Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –
Deputy Head of Rossotrudnichestvo Pavel Shevtsov paid a working visit to the Polytechnic University. Rossotrudnichestvo is a leading Russian agency. Its main mission is to strengthen Russia’s humanitarian influence in the world. The organization is represented in more than 70 countries.
The tour of the university began with the Main Academic Building. Vice-Rector for International Affairs Dmitry Arsenyev and Director of the SPbPU History Museum Valery Klimov introduced Pavel Shevtsov to the gallery of outstanding polytechnic scientists, told him about the most important events and interesting facts from the history of the Polytechnic University, and presented key exhibits. The Deputy Head of Rossotrudnichestvo visited the White Hall and the Fundamental Library of the Polytechnic University.
Pavel Anatolyevich got acquainted with the structure of the Research Building “Technopolis Polytech”, where he visited the halls “Semyonov” and “Kapitsa”. Dmitry Arsenyev also showed him a model of the SPbPU campus.
After that, a working meeting was held at the international campus of the Polytechnic University. Pavel Anatolyevich visited the Information Center, Admission Office and got acquainted with the procedure for accepting foreign applicants to SPbPU.
During the negotiations with international services, the main issues of international education development were discussed, including the admission of foreign students within the Russian government quota. They also noted the use of successful SPbPU practices in the activities of the Russian-African Network University consortium to promote engineering education in African countries.
Particular attention at the meeting was paid to the issues of adaptation of foreign students in Russia, learning the Russian language, and the participation of the Polytechnic University in the International Olympiad “Open Doors: Russian Scholarship”. Pavel Shevtsov highly praised the university’s efforts in creating a comfortable environment for the study and residence of foreigners, including the work of the Information Center, Admission Office, and the Unified Center for Registration of Foreign Citizens.
Pavel Anatolyevich noted the importance of SPbPU’s work in attracting talented foreign students and scientists, emphasizing that the university is one of the flagships of Russian education and science.
Pavel Anatolyevich thanked the university management for the warm welcome and expressed confidence that the interaction between Rossotrudnichestvo and the Polytechnic University will contribute to the further development of international education and the strengthening of humanitarian ties between Russia and other countries.
Dmitry Arsenyev, in turn, expressed his readiness to actively develop partnership relations with Rossotrudnichestvo and support initiatives aimed at promoting Russian education abroad. The parties agreed to hold regular meetings to discuss current and new projects, as well as to work together to implement strategic tasks in the field of international cooperation.
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –
Ethiopian graduate student Yared Dejene Jifar received a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Adam University of Science and Technology (ASTU). Inspired by stories of friendship between the countries, he decided to continue his studies in Russia. In an interview, Yared talked about how adaptation in another country is going and shared his plans for the future.
— Why did you decide to study in Russia?
— I have always liked your country. My friends who studied here in the 1980s told me about the strong friendship between our countries. These stories inspired me to study civil engineering technologies in Russia.
— Were your expectations from living in Russia met?
— First of all, I was impressed by the level of infrastructure development in the country. An example of well-thought-out design is the metro. The language barrier was a serious challenge for me. I am trying to learn Russian, but the process is slow. Although I understand that knowledge of the language is the key to successful adaptation.
— Why did you choose the Polytechnic University?
— When I was looking for a university with a civil engineering program in English, I chose the Polytechnic University. Your university has a unique atmosphere for studying and developing. Advanced laboratories, highly qualified professors, incredible opportunities, modern technologies and much more.
I always dreamed of studying in Russia, a country with a rich history, deep culture and the highest standards of education. I learned about the international Olympiad Open Doors: Russian Scholarship, which offers a unique chance to study in Russia for free.
— What got you interested in civil engineering?
— I plan to improve the construction sector in my country. I am especially interested in modern technologies, such as BIM (building information modeling). This is the future of construction, and I want to be part of this process.
— Tell us what you do besides studying.
— We recently visited the building of the Levashovsky bread factory, which after reconstruction turned into a cultural and business center. During the tour, we learned about the unique engineering solutions that allowed us to preserve the historical building and its role in the history of St. Petersburg. We were especially impressed by the years of the siege of Leningrad. I pay tribute to the fallen heroes.
I was doing financial analysis of the renovation of Soviet-era buildings, and this tour gave me useful information on how heritage can be preserved and adapted for new purposes without demolition.
— Share your plans for what you will do after completing your Master’s degree.
— I plan to work in Russia to gain practical experience and then return to Ethiopia. I hope to introduce modern construction technologies and materials to change traditional construction methods, which are still limited to concrete and steel reinforcement.
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Source: Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering – Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering – View of the bay
SPbGASU employees and their families have a wonderful opportunity to relax on the shore of the Lehmalakhti Bay of Lake Ladoga in a historic mansion, which has become even more beautiful and comfortable after restoration work. We are talking about the departmental recreation center “Beryozovo”, which operates all year round.
Over the long years of its existence, the base has already hosted several generations of our university employees. Many of those who once came here, then choose this place for rest again. Deputy Head of the Personnel Department Svetlana Goltsvart has already visited here twice.
“I was on holiday with my husband and teenage daughter. The first time we went there out of curiosity: it was interesting to see what the recreation centre at our university was like, how the historic cottage had been restored, what the nature was like in this place. That’s why we only planned a 24-hour trip last July. We spent most of our time on the bay. Even the swings that my daughter had chosen had an amazing view of the lake. There was silence, calm and peace here. With such relaxation, the day flew by in an instant, and when we left, we already knew for sure that we would definitely come back here in August for a longer holiday. That’s what we did, and we are very happy about it,” said Svetlana Aleksandrovna.
According to her, they booked a room with amenities, so thanks to the comfort and fresh air, beautiful nature, they had a pleasant experience and gained strength for a long time.
Head of the Department of Structural Mechanics Nikita Maslennikov recalls how he used to vacation in “Beryozovo” as a child with his parents. At one time, his father headed this department for a quarter of a century.
“I know this place well, but after years I wanted to visit it again, see how the cottage has changed after the work was done, and just relax in nature. My wife and I invited two friends for the company, so we rented two rooms. We cooked shashlik, fortunately there is a barbecue here, and swam. The advantageous location of the recreation center makes it possible to think over a meaningful, educational program of excursions both in the surrounding area and over longer distances. In the village of Beryozovo there is a Museum of Living History “Border Outpost”. Priozersk is nearby, where there are many attractions, including the Korela Fortress, founded at the turn of the 13th-14th centuries, Konevets Island, the courtyard of the Valaam Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery, from where, if desired, you can go with an excursion group to Valaam. The city has a well-equipped beach. Also nearby is Sortavala, the eco-park “Valley of Waterfalls”. Thus, the recreation center can become a stronghold for a pleasant trip. That’s why my wife and I are planning to come here with our granddaughter. It’s already a family tradition for us,” said Nikita Aleksandrovich.
He is sure that the university management will continue the course of improving the recreation center. He would like an equipped place for swimming in the bay, improvement of the territory of the center, a multifunctional hall for celebrations, expansion of the seating places in the kitchen and an increase in the number of household appliances there.
“Last year we already started improvement work: we fenced the area, built the necessary outbuildings, and outlined further plans in this direction,” said Vladimir Solovyov, Vice-Rector for Security and Administrative and Economic Work at SPbGASU.
“Works on the comprehensive improvement of the territory are planned: the construction of a small beach on the southern – the sunniest shore, the layout of a network of pedestrian paths in the hard surface, the placement of separate areas for recreation, sports games and picnics. Landscaping of the territory is also planned. Decorative shrubs, seasonal flower arrangement should create additional coziness and comfort for vacationers. We consider it necessary to provide for a children’s playground with modern play equipment,” explained the chief architect, director of the design studio of SPbGASU Svetlana Bochkareva.
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Source: State University of Management – Official website of the State –
On February 13, 1945, the Budapest operation of Soviet troops during the Great Patriotic War ended, as a result of which the central regions of Hungary, including its capital, were liberated, and the puppet “Government of National Unity” lost power over the country.
By the end of 1944, Germany’s position was already unenviable, it had to fight on three fronts: in Italy, France and against the Red Army rapidly advancing from the east. The defense of Budapest was of paramount importance, because its loss meant the loss of the last major source of oil, so Hitler even declared that it was better to surrender Berlin than to lose Hungarian oil. The Germans built three lines of defense around Budapest and significantly fortified the city itself, which was defended by Army Group South and the remnants of the Hungarian armed forces.
The Soviet offensive on Budapest began on October 29. They failed to take the city on the move. The second attempt also met with fierce resistance. In December, the Germans even attempted to counterattack and pushed the Russians back in some areas of the front. However, on December 26, their forces were completely surrounded, with 188,000 people trapped in the cauldron. And they had no intention of surrendering; moreover, they shot the envoys sent with an ultimatum to capitulate. Their counterattacking tanks numbered 50-60 units per kilometer of front – a density of equipment unseen throughout the war. Having had the bloody experience of the Battle of Stalingrad and the Battle of Kursk, the Red Army responded with a deeply echeloned defense, effective reconnaissance, and preemptive strikes. The Germans were unable to break out of the encirclement, and in early February, their counteroffensive finally petered out in all directions.
The heaviest urban battles in some areas began on January 18. That same day, our troops liberated about 70,000 Jews from the Budapest ghetto. Now, when the organized counteroffensive of the Germans had failed, they rushed out of Budapest chaotically and with particular despair. From the memoirs of Soviet Major General Andrei Kovtun-Stankevich:
“Everyone takes part in the battle, including the telephone operators. Telephone operator Zoya Vasilchenko destroyed up to 15 fascists with a machine gun. The battalion captured more prisoners than it had personnel.”
“The commander of the medical battalion, Krutilov, arrived and proudly handed me a “combat” report. It turns out that the medical battalion had fought a battle today, as a result of which 49 Germans were killed and 56 were taken prisoner. Everyone took part in the battle, including the wounded who were able to fire. Even the pharmacist, an elderly woman, fired a pistol.”
On February 13, 1945, the German group in Budapest was finally liquidated. The commander, SS-Obergruppenführer Karl Pfeffer-Wildenbruch, dressed in a soldier’s uniform along with all the staff officers, surrendered on his own initiative to the head of the chemical service of the 180th rifle division, Major Skripin.
In honor of this victory, a salute of 24 salvos from 324 guns was given in Moscow. The result of the successful operation was the complete liquidation of the enemy forces and the withdrawal of Hungary from the war. In addition, the advancement on the remaining sections of the Soviet-German front was noticeably facilitated by the transfer of German troops to Budapest. A threat was created to the Balkan group of the Wehrmacht, which was forced to accelerate its withdrawal from Yugoslavia.
The State University of Management congratulates on this memorable date and recalls our scientific regiment – employees awarded the medal “For the capture of Budapest”:
-Hero of the Soviet Union, Alexander Davydov, Guard Lieutenant Colonel, Deputy Head of the Nile MIE-MIU department from 1962 to 1985;
-Gennady Belykh, Colonel, Head of the educational and methodological department of the MIU;
-Peter Burov, Major Engineer, Vice-Rector for the Academic Affairs of MIEI from 1952 to 1962;
-Ivan Steel, Major Engineer, chief of staff of the railway troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front, associate professor of the Department of structures and structures of MIEI.
Subscribe to the TG channel “Our GUU” Date of publication: 02/13/2025
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Source: Novosibirsk State University – Novosibirsk State University –
Employees Center for Artificial Intelligence of Novosibirsk State University (NSU Center for Information Technologies) received a patent for a utility model of an electronic computing device for detecting defects in urban infrastructure and making decisions on how to eliminate them.
— In essence, this is a hybrid boxed solution, which is an intelligent system that, using video recording cameras installed in the city and a specially trained neural network, can identify various defects in urban infrastructure and utility lines with great accuracy (non-working light poles or traffic lights, potholes in the roads, etc.), and then, using a logical-semantic block, formulate a solution to eliminate these problems, — said one of the authors of the development, head of the research department of the Sigma project at the NSU Center for Information Technologies, PhD in Physics and Mathematics Andrey Nechesov.
“Sigma” is a flagship project, a framework for developing digital twins of smart cities, which allows integrating other practical implementations using the API mechanism. As emphasized by the NSU Center for Informatics, the framework is not only an engineering solution, but also a very serious scientific project based on the achievements of the Siberian school of artificial intelligence, headed by academicians of the Russian Academy of Sciences Yu. L. Ershov and S. S. Goncharov.
The success of ChatGPT and DeepSeek and other large language models (LLM) has generated a lot of interest in this area. LLM capabilities are constantly growing, and today they are already solving a number of important problems. Of course, this is a huge success, but there is a downside to the models themselves – the black box problem, the hallucination problem, the audit problem, deepfakes, and so on. Therefore, in vital areas, these intelligent systems should be used with caution or under the control of more reliable systems, say, based on logic, which would partially or completely check the work of the LLM. This is the approach taken by the participants of the Sigma project.
— By combining the vast experience of my colleague and co-author of the patent Andrey Andreev in inventing and managing large industrial enterprises, as well as my experience in mathematics, blockchain technologies, smart contracts and building trusted intelligent systems, we outlined a plan for formalizing and implementing key aspects in building a framework and simultaneously patenting them, — noted Andrey Nechesov.
The first stage of the plan was an electronic computing device for detecting defects in urban infrastructure; work is currently underway on several more useful models and inventions. As a result, a whole line of solutions will be formed, which will then be integrated into the Sigma framework and can be used to optimize monitoring and management of the state of the urban environment.
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Source: Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering – Evgeny Korolev (center) and employees of the Library of the Russian Academy of Sciences: Elena Ermoshina, head of the collections and services department; Olga Skvortsova, director; Natalia Kolpakova, deputy director for research, and Natalia Volkova, head of the spr
Vice-Rector for Research, Professor, Head of the Department of Construction Materials Technology and Metrology at SPbGASU, Academician of the Russian Engineering Academy Evgeny Korolev presented the Library of the Russian Academy of Sciences with a medal “For outstanding achievements in the field of popularization of engineering knowledge” and a set of rare books.
“The Library of the Russian Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg was founded in 1714 by Peter the Great and is the oldest in Russia. Today, it is one of the largest libraries in our country and the world. Its collections contain millions of storage units and many unique literary monuments. The library staff supports scientific and research activities, provides a wide range of services, thereby contributing to the popularization of science in general and engineering knowledge in particular. In gratitude, the Presidium of the Russian Engineering Academy decided to award the institution a medal. This award is our appreciation for the work of all library employees,” noted Evgeny Korolev.
On behalf of SPbGASU, the vice-rector donated rare editions to the library: “Brick Outfit of Nevsky Prospect” and “Brick Saint Petersburg in the 18th–19th Centuries”. Their author is Vsevolod Inchik, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Advisor to the Russian Academy of Architecture and Construction Sciences, Full Member of the Petrovskaya Academy of Sciences and Arts, and the creator of the unique Museum of Saint Petersburg Brick at SPbGASU.
The library management and staff thanked the Russian Engineering Academy for the high assessment of their work, and SPbGASU for valuable publications. They expressed hope for further fruitful cooperation for the benefit of Russian science and education.
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
13 February 2025 – Falcon Oil & Gas Ltd. (TSXV: FO, AIM: FOG) provides the following update on the stimulation campaign for the Shenandoah S2-2H ST1 (“SS-2H ST1”) and Shenandoah South 4H (“SS-4H”) wells in the Beetaloo Sub-basin, Northern Territory, Australia with Falcon Oil & Gas Australia Limited’s (“Falcon Australia”) joint venture partner, Tamboran (B2) Pty Limited (“Operator”).
SS-2H ST1
As previously announced stimulation operations were successfully completed over 35 stages across the 1,671-metre (5,483-feet) horizontal section of the Amungee Member B-shale with Liberty Energy (NYSE: LBRT) stimulation equipment.
The SS-2H ST1 well is being prepared for the commencement of initial flow back and extended production testing.
Targeting announcement of 30 day initial production (“IP30”) flow rates in April 2025.
SS-4H
Commenced stimulation operations in January 2025.
The Operator took proactive and precautionary steps to pause completion operations due to the detection of stress in a casing connection.
Reinforcement activities are planned to be conducted in Q1 2025, aiming for stimulation activities to recommence in Q2 2025, as soon as the IP30 flow test is completed at SS-2H ST1.
The deferred stimulation program should provide an opportunity to incorporate lessons from the SS-2H ST1 campaign.
Targeting announcement of IP30 flow rates in mid-2025.
Working Capital
Falcon Australia has received a A$4.7 million (~US$3 million) research and development tax offset in cash.
The Group’s current cash balance is US$8.2 million.
Philip O’Quigley, CEO of Falcon commented: “We continue to be extremely encouraged about the potential of the current stimulation program based on strong gas shows and other data observed whilst drilling, together with the completion of a successful stimulation program on SS-2H ST1 well. We look forward to updating the market on the IP30 flow test results from both wells as soon as they become available.”
Ends. CONTACT DETAILS:
Falcon Oil & Gas Ltd.
+353 1 676 8702
Philip O’Quigley, CEO
+353 87 814 7042
Anne Flynn, CFO
+353 1 676 9162
Cavendish Capital Markets Limited(NOMAD & Broker)
Neil McDonald / Adam Rae
+44 131 220 9771
This announcement has been reviewed by Dr. Gábor Bada, Falcon Oil & Gas Ltd’s Technical Advisor. Dr. Bada obtained his geology degree at the Eötvös L. University in Budapest, Hungary and his PhD at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands. He is a member of AAPG.
About Falcon Oil & Gas Ltd.
Falcon Oil & Gas Ltd is an international oil & gas company engaged in the exploration and development of unconventional oil and gas assets, with the current portfolio focused in Australia. Falcon Oil & Gas Ltd is incorporated in British Columbia, Canada and headquartered in Dublin, Ireland.
Falcon Oil & Gas Australia Limited is a c. 98% subsidiary of Falcon Oil & Gas Ltd.
For further information on Falcon Oil & Gas Ltd. Please visit www.falconoilandgas.com
About Beetaloo Joint Venture (EP 76, 98 and 117)
Company
Interest
Falcon Oil & Gas Australia Limited (Falcon Australia)
22.5%
Tamboran (B2) Pty Limited
77.5%
Total
100.0%
Shenandoah South Pilot Project -2 Drilling Space Units – 46,080 acres1
Company
Interest
Falcon Oil & Gas Australia Limited (Falcon Australia)
5.0%
Tamboran (B2) Pty Limited
95.0%
Total
100.0%
1Subject to the completion of the SS2HST1and SS4H wells on the Shenandoah South pad 2.
About Tamboran (B2) Pty Limited Tamboran (B1) Pty Limited (“Tamboran B1”) is the 100% holder of Tamboran (B2) Pty Limited, with Tamboran B1 being a 50:50 joint venture between Tamboran Resources Corporation and Daly Waters Energy, LP.
Tamboran Resources Corporation, is a natural gas company listed on the NYSE (TBN) and ASX (TBN). Tamboran is focused on playing a constructive role in the global energy transition towards a lower carbon future, by developing the significant low CO2 gas resource within the Beetaloo Basin through cutting-edge drilling and completion design technology as well as management’s experience in successfully commercialising unconventional shale in North America.
Bryan Sheffield of Daly Waters Energy, LP is a highly successful investor and has made significant returns in the US unconventional energy sector in the past. He was Founder of Parsley Energy Inc. (“PE”), an independent unconventional oil and gas producer in the Permian Basin, Texas and previously served as its Chairman and CEO. PE was acquired for over US$7 billion by Pioneer Natural Resources Company.
Advisory regarding forward-looking statements Certain information in this press release may constitute forward-looking information. Any statements that are contained in this news release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking information. Forward-looking information typically contains statements with words such as “may”, “will”, “should”, “expect”, “intend”, “plan”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “estimate”, “projects”, “dependent”, “consider” “potential”, “scheduled”, “forecast”, “outlook”, “budget”, “hope”, “suggest”, “support” “planned”, “approximately”, “potential” or the negative of those terms or similar words suggesting future outcomes. In particular, forward-looking information in this press release includes, details on the completion of the stimulation, preparation for initial flow back and targeting an IP30 flow rate of April 2025 for SS-2H ST1; steps taken to pause operations, planned reinforcement activities in Q1 2025, aiming for recommencement of activities in Q2 2025, opportunity to incorporate lessons from the SS-2H ST1 campaign and targeting IP30 flow rates in mid-2025 for SS-4H.
This information is based on current expectations that are subject to significant risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. The risks, assumptions and other factors that could influence actual results include risks associated with fluctuations in market prices for shale gas; risks related to the exploration, development and production of shale gas reserves; general economic, market and business conditions; substantial capital requirements; uncertainties inherent in estimating quantities of reserves and resources; extent of, and cost of compliance with, government laws and regulations and the effect of changes in such laws and regulations; the need to obtain regulatory approvals before development commences; environmental risks and hazards and the cost of compliance with environmental regulations; aboriginal claims; inherent risks and hazards with operations such as mechanical or pipe failure, cratering and other dangerous conditions; potential cost overruns, drilling wells is speculative, often involving significant costs that may be more than estimated and may not result in any discoveries; variations in foreign exchange rates; competition for capital, equipment, new leases, pipeline capacity and skilled personnel; the failure of the holder of licenses, leases and permits to meet requirements of such; changes in royalty regimes; failure to accurately estimate abandonment and reclamation costs; inaccurate estimates and assumptions by management and their joint venture partners; effectiveness of internal controls; the potential lack of available drilling equipment; failure to obtain or keep key personnel; title deficiencies; geo-political risks; and risk of litigation.
Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of important factors is not exhaustive and that these factors and risks are difficult to predict. Actual results might differ materially from results suggested in any forward-looking statements. Falcon assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements unless and until required by securities laws applicable to Falcon. Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties is contained in Falcon’s filings with the Canadian securities regulators, which filings are available at www.sedarplus.com, including under “Risk Factors” in the Annual Information Form.
Any references in this news release to initial production rates are useful in confirming the presence of hydrocarbons; however, such rates are not determinative of the rates at which such wells will continue production and decline thereafter and are not necessarily indicative of long-term performance or ultimate recovery. While encouraging, readers are cautioned not to place reliance on such rates in calculating the aggregate production for Falcon. Such rates are based on field estimates and may be based on limited data available at this time.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –
On February 12, Georgy Fokin, CEO of Gazprom Transgaz Saint Petersburg, and Andrey Rudskoy, Rector of Peter the Great Saint Petersburg Polytechnic University (SPbPU), signed a new version of the cooperation agreement.
At the meeting held at the university, prospects for further cooperation were discussed. One of the important achievements is the creation in 2014 of the basic department of the company “Gas Turbine Units for Gas Pumping Stations” as part of the Institute of Energy and Transport Systems of SPbPU, where joint scientific research is carried out in priority areas of science and technology applicable to the gas industry and the fuel and energy complex. Training is conducted according to bachelor’s and master’s degree programs.
Since 2012, Gazprom Transgaz Saint Petersburg LLC and Peter the Great Saint Petersburg Polytechnic University have had a cooperation agreement in the area of developing joint educational, scientific and research activities.
According to the terms of the agreement, university students undergo industrial and pre-graduation practice at the enterprise’s facilities, take part in conferences for young workers and research projects, and participate in a competition to receive the Society’s Personal Scholarship. The most promising of them receive the opportunity for employment and professional development at Gazprom Transgaz Saint Petersburg.
Gazprom Transgaz Saint Petersburg LLC is a 100% subsidiary of Gazprom PJSC. The company transports gas to Saint Petersburg, Leningrad, Novgorod, Pskov, Kaliningrad, Tver, Smolensk, Bryansk regions, the Republic of Karelia, and the Republic of Belarus.
The company operates over 12 thousand kilometers of gas pipelines. The enterprise’s area of responsibility includes 34 compressor shops with 206 gas pumping units, 251 gas distribution stations, heat, power and water supply facilities, communications, metrology and automation. The company has 18 branches, including 14 linear production departments of main gas pipelines.
The company’s staff numbers over 7,000 people. The head office is located in St. Petersburg.
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milad Haghani, Associate Professor & Principal Fellow in Urban Risk & Resilience, The University of Melbourne
Public transport in Queensland now costs just 50 cents. Yet in the first six months of the trial, it’s been revealed that thousands of commuters were fined for fare evasion.
More than 3,000 people received fines of A$322 each, amounting to more than $1 million in penalties. And more than 21,000 were issued warnings over this period.
Queensland’s 50 cent fares trial was designed to boost ridership and ease cost-of-living pressures. Now it has exposed a paradox: why do people evade fares even when the price is nearly free?
Fare evasion isn’t just a Queensland problem — it’s a nationwide challenge. Queensland’s experience raises bigger questions about enforcement, policy, and the role of public transport funding.
A nationwide challenge
Across the country, fare evasion drains millions from state public transport budgets. In New South Wales, for example, fare evasion costs the state government about $80 million each year.
The latest NSW Fare Compliance Survey inspected 52,152 tickets, including Opal cards, contactless payments, and single-trip tickets, across the NSW public transport network.
It found most non-compliance came down to passengers travelling without a valid ticket. This included not only those customers carrying no ticket at all, but also those who did have an Opal or other payment card but hadn’t tapped on.
Another form of non-compliance was when passengers used concessions for which they weren’t eligible.
The survey also highlighted variations in compliance – across different modes of transport, times of day and days of the week.
Overall, compliance did not significantly differ between weekends and weekdays.
Looking at weekday use, Sydney Metro had the highest compliance rate at 97%. This was followed by Sydney Ferries (95.9%), all trains (93.6%), Sydney Light Rail (91%) and all buses (89.2%).
Who evades fares and why?
Fare evasion isn’t just about people trying to save money. Research shows there are different types of fare evaders, ranging from habitual dodgers to those who evade unintentionally.
An international study on Santiago’s Transantiago system found that evaders could be categorised into four groups:
radical evaders who view non-payment as a form of protest
strategic evaders who evade when they believe the risk of being caught is low
ambivalent evaders who sometimes pay but don’t always see the value in it
accidental evaders who forget or run into ticketing system barriers.
A separate study in Melbourne also identified a wide spectrum of attitudes on fare evasion, from those who consider it morally wrong to those who take calculated risks based on enforcement patterns.
Does lowering fares reduce evasion?
Queensland’s 50-cent fare trial presents a real-world test of a long-standing question: does cheaper public transport reduce fare evasion?
Our calculations using the state’s early data show a 27% drop in fare evasion fines since the trial began, compared with the same period in the previous year.
This aligns with the idea that fare evasion is, at least partially, a rational economic decision. When the price is lower, the incentive to evade diminishes – though it does not completely disappear.
Modelling evidence from Santiago’s bus system also suggests price sensitivity, but with caveats. A 10% increase in fares led to a two-percentage-point rise in fare evasion.
The role of trust and public perception
A surprising insight from research is that fare evasion isn’t just an economic decision. It’s a social one, too.
When passengers perceive the system as unfair (due to factors such as unreliable service, high fares or lack of investment), fare evasion rises.
Further, if fare dodging behaviour is normalised within a city or demographic, it spreads like contagion.
Studies have suggested that permissive social attitudes toward fare evasion are as strong a predictor as actual financial hardship.
The limits of enforcement
Most transit agencies rely on two standard deterrents: more ticket inspections, and harsher fines for fare evaders.
Does this approach work? Research suggests only to a point.
Empirical evidence suggests that potential evaders are more deterred by the certainty of getting caught than by the size of the fine.
In other words, the visibility of inspectors matters more than the penalty itself. For many, the social stigma of getting caught is a key factor, regardless of how big the penalty is.
A crucial question in the Queensland debate is: if public transport is already nearly free, does fare evasion even matter?
The lost revenue from the unpaid fares by those who were issued a fine over the period in question amounts to just $1,663.
Depending on the level of crackdown, at such low fees, enforcement measures could easily end up costing more than the revenue lost. Security patrols, inspections and fine processing can amount to significant costs.
Why it matters
There are at least two key factors to consider in relation to whether cracking down on evaders is worth it.
First, allowing widespread fare evasion could erode social norms around paying for public services. If the expectation of compliance disappears, what happens if fares rise again?
And second, even when fares are zero or near-zero, requiring passengers to validate a ticket (such as by tapping on and off) allows transport agencies to track demand, plan services, and prevent system abuse.
Even in Tallinn, Estonia — where residents ride for free — tap-ons are still required for data collection and preventing system abuse.
Even at 50 cents a trip, authorities still expect public transport to function within a structured system, with rules that encourage accountability and predictability.
But enforcement alone won’t solve fare evasion. Winning public trust is just as important as enforcing rules. Investing in better service quality, reliability and community engagement can be as effective as increasing inspections.
The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Quality radio remains ever universal, popular and more reliable in an era of artificial intelligence (AI) and social media, including in Costa Rica, where unique programming raises awareness and promotes public participation on climate decision making in Latin America, the theme of this year’s World Radio Day, marked annually on 13 February.
In a crucial year for climate action which, in accordance with the Paris Agreement, seeks to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, World Radio Day is dedicated in 2025 to highlighting the power of broadcasting to bring climate change issues to prominence.
That’s the goal of Climate Radio Route.
Radio democratises
Radio is considered the most reliable medium, according to the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which supports radio stations, like Climate Radio Route, in their journalistic coverage of this year’s theme.
Adrián Martínez, director of La Ruta del Clima – the Climate Route – a Costa Rican non-governmental organization (NGO) promoting public participation in climate and environmental decision-making that has been an observer, advocating at the UN climate summits since 2014.
“Radio in all its versions, whether digital or transmitted by antennas, is super important because it democratizes,” he told UN News . “Radio traditionally reaches places and communities where there is no Internet. It is also very generational. People interact with the radio day by day because it is ephemeral.”
Climate hits the radio waves
The Climate Route studies and exposes impacts “on the human rights of people in vulnerable communities in Latin America, especially in Central America, who have to deal with the adverse effects of climate change, for which they have very little responsibility but which is transforming their territories and ways of life”, Mr. Martínez explained.
With the aim of disseminating and raising awareness in society about these issues, in 2015 the organization created the Ruta del Clima Radio – the Climate Radio Route.
The programme was broadcast in the first years by a radio station of the University of Costa Rica and then by digital media through podcasts.
Communities can make their voices heard
“Communication that can have a massive reach has become very expensive and elitist,” Mr. Martínez said. “However, digital or traditional radio opens up that opportunity for communities, social organizations and movements to create their window and make their voices heard.”
UNESCO argues that beyond popularising environmental concepts, by disseminating information independent of economic, ideological and political powers, radio can condition listeners’ perception of climate change, and the importance given to the issue.
As such, radio can also contribute to shaping the public agenda and influencing policies in this regard.
A training workshop on damage and loss in the community of Cahuita in Costa Rica.
Connecting climate change to people
The Climate Radio Route has focused a lot on connecting the issue of climate change with people, not only at the national level in Costa Rica, but throughout the Latin American region.
The programme discusses issues most relevant in climate governance and amplifies the work and experiences and opinions of colleagues, activists and experts from this region and others on climate issues.
“Citizens can have information and criteria beyond what is in the official media and thus can have a more comprehensive vision and promote the effective participation of our communities in climate decisions,” Mr. Martínez said.
Climate Route Radio productions are self-contained and include climate summits, community interviews and online interviews with people around the world in English or Spanish.
In line with the SDGs
The Climate Route underlines the importance of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those that refer to: climate action; peace, justice and solid institutions; and partnerships to achieve the goals.
Mr. Martínez points out that the NGO has worked with some UN agencies, such as the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP).
“We collaborate, for example, with the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), on climate change issues, and we are always discussing with them and with the rapporteurs of the United Nations system or the OAS [Organization of American States] on environmental issues,” he said.
Presidency of Costa Rica
The impact of Storm Nate was catastrophic for Costa Rica, affecting 117 national roads and 113,000 hectares of agricultural production, damaging 423 bridges and causing more than $380 million in losses. (file)
Climate justice claims
Costa Rica is a country that for years has stood out for the ecological and climate awareness of its population and government, and the Climate Radio Route could have something to do with that awareness.
“We know that we have a very specialised community of listeners and have helped to interact with this technical group from various countries: politicians, activists or members of governments or national delegations,” Mr. Martínez said, adding that it has also helped to talk about issues of human rights, gender and community perspective as well as make constructive criticism.
This interaction, he adds, has made it possible to strengthen demands for climate justice.
Adrián Martínez, director of La Ruta del Clima, facilitates a workshop on climate reparations at COP 29.
A ‘very special’ radio
“We are not a very large radio station, but perhaps very special in its message,” Mr. Martínez said. “I think that has opened doors for us to make our perspective known and create a link with this community that is sometimes difficult to engage.”
In this vein, he underlined the relevance of radio.
“It allows us to access communication in an oral way, which is sometimes very necessary to be able to have understanding,” he said. “The way we communicate orally is very different from the way we do in writing and sometimes we cannot communicate in the same way.”
Radio is essential to be able to generate that dialogue of ideas, emotions and feelings that can enhance decision making for peace and for the construction of a better relationship with the environment.
“I think we must continue to explore not only the use of radio, but also other media that connect us and understand the need to work together,” he said. “That is the important thing about the media: to be able to understand others and then to be able to take common action.”
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jane Younger, Lecturer in Southern Ocean Vertebrate Ecology, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania
Australia’s Antarctic territory represents the largest sliver of the ice continent. For decades, Australian scientists have headed to one of our three bases – Mawson, Davis and Casey – as well as the base on sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island, to research everything from ecology to climate science.
But despite our role as leaders in Antarctic science, Australian funding and logistics for Antarctic research hasn’t kept pace. Our single icebreaking vessel spends most of its time on resupply missions, restricting its use for actual science. And funding is often piecemeal, which makes it hard to plan the complex, multi-year efforts it takes to do research down on the ice.
This week, we saw a welcome change. The federal parliamentary committee on Australia’s external territories delivered a report calling for a second icebreaking vessel and more reliable funding. It also urged the government to progress work on marine protected areas in east Antarctica as well as resume fishing patrols, due to concern over illegal or exploitative fishing.
These measures are long overdue. For those of us who work and study on the ice continent, logistics and funding have long been a challenge. Illegal fishing in Antarctica must be stamped out, and a second vessel would support our ambitious, world-leading science.
Why is Antarctic science so important?
Antarctica is often out of sight, out of mind for many Australians. But what happens on the ice doesn’t stay there.
For climate science, Antarctica matters a great deal. For decades, much of the concern about melting ice focused on the Arctic and Greenland, while Antarctica stayed relatively stable. But this is now changing. Sea ice is melting more quickly than in the past. Glacial ice is retreating. Increased melting will affect sea level rise and ocean currents.
I study diseases such as the lethal strain of bird flu which has devastated bird and some mammals populations around the world. It recently reached Antarctica, where it killed large numbers of penguins, skuas, crabeater seals and more. I saw the devastation myself on my recent journey there.
If this strain makes it to Australia – the last continent free of it – it could come from the south and devastate both Australian wildlife and poultry.
To study these large and important changes, we need to be down there on the ice. It’s not an easy task. Keeping our bases functional means we need regular resupply missions. Repairs and extensions require tradies. Scientists and other workers need to be brought home.
Antarctic science has long relied on just one vessel, now the RSV Nuniya, which the Australian Antarctic Division describes as the “main lifeline to Australia’s Antarctic and sub-Antarctic research stations and the central platform of our Antarctic and Southern Ocean scientific research”.
The problem is, resupply can trump science. After all, no one wants bases running short of food or fuel. This is, in fact, what the Nuniya is largely doing.
Australia’s role is key
The Australian Antarctic Territory represents about 40% of the ice continent – the largest territory by far.
Territory, here, doesn’t mean exclusive rights. In 1959, 12 nations with a scientific interest in the ice continent signed the Antarctic Treaty. This treaty was an agreement that Antarctica – the only landmass with no indigenous human presence – would be reserved for peaceful, scientific purposes.
But in recent years, this treaty has come under pressure. Nations such as Norway and China have expanded fishing operations for krill. Illegal and unregulated fishing from various nations continues.
The report recommends the Australian government continue efforts to establish a marine protected area off East Antarctica – where fishing would be restricted – as well as reopening fishing patrols. China – which recently opened its fifth Antarctic base – is opposed to the idea of fishing-free zones and is pushing to expand fishing in the Southern Ocean.
Under Antarctica’s ice lie many resources. Mining is banned in Antarctica until 2048. What happens after that is uncertain. The race to tap critical minerals in Greenland signals what may lie ahead for Antarctica.
This is why Australia’s leadership in Antarctic science matters. Australia was an original signatory to the Antarctic Treaty, and has a long history of exploration and science. Hobart has long been the home of Australia’s Antarctic vessels.
As Antarctica changes, Australian scientists must be there to analyse, understand and report back. To do that, improvements are needed, including new vessels and longer-term funding. This report is the first step.
The government is yet to formally respond to the report’s recommendations. Let’s hope it takes heed of the findings.
Jane Younger receives funding from the Australian Research Council, WIRES Australia, the Geoffrey Evans Trust and the National Geographic Society.
Two federal politicians from opposing camps reached across the aisle this week to promote a valuable cause – the wellbeing of future Australian generations.
In an election year no less, this was a highly unusual moment of bipartisan collaboration.
It is extremely rare for private members bills to be passed into law. But the ideas in the Scamps bill have merit – especially its central recommendation that all decision makers properly consider the needs of young people when drafting government policy.
The bill was a direct response to a diverse civil society campaign in Australia and overseas to prioritise long term solutions to deliver a fairer, more sustainable future.
We support those efforts through our involvement in the youth-driven non-profit Foundations for Tomorrow, which worked closely with Scamps on her bill.
What is in the bill?
The bill would introduce a range of measures to try and apply a future focus to decision making across the policy spectrum. This includes housing, environment, climate change, mental health and job security, all of which are pressing issues for young people.
An independent Commissioner for Future Generations would be appointed to advocate for better policies and sustainable practices, while the government would have a public duty to always consider the best interests of future generations.
Importantly, a national conversation would be launched to engage Australians in a public consultation to help shape the nation’s vision for the future.
What is future governance?
Globally, we are in a state of polycrisis.
We are confronting cascading climate disasters, intense regional conflicts and geo-strategic competition. In response to this, a growing international movement representing the interests of future generations has emerged.
The concept incorporates an approach to decision making that overcomes the trappings of short-term, inadequate solutions. Instead, the emphasis is on planning for the future, not just the here and now.
Here in Australia, it aspires to future-proof the country by managing extreme, long-term risks that are damaging current and future prosperity.
Growing inequality is showing up in many policy areas, none more so than in the housing wealth gap between people in their 30s and 50s, which has widened to an extraordinary 234%.
By improving governance, it is hoped that intergenerational justice will be achieved. This ethical lens is compatible with the Australian Public Service value of good stewardship.
The Australian bill is based on the experience in Wales, where similar legislation was introduced in 2015.
The Welsh model has delivered significant practical benefits by including community involvement in planning, and protecting essential services from election cycles. For instance, environmental protection has been given higher status in decision making about transport.
The Australian landscape
Australia has undertaken other efforts to think long term. The Intergenerational Report was launched by former treasurer Peter Costello in 2002 to build consensus around the big issues facing Australia over the next 40 years.
The most recent report, in 2023, identified five major areas needing future generations policy. These were population and ageing, technological and digital transformation, climate change and the net zero transformation, rising demand for care and support services, and geopolitical risk and fragmentation.
The ideas in the Wellbeing of Future Generations bill could help guide policy in these critical areas. It would be an improvement on our current approach of recognising issues, but constantly kicking the can down the road.
There have been other excellent future generations measures at all levels of government. One of these is the Albanese government’s commitment to the Measuring What Matters framework.
An increasing number of leaders and policy makers are recognising the power and potential of expanding our definitions of policy success.
Young voters and the 2025 election
However, much more needs to be done to overcome intergenerational inequities. Policy-making continues to be driven by short-term political objectives, which is eroding trust and optimism in Australia’s future.
In a 2021 survey for Foundations for Tomorrow, 71% of young Australians said said that they “do not feel secure”. Young people are also drifting away from supporting the major parties, especially the Coalition.
Tabling her bill, Scamps correctly pointed out that today’s young Australians are the first generation in modern history to be worse off than their parents.
Australians want politicians to start thinking beyond their own re-election prospects. They want long term solutions, they want vision, they want hope. We owe them that much.
A recent survey by EveryGen (a network convened by Griffith University’s Policy Innovation Hub) found that 81% of Australians feel that politicians focus too much on short-term priorities. An overwhelming 97% of people believe that current policies must consider the interests of future generations.
Genuine futures thinking is not always easy. But it does add an important ethical dimension to decision making, that of real attention to political legacy.
Susan Harris Rimmer receives funding from the Australian Research Council. She is affiliated with Foundations for Tomorrow as a board member who are running the For the Future campaign, and is founder of the EveryGen network. EveryGen is a member of the Intergenerational Fairness Coalition.
Elise Stephenson receives funding from the Australian Research Council. She is a founding member of the EveryGen network and supporter of Foundations for Tomorrow. EveryGen is a member of the Intergenerational Fairness Coalition.
This photo taken with a mobile phone on Feb. 7, 2025 shows a price tag on a shelf for eggs at a local supermarket in El Monte, Los Angeles County, California, the United States. [Photo/Xinhua]
More U.S. grocery chains are implementing egg purchase limits as bird flu outbreaks continue to disrupt supplies, with California shoppers particularly feeling the squeeze through restricted purchases and early morning queues.
At a Costco store in San Jose, California, the warehouse has been limiting purchases to three cartons per customer since Saturday, according to a store employee named Pauline. By late morning on Tuesday, only 15 cartons remained — all higher-priced organic brown and green eggs, with no white eggs available. The store has posted the sales limit sign at the entrance, effective Tuesday.
“You need to come early to make sure you can buy eggs,” Marcie Lopez, a customer at the store, told Xinhua, noting that eggs are getting more expensive and harder to buy this year.
“No eggs, no eggs, no eggs,” a clerk at another Costco store in Azusa, California, told the people waiting in line just after the location opened on Monday morning.
“It’s unbelievable, we came so early in the morning, but we still couldn’t buy eggs,” a customer, who gave her name as Luna, told Xinhua.
The rising prices and empty shelves are fueling consumer anxiety. Social media platforms like TikTok are flooded with videos of shoppers rushing to grab eggs, sometimes emptying freshly stocked shelves in minutes. One viral video from a Costco store showed eggs being snapped up in less than 10 minutes, with customers grabbing eggs by the hundreds.
Nationwide, retailers are scrambling to manage dwindling supplies. Trader Joe’s has implemented a one-dozen limit per customer per day across all of its over 600 U.S. locations.
“Due to ongoing issues with the supply of eggs, we kindly ask you to limit your purchase to 1 dozen of any kind,” wrote a Trader Joe’s store in Monrovia in a sign for customers shopping for eggs, noting that “we hope to have ample supply soon. Until then, we appreciate your understanding.”
Whole Foods has capped purchases at three cartons per shopper, while Kroger stores are limiting customers to two dozen eggs per trip.
Other major chains have followed suit. Sprouts has implemented a four-dozen limit per visit, Giant Eagle is asking customers to limit purchases to three cartons per transaction, and Market Basket stores in Massachusetts are restricting egg purchases to two cartons per family.
In California, a Safeway supermarket in Santa Clara has been limiting customers to two dozen per visit for the past month. An employee, who called himself John, explained to Xinhua that the store doesn’t receive daily egg deliveries, instead stocking twice daily — at 7 a.m. and noon — to spread out availability. Even with these measures, eggs typically sell out by late afternoon.
The restrictions come as highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) continues to impact egg-laying flocks nationwide. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Eggs Markets Overview report published on Friday, more than 150 million poultry birds have been killed in attempts to combat the H5N1 virus, causing egg prices to soar and supplies to dwindle.
The national trading price for graded, loose, white large shell eggs has risen to 7.34 U.S. dollars per dozen, while the California wholesale price for cage-free large shell eggs has reached 9.11 dollars per dozen. The report expects the supply situation to remain tight, with little chance for near-term improvement.
As a result, many grocers are limiting promotional activities and implementing purchase restrictions to stretch existing supplies.
“Due to recent market conditions, egg prices have increased. We apologize for any inconvenience,” wrote an Aldi store in Monrovia in a sign inside the shop, adding that “due to supply challenges, eggs are limit 2 per customer.”
Some retailers are maintaining high prices to dampen demand, and egg product manufacturers have increased their demand, leading to sharp price advances in the spot market.
USDA predicts egg prices will increase about 20 percent in 2025, far outpacing the projected 2.2 percent increase in overall food prices. The prices in December 2024 were already 36.8 percent higher than the previous year, according to USDA data.
Saloni Vastani, an associate professor of marketing at Emory University, told USA Today that the shortage is being exacerbated by consumer behavior.
“Egg prices are going up because of the avian flu, but that’s driving people to buy more eggs than they usually do because they’re anticipating higher prices and reduced grocery store supply,” Vastani explained.
The impact has extended to restaurants as well. Waffle House, which serves approximately 272 million eggs annually, recently implemented a 50-cent per egg surcharge across its roughly 2,100 U.S. locations.
Imagine you are asked to give a small amount of money to a stranger. It’s not your money, so it doesn’t cost you anything. You’re just deciding how much they get.
But first, a pair of coins is flipped – one for you and one for the stranger – and you are told the results.
Would the coin flip change how much money you give? Specifically, would you give them a larger amount if you both got heads or tails than if you got different results?
As we discovered in a series of experiments with more than 1,400 participants, the coin flip – or other seemingly insignificant points of similarity or difference – might well affect your behaviour.
In a new paper in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, we show how understanding why even a coin flip can influence behaviour might help us understand what makes people discriminate against others.
‘Us’ versus ‘them’
Historically, many psychological theories that aim to explain discrimination have focused on group processes, rather than on how we respond to individual people.
This focus on group processes followed, in part, from the discovery that people benefit their own group over another group even if the division into groups had happened based on seemingly irrelevant features.
The use of such features has been crucial for explaining the core psychology of discrimination, stripped from any wider societal elements such as race, gender, values or attitudes.
In the seminal “minimal group” experiment, people were assigned to one of two groups based on seemingly irrelevant differences. Some groups were split by a preference for the paintings of Paul Klee versus those of Wassily Kandinsky, others by whether they had over- or underestimated the number of dots in an image. Some were even allocated to groups by a random event like a coin flip.
The so-called ‘minimal group’ experiment showed that separating people into groups was enough to make them favour members of their own group. Andrii Yalanski/Shutterstock
The result? Klee fans tended to give financial benefits to other Klee fans ahead of Kandinsky enthusiasts. Likewise, people in the “heads” group favoured their own group over those in the “tails” group.
The results could not be explained easily by existing research at the time. Some theories had emphasised that people show favour towards an individual after agreeing on more meaningful topics than painting preferences or dots estimations. The meaningful topics were things like one’s belief system, values or political or religious views.
Small studies had also found that a coin flip – which didn’t lead to explicitly dividing people into groups – was not enough to make people show discriminatory tendencies.
An influential theory called social identity theory thus concluded that social categorisation – thinking in terms of “us” versus “them” – could lead to people discriminating. This was tied to an idea that people elevate their self-image or improve their self-esteem by benefiting their own group over others.
New research emphasises a role for even random similarity versus difference
In our recent research, we set out to reassess whether group division is crucial to understand discriminatory tendencies.
We carried out seven experiments with over 1,400 participants in total (all based in the United Kingdom).
The study analysed data from participants who were asked to either repeatedly choose their preferred painting from two, estimate the number of dots presented in a “cloud”, or take part in a coin toss.
After each choice or coin flip, participants had to assign money to another person (the same person each time).
The result of a coin flip was enough to change how study participants treated another person. Motortion Films/Shutterstock
The only information participants were given about the other individual was their outcome in the same situation. Neither participants nor the other person were assigned to groups. Someone asked to pick between two paintings, for instance, was only told which painting the person they were allocating money to preferred in that instance.
Participants allocated on average 43.1% more money to another person who demonstrated the same judgement – or chance outcome – to their own.
Our research demonstrates that some of our discriminatory tendencies may be driven by individual difference versus sameness even when that difference or sameness is based on random chance, like a coin flip.
The findings raise the possibility that more basic neural processes than thinking about groups may have contributed to these outcomes.
Detecting a difference often comes with a conflict signal in the brain, and may come with negative emotions. Sameness with another person may hence lead to a more favourable treatment. However, this potential explanation will require further research.
Why does this matter?
The findings can help understand our own tendencies for favouring another person.
Previous research had suggested that “incidental similarity” with somebody, such as sharing a birthday or a name, can influence pro-social behaviour or liking because we associate the person with the way we see ourselves.
Our research surprisingly suggests that something similar can happen on the basis of an even less-relevant chance event such as a coin flip.
This may affect how we think about discrimination. We usually understand discrimination as making unfair distinctions between people based on groups or other social categories.
Our research suggests future perspectives on discrimination may incorporate a role for individual-level difference, too.
Does this new understanding suggest ways we can lessen discrimination? At this stage, they would only be speculative.
However, earlier scientific efforts to find ways to reduce prejudice and discrimination have largely been informed by group-based theories of discrimination. For example, some interventions have aimed to influence people’s perceptions of other groups.
In the same way, our new findings may inspire future research into interventions based on individual-level drivers of discrimination.
Eliane Deschrijver receives funding from the Australian Research Council.
Richard Ramsey 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.
Housework, a new play by Emily Steel, lifts the rock off politics to expose its crawling, ruthless, yet undeniably comic underside. The result is masterful, hilarious and deeply incisive.
Housework opens with the day-to-day demands of a local MP electorate office and then sweeps to the halls of power in Canberra.
Chief of staff Anna Cooper (Emily Taheny), media advisor Ben (Benn Welford) and junior staffer Kelly (Franca Lafosse) try to perform damage control for their headstrong, cherry-picked, first-term MP Ruth Mandour (Susie Youssef).
In Canberra, Ruth is preparing for her first private member’s bill, calling for health care reform; Anna has a sick child back home; and Ben is absent with COVID. Add in a star-struck young female staffer, a predatory older male MP (Paul, played by Renato Musolino), and a photo of them leaving a bar together and we strap in for a rollicking ride through media manipulation, personal and political sacrifice, and the fleeting moments of power.
It is absolutely compelling and all too recognisable.
This is everything you’ve always wanted to know about Australian politics but were too afraid to have your worst fears confirmed. Steel’s play is laugh-out-loud funny in its satire and send-ups. But it is also deeply affecting in her bleak but loving depiction of the chasm between personal dreams and the reality of politics.
Uproarious comedy
Steel has based her script on interviews with politicians and staffers (confidential, of course) and media stories. She centres the experiences of women in politics, personal lives, gender roles, sexism, fighting the patriarchal socio-political systems. This sits within the story of a new MP butting up against potential scandal and the power plays of Parliament, and the relentless 24-hour news cycle.
It is a timely reminder of the barriers that continue to obstruct social equality.
The cleaning woman eventually gets one of the best skewering zingers of the play. Matt Byrne/STCSA
Steel’s script is bookended with a woman cleaning (who eventually gets one of the best skewering zingers of the play). The constant references to rubbish disposal are a highlight, from the hilarious opening scene (“we don’t do bins”) to the frantic scramble to weaponise a “scandal” and who is sacrificed to save who.
Steel’s writing revels in the roller coaster of political life, balancing the high comedy with deep insight into the human cost.
This is the kind of play you want to see again to delight in Steel’s use of language, the uproarious comedy and the undercurrents of bloodthirsty power.
A brilliant cast
Director Shannon Rush has expertly paced this excellent cast to bring out every laugh, back stab and all-too-familiar power jostle. They don’t miss a beat or drop a spark of energy. The sense of building political pressure and personal conflict is relentless and exciting; the depiction of the sense of place and power is spot on.
Every one of Steel’s political animals is instantly recognisable. We watch them with morbid fascination as they spar, jostle, align and detonate, revealing more of themselves as the stakes rise.
Every one of Steel’s political animals is instantly recognisable. Matt Byrne/STCSA
Taheny effortlessly makes the whip-smart staffer Anna multifaceted, with internal conflict alongside high-energy pragmatism and expertly timed comedy. Youssef’s Ruth is blunt, no-nonsense and idealistic, with comically few diplomatic skills and no idea how the machinations of government work – but an unflinching desire to make a change for good.
Lafosse brings depth, subtlety and excellent comic foil timing to the young idealist. Musolino revels in the role of the leader-in-waiting Paul, giving us a joyously morally bankrupt character. Every moment of his scenes is a delight and his repulsively predatory-yet-attractive older white male politician was all-too recognisable. The scenes between Paul and Taheny’s Anna spark and hum with energy and presence.
Welford is wonderful as Ben the media officer and Duncan the party apparatchik, bringing out the offhanded ruthless grabs for power and casual decimations between laughs.
Youssef’s Ruth is blunt, no-nonsense and idealistic, with comically few diplomatic skills. Matt Byrne/STCSA
The ensemble cast all play smaller roles, filling out the world of parliament with the faceless “schemers and plotters” in the back rooms and corridors, ABC news journalists, and continual stream of environmental protesters.
Sunitra Martinelli plays both the ever-present (and mostly voiceless) cleaner, and the prime minister. This pairing is a genius move, played with presence and deft contrast. The cleaning woman, constantly fixing the mess others make, bookends the play as a constant reminder of the mopping-up required for the people in power. Politics is literally a dirty business.
A future classic
Ailsa Paterson’s stylish set references the stark white outside of Parliament House in Canberra. The repetitive doorways and hallways, entries and frames for the machinations of the people of government. A rotating long timber table divides the scenes and the sides of parliament.
Sound design by Andrew Howard punctuates scene changes and mood swings with pounding relentless pace, the tick-tock of time passing, and rich sonic textures to create the insistent, driving tempo of government.
The stylish set references the stark white outside of Parliament House in Canberra. Matt Byrne/STCSA
Nigel Leavings’ lighting is superb, creating menace, blinding office fluros, and shadows in this mad-rush-to-the-top climb over the bodies of everyone to get to the top.
Housework is firmly in the now-familiar worlds of Total Control (2019–24), Rake (2010–18) and The Thick Of It (2005–12). It is a deft capturing of a socio-political moment in time, undeniably Australian and gloriously uncompromising.
Dare I say it, this a future Australian classic: a Don’s Party for our time, but with fewer blokes and WAGs – and a female PM.
Housework is at the State Theatre Company South Australia until February 22.
Catherine Campbell 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.
In response, three MHT products will be added to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Schedule (PBS): Estrogel and Estrogel Pro (gels) and Prometrium (a tablet). From March 1, this will bring the cost down to A$31.60 a month ($7.70 concession).
Some MHT skin patches are already subsidised on the PBS, but they’re in short supply globally. This is due to a combination of factors including manufacturing issues, unexpected increases in demand and the discontinuation of the Climara brand of patch.
So what are MHT patches? And how do they compare with gels, tablets and other formulations?
First a quick recap of menopause
During the transition to menopause, the ovaries gradually produce less oestrogen until they stop altogether.
This hormonal change can lead to a range of symptoms, including hot flushes, night sweats, sleep disturbances, mood swings, memory problems and vaginal dryness.
Over time, the reduction in oestrogen also increases the risk of health problems such as osteoporosis.
To help reduce the sometimes-debilitating symptoms, some women may be prescribed hormone therapy. This typically includes an oestrogen hormone (such as oestradiol or conjugated oestrogens) and, for women with an intact uterus, a progestogen. Therapy with both hormones is known as combination therapy.
If taken alone, oestrogen stimulates endometrial growth, increasing the risk of endometrial hyperplasia (irregular thickening of the uterine lining) and cancer. Progestogens counteract this by promoting regular shedding.
Women without a uterus (after a hysterectomy, for example) do not require progestogens as there is no endometrium to protect.
What are the different MHT formulations?
Early MHT, used in the 1940s, used oestrogens extracted from the urine of pregnant mares. Oral formulations derived from this source, such as conjugated equine oestrogens (such as Premarin, short for PREgnant MARes’ urINe), are still available.
These days, MHT can be broken down into two types of formulations:
1. ‘Systemic’ treatments such as tablets, patches or gels
Tablets and capsules are swallowed, while patches and gels are applied to the skin.
These treatments affect the whole body and are usually best for the vasomotor symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats, as well as to prevent bone loss.
2. ‘Localised’ treatments, such as creams and pessaries
These are inserted into the vagina, and act on the vagina and surrounding tissues. They are absorbed in very small amounts into the bloodstream, much lower than systemic treatments, and are unlikely to have significant effects on the rest of the body.
Creams and pessaries contain oestrogen alone, and are the best option for treating dryness and discomfort in the vagina.
They can also help prevent frequent urinary tract infections and improve some bladder problems, such as urinary urgency and urge incontinence.
It is possible for women to use different forms of oestrogen and progestogen in their hormone therapy regimen. They might use an oestradiol patch to deliver oestrogen, for example, and take oral progesterone to provide the necessary progestogen component.
Potential MHT side effects include oestrogen-related, headaches, breast tenderness or pain, nausea, leg cramps, mood changes, vaginal bleeding or spotting, bloating, swelling of the hands or feet, indigestion, and skin irritation with patches.
Patches vs tablets and gels
MHT patches, which have been available since the 1990s, are now more widely used and often preferred.
Patches deliver a consistent dose of hormones directly into the bloodstream through the skin, bypassing the liver. This mimics the natural release by the ovaries and provides steady hormone levels into the bloodstream.
Gels, like patches, bypass the liver. They are associated with less skin irritation than patches, making them a preferable option for people sensitive to adhesives or prone to skin irritation.
In contrast, oral formulations must be absorbed by the gut and then pass through the liver, where the drug gets processed. Some will be broken down, some will be converted to active metabolites, before entering the bloodstream. This can result in fluctuating oestrogen levels and more side effects than the more consistent delivery provided by patches.
When oral oestrogen goes through the liver, there is also an increase in the production of clotting factors. For this and other reasons, oestrogen patches have a lower risk of blood clots compared to oral tablets and capsules. Women with an elevated risk of blood clots – including those who are obese, smoke, or have a history of clotting disorders – often prefer patches.
Patches, which are applied once or twice weekly, are designed to make it easier to stick to than tablets and gels MHT, which requires daily dosing.
What if you need to switch?
Currently, both oestrogen and combination skin patches are in short supply in Australia.
The differences in absorption and metabolism between formulations mean that switching directly from one dosage form to another might not maintain the same level of symptom control or could cause new side effects.
MHT guidelines provide prescribers with information on dose equivalence between formulations – for example, switching from an oestrogen-containing patch to a gel or tablet – ensuring women have a range of options available and for treatment to be tailored to their individual needs.
To address the shortages, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has enabled pharmacists to dispense alternative brands or strengths of estradiol patches without requiring a new prescription. This might mean, for example, two lesser strengths that add up to the strength prescribed.
The TGA is advising prescribers to consider current shortages when initiating patients on MHT.
First-time MHT patients may be prescribed readily available formulations to avoid therapy changes and to preserve stock for those already using patches.
The TGA expects some patches to be out of stock until December 2025 and provides regular updates about the estimated dates the patches will be available again.
Mary Bushell 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 States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich
VIDEO
WASHINGTON — This afternoon, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) delivered remarks on the Senate floor amplifying the voices of New Mexicans opposing the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to be the U.S. Secretary for Health and Human Services.
“I hope all of my colleagues take seriously what it would mean to confirm this anti-vaccine, anti-science snake oil salesman as our next Secretary of Health and Human Services,” said Heinrich.
VIDEO: U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) delivers remarks on the Senator floor opposing the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. for Health Secretary, February 12, 2025.
Heinrich began his remarks by recounting howMr. Kennedy’s 2019 trip to the Pacific island of Samoaintensified vaccine skepticism and contributed to a deadly measles outbreak that killed 83 people, mostly children under five. Heinrich said: “As someone with a background in science, but more importantly, as a father of two, I am horrified by this story. Thanks to incredible scientific research and medical advances, we now have a vaccine that has proven to be safe and effective at protecting our kids and largely eradicated the measles outbreaks that used to result in the devastating loss of babies and young children. That is until anti-vaccine crusaders like Mr. Kennedy started promoting phony science and conspiracy theories in places like Samoa.”
Heinrich condemned Mr. Kennedy’s long track record of spreading fear, peddling misinformation, and promoting conspiracy theories: “Mr. Kennedy has repeatedly and falsely alleged that safe and effective vaccines for tetanus, the flu, COVID, and HPV are dangerous to human health. Mr. Kennedy has promoted the completely discredited conspiracy theory that vaccines lead to autism. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic that led to more than one million deaths in the United States alone, Mr. Kennedy campaigned to end the nationwide vaccination effort that helped us save millions more lives. Mr. Kennedy has — again without any sound evidence — also pushed conspiracy theories claiming that antidepressant medications cause mass shootings and chemicals in our water make children gay. If those claims sound ludicrous, it’s because they are.”
Heinrich warned that, if he is confirmed to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Mr. Kennedy has committed to following President Trump’s orders to further roll back women’s reproductive rights: “During his confirmation process, Mr. Kennedy also reportedly made commitments to my Republican colleagues to support restrictions on mifepristone, a medication abortion and miscarriage management drug. Mr. Kennedy has also signaled to Republican senators that he will go along with whatever President Trump wants to further roll back women’s reproductive rights.”
Heinrich also cautioned that Mr. Kennedy would help to enact President Trump and Elon Musk’s dangerous agenda to drastically cut federal funding for everything from New Mexicans’ Medicaid health coverage to medical research at the University of New Mexico. Heinrich warned: “The Department of Health and Human Services oversees health coverage programs that serve half of all Americans, including Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act. HHS also supports the medical research that helps us develop the next vaccines, prevent the next pandemic, and find cures to cancer and chronic diseases like diabetes. We have also already seen President Trump, Elon Musk, and his DOGE minions target scientific and medical research at agencies like the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Just last week, we saw them announce an estimated $4 billion cut for NIH health research at universities all across our country—including an estimated $17 million impact at the University of New Mexico alone.”
Heinrich finished his remarks by amplifying the concerns of New Mexicans who have written or called into his office expressing concern over Mr. Kennedy’s nomination. Watch a video of Heinrich uplifting New Mexicans’ voices here.
“I agree with these New Mexicans that Mr. Kennedy is unprepared, unqualified, and dangerously unfit to be confirmed as our next Health Secretary,” Heinrich concluded. “To protect our kids’ health from debunked conspiracy theories, to defend women’s reproductive rights, to safeguard the future of Medicare and Medicaid, and to continue lifesaving medical research and medical care in my state and across the country, I urge all of my colleagues to join me in voting NO on confirming Robert F. Kennedy Jr.”
Heinrich has been amplifying the voices of New Mexicans who have written or called into his office expressing concern over President Trump’s harmful actions and unqualified nominees.
Last night on the Senate floor, Heinrich uplifted New Mexicans’ concerns over Tulsi Gabbard’s nomination for the Director of National Intelligence. In his remarks, Heinrich emphasized the risk Gabbard’s nomination poses to our national security and discussed Ms. Gabbard’s lack of qualifications and judgment, particularly relating to her 2017 trip to Bashar al-Assad’s Syria. Heinrich zeroed in on Ms. Gabbard’s false denial during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee about meeting with Ahmad Badreddin Hassoun, Syria’s most senior Sunni Muslim cleric during the Assad regime who made threats to conduct suicide bomb attacks in the United States.
Last week, Heinrich delivered remarks on the Senate floor amplifying the voices of New Mexicans opposing the nomination of Russell Vought to lead the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Mr. Vought is the lead architect of the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, the policy blueprint for Donald Trump’s harmful agenda to throw the government into chaos and harm working families.
Last month, Heinrich delivered the longest speech of his career, where he slammed President Trump’s unlawful unilateral blockade of all federal grant funding. In his remarks, Heinrich uplifted stories from New Mexicans on how Trump’s federal funding freeze endangered New Mexicans and threatened communities across the state. Find the video of Heinrich sharing letters from New Mexicans on the Senate floor here.
Heinrich is leading Senate Democratsinsounding the alarmon Elon Musk and Donald Trump’s destructive actions that are wreaking havoc on Americans, weakening our economy, and threatening the livelihoods of New Mexicans.
Last week, in an interview with Jim Sciutto on CNN’s The Situation Room, Heinrich vocalized the concerns of his constituents who continue to write-in and call his office opposing Trump’s harmful actions, which are impacting New Mexico families and their financial security. Watch the full video of that interview here.
Since Trump took office in 2025, Heinrich:
Introduced a resolution condemning Trump’s pardons of people found guilty of assaulting police officers on January 6.
Led Senate Democrats in sounding the alarm on Elon Musk and Donald Trump’s destructive actions that are wreaking havoc on Americans, weakening our economy, and threatening the livelihoods of New Mexicans.
It poses a serious health risk to tropical coastal communities, with some of the highest rates reported in Vanuatu. But now, Indigenous knowledge provides crucial insights for predicting fish poisoning outbreaks.
Our study documents a collaboration between scientists and Indigenous knowledge holders on Vanuatu’s Ambae island. It offers a powerful new model designed to protect people’s health in vulnerable regions.
Ecological indicators and fish poisoning risk
Ciguatera poisoning occurs when people eat fish contaminated with ciguatoxins produced by marine algae that accumulate in reef-feeding fish. Symptoms can range from nausea and muscle pain to severe neurological effects. In some cases, the poisoning can lead to serious illness or even death.
For millennia, Ambae islanders have relied on their knowledge of the local environment to manage their lands and seas in a sustainable manner. They have observed ecological indicators, including environmental changes that precede ciguatera fish poisoning events, to monitor and respond to risks.
For instance, they note how heavy rains wash volcanic sediments into the ocean, triggering algal blooms that produce ciguatoxins. Likewise, jellyfish blooms and shifts in coral growth signal imbalances in the marine ecosystem, often preceding toxic fish contamination.
These ecological indicators, passed down through oral traditions, have guided community decisions about fishing practices and food consumption.
The islanders’ traditional observations are now being woven together with scientific data to create an early-warning system known as the Gigila Framework, named after a local term meaning “risk onset”, to aid public health responses.
Our research documents 14 key environmental indicators used by Ambae island communities. We cross-referenced these indicators with climate, geological and marine data to confirm their accuracy. By comparing Ambae islanders’ observations with scientific data, we identify which Indigenous indicators can be used to assess when and where ciguatera fish poisoning outbreaks take place.
Ambae islanders use ecological observations guide decisions about fishing practices and food consumption. Allan Rarai, CC BY-SA
Lessons for other regions
The Gigila framework is a community-driven early-warning system designed to reduce the risk of people eating contaminated fish. It uses visual markers, such as dials, to indicate risk levels.
Village elders appoint local people to act as observers to track environmental changes. They then share their observations (such as jellyfish blooms) with government agencies.
The Gigila model helps local community members make informed decisions about if and where they go fishing. It also strengthens collaborations between Indigenous knowledge holders, scientists and medical professionals.
The approach makes health risk information more accessible and practical. Instead of replacing Indigenous knowledge, it seeks to empower and enhance it. It also helps to ensure that younger generations learn about it.
Challenges of working with different knowledge systems
The weaving together of Indigenous knowledge with scientific knowledge is not without hurdles.
Indigenous knowledge practices are deeply rooted in local culture, passed on through oral traditions and combined with lived experiences. Scientific research, in contrast, relies on standardised testing, numerical data and universal theories.
Unsurprisingly, miscommunication between scientists and Indigenous knowledge holders abounds. Scientists sometimes misinterpret and misunderstand Indigenous knowledge and treat it like data to be extracted and exploited. In doing so, Indigenous peoples’ sacred knowledge systems, cultural identities and ways of life are disrespected and marginalised.
However, the success of the Gigila framework shows that respectful collaborations between scientists and Indigenous knowledge holders are possible. At the heart of this collaboration is respect for Indigenous knowledge holders’ expertise.
Another vital component is that Indigenous communities are active participants in helping to create and maintain the early-warning system designed to protect their health. This approach highlights the strengths of combining different knowledge systems to address local environmental issues, which can be adapted to fit different problems and risks.
Local and global applications
The Gigila framework holds potential beyond Vanuatu. Many small island nations face similar challenges from fish poisoning. Climate change is making these risks worse by creating the environmental conditions that toxic algae favour.
Warmer sea temperatures, ocean acidification, more intense and frequent extreme weather events and changes in the distribution of fish species are all contributing to more frequent fish poisoning outbreaks worldwide, including in areas with no history of it.
This highlights the need for enhanced monitoring and management strategies to reduce the impacts on human health and communities that depend on fisheries.
Other communities could develop their own early-warning systems drawing on the Gigila framework. Globally, Indigenous peoples manage vast ecosystems. Their knowledge and environmental guardianship practices are critical for sustainability and environmental health, but are often sidelined in science and policy.
The Gigila framework highlights the continued relevance and importance of Indigenous knowledge and the need for Indigenous knowledge holders and scientists to work together in a respectful and equitable manner.
As climate change accelerates, partnerships between communities and researchers will be crucial. Governments should support locally led initiatives that promote the deployment of Indigenous knowledge with scientific expertise to produce solutions that are both effective and culturally grounded.
The Gigila framework offers a compelling example of what’s possible when different ways of knowing are woven together. By embracing these approaches, we can build stronger, more resilient and adaptable communities in the face of an uncertain future.
Allan Rarai receives funding from the Association of the Commonwealth Universities through the Ocean Country Partnership Programme research grant.
Meg Parsons 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 Jane Younger, Lecturer in Southern Ocean Vertebrate Ecology, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania
Australia’s Antarctic territory represents the largest sliver of the ice continent. For decades, Australian scientists have headed to one of our three bases – Mawson, Davis and Casey – as well as the base on sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island, to research everything from ecology to climate science.
But despite our role as leaders in Antarctic science, Australian funding and logistics for Antarctic research hasn’t kept pace. Our single icebreaking vessel spends most of its time on resupply missions, restricting its use for actual science. And funding is often piecemeal, which makes it hard to plan the complex, multi-year efforts it takes to do research down on the ice.
This week, we saw a welcome change. The federal parliamentary committee on Australia’s external territories delivered a report calling for a second icebreaking vessel and more reliable funding. It also urged the government to progress work on marine protected areas in east Antarctica as well as resume fishing patrols, due to concern over illegal or exploitative fishing.
These measures are long overdue. For those of us who work and study on the ice continent, logistics and funding have long been a challenge. Illegal fishing in Antarctica must be stamped out, and a second vessel would support our ambitious, world-leading science.
Why is Antarctic science so important?
Antarctica is often out of sight, out of mind for many Australians. But what happens on the ice doesn’t stay there.
For climate science, Antarctica matters a great deal. For decades, much of the concern about melting ice focused on the Arctic and Greenland, while Antarctica stayed relatively stable. But this is now changing. Sea ice is melting more quickly than in the past. Glacial ice is retreating. Increased melting will affect sea level rise and ocean currents.
I study diseases such as the lethal strain of bird flu which has devastated bird and some mammals populations around the world. It recently reached Antarctica, where it killed large numbers of penguins, skuas, crabeater seals and more. I saw the devastation myself on my recent journey there.
If this strain makes it to Australia – the last continent free of it – it could come from the south and devastate both Australian wildlife and poultry.
To study these large and important changes, we need to be down there on the ice. It’s not an easy task. Keeping our bases functional means we need regular resupply missions. Repairs and extensions require tradies. Scientists and other workers need to be brought home.
Antarctic science has long relied on just one vessel, now the RSV Nuniya, which the Australian Antarctic Division describes as the “main lifeline to Australia’s Antarctic and sub-Antarctic research stations and the central platform of our Antarctic and Southern Ocean scientific research”.
The problem is, resupply can trump science. After all, no one wants bases running short of food or fuel. This is, in fact, what the Nuniya is largely doing.
Australia’s role is key
The Australian Antarctic Territory represents about 40% of the ice continent – the largest territory by far.
Territory, here, doesn’t mean exclusive rights. In 1959, 12 nations with a scientific interest in the ice continent signed the Antarctic Treaty. This treaty was an agreement that Antarctica – the only landmass with no indigenous human presence – would be reserved for peaceful, scientific purposes.
But in recent years, this treaty has come under pressure. Nations such as Norway and China have expanded fishing operations for krill. Illegal and unregulated fishing from various nations continues.
The report recommends the Australian government continue efforts to establish a marine protected area off East Antarctica – where fishing would be restricted – as well as reopening fishing patrols. China – which recently opened its fifth Antarctic base – is opposed to the idea of fishing-free zones and is pushing to expand fishing in the Southern Ocean.
Under Antarctica’s ice lie many resources. Mining is banned in Antarctica until 2048. What happens after that is uncertain. The race to tap critical minerals in Greenland signals what may lie ahead for Antarctica.
This is why Australia’s leadership in Antarctic science matters. Australia was an original signatory to the Antarctic Treaty, and has a long history of exploration and science. Hobart has long been the home of Australia’s Antarctic vessels.
As Antarctica changes, Australian scientists must be there to analyse, understand and report back. To do that, improvements are needed, including new vessels and longer-term funding. This report is the first step.
The government is yet to formally respond to the report’s recommendations. Let’s hope it takes heed of the findings.
Jane Younger receives funding from the Australian Research Council, WIRES Australia, the Geoffrey Evans Trust and the National Geographic Society.
A joint force of 89 Republic of Korea and U.S. senior Noncommissioned Officers came together from across the Korean Peninsula to attend the 2025 iteration of Backbone University, February 3-7, on Camp Humphreys.
Backbone University is a one-week developmental course focused on providing NCOs of the E-7 pay-grade with an understanding of the joint operations environment while instilling valuable lessons on leadership that they can take with them to improve their organizations and the military as whole.
“This week was impressive. The strength of the Alliance and the future of our services and countries were in safe and capable hands with these outstanding senior NCOs and chief petty officers leading in our formations,” said Sgt. Maj. Joseph Gaskin, Operations Sergeant Major of United States Forces Korea and Backbone University Director. “For the first time, participants worked together on capstone projects which focused on learning from examples of Republic of Korea and U.S. Medal of Honor recipients from the Korean War. To see all these senior noncommissioned officers and chief petty officers from the joint and combined multinational force come together this week, overcome language barriers, work together in a mission command centric environment, intent based leadership, solve problems, face a very restrictive timeline, it was very inspiring to me.”
The curriculum allowed participants to engage with senior leaders such as Gen. Xavier T. Brunson, Maj. Gen. William H. Taylor, and Command Sgt. Maj. Jack H. Love, who were more than keen to share their insights and experiences with leadership, an NCOs purpose and function in a senior commander’s staff, and core lessons they learned along their journey.
“Some of the things that really stuck with me were the 15 Secrets of Leadership from Command Sgt. Maj. Love. I’m going to take those lessons back and give it to my junior leaders and senior leaders so we can get moving on the right direction,” said Sgt. 1st. Class Daltyn Phelps, battery operations NCO, 210th Field Artillery Brigade.
“One of the 15 secrets to leadership was inspect what you expect, and that really struck a chord with me coming from the airborne community. A lot of things get overlooked, like hands in pockets, things not being buttoned down or not having the right tools on you. That really struck me because I feel like that’s one thing that we can improve on as senior NCOs.”
Participants started and ended each training day with teambuilding focused events such as: PT sessions led by Marine Forces Korea, Special Operations Command Korea, and Combined Forces Command; dodgeball tournaments and traditional Korean field day events such as three legged races; and the ‘Culminator’, which saw platoons fight through a six-mile-long slog of ice and snow all the while tackling obstacles, and carrying supplies such as water cans and simulated casualties.
“Being in this training is beneficial for me personally, because I have never really worked with different branches before,” said Chief Petty Officer Voss, logistics specialist, Command Navy Forces Korea. “I’m grateful for this opportunity to work with Army, Marines, Air Force, and also ROK forces, because we have exercises where we have to brainstorm and learn about how the other branches approach problems, and we come up with different solutions that we wouldn’t normally think of, and as a group we produce better products.”
“We had many branches from Korea, the U.S., and even New Zealand working together,” said Master Sgt. Joo-Won Hong, Republic of Korea Air Force, 19th Fighter Wing. “There were a lot of opportunities for me to integrate with our Alliance partners and learn different ways to tackle the challenges.”
Ultimately, Backbone University is about building strong, joint teams, reaffirming the strength of the ROK-U.S. Alliance, and preparing a stronger NCO Corps capable of dominating the battlefield.
“You know, as you watch these NCOs come together, overcome all the barriers of communication, and draw upon lessons from the past to drive us into the future, the way they engage with the senior mentors who came to visit each day, the tough questions that they proposed, all of them really inspired me,” said Gaskin. “This easily fits the purpose of our core of NCOs and chief petty officers; we’re fighting and war winning. The grit these NCOs displayed this week tells me that our Alliance is strong, and our future is solid. We’re in capable hands with each one of these people who are leading our formations.”
A Chinese research team has discovered a new fish species, named Mononoke tilefish (Branchiostegus sanae), in South China Sea. The findings were published Wednesday in the international taxonomic journal Zookeys. Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Zhejiang University, and Ocean University of China identified the new species in the continental slope area between Hainan Island and Xisha Qundao at a depth of about 200 meters. Huang Haochen, first author of the study, said that the new species, like other deepwater tilefish, is an economically significant species. Despite their culinary value, limited scientific research has been conducted on these deep-dwelling fish. Known locally as “ghost horsehead fish” due to its distinctive head shape, this new species has long been recognized by fishermen along the South China Sea coast. Researchers collected specimens in 2023, enabling detailed study. Mononoke tilefish exhibits significant morphological and genetic differences from other tilefish species. While all known specimens were collected between Hainan’s Lingshui Li Autonomous County and Xisha Qundao, the new species is believed to inhabit the northwestern slope regions of the South China Sea, according to Chen Jingxuan, second author of the study. With this discovery, the number of known tilefish species in Chinese waters has risen to six. The Mononoke tilefish, which can exceed 40 centimeters in length, represents a rare find of a medium-to-large fish species in recent years. Further research into its biology and evolutionary history is expected to contribute to the conservation of local biodiversity and sustainable fisheries.
Our cars sit unused most of the time. If you have an electric vehicle, you might leave it charging at home or work after driving it. But there’s another step you could take. If you have a bidirectional charger, you can set it to sell power back to the grid when demand is high.
Fewer than ten people across Australia actually do this, because the technology – known as Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) – is very new. To date, it only works with a single car model (Nissan LEAF) and a single charger (Wallbox Quasar 1). We’ve estimated the number of users based on sales of this charger. The chargers are expensive and there’s a thicket of regulations to navigate.
But that could soon change. Last year, Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen announced new Australian standards and communications protocols for bidirectional chargers in a bid to make it mainstream. Cheaper EVs and bidirectional chargers will make this more appealing.
If it takes off, V2G could become extremely useful to the power grid as a way to release power as required and stabilise the grid against fluctuations.
This week, Australia’s renewable energy agency released a V2G roadmap, which notes widespread uptake could “materially reduce electricity costs for consumers and accelerate national emissions reduction”.
To understand why people are using the technology and the challenges to do so, we interviewed five early adopters from New South Wales and South Australia. Our findings are released today.
A bidirectional charger is necessary to sell power back to the grid. doublelee/Shutterstock
Setting up V2G isn’t easy
Our interviewees reported a long, complex journey to set up V2G. These early adopters had no playbook to follow, so the process was one of trial and error.
Some relied on professional networks or social media groups to gather information. They spent significant time and energy finding electricians, installers and charger manufacturers to set up their systems. Strata approvals were required. They also had to negotiate with power retailers and distributors.
Delays were common, especially when seeking approval from the energy distributor. Some interviewees reported delays of months to years.
Most interviewees had experience in a technical field such as engineering or technology. Some reported a significant learning curve, while others using new software from their retailer reported a smoother “set and forget” process.
So why do it? Our interviewees had several reasons, ranging from getting the most out of expensive assets (solar and the EV) to offsetting power bills entirely.
Four out of five interviewees reported making a small profit of about A$1,000 annually instead of a bill. Many wanted to be able to reduce dependence on the grid and reduce their environmental impact.
As one told us:
you originally think of it as a car you can also use to power your house. [But actually] it’s a house battery you can drive around.
Maximising savings
Typically, our interviewees plugged their car in at home during the day to charge from their rooftop solar. In the evenings when power prices peaked, they used an app to sell power back to the grid. This maximised their cost savings for charging the car battery and their earnings from the grid.
For instance, a V2G user was alerted by their energy retailer that power prices had spiked to over $20 per kilowatt hour – far above normal rates of 25–45 cents. They immediately set their car and home battery to sell power back to the grid. In two hours, they sold 28 kilowatt hours of power to the grid and made more than $560. As they told us: “I look forward to more such events.”
Our interviewees often monitored energy prices, solar output and car battery levels to optimise their output. To avoid their EV battery getting too low, they set a lower limit – say 30% of charge – after which their car would stop exporting power.
This photo shows the setup of one of our early adopter interviewees. Pictured is the Nissan LEAF and bidirectional charger. For years, this has been the only car model compatible with vehicle to grid, but this is set to change. Author provided, CC BY-NC-ND
Is there a downside?
One of the main reasons people are sceptical of V2G is due to concern about accelerated degradation of the battery.
This is a common concern. But to date, there’s no consensus showing V2G shortens the battery life of EVs significantly. One recent study shows it increases degradation by 0.3% a year. But another showed V2G might actually extend battery life in some scenarios.
Last year, we surveyed more than 1,300 members of a motoring organisation about their view of V2G technology. We found battery warranty was a bigger concern than battery life. This is because most EV manufacturers other than Nissan don’t mention V2G in their battery warranties, leading drivers to believe they might void their warranty by using V2G.
Awareness of V2G technology is growing. The survey also found almost 40% of respondents were very or somewhat familiar with V2G, a jump from the 17% who reported familiarity in 2022. Among EV owners, almost 90% reported knowledge of the concept.
Moving beyond early adopters
For V2G to go mainstream, the process must be much simpler, cheaper and easier to set up.
To accelerate uptake, reliable, accessible information is essential.
Expanding government incentive programs to include bidirectional chargers would cut the upfront cost and make it more accessible.
Even within the EV supply chain, knowledge of V2G is limited. Car dealerships will need to know which models work with V2G.
Electricians may need specific training to install and maintain these chargers.
EVs are falling in price as manufacturers vie for market share and cheaper options become available. V2G capabilities might help boost sales for competing car companies.
As more motorists switch to EVs, interest in V2G will increase. While V2G can boost the appeal of EVs, there are others, such as Vehicle-to-Home (using your car to power your home during blackouts or to save money) and Vehicle-to-Load (using your EV to run power tools or appliances).
Each of these can help consumers get more value from the vehicles parked in driveways and garages.
Scott Dwyer receives funding from iMOVE Australia Cooperative Research Centre and the NRMA for this project.
Scott Dwyer receives funding from iMOVE Australia Cooperative Research Centre and the NRMA for this project.
Kriti Nagrath receives funding from iMOVE Australia Cooperative Research Centre and the NRMA for this project.
Our cars sit unused most of the time. If you have an electric vehicle, you might leave it charging at home or work after driving it. But there’s another step you could take. If you have a bidirectional charger, you can set it to sell power back to the grid when demand is high.
Fewer than ten people across Australia actually do this, because the technology – known as Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) – is very new. To date, it only works with a single car model (Nissan LEAF) and a single charger (Wallbox Quasar 1). We’ve estimated the number of users based on sales of this charger. The chargers are expensive and there’s a thicket of regulations to navigate.
But that could soon change. Last year, Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen announced new Australian standards and communications protocols for bidirectional chargers in a bid to make it mainstream. Cheaper EVs and bidirectional chargers will make this more appealing.
If it takes off, V2G could become extremely useful to the power grid as a way to release power as required and stabilise the grid against fluctuations.
This week, Australia’s renewable energy agency released a V2G roadmap, which notes widespread uptake could “materially reduce electricity costs for consumers and accelerate national emissions reduction”.
To understand why people are using the technology and the challenges to do so, we interviewed five early adopters from New South Wales and South Australia. Our findings are released today.
A bidirectional charger is necessary to sell power back to the grid. doublelee/Shutterstock
Setting up V2G isn’t easy
Our interviewees reported a long, complex journey to set up V2G. These early adopters had no playbook to follow, so the process was one of trial and error.
Some relied on professional networks or social media groups to gather information. They spent significant time and energy finding electricians, installers and charger manufacturers to set up their systems. Strata approvals were required. They also had to negotiate with power retailers and distributors.
Delays were common, especially when seeking approval from the energy distributor. Some interviewees reported delays of months to years.
Most interviewees had experience in a technical field such as engineering or technology. Some reported a significant learning curve, while others using new software from their retailer reported a smoother “set and forget” process.
So why do it? Our interviewees had several reasons, ranging from getting the most out of expensive assets (solar and the EV) to offsetting power bills entirely.
Four out of five interviewees reported making a small profit of about A$1,000 annually instead of a bill. Many wanted to be able to reduce dependence on the grid and reduce their environmental impact.
As one told us:
you originally think of it as a car you can also use to power your house. [But actually] it’s a house battery you can drive around.
Maximising savings
Typically, our interviewees plugged their car in at home during the day to charge from their rooftop solar. In the evenings when power prices peaked, they used an app to sell power back to the grid. This maximised their cost savings for charging the car battery and their earnings from the grid.
For instance, a V2G user was alerted by their energy retailer that power prices had spiked to over $20 per kilowatt hour – far above normal rates of 25–45 cents. They immediately set their car and home battery to sell power back to the grid. In two hours, they sold 28 kilowatt hours of power to the grid and made more than $560. As they told us: “I look forward to more such events.”
Our interviewees often monitored energy prices, solar output and car battery levels to optimise their output. To avoid their EV battery getting too low, they set a lower limit – say 30% of charge – after which their car would stop exporting power.
This photo shows the setup of one of our early adopter interviewees. Pictured is the Nissan LEAF and bidirectional charger. For years, this has been the only car model compatible with vehicle to grid, but this is set to change. Author provided, CC BY-NC-ND
Is there a downside?
One of the main reasons people are sceptical of V2G is due to concern about accelerated degradation of the battery.
This is a common concern. But to date, there’s no consensus showing V2G shortens the battery life of EVs significantly. One recent study shows it increases degradation by 0.3% a year. But another showed V2G might actually extend battery life in some scenarios.
Last year, we surveyed more than 1,300 members of a motoring organisation about their view of V2G technology. We found battery warranty was a bigger concern than battery life. This is because most EV manufacturers other than Nissan don’t mention V2G in their battery warranties, leading drivers to believe they might void their warranty by using V2G.
Awareness of V2G technology is growing. The survey also found almost 40% of respondents were very or somewhat familiar with V2G, a jump from the 17% who reported familiarity in 2022. Among EV owners, almost 90% reported knowledge of the concept.
Moving beyond early adopters
For V2G to go mainstream, the process must be much simpler, cheaper and easier to set up.
To accelerate uptake, reliable, accessible information is essential.
Expanding government incentive programs to include bidirectional chargers would cut the upfront cost and make it more accessible.
Even within the EV supply chain, knowledge of V2G is limited. Car dealerships will need to know which models work with V2G.
Electricians may need specific training to install and maintain these chargers.
EVs are falling in price as manufacturers vie for market share and cheaper options become available. V2G capabilities might help boost sales for competing car companies.
As more motorists switch to EVs, interest in V2G will increase. While V2G can boost the appeal of EVs, there are others, such as Vehicle-to-Home (using your car to power your home during blackouts or to save money) and Vehicle-to-Load (using your EV to run power tools or appliances).
Each of these can help consumers get more value from the vehicles parked in driveways and garages.
Scott Dwyer receives funding from iMOVE Australia Cooperative Research Centre and the NRMA for this project.
Scott Dwyer receives funding from iMOVE Australia Cooperative Research Centre and the NRMA for this project.
Kriti Nagrath receives funding from iMOVE Australia Cooperative Research Centre and the NRMA for this project.
In October last year, the Australian Sports Commission (ASC) launched Dealing with the Moment: Anti-Racism in Community Sport, a free online course designed to help community coaches, parents, umpires and players respond to racism in sport.
The course equips people with the tools they need to intervene effectively when racism occurs, ensuring everyone feels safe, welcome and respected.
One of the key recommendations from the course is what to do if you hear someone say something racist on the sports field.
Why racist remarks are so damaging
Racist remarks hurt more than just a player’s feelings — they attack their sense of belonging and identity on the field.
I know from my own experiences.
During my years playing various community sports as a young adult, including Australian rules football, soccer and cricket, I was often one of the only people of colour.
In those moments, I wanted my play and skills to be the focus but unfortunately, my appearance often made me stand out, which led to racist comments.
Those remarks were deeply offensive and hurtful. They made me feel like I didn’t belong or shouldn’t be there.
Racism in sport sends a harmful message: that someone doesn’t belong because of their skin colour or background. These incidents leave lasting emotional and psychological scars, even if they don’t result in physical harm.
Why I helped develop the course
I worked on developing the course to address a significant gap in how racism is handled in community sport.
The course aims to ensure all sport participants have a positive and inclusive experience and that everyone understands the importance of addressing racism immediately – in the moment.
It’s not good enough to delay action, even if that’s how it has often been done in the past. Some organisations claim that delaying action allows for thorough investigations and careful consideration.
However, this is often a strategy to protect reputations and minimise backlash rather than address the root causes of the problem.
Such delays can silence victims, perpetuate harm, and show a lack of genuine commitment to tackling systemic racism. Immediate action is necessary to demonstrate accountability and foster meaningful change.
We must do better. We need to see progress, not stagnation.
So, what should you do after a racist comment?
If you don’t have time to dive into the full course, here are the key lessons:
the first 60 seconds are crucial: intervening immediately sends a strong message that racism won’t be tolerated and shows support for the victim
understand racism: recognise what racism is and how it affects people. Never dismiss someone’s experience by saying it’s “not racism” or telling them to “get over it”. Just because the harm isn’t physical doesn’t mean it’s not significant
take action: the course provides clear guidance on how to respond effectively to incidents of racism and support those affected.
Why are the first 60 seconds so cruical?
Acting early allows you to nip the issue in the bud by calling it out and intervening on the spot. It leaves no room for misinterpretation of events or for the narrative to shift.
The longer the delay, the more time it allows for the situation to be downplayed, the narrative to change, or for excuses to be made.
Ultimately, delays often result in the issue being swept under the carpet, with no one taking accountability for the harm caused.
Immediate action demonstrates clarity, conviction, and a genuine commitment to addressing racism.
Strategies for coaches, parents and officials
Everyone — coaches, parents, officials, players and spectators — has a role to play when dealing with racism. Here are some practical strategies:
acknowledge and act: staying silent is not an option. A simple statement like “that’s not okay” sends a strong message of support and sets a clear standard of behaviour
use your authority: coaches can address players directly, officials can stop play, and parents can challenge inappropriate behaviour from the sidelines. Everyone has the power to intervene
educate yourself: take the course or learn more about racism so you feel confident and empowered to act
don’t minimise the impact: never tell someone to brush it off or suggest it’s not a big deal. Acknowledge their feelings, show empathy, and take the situation seriously
apply this to all inappropriate behaviour: these strategies aren’t limited to racism. They apply to misogynistic, homophobic, or other harmful remarks as well.
Sport should be for everyone
We live in a multicultural society – a melting pot of diverse cultures that is beautifully reflected on our streets and in our classrooms. It would be wonderful to see this diversity equally represented in community sport.
Greater representation on the field and in the stands would create a sense of belonging and allow all players to thrive, regardless of their background.
This is why addressing racism is so crucial — it paves the way for more inclusive and equitable participation in sport.
The goal is to make sport a space where diversity is celebrated, teamwork is valued, and everyone can thrive without fear of discrimination.
We can all play a part in creating lasting change.
Aish Ravi receives funding from organisations for consulting work on training and education and evaluation work. She is also on various volunteer committees advocating for change.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
A study published in the BMJ looks at hormonal contraceptives and the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
Dr Sonya Babu-Narayan, Clinical Director at the British Heart Foundation and consultant cardiologist, said:
“You shouldn’t be overly alarmed by these findings if you are using or considering starting hormonal contraception. The additional risk of heart attack and stroke is very low for the vast majority – it’s equivalent to one extra heart attack for every 10,000 women using hormonal contraception for a year. And pregnancy itself also increases your risk of developing blood clots, stroke and heart attack.
“When considering hormonal contraception options, you will be able to discuss the risks and benefits with your GP so that you can make an informed decision about what is best for you. This could include discussion and management of your existing cardiovascular risk factors like high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, or if you are living with obesity.
“The study lends weight to previous evidence of an association between hormonal contraception use and a small increase in the number of heart attacks and strokes. The researchers made use of a wealth of long-term electronic healthcare information from over 2 million people in Denmark – this scale and breadth makes the findings more reliable and complete than previous studies and enables study of even rare complications like these.
“However, the study is observational so it can’t prove cause and effect, and there may be other factors at play driving the links seen that aren’t sufficiently accounted for.
“This latest study supports the current practice of recommending the option of a progestin intrauterine device – the hormonal coil – for those already living with high cardiovascular risk, as this wasn’t linked to more heart attacks and strokes.”
Dr Becky Mawson, NIHR Clinical Lecturer in Primary Care, and GP with special interest in sexual and reproductive health, University of Sheffield, said:
“Please do not stop using contraception based on this study! The risk of stroke and heart attack in pregnancy and postnatal period is significantly higher than the risks reported in this study for contraceptives. For those using contraceptives for treatment of health conditions, the slightly increased risk needs to be balanced with the benefit in quality of life for those suffering debilitating gynaecological and hormonal conditions.
“Saying that, if you have other risk factors for strokes and heart disease, then it is worth discussing with your healthcare team to look at the safest options like the hormonal coil. This observational study looks at relationships in data, not causes. It adds to previous studies within the same database looking at increased blood clot risk.
“While it remains true as it has done for years that we need to find better, risk-free alternatives to prevent pregnancy, in my view this study hasn’t changed that and should not cause alarm but does add to growing knowledge in this area.”
Dr Clare Arnott, Conjoint Associate Professor, Cardiologist and Head of Cardiovascular Program, The George Institute for Global Health, and UNSW Sydney, said:
“This is an interesting, timely and important study. It is wonderful to see sex-specific cardiovascular risk factors given appropriate attention in medical research.
“The study identified twice the risk of stroke and heart attack in those exposed to the combined oral contraceptive pill (and around 1.5x the risk for progestin only formulations). Interestingly, while risk was also increased for the combined vaginal ring and patch (with relative risks higher with these preparations), no increased risk was observed for the progestin-only IUD. Also of note, and clinical relevance, duration of use did not appear to impact risk.
“While these relative risks are important, particularly at a public health/population level, it should be noted that absolute risk remains low in this patient population of young women. It is also important to note that this study excluded women with a history of arterial thrombosis – a high risk group, and thus these results cannot be extrapolated to that population.
“The study is strengthened by a large cohort size, which is nationally representative, long patient follow up period, and is adequately powered with respect to the number of events recorded. Of course, as the authors rightly acknowledge, this is observational research, and correlation is not the same as causation.
“Nonetheless, it is valuable information that should be routinely communicated to women to allow them, in conjunction with their healthcare provider, to make informed decisions about their health. These data are also very important at a public health/ population level given the >200 million women worldwide using hormonal contraception, and thus public health clinicians and policy makers should take note.”
Prof Angela Clerk, Professor of Biomedical Science, University of Reading, said:
“The study appears to be comprehensive and rigorous, representing the whole of the Danish population. There should be some caution in extrapolating to other populations with different ethnicities, since genetic background and cultural variation could affect cardiovascular risk, and some ethnicities not fully covered by the Danish population could have greater vulnerability.
“This is clearly an important study but, while the focus is on the potential negative effects of contraception on cardiovascular risk, it is also clear that any increase in risk is actually very small. This emphasises the overall safety of the drugs, particularly when balanced against the negative effects of unwanted pregnancies resulting from a lack of contraception. Yes, there should be informed choice of the type of contraception, but perhaps lifestyle choices need to take greater precedence. Though I am past that stage, this study would not stop me from using any of these forms of contraception over not using one and facing an unplanned pregnancy.”
Dr Channa Jayasena, Consultant in Reproductive Endocrinology, Imperial College London, said:
“Contraceptive medication is a vital healthcare option, which offers lower chances of accidental pregnancy compared with barrier contraceptive methods. Contraceptives work by using high doses of female hormones like oestrogen and / or progesterone to temporarily ‘switch off’ the ovaries and womb. Oestrogen is a ‘sticky’ hormone because it makes blood more likely to clot. It is well-known that The Pill increases blood clot risk. Increased blood clot risk increases risks of related problems like stroke and heart attack. The current study helps to define the risks of different types of contraceptive medication.
“The study is well designed because looks at health records from 2 million women of reproductive age living in Denmark. The authors were careful to adjust for factors which might have affected the results. The findings confirm that The Pill is associated with increased risks of stroke and heart attack. Observational studies like this one cannot conclude that the Pill has caused stroke and heart attack; but our prior knowledge of how the pill works makes this likely.
“My biggest criticism is the way that the results are presented. Only 3 per 1000 women were affected by a stroke or heart attack; the risk among those on the pill was about 6-10 per 1000. The absolute risk of having a stroke or heart attack on The Pill is still very low.
“Women should take away the importance of smoking cessation, healthy eating, and exercise to minimise the (small) increased risk of stroke or heart attack associated with being on the pill. Women who have high risks of stroke or heart attack that cannot be reduced should strongly consider a hormonal coil, because of its lack of associated increased stroke or heart attack risk.”
‘Stroke and myocardial infarction with contemporary hormonal contraception: real-world, nationwide, prospective cohort study’ by Harman Yonis et al. was published in the BMJ at 23:30 UK time on Wednesday 12 February 2025.
DOI:10.1136/bmj-2024-082801
Declared interests
Dr Sonya Babu-Narayan: “No conflicts of interests to declare.”
Dr Becky Mawson: “Current project with South Yorkshire Digital Health Hub – The Hormone Effect – developing an app to collect data on side effects of contraception.
Research lead (unpaid and no financial benefits) – The Lowdown Women’s Health Platform.”
Dr Clare Arnott: “None to declare.”
Prof Angela Clerk: “I no conflict of interest under any of the categories below with respect to industry funding. I have no conflict of interest with any of my own research under these categories either. I am a woman, however.”
February is nationally designated as Children’s Dental Health Month. In observance, North Dakota Health and Human Services (HHS) joins dental professionals, health care providers, educators and other partners in promoting good oral health to children, their parents and caregivers, teachers and others.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, tooth decay is the most common chronic disease of childhood in the U.S.1 More than half of children ages 6-8 years have had a cavity in at least one of their baby teeth.2
The Oral Health Program in HHS supports children’s dental health through prevention, education and SEAL!ND – a school-based sealant program. This program uses public health dental hygienists, private practice dental professionals and Federally Qualified Health Centers to provide oral health education, dental screenings, sealants and fluoride varnish treatments to thousands of children across the state.
During the 2023-2024 school year, SEAL!ND was able to provide screenings for 3,070 students, apply 5,006 fluoride varnish applications, protect 8,531 teeth with dental sealants and make 1,817 referrals for further oral health treatment.
“Schools are an ideal place to reach children, teachers and caregivers,” said Toni Hruby, HHS oral health prevention coordinator. “Through collaboration with external partners, we are able to expand our reach and serve more children.”
Within HHS, North Dakota Medicaid also supports children’s dental health. North Dakota Medicaid’s Health Tracks benefit pays for dental care including exams, cleanings, x-rays, sealants and fluoride treatment for enrolled children. There are no copays for qualifying families. For more information about Health Tracks, visit hhs.nd.gov/health-tracks.
HHS encourages North Dakotans of all ages to care for their smiles by following these tips:
Brush teeth at least twice a day with fluoridated toothpaste
Floss teeth daily
Eat a balanced diet
Drink tap water and limit sugary drinks and snacks
Avoid using cigarettes, smokeless tobacco and electronic nicotine or vaping products
Replace toothbrushes every three to four months and after an illness
Talk to a dentist about fluoride varnish and sealants for children to prevent cavities
In addition to daily dental care at home, HHS also encourages North Dakotans to schedule an annual checkup with a dentist. Learn more about oral health and the HHS Oral Health Program at hhs.nd.gov/health/oral-health-program. To apply for North Dakota Medicaid, visit hhs.nd.gov/applyforhelp.
SOURCE: (1) Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME). GBD Compare Data Visualization. Seattle, WA: IHME, University of Washington. 2020. Accessed October 17, 2023.
SOURCE: (2) Lin M, Griffin SO, Gooch BF, et al. Oral health surveillance report: trends in dental caries and sealants, tooth retention, and edentulism, United States : 1999–2004 to 2011–2016. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 2019.
Jumping spiders – one of the largest spider families – get their name from the extraordinary jumps they make to hunt prey, to navigate and also to evade predators.
Male jumping spiders also jump to escape from cannibalistic females and competing males. So they are under tremendous pressure to jump efficiently and rapidly.
We studied the jumping abilities of miniature male and female Australian peacock spiders. We found that the males – incredibly light creatures, weighing just 2 milligrams – have the highest acceleration among any known jumping spider.
Our study is the first to explore and identify differences in how male and female jumping spiders undertake their impressive jumps. It’s now published in the Journal of Experimental Biology.
A male Australian splendid peacock spider. Pranav Joshi
Unique hydraulics
Jumping is an energetically “expensive” movement strategy. To perform it, animals have to launch themselves from a surface by coordinating the movement of numerous body parts.
Some invertebrates, like ants, jump with the help of their muscles. Others, like fleas, use energy stored in internal structures that are rapidly released to trigger a leap.
Jumping spiders are different – they use a unique semi-hydraulic system. They don’t have muscles to extend their legs and power the jumps. Instead, they extend their legs by increasing the pressure of the haemolymph (fluid analogous to blood in invertebrates) in their legs, which triggers the jump.
Peacock spiders are well known for the elaborate courtship display males carry out to court females. It has captured the attention of biologists and non-scientific audiences alike. The display includes extending and waving their third pair of legs and opening the colourful flap-like extensions on the abdomen.
The quantitative description of jumping movements, known as jump kinematics, has only been conducted for four of the 6,000+ jumping spider species known worldwide. On top of this, scientists have never investigated differences in jump dynamics in male and female spiders.
Because male and female peacock spiders differ strongly in size from each other, they present a unique opportunity to identify sex-specific differences in jump kinematics.
Spiders on campus
We studied the Australian splendid peacock spider (Maratus splendens) found both on the Macquarie University campus in Sydney and in the surrounding area.
The females weighed more than twice as much as males, and the heaviest female was 6.6 times heavier than the lightest male. We scanned male and female specimens using micro-computed tomography and carried out a 3D reconstruction to determine the centre of mass of each sex.
Micro CT reconstruction of the male of the Australian splendid peacock spider with centre of mass highlighted by a circle. Ajay Narendra
We then filmed the jumps of male and female spiders using a high-speed camera, and tracked the animals’ centre of mass during each jump. From this, we measured a suite of kinematic measures, including jump take-off angle, acceleration, and g-force.
We found that these lighter male peacock spiders have a distinct jump choreography and kinematics compared to the heavier females.
High, fast and steep
We discovered that the splendid peacock spiders accelerated at 127.8 m/s² – more than twice as fast as the previous highest known acceleration in jumping spiders.
This rapid acceleration may have evolved to escape from predators or to track and capture fast-moving prey in their natural environments.
Though the lighter males accelerated faster, after controlling for body mass we found that acceleration in males was slower compared to females. Males and females experienced accelerations equivalent to 13.03 times and 12.5 times the force of gravity, respectively.
Interestingly, the jumps of males were at a steeper angle than those of females, which is likely an adaptation to rapidly escape from females and other males.
A question that remained was which of the four pairs of legs powered this rapid jump. To figure this out, we tracked multiple joints on all of the spiders’ legs throughout the jump.
We found that the joint on the third pair of legs had an extremely acute angle before jumping, and rapidly changed to something like a straight angle after attaining maximum acceleration. Our results show that it’s the third pair of legs that propels the splendid peacock spider into its impressive jumps.
Ajay Narendra receives funding from Australian Research Council.
Inflation is building again; but the housing industry may find it harder to do so as a result of Trump tariffs. Win McNamee/Getty Images
Inflation figures released on Feb. 12, 2025, will come as a disappointment to Americans who hoped President Donald Trump would be true to his word on bringing down prices “on Day One.” It will also put pressure on the new administration to be wary of policies that may heat up inflation – and that includes tariffs.
The consumer price index, which measures the change in prices paid by consumers for a representative basket of goods and services, rose unexpectedly from December to January by 0.5%. It means consumers are paying around 3% more on item prices than they were a year ago.
The news isn’t good for anyone concerned. It means inflation remains above the Federal Reserve’s long-run target of 2% – making it harder for the central bank to cut rates at its next meeting on March 19. At its last meeting, the rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee kept its benchmark federal funds rate unchanged at a range of 4.25-4.50%.
Following the release of the latest inflation data, markets have a stronger conviction that the Fed will again hold rates steady when it meets in March.
It also means more pain for consumers. Higher interest rates set by the Fed play a large role in determining rates for mortgages, credit cards and auto loans. If January’s rate of inflation were to continue throughout 2025, consumers would see a painful 6.2% annualized inflation rate.
And although it would be churlish to link the latest jump in inflation to an administration just weeks old, it does put into focus the current slate of Trump economic policies. Economists have long warned that imposing tariffs on imports and cutting taxes does little to curb inflation – rather, they may contribute to faster price increases.
I believe that if these wide-ranging tariffs come into effect, the Federal Reserve will have no choice but to keep rates elevated for the remainder of 2025.
If Trump’s tariffs on Canadian imports, like lumber, take effect, Americans can expect continued price increases in the homebuilding sector. Supply and demand imbalances remain a key driver for higher prices, so fewer houses being built due to higher materials cost will likely lead to higher rents.
Consumers saw better news on new vehicle prices, which remained flat over the month and showed slight declines from a year ago.
This is even as demand for new cars increased 2.5% over 2024. In January 2025, the number of new vehicles sold topped the same month a year earlier for the fifth month in a row.
But as with homebuilding, any tariffs on the import of car parts or materials will impact the auto industry. Carmakers may have breathed an immediate breath of relief when Trump delayed new tariffs on Canada and Mexico. But if deals aren’t reached by the March 1 deadline, industry analysts expect immediate impacts on top sellers.
And any higher cost of new cars will have a knock-on effect on used cars, which saw prices jump 2.2% in January – it’s largest increase since May 2023.
Increased prices are no yoke! (groan)
Of course, not all inflationary pressures are in the purview of government.
All in all, voters who cited inflation as the main reason they were backing Trump may be feeling a little uneasy – the administration is only a few weeks old, but for one reason or other, Americans are experiencing ever higher prices with little relief in sight.
Jason Reed does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: United Nations General Assembly and Security Council
Two months from today, the United Nations will welcome visitors to a dedicated pavilion in the Empowering Zone of Expo 2025 in Osaka, Kansai, Japan under the theme “United for a Better Future”. The United Nations Pavilion is proud to host exhibits and programming that represent the work of 35 UN entities and 15 UN Secretariat departments and offices.
The United Nations pavilion will feature highlights of eight decades of impact, current efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and to address global challenges and humanitarian crises, as well as a vision of a sustainable future that is possible only through collective action and multilateral collaboration. The UN Pavilion will also host special weekly exhibits and events aligned with the Expo’s theme weeks, United Nations international days and other priorities to promote sustainable development, human rights, climate action and peace and security. Visitors can also purchase UN and SDG-related merchandise at the giftshop located inside the pavilion.
Confirmed participating UN entities include:
United Nations Secretariat
Department of Global Communications
Department of Economic and Social Affairs
Department of Peace Operations
Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs
Development Coordination Office
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
United Nations Global Compact Office
United Nations Mine Action Service
United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs
United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs
United Nations Road Safety Fund / Special Envoy for Road Safety
United Nations Youth Office
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
International Labour Organization (ILO)
International Maritime Organization (IMO)
International Organization for Migration (IOM)
International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
International Trade Centre (ITC)
Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
Statistical Institute for Asia and the Pacific)
United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF)
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
United Nations Development Programme
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women)
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat)
United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)
United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR)
United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS)
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)
United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD)
The UN Pavilion will also host prominent guest speakers, including senior UN officials, leading experts, celebrities and advocates, who will share their insights and experiences on global challenges and solutions.
“In the year that the United Nations will turn 80 years old, the UN Pavilion presents key milestones since 1945 that have reshaped values and the world as we know it. We will also showcase examples of the UN in our daily lives and a vision of a world in which everyone thrives in peace, dignity and equality on a healthy planet,” said Maher Nasser, Commissioner-General of the United Nations at Expo 2025. “It is our hope that our pavilion will serve as a dynamic platform for learning, collaboration and inspiration for action.”
Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, will run from 13 April to 13 October and is expected to attract over 28 million visitors. The UN Pavilion will be open every day from 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
For additional information about the United Nations presence at Expo 2025 in Osaka, Kansai, Japan, please contact Naomi Ichikawa, UN Department of Global Communications (New York), at email: nichikawa@un.org.
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* UN Water is a coordination mechanism, comprising United Nations entities (members) and international organizations (partners) working on water and sanitation issues.
Source: United States Senator for South Carolina Tim Scott
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) introduced the Antisemitism Awareness Act, which directs the Department of Education to use the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism when investigating antisemitic acts on campus. This bill ensures that the Department of Education has a clear definition of antisemitism when determining whether an antisemitic incident on campus crosses the line from free speech into harassing, unlawful, or discriminatory conduct. Congressmen Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) and Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) are leading companion legislation in the House of Representatives.
“In the continued aftermath of the October 7th attacks on Israel by Hamas and Iran, we have seen college campuses across our nation become hotbeds of antisemitism where Jewish students’ rights are being threatened,”said Senator Scott.“It’s critical the Department of Education has the tools and resources it needs to investigate antisemitism and root out this vile hatred wherever it rears its ugly head. There can be no equivocating when it comes to the issue of anti-Jewish violence and harassment.”
“Antisemitism is on the rise across the nation, particularly on college campuses, and Congress has a responsibility to do everything in its power to fight back against this hate,”said Senator Rosen. “I’m proud to introduce bipartisan legislation today with Senator Tim Scott to help protect Jewish students from antisemitic bigotry. I’ll keep working with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to get this bill passed and signed into law.”
“The House overwhelmingly passed my bipartisan Antisemitism Awareness Act last session, and today I am proud to reintroduce this critical legislation in the new Congress. Since the horrific terrorist attacks by Hamas on October 7th, 83% of college students said they witnessed or experienced antisemitism on campus,”said Congressman Lawler upon introducing the House version of the bill.“This is unacceptable. No person should feel unsafe, targeted, or ostracized because of their faith – and the Antisemitism Awareness Act will stop it from happening. When I met with Jewish students at Columbia University last spring, their fear was palpable. Many wondered if they could ever feel safe on campus again. They deserve better—as does every student, and that’s what this bipartisan bill will accomplish.”
“Since the heinous October 7 attacks on Israel, we have seen an explosion of antisemitic violence and intimidation on college campuses and in communities across New Jersey and the nation. Far too many in our community no longer feel safe in their own homes or classrooms,”said Congressman Gottheimer.“That’s why I’m reintroducing the Antisemitism Awareness Act, which will give state officials and law enforcement a clear framework for identifying and addressing antisemitism to hold harassers accountable. Our bipartisan bill adopts the most widely recognized definition of antisemitism in the world, already used by more than 40 countries and 35 states. Hate and discrimination have no place in New Jersey or the country, and we must act now to protect our Jewish students and families from threats, intimidation, and violence.”
“The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations thanks Sens. Scott and Rosen for re-introducing the Antisemitism Awareness Act (AAA). It comes at an important time–Since Hamas’s October 7th attack on Israel, there has been a dramatic increase in antisemitism on college campuses. We continue to see university administrators show they have little understanding of how to identify antisemitism. The AAA will adopt the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism into U.S. law, enabling university leaders to support Jewish students and accurately determine – and discipline those who engage in—antisemitic discrimination on college campuses. The Conference of Presidents urges swift passage of AAA,” said Stephanie Hausner, COO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations (COP).
“Antisemitism isn’t just a Jewish problem. It’s everyone’s problem. Despite the hollow arguments of some, this legislation neither outlaws antisemitism nor is it anti-Christian. The Antisemitism Awareness Act, like President Trump’s 2019 executive order combatting antisemitism and his order last month doubling down on the same, provides students, parents, teachers and administrators alike with a clear definition of the world’s oldest and most prevalent hatred. Advancing this legislation is important in making American campuses safe and welcoming for all. We must defeat the vile cancer of antisemitism and defining it under US law is a critical step in that righteous effort,”said CUFI Action Fund Chairwoman Sandra Hagee Parker.
“As ADL data shows, antisemitism is at crisis levels in the United States, creating the urgent need for decisive action,”said ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt. “The Antisemitism Awareness Act makes clear that antisemitism, including anti-Zionist harassment, has no place in our schools or society and, importantly, reinforces the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism as a critical tool for the U.S. Department of Education. We urge Congress to act swiftly and send a powerful message that combating antisemitism remains a national priority and deeply appreciate the effort by Senators Tim Scott and Jacky Rosen to quickly reintroduce this bipartisan bill.”
“According to American Jewish Committee’s upcoming State of Antisemitism in America 2024 Report, three in ten American adults are either unsure of what antisemitism means or never heard the term. This number jumps for young Americans (ages 18-29): 41% of young Americans are unsure of what antisemitism means or never heard the term, while, at the same time, young American Jews (ages 18-29) are more likely to have experienced antisemitism in the past year than Jews ages 30 and older. These numbers show why it is critical to have a clear understanding of what antisemitism is and why it matters for American society because to even begin to solve the problem of antisemitism, there must be clarity about what it is and what it isn’t. The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism is a clear and concise description of antisemitism in its various forms. AJC has supported efforts by both Republican and Democratic Administrations to use this definition at the Department of Education when investigating Title VI complaints. We applaud Senators Tim Scott (R-SC) and Jacky Rosen (D-NV) for introducing the Antisemitism Awareness Act, for prioritizing the continued use of this important educational tool and ensuring the safety of Jewish students across the country,”said Ted Deutch, CEO of American Jewish Committee.
“As antisemitic incidents continue to rise, Jewish Federations of North America are grateful to Senators Tim Scott (R-SC) and Jacky Rosen (D-NV) for introducing the Antisemitism Awareness Act today. This bill provides a clear framework for identifying antisemitism, offering concrete examples to help distinguish between constitutionally protected speech and targeted attacks against Jewish individuals. Congress must act now to send a strong message that antisemitism has no place in our society,”said Karen Paikin Barall, Vice President, Government Relations, Jewish Federations of North America.
Joining Senators Scott and Rosen in cosponsoring the legislation are Senators James Lankford (R-Okla.), Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), and Gary Peters (D-Mich.).
In addition to introducing the Antisemitism Awareness Act during the 118th Congress, Senator Scott has worked relentlessly to push back on the alarming rise of blatant and vile antisemitism on college campuses by:
Leading a resolution to condemn the explosion of antisemitism on U.S. college campuses, call out university presidents who have enabled and refused to take action against this antisemitism, and urge the Biden Department of Education to take necessary actions to ensure that colleges and universities are complying with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act to protect Jewish students;
Calling on the president of Columbia University to resign over rampant antisemitism on campus;
Introducing the Stop Antisemitism on College Campuses Act to defund colleges and universities that enable violent antisemitism on their campuses; and
Forcefully condemning antisemitism and supporting Israel’s right to self-defense in a speech at the Orthodox Union’s Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill.
