eyes of Fire: The Last Voyage and Legacy of the Rainbow Warrior, said at the launch
Washington’s war demands – Australia right to refuse committing to a hypothetical conflict with China over Taiwan Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Blaxland, Professor, Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University Andy. LIU/Shutterstock The United States can count on Australia as one of its closest allies. Dating back to the shared experiences in the second world war and the ANZUS Treaty signed in 1951, Australia has steadfastly
ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on July 15, 2025.
A warning from the future: the risk if NZ gets climate adaptation policy wrong today Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tom Logan, Senior Lecturer Above the Bar, Civil and Natural Resources Engineering, University of Canterbury Getty Images New Zealand 2050: On the morning of February 27, the sea surged through the dunes south of the small town of Te Taone, riding on the back of Cyclone Harita’s
ABC’s and CBS’s settlements with Trump are a dangerous step toward the commander in chief becoming the editor-in-chief Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael J. Socolow, Professor of Communication and Journalism, University of Maine Will settlements by news companies with President Donald Trump turn journalists into puppets? MARHARYTA MARKO/iStock Getty Images Plus It was a surrender widely foreseen. For months, rumors abounded that Paramount would eventually settle the seemingly frivolous
Is there any hope for the internet? Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Aarushi Bhandari, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Davidson College Hate and mental illness fester online because love and healing seem to be incompatible with profits. Ihor Lukianenko/iStock via Getty Images In 2001, social theorist bell hooks warned about the dangers of a loveless zeitgeist. In “All About Love:
Hung parliament still likely outcome of Tasmanian election, with Liberals well ahead of Labor in new poll Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne A new Tasmanian DemosAU poll gives the Liberals a 34.9–24.7 statewide vote lead over Labor, implying the Liberals will win the most seats but be short of
Luxon and Peters to miss Cook Islands’ 60th Constitution Day celebrations By Caleb Fotheringham, RNZ Pacific journalist New Zealand will not send top government representation to the Cook Islands for its 60th Constitution Day celebrations in three weeks’ time. Instead, Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro will represent Aotearoa in Rarotonga. On August 4, Cook Islands will mark 60 years of self-governance in free association with New Zealand.
Keith Rankin Analysis – Reporting International Migration: Less than the Truth Analysis by Keith Rankin. Yesterday I listened to RNZ’s political commentators. The principal topic was an aspect of the recently released May 2025 international migration. Kathryn Ryan starts by reminding us of the “old saying, would the last person to leave New Zealand please turn out the lights” (a saying which has been used in
Antisemitism plan fails on a number of fronts – a contentious definition of hate is just the start Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Louise Chappell, Scientia Professor, UNSW Sydney The antisemitism strategy presented to the Albanese government has attracted considerable – and wholly justifed – criticism. Produced by Jillian Segal, the special envoy to combat antisemitism, the blueprint falls short in a range of areas essential to good public policy.
Do I have prostate cancer? Why a simple PSA blood test alone won’t give you the answer Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kevin M. Koo, NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow, The University of Queensland Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in Australia, with about 26,000 men diagnosed per year. The majority (more than 85%) are aged over 60. Prostate cancer kills around 3,900 Australians a year. Yet most prostate
Many fish are social, but pesticides are pushing them apart Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kyle Morrison, PhD Candidate in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, UNSW Sydney Kazakov Maksim, Shutterstock Scientists have detected pesticides in rivers, lakes and oceans worldwide. So what are these pesticides doing to the fish? Long before pesticides reach lethal doses, they can disrupt hormones, impair brain function and
Almost half of young workers expected to work unpaid overtime, while a quarter aren’t paid compulsory super Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Howe, Associate Dean (Research), Melbourne Law School, The University of Melbourne Anna Kraynova/Shutterstock A young person gets a job, excited to earn their first paycheck. Over time, they realise the hours are long and the payslips small. They are told to stay back to clean up
Israeli settlers shoot, beat to death 2 Palestinians in latest lynchings BEARING WITNESS: By Cole Martin in occupied West Bank Two young Palestinians were shot and beaten to death on their land, and 30 injured, by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank on Saturday. A large group of settlers attacked the rural Palestinian village of Sinjil, in the Ramallah governorate, beating Sayfollah “Saif” Mussalet, 20,
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David Robie condemns ‘callous’ health legacy of French, US nuclear bomb tests in Pacific Report by Dr David Robie – Café Pacific. – A journalist who was on the Rainbow Warrior voyage to Rongelap last night condemned France for its “callous” attack of an environmental ship, saying “we haven’t forgotten, or forgiven this outrage”. David Robie, the author of Eyes of Fire: The Last Voyage and Legacy of the
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The snow petrel, a strikingly white bird with black eyes and a black bill, is one of only three bird species ever observed at the South Pole. In fact, the Antarctic is the only place on Earth where this bird lives.
It isn’t alone in this. Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic harbour a large number of endemic species, which means these species are only found in one or a few locations in the world.
In other words, these regions have a high degree of “endemism” – an important metric that tells us where to focus species conservation efforts.
But our new study shows that the degree of endemism in Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic – and in the southern hemisphere more generally – has been underestimated.
This is important because areas with a high degree of endemism harbour species with restricted ranges, unique evolutionary history or unique ecological functions. This makes them potentially more vulnerable to disturbances such as climate change, fundamental changes in habitat, or invasive introduced species.
If the degree of endemism is underestimated, conservation efforts may overlook the sites that are home to irreplaceable birds.
Biased measurements
There are two reasons why global patterns of species endemism aren’t well defined. First, the most common method used to calculate endemism tends to give higher values to places with more species overall – this is known as species richness.
In addition, global studies of diversity often exclude areas that are comparatively species-poor. These areas are mainly in the southern hemisphere – most notably the Antarctic region. When sites that only contain a few species are left out, this influences the estimates of endemism for all other sites.
An alternative way to calculate endemism takes into account a site’s “complementarity”. This metric considers whether species found at a site are also found elsewhere. With this method, we can find sites that have the highest percentage of species with a restricted range.
At such highly endemic sites, the local ecosystem relies heavily on species with restricted ranges to function, which makes them all the more irreplaceable.
The superb lyrebird, known for its skillful vocal imitations, is endemic to southeast Australia. Matthias Dehling
Global hotspots for endemic species
This is the approach we used in our new study to reassess the endemism of birds worldwide. In our study, we also considered other aspects of bird diversity. We measured endemism with regard to whether sites hold irreplaceable evolutionary history and ecological functions of birds.
We found that southern-hemisphere communities showed higher rates of local endemism than northern-hemisphere communities across all aspects of diversity. The sub-Antarctic islands and the High Andes, as well as several regions in Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand and southern Africa, stand out as global hotspots of endemism.
These regions hold many charismatic birds with unique evolutionary histories or unique ecological functions, and these birds are largely restricted to the southern hemisphere.
Among these are the palaeognaths – the bird lineage that includes kiwis, emus, cassowaries and ostriches. They also include the lyrebirds and the New Zealand wrens, as well as iconic Antarctic species such as penguins and albatrosses.
Tawaki or Fiordland crested penguin is only found in Aotearoa New Zealand. Matthias Dehling
Not much land, a lot of ocean
The higher rates of endemism in the southern hemisphere are likely related to the uneven global distribution of landmass. Put simply, there is much more available landmass in the northern hemisphere. As you go further south, landmasses become increasingly separated by vast expanses of ocean.
Because of the smaller and separated landmasses, species in the southern hemisphere have much smaller ranges than species in the northern hemisphere. Consequently, local species communities share fewer species with each other. This leads to the higher observed endemism in the southern hemisphere.
The black-breasted buttonquail is a secretive rainforest bird whose range is restricted to a tiny area in south-east Queensland, Australia. Matthias Dehling
A heightened vulnerability
Our findings suggest that birds in the northern and southern hemisphere might react differently to environmental pressures. Unfortunately, most studies on the impact of climate change to date are from the northern hemisphere.
In response to climate change in particular, species are expected to shift their ranges towards cooler climates. While northern-hemisphere birds are likely free to shift their ranges across large stretches of uninterrupted landmass, birds in the southern hemisphere are hindered by vast expanses of ocean that separate the different landmasses on which they live.
For species at the southern tips of South America, Africa or Australia, the nearest major landmass towards the south is Antarctica. But it is unsuitable for most bird species.
The potentially heightened vulnerability of southern-hemisphere birds suggests they deserve more protection. In addition to known species diversity hotspots that hold large numbers of species, conservation efforts should consider areas that might hold only a small number of species, but irreplaceable ones that aren’t found anywhere else.
Matthias Dehling receives funding from the Australian Research Council.
The snow petrel, a strikingly white bird with black eyes and a black bill, is one of only three bird species ever observed at the South Pole. In fact, the Antarctic is the only place on Earth where this bird lives.
It isn’t alone in this. Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic harbour a large number of endemic species, which means these species are only found in one or a few locations in the world.
In other words, these regions have a high degree of “endemism” – an important metric that tells us where to focus species conservation efforts.
But our new study shows that the degree of endemism in Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic – and in the southern hemisphere more generally – has been underestimated.
This is important because areas with a high degree of endemism harbour species with restricted ranges, unique evolutionary history or unique ecological functions. This makes them potentially more vulnerable to disturbances such as climate change, fundamental changes in habitat, or invasive introduced species.
If the degree of endemism is underestimated, conservation efforts may overlook the sites that are home to irreplaceable birds.
Biased measurements
There are two reasons why global patterns of species endemism aren’t well defined. First, the most common method used to calculate endemism tends to give higher values to places with more species overall – this is known as species richness.
In addition, global studies of diversity often exclude areas that are comparatively species-poor. These areas are mainly in the southern hemisphere – most notably the Antarctic region. When sites that only contain a few species are left out, this influences the estimates of endemism for all other sites.
An alternative way to calculate endemism takes into account a site’s “complementarity”. This metric considers whether species found at a site are also found elsewhere. With this method, we can find sites that have the highest percentage of species with a restricted range.
At such highly endemic sites, the local ecosystem relies heavily on species with restricted ranges to function, which makes them all the more irreplaceable.
The superb lyrebird, known for its skillful vocal imitations, is endemic to southeast Australia. Matthias Dehling
Global hotspots for endemic species
This is the approach we used in our new study to reassess the endemism of birds worldwide. In our study, we also considered other aspects of bird diversity. We measured endemism with regard to whether sites hold irreplaceable evolutionary history and ecological functions of birds.
We found that southern-hemisphere communities showed higher rates of local endemism than northern-hemisphere communities across all aspects of diversity. The sub-Antarctic islands and the High Andes, as well as several regions in Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand and southern Africa, stand out as global hotspots of endemism.
These regions hold many charismatic birds with unique evolutionary histories or unique ecological functions, and these birds are largely restricted to the southern hemisphere.
Among these are the palaeognaths – the bird lineage that includes kiwis, emus, cassowaries and ostriches. They also include the lyrebirds and the New Zealand wrens, as well as iconic Antarctic species such as penguins and albatrosses.
Tawaki or Fiordland crested penguin is only found in Aotearoa New Zealand. Matthias Dehling
Not much land, a lot of ocean
The higher rates of endemism in the southern hemisphere are likely related to the uneven global distribution of landmass. Put simply, there is much more available landmass in the northern hemisphere. As you go further south, landmasses become increasingly separated by vast expanses of ocean.
Because of the smaller and separated landmasses, species in the southern hemisphere have much smaller ranges than species in the northern hemisphere. Consequently, local species communities share fewer species with each other. This leads to the higher observed endemism in the southern hemisphere.
The black-breasted buttonquail is a secretive rainforest bird whose range is restricted to a tiny area in south-east Queensland, Australia. Matthias Dehling
A heightened vulnerability
Our findings suggest that birds in the northern and southern hemisphere might react differently to environmental pressures. Unfortunately, most studies on the impact of climate change to date are from the northern hemisphere.
In response to climate change in particular, species are expected to shift their ranges towards cooler climates. While northern-hemisphere birds are likely free to shift their ranges across large stretches of uninterrupted landmass, birds in the southern hemisphere are hindered by vast expanses of ocean that separate the different landmasses on which they live.
For species at the southern tips of South America, Africa or Australia, the nearest major landmass towards the south is Antarctica. But it is unsuitable for most bird species.
The potentially heightened vulnerability of southern-hemisphere birds suggests they deserve more protection. In addition to known species diversity hotspots that hold large numbers of species, conservation efforts should consider areas that might hold only a small number of species, but irreplaceable ones that aren’t found anywhere else.
Matthias Dehling receives funding from the Australian Research Council.
