ECOCIDE

As Fuel Washes Up on Black Sea Beaches, Third Russian Tanker Reports Leak

Spilled mazut from the tankers Volgoneft 212 and 239 fouls a beach near Anapa (Russian social media)

Published Dec 17, 2024 3:15 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

 

As a massive fuel spill from the lost tankers Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239 washes up in Russia's corner of the Black Sea, a third ship in the same fleet has reported an internal tank leak. 

According to Russian transport agency Rosmorrechflot, the aging river-sea tanker Volgoneft 212 sank in a severe storm Sunday about five nautical miles outside of the Kerch Strait. Waves in excess of 25 feet were forecast by Russia's meteorological agency in advance of the sinking. A video taken by a crewmember shows that the aging vessel broke up in the storm, and the bow could be seen floating away from the bridge deck. 

In addition, the tanker Volgoneft-239 went aground off Taman in the same storm on Sunday. Early reports on Monday indicated that this vessel was also leaking fuel oil, and the crew was evacuated for safety.

A third tanker, Volgoneft-109, reported Tuesday that it had developed an internal leak in a cargo tank. This crack was spilling fuel into a ballast tank, according to state news outlet TASS. The vessel remains stable and watertight at a position off Kavkaz, on the Sea of Azov side of Kerch Strait. The crew is still on board, attended by a salvage vessel. 

New bystander footage emerged Tuesday showing the disastrous outcome of the spills on the Russian side of the Kerch Strait. Weather has carried the fuel onto shore near Anapa, a popular destination for Russian domestic tourism, and about 15 nautical miles of beachfront are covered in sludge. Volgoneft-212 was carrying about 4,300 tonnes of mazut, a Russian and Central Asian residual fuel oil produced from low-quality feedstocks. 

Volgoneft-212, 239 and 109 were all built between 1969 and 1973, produced under a major construction program in the Soviet Union that delivered hundreds of ships for the Black Sea-Volga "river-sea" tanker and freighter fleet. Many of these aging vessels are still in service today; with Western sanctions and domestic shipyard bottlenecks, Russian operators appear to have few options for replacing them in the near future. 

 

Beyond simple solutions: Leopoldina Discussion Paper on the responsible development and use of generative AI

Leopoldina

Since programs such as ChatGPT and Dall-E have become available to the general public there has been intense discussion about the risks and opportunities of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI). Due to their ability to create texts, images, and videos these AI applications can greatly benefit people’s everyday lives, but can also be misused to create deep fakes or propaganda. In addition, all forms of generative AI reflect the data used to train them and thus the objectives underpinning their development. Both aspects elude control by institutions and norms. There are now some strategies to counteract the lack of transparency and objectivity (bias) of generative AI. However, the authors of the discussion paper, published today in English by the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, warn against placing too much faith in these strategies. In “Generative AI – Beyond Euphoria and Simple Solutions” they take a realistic look at the possibilities and challenges regarding the development and application of generative AI. The authors of the discussion paper argue for a nuanced view of technologies and tools that make generative AI more transparent and aim to discover and minimise distortions. They discuss dealing with bias as an example: Without an active attempt to counteract it, AI systems reflect the respective societal and cultural relations of their database and the values and inequalities contained therein. However, according to the authors, deciding whether and how to actively counteract this bias in the programming is no trivial matter. It requires technological and mathematical, as well as political and ethical expertise and should not be the sole responsibility of developers. Strategies used to date to counteract the lack of transparency of generative AI also offer only a rather superficial solution. Users are often unable to understand how generative AI works. The still-new research field known as explainable AI develops procedures that aim to make AI-generated suggestions and decisions comprehensible retrospectively. However, the authors point out that the resulting explanations are also not reliable, even if they sound logical. It is even possible to deliberately manipulate explainable AI systems. The authors thus stress that generative AI should be used and developed with the utmost caution in cases where transparency is essential (for example in legal contexts). They also elucidate the various possibilities for deception with respect to generative AI, for example when users are unaware that they are communicating with AI, or when they do not know what AI is or is not capable of. Users often attribute human capabilities such as consciousness and comprehension to AI. The quality, ease, and speed with which texts, images, and videos can now be generated creates new dimensions for possible misuse, for example when generative AI is used for propaganda or criminal purposes. The discussion paper also addresses the issue of data protection. The success of generative AI is based partly on gathering and analysing users’ personal data. However, to date there is no convincing approach to ensure that users have the final say when it comes to the sharing and use of their data. The discussion paper has been published on the Leopoldina website: www.leopoldina.org/en/generative-ai Publications in the series “Leopoldina Discussion” are contributions by the authors named. The Academy’s discussion papers offer scientists the opportunity to present thought-provoking ideas and to encourage and guide discussions flexibly and outside of formal working group processes. The discussion paper was published in German on 17 October 2024 and an English translation is now available. It was created by the philosopher Professor Dr Judith Simon, Professor of Ethics in Information Technology at the University of Hamburg/Germany, the law expert Professor Dr Indra Spiecker gen. Döhmann, Professor of Digitalisation Law at the University of Cologne/Germany, and Leopoldina Member Professor Dr Ulrike von Luxburg, computer scientist and Professor of the Theory of Machine Learning at the University of Tübingen/Germany. The three researchers are members of the Leopoldina Focus Group “Digitalisation”. The focus group: https://www.leopoldina.org/en/policy-advice/focus-groups/digitalisation/ The Leopoldina on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/leopoldina.bsky.social  The Leopoldina on X: https://www.twitter.com/leopoldina The Leopoldina on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@nationalakademieleopoldina About the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina As the German National Academy of Sciences, the Leopoldina provides independent science-based policy advice on matters relevant to society. To this end, the Academy develops interdisciplinary statements based on scientific findings. In these publications, options for action are outlined; making decisions, however, is the responsibility of democratically legitimized politicians. The experts who prepare the statements work in a voluntary and unbiased manner. The Leopoldina represents the German scientific community in the international academy dialogue. This includes advising the annual summits of Heads of State and Government of the G7 and G20 countries. With around 1,700 members from more than 30 countries, the Leopoldina combines expertise from almost all research areas. Founded in 1652, it was appointed the National Academy of Sciences of Germany in 2008. The Leopoldina is committed to the common good.

 

Is fake meat good to eat? Processed plant-based meat alternatives linked to depression risk in vegetarians

DOES THAT HAPPEN TO SEVENTH DAY ADVENTISTS TOO?!

University of Surrey

There is mounting evidence suggesting that ultra processed foods (UPF) are bad for our health; but if you stick to a vegetarian diet, is that still the case?  Plant-Based Meat Alternatives (PBMA) are considered to be ultra-processed foods and may be associated with similar harms. 

In the first study of its kind, published in Food Frontiers, researchers from the University of Surrey found that vegetarians who consumed PBMAs had a 42% increased risk of depression compared to vegetarians who refrained from PBMAs. 

The study, which was led by Hana Navratilova, analysed data from the UK Biobank and found no notable differences in intake of sodium, free sugar, total sugar, or saturated fatty acids between those vegetarians who ate PBMAs and those who did not. The researchers did find, however, that those who eat PBMAs had higher blood pressure and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, a marker of inflammation, and lower levels of apolipoprotein A, a protein associated with HDL, a “good” cholesterol; PBMA consumption was, however, also linked to a reduced risk of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) by 40%. 

Professor Nophar Geifman, from the School of Health Sciences at the University of Surrey, and senior author of the study, said:  

"The overall findings are reassuring, suggesting that plant-based meat alternatives may be a safe option when they are part of an overall balanced diet. However, the potential link between these types of food, inflammation and depression warrants further investigation." 

The study presented some limitations due to the data collected, which was predominantly from a white population in the UK, and dietary information only being gathered at the beginning of the study, not accounting for potential changes over time. 

Professor Anthony Whetton, co-author of the study from the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Surrey, said: 

“Ultra-processed plant-based meat alternatives can be a useful way for people to transition to a vegetarian diet effectively, and that helps with sustainable agricultural practices.  Further research, including longitudinal studies and trials with more diverse populations, is necessary to confirm these findings and the relationship between vegetarian foods and mood." 

 

 

[ENDS] 

 

• Prof Nophar Geifman is available for interview, please contact mediarelations@surrey.ac.uk to arrange.   

• An image of Prof Nophar Geifman is attached. 

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Journal

Food Frontiers

DOI

10.1002/fft2.532 

Article Title

Plant-Based Meat Alternatives Intake and Its Association With Health Status Among Vegetarians of the UK Biobank Volunteer Population

Article Publication Date

16-Dec-2024

SHAMANIC STRING THEORY

String figures shed light on cultural connections and the roots of mathematical reasoning

University of Helsinki

 

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String figure.

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Credit: Roope Kaaronen's research group

New research suggests that the making of string figures, a globally documented practice, may point to shared cultural heritage stretching back millennia. The research offers a new way to investigate the evolution and distribution of cultural phenomena using mathematical methods.

A collaborative study between the University of Helsinki, Aarhus University, the National Museum of Denmark and Seattle University examined the cognitive, cultural and historical significance of traditional string figures. String figure games involve the manipulation of a loop of string with the fingers to create complex patterns. The study explored whether certain string figures evolved independently in different parts of the world or share a common ancestry.

The researchers analysed 826 string figures from 92 cultures around the world. They found 83 recurring designs. The results show that certain figures are globally prevalent. In certain cases, this suggests ancient cultural origins potentially extending back millennia.  

“Strikingly similar string figuress appear in, for example, the North American Arctic cultures or in the Pacific region. These are examples of how people have transmitted traditional string figures through migration and contact over centuries or even millennia. We also noted that some figures appear only in restricted regions, which may indicate both isolation and local innovation,” explains Postdoctoral Researcher Roope Kaaronen of the Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences.

Combinations of arts, crafts, play, storytelling and mathematical reasoning

String figures are a tangible example of cultural artifacts that combine art, crafts, play, storytelling and mathematical reasoning. Such traditions shared across humanity may help in understanding human creativity, cognitive evolution and the origins of mathematical thinking.

“String figures demonstrate the human drive to seek and develop cognitively challenging forms of entertainment, such as more recent games like chess or sudoku,” says Kaaronen.

A ‘family tree’ of string figures

The researchers applied mathematical knot theory to develop a computational method to create a DNA-like symbolic representation of each string figure. This enables the cross-cultural comparison of string figures and the construction of their “family tree”.

The method also enables the study of the evolution of numerous other early human technologies, which may help archaeologists and anthropologists investigate cultural heritage in a novel way.

“The analysis methods we developed can be extended to the quantitative study and cross-cultural comparison of other objects made of string, cord, thread or rope, such as knots, fishing nets and textiles. Digital methods and computational tools allow us to preserve and understand this cultural heritage better and to ensure its transmission to future generations,” summarises Kaaronen.

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Journal

Journal of The Royal Society Interface

DOI

10.1098/rsif.2024.0673 

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

A global cross-cultural analysis of string figures reveals evidence of deep transmission and innovation

Article Publication Date

14-Dec-2024

Resource-rich countries still often invest unsustainably

Radboud University Nijmegen

Countries that earn a lot of money from oil, coal, minerals and other natural capital by no means invest it wisely. A lot of money flows away into corruption and unsustainable investments. Investing more sustainably in education, health and infrastructure would benefit not only current, but also future generations within these countries. Charan van Krevel investigated why things still often go wrong. His PhD defense at Radboud University takes place on 21 December.

Van Krevel's research shows that in countries with abundant natural capital that make poor investments, there is not ‘just’ apathy or aversion towards sustainable development, but that there are systematic, economic and institutional factors causing this policy failure. It sounds very logical: using your country's resource profits to help the entire population move forward not just in the short term, but in the long term. Yet it often fails to happen this way.

Well-known are the stories of corruption and missing money in poor countries in Asia, South America and Africa, as well as scenarios where rich Western companies make off with the profits. But there is more to it, the economist outlines. Van Krevel used data from more than 140 countries for his research, to understand how they spend their natural capital, and which investments were most effective in the long run. ‘What you often see is countries that are already developing sustainably continue to do so even as new natural capital is mined,’ Van Krevel explains.

Corruption

In his research, Van Krevel looks at the causes of the lack of investment in the future. He finds evidence that (international) companies are skimming off profits so that there is little left to invest with. So corruption is not only at government level, but also in deals with business. There is simply not enough left over to invest.

The economist made an extensive study of Indonesia: ‘It has numerous natural resources, including palm oil, gas, coal and more. That's given the country a lot: incomes have risen, but there have not been enough investments that contribute to the long-term welfare of its people. But it also has some interesting governance quirks: in Indonesia, the local government is responsible for the sustainable investments and often does it better than national governments would. In the Netherlands, if not The Hague but Groningen had spent the money from gas, investment choices would probably have been more sustainable.'"

'Furthermore, data doesn't paint the full picture. Look at Cambodia, for example. That country signed contracts with China to mine limestone. On paper, you see big investments by China in infrastructure in the country. But in practice, this then turns out to be, for example, a highway from the capital to a coastal town, where many politicians and other rich residents have second homes.'

Norway and Botswana: a better way?

Van Krevel: 'There are examples of things working out better, of course. Norway set up a fund with profits from natural capital that politicians have little or no access to. Its interest is invested in free education, good libraries and more things that benefit the population. Botswana also made good investments with money from mining, and has become relatively quite prosperous. The political climate and aversion to the colonial past made for smart choices.'

Although Van Krevel's research focuses mainly on fossil fuel profits, he says there are plenty of lessons for countries like Congo that are sitting on a lot of other natural capital: minerals like lithium and cobalt, important for many of the tech we use every day. 'Those countries have an opportunity to learn. Make sure your property rights are well organised, and not just vested in the elite or Western parties. With democratic control, you significantly increase the chances of sustainable development.' 

 

Salmon genes unlock secrets of puberty and evolution

University of Helsinki

 

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Atlantic salmon

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Credit: Pekka Tuuri

A study carried out at the University of Helsinki shows how a single gene in Atlantic salmon can dramatically influence the timing of puberty - a key factor for salmon life cycle and survival.

Researchers discovered that the gene, known as vgll3, acts as a master regulator, controlling thousands of other genes involved in various aspects of salmon sexual maturation.

"Imagine a single switch determining whether puberty begins at age 13 or 20 in humans. Vgll3 plays a similar role in salmon, influencing traits like when reproductive cells start to develop, growth patterns, and behavioral changes. Our results explain how genetic variation in a single gene can have such dramatic effects on very complex and multifaceted traits as puberty or maturation age," explains Associate Professor Jukka-Pekka Verta, now at Nord University, Norway, who conducted this study as a part of his post-doctoral research at the University of Helsinki. 

This discovery not only explains how complex traits like puberty onset evolve and vary but also highlights a process called "pleiotropy," where one gene affects multiple characteristics, like the conductor of an orchestra. 

The Vgll3 gene is involved in controlling pubertal timing in humans, but it has a much smaller influence. The same gene has a much larger effect, and is kind of a switch, on an auto-immune skin disease in humans. This disease, lupus, is much more common in females than males. 

Hydroelectric dams can affect salmon maturation

The findings have far-reaching implications, particularly for understanding rapid evolutionary changes in salmon populations affected by human activities, such as hydroelectric dam development. 

As salmon are a migratory species, they need a clear pathway between their breeding grounds in the river and their feeding areas in the ocean. Many hydroelectric dams do not have functioning fish ladders, and this can block all the breeding areas above a dam. 

“If the areas for breeding below the dam are only suitable for example, for smaller salmon, there might be very strong natural selection against the ‘late maturation vgll3 variant’, which is a means for the salmon population to adapt to the changed conditions, but this also reduces the diversity of the population which can have longer term negative consequences. Now we better understand what other genes and processes may be affected by such changes.” describes Professor Craig Primmer from the Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki

By altering the frequency of certain vgll3 variants, natural selection can drive significant changes in traits like size, number of eggs and behavior. This research underscores the importance of fundamental evolutionary studies in managing wild populations and predicting how environmental changes impact ecosystems.

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Journal

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

DOI

10.1073/pnas.2402386121 

Article Title

A complex mechanism translating variation of a simple genetic architecture into alternative life histories

 

Most retail choice offers for electricity don’t save consumers money

72% of offers more costly than the utility’s default price

Ohio State University

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio’s retail choice electricity market – which lets consumers choose which company provides their electric generation service – has provided residential consumers with mostly cost-increasing offers.

Researchers found that 72% of the most popular type of retail electricity offers over the past decade have been significantly above the default price consumers would pay if they didn’t shop around.

The results suggest that there are persistent market failures in the deregulated market, said Noah Dormady, lead author of the study and associate professor at The Ohio State University’s John Glenn College of Public Affairs.

“The bulk of the offers provided to Ohio consumers are way above what those consumers would pay if they did nothing,” Dormady said.

“Historically, consumers would be better off if they just stayed with their electrical utility’s default price, rather than switching service to the median retail choice offer.”

Dormady noted that these markets have offered many Ohio households and businesses with cost-saving supply offers over the years, and those suppliers that have offered competitive pricing based on market fundamentals have delivered value to Ohio. “It’s unfortunate that cost-saving offers have been so few and far between,” he added.

The study was published recently in the Journal of Critical Infrastructure Policy.

The study was done in Ohio, but it has relevance throughout the United States and even internationally where similar retail choice marketplaces have existed for years.

“The problems we document here exist in other states and in parts of Canada and Australia, too,” he said. “We are continuing the work we did here in other states to learn more.”

Dormady and his colleagues built the largest and most detailed database of retail electricity choice offers ever in a published study.  They examined every electricity offer made to Ohio consumers by retail marketers over a nine-year period from 2014 to 2023 – more than 2 million records.

Households that cannot or choose not to shop for retail electricity generation service stay with their utility’s default service. This excludes areas where default service is provided through municipal aggregation. Customers who choose to shop can purchase service from among competing supply offers from one of about fifty different suppliers in each of the six major utility service territories in the state. All customers, whether they purchase their generation from a competing supplier or stay on the utility’s default service, continue to receive their distribution service from their local utility.

Consumers are overwhelmed with choices, Dormady said. Every day, between 90 and 150 different supply offers are filed by about 45 different suppliers with the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO), which is the state agency overseeing the market.

Offers vary widely, some offering a fixed rate for a defined period and others offering variable rates. And some offer “gimmicky” deals, he said, with deceptively low initial costs combined with high monthly fees and consumption caps of how much electricity can be used before rates jump or financial penalties.

The study found that with the most commonly sought-after rate by residential customers – a 12-month fixed rate – competing electric companies offered rates above the default utility standard offer 72.1% of the time.

What’s more, the study found that competing companies historically made offers that averaged 25% to 30% above the standard offer. But when they offered cost savings, they were only 5% to 10% below the standard offer.

“The savings are considerably smaller than the price increases they offer,” Dormady said.

Dormady noted that all the competing companies buy their electricity from the same wholesale markets.  Under standard economic theory, the retail prices would be set based on the wholesale prices. Instead, it appears that companies are competing based on the standard price, which is already marked up about 73% over the price on the wholesale market.

The median retail choice offer by competing companies is 98% above the wholesale cost of electricity, the study found.

Another issue is that the best prices are not always available to consumers. The researchers found that cost-savings offers were available between 43% and 59% of the days of the year, depending on the year studied.

“Even if consumers shopped for the best prices on electricity every day – which most people are not going to do – they would only find savings about half the time,” he said.

Dormady said future studies will examine more thoroughly the issues consumers face in shopping for retail electricity.  But it appears that the markets as they are currently set up are too complex for most households and make it too difficult to identify the deals that are best for them.

Despite the problems with the current market, Dormady said he and his colleagues don’t believe the answer is to move back to a regulated system. That will not create the best situation for consumers.

Instead, there is a need for more efficient markets and greater transparency. One suggestion the researchers have is creating an Office of the Independent Market Monitor to ensure that the markets operate efficiently.  While existing offices such as PUCO and the Consumers’ Counsel play key roles, they have multiple functions and can’t be considered a replacement for a dedicated independent market monitor. Independence and market expertise are key, Dormady said.

Another suggestion is to establish a “supplier scorecard” that rates the quality and competitiveness of competing electric suppliers. This scorecard would function similarly to a Better Business Bureau, Fitch or Moody’s rating, he said.

“We need to make it easier for consumers to identify the electricity offers that will save them money and that are right for them,” Dormady said. “Unfortunately, it is too easy to confuse consumers in a complex market like this.”

The study was supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

Other Ohio State co-authors were Yufan Ji, Stephanie Pedron and Abdollah Shafieezadeh. Additional co-authors were William Welch of Welch and Associates Consulting; Alberto Lamadrid and Samatha Fox of Lehigh University; and Matthew Hoyt of Exeter Associates.

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Journal

Journal of Critical Infrastructure Policy

DOI

10.1002/jci3.12031 

Method of Research

Data/statistical analysis

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Efficiency and consumer welfare under retail electricity deregulation: Analysis of Ohio's retail choice markets

 

Gruyère cheese, or a history of the domestication of bacteria

University of Lausanne

 

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A scientist seeding milk with ‘cheese starter cultures’ to initiate fermentation into mini cheeses.

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Credit: Jérôme Beneditti, UNIL

The domestication of plants and animals has played a key role in the development of human societies. And microbes, too, have been tamed: a study by UNIL, published in the journal Nature Communications, shows that the bacteria used to produce Gruyère, Emmental and Sbrinz cheese show signs of ancient domestication.

The domestication of livestock and plants marked an important stage in the settlement of human populations in the Neolithic period, as they moved from a hunter-gatherer lifestyle to a subsistence model based on animal husbandry and agriculture. Because of the microscopic size and virtual absence of fossils of micro-organisms, their domestication is more difficult to prove than that of flora and fauna. Although several studies have already demonstrated this in the case of yeasts (microscopic, single-celled fungi with nuclei), the case of bacteria (micro-organisms that are mainly single-celled and have no nuclei) has yet to be elucidated. This was the objective of Vincent Somerville, a former doctoral student in Philipp Engel's team at the Department of Fundamental Microbiology (DFM) in the Faculty of Biology and Medicine at UNIL. The results of his latest study, carried out under the co-direction of Florent Mazel and in collaboration with Agroscope, have been published in the journal Nature Communications.

An old process

Domestication consists of artificially selecting - generation after generation - variants of a wild species that have developed interesting characteristics for agriculture or livestock farming, such as the nutritional quality of plants or the size and docility of animals. As human population has grown throughout history, and food demand has increased, long-term storage solutions were needed. ‘This is the case with fermentation, which converts sugars into acids, protects against the proliferation of undesirable microbes and therefore enables food to be preserved for longer,’ explains Philipp Engel, co-director of the study. This technique, which dates back several thousand years, uses micro-organisms such as yeast to make beer or wine, or bacteria to make cheese. The first indirect archaeological evidence of milk fermentation dates back around 10,000 years, to the Neolithic period.

Swiss cheeses as study subjects

Thanks to collaboration with Agroscope, the Swiss centre of competence for agronomic and food research, the Lausanne group had access to a collection of bacterial strains used in the production of three different Swiss cheeses: Gruyère, Emmental and Sbrinz, and stored for 50 years. ‘These cultures, also called “cheese starter cultures” were partially reactivated to create some sort of laboratory mini cheeses’, explains Vincent Somerville, first author of the article. ‘We then analysed the evolution of the genetic and phenotypic characteristics of this collection over time in order to identify markers indicative of domestication. By observing more than 100 bacterial isolates and almost 1,000 samples, the scientists found, respectively, low genetic diversity and high stability of traits specific to the food preservation process (for example, acidification) over this half-century period. Those are indicators of an ancient, or even very ancient, adaptation, which by extrapolation corresponds to the appearance of the first fermented dairy products. ‘The temporal concordance between the dating of the micro-organisms and the archaeological history of this fermented food was quite unexpected’, enthuses researcher Florent Mazel. In other words, it is possible to trace the past of the domestication of bacteria from Swiss cheeses.

Guaranteeing food safety

In the future, cheeses from different parts of the world could be compared in order to generalize the study. In addition, research into the domestication of bacterial communities used to initiate the fermentation of other products, such as kefir, looks promising. ‘A better understanding of bacterial domestication will enable us to optimize the characteristics of these microbiota, improve the use of this process and make it a more sustainable method of food storage’, hopes Florent Mazel.

 

Additional link:

More info on the Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) Microbiomes

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Journal

Nature Communications

DOI

10.1038/s41467-024-52687-7 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Cells

Article Title

Genomic and phenotypic imprints of microbial domestication on cheese starter cultures

 

Do teachers view parents as partners in the education of their child? Not so much…

New research from Ben-Gurion University highlights teachers' tendencies to label parents as the problem

IT IS HOW TEACHING IS TAUGHT NOT AS A SOURCE FOR GERNERAL KNOWLEDGE TRANSMISSION BUT  AS A SPECIALIST; SEPERATE FROM THE MASSES

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

BEER-SHEVA, Israel, December 17, 2024 – Many parents are more involved than ever in their children's education at school. They are in contact with the teachers on a regular basis, discuss their teaching style and generally advocate for their child. Ostensibly, the ideal relationship would be a partnership between teacher and parent with the child in the center. However, a new study from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev shows that teachers often view parents as a problem, often more problematic than their children, to be managed rather than as partners.

Tamar Schejter-Cohen, Prof. Idit Fast and Prof. Dorit Tubin of the School of Education interviewed 16 elementary school teachers in two schools in Beer-Sheva to assess how they view parents. What arose from the interviews was a recurring theme of managing the obstruction that is parents' input rather than a partnership for the benefit of the child.

Currently, teachers often need to figure out how to handle parents on their own through trial and error. Therefore, the researchers recommended increased professional training for teachers to diagnose, treat and infer various modes of parenting to add to their professional toolbox.

Their findings were published last month in Teachers and Teaching.

The researchers found that teachers identify three parenting styles: cooperative, uninvolved, and interfering.

Cooperative parents are appreciative of the teacher's efforts and volunteer information. Teachers then reciprocate willingly with updates.

Uninvolved parents were the largest category. They show up for the mandatory school meetings but are otherwise unresponsive to teachers' calls and messages. Teachers will often send messages to remind them they need their cooperation at home to do their job at school.

Finally, the research showed that teachers have developed entire systems to deal with interfering parents. Interfering parents come in many varieties: deniers, over-protective, worried, anxious, aggressive, unpredictable, demanding, nagging, childish, blamers, complainers, boundless and hostile.

The researchers found that teachers had developed their own systems to "handle" these parents, often moving back and forth between strictness and empathy. They "diagnosed" the parental type and then "treated" them accordingly. Afterwards they "inferred" whether their diagnosis and treatment needed to be revised.

Schejter-Cohen, Prof. Fast and Prof. Tubin noted that process was a professional skill the teachers had to invent on their own. Therefore, they recommended adding courses that would teach teachers how to diagnose, treat and infer parental styles.

They contended that doing so would have a few benefits. It would increase the teachers' professionalism. It would also increase school legitimacy in the community. Since parents are increasingly involved in school, if they had good relationships with teachers they would think better of the school.

"By giving the teachers the proper professional tools, they can really turn parents into partners," the researchers concluded.

The study was supported by the Lion Family Foundation.

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Journal

Teachers and Teaching

DOI

10.1080/13540602.2024.2422869 

Subject of Research

People