Giant fossil seeds from Borneo record ancient plant migration

Penn State

 

image: 

Scans of a giant fossil legume revealed the extinct species is a relative to the modern black bean tree.  

view more 

Credit: Provided by Edward Spagnuolo

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Ancient fossil beans about the size of modern limes, and among the largest seeds in the fossil record, may provide new insight into the evolution of today’s diverse Southeast Asian and Australian rainforests, according to Penn State researchers who identified the plants.

They discovered that the fossils represent a now extinct legume genus that lived in Southeast Asia that was closely related to modern Castanospermum, known as the black bean tree. This tree is only found today in the coastal rainforests of northern Australia and neighboring islands. The team, which also included paleontologists based in Indonesia, Canada, the United Kingdom and elsewhere in the United States, reported their findings in the International Journal of Plant Sciences.

The fossils, discovered in Indonesian Borneo, date back to the Eocene period approximately 34 to 40 million years ago. They suggest that the ancestors of the black bean tree migrated from Asia into Australia during the tectonic-plate collision that brought the landmasses together and allowed for an exchange of plants and animals between the continents. The collision of the Southeast Asian and Australian tectonic plates, which began about 20 million years ago and continues today, led to a large exchange of plant and animal species between the landmasses, the scientists said.

The findings provide the first macrofossil evidence of a plant lineage moving from Asia into Australia after the Asia-Australia tectonic collision, the researchers said. The fossils are also the oldest definite fossil legumes — the bean family — from the Malay Archipelago and the first fossil record anywhere of plants related to the black bean tree.

“These fossil seeds suggest that the ancient relatives of Castanospermum migrated into Australia from Southeast Asia during the tectonic collision event and later went extinct in Asia,” said Edward Spagnuolo, a doctoral student in the Department of Geosciences at Penn State and lead author of the study.

The suggestion is in opposition to most of the existing direct macrofossil evidence for plant migrations, which represents lineages that moved from Australia into Asia. According to the scientists, the lack of direct evidence for movement from Asia to Australia is at least partially due to a poor plant fossil record in the Malay Archipelago, which includes the Philippines, Indonesia, East Timor, Papua New Guinea and parts of Malaysia.

“It’s really hard to collect fossils in this part of the world,” Spagnuolo said. “Most surface rocks are destroyed by the heavy tropical rainfall or covered by vegetation, agriculture and buildings, so there are few places to look for fossils other than mine and quarry exposures. There is also very little paleontological infrastructure. We’re fortunate to have a partnership with Indonesian paleontologists at Institut Teknologi Bandung in Java, who make this work possible.”

An international research team, including Peter Wilf, professor of geosciences at Penn State, collected the fossils in 2014 from the seams of a coal mine in South Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo.

The collection included three large beans, pollen samples and about 40 leaves. Along with plants, the team also discovered diverse fossilized bird tracks, burrowing traces of marine invertebrates and fossil turtle remains, among other fossils recently published or under continued study.

The seeds are some of the largest in the fossil record, excluding coconuts and some other palms. They would have grown in a pod that most likely reached up to 3 feet long, or the length of a baseball bat, and fit up to five seeds, the scientists said.

After field work, the fossils were loaned to Penn State, where the seeds underwent CT scan imaging. Spagnuolo and Wilf analyzed the fossil beans taxonomically, describing anatomical characters useful for identification, and found they most closely resembled modern Castanospermum, which has no previous fossil representatives.

“Although some of the characteristics of these fossils are common across legumes, there is no fossil or living legume group besides Castanospermum that has a combination of features closely matching the fossils,” Spagnuolo said. “That makes us confident with our identification.”

The fossil seeds were named Jantungspermum gunnellii. The genus name refers to the heart shape of the fossil — jantung means heart in Indonesian and spermum means seed in Latin. The species name honors the late Gregg Gunnell, a vertebrate paleontologist formerly of the Duke University Lemur Center, who led the field trip.

Legumes are a diverse family of flowering plants, with about 20,000 species alive today that include many large tropical trees, the scientists said. But despite their abundance and diversity in modern ecosystems, these seeds are the only definite legume fossils from before the Neogene period, the interval between 2.6 million and 23 million years ago, in the Southeast Asian wet tropics.

“The tropics are the most diverse biome on Earth,” Wilf said. “We know very little from the fossil record about how tropical ecosystems evolved, especially in Asia, even as extinction risks are rising quickly, and we lose vast areas every year to deforestation. The Penn State paleobotany group is working on this problem in the field with colleagues in several Asian countries, and the new giant fossil beans from Borneo are a fantastic example of the discovery potential.”

These findings confirm legumes’ presence in Southeast Asia and fill a critical hole in the fossil record, the scientists said.

“We have a great legume fossil record for much of the world but not Southeast Asia,” Spagnuolo said. “Our work highlights the neglected paleobotanical potential of this region and the need for more fossil sampling in the Malay Archipelago.”

Also contributing were John-Paul Zonneveld, professor, University of Alberta, Canada; David Shaw, stratigraphic palynologist, Biostratigraphic Associates, United Kingdom; Aswan, lecturer, and Yan Rizal, associate professor, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Indonesia; Yahdi Zaim, professor, Institut Teknologi Sumatera, Indonesia; Jonathan Bloch, curator of vertebrate paleontology, Florida Museum of Natural History; and Russell Ciochon, professor emeritus, University of Iowa.

The National Geographic Society, the U.S. National Science Foundation and Penn State supported researchers involved in this work.  

Giant bean fossils 

Giant bean fossils of the newly described extinct legume Jantungspermum gunnellii were found in Indonesian Borneo. The legumes were closely related to the Australian back bean tree, Castanospermum, found today only in lowland rainforests of northern Australia and neighboring islands. 

Credit

Provided by Edward Spagnuolo

Journal

International Journal of Plant Sciences

DOI

10.1086/730538 

Method of Research

Observational study

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Giant Seeds of an Extant Australasian Legume Lineage Discovered in Eocene Borneo (South Kalimantan, Indonesia)

 

Fracking frenzy in India: A water crisis in the making?

India's plans to scale up fracking operations without robust regulations could spell disaster for the country's finely balanced water security, according to research from the University of Surrey.

University of Surrey

India's plans to scale up fracking operations without robust regulations could spell disaster for the country's finely balanced water security, according to research from the University of Surrey. 

India is positioning shale gas as a key transitional energy source and has announced 56 fracking projects across six states. Despite the promise of energy independence, Surrey’s study raises alarm bells about the country's preparedness to handle the unique water risks posed by fracking. 

Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, involves injecting high-pressure fluid into shale rock to release natural gas. This process has been controversial worldwide due to its significant environmental impacts, particularly on water resources. The study points out that India's regulatory framework for fracking is currently based on rules designed for conventional drilling processes, which do not adequately address the distinct challenges fracking presents. 

Shashi Kant Yadav, lead author from the University’s School of Law, which has a specialism in environmental regulatory issues, and his co-authors identified four key fracking-specific water (FSW) issues that need urgent attention: 

• Water contamination: Fracking fluids and the release of methane can contaminate groundwater supplies. 

• Water usage: Fracking operations consume vast amounts of water, which can deplete local water supplies. 

• Wastewater management: Handling and disposing of the contaminated water that returns to the surface is a complex challenge. 

• Water-induced seismicity: The injection of fracking fluids can trigger earthquakes. 

Drawing parallels with the US shale industry, the study maps these four FSW issues to the regulatory responses observed in the US. It highlights the gaps and inefficiencies in the Indian context, emphasising the need for a more stringent regulatory approach. 

In the US, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and various state-level bodies have put contrasting regulations in place - some of the US states mitigate the environmental impact of fracking, while others encourage its commercial scaling. Mitigation measures include monitoring of water quality, mandatory reporting of chemicals used in fracking fluids, and robust waste management protocols. 

Researchers argue that India should adopt similar, if not more rigorous, measures to protect its more under-strain water resources. 

Shashi Kant Yadav, lead author of the study from the University of Surrey, said: 

Our research concludes with a stark warning: India must reassess the commercial scaling of fracking operations and conduct a thorough scientific inquiry into the potential impacts on water resources is conducted. Furthermore, our study calls for a re-examination of both federal and state-level regulations to ensure comprehensive coverage of all FSW issues.

This study is a wake-up call for policymakers. The potential for a significant environmental crisis is real and imminent if proactive steps are not taken. As India marches towards its energy goals, the balance between energy security and water security must not be overlooked. Shashi Yadav

 

For more details on the research and its findings, read the full paper in Environmental Law Review.

 

###

Note to editors:

• Shashi Kant Yadav is available for interview, please contact mediarelations@surrey.ac.uk to arrange.

---

Journal

Environmental Law Review

DOI

10.1177/14614529241230680 

Article Title

Emerging regulatory gaps in fracking-specific water security issues in India: Lessons from the United States ‘Shale Revolution’

Dark rituals: Understanding society's fascination with death and disaster

Understanding why the popularity of organised events steeped in themes of death, disaster and suffering, such as the well-known Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), Jack the Ripper Walking Tours and Remembrance Sunday, could be key to a deeper understand

University of Surrey

Understanding why the popularity of organised events steeped in themes of death, disaster and suffering, such as the well-known Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), Jack the Ripper Walking Tours and Remembrance Sunday, could be key to a deeper understanding of society, say researchers from the University of Surrey.

In a study published by Annals of Tourism Research, researchers introduce a comprehensive framework to analyse these events, drawing from fields as diverse as thanatology (the scientific study of death and the practices associated with it), dark tourism, and collective memory studies.

Dark events include a broad spectrum, from historical commemorations and sports competitions to cultural festivals and horror experiences.

Dr James Kennell, co-author of the study and Associate Professor of Events and Hospitality at the University of Surrey, said:

People are fascinated with dark events for several reasons, embedded in psychological, cultural, and sociological aspects of human behaviour. There is a natural human curiosity about the darker aspects of life, including death, tragedy, and the macabre. Dark events often provide a safe and controlled environment for people to explore these themes. Dr James Kennell, Associate Professor in Events & Hospitality

The framework developed in this study advances understanding of the evolving landscape of dark events by identifying six key concepts crucial for researching dark events:

• Commercialisation – how dark events are marketed, consumed, and monetised.

• Perspectives from disciplines such as thanatology, dark tourism, and collective memory studies.

• Public sphere engagement - how dark events interact with the public sphere and how they fit in broader societal discourse – including media coverage, politics, public reactions, and the impact on social norms and values.

• Deviant behaviour - examines participant motivations, such as thrill-seeking or taboo exploration of violence, criminality or general harm.

• Experiential aspects - analysing how dark events evoke emotions such as fear, fascination, or reflection within the participants or audience.

• The presence of death – centres on the symbolic and literal presence of death within dark events, including: non-human death, death symbolism and actual death.

Metod Šuligoj, co-author and Associate Professor of Tourism Studies at the University of Primorska, said:

“The fascination with dark events stems from a complex interplay of curiosity, thrill-seeking behaviour, cultural traditions, psychological exploration, and the desire for communal and shared experiences. These events allow individuals to engage with themes of death, disaster, and suffering in ways that are meaningful, educational, and sometimes transformative.”

The full study has been published in the Annals of Tourism Research.

 

###

---

Journal

Annals of Tourism Research

DOI

10.1016/j.annals.2024.103799 

Method of Research

Observational study

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Conceptualising dark events: A new framework

New research shows unprecedented atmospheric changes during May's geomagnetic superstorm

What could the anomalies in temperature, composition, location, and spread of particles mean for satellites and GPS?

Virginia Tech

 

image: 

Associate Professor and Crofton Faculty Fellow Scott England.

view more 

Credit: Photo by Ben Murphy for Virginia Tech.

On May 11, a gorgeous aurora surprised stargazers across the southern United States. That same weekend, a tractor guided by GPS missed its mark.

What do the visibility of the northern lights have in common with compromised farming equipment in the Midwest?

A uniquely powerful geomagnetic storm, according to two newly published papers co-authored by Virginia Tech's Scott England.

“The northern lights are caused by energetic, charged particles hitting our upper atmosphere, which are impacted by numerous factors in space, including the sun,” said England, associate professor in the Kevin T. Crofton Department of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering. “During solar geomagnetic storms, there’s a lot more of these energetic charged particles in the space around Earth, so we see a brightening of the northern lights and the region over which you can see them spreads out to include places like the lower 48 states that usually don’t see this display.”

England and a team of university and industry collaborators tracked the upper atmospheric event on May 11 using NASA's GOLD instrument. It turned out to be the strongest geomagnetic storm captured in the last 20 years. Their findings were recently published in Geophysical Research Letters in two studies, both co-authored by England. The first study, by first author Deepak Karan, from the University of Colorado, Boulder, showed unprecedented changes in location and spread of particles in the upper atmosphere. The second study, by first author and Virginia Tech alumnus J. Scott Evans '88, documented composition and temperature changes.

Among the collected data, England noted witnessing some "delightful swirly patterns” for the first time, and a dramatic motion of the air away from the aurora causing the formation of enormous vortices that moved air in a spiral larger than a hurricane. Specific observations included:

• Unpredictable movement of low energy charged particles from around the equator toward the aurora
• Charged particles that can be divided into two buckets: low energy and high energy, the latter of which can hurt humans working in space and damage electronics
• Changes in temperature and pressure that likely lead to the swirls and vortices seen
• Changes in locations and spread of low energy particles, which can negatively impact GPS, satellites, and even the electrical grid    

“As the aurora intensifies, you see more lights, but along with that, there’s more energy entering the atmosphere, so it makes the atmosphere near the poles very hot, which starts to push air away from the poles and towards the equator,” England said. "This data poses a lot of questions like, did something really different happen during this geomagnetic storm than has happened previously, or do we just have better instruments to measure the changes?"

Furthermore, what could those changes mean for the human-made technology that orbits that region of the atmosphere?

More than a northern lights show

Earth’s upper atmosphere, spanning from about 60 to 400 miles above us, borders space and is the hang-out zone for satellites and the International Space Station. The upper atmosphere is made up of some of the same particles as the lower atmosphere, where we live and breathe. But it also has another side, the ionosphere that can be thought of almost like an electric blanket - highly charged and constantly fluctuating. These charged particles in the ionosphere are one thing that makes this region of space so dynamic. It’s common for the temperature and composition of the upper atmosphere and ionosphere to change. In fact, it does so predictably during the day and night and even changes overtime with seasons. 

England said the particles in earth’s atmosphere are impacted by numerous factors in space, including the sun’s activity. During a solar geomagnetic storm flare, an intense burst of radiation from the sun changes the composition and speed of the particles within the earth’s atmosphere. So why in recent months all over the globe the northern lights have been visible in places where they’ve not been seen before now?

"The number of sunspots, flares, and storms changes with an 11-year cycle that we call the solar cycle,” England said. “The number of flares we are seeing has been increasing gradually for the last couple of years as we move toward the peak of the solar cycle."

In addition to the visibility of the northern lights, geomagnetic storms have a range of impacts on our technology. Because radio and GPS signals travel through this constantly fluctuating “electric blanket," changes in this layer of the atmosphere can disrupt signals and impede navigation and communication systems such as GPS. Various factors from both earth’s weather and space weather can impact this crucial layer, but there’s much to be learned about why changes in the upper and lower atmosphere occur and how they might impact life as we know it. 

“These storms can also increase electrical currents that flow around the Earth, which can impact technological devices that use very long wires. In recent years, there have been impacts to the power grid when too much current was flowing through the wires. During the largest geomagnetic storm ever recorded, the Carrington Event in 1859, these caused telegraph systems — peak technology at that time — to catch on fire," England said.

Scientists suspect that a storm similar to the 1859 Carrington Event, if it happened today, could cause an internet apocalypse, sending large numbers of people and businesses offline. While the May 11 storm did not cause drastic disruptions, with the peak of the solar cycle expected to reach in July 2025, we are still about a year away from knowing those potential effects. 

“One reason we study geomagnetic storms is to try and build models to predict their impacts,” England said. “Based on the solar cycle, we’d expect the conditions we’re seeing this year to be around for about the next two years.”

---

Journal

Geophysical Research Letters

DOI

10.1029/2024GL110506 

Article Publication Date

16-Aug-2024

 

Racial, economic barriers hinder access to medicine for treating opioid use disorder

Oregon State University

 

image: 

Buprenorphine.

view more 

Credit: Dr. Edward Murphy, graduate, OSU College of Pharmacy

PORTLAND, Ore. – Patients with a prescription for an opioid use disorder medication may have a tough time getting it filled if their pharmacy is in a community that’s racially and economically segregated, according to a new study led by scientists at Oregon State University and Johns Hopkins University.

The findings shed additional light on inequities in health care as the U.S.’s overdose crisis continues to accelerate, with fatality rates rising fastest in Black and Hispanic/Latinx communities.

“While there have been notable policy changes over the past decade that have improved access to meds used for opioid use disorder and made headway against racial disparities, those efforts haven’t taken into consideration the issue of whether patients can actually get their prescription filled,” said study co-author Dan Hartung, who has dual appointments with the OSU College of Pharmacy and Oregon Health & Science University.

In the past decade, those populations have seen their overdose fatality rates nearly triple, compared to a 58% increase among white individuals.

More than 640,000 Americans died from opioid overdose in the years 1999 to 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2022 alone, greater than 100,000 people lost their lives to overdose and 75% of those fatalities involved an opioid.

A key tool for helping with opioid use disorder recovery is the prescription drug buprenorphine, which binds to opioid receptors in the brain and spinal cord in a way that produces effects similar to but lesser than those of hydrocodone, oxycodone, morphine and fentanyl.

Treatment with buprenorphine, which helps to mitigate pain, cravings, withdrawal and ultimately overdose risk, has been shown to reduce the risk of death from overdose by 50%, according to Hartung and Johns Hopkins’ Kyle Moon.

Similar to other opioids, distribution of buprenorphine is overseen by the Drug Enforcement Agency. That can lead to pharmacies being extra cautious in how much of the drug they purchase from wholesalers, who are required to report orders that strike them as suspicious to the agency. Innocent or not, being investigated by the DEA can have disastrous effects for pharmacies, the scientists note.

Previous studies have shown that fewer than one in five individuals diagnosed with opioid use disorder will get any kind of drug therapy, and white patients are about four times more likely to receive buprenorphine than non-whites.

Hartung, Moon and collaborators at OSU, OHSU, Johns Hopkins and the Boise VA Medical Center analyzed data from a telephone audit of 858 community pharmacies in 473 counties around the United States. The audit involved someone calling each pharmacy and inquiring about getting a buprenorphine prescription filled.

The analysis showed that in counties with the highest levels of racial and economic segregation, pharmacies were more than two times as likely to restrict their buprenorphine dispensing than pharmacies in the “most economically privileged” counties.

“These pharmacy dispensing barriers have the potential to exacerbate inequities in access to treatment,” Moon said. “And it shows that future policy interventions aimed at improving health care equity need to target dispensing capacity to augment the ones already put in place that make it easier for providers to prescribe buprenorphine.”

Adriane Irwin of the OSU College of Pharmacy contributed to the study, which was published in Drug and Alcohol and Dependence Reports.

---

Journal

Drug and Alcohol Dependence Reports

DOI

10.1016/j.dadr.2024.100255 

Method of Research

Survey

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Association of economic and racial segregation with restricted buprenorphine dispensing in U.S. community pharmacies

 

U.S. capable of achieving seafood independence, new study shows

University of Maine

 

image: 

A photo of a person holding shellfish on a boat. 

view more 

Credit: Photo courtesy of the University of Maine.

From lobster to haddock and seaweed, seafood plays an important role in the U.S. economy, diet and culture. The nation is one of the top producers of marine and aquatic foods worldwide, but also the second largest seafood importer.

Through extensive data analysis and calculations, University of Maine researchers found the U.S. could achieve seafood independence, or meet its entire seafood needs through its own production. But according to their new study in the academic journal Ocean Sustainability, published by Nature, “achieving greater seafood independence would require shifts in consumer behavior, investments in infrastructure and continual adaptation in the face of climate change.” 

Becoming seafood independent offers opportunities for the U.S. to improve dietary outcomes as well as individual and national food security, particularly against disruptions in global supply chains, according to the research team. Despite its capacity to rely solely on the seafood it produces, the nation exports the majority of it and imports 80-90% of the seafood Americans consume. 

“There is a tendency to forget that seafood is an integral part of the nation’s food system, but achieving greater seafood independence can improve equity, health and buffers from climate change,” said Joshua Stoll, UMaine associate professor of marine policy, who co-authored the study with postdoctoral research fellow Sahir Advani and Ph.D. student Tolulope Oyikeke.

Researchers conducted the study using 50 years of consumption and production data, from 1970-2021, for the nation and its seven regions as classified by the U.S Regional Fishery Management Council. Those regions are New England, the Gulf of Mexico, the mid-Atlantic, the south Atlantic, Alaska, the West Coast, Hawaii and other states. Based on that data, the team determined the extent to which the nation and its regions could meet their seafood demand through their own production, with 100% indicating the potential for complete seafood independence. 

National seafood consumption, particularly of fish and other non-shellfish species, has increased over the past century alongside population growth and shifts in culinary preferences, but not enough to pass the overall uptick in production. Per capita consumption rose from 11.7 to 20.3 pounds, according to researchers. Producers, however, have reached a mean annual production volume of 7.5 billion pounds, which could yield 21.4 pounds of food per capita.   

Despite the high production volume, the U.S. most recently could meet only 76% of its seafood demand with its own supply between 2012-21. That metric, akin to seafood self-reliance, and the ability to achieve independence fluctuated over the past 50 years from a low of 59% to a high of 110%, according to researchers. The disparity between actual seafood self-reliance and the ability to increase it comes from using much of what is harvested for global exports or as bait fish for more profitable species.

“As we strive to enhance our seafood self-reliance, we have the potential to reassess our consumption of harvested species. By focusing on species like herring, anchovy and other less widely consumed species over those that we export or use for bait, we can tap into their exceptional nutritional value, rich in omega-3 fatty acids and essential nutrients. This shift would not only strengthen our domestic seafood supply but also contribute to a more sustainable, affordable and health-conscious food system,” said Oyikeke

U.S. potential to achieve seafood independence is driven primarily by Alaska, home to two-thirds of the nation’s annual seafood harvest for the past three decades. With the ability to meet 27,000% of its regional seafood demand with a production that peaked at about 6 billion pounds in 2015, it proves to be the most self-sufficient region. The Mid-Atlantic region, however, is the least self-sufficient, only capable of meeting 7% of its seafood demand through the half-century.    

New England was the third most self-sufficient region in the country from 1971-2021. Its capacity for self-reliance fluctuated over the years, peaking in 1979 with the ability to meet 179% of its seafood demand. Since then, however, its self-sufficiency plummeted to only being able to meet 36% of its demand through its own production in 2021 “due to historic overfishing, catch regulations, and the increasing total per capita consumption,” according to the study.  

“It is hard to predict what will happen in the future, but ongoing efforts to restore fisheries in the Gulf of Maine and the nascent, but burgeoning aquaculture sector may help to increase the potential for self-reliance in the future,” said Oyikeke.

While the U.S. is capable of achieving seafood independence, researchers said its per capita consumption of 20.3 pounds falls short of the recommendations of the U.S. Department of Health, which is 26.07 pounds.  

To increase self-reliance and better dietary outcomes, researchers said the industry must work toward incentivizing changes in consumer preferences, particularly incorporating fish that are typically only used as bait into their diets; as well as increasing shellfish production to meet current demand for these species by investing in small-scale community aquaculture.

They must also eliminate barriers to access experienced by historically marginalized populations and reshape infrastructure to better serve local and regional markets by investing in more cold storage, waterfront access and distribution networks. Additionally, researchers said any actions taken should factor in the possible impacts of climate change.  

“As more attention is being given to the relationship between socioeconomic well-being, human health and food, now is the time to invest in increasing seafood self-reliance. Given current seafood production levels, doing this is not beyond reach,” said Stoll. 

---

Journal

npj Ocean Sustainability

DOI

10.1038/s44183-024-00069-3 

Article Title

Seafood independence is within reach: a multi-scale assessment of seafood self-reliance in the United States

 

$1.2 million in federal funding to study women Veterans experiencing homelessness

Lawson Health Research Institute

 

image: 

Dr. Cheryl Forchuk, Lawson Assistant Scientific Director based at St. Joseph’s Health Care London’s Parkwood Institute.

view more 

Credit: St. Joseph's Health Care London

A first-of-its-kind study led by Lawson Health Research Institute is receiving $1.2 million in funding from the federal government, delivered through the Veteran Homelessness Program, to better understand homelessness amongst women in Canada who are military Veterans.

“This is an important and yet often invisible problem,” says Dr. Cheryl Forchuk, Lawson Assistant Scientific Director based at St. Joseph’s Health Care London’s Parkwood Institute and the study lead. “This is the first Canadian study to focus exclusively on women Veterans’ experience of homelessness. Gender matters, especially when we’re talking about female Veterans who are homeless. If they’ve experienced sexual trauma or abuse or have children, and the only Veteran housing available is a group setting for men, that will be an issue.”

Dr. Forchuk and her team have begun travelling to cities and towns across Canada to conduct interviews with female Veterans experiencing homelessness or who have previously experienced homelessness. They will gather data such as demographics, history of housing and homelessness, and services accessed. The team will also host focus groups with homeless- and Veteran-serving agency staff. The locations have been selected in partnership with The Royal Canadian Legion and other Veteran-serving groups, focusing on areas with pockets of female Veterans experiencing homelessness. 

“We will also explore the pathways and experiences of homelessness, what barriers are faced, what has been helpful and what future services should focus on,” adds Dr. Forchuk.

“This study is a vital step towards addressing the unique challenges faced by female Veterans experiencing homelessness,” says Peter Fragiskatos, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities and Member of Parliament for London North Centre on behalf of the Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities. “By investing in research like this, we are making significant progress in understanding and improving the support systems for this population, contributing to the federal government's efforts to end homelessness among Veterans.”

“This significant investment reflects our dedication to addressing the issue of homelessness among female Veterans,” says Arielle Kayabaga, Member of Parliament for London West. “By supporting this pioneering study, we aim to uncover the specific barriers they face and develop targeted solutions that honour their service and ensure they receive the support they deserve.”

The goal of the four-year study is to ensure there is accurate data to inform gender-specific interventions and guidelines for policy, practice and care of female Veterans. Canadian Armed Forces Veterans make up a disproportionate percentage of those experiencing homelessness according to a 2018 report.

“It is clear that the circumstances surrounding this particular subset of our Veteran population are not well enough understood,” says Carolyn Hughes, Director of Veterans Services with The Royal Canadian Legion. “It is our hope that this project will help fill in some of those blanks and at the same time, further enlighten all of us who serve Veterans, so that we may provide even more timely and focused assistance when and where it’s needed most.”

St. Joseph’s Parkwood Institute has an embedded legacy of Veterans’ care, having originally been a Veterans’ hospital and now hosting a Veterans’ inpatient centre, the Operational Stress Injury (OSI) Clinic, as well as the MacDonald Franklin OSI Research and Innovation Centre. The research centre is recognized as Canada’s leader in mental health research dedicated to enhancing the lives and wellbeing of military personnel, Veterans and their families. The directors of the centre are co-investigators on the study.

PLEASE NOTE: Media are welcome to use any or all of this video of researcher Cheryl Forchuk explaining the research and its context.  

 

How policing impacts the homeless

People who are homeless often endure constant and intrusive police interactions, leaving them feeling intimidated, harassed and stigmatised, a new study from Australia finds.

University of Technology Sydney

 

image: 

AI generated image. UTS

view more 

Credit: UTS

People who are homeless often endure constant and intrusive police interactions, leaving them feeling intimidated, harassed and stigmatised, a new study finds.

More people of all ages and backgrounds are finding themselves homeless, often due to job loss or illness, as well as a lack of affordable housing. Between 2016 and 2021 homelessness increased by 5.2% in Australia. 

Professor of Law Thalia Anthony from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) said the research aimed to give a voice to people experiencing homelessness and reveal how policing affects their lives.

“We often get the perspective of support agencies, courts and lawyers, but the system very rarely hears the voices of those experiencing homelessness,” said Professor Anthony, who was lead author of these published findings.

“We expected people to say they wanted better policing, more support. Instead, we found that what they really want is freedom from police intrusion in their lives. They want to be left alone. Of course, they also want access to housing.”

The study involving homeless people, Hyper‑policing the Homeless: Lived Experience and the Perils of Benevolent and Malevolent Policing, was recently published in the journal Critical Criminology.  

Professor Anthony and legal services across the country interviewed more than 160 homeless individuals from all Australian capital cities and two regional centres about their interactions with police and the criminal justice system. 

Descriptions of interactions included constant surveillance, identification checks, questioning, fines, move-on orders, charges, and arrests. A constant police presence left many feeling continuously targeted and punished for being homeless and needing to live on the street.

“Just leave us alone. We’re just trying to find somewhere warm to sleep,” said one participant. Police welfare checks, even questions such as “how are you going?” were seen as unnecessarily encroaching.

First Nations people were particularly affected. They experience homelessness at rates six times higher than the general Australian population, and report greater levels of police violence.

Accounts of physical abuse, such as a First Nations woman having her fingers broken in a police cell, as well as fears around dying in custody, illustrate the impact of policing on this community. 

Pervasive policing was also a significant source of anxiety and stress for those experiencing homelessness, and added to feelings of social exclusion and marginalisation. 

One homeless individual experiencing a mental health episode described how police intervention exacerbated their distress: “I just feel like it would’ve been a lot better if they just left me alone.”

Interviewees felt they were “low hanging fruit” for police, frequently targeted for minor offenses. Constant police scrutiny can lead to fines and criminal records, which in turn makes it harder to secure housing, creating a vicious cycle of homelessness and criminalisation.

The study draws attention to the stark disparity between government spending on prisons and social housing. In 2021-22, Australia spent $6 billion on prisons, far surpassing expenditures on social housing. 

By reallocating resources, the study suggests, Australia can address the root causes of homelessness rather than criminalising those who are already vulnerable. 

As one participant said, “The answer is not some normal level of policing or better policing – but freedom from policing.”

The research underscores the pressing need for improved social security nets, community support services and public housing infrastructure.

---

Journal

Critical Criminology

DOI

10.1007/s10612-024-09775-3 

Method of Research

Survey

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Hyper-policing the Homeless: Lived Experience and the Perils of Benevolent and Malevolent Policing

 

Blood pressure levels impacted by chronic occupational noise exposure

Study found high blood pressure risk increased 10% for each year worked on noisy industrial machinery

American College of Cardiology

Noise exposure is a known occupational hazard in some jobs, particularly for hearing loss, physical and psychological stress, and reduced concentration. A new study presented at the ACC Asia 2024 conference found in adult power loom weavers, chronic noise exposure not only increased their blood pressure overall, but also each year of exposure increased their odds of having high blood pressure by 10%.

“While the mechanism is still not well-explored, it is thought that the stress response by the body to chronic sound exposure causes hormonal imbalances that gradually leads to a permanent elevation of blood pressure,” said Golam Dastageer Prince, MBBS, MPH, medical officer at DGHS Bangladesh and the study’s lead author. “High blood pressure impacts more than a billion people worldwide and just 1 in 5 have it under control, yet it is a major cause of premature death. In addition to treating the high blood pressure through appropriate means, we must find ways to mitigate the exposure to the noise if we want to reduce the cardiovascular risk of these patients.”

Researchers at the Directorate of General Health Services in Bangladesh looked at 289 adult workers in selected weaving factories in the Araihazar sub-district of Narayanganj, Bangladesh, from January to December 2023. Participants took a face-to-face interview to complete a questionnaire covering sociodemographic variables, behavior, dietary habits and family medical history. Blood pressure, height, weight and noise intensity were measured following standard procedures by the researchers.

The study cohort was predominantly male and married and were about 34 years of age on average. According to the researchers, a notable proportion of the cohort was illiterate. Workplace exposure duration averaged nearly 16 years, with noise intensity ranging from 96-111 decibels. In the United States the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has established the recommended exposure limits for occupational noise exposures to be 85 decibels on average over an eight-hour workday. Sounds at or below 70 decibels are generally considered safe.   

According to Prince, none of the study population was found to be wearing ear protection personal protective equipment.

“Hopefully we can raise awareness of not only noise-induced hearing loss, but the impact of noise on blood pressure and workers’ behaviors and attitudes towards using personal protective equipment,” Prince said. “Pushing for structural improvements to industries may also help us improve the health safety of these workers.”

The study population had a 31.5% rate of high blood pressure with an additional 53.3% being prehypertensive. The study also found a positive correlation between blood pressure and noise exposure duration. Each year of exposure was found to increase high blood pressure odds by 10%, even after adjusting for age, body mass index and smoking status.

“As the study focused on workers exposed to more than 85 decibels noise for long periods of time, any profession causing workers to experience similar exposure might experience similar blood pressure impacts,” Prince said. “We definitely need more exploratory studies to reveal more information about the potential mechanisms and long-term health outcomes.”

Recent studies have shown that living near noise pollution, including highways, trains and air traffic, can have an impact on cardiovascular health. However, the current study may not apply to noise experienced during daily life. Noise pollution experienced near home typically ebbs and flows, while the industrial exposures in the study are typically continuous in pattern due to the machinery and remain at a constant sound level, according to Prince.

The American College of Cardiology (ACC) is the global leader in transforming cardiovascular care and improving heart health for all. As the preeminent source of professional medical education for the entire cardiovascular care team since 1949, ACC credentials cardiovascular professionals in over 140 countries who meet stringent qualifications and leads in the formation of health policy, standards and guidelines. Through its world-renowned family of JACC Journals, NCDR registries, ACC Accreditation Services, global network of Member Sections, CardioSmart patient resources and more, the College is committed to ensuring a world where science, knowledge and innovation optimize patient care and outcomes. Learn more at www.ACC.org or follow @ACCinTouch.