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Wednesday, May 24, 2023

Over one million people displaced in four months in Somalia: UN

Hillary ORINDE
Wed, May 24, 2023

Somalia and its neighbours in the Horn of Africa including Ethiopia and Kenya have been suffering the worst drought in four decades

More than a million Somalis have been displaced within their own country in just over four months through a "toxic" mix of drought, conflict and floods, humanitarian agencies said Wednesday.

Around 433,000 people were forced from their homes between January 1 and May 10 as a grinding Islamist insurgency raged and clashes broke out in the breakaway Somaliland region, the UN refugee agency UNHCR and Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said.

in addition, "over 408,000 people were displaced by floods sweeping across their villages and another 312,000 people were displaced by ravaging drought," they said in a joint statement.

Somalia and its neighbours in the Horn of Africa including Ethiopia and Kenya have been suffering the worst drought in four decades after five failed rainy seasons that have left millions of people in need and decimated crops and livestock.

UN chief Antonio Guterres and world governments are meeting in New York on Wednesday at a conference to seek funding of $7 billion to help those in need across the region.

Over 408,000 people have been displaced by floods in Somalia since the start of the year, the UNHCR and NRC say © Hassan Ali ELMI / AFP

At least 43.3 million people require lifesaving and life-sustaining assistance in the Horn of Africa, the UN humanitarian agency OCHA said last week.

The number of people displaced within Somalia's borders now stands at 3.8 million, with 6.7 million people struggling to find food, according to the UNHCR and NRC.

More than half a million children are severely malnourished, they added.

"These are alarming figures of some of the most vulnerable people forced to abandon the little that they had to head for the unknown," said Mohamed Abdi, the NRC's country director in Somalia.

"We can only fear the worst in the coming months as all the ingredients of this catastrophe are boiling in Somalia."

Most of the families have fled the Hiraan region in central Somalia and Gedo in the south of the country of 17 million people and are arriving in overcrowded urban areas, putting a strain on already stretched resources.

- 'Human tragedy' -

The agencies called for urgent and greater investment to combat the crises "otherwise we will never see the end of this unfolding human tragedy," said Magatte Guisse, UNHCR's representative in Somalia.

Currently, aid agencies have received only 22 percent of funding to meet their needs for Somalia this year.

Al-Qaeda linked Al-Shabaab jihadists have been fighting the fragile central government since 2007 and control parts of the countryside from where they have carried out numerous attacks both in Somalia and in neighbouring countries.

Meanwhile flash flooding has hit central Somalia since May after heavy rainfall sent water gushing into homes in Beledweyne town in Hiraan, submerging roads and buildings and killed 22 people.

The Horn of Africa has been scarred by protracted armed conflicts and climate disasters with the World Food Programme (WFP) warning on Wednesday that crises were far from over.

"The last three years of drought has left more than 23 million people across parts of Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia facing severe hunger," the WFP said in a statement, adding that it would take years for the region to recover.

OCHA said last week that while famine "has been prevented" in the region, the humanitarian emergency was not over.

ho/txw/ri

UN conference pledges $2.4 bn to head off Horn of Africa famine

United Nations (United States) (AFP) – A UN-backed conference raised $2.4 billion Wednesday to prevent famine in the Horn of Africa, which is reeling from its worst drought in decades as global temperatures rise.

Issued on: 24/05/2023 -

Meteorologists and aid agencies have warned of an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe in the Horn of Africa

© EDUARDO SOTERAS / AFP/File

The money will provide life-saving assistance for nearly 32 million people across Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia, the world body's humanitarian agency OCHA said in a statement.

"Famine has been averted, thanks in part to the tremendous efforts of local communities, humanitarian organizations and authorities, as well as the support of donors," OCHA said.

But the sum is considerably less than the $7 billion the United Nations says is needed to provide help to people affected by drought and conflict in the region.

"The emergency is far from over, and additional resources are urgently required to prevent a return to the worst-case scenario," OCHA added.

Since late 2020, countries in the Horn of Africa -- Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan -- have been suffering the region's worst drought in 40 years.

Five failed rainy seasons have left millions of people in need, decimated crops and killed millions of livestock.

More than 23.5 million people are enduring high levels of acute food insecurity in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia, according to OCHA.

In Somalia alone, which is also in the throes of an Islamist insurgency, the number of people displaced from their homes now stands at 3.8 million, with 6.7 million people struggling to find food, according to figures from the UN and the Norwegian Refugee Council.

More than half a million children are severely malnourished, they added.

Deaths from hunger are on the rise in Africa because of droughts worsened by climate change and conflict, UN officials and scientists say.

The devastating drought in the Horn of Africa could not have occurred without the effects of greenhouse gas emissions, the World Weather Attribution (WWA) group, an international team of climate scientists, said in a report released in April.

At the opening of the donor's conference, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed for "an immediate and major injection of funding" to stop people from dying.
'We owe them solidarity'

"We must act now to prevent crisis from turning into catastrophe," he added, recalling that last year donor countries delivered vital help to 20 million people in the region and helped avert a famine.

Guterres said people in the region were "paying an unconscionable price for a climate crisis they did nothing to cause."

"We owe them solidarity. We owe them assistance. And we owe them a measure of hope for the future. This means immediate action to secure their survival.

"And it means sustained action to help communities across the Horn adapt and build resilience to climate change," he added.

OCHA said the funds pledged Wednesday would allow humanitarian agencies to sustain aid pipelines of food, water, health care, nutrition and protection services.

Joyce Msuya, the UN's deputy emergency relief coordinator, welcomed the pledge but added: "We must persist in pushing for stepped-up investments, especially to bolster the resilience of people already bearing the brunt of climate change."

U.S. gives nearly $524 million in drought aid to Horn of Africa

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield on Wednesday announced nearly $524 million in U.S. humanitarian aid to the Horn of Africa to help people struggling to find food and water in a drought across Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia.

File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

May 24 (UPI) -- U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield on Wednesday announced nearly $524 million in drought aid for the Horn of Africa.

"When I visited Mogadishu in January, I heard firsthand how the drought impacted the food supply and the increased potential for famine," Thomas-Greenfield said in a statement. "While there, I announced over $40 million in additional funding from the United States to Somalia to save lives and meet humanitarian needs."

She said more than 23.5 million people are facing acute food insecurity, and that's why the United States is continuing to support humanitarian aid to the region.

In April, a multi-national group of scientists found that human-induced climate change is worsening the Horn of Africa drought.

RELATED Study: Human-caused climate change worsened Horn of Africa drought

The U.S. aid includes nearly $108 million from the State Department's Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration and over $416 million from the U.S. Agency for International Development.

With Wednesday's announcement, total U.S. aid to the region in 2023 will be more than $1.4 billion. The money will be used for lifesaving support for people in the Horn of Africa who have been affected by the drought, food insecurity, and conflict.

"A storm of crises has pushed millions across the Horn of Africa to the brink," Thomas-Greenfield said in a statement. "A long, protracted drought has exacerbated acute food insecurity. Recent flash floods have wiped out entire homes and livelihoods. And conflict in neighboring countries has also had a devastating impact on vulnerable populations, including internally displaced persons and refugees."

RELATED U.N. warns of catastrophic water shortage

Humanitarian groups in the region have launched a collective Humanitarian Response Plan calling for a cumulative total of $7 billion in assistance.

"We must act now to prevent crisis from turning into catastrophe," U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement. "Let us act together now -- with greater urgency and far greater support."

Thomas-Greenfield said the global community must heed that call.

RELATED Response to Africa drought criticized

She also called for building more sustainable and resilient food systems around the world to adapt to the effects of climate change.

Climate activists take centre stage as French films warn of eco-catastrophe

The Cannes Film Festival has always showcased politically engaged films and this year is no different, with a particular focus on the climate crisis. Two French films have won plaudits for their exploration of the issue – “Acid”, portraying a world racked by toxic rain, and “The Animal Kingdom”, in which a mysterious epidemic transforms people into animals. Amid the film screenings and red carpets, activists have been carrying out direct action to denounce the use of private planes and mega-yachts during the festival.

Issued on: 24/05/2023 -

The promotional poster for the French film "Acide". © Pathé

Text by: David RICH

Just when they were about to take off from Cannes-Mandelieu airport on Saturday, the passengers on board a private jet had a strange encounter. They were on the runway when a remote-controlled car blocked their path, releasing a cloud of green smoke to stop the plane taking off. The French branch of environmental activist group Extinction Rebellion said they were responsible, adding that they wanted to highlight the “absurdity” of the super-rich lifestyle.

“Is it really the moment to burn gallons of petrol just to go on the red carpet for a few seconds? Stop the private jets,” the group said on Twitter.

“At a time when we must collectively and individually reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, the Cannes Film Festival is an indecent spectacle in which stars turn up in private jets and then go for a drink on a yacht,” the group said in a statement. There is a double standard that means the “working and middle classes” are asked to reduce their carbon footprint while “stars and billionaires” are exempt, it continued.

According to estimates by French Twitter account, “Mega Yacht CO2 Tracker”, which monitors the activity of luxury boats on the Croisette, one hour of use generates two tonnes of CO2 emissions – equivalent to almost a quarter of the average French person’s annual carbon footprint.

During the festival, environmental activists have been naming and shaming big polluters. After the criticism of Tom Cruise’s visit last year – when he arrived in a helicopter before a flyby of French jets accompanied the “Top Gun: Maverick” premiere – Harrison Ford has been the main target of climate activists' wrath.

Ford made an impassioned plea to act on climate change on TV station France 2 on Sunday, saying: “If we don’t move our ass now, we’re going to lose this planet!” – pointing the finger at climate change deniers.

But while the Hollywood icon received a rapturous standing ovation for “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny”, Ford has come under fire for what many see as hypocrisy: He is an avid pilot who owns several private planes, and once said: “I’m so passionate about flying I often fly up the coast for a cheeseburger."

‘Greenwashing’?

Activists are not just accusing Hollywood royalty of hypocrisy. In 2021, the festival’s secretary general Thierry Frémaux and former president Pierre Lescure announced 12 new ecological measures aimed at drastically reducing plastic waste, switching to electric vehicles and encouraging recycling – including recycling the famous red carpet.

The Cannes Film Festival has also started financing ecological projects. But its flagship scheme, designed to protect a forest in Zimbabwe, was roundly criticised in an article by investigative website Disclose, published a few days before the current festival got under way – accusing the organisers of “greenwashing”.

A special selection of films entitled “Cannes for the Climate” was set up in 2021 as a way of "embodying" the festival’s commitment to tackling climate change – including films about the extinction of species, a drought in Niger and young people’s commitment to the environment.

But over the last two years, climate issues have been less prominent at Cannes.

There are, however, two big exceptions at this year’s festival. Thomas Cailley’s “The Animal Kingdom” plunges characters played by Romain Duris and Adèle Exarchopoulos into a dystopian world where a mysterious epidemic causes animal mutations in humans, transforming some of them into other species. The film’s environmentally friendly production methods earned it on Sunday the Ecoprod Prize for the festival’s most ecologically responsible film.

“Acid”, meanwhile, is a disturbing sci-fi work that forcefully conveys – and magnifies – people's rising climate anxiety.

Not every character has the same perspective. “It’s the end of the world every other day,” says Michael, played by Guillaume Canet, as he turns off the news. This sparks an argument with his daughter – who is far less sanguine about what is going to happen. But, at this stage, people’s different states of mind are of little importance, because the acid rain will spare no one

This article was translated from the original in French.

CANNES

Japan's Takeshi Kitano returns with 'queer' warlord epic
AFP
Wed, May 24, 2023

Kitano said he avoided Kurosawa's films so as not to be too influenced

Cult Japanese director Takeshi Kitano has returned after more than a decade, premiering his new film at Cannes -- a bloody quest for power punctuated by love between warriors.

"Kubi", showing out of competition at the Cannes Film Festival, is an epic account of feudal Japan reminiscent of Akira Kurosawa's classic "The Seven Samurai".

It has been 13 years since Kitano's last film, "Outrage", but the 76-year-old is never short of work. In Japan, he is best known as a comedian and TV host, and is also an accomplished writer and painter.

Abroad he is primarily known for his award-winning films as actor and director, starring in 2000's "Battle Royale".

He returned to the French Riviera this week with what could be his last feature film, set in the 16th century with a warlord seeking to unite Japan.

When one of his generals rebels against him, the other warlords embark on a manhunt in the hope of earning their stripes.

But there is also an unexpected focus on the love affairs between warriors.

"Japanese historical films rarely evoke the question of male homosexuality," whereas it "was common at that time", Kitano told AFP.

It's budget -- around $11 million -- is large by Japanese standards and Kitano's biggest to date.

From the first minutes, it sets the tone with an monumental battle full of beheadings and squirting blood -- not unfamiliar from a director known for violent films about the yakuza, or Japanese mafia, in film films like "Hana-bi", which won the Golden Lion in Venice in 1997.

Despite the codes of honour and internal power struggles, Kitano refuses to make a comparison with the yakuza.

"The word 'violent' can be used for these two eras but it has a totally different meaning," he said.

Kitano wrote a synopsis for "Kubi" 30 years ago at the very beginning of his directing career.

But the project only came together in 2019 when he published a novel of the same name.

Did he fear comparisons with Kurosawa -- one of Kitano's heroes.

"I tried not to watch the battle scenes in Kurosawa's films to avoid them influencing me," he admitted.

mch-etb/er/bp

WOMAN, LIFE, FREEDOM

Grave of Mahsa Amini vandalised in Iran: lawyer

Amini, 22, died in September after being arrested by Tehran's morality police for purportedly flouting the strict dress rules - John MACDOUGALL
Agence France-Presse

May 24, 2023 — Paris (AFP)

The grave of Mahsa Amini, the young Iranian Kurdish woman whose death sparked a protest movement that rattled Iran's clerical leadership, has been vandalised, according to activists and the family lawyer.

Amini, 22, died in September after being arrested by Tehran's morality police for purportedly flouting the strict dress rules for women in the Islamic republic.

The protests that began after her death challenged the Islamic system that has ruled Iran since the 1979 revolution. They have weakened in amplitude over the last months but actions still continue.

Amini, who had been visiting Tehran with her family, is buried in her hometown of Saqez in Iran's Kurdistan province with activists alleging the authorities are determined to prevent any public rallying around it.

The France-based Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) said that the grave, which features her Kurdish name Zhina in large Persian letters, had been attacked on the morning of May 21.

Images published on social media, said to be from the Instagram account of her brother Ashkan, showed that the glass protecting a portrait of Amini at the head of the tombstone had shattered.

"Sadly, on Sunday morning, people who are already known to us, and who have done the same things in the past, attacked the grave of Zhina Mahsa Amini," the family's lawyer Saleh Nikbakht said in a statement published by KHRN.

He did not specify who these individuals were, while adding the authorities had previously intervened to prevent the construction of a protective canopy over the grave.

"So the glass of your tombstone also bothers them? Let them break it a thousand times, we will make it again, let's see who gets tired," Ashkan Amini said in his social media post.

Amini's family and supporters maintain she was killed by a blow to the head while in police custody although the authorities have so far insisted her death was caused by a heart attack brought on by previous ill health.

Activists accuse the authorities of suppressing the protests with a crackdown that has left over 500 dead, according to Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights.

Iran has also hanged seven men in protest-related cases in what campaigners describe as a deliberate policy to create a climate of fear thorough capital punishment.

Amnesty International warned this week another seven men are at risk of being executed in connection with the protests.

Read more: https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2023/05/grave-mahsa-amini-vandalised-iran-lawyer#ixzz82fm5MPxr

Public health solutions to disrupt the US firearm crisis

Peer-Reviewed Publication

PLOS

The epidemic of firearm injury and death in the USA is preventable, and the field of public health can offer practical solutions, argue Dr. Megan L. Ranney and colleagues in an opinion article in PLOS Global Public Health. Through harm reduction and community engagement programs, public health professionals, healthcare providers and community members can reduce the impact on individuals, families and communities.

Despite the attention school and public mass shootings in the US gain, they make up a minority of US firearm injuries and deaths. Most firearm deaths are from homicide and suicide: in 2021 four in every five US homicide deaths were caused by firearms.

There is evidence from systematic reviews that some legislative policies, such as particularly safe storage laws, correlate with reduced injury and death. Yet legislation alone rarely solves a public health problem. Additional public health strategies offer some hope.

Harm reduction involves engaging people at risk and offering interventions without barriers. Safer storage of firearms, for example, has the potential to decrease firearm deaths from suicide or unintentional injury. This practice can be encouraged in a variety of ways, including individual-level counselling from healthcare providers - in the same way they would talk about bicycle helmets or access to medicines.

Collective, community-driven prevention efforts are also needed, particularly among at-risk populations. Firearm homicide is the leading cause of death for Black males aged 15-34, and Black men are 10-20 times more likely to be killed by a gun than their White counterparts. A community-based public safety collective is building capacity for research and advocacy to address community violence in Black and Brown communities.

These and similar efforts could disrupt the US crisis of firearm injury and death, but there must be substantial investment in research, people, programming, personnel, policies and infrastructure in order to shift culture away from this health threat of epidemic proportion.

Dr. Ranney adds: “Firearm injury is a public health epidemic with ramifications that impact all of us, as well as solutions that include, but are not limited to, policy changes. In order to end this uniquely American epidemic, we must apply a community-rooted, harm-reduction approach. This paper outlines solutions that are likely to be successful at reducing the alarming number of firearm injuries and deaths in the United States.”

#####

Author Interview:

PLOS: What first drew you to frame the US gun violence problem as a public health issue?

Megan L. Ranney, MD, MPH: As a physician, I saw the clear health effects of a gunshot wound. As a public health professional, I had seen the success of the public health approach in decreasing deaths from problems as varied as car crashes and HIV - and knew that we could apply it to this problem, too.

Kristen Mueller, MD: As a doctor working clinically in the ER in St. Louis, firearm-injured patients are so common at my adult and pediatric level I trauma hospitals that they are now part of my regular clinical practice. In an effort to slow rates of these preventable, treatable injuries, I helped develop and implement the St. Louis region-wide hospital-based violence intervention program, Life Outside Violence. Through this work, I have developed a great appreciation of the impact of structural racism and social determinants of health on firearm injury prevalence, and the ways this impacts my patients’ experiences surviving and healing after surviving a firearm injury. Public health methods are well-positioned to mitigate the burden of this epidemic moving forward.

Nakita Lovelady, PhD, MPH: As a trained public health scientist, I have always viewed gun violence as a public health issue, despite it not being thought of or treated as such. As more people are impacted by gun violence, there has been an increased awareness of this being a larger societal public health concern. I’m happy that many are beginning to understand that gun violence is a complex issue with several structural level factors of influence. It has to be treated like any other public health crisis, requiring multiple levels of intervention that go beyond the individual level. I’m fortunate to operationalize this public health frame to address gun violence within southern rural states that often are faced with disproportionate rates, unique context, and limited development and support for community violence intervention.

PLOS: Can you tell us more about the principle of harm reduction as it relates to solutions or mitigation for gun violence in the US?

Megan L. Ranney, MD, MPH: “Harm reduction” is a concept that allows us to move beyond an all-or-nothing approach. Using the harm reduction concept, we can instead create solutions that decrease the risk of an injury. We don’t have to talk about banning guns or arming everyone; we can talk about how to reduce the chance of someone who’s high risk, having access to a gun.

Kristen Mueller, MD: I completely agree with Dr. Ranney. Harm reduction is one technique under the public health umbrella that helps us address the firearm injury epidemic in real-world conditions–where our patients live, how they live–across all levels of the social-ecologic model of violence prevention.

Nakita Lovelady, PhD, MPH: Agreed and well said. I think this is very similar to what we have done for decades with health disparities research in general. We have gone back and forth with the goal of eliminating vs. reducing health disparities, because yes – while we would like to eliminate all disparities, it may not be a practical goal. So yes, we would like to eliminate all firearm injuries, but given the context and complexity of the issue, it’s not practical to employ all or nothing solutions. However, to get us closer to our goals of saving lives, we must employ feasible harm reduction strategies that begin to mitigate gun violence and its social determinants.

PLOS: In your final paragraph, you outline the need for "intentional investment in research, programming, personnel, policies, and community infrastructure" – Could you briefly outline or describe possible future investments that you'd deem most urgent or pressing for our communities and leaders to make?

Megan L. Ranney, MD, MPH: After 24 years of almost zero federal investment in this issue, we need to do so much! Research matters, so that we’re delivering the best possible solutions. Community engagement matters. Addressing structural drivers of firearm injury matters. Improved funding for community and hospital violence intervention programs, mental health professionals for people with suicidal thoughts, and collaboration with gun shop owners, police, and military all can make a difference.

Kristen Mueller, MD: Agree! In addition to improved federal and community funding, I would love to see universities make strategic investments to prevent firearm violence and injuries at the local level. For example, many universities are well-positioned to be a funding, coordinating, and evaluation hub for community-hospital-university partnerships to increase the reach, efficacy, and sustainability of multi-disciplinary firearm injury prevention programs.

Nakita Lovelady, PhD, MPH: I echo you both. I will add that intentional investment also means investment in equity-focused approaches and strategies to gun violence prevention. That means allocating funds specifically to address the undue burden in communities of color that have been disproportionately impacted for decades. That means supporting and growing Black and Brown researchers, practitioners, and other stakeholders involved in gun violence prevention work. That means being intentional and not afraid to challenge traditional “gold standard” research designs and requiring mixed-method approaches that include rigorous qualitative methodology, because like many colleagues have stated before, there is no solving this issue and achieving health equity without qualitative context. That also means being intentional about bringing diverse perspectives to the table to solve this issue. In the words of my mentor, Dr. Joseph B. Richardson Jr., a multidisciplinary approach is necessary. And yes, that also means being intentional about ensuring vulnerable voices are a driving force at the table, which will further ensure meaningful impact and sustainability of our work.

PLOS: What do you hope your Opinion piece might lead to, and what are the next steps for your work?

Megan L. Ranney, MD, MPH: We hope that the opinion piece will widen people’s frame of possible solutions to our uniquely American firearm injury epidemic. We are each, individually, continuing both research and community advocacy to decrease both the burden of injury and its long-term ripple effect.

Kristen Mueller, MD: The scope of firearm injuries in the U.S. can be daunting. I hope that this Opinion piece will help more people realize that while firearm injuries are a big issue, they are also an entirely solvable problem. Just like with COVID, the flu, strokes, and heart attacks, firearm injuries are a disease that can be tracked, treated, and ultimately prevented, just like any other disease. With strategic investment, coordination, and public health guidance, this paradigm is ready to be shifted.

Nakita Lovelady, PhD, MPH: Agreed. I hope this piece increases understanding of the magnitude and complexity of gun violence in America and the opportunity we have as a nation to tackle this issue with key public health perspectives and solutions. I hope it helps shift the narrative on how we as a society think about gun violence and sparks creativity and action for resolution that reaches all communities, especially those perpetually devastated by gun violence every day, every hour, and every few minutes.

#####

In your coverage please use this URL to provide access to the freely available article in PLOS Climate: https://journals.plos.org/climate/article?id=10.1371/journal.pgph.0001913

Citation: Mueller KL, Lovelady NN, Ranney ML (2023) Firearm injuries and death: A United States epidemic with public health solutions. PLOS Glob Public Health 3(5): e0001913. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0001913

Author Countries: US

Funding: This work was supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CE003267 to MLR) and the National Institute of Health (NIGMS P20 GM139664 to MLR, U54 MD002329 to NL, UL1 TR003107 to NL, and UAMS Translational Research Institute KL2 TR003108 to NL). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

JOURNAL

PLOS Global Public Health

DOI

10.1371/journal.pgph.0001913

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Commentary/editorial

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Firearm injuries and death: A United States epidemic with public health solutions

COI STATEMENT

The authors of this article have read the journal’s policy and has the following competing interest: Dr. Ranney receives grant funding from NIH and CDC for related work. She serves as a volunteer board member for the Nonviolence Institute in Providence, RI and as a volunteer Senior Strategic Advisor for AFFIRM at the Aspen Institute. Dr. Mueller and Dr. Lovelady have declared that no competing interests exis

Gender trumps politics in determining people’s ability to read others’ minds

University of Bath Press Release

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF BATH

Political parties regularly claim to have their finger on the pulse and be able to read the public mood. Yet a new study challenges the idea that being political makes you good at understanding others: it shows gender, not politics, is a far more important factor in determining people’s social skills.

Analysis of a sample of 4,000 people from across the UK, compiled by a team of psychologists at the University of Bath, highlights that being female and educated are the biggest determinants of whether you can understand or read others’ minds.

For their study the psychologists looked at qualities associated with understanding others such as agreeableness, picking up on subtle clues and self-reflection. In psychology, this is known as ‘theory of mind’: the capacity to understand other people by ascribing mental states to them.

The team stress these results represent averages, but they say their study is an important reminder about the drivers of agreement and disagreement in public life. Their findings are published today (Wednesday 24 June) in the journal PLOS One.

Age was only associated with understanding others in later life: on average, older people had poorer ability to understand other people.

Dr Punit Shah, Senior author, Associate Professor and leading expert on social cognitive processing at the University of Bath explains: “In a world where it seems increasingly difficult to hold and express different points of view, it is crucial that we understand the barriers to connecting with other people.

“Political views are often thought of as such a barrier, but our research actually shows that a person’s politics is not, in fact, linked to how well they understand others.

“Importantly, we didn’t just find an absence of evidence for a political link in the study. The analyses also provided evidence of absence for this link. This is a socially important finding that might help to break down some artificially constructed barriers between people and ultimately improve understanding between different people in our society.”

Shah argues that the link between being educated and female and better understanding other perspectives is also important.

He adds: “Historically male perspectives have been prioritised in society. We are of course seeing this narrative diminish over time, and research like ours adds extra evidence to highlight the important role of education and being female for social understanding and cohesion in society – far more so than politics.”

To conduct the research, the team asked members of the public to provide details about their socio-demographic background, as well as to score their political beliefs (ranging from 1 = very liberal, to 7 = very conservative). They also used a ‘mindreading test’ to ascertain how well participants understood what other people are thinking.

This test – developed by the same team in 2021 - asks a series of simple statements, such as: ‘I can usually understand another person’s viewpoint, even if it differs from my own’; and ‘I find it easy to put myself in somebody else’s shoes’.

Lead researcher, Dr Rachel Clutterbuck, emphasised that these findings could improve our understanding of social differences between people: “The reasons for why some people are better at understanding others are not well understood, but this research provides a glimpse into some individual differences, such as gender, which may help to explain these social differences.

“Our results are new because the study considered so many factors – like gender, education, age, and politics – in tandem, rather than looking at them separately as often happens. When we do this, it is clear to see that gender is, by far, most strongly linked to how well others are understood. This finding highlights the complexity of social life and reminds us to consider the various factors that may contribute to understanding and getting on with someone.”

JOURNAL

PLoS ONE

DOI

10.1371/journal.pone.0284960

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Socio-demographic and Political Predictors of Theory of Mind in Adulthood

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

24-May-2023

Not just for sleep: Melatonin awakens scientists to its health benefits for cattle

Peer-Reviewed Publication

MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY

Researching benefits of melatonin for cattle health — IMAGE: FROM LEFT, ZULLY CONTRERAS-CORREA, POSTDOCTORAL ASSOCIATE; CALEB LEMLEY, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR; AND DOCTORAL STUDENTS RILEY MESSMAN AND REBECCA SWANSON, ARE RESEARCHING BENEFITS OF THE SUPPLEMENT MELATONIN FOR CATTLE HEALTH. view more
CREDIT: (PHOTO BY DOMINIQUE BELCHER)

STARKVILLE, Miss.— Those needing extra sleep often reach for the bottle of melatonin, but Mississippi State scientists are discovering a host of other proven and potential health benefits for cattle who receive the supplement.

MSU faculty and students in the Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences and the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station are making intriguing discoveries about the functions of melatonin in the bovine body and how this hormone can help support cattle health.

MSU Associate Professor Caleb Lemley has an extensive history of studying the use of melatonin as a supplement in cattle. He has been studying how the hormone affects blood flow between dam and fetus during gestation for nearly a decade.

“Over the years, we’ve looked at melatonin’s antioxidant benefits, which help alleviate oxidative stress in the animals and have implications on their cardiovascular health,” said Lemley.

“Summer heat is a major stressor for cattle, and in our research here at Mississippi State, we’ve found that melatonin can potentially be used to control the animal’s body temperature,” added Postdoctoral Associate Zully Contreras-Correa. “At night, when melatonin levels are highest, body temperature is lowest. Our recent research showed that melatonin supplementation during summertime reduced body temperature in pregnant cattle, so we hope to research it further in other livestock species.”

Because melatonin controls a body’s circadian rhythm and responds to light, levels also fluctuate throughout the year, being naturally higher in the winter and lower in the summer.

“We just completed a study comparing melatonin supplements given to cattle living in Montana to our cattle at MSU over the winter months, and the differences were notable,” said Lemley. “We saw a very limited response in the Montana cattle compared to the Mississippi cattle, so we believe these treatments may be more effective in the Southeast.”

Doctoral students Riley Messman and Rebecca Swanson also are involved with melatonin research.

The scientists recently published a literature review in the journal Biomolecules titled “Melatonin in Health and Disease: A Perspective for Livestock Production.” These scientists examined over 100 studies spanning six decades to show that this hormone—naturally produced in the brain—acts in ways that extend far beyond its basic function of regulating circadian rhythm.

One of the latest discoveries about melatonin is its effects on the microbiome, bacterial communities that live inside the body. In her graduate studies, Messman conducted research looking at its impact on the microbiome in the bovine vaginal tract.

“As melatonin levels fluctuate throughout the day and throughout the year, so do bacterial populations,” said Messman. “So, melatonin is altering the microbiome and the immune system, which plays a role in pretty much every physiological process you could think of.”

As part of her graduate work, Swanson has researched melatonin’s role in skeletal muscle growth.

“Nutrient restriction naturally occurs in specific areas of the United States and at certain times of the year,” she said. “Melatonin can help alleviate some of that nutrient restriction and promote the production of amino acids and more efficient muscle growth.”

Because melatonin is considered a supplement and is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration, there has been a limited amount of research on its full effects and potential benefits. And while it’s currently a legal supplement for show animals, food animals may not legally receive melatonin supplementation. Lemley emphasized it is unlikely that traces of the supplement would be present in the muscle tissue at the time of processing.

“Melatonin has a rapid rate of clearance and will leave the body within a day,” he said. “When you consider that and the low cost of supplementing the cattle at 25 cents a day, there are a lot of potential benefits for producers.”

There is much yet to discover about the far-reaching ways that melatonin can support the health of cattle by simply manipulating the levels of this naturally present hormone through supplementation. MSU scientists will continue their work to further discoveries about its benefits.

This work was supported by the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative competitive grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Additional funding was provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service.

For more information on MSU’s Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences, visit www.ads.msstate.edu. For more about MAFES, visit www.mafes.msstate.edu.

MSU is taking care of what matters. Learn more at www.msstate.edu.

JOURNAL

Biomolecules

DOI

10.3390/biom13030490

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Literature review

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Animals

ARTICLE TITLE

Melatonin in Health and Disease: A Perspective for Livestock Production

Establishing a wildflower meadow at King’s College, Cambridge bolstered biodiversity and reduced greenhouse gas emissions, study finds.

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE

Edge of the meadow — IMAGE: PART OF THE BACK LAWN OF KING'S COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE HAS BEEN TRANSFORMED INTO A WILDFLOWER MEADOW view more
CREDIT: STEPHEN BOND

A new study examining the effects of planting a wildflower meadow in the historic grounds of King’s College, Cambridge has demonstrated its benefits to local biodiversity and climate change mitigation.

The study, led by King’s Research Fellow Dr Cicely Marshall, found that establishing the meadow had made a considerable impact to the wildlife value of the land, while reducing the greenhouse gas emissions associated with its upkeep.

Marshall and her colleagues, among them three King’s undergraduate students, conducted biodiversity surveys over three years to compare the species richness, abundance and composition supported by the meadow and adjacent lawn.

They found that, in spite of its small size, the wildflower meadow supported three times as many species of plants, spiders and bugs, including 14 species with conservation designations.

Terrestrial invertebrate biomass was found to be 25 times higher in the meadow, with bat activity over the meadow also being three times higher than over the remaining lawn.

The study is published today in the journal Ecological Solutions and Evidence.

As well as looking at the benefits to biodiversity, Marshall and her colleagues modelled the impact of the meadow on climate change mitigation efforts, by assessing the changes in reflectivity, soil carbon sequestration, and emissions associated with its maintenance.

The reduced maintenance and fertilisation associated with the meadow was found to save an estimated 1.36 tonnes CO2-e per hectare per year when compared with the grass lawn.

Surface reflectance increased by more than 25%, contributing to a reduced urban heat island effect, with the meadow more likely to tolerate an intensified drought regime.

The study also assessed the perception of the meadow and attitudes towards increased meadow planting across the Cambridge University estates. The team found the Cambridge community to be overwhelmingly in favour of increased meadow planting in place of lawns, with only 1.4% preferring entirely lawn, although respondents were clear that meadow planting should be in conjunction with maintaining or increasing access to green space for recreation.

Marshall, who is also a researcher in the University of Cambridge’s Department of Plant Sciences, commented: “There’s no doubt that the introduction of the meadow has been an unqualified success; not only has it had a hugely beneficial impact on our biodiversity within the College, but it’s also captured the imagination of so many people across the city and beyond.”

Provost of King’s, Professor Michael Proctor, added: “The wildflower meadow has inspired us to think more about how we look after and enhance our biodiversity, and has brought to attention just how much has been lost. We hope its presence in this iconic setting will motivate others to think about sustainability and to consider planting their own meadows elsewhere.”