New study highlights the threats of illegal ritualistic hunts in West Bengal

Pensoft Publishers

 

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Adult and juvenile barking deer kills in Purulia district in 2019 

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Credit: HEAL

A new study in the open-access journal Nature Conservation highlights the grave impacts of illegal ritualistic hunts in West Bengal, India, where thousands of hunters gather during cultural or religious festivals to kill wildlife using traditional weapons such as bows, catapults, and spears. The research involved socio-economic questionnaires carried out with 99 hunters from hot spot areas and reveals that these large-scale social events impact more than 90 different species, including some already at risk of extinction, while posing significant challenges for animal welfare.

The hunts, which are conservatively estimated to result in the deaths of 5,000 animals annually, target species ranging from wild boars and Bengal monitors to jungle cats, Indian flying foxes and greater coucals. Among these, seven species are listed as globally threatened on the IUCN Red List, including the Critically Endangered elongated tortoise and long-billed vulture. Additionally, 25 species fall under Schedule I of India’s Wildlife Protection Act, making their killing illegal under all circumstances.

The study also explored the motivations driving hunters. Wild meat consumption remains central to these events, often as part of celebratory feasts. However, some species, such as Bengal monitors, are also hunted for their skin, bones, and fat for use in traditional medicine or decorative items. Economic trade in wildlife derivatives was reported by a smaller proportion of hunters. Notably, personal enjoyment, rather than economic gain or subsistence use, emerged as the primary motivation for participating in the hunts.

Despite the scale of the issue, the study underscores opportunities for change. The authors call for strengthening law enforcement alongside targeted awareness campaigns to help communities transition toward sustainable practices, ensuring the preservation of both cultural traditions and West Bengal’s unique wildlife. Additionally, they recommend involving local stakeholders in the development of wildlife-friendly initiatives, offering a practical pathway to protect biodiversity while fostering community pride.

Dr Neil D’Cruze, lead author and Head of Wildlife Research at World Animal Protection, said: “Every year these large ritualistic hunts are a devastating blow for both local biodiversity and animal welfare. They typically involve thousands of hunters, leading to the estimated indiscriminate killing of at least 5,000 wild animals annually. Among the species most at risk are the Critically Endangered elongated tortoise, slender-billed vulture, and long-billed vulture, whose populations are already in steep decline. Beyond the staggering loss of threatened species, the methods used—such as spears, catapults, and bows—inflict immense suffering on animals, many of whom are left to die slow, painful deaths. The scale of animal suffering and its impact on ecosystems cannot be overstated."

Shubhobroto Ghosh, co-author of the study and Wildlife Projects Manager at World Animal Protection India, said: While ritualistic hunting may have deep cultural roots, it is illegal under Indian law. The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, strictly bans hunting of Schedule I species, including the Critically Endangered long-billed vulture and elongated tortoise, granting them the highest protection. Our study, however, offers hope: these hunts are largely motivated by personal enjoyment rather than subsistence. Encouragingly, most hunters expressed interest in legal alternatives like wildlife-friendly tourism or nature-based festivals, which could sustain cultural traditions while safeguarding wildlife and instilling pride in the region’s rich biodiversity."

Gajender Sharma, Director of World Animal Protection India, said: “This study is not just about documenting a problem but finding solutions. The success of community-led conservation initiatives, such as the Khonoma Nature Conservation Sanctuary in Nagaland, shows what’s possible when people and wildlife thrive together. By offering wildlife friendly alternatives like wildlife photography, birdwatching, and eco-tourism, we can address hunters’ motivations for enjoyment while creating new opportunities. With combined efforts in law enforcement and community engagement, a positive transformation for both wildlife and people in West Bengal is achievable.”

Source

D’Cruze N, Elwin A, Ghosh S, Asfaw AE, Coulthard E, Megson D, Norrey J, Giri S, Mishra V, Adhya T, Chatterjee S, Banerjee M, Banerjee A, Harrington L (2024) Ritualistic hunts: exploring the motivations and conservation implications in West Bengal, India. Nature Conservation 56: 243-273.

Link to Open Access paper https://doi.org/10.3897/natureconservation.56.132178

Seven impacted species are categorised on the IUCN Red List as threatened:

Critically Endangered elongated tortoise: https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/10824/152051190

 Critically Endangered long billed vulture: https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22729731/204672586

Critically Endangered slender billed vulture: https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22729460/204781113

Vulnerable common pochard: https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22680358/205288455

Vulnerable swamp francolin: https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22678733/250119497

Vulnerable pale capped pigeon: https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22690191/180939007

Vulnerable sambar: https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/41790/85628124

This research represents a collaboration between researchers affiliated with World Animal Protection, the Human and Environment Alliance League (HEAL), Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU), and the University of Oxford, Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU).

About World Animal Protection

World Animal Protection is the global voice for animal welfare, with more than 70 years of experience campaigning for a world where animals live free from cruelty and suffering. We have offices in 12 countries and work in 47 countries. We collaborate with local communities, the private sector, civil society, and governments to improve the lives of animals. Our goal is to change the way the world works to end animal cruelty and the suffering of wild and farmed animals. Through our global food system strategy, we will end factory farming and create a humane and sustainable food system that puts animals first. By transforming the failed systems that fuel exploitation and commodification, we will give wild animals the right to a wild life. Our work to protect animals will play a vital role in solving the climate emergency, the public health crisis, and the devastation of natural habitats.

About Human and Environment Alliance League

India's vast ecological richness and diverse life forms are confronting a myriad of challenges. Wildlife faces unprecedented exploitation and is declining rapidly. Life-sustaining ecosystems are losing their integrity due to short-sighted policies driven by an insatiable desire for commercial profits. To address these critical conservation challenges, a group of passionate young individuals from Kolkata, came together and formed HEAL in 2017. Conservation problems are seldom straightforward, and HEAL's approach to solving them is anything but ordinary. Embracing a multipronged strategy, we craft interventions that encompass scientific research, communities' engagement through transformative programs, wildlife, and environmental crime investigations, liaising with enforcement authorities and policymakers, and filing of Public Interest Litigations in pursuit of environmental justice. We believe not only in enforcing laws but also in shaping policies that ensure a sustainable balance between human activities and the preservation of our unique ecosystems.

About Manchester Metropolitan University

Manchester Metropolitan University has a driving ambition to discover and disseminate knowledge, to make higher education accessible and beneficial to all those with the passion and ability to succeed.

About Wildlife Conservation Research Unit

A University of Oxford first, founded in 1986, WildCRU was the first university-based conservation research unit in Europe. Today we are recognised as a world leader in our field.

Indian hare killed at Tamakbari, West Medinipur district in 2021

Injured monitor lizards (including a pregnant individual) captured by hunters in Panskura railway station in East Medinipur district in 2018 

Credit

HEAL

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Journal

Nature Conservation

DOI

10.3897/natureconservation.56.132178 

Article Title

Ritualistic hunts: exploring the motivations and conservation implications in West Bengal, India

 

Early life exposure to toxic chemicals may cause behavioral, psychological problems

Animal study finds endocrine-disrupting chemicals may have negative effect on offspring

The Endocrine Society

WASHINGTON—Early life exposure to a class of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) called polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) may lead to behavioral problems in rats, according to a new animal study published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society.

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are chemicals that mimic, block or interfere with hormones in the body's endocrine system and contribute to endocrine diseases such as cancer, reproductive disorders, obesity and neuroendocrine disorders.

PCBs have been banned for decades but are still persistent in the environment. PCBs are found in contaminated soil, sediment and certain types of fish due to environmental contamination. They have been linked to reproductive and anxiety disorders.

People may be more vulnerable to the endocrine-disrupting effects of PCB exposure during the perinatal period, the time from conception until about one year after giving birth.

“We found rats exposed to PCBs during the perinatal period may have developmental and hormonal changes," said Andrea Gore, Ph.D., of The University of Texas at Austin in Austin, Texas. “Our study emphasizes and supports previous research on how PCB exposure can affect neurobehavioral outcomes.”

The researchers fed a human-relevant PCB mixture or the placebo to about 40 pregnant rats and found the EDCs can reprogram their pups’ developing neuroendocrine system and lead to neurobehavioral problems in early life.

“Further research is needed to elucidate the mechanisms by which PCBs lead to behavioral and physiological disturbances,” Gore said.

Other study authors are Madeline Streifer, Lindsay Thompson and Skylar Mendez of The University of Texas at Austin.

The National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences funded the research.

The manuscript, “Neuroendocrine and Developmental Impacts of Early Life Exposure to EDCs,” was published online.

# # #

Endocrinologists are at the core of solving the most pressing health problems of our time, from diabetes and obesity to infertility, bone health, and hormone-related cancers. The Endocrine Society is the world’s oldest and largest organization of scientists devoted to hormone research and physicians who care for people with hormone-related conditions.

The Society has more than 18,000 members, including scientists, physicians, educators, nurses and students in 122 countries. To learn more about the Society and the field of endocrinology, visit our site at www.endocrine.org. Follow us on Twitter at @TheEndoSociety and @EndoMedia.

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Journal

Journal of the Endocrine Society

 

Antarctica’s irregular heartbeat shows signs of rapid melting

Geoscientists led by Universities of Leicester and Southampton create new climate record for early Antarctic ice ages

University of Leicester

 

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Photographs taken by the researchers during a subsequent expedition to the Antarctic aboard the same research vessel.

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Credit: University of Leicester

Periods of sudden melting in the Antarctic ice sheet have been unearthed in a new climate record from over 20 million years ago by geoscientists led by the University of Leicester and the University of Southampton.

Published in the journal Nature Communications, the new study reveals how sensitive our planet’s early ice ages were to the effect of the Earth’s eccentric orbit around the Sun, suggesting the Antarctic ice sheet is less stable than has been assumed.

It also provides a glimpse of how the Antarctic may behave in a world without the Greenland Ice Sheet, which will melt if emissions continue unabated.

Records show that the Antarctic ice sheet has varied in size throughout its history. These variations in size occur regularly, just like a heartbeat. Existing records from different places in the ocean show different ‘rhythms’ in the heartbeat of early Antarctic ice ages. This should not be possible because the imprint of the waxing and waning of the Antarctic ice sheet on the climate record should be identical everywhere in the ocean, just as it should not be possible that your leg has a different pulse rate than your arm.

These heartbeat rhythms are caused by the shape of Earth’s orbit around the Sun over the course of hundreds of thousands to millions of years. On a more eccentric orbit, the Earth’s distance from the Sun will vary more throughout the year, exposing it to more heat when it is close in, and less when it is further away. The increasing heat changes Earth’s climate system, causing the ice sheet to melt, sometimes rapidly. When the Earth’s orbit is more circular, the ice sheet is more stable and less melting occurs.

This new study, funded by UK Research and Innovation/Natural Environment Research Council and the German Science Foundation (DFG) examines the period between 28 and 20 million years ago, when Earth was warmer than today and only the Antarctic ice sheets existed. Using data obtained from geological cores recovered by an expedition of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP), the research presents a new benchmark climate record to compare existing records to help scientists improve the accuracy of their climate models reconstructing past climate change. These insights into the past help them understand the impact of the melting of the Antarctic Ice Sheet in the future.

Lead author Dr Tim van Peer, from the University of Leicester School of Geography, Geology and the Environment, said: “From our research, we can see that the Antarctic ice sheet is more unstable than previously thought. We demonstrate how sensitive the geologically early Antarctic ice sheet was to changes in Earth’s orbit and axis.

“Past climate changes rapidly ended some of the early Antarctic ice ages and caused large amounts of melt. ‘Rapidly’ is on geological time scales, not as rapid as we can expect to happen during modern climate change.

“We cannot assume that the modern-day Antarctic ice sheet is stable. If climate emissions continue unabated, we are on course to melt a large amount of the Antarctic ice sheet. We need to mitigate climate change by reducing our emissions. This is the only way to not cross tipping points in the stability of the Antarctic ice sheet.”

The research analysed samples from geological cores obtained from the northwest Atlantic Ocean as part of an IODP expedition in 2012. Microorganisms from these cores record the chemistry of the ocean in the form of oxygen isotopes in their shells. By measuring the oxygen isotope ratio, the scientists can work out if the ice sheet has grown or shrunk, and establish a timeline from the depth of that sample in the cores.

Professor Paul Wilson, Principal Investigator on the project at the University of Southampton, said: “It may be a surprising thing to learn that we take the pulse of the Antarctic ice sheet by doing some simple chemistry on pinhead-sized fossil shells from the deep sea floor on the other side of the world. But the really beautiful thing is that we can do it back through the geological record over tens of millions of years. Earth science is about time travel into the past and we are always learning lessons to help us understand our future"

IODP is a publicly-funded international marine research program supported by 21 countries, which explores Earth's history and dynamics recorded in seafloor sediments and rocks, and monitors sub-seafloor environments. Through multiple platforms – a feature unique to IODP – scientists sample the deep biosphere and sub-seafloor ocean, environmental change, processes and effects, and solid Earth cycles and dynamics. This specific research uses samples collected during Expedition 342 and has taken years of work from the combined efforts of a multinational partnership (mainly UK and Germany).

The University of Leicester has been involved in IODP since the 1980s and participated in dozens of expeditions around the world. Over the last year, University of Leicester scientists participated in IODP Expedition 389 ‘Hawai’ian Drowned Reefs’ and Expedition 405 ‘Tracking Tsunamigenic Slip Across the Japan Trench (JTRACK)’.

Photographs taken by the researchers during a subsequent expedition to the Antarctic aboard the same research vessel.

Ends

About the University of Leicester  

The University of Leicester is the Daily Mail University of the Year 2025 and shortlisted for University of the Year for both the Times Higher Education Awards 2024 and the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025.

The University is led by discovery and innovation – an international centre for excellence renowned for research, teaching and broadening access to higher education. It is among the Top 30 universities in the Times Higher Education (THE)’s Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021 rankings with 89% of research assessed as world-leading or internationally excellent, with wide-ranging impacts on society, health, culture, and the environment. In 2023, the University received an overall Gold in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) 2023, making it one of a small number of institutions nationally to achieve TEF Gold alongside a top 30 REF performance. The University is home to more than 20,000 students and approximately 4,000 staff.

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Journal

Nature Communications

DOI

10.1038/s41467-024-54186-1 

Article Title

Eccentricity pacing and rapid termination of the early Antarctic ice ages

 

El Niño increases infestations of mosquito that transmits dengue in São Paulo state, Brazil, study concludes

A study by a group of scientists shows that larval infestations of Aedes aegypti in open-air disused containers increased in response to the effects of the weather phenomenon

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

An article published in the journal PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases reports the findings of a scientific study that shows El Niño to be linked to an increase in infestations of Aedes aegypti, the mosquito that transmits dengue, chikungunya and zika. The authors analyzed data from 645 municipalities in São Paulo state (Brazil) for the period 2008-18, concluding that larval infestations in open-air disused containers increased in response to the effects of the weather phenomenon, especially mean seasonal temperature and rainfall above 23.3 °C and 153 millimeters (mm) respectively.

The larval infestation parameter used was the Breteau Index, which measures the ratio of the number of detected containers with mosquito larvae to the number of properties inspected by health workers.

The analysis showed that the cities most vulnerable to proliferation of A. aegypti are mainly in the central and northern parts of the state and that social disparities also contribute to infestations.

Considered one of the most important climate phenomena on Earth, El Niño is a pattern that involves unusual warming of surface water in the Pacific Ocean due to weak easterly trade winds. It affects atmospheric circulation over the Pacific and results in changes to humidity and temperature in various parts of the planet. In light of the expected increase in the frequency and intensity of El Niño in the coming decades, more effective methods of detecting mosquito breeding sites are needed in order to combat proliferation of the disease vector.

“We didn’t analyze dengue cases in the period. We focused on levels of larval infestation, which on their own don’t serve as indicators of cases. However, the number of cases notified will rise if vector infestation increases, since dengue virus is circulating in São Paulo state. Climate conditions were known to favor an increase or decrease in the vector, but no one had ever analyzed the specific influence of El Niño on this trend,” said statistician and epidemiologist Gerson Laurindo Barbosa, a co-author of the article. He is a researcher at Pasteur Institute, an arm of the São Paulo State Department of Health.

The results of the study showed that the index of positive containers (with larvae) in the cities concerned rose by 1.30 in El Niño years, compared to years with neutral or weak events when sea surface temperatures were neither warmer nor colder than normal. In addition to the Breteau Index, the researchers analyzed temperature and rainfall data adjusted for population density and social inequality.

Although they did not work with national data, the researchers believe their findings for São Paulo may be mirrored by results for the rest of Brazil. “In 2023-24, the state and Brazil overall saw the worst dengue epidemic ever, and it was an El Niño year. Unfortunately, reality showed that the climate phenomenon is a strong influence in these cases,” said Francisco Chiaravalloti Neto, last author of the article. He is a full professor and heads the Department of Epidemiology at the University of São Paulo’s School of Public Health (FSP-USP), as well as its Spatial Analysis in Health Laboratory (LAES). He was supported by FAPESP via the Thematic Project “Use of remote sensing and artificial intelligence to predict high-risk areas for Aedes aegypti and arbovirus infestation”, which also resulted in another study involving a computer model that analyzed photographs of building facades to predict the level of risk for dengue in urban areas (read more at: agencia.fapesp.br/50933). 

Epidemic

A. aegypti plays a key role in the transmission of arboviruses such as dengue, chikungunya and zika. It mainly inhabits urban areas and lays its eggs in clean stagnant water.

This year’s dengue epidemic in Brazil is the worst ever, with the number of probable cases reaching 6.54 million in October, the highest since records began in 1986. The number of deaths so far is 5,696 (with another 1,300 under investigation), according to the Ministry of Health’s arbovirus monitoring panel. São Paulo state accounts for 32% of the total number of cases (2.1 million) and its capital, São Paulo city, for almost 10% (635,000).

The latest El Niño began affecting Brazil in June 2023 and was considered one of the strongest in recent years. It was associated with above-average rainfall in the South region of the country and in southern parts of the states of Mato Grosso do Sul and São Paulo, and with below-average rainfall in parts of the North and Northeast regions, as well as above-average temperatures in much of the country.

“Our study both highlights vulnerable areas and provides a basis for stratifying risk over time. So if an El Niño is predicted – and it’s possible to predict it – we can combine data for all these areas to optimize and target surveillance, and to implement timely control actions,” Chiaravalloti Neto said.

The group of scientists began the study in 2019 and had to surmount a number of methodological challenges, including a lack of information on infestation throughout São Paulo state. “Many cities have neither information nor databases. Doing an experiment in an academic setting, transforming the results into a scientific paper and putting them at the disposal of public administrators for use in policymaking is very important. I work for the City of Santa Bárbara d’Oeste’s Department of Health as the head of public policy, and this kind of contact with academia helps our municipality try to reproduce some solutions that could be successful,” said ecologist and geographer Thiago Salomão de Azevedo, another co-author of the article.

For Barbosa, by supplying new tools to identify high-risk areas for A. aegypti infestation, academia supports policymakers in making science-based decisions that prioritize the most affected regions. “The sharper the focus of our work, the more the human and financial resources involved can be optimized,” he said.

About FAPESP

The São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) is a public institution with the mission of supporting scientific research in all fields of knowledge by awarding scholarships, fellowships and grants to investigators linked with higher education and research institutions in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. FAPESP is aware that the very best research can only be done by working with the best researchers internationally. Therefore, it has established partnerships with funding agencies, higher education, private companies, and research organizations in other countries known for the quality of their research and has been encouraging scientists funded by its grants to further develop their international collaboration.

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Journal

PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases

DOI

10.1371/journal.pntd.0012397 

Article Title

Effects of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation and seasonal weather conditions on Aedes aegypti infestation in the State of São Paulo (Brazil): A Bayesian spatio-temporal study

 

Late-stage breast cancer diagnosis on the rise in US

Radiological Society of North America

 

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Graphs of best joinpoint fits of Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) 22 data for delay-adjusted and age-adjusted annual incidence rates of distant-stage breast cancer (per 100 000 women) for (A) Black and (B) Hispanic U.S. women aged 75 years or older. In both groups, the annual percentage change (APC) over 2004–2021 was not significantly different from zero.

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Credit: Radiological Society of North America (RSNA)

OAK BROOK, Ill. – The number of women with late-stage, invasive breast cancer at the time of diagnosis increased significantly among U.S. women across all ages and ethnicities between 2004 and 2021, according to a study published today in Radiology, a journal of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

In the study, researchers analyzed the latest available Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) data on annual stage-specific breast cancer incidence rates between 2004 and 2021. SEER data is collected from 22 population-based cancer registries covering approximately 48% of the U.S. population. The researchers evaluated trends in women presenting with metastatic breast cancers overall, and by age group and ethnicity. Metastatic cancers are cancers that have spread to other parts of the body.

“It’s important to understand that these women presented with distant (metastatic or Stage 4) breast cancer at the time of diagnosis,” said co-author Debra L. Monticciolo, M.D., past president of the American College of Radiology. “Women with this diagnosis have a much lower survival rate and are much harder to treat.”

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, breast cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death after lung cancer for U.S. women. Five-year survival rates are 31% for metastatic invasive breast cancers, compared to 99% and 86%, respectively for localized and regional invasive breast cancers.

Between 2004 and 2021, the biggest annual percentage increase in the incidence of metastatic breast cancer at diagnosis occurred in women between the ages of 20 and 39 (2.9%). For women aged 40–74 years, the researchers observed annual percentage increases of 2.1% and 2.7%, respectively, during two time periods from 2004–2012 and 2018–2021.

“It’s been previously reported that metastatic breast cancer at initial presentation has increased significantly for women under 40, but until now, no clear trend in older women has been reported,” Dr. Monticciolo said.

For women aged 75 years and older, the incidence rate increased by 1.4% over the study period.

“The significant increase in metastatic disease at diagnosis among all U.S. women and across all age groups is an alarming new finding,” said lead author R. Edward Hendrick, Ph.D., clinical professor, department of radiology at the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine. “This finding is even more remarkable given the likely undercounting of advanced disease in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic, radiology volumes declined sharply, especially for breast imaging. Researchers said the disruption in breast screening and diagnostic examinations raised concerns about downstream effects.

“During the pandemic, we saw steep drops in the number of older, minority women being screened,” Dr. Monticciolo said. “This population tends to get left behind when any stress occurs in the health care system.”

Across ethnicities, Native American women had the largest annual percentage change in the incidence of metastatic breast cancer at diagnosis at 3.9%. The incidence rate also significantly and rapidly increased for Asian women at a rate of 2.9% per year between 2004 and 2021.

The annual percentage change among Black and Hispanic women was .86% and 1.6%, respectively. Among white women, there was an increase of 1.7% from 2004–2012, but no trend after that. Incidence rates of distant-stage breast cancers were 55% higher in Black women compared to white women.

The researchers said several factors may be contributing to the increased incidence of metastatic breast cancer at diagnosis, including the lack of a national, organized screening program and inconsistent screening guidelines, which discourages attendance.

“Fewer than 50% of U.S. women participate in annual breast cancer screening,” Dr. Monticciolo said. “That means we don’t have the opportunity to sweep out early-stage breast cancers in huge numbers of women, who will arrive at a later stage for diagnosis.”

U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) guidelines currently recommend that women between 40 and 74 undergo a screening mammogram every two years.

“The USPSTF guidelines leave out women over age 74, despite the clear advantages of early detection,” Dr. Monticciolo said. “And younger women don’t get the chance to be screened, when as a population, they are more likely to be diagnosed with aggressive, fast-growing cancers.”

Other contributing factors to the trends observed in the study include increasing obesity rates, reproductive trends, a lack of access to quality health care and environmental factors.

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network recommends that women undergo a breast cancer risk assessment by the age of 25 to evaluate their overall risk for the disease.

The researchers said more study is needed, particularly of the Black population, who are more likely to experience advanced breast disease at a younger age.

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“Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Data Show Increasing Rates of Distant-Stage Breast Cancer at Presentation in U.S. Women.”

Radiology is edited by Linda Moy, M.D., New York University, New York, N.Y., and owned and published by the Radiological Society of North America, Inc. (https://pubs.rsna.org/journal/radiology)

RSNA is an association of radiologists, radiation oncologists, medical physicists and related scientists promoting excellence in patient care and health care delivery through education, research and technologic innovation. The Society is based in Oak Brook, Illinois. (RSNA.org)

For patient-friendly information on screening for breast cancer, visit RadiologyInfo.org.

Graphs of best joinpoint fits of Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) 22 data for delay-adjusted and age-adjusted annual incidence rates of distant-stage breast cancer (per 100 000 women) for U.S. women (A) of all ages, (B) aged 20–39 years, (C) aged 40–74 years, and (D) aged 75 years or older. APC = annual percentage change, * = APC significantly different from zero with α = .05.

Credit

Radiological Society of North America (RSNA)

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Journal

Radiology

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Data Show Increasing Rates of Distant-Stage Breast Cancer at Presentation in U.S. Women

 

Researchers achieve seamless all-light mobile communication across air, land and sea

Prototype communication network provides reliable two-way data transmission for moving communication nodes on drones, vehicles and ships

Optica

 

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Researchers have demonstrated a prototype all-light communication network that can achieve seamless connectivity across air, land and underwater environments, even when communication nodes are on moving vehicles. The laboratory where they tested the vehicle-mounted system is pictured. 

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Credit: Yongwin Wang, Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications

WASHINGTON — Researchers have demonstrated a prototype mobile all-light communication network, paving the way for seamless connectivity across air, land and underwater environments — even when communication nodes are on a moving vehicle. This advance could enable uninterrupted data exchange in dynamic and challenging settings for navigation, emergency response, research and commercial operations.

“Our all-light wireless network combines different light sources to ensure uninterrupted connectivity while also dynamically aligning optical paths between moving nodes,” said research team leader Yongwin Wang from Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications in China. “This enables two-way real-time data transmission, ensuring reliable communication and data exchange within and across networks, regardless of the environment.”

In the Optica Publishing Group journal Optics Express, the researchers show that two prototype communication apparatuses separately deployed on two moving vehicles can establish bidirectional light transmission between moving network nodes across air and underwater environments.

“Our new wireless optical communication system could enable continuous connectivity for essential mobile nodes like drones, vehicles and ships,” said Wang. “This could transform the way mobile networks operate,” said Wang.

Solving the alignment challenge

The new work builds on previous experiments in which the researchers demonstrated all-light communication based on fixed communication nodes. “In this work, we solve the challenging issue of dynamic optical path alignment to achieve mobile full-duplex light communication,” said Wang. “We also provide a new network architecture that ensures even and accurate comprehensive connectivity across all its parts while simultaneously supporting fast, two-way data exchange.”

The new system combines mobile green light communication under the transmission control protocol/internet protocol (TCP/IP) scheme with blue laser communication for data exchange between underwater vehicles. The researchers also used a deep ultraviolet light communication system for "solar-blind" wireless data transmission that doesn’t suffer from interference from solar radiation and an 850-nm laser diode communication system to receive data. All the communication systems were connected in series via Ethernet switches that provide access to various terminals, including sensors and personal computers.

To establish bidirectional light transmission across air and underwater environments between moving network nodes, optical alignment is required among the various communication systems. The researchers accomplished this by building an image identification module and a full-duplex light communication module that are packaged together and fixed on a three-axis gimbal stabilizer.

The image identification module captures images of the light coming from the other communication systems and provides real-time feedback signals to control the three-axis gimbal stabilizer. This allows the setup to dynamically maintain the optical path alignment between the two light communication ends, making mobile bidirectional data transmission under the TCP/IP scheme possible. The researchers also developed a complete mapping network architecture to enable seamless and balanced data flow between all nodes, ensuring real-time, bidirectional data transmission so that information can be sent and received simultaneously without delays or data loss.

Air-water connectivity

The researchers demonstrated their new network by developing two green-light communication devices with image identification modules that were each mounted on a three-axis gimbal stabilizer and installed on separate moving vehicles.

During tests carried out on an outdoor lawn at night and during full sunlight as well as with an indoor water tank, the researchers demonstrated bidirectional light transmission between mobile network nodes across air and underwater environments with a maximum modulation bandwidth of 4 Mbps, which is fast enough for video and audio transmission. The system was also able to transmit video communication seamlessly across both environments and provide internet access through a Wi-Fi modem.

Next, the researchers want to establish an all-light communication network that fuses wired modes with wireless moving and fixed nodes and light sources with different wavelengths. They would also like to eventually combine mobile all-light communication with radio, sonar and gas communication technologies to establish a future communication network.

“In the future, we could combine on-chip light communication with free-space light communication to create an all-light interconnection communication network, which could transmit and receive data across space and chip environments for seamless connectivity,” said Wang. “Such sophisticated all-light interconnection networks could be used to develop advanced information processing and computing systems.”

Light communication systems [VIDEO] | 

In the prototype system, the researchers combined mobile green light communication with blue laser underwater communication, deep ultraviolet light wireless data transmission and an 850-nm laser diode communication system to receive data.

Credit

Yongwin Wang, Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications

Paper: P. Liu, J. Gou, L. Wang, J. Zhou, X. Mo, Y. Liang, Z. Qi, Z. Cao, Y. Wang, “Mobile all-light communication network,” Opt. Express, 32, 46599-46606 (2024)

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1364/OE.543730.

About Optics Express

Optics Express reports on scientific and technology innovations in all aspects of optics and photonics. The bi-weekly journal provides rapid publication of original, peer-reviewed papers. It is published by The Optical Society (OSA) and led by Editor-in-Chief James Leger of the University of Minnesota, USA. Optics Express is an open-access journal and is available at no cost to readers online at OSA Publishing.

About Optica Publishing Group (formerly OSA)

Optica Publishing Group is a division of Optica, the society advancing optics and photonics worldwide. It publishes the largest collection of peer-reviewed content in optics and photonics, including 19 prestigious journals, the society’s flagship member magazine, and papers and videos from more than 1,100 conferences. With over 490,000 journal articles, conference papers and videos to search, discover and access, our publications portfolio represents the full range of research in the field from around the globe.

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Journal

Optics Express

DOI

10.1364/OE.543730 

Article Title

Mobile all-light communication network

Article Publication Date

10-Dec-2024