It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Tuesday, July 22, 2025
Leading the way comes at a cost for feathered friends
Like humans, animals can become stressed when trying to lead a group of peers in a particular direction, a new study from The Australian National University (ANU) has shown.
According to study co-author Associate Professor Damien Farine, many animal groups make decisions in a very democratic way, taking a “majority rules” approach.
While effective, it can also take a toll.
“We already have evidence of how this decision-making can work – it’s like a voting process. So, individuals might start to move away from the group in the direction they want to go to find food and if they get enough support, the group follows. Alternatively, if no one follows then they fail and return to the group,” Associate Professor Farine said.
“The strongest predictor of the direction the group will eventually take is the option with the greatest number of votes.
“Some individuals lead more than others, while some follow more. We were interested in the consequences of this process.”
The researchers tracked a group of wild guineafowl in Kenya over a period of four months using heart rate monitors and GPS tracking devices.
The guineafowl experienced the highest heart rate when trying to lead their group by initiating movements, especially when trying to do so against the majority of their group members.
“It is noticeable when they're trying to do something that very few individuals in their group would want to do. They also experience a much higher heart rate when they fail to lead in these situations,” co-author Dr James Klarevas-Irby said.
“We also found that just moving as part of a group had a noticeable impact on the heart rate of the birds, which was much higher than when they were moving on their own.
“Most of us can relate - it's like when you’re with a bunch of friends and you’re trying to decide where to go for dinner, and you really want to go to a particular restaurant but most of your friends want to go somewhere else.
“While initiating and leadership are beneficial in theory for animals like the guinea fowl, because if they succeed, they get to go to the ’restaurant’ of their choice, if they find themselves in the minority, it comes at a substantial cost.”
A pioneering international survey of people living with eating disorders has found that cannabis and psychedelics, such as ‘magic mushrooms’ or LSD, were best rated as alleviating symptoms by respondents who self-medicated with the non-prescribed drugs.
The worst-rated drugs were alcohol, tobacco, nicotine and cocaine.
Prescribed drugs, such as antidepressants, were generally not well rated for treating eating-disorder symptoms but were positively rated for effects on general mental health.
Ms Rodan said: “Our results provide important insights into the lived experiences of people with eating disorders and their drug use, highlighting promising avenues for future research into treatments.
“The findings suggest more research, including large clinical trials, should be undertaken around the beneficial effects of cannabis and psychedelics for people with eating disorders.”
The Lambert Initiative researchers will shortly launch a clinical trial of psilocybin in treating anorexia nervosa in collaboration with the Inside Out Institute at the University of Sydney.
Scope and response of survey
The study analysed responses from over 7600 self-allocated participants in 83 countries, making it the most comprehensive survey ever conducted on this topic.
The research focused on how people with different types of eating disorders use prescription and non-prescription drugs, and how they perceive these substances’ effects on their mental health and eating disorder symptoms.
The major categories of eating disorders were well-represented in the survey: anorexia nervosa (40%); bulimia nervosa (19%); binge-eating disorder (11%); and avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) (9%). About one third of respondents were not formally diagnosed with an eating disorder but self-reported an eating disorder that caused distress.
Co-morbid mental health conditions, which are often found in these populations, were frequently reported including depression (65%), generalised anxiety disorder (55%), ADHD (33%), drug dependence (15%) and alcohol dependence (9%).
Respondents were predominantly female (94%), with most from English-speaking places, like Australia (30%), the UK (21.3%) and the US (18%).
The results revealed patients with eating disorders have high rates of cannabis and psychedelic use relative to the general populations and rate their effects positively in terms of managing symptoms. Notably, cannabis was highly rated by respondents with restrictive eating disorders such as anorexia and ARFID, most likely because it enhances the rewarding value of food, addressing a core issue in these eating disorders.
In contrast, prescription stimulants such as lisdexamfetamine, which have strong appetite suppressing effects and are sometimes prescribed for binge eating disorder (BED), were positively rated by people with BED but poorly rated by those with restrictive type disorders.
Psychedelics, typically only taken once or twice a year by respondents, were reported to have remarkable long-lasting benefits, supporting recent research showing their therapeutic potential in treating conditions such as depression and anxiety. Conversely, commonly prescribed medications – such as antidepressants – which are typically taken daily, were generally rated as relatively ineffective for reducing ED symptoms but were widely acknowledged to help with overall mental health.
The survey also found that drugs like alcohol, nicotine, and cocaine, although quite widely used, led to negative outcomes on eating disorder symptoms and general mental health.
Ms Rodan said: "These findings highlight an important pattern: with traditional medications often falling short in treating eating disorders directly, while many individuals are self-medicating with substances they perceive as helpful. This underlines the urgent need to better investigate these substances in rigorously controlled clinical trials.”
Next steps: clinical trials
The insights gained by this study have already prompted further research initiatives. The Lambert Initiative, in collaboration with the Inside Out Institute at the University of Sydney, is preparing to launch a clinical trial of psilocybin in treating anorexia nervosa. Additionally, a pilot study examining the therapeutic potential of the non-intoxicating cannabis component, cannabidiol (CBD), in treating severe anorexia in young people, is nearing completion.
Professor Iain McGregor, the senior author on this paper and Academic Director of the Lambert Initiative, said: “This research suggests that cannabis and psychedelics hold significant promise for improving quality of life in individuals suffering eating disorders. This is particularly salient since current pharmacological options for these patients are severely limited and current treatment outcomes so disappointing.
“Of course, rigorous clinical trials are needed to confirm these benefits and better determine safety profiles.”
Ms Rodan said: “I hope this study gives a voice to people living with eating disorders, revealing that their often-stigmatised experiences with drugs might in fact have therapeutic potential. We are extremely grateful to the many thousands of respondents who took the time to provide such detailed responses around their lived experiences. This should spur further research and open new treatment pathways for these challenging conditions.”
Rodan, S. et al ‘Prescription and Nonprescription Drug Use Among People With Eating Disorders’ (JAMA Network Open, July 2025). DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.22406
Declaration
The study was funded by the Lambert Initiative for Cannabinoid Therapeutics, a philanthropically funded research program at the University of Sydney. Researchers report funding support from the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia. Dr Anastasia Suraev reports consulting fees from the Medicinal Cannabis Industry Australia (MCIA). Professor Iain McGregor receives fees from Althea, Jannssen and the MCIA. He also has share options with Kinoxis Therapeutics, consultancies with Psylo and Emyria and patents with Kinoxis.
Prescription and Nonprescription Drug Use Among People With Eating Disorders
Article Publication Date
22-Jul-2025
COI Statement
Dr Anastasia Suraev reports consulting fees from the Medicinal Cannabis Industry Australia (MCIA). Professor Iain McGregor receives fees from Althea, Jannssen and the MCIA. He also has share options with Kinoxis Therapeutics, consultancies with Psylo and Emyria and patents with Kinoxis.
Turning waste alkaline water directly into clean hydrogen!
KIMS develops commercial-grade non-precious metal catalyst for direct electrolysis of waste alkaline water into clean hydrogen
Credit: Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS)
Dr. Sung Mook Choi and his research team at the Energy & Environmental Materials Research Division of the Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS) have successfully developed a highly durable non-precious metal-based hydrogen evolution catalyst for use in a direct electrolysis system employing waste alkaline water and anion exchange membranes (AEM). This breakthrough enables the production of clean hydrogen by directly utilizing alkaline wastewater generated from industrial processes. Notably, the developed catalyst was applied to a commercial-scale 64 cm² single-cell electrolysis system and demonstrated high hydrogen production efficiency with less than 5% performance degradation even after more than 2,000 hours of continuous operation—showing strong promise for real-world application.
Waste alkaline water is generated in large volumes from semiconductor manufacturing and metal etching/cleaning processes. However, due to the high cost of treatment and the potential environmental hazards, its reuse has remained economically inefficient. Anion exchange membrane water electrolysis (AEMWE) is considered a suitable method for directly utilizing waste alkaline water without the need for separate purification. Nonetheless, impurities and ions contained in the waste water have long interfered with the electrochemical reactions during electrolysis, significantly reducing hydrogen production efficiency.
The research team discovered that the interface between nickel and cerium oxide exhibits weak binding energy with impurity ions present in waste alkaline water. This finding was theoretically validated through a collaborative study with Professor Min Ho Seo's group at Pukyong National University using density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Additionally, in collaboration with Professor Jang Yong Lee’s team at Konkuk University, the researchers developed a highly durable anion exchange membrane capable of maintaining performance even in impurity-rich environments.
Through this development process, the research team created a heterostructured non-precious metal catalyst based on nickel and cerium oxide. This catalyst can be directly applied to water electrolysis systems using waste alkaline water, without the need for complex purification processes. As a result, the team has established a technological breakthrough that not only reduces hydrogen production costs but also mitigates environmental pollution.
Conventional freshwater-based electrolysis systems require approximately 18 tons of raw water to produce 1 ton of hydrogen, from which about 9 tons of ultrapure water must be extracted. The cost of purifying this amount of water is estimated to be around USD 2,340. In contrast, the "direct waste alkaline water electrolysis technology" developed by the research team enables the use of large volumes of waste alkaline water without purification, dramatically reducing the cost of hydrogen production.
The research team synthesized the heterostructured, non-precious metal catalyst—based on nickel and cerium oxides—using a co-precipitation method, which allows for easy large-scale production by dissolving multiple substances and precipitating them simultaneously. The final catalyst was obtained through a two-step thermal treatment process. This approach enabled the formation of numerous oxygen vacancies and maximized electron–metal–support interactions (EMSI), thereby enhancing both catalytic performance and durability. The oxygen vacancies facilitate smoother electron flow, accelerating the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), while the strong interactions between the metal and surrounding materials improve the catalyst’s operational stability and efficiency.
Once commercialized, this technology is expected to accelerate the self-sufficiency of key component materials in future mobility and power industries, while contributing to the creation of new markets for clean hydrogen. Building on this achievement, the research team is also working toward developing next-generation AEMWE technology that directly utilizes seawater as a source.
Dr. Sung Mook Choi, the lead researcher at KIMS, stated, “Through this study, we have demonstrated that industrial waste alkaline water can be effectively recycled for hydrogen production, significantly reducing production costs while also minimizing the risk of leakage accidents during wastewater transport.” He added, “Non-freshwater-based electrolysis technology is expected to garner increasing attention in the field of clean hydrogen production in the future.”
This research was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea(NRF) grant funded by the Korea government(MSIT) (No. RS-2024-00467234, National Hydrogen Hub Laboratory), the Nano & Material Technology Development Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea(NRF) funded by Ministry of Science and ICT(RS-2024-00409675), both funded by the National Research Foundation of Korea, as well as the Basic Research Program of the Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS). The research findings were published on June 9 in the prestigious international journal Advanced Science (Impact Factor: 14.3).
KIMS is a non-profit government-funded research institute under the Ministry of Science and ICT of the Republic of Korea. As the only institute specializing in comprehensive materials technologies in Korea, KIMS has contributed to Korean industry by carrying out a wide range of activities related to materials science including R&D, inspection, testing&evaluation, and technology support.
Collapsing the Bottleneck by Interfacial Effect of Ni/CeO2 for Long-Term Hydrogen Production using Waste Alkaline Water in Practical-Scale Anion Exchange Membrane Water Electrolyzer
Scientists uncover hidden bone structures in the skin of Australian monitor lizards
and it could unlock the secrets to their evolutionary success
Beneath the scales of Australia’s iconic monitor lizards (commonly known as goannas), scientists have discovered an unexpected secret: a hidden layer of bony skin structures known as osteoderms.
Museum Victoria
iRosenberg goanna (Varanus rosenbergi WAM R95408) with osteoderms and endoskeleton revealed in the left half. Source - Roy Ebel
Credit: Source: Roy EbelBeneath the scales of Australia’s iconic monitor lizards (commonly known as goannas), scientists have discovered an unexpected secret: a hidden layer of bony skin structures known as osteoderms. These structures, which have been long overlooked, may hold the key to understanding how these ancient reptiles not only survived but thrived in one of the world’s harshest environments.
The findings, published today in the prestigious Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, mark the first large-scale global study of osteoderms in lizards and snakes. The international collaboration brought together researchers from Australia, Europe and the United States, who used cutting-edge micro-CT scanning to examine nearly 2,000 reptile specimens from major museum collections including those held at Museums Victoria’s Research Institute.
‘We were astonished to find osteoderms in 29 Australo-Papuan monitor lizard species that had never been documented before,’ said Roy Ebel, lead author and researcher at Museums Victoria Research Institute and the Australian National University. ‘It’s a fivefold increase in known cases among goannas.’
Osteoderms are most commonly known from crocodiles, armadillos, and even some dinosaurs like Stegosaurus. But their function has remained something of an evolutionary mystery. While they may provide protection, scientists now suspect they may also support heat regulation, mobility and calcium storage during reproduction.
This new research reveals that osteoderms are far more widespread in lizards than previously thought, occurring in nearly half of all lizard species worldwide – an 85% increase on earlier estimates.
At the heart of this discovery lies the power of museum collections. Scientific institutions like Museums Victoria Research Institute play a critical role in preserving biodiversity through time, enabling researchers to study species long after they were collected. Many of the specimens used in this study were decades, and in some cases over 120 years old, but advances in imaging technology enabled scientists to uncover new insights without harming the original material. These collections are not just archives, they’re active tools for scientific discovery.
‘What’s so exciting about this finding is that it reshapes what we thought we knew about reptile evolution,’ said Dr Jane Melville, Museums Victoria Research Institute Senior Curator of Terrestrial Vertebrates. ‘It suggests that these skin bones may have evolved in response to environmental pressures as lizards adapted to Australia’s challenging landscapes.’
Until now, the presence of osteoderms in monitor lizards was considered rare and mostly confined to the famed Komodo dragon. But the discovery of their widespread presence across Australo-Papuan goannas opens up new questions about how these lizards adapted, survived and diversified across the continent.
This landmark study not only tells a new chapter in the story of Australia’s goannas, it provides a powerful new dataset for exploring how skin, structure, and survival have intertwined across millions of years of evolution.
In this green tree monitor (Varanus prasinus UF 71411, MorphoSource), radiodensity heatmapping shows bone tissue, including osteoderms, in yellow to red.
A new commentary published in Nature Communications by Dr James Bradley, Reader in Environmental Science at Queen Mary University of London, and his team reveals a dramatic and concerning shift in the Arctic winter. During a fieldwork campaign in Svalbard in February 2025, researchers encountered exceptionally high temperatures, widespread snowmelt, and blooming vegetation.
Svalbard, warming at six to seven times the global average rate, is at the forefront of the climate crisis, with winter temperatures rising at nearly double the annual average. The commentary highlights that winter warming in the Arctic is no longer an exception but a recurring feature of a profoundly altered climate system, challenging the long-held assumption of a reliably frozen Arctic winter.
"Standing in pools of water at the snout of the glacier, or on bare, green tundra, was shocking and surreal," Dr Bradley describes his experience. "The thick snowpack covering the landscape vanished within days. The gear I packed felt like a relic from another climate."
The team, accustomed to preparing for extreme cold with thermal layers, thick gloves, and insulated down, found themselves working bare-handed in the rain on the glacier.
Laura Molares Moncayo, a PhD student at Queen Mary and the Natural History Museum and a co-author on the study, added: "The goal of our fieldwork campaign was to study freshly fallen snow. But over a two-week period, we were only able to collect fresh snow once, as most of the precipitation fell as rain. This lack of snowfall in the middle of winter undermines our ability to establish a representative baseline for frozen-season processes. The unexpected melt not only disrupted our sampling plan, but also made us question how safe or feasible winter fieldwork really is under such rapidly changing conditions."
This firsthand experience corroborates long-standing projections about Arctic amplification, but it also underscores the alarming speed at which these changes are taking hold. The crossing of the 0°C melting threshold has a transformative impact on the physical environment, the dynamics of local ecosystems, and the very methodology of conducting scientific research in the Arctic during winter.
The implications of these rapid winter changes for the Arctic ecosystem are far-reaching. Winter warming events can disrupt everything from microbial carbon cycling to the survival of Arctic wildlife. These events may also create a feedback loop, accelerating permafrost thaw, microbial carbon degradation, and the release of greenhouse gases across the Arctic. The observed meltwater pooling above frozen ground, forming vast temporary lakes and reducing snow cover to zero in large areas, further exposes the bare ground surface and leads to widespread blooms of biological activity.
The commentary calls for urgent action and highlights critical policy implications. "Climate policy must catch up to the reality that the Arctic is changing much faster than expected, and winter is at the heart of that shift," states Dr Bradley.
The commentary urgently calls for increased investment in wintertime Arctic monitoring, highlighting a significant lack of data and understanding regarding Arctic systems during this fastest-changing season. More observations and experimentation are crucial, not only to establish baselines but also to project future impacts. Furthermore, the authors stress that policymaking must shift from reactive to anticipatory strategies, recognising winter as a critical season of risk. The challenges already faced by well-equipped scientific bases due to mid-winter warming underscore the immense pressure this might place on remote Indigenous Arctic communities, their infrastructure, transport, and emergency responses.
The unexpected conditions during fieldwork, including the thin and slushy snow that hindered snowmobile access to field sites, forced researchers to reconsider how and even whether they can continue winter science as usual. This also presents new safety concerns, including rescue efforts and the ability for the researchers to retreat quickly to the safety of the research station if they encounter polar bears while working in the field.
The commentary, "Svalbard winter warming is reaching melting point," serves as a stark reminder of the accelerating pace of climate change in the Arctic, emphasising that these anomalies are, in fact, the new Arctic reality.
The article involves authors from Queen Mary University of London, the Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography in Marseille, France, The Natural History Museum in London, University of Naples Federico II in Italy, the CNR Institute of Polar Science in Italy.
“We are still unaware of the consequences that these recurring events are bringing to Arctic ecosystems, especially during the winter period, where conditions are more complex and data is scarce”, said Donato Giovannelli, an geomicrobiologist at the University of Naples Federico II in Italy and one of the senior authors on the paper. “We might have been too cautious with our messages. Irreversible changes to the Arctic climate are happening in front of our own eyes”.
