Previously uncharacterized parasite uncovered in fish worldwide

Using genome reconstruction, scientists unveiled a once “invisible” fish parasite  present in many marine fish world-wide that belongs to the apicomplexans, one of the most important groups of parasites at a clinical level

UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI ROSENSTIEL SCHOOL OF MARINE, ATMOSPHERIC, AND EARTH SCIENCE

 

IMAGE: 

RED LIPPED BLENNY, A TROPICAL MARINE SPECIES IN WHICH THE RESEARCHERS DISCOVERED THE ICHTHYOCOLIDS.

view more 

CREDIT: PHILIPPE GUILLAUME.

Using genome reconstruction, scientists unveiled a once “invisible” fish parasite  present in many marine fish world-wide that belongs to the apicomplexans, one of the most important groups of parasites at a clinical level. However, it had gone unnoticed in previous studies. The parasite is geographically and taxonomically widespread in fish species around the planet, with implications for commercial fishing and oceanic food webs.

 An international research study led by scientists at the Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science of the University of Miami, the Institute of Evolutionary Biology (IBE), a joint centre of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the Pompeu Fabra University (UPF) has characterized a new parasite in the red-lipped blenny, a fish that lives in tropical reefs. The international team has also revealed its presence in fish around the world.

Published by Current Biology, the research used an innovative method to reconstruct part of the parasite's genome from sequencing data obtained from its host, and be able to detect its presence in other fish using genetic “barcodes” (DNA barcoding).

An "invisible" parasite has been unveiled

Despite its presence in fish worldwide, the parasite had not been properly characterized until now. The genomic data of the study reveals that this parasite belongs to a group of organisms previously uncharacterized and have been named ichthyocolids, from the Latin “fish dweller.”

“Although it had been previously identified by microscopy, we had not been able to separate the genomic signal from the host fish and the parasite until now. For the first time, we have been able to identify them through their DNA, and place them within the well-known group of apicomplexan parasites,” said Javier del Campo, lead of the study and principal investigator at IBE in the Microbial Ecology and Evolution group and at the Rosenstiel School in Miami.

The parasite is present in fish around the world

Beyond allowing the description of an entirely new group of apicomplexans, the genome reconstruction has allowed researchers to identify a series of genes that can be used to detect the presence of this organism in other genomic or microbiome samples as if it was a “barcode.”

“Once we found ichthyocolids in the red-lipped blenny, a tropical fish, we wondered if it would also be part of the microbiota of other fish,” says Anthony Bonacolta, a PhD candidate in marine biology and ecology at the Rosenstiel School and first author of the study. 

The team compared the DNA of these apicomplexans with public databases of the microbiomes of hundreds of species of freshwater and marine fish. The results showed that these parasites appear associated with the majority of marine fish species analyzed and are present in all oceans. It would therefore be one of the most widespread parasites among marine fish, with potential implications for commercial fishing and oceanic food webs.

“Future studies could help us better understand the impact of parasites as prevalent as ichthyocolids in marine ecosystems,” del Campo says.

A new member of apicomplexan parasites

The Ichthyocolids belong to Apicomplexa, a large group of parasites including the ones that causes malaria and toxoplasmosis. However, these parasites do not pose direct risk to human health, but are important to study for the health of the oceanic ecosystems and for more context on the evolution of those human parasites.

The discovery of the ichthyocolids adds more context to this evolution. For the first time, they are placed as a sister group to well-known coral inhabitants, the corallicolids, also recently described as apicomplexans.

“Studying ichthyocollids not only reveals more about the evolution of major parasites, but also the other basic traits of apicomplexans which may be important in a clinical sense. They may use similar infection mechanisms (as they are also a blood parasite) or have other similar biology which can enlighten our understanding of other apicomplexans.” said Bonacolta.

Reference article:

Anthony M. Bonacolta, Joana Krause-Massaguer, Nico J. Smit, Paul C. Sikkel, & Javier del Campo (2024). A new and widespread group of fish apicomplexan parasites. Current Biology. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2024.04.084

About the University of Miami and Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric and Earth Science

The University of Miami is a private research university and academic health system with a distinct geographic capacity to connect institutions, individuals, and ideas across the hemisphere and around the world. The University’s vibrant and diverse academic community comprises 12 schools and colleges serving more than 19,000 undergraduate and graduate students in more than 180 majors and programs. Located within one of the most dynamic and multicultural cities in the world, the University is building new bridges across geographic, cultural, and intellectual borders, bringing a passion for scholarly excellence, a spirit of innovation, a respect for including and elevating diverse voices, and a commitment to tackling the challenges facing our world. With more than $413 million in research and sponsored program expenditures annually, the University of Miami is a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU).

 Founded in 1943, the Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science is one of the world’s premier research institutions in the continental United States. The School’s basic and applied research programs seek to improve understanding and prediction of Earth’s geological, oceanic, and atmospheric systems by focusing on four key pillars:

*Saving lives through better forecasting of extreme weather and seismic events.

*Feeding the world by developing sustainable wild fisheries and aquaculture programs.

*Unlocking ocean secrets through research on climate, weather, energy and medicine.

*Preserving marine species, including endangered sharks and other fish, as well as protecting and restoring threatened coral reefs.

www.earth.miami.edu.

 

---

JOURNAL

Current Biology

DOI

10.1016/j.cub.2024.04.084 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Animals

ARTICLE TITLE

A new and widespread group of fish apicomplexan parasites

 

Mineralizing emissions: advanced reactor designs for CO₂ capture

KEAI COMMUNICATIONS CO., LTD.

 

IMAGE: 

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

view more 

CREDIT: DUOYONG ZHANG, ET AL

In an advancing sustainable waste management and CO2 sequestration, researchers have crafted reactors that mineralize carbon dioxide with fly ash particles. This avant-garde technique is set to offer a sustainable and lasting solution to the pressing issue of greenhouse gas emissions, repurposing an industrial by-product in the process.

The relentless march of industrialization has corresponded with a surge in CO2 emissions, a key driver of global warming. Existing carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technologies grapple with issues of efficiency and cost. Fly ash, a coal combustion by-product, offers a promising avenue for CO2 mineralization, turning waste into a resource and curtailing emissions. Yet, prevailing reactor designs struggle to achieve the desired synergy between gas-particle interactions and operational efficacy. These hurdles underscore the imperative for an in-depth investigation into innovative reactor configurations and operational fine-tuning.

Shanghai Jiao Tong University's cutting-edge research on fly ash mineralization reactors was published in the Energy Storage and Saving journal on May 7, 2024. The study (DOI: 10.1016/j.enss.2024.04.002), subjected to meticulous computational optimization, unveils a pioneering reactor design anticipated to escalate the efficacy of CO2 capture and mineralization.

The research introduces a duo of reactor designs, each meticulously sculpted for CO2 mineralization via fly ash, with computational fluid dynamics at the helm of optimization. The impinging-type inlet design stands out for its capacity to amplify interfacial interactions, extending particle dwell times and significantly augmenting mineralization rates. The quadrilateral rotary-style inlet, conversely, champions streamlined flow for comprehensive mixing and reaction efficacy. A rigorous exploration of operational parameters—flue gas velocity, carrier gas velocity, and particle velocity—yielded optimal ranges that promise to propel reactor performance to new heights, ensuring efficient CO2 mineralization and phase separation post-reaction.

Dr. Liwei Wang, the study's principal investigator, remarked, "Our findings mark a significant leap forward in carbon capture and utilization technologies. By refining reactor designs and operational parameters, we've achieved a substantial leap in CO2 mineralization efficiency. This work is not only a boon to sustainable waste management but also presents a pragmatic strategy for curtailing industrial carbon emissions, aligning with global climate action initiatives."

The research bears profound implications for coal-fired power plants, offering a transformative use for the fly ash they generate. By channeling this by-product into CO2 mineralization, the study paves the way for diminished carbon emissions and a reduction in the environmental burden of fly ash disposal. The broader applications of this research are expansive, presenting a harmonious solution to waste management and CO2 sequestration that could very well redefine CCUS technology approaches.

###

Media contact:

Name: Yue Yang

Email: enss@xjtu.edu.cn

---

JOURNAL

Energy Storage and Saving

DOI

10.1016/j.enss.2024.04.002 

ARTICLE TITLE

Simulation Design and Optimization of Reactors for Carbon Dioxide Mineralization

 

Climate change: rising temperatures may impact groundwater quality

KIT researchers are investigating climate change’s impact on groundwater resources and its follow-on effects

KARLSRUHER INSTITUT FÜR TECHNOLOGIE (KIT)

 

IMAGE: 

 

RECENTLY PUBLISHED KIT RESEARCH SHOWS THAT OVERLY WARM GROUNDWATER COULD AFFECT MILLIONS OF PEOPLE BY 2100. (PHOTO: SUSANNE BENZ, KIT)

view more 

CREDIT: PHOTO: SUSANNE BENZ, KIT

Earth’s climate system is heating up due to the atmosphere’s increased concentration of greenhouse gases, which limits the amount of heat that can be radiated away. The oceans absorb a substantial fraction of this heat, but soil and groundwater also act as heat sinks. However, little is known thus far about the effects Earth’s surface warming has on groundwater over space and time. “To close this gap, we have simulated the projected changes in global groundwater temperatures through 2100,” said Dr. Susanne Benz from the Institute of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing at KIT, which prepared the study in cooperation with Dr. Kathrin Menberg and Professor Philipp Blum from the Institute of Applied Geosciences at KIT. “We can provide maps showing global groundwater temperatures at various depths beneath Earth’s surface. The maps show that the world’s highest groundwater warming rates can be expected at locations with a shallow groundwater table and/or high atmospheric warming.”

 

The researchers based their projections on the SSP 2–4.5 and SSP 5–8.5 climate scenarios. These scenarios reflect different socioeconomic development pathways and different trends in the concentration of atmospheric greenhouse gases in the future. SSP 2–4.5 is in the middle range of possible future greenhouse gas concentration trends; SSP 5–8.5 is at the upper extreme. 

 

Millions of People Affected by Overly Warm Drinking Water

The study indicates that by 2100, groundwater temperatures will rise by 2.1 degrees Celsius in the SSP 2–4.5 scenario and by 3.5 degrees Celsius in the SSP 5–8.5 scenario. “There are already about 30 million people living in regions where the groundwater is warmer than stipulated in the strictest drinking water guidelines. That means it may not be safe to drink the water there without treatment. It may need to be boiled first, for example. The drinking water also gets warmed up in water pipes by heat in the ground,” Benz noted. “Depending on the scenario, as many as several hundred million people could be affected by 2100.” According to the study, the figure would be 77 to 188 million people for SSP 2–4.5 and 59 to 588 million for SSP 5–8.5. The broad ranges are due to spatial variations in climate change and population trends. The researchers projected the lowest warming rates in mountainous regions with deep water tables, such as the Andes and the Rocky Mountains. 

 

Temperature Changes Affect Ecosystems

The temperature of groundwater plays a crucial role in water quality by influencing a number of chemical, biological and physical processes. “Under certain conditions, rising groundwater temperatures can lead to increasing concentrations of harmful substances like arsenic or manganese. These higher concentrations can have a negative impact on human health, especially when groundwater is used as drinking water,” Benz said, adding that warmer groundwater also affects groundwater-dependent ecosystems, aquatic biogeochemical processes, geothermal energy potential, and thermal regimes in rivers. It can also pose a challenge to biodiversity and a risk to carbon and nutrient cycles. 

 

A further effect of increased near-surface and groundwater temperatures is that critical thresholds can be exceeded in water distribution networks. This could have human health implications, e.g. by promoting the growth of pathogens such as Legionella spp. Fish species, especially salmon, are also affected by the changing conditions. Their reproduction could be endangered if groundwater-dependent spawning grounds in rivers become too warm. “Our results show how important it is to take action to protect groundwater and find lasting solutions to counteract the negative impact of climate change on groundwater,” Benz said. 

 

Original publication

Susanne A. Benz, Dylan J. Irvine, Gabriel C. Rau, Peter Bayer, Kathrin Menberg, Philipp Blum, Rob C. Jamieson, Christian Griebler, Barret L. Kurylyk: Global groundwater warming. Nature Geoscience, 2024. DOI: 10.1038/s41561-024-01453-x. 

More about the KIT Climate and Environment Center

 

 

Being “The Research University in the Helmholtz Association”, KIT creates and imparts knowledge for the society and the environment. It is the objective to make significant contributions to the global challenges in the fields of energy, mobility, and information. For this, about 10,000 employees cooperate in a broad range of disciplines in natural sciences, engineering sciences, economics, and the humanities and social sciences. KIT prepares its 22,800 students for responsible tasks in society, industry, and science by offering research-based study programs. Innovation efforts at KIT build a bridge between important scientific findings and their application for the benefit of society, economic prosperity, and the preservation of our natural basis of life. KIT is one of the German universities of excellence.

---

JOURNAL

Nature Geoscience

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Observational study

ARTICLE TITLE

Global groundwater warming.

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

14-Jun-2024

Understanding the Green Sahara’s collapse

TUM scientists develop new method for early detection of climate tipping points

TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF MUNICH (TUM)

From the last ice age until around 6000 years ago, the region now known as the Sahara Desert was a lush, green landscape teeming with life. This “African Humid Period” ended abruptly, transforming this thriving region into the arid terrain seen today. Scientists have long puzzled over how the slow changes in solar radiation due to variations in Earth’s orbit could lead to such an abrupt large-scale climate transition. This mystery highlights the broader challenge of understanding and predicting abrupt shifts in natural systems—commonly linked to tipping points.

New study by Andreas Morr and Prof. Niklas Boers, researchers at TUM and PIK, introduces an advanced early detection method that provides more accurate and reliable early warnings, particularly under more realistic external conditions. Traditional methods assume that random disturbances in a system are uncorrelated in time. However, this is not realistic for climate systems, because it assumes each day's weather would be independent of the previous day. In reality, tomorrow's weather heavily depends on today's. This mismatch reduces the reliability of conventional methods for early warning signals. The new method by Morr and Boers addresses this limitation by developing estimators of system stability designed specifically for more realistic climate conditions.

When applying their methods to the desertification of the West Sahara, they found a clear early warning before the loss of vegetation, consistent with the crossing of a tipping point. “Our findings suggest that the abrupt end of the African Humid Period was likely caused by a weakening of the system's stability as the orbital configuration of the Earth changed, gradually pushing the system toward a tipping point”, says Andreas Morr. Niklas Boers adds: “The advanced detection method that we developed enhances our ability to monitor and respond to potential tipping points in various natural systems. Our results suggest that large-scale climate tipping events such as this can in principle be anticipated, hopefully enabling timely interventions.”

By improving the accuracy of early warning signals, the research supports better preparedness and response strategies, ultimately helping to protect ecosystems and human societies from severe impacts of potential climate tipping points that might be crossed due to anthropogenic climate change.

---

JOURNAL

Physical Review X

DOI

10.1103/PhysRevX.14.021037 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Computational simulation/modeling

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Detection of approaching critical transitions in natural systems driven by red noise

Leading academics call for extending and reframing Sustainable Development Goals

KTH, ROYAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

 

IMAGE: 

FRANCESCO FUSO-NERINI, DIRECTOR OF THE CLIMATE ACTION CENTER AT  KTH ROYAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY IN STOCKHOLM

view more 

CREDIT: KTH

A group of leading academics are calling for the UN Sustainable Development Goals to be extended past their 2030 target date and updated with consideration for the impact of artificial intelligence (AI), and with more input from communities affected by the goals, among other recommendations.

Halfway to the targeted completion date of 2030, many of the UN’s ambitious 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are off track or progressing too slowly, due to the slowing of the global economy by COVID and international conflicts. In the run-up to the Summit of the Future in New York next September, the authors are recommending the goals be extended to 2050 and retooled with an ambitious timeline and greater clarity about specific goals — such as those pertaining to climate and “planetary health”.

Writing in Nature, the authors recommend the UN’s 180 member states further extend many of the goals’ individual targets to as far as 2050. They also recommend action to reworking individual targets for each goal. The paper was led by Francesco Fuso-Nerini, director of the Climate Action Center at KTH Royal Institute of Technology and honorary researcher at the University of Oxford; together with Mariana Mazzucato, University College London; Johan Rockström, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research; Harro van Asselt, University of Cambridge; Jim W. Hall, University of Oxford; Stelvia Matos, University of Surrey; Åsa Persson, Stockholm Environmental Institute; Benjamin Sovacool, Boston University; Ricardo Vinuesa, KTH Royal Institute of Technology; and Jeffrey Sachs, Columbia University.

Enacted in 2015, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals cover such global challenges as hunger, poverty, health, climate action, education, gender equality, peace and biodiversity. Each of the goals is comprised of specific targets.

Fuso-Nerini says some goals and regions have progressed faster than others, but most of the world is lagging behind – particularly on climate and biodiversity targets. Furthermore, many targets are too vague and difficult to measure. Another key challenge is to prevent countries from progressing at the expense of others, he says.

The paper refers to an urgent need for updated pathways and milestones toward reaching all SDGs including integrating net-zero greenhouse gases emissions, as well as strengthening global governance of the transition through existing frameworks agreed upon by the members of the UN. The authors also say adapting the goals to be relevant to 2050 will require more inclusive consultations with scientists, indigenous populations, marginalized communities and the private sector.

As steps toward strengthening the goals, they recommend measures such as framing goals as missions with clear targets, and reforming global finance architecture to enable more public investment in the reaching the goals.

Planetary health however occupies a central issue in the framework of the SDGs, he says, given that the world has already transgressed six of nine planetary boundaries that regulate the stability and functioning of Earth.

“Achieving the social and economic goals can’t be done at the expense of planet,” he says. “What keeps getting left behind are the climate and biodiversity goals, so the base layer for achieving the SDGs is a healthy planet that can support the achievement of all social and economic goals.”

---

JOURNAL

Nature

DOI

10.1038/d41586-024-01754-6 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Systematic review

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Extending the Sustainable Development Goals to 2050 – a roadmap

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

17-Jun-2024

 

Direct evidence found for dairy consumption in the Pyrenees in the earliest stages of the Neolithic

UNIVERSITAT AUTONOMA DE BARCELONA

 

IMAGE: 

CERAMIC REMAINS FROM CUEVA DE CHAVES ANALYSED IN THE STUDY. AUTHOR: R. LABORDA

view more 

CREDIT: R. LABORDA

The analysis of the content and use of prehistoric vessels has become a valuable source of information on the food patterns and subsistence practices of past societies. A research conducted on the materials found at the Huescan sites of Cueva de Chaves (Bastaràs), at 640 metres above sea level, and at Espluga de la Puyascada (La Fueva), at 1,300 metres above sea level, in a strictly Pyrenean mountain region, now has yielded the first direct evidence of dairy product consumption and processing in the Pyrenees during the earliest stages of the Neolithic.

The study was conducted by prehistorians from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) and the University of Zaragoza, and chemists from the University of Strasbourg, France, on materials on display at the Huesca Museum. The findings have now been published in the journal Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences.

The research was conducted through a combination of techniques used to identify organic residues and the isotopic characterisation of fatty acids to determine animal origin, as well as data obtained of the morphology and functionality of ceramics and the archaeozoological studies of both sites.

The analysis of organic residues preserved in the argillaceous matrix of the interior of 36 ceramic vessels indicates that 7,500 years ago dairy products were already processed and consumed in the Central Pyrenees. The correlation between the residues of dairy fats and the different forms of the pottery suggests, moreover, that all the processes (preparation, consumption and storage) were carried out in both settlements.

This “questions previous considerations in which dairy consumption in the Pyrenees was thought to have begun much later”, points out Nàdia Tarifa, researcher from the University of Strasbourg when this study was conducted, and lead autor of the paper. “It was always thought that prehistoric social dynamics in mountainous regions were slower or ‘less evolved’ than in coastal regions. Our study adds solid proof to previous faunistic studies conducted in both sites, which had pointed to dairy farming in these mountainous regions at the very early stages of the Neolithic period”, Tarifa states.

The study also shows how pig-derived products may have been processed or stored in ceramic vessels at both sites, which would indicate the importance of this species for the early mountain farming economies. In contrast to the results for milk, researchers also observed variations between the two sites in terms of the exploitation of meat from ruminants and pigs, with a predominance of the former in Espluga de la Puyascada and the latter in Cueva de Chaves. These differences could be related to the characteristics of the settlements and their surroundings, and to the methods of meat processing.

The researchers also identified residues from processed vegetables, as well as from pine resin. The latter substance would have been used to waterproof the inside of the vessels.

The results support the idea that in the early Neolithic period in the Pyrenean area there was a mixed economy based on integrated agriculture and livestock farming (in which one supported the other), with sheep herds as the main source of meat and milk.

“Our findings provide a better understanding of consumption habits and the technological use of resources in the early Neolithic period in the Pyrenees and open up new avenues of research to deepen our understanding of the social and economic dynamics of ancient societies, especially in mountainous areas”, says Alejandro Sierra, researcher at the UAB and co-author of the study.

Ceramic remains from Espluga de Puyascada Cave (La Fueva, Huesca) analysed in the study. Author: R. Laborda

CREDIT

Author: R. Laborda

JOURNAL

Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences

DOI

10.1007/s12520-024-02001-9 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Milk production in pottery. Evidence for various exploited resources used by the first farmers in Central Pyrenees using the morphological, chemical and stable carbon isotopic composition of organic residues from ceramic vessels

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

17-Jun-2024

 

Poll: Majority of Americans say key COVID-19 policies were a good idea—but views of individual policies vary

Those with negative feelings express concerns about policies staying in place for too long, economic impacts, political influence, and lack of personal choice

HARVARD T.H. CHAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH

 

IMAGE: 

SOURCE: HARVARD T.H. CHAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH/DE BEAUMONT FOUNDATION POLL, U.S. VIEWS ON PANDEMIC
POLICIES: LESSONS FOR EMERGING OUTBREAKS, MARCH 21 - APR 2, 2024, N=1,017 U.S. ADULTS AGES 18 AND OLDER.
PERCENTAGES MAY NOT ADD UP TO 100% DUE TO ROUNDING.

view more 

CREDIT: SOURCE: HARVARD T.H. CHAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH/DE BEAUMONT FOUNDATION POLL, U.S. VIEWS ON PANDEMIC POLICIES: LESSONS FOR EMERGING OUTBREAKS, MARCH 21 - APR 2, 2024, N=1,017 U.S. ADULTS AGES 18 AND OLDER. PERCENTAGES MAY NOT ADD UP TO 100% DUE TO ROUNDING.

Boston, MA—A majority of Americans say that several key policies to stop the spread of COVID-19 were generally a good idea in hindsight, according to a new national poll by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the de Beaumont Foundation. The poll also found, however, that views varied across policies, and many say the policies had negative impacts. 

The poll, U.S. Views on Pandemic Policies: Lessons for Emerging Outbreaks, was conducted March 21 to April 2, 2024, among a nationally representative, probability-based sample of 1,017 adults ages 18 or older. 

A majority of Americans say four key pandemic policies were “generally a good idea” in retrospect, including those related to:

• Mask requirements in stores and businesses – 70% 

• Healthcare worker vaccination requirements – 65% 

• Indoor dining closures – 63% 

• K-12 public school closures – 56% 

Forty-two percent of Americans say all four policies were a good idea and another third (37%) say only some were a good idea. Only 20% say all were “generally a bad idea.” 

Views on these pandemic policies vary by subgroup characteristics, including political party affiliation, race, ethnicity, and metropolitan status. The percentage who say all four policies were generally a good idea:

• Democrats (71%); Independents (44%); Republicans (18%)

• Black adults (62%); Hispanic/Latino adults (55%); white adults (32%)

• People living in urban areas (55%); suburban areas (39%); rural areas (29%)

Notably, there is some policy receptivity among all subgroups, with majorities of each subgroup saying at least one of the four policies was generally a good idea. For example, 62% of Republicans say at least one was generally a good idea, as do 70% of people living in rural areas.

Reasons given for disliking pandemic policies are both practical and principled. Among those who say key policies were generally a bad idea, top reasons include beliefs that policies went on too long (84–87% across policies), concerns about political motivations behind policy decisions (60–81%), concerns about effects on the economy (68–91%), and perceived lack of personal choice for the people involved (75–94%). Among those who say school closures were generally a bad idea, nearly all say major reasons include their perceptions that policies had negative effects on children’s learning (97%) and mental health (91%).

“In order for all Americans to benefit from public health protections during outbreaks, leaders need to see there are opportunities to build on public receptivity, even where it is limited, and understand where people’s concerns come from,” said survey director Gillian SteelFisher, director of global polling in the Harvard Opinion Research Program and principal research scientist at Harvard Chan School. “These data suggest that keeping outbreak response policies focused on the most at-risk populations, communicating clear, limited time frames, and considering the broader economic and societal impacts of policies could go a long way to maintaining public support in the next outbreak and beyond.”  

“Public health professionals need to know that these vital protections are still available in their toolboxes,” added Brian Castrucci, president and CEO of the de Beaumont Foundation “Understanding what drives resistance for some people can help inform the best ways to use and communicate about these policies should we need to call on them in the future.”

Additional findings from the poll show that Americans have differing beliefs about how severe the threat of COVID-19 was early on in the pandemic. There are very few total COVID-deniers, with only 3% saying COVID-19 was not a health threat to anyone early in the pandemic. But many say COVID-19 was not a serious health threat to everyone early on. This includes 14% who say it was a serious health threat only to people who are very old or frail and 45% who say COVID-19 was a serious health threat to more people, including people who are very old or frail as well as those with underlying medical conditions. About one third (37%) say it was a serious health threat to everyone early on. Americans who say the threat was more widespread early on are more likely to say key pandemic policies were generally a good idea.

Methodology

Results are based on survey research conducted by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, in partnership with the de Beaumont Foundation. Representatives from each organization worked closely to develop the survey questionnaire, while analyses were conducted by researchers from Harvard and the fielding team at SSRS of Glen Mills, Pennsylvania.  

The project team at Harvard was led by Gillian SteelFisher, principal research scientist and global polling director of the Harvard Opinion Research Program, and included Hannah Caporello, senior research projects manager, and Mary Findling, assistant director.

The project team at the de Beaumont Foundation was led by Brian Castrucci, president and CEO of the de Beaumont Foundation, and included Katy Evans, senior program officer, Emma Dewhurst, program and research associate, Mark Miller, vice president of communications, and Nalini Padmanabhan, communications director. 

Interviews were conducted with a representative sample of 1,017 adults, age 18 and older, in English and Spanish online and by telephone. Respondents were reached online and by phone through the SSRS Opinion Panel, a nationally representative, probability-based panel. Panelists were randomly recruited via an Address Based Sampling (ABS) frame and from random-digit dial (RDD) samples on SSRS surveys. Most panelists completed the survey online with a small subset who do not access the internet completing by phone. The interview period was March 21 to April 2, 2024. 

When interpreting findings, one should recognize that all surveys are subject to sampling error. Results may differ from what would be obtained if the whole U.S. adult population had been interviewed. The margin of error for the full sample is ±4.1 percentage points. Subgroup differences were emphasized only if they differed by at least 10 percentage points, for statistical significance and practical implications. Race/ethnicity was categorized as non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic Black/African American, and Hispanic/Latino. For political party affiliation, Democrat/Republican include those who lean toward either party, and Independent includes unaffiliated adults who do not lean toward either party. 

Possible sources of non-sampling error include non-response bias, as well as question wording and ordering effects. Non-response in web and telephone surveys produces some known biases in survey-derived estimates because participation tends to vary for different subgroups of the population. To compensate for these known biases and for variations in the probability of selection within and across households, sample data are weighted in a multi-step process by probability of selection and recruitment, response rates by survey type, and demographic variables (race/ethnicity, gender, age, education, region, the frequency of internet use, civic engagement, and population density) to reflect the true U.S. population. Other techniques, including random sampling, multiple contact attempts, replicate subsamples, and systematic respondent selection within households, are used to ensure that the sample is representative.

###

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health brings together dedicated experts from many disciplines to educate new generations of global health leaders and produce powerful ideas that improve the lives and health of people everywhere. As a community of leading scientists, educators, and students, we work together to take innovative ideas from the laboratory to people’s lives—not only making scientific breakthroughs, but also working to change individual behaviors, public policies, and health care practices. Each year, more than 400 faculty members at Harvard Chan teach 1,000-plus full-time students from around the world and train thousands more through online and executive education courses. Founded in 1913 as the Harvard-MIT School of Health Officers, the School is recognized as America’s oldest professional training program in public health.

Founded in 1998, the de Beaumont Foundation creates and invests in bold solutions to create communities where everyone can achieve their best possible health. Its focus is advancing policy, building partnerships, strengthening the public health system, and improving health communication. Recognizing that health is the foundation for a strong nation, de Beaumont incites action and drives change to create thriving communities and improve lives.

 

Study finds US does not have housing shortage, but shortage of affordable housing

Analysis of markets across country shows most have enough housing units existing, but incomes often fall short

UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS

LAWRENCE — The United States is experiencing a housing shortage. At least, that is the case according to common belief — and is even the basis for national policy, as the Biden administration has stated plans to address the housing supply shortfall. 

But new research from the University of Kansas finds that most of the nation’s markets have ample housing in total, but nearly all lack enough units affordable to very low-income households.

Kirk McClure, professor of public affairs & administration emeritus at KU, and Alex Schwartz of The New School co-wrote a study published in the journal Housing Policy Debate. They examined U.S. Census Bureau data from 2000 to 2020 to compare the number of households formed to the number of housing units added to determine if there were more households needing homes than units available. 

The researchers found only four of the nation’s 381 metropolitan areas experienced a housing shortage in the study time frame, as did only 19 of the country’s 526 "micropolitan" areas — those with 10,000-50,000 residents. 

The findings suggest that addressing housing prices and low incomes are more urgently needed to address housing affordability issues than simply building more homes, the authors wrote.

“There is a commonly held belief that the United States has a shortage of housing. This can be found in the popular and academic literature and from the housing industry,” McClure said. “But the data shows that the majority of American markets have adequate supplies of housing available. Unfortunately, not enough of it is affordable, especially for low-income and very low-income families and individuals.”

McClure and Schwartz also examined households in two categories: Very low income, defined as between 30% and 60% of area median family income, and extremely low income, with incomes below 30% of area median family income.

The numbers showed that from 2010 to 2020, household formation did exceed the number of homes available. However, there was a large surplus of housing produced in the previous decade. In fact, from 2000 to 2020, housing production exceeded the growth of households by 3.3 million units. The surplus from 2000 to 2010 more than offset the shortages from 2010 to 2020.

The numbers also showed that nearly all metropolitan areas have sufficient units for owner occupancy. But nearly all have shortages of rental units affordable to the very low-income renter households.

While the authors looked at housing markets across the nation, they also examined vacancy rates, or the difference between total and occupied units, to determine how many homes were available. National total vacancy rates were 9% in 2000 and 11.4% by 2010, which marked the end of the housing bubble and the Great Recession. By the end of 2020, the rate was 9.7%, with nearly 14 million vacant units.

“When looking at the number of housing units available, it becomes clear there is no overall shortage of housing units available. Of course, there are many factors that determine if a vacant is truly available; namely, if it is physically habitable and how much it costs to purchase or rent the unit,” McClure said. “There are also considerations over a family’s needs such as an adequate number of bedrooms or accessibility for individuals with disabilities, but the number of homes needed has not outpaced the number of homes available.”

Not all housing markets are alike, and while there could be shortages in some, others could contain a surplus of available housing units. The study considered markets in all core-based statistical areas as defined by the Census Bureau. Metropolitan areas saw a nationwide surplus of 2.7 million more units than households in the 20-year study period, while micropolitan areas had a more modest surplus of about 300,000 units.

Numbers of available housing units and people only tell part of the story. An individual family needs to be able to afford housing, whether they buy or rent. Shortages of any scale appear in the data only when considering renters, the authors wrote. McClure and Schwartz compared the number of available units in four submarkets of each core-based statistical area to the estimated number of units affordable to renters with incomes from 30% to 60% of the area median family income. Those rates are roughly equivalent to the federal poverty level and upper level of eligibility for various rental assistance programs. Only two metropolitan areas had shortages for very-low-income renters, and only two had surpluses available for extremely-low-income renters.

Helping people afford the housing stock that is available would be more cost effective than expanding new home construction in the hope that additional supply would bring prices down, the authors wrote. Several federal programs have proven successful in helping renters and moderate-income buyers afford housing that would otherwise be out of reach.

“Our nation’s affordability problems result more from low incomes confronting high housing prices rather than from housing shortages,” McClure said. “This condition suggests that we cannot build our way to housing affordability. We need to address price levels and income levels to help low-income households afford the housing that already exists, rather than increasing the supply in the hope that prices will subside.”

 

---

JOURNAL

Housing Policy Debate

DOI

10.1080/10511482.2024.2334011 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Data/statistical analysis

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Where Is the Housing Shortage?