Study reveals fisheries danger zones for large seabirds

University of the Sunshine Coast

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Albatross fitted with tracking device on back.

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Credit: Photo Kath Walker, Graeme Elliott NZDoC

New UniSC-led research has raised hopes of reducing the tragic incidental impacts of commercial fishing on large seabirds between Australia and South America.

The University of the Sunshine Coast-led study into the endangered Antipodean albatross pinpoints where and when these seabirds are most at risk of injury or death from fishing longlines across the South Pacific Ocean.

“A major cause of rapid population decline for migratory albatrosses and petrels is fisheries bycatch, which occurs when the birds are caught or entangled on pelagic longlines with thousands of baited hooks,” said UniSC Associate Professor Kylie Scales.

“It’s of great concern that many of the interaction hotspots we identified between birds and fishing vessels are located on the high seas and therefore not under any individual country’s jurisdiction.

“However, we’re excited at the promise of this data-driven method for identifying and predicting hotspots of fisheries interaction risk. We hope it will prompt tighter controls in key fisheries to mitigate the threats to wildlife and make the industry more sustainable.”

Ho Fung (Billy) Wong, lead author of the collaborative research paper published in Biological Conservation, said the Antipodean albatross was chosen as a case study because of imminent fears for its future.

“These birds only breed every two years on small New Zealand islands and are already threatened by the effects of climate change and marine plastics,” said the UniSC PhD researcher.

“Their long wingspan means they can fly thousands of kilometres, cruising above the ocean surface, diving in search of fish and squid, and we wanted to explore the factors leading to interactions with fisheries.”

Fieldwork was carried out by researchers at the New Zealand Department of Conservation at the main breeding colony on Antipodes Island, where satellite tracking devices were attached to the backs of 192 albatrosses of various ages and sexes.

The birds’ movements were monitored between 2019 and 2022 as they ranged between southern Australia and South America.

Results were combined with data on the footprint of commercial fishing activity, together with real-time mapping of ocean features not previously taken into account.

These features included thermal fronts (the meeting of two water masses) and eddies (large swirling currents on the ocean surface).

Dr Scales, a marine ecologist who co-authored the paper with UniSC’s Professor David Schoeman, said the resulting map of overlapping areas represented bird danger zones.

“We found the most intense risk zones occur in our winter, among juvenile and female albatrosses, in a latitudinal band near the Tropic of Capricorn from 25 to 40 degrees south of the Equator,” she said.

“This new information on the spatial structuring of risk zones is important for the survival not only of this population, but the thousands of seabirds caught as bycatch every year. We’re now working to expand the research across the world.”

The study was a collaboration with the New Zealand Department of Conservation, Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML) in the United Kingdom, The University of Queensland, Charles Sturt University, Halpin Wildlife Research in Canada, and South Africa’s Nelson Mandela University.

PML’s expertise in Earth observation was used to examine how physical ocean features shaped the danger zones.

“We analysed the information at two scales: seasonal patterns using long-term climate data, and finer monthly patterns using real-time ocean conditions,” said PML Marine Earth Observation Scientist Dr Peter Miller.

“The danger was shown to be particularly acute during the Southern Hemisphere winter months and with younger birds facing the highest risk of all.” 

Mr Wong said the findings led the team to recommend that seabird bycatch mitigation measures set by Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs) such as the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission should be extended to cover risk zones identified in the study, especially 25-30 degrees south.

“Currently, only one of three mitigation measures is mandated in this zone,” he said.

Mitigation measures include bird-scaring lines, branch-line weighting and night-setting.

Albatross chick with satellite tracking device on back. 

Credit

Kath Walker, Graeme Elliott NZ 

Albatross chick with satellite tracking device on back-2

Credit

Kath Walker, Graeme Elliott NZ DoC

Journal

Biological Conservation

DOI

10.1016/j.biocon.2025.111574 

Method of Research

Observational study

Subject of Research

Animals

Article Title

Mesoscale ocean dynamics structure fisheries interaction risk for an endangered seabird

COI Statement

Ho Fung Wong reports financial support was provided by Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA), DE210100367. Kylie L. Scales reports financial support was provided by Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA), DE210100367. Johannes H. Fischer, Igor Debski, Samhita Bose, Graeme Elliot and Kath Walker report financial support was provided by New Zealand Department of Conservation. Johannes H. Fischer reports financial support was provided by Fisheries New Zealand. Johannes H. Fischer reports financial support was provided by Live Ocean. Johannes H. Fischer, Igor Debski, Samhita Bose, Graeme Elliot and Kath Walker report financial support was provided by British Broadcasting Corp. Johannes H. Fischer, Igor Debski, Samhita Bose, Graeme Elliot and Kath Walker report financial support was provided by Southern Seabirds.

In Defense of Economic and Social Human Rights: An Intellectual History

An Intellectual History, 1940 to the Present

Book Announcement

Aarhus University

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Breaking new ground in the intellectual history of economic and social human rights, Christian Olaf Christiansen traces their justification from the outset of World War II until the present day. Featuring a series of fascinating thinkers, from political scientists to Popes, this is the first book to comprehensively map the key arguments made in defense of human rights and how they connect to ideas of social and redistributive justice. Christiansen traces this intellectual history from a first phase devoted to internationalizing these rights, a second phase of their unprecedented legitimacy deployed to criticize global inequality, to a third phase of a continued quest to secure their legitimacy once and for all. Engaging with the newest scholarship and building a bridge to political philosophy as well as global inequality studies, it facilitates a much-needed novel and nuanced history of rights-rights we should still consider defending today.

 

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DOI

10.1017/9781009551397 

Chinese Neurosurgical Journal study highlights how social media is reshaping global neurosurgery

Platforms like Neurosurgery Cocktail are redefining neurosurgical education, collaboration, and real-time case consultation

Chinese Neurosurgical Journal

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A virtual medical collaboration, reflecting how neurosurgeons increasingly rely on digital platforms for real-time discussions.

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Credit: Deborah Cirelli from Wikimedia Commons (https://openverse.org/image/f5247923-1248-493f-be48-b5ccc410831c)

Social media has rapidly evolved from a peripheral communication tool to a central driver of professional exchange in medicine—and neurosurgery is no exception. Over the past decade, neurosurgeons worldwide have increasingly used digital platforms to exchange clinical insights, discuss rare pathologies, enhance mentorship, and collaborate on research. This transformation accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic, when global travel restrictions forced the neurosurgical community to shift toward virtual engagement.

A new report examining this shift was described by a study led by Dr. Bipin Chaurasia (Neurosurgery Clinic, Birgunj, and College of Medical Sciences, Bharatpur, Nepal) in collaboration with Dr. Ismail Bozkurt (Medical Park Ankara Hospital and Yuksek Ihtisas University, Turkey). Working with partners across multiple institutions, the authors explore how the digital ecosystem is reshaping neurosurgical education, case discussions, and scholarly activity. Published in Volume 11, of the Chinese Neurosurgical Journal on October 31, 2025, the study provides a comprehensive look at the academic and collaborative impact of the world’s most active neurosurgical social media community.

Central to this shift is Neurosurgery Cocktail, currently the largest neurosurgery-focused social media group with an extensive presence on Facebook, X, Instagram, Telegram, LinkedIn, Threads, WeChat, and WhatsApp. Since its launch in 2016, it has grown from a discussion hub into an indispensable platform enabling case consultations, education, and collaborative research across more than 100 countries. “Platforms like Neurosurgery Cocktail have democratized neurosurgical knowledge, allowing a junior resident in a remote region to access expert guidance within hours,” said Dr. Chaurasia.

The study highlights the group’s remarkable academic yield. Between January 2020 and December 2023, Neurosurgery Cocktail hosted approximately 1200 case-focused discussion threads involving radiology images, surgical videos, and complex diagnostic dilemmas. These posts generated a median of 14.6 expert-level comments, with responses often appearing within three hours. More than 65% of contributors were board-certified neurosurgeons or academic faculty, underscoring the high-level discourse the platform supports. Additionally, at least 23 PubMed-indexed papers directly resulted from connections and discussions initiated through the platform, demonstrating how digital interactions translate into measurable scientific output.

Other platforms have played complementary roles, particularly during COVID-19. Webinar tools such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams enabled virtual conferences and training sessions, while X-based journal clubs, YouTube channels, and society-led educational livestreams expanded opportunities for asynchronous learning. Together, these platforms represent a newly integrated digital ecosystem supporting neurosurgeons at all career stages.

However, the authors emphasize that social media is not a substitute for evidence-based medicine. Rapid online exchanges, though valuable for discussion, lack the validation of peer-reviewed literature and may conflict with established guidelines. “Social media should enhance, not replace, formal surgical training and evidence-based practice,” noted Dr. Ismail Bozkurt.

The paper also outlines challenges, including risks of patient confidentiality breaches, inconsistent content quality, medicolegal concerns, and the lack of standardized evaluation of social media’s educational impact. The authors call for clear professional guidelines and further research to quantify how digital engagement contributes to clinical decision-making, skill development, and career advancement.

As neurosurgery continues embracing digital innovation, platforms like Neurosurgery Cocktail demonstrate the enormous potential of responsible, collaborative online engagement—to strengthen education, expand global equity, and accelerate research in the field.

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Reference 

Authors Ismail Bozkurt1,2,, Bipin Chaurasia3,4*

 Affiliations        

1Department of Neurosurgery, Medical Park Ankara Hospital, Turkey

2Department of Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine, Yuksek Ihtisas University, Turkey

3Department of Neurosurgery, Neurosurgery Clinic, Birgunj, Nepal

4Department of Neurosurgery, College of Medical Sciences, Bharatpur, Nepal

About Chinese Neurosurgical Journal

Chinese Neurosurgical Journal is an open access, peer-reviewed journal publishing research in all areas of neurosurgery, including new trends in neurology and neuroscience, with a focus on clinical practice and techniques. It is the official journal of the Chinese Neurosurgical Society, which covers the publication costs, so authors do not pay article-processing charges. The journal aims to publish work from neurosurgeons and researchers worldwide. Articles are freely and permanently accessible online immediately after publication, promoting broad dissemination and exchange of neurosurgical knowledge globally. It supports advancements in neurosurgery through high-quality scientific contributions.

Website: https://cnjournal.biomedcentral.com/

About Professor Bipin Chaurasia from College of Medical Sciences, Bharatpur, Nepal

Dr. Bipin Chaurasia is a neurosurgeon at the Neurosurgery Clinic in Birgunj, Nepal, and is affiliated with the College of Medical Sciences in Bharatpur. His clinical and academic interests include skull base surgery, neurotrauma, and digital neurosurgical education. As an active contributor to global neurosurgery initiatives, Dr. Chaurasia has collaborated extensively with international colleagues on various research and educational projects. His highly cited work focuses on critical topics such as virtual reality in neurosurgical planning, global neurotrauma outcomes, and the role of social media in redefining neurosurgical practice worldwide. He is deeply committed to improving neurosurgical access and expanding the availability of high-quality education in resource-limited regions.

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Journal

Chinese Neurosurgical Journal

DOI

10.1186/s41016-025-00416-4 

Method of Research

Observational study

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

The shifting paradigm to social media in neurosurgery

Climate shapes arms race between ants and their social parasites

Johannes Gutenberg Universitaet Mainz

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The “slave-making ant” Temnothorax americanus (left) and its host Temnothorax longispinosus

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Credit: photo/©: Romain Libbrecht

Two new studies show how climate influences behavior, communication, and genome evolution – driving adaptation in a long-running conflict

The battle between ant hosts and their social parasites is strongly influenced by climate. Temperature and humidity shape how the ants behave, communicate, and even evolve – while host and parasite respond with very different genetic strategies. These are the findings of two recent studies in which researchers at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) and the Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre combined behavioral experiments with state-of-the-art genomic analyses. “Climate clearly explains the variation in host and parasite behavior better than parasite prevalence itself,” says Professor Susanne Foitzik, senior author of both studies and chair of Behavioral Ecology and Social Evolution at JGU.

In the first study, published in the Journal of Evolutionary Biology, the team examined a parasite, the so-called “slave-making ant” Temnothorax americanus, and its host, the ant Temnothorax longispinosus. The social parasite invades host nests and steals their brood, which later grows up to work for the parasite colony – an extraordinary form of social parasitism. The researchers focused on how the ants’ behavior and chemical communication vary across different climates. By comparing ten natural populations along a 1,000‑kilometer north-south gradient in the United States, they found that climate influenced the conflict more strongly than the local frequency of parasite colonies.

Differences in aggression

“Host and parasite populations differ in aggression, raiding activity and their chemical profiles, and these differences follow the temperature and humidity gradient,” explains first author Dr. Erwann Collin, who recently completed his doctoral research at JGU’s Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution. “In warmer and drier regions, host ants showed reduced aggression and often carried their brood away rather than defending the nest. Social parasites from these regions, on the other hand, were more active and more aggressive during raids.” In cooler, humid northern sites, the opposite pattern emerged: hosts defended their nests vigorously, while parasites behaved more cautiously.

Chemical communication also shifted systematically with local climate conditions – specifically in terms of the cuticular hydrocarbons, the waxy surface chemicals ants use to recognize nestmates and prevent drying out. Because all colonies were kept under identical laboratory conditions for a full year prior to testing, these differences reflect evolved, long-term adaptations rather than short-term environmental responses.

Genetic adaptations to climate

Building on these findings, the second study, published in Molecular Biology and Evolution, investigated the genetic basis of these climate‑dependent differences in traits. Using advanced molecular methods – including whole-genome sequencing and transcriptomics, the analysis of active genes – the researchers explored how natural selection shapes the genomes of host and parasite populations along the same climatic gradient.

“We discovered a ‘geographic mosaic of coevolution’, with parasite populations differing more strongly from one region to another than host populations,” explains Dr. Maide Macit, first author and recent doctoral graduate of JGU. “Despite these differences, the two related species show similar genetic adaptations to climate, including genes involved in stress tolerance and resistance to drying out.” However, their responses to the parasite-host-conflict diverged strongly.

In the host ants, evolution has acted on genes involved in signaling and chemical sensing – genes that help them detect and defend against invading parasites. Several of these genes showed clear signs of selection imposed by the social parasite. Although these genes normally produce immune-related proteins that fight microbes, they appear to be deployed here against a very different kind of enemy: another ant species. In the parasite, evolution has instead targeted regulatory genes that control how raids are coordinated and carried out.

Changing ways of defense

Gene-expression analyses – showing which genes are actively switched on – further underscored how differently the two species respond. “In the hosts, gene activity mainly reflected how common parasite colonies were in each area, whereas in the parasites it was influenced much more strongly by local climate,” explains Dr. Barbara Feldmeyer, co-senior author of the study and researcher at the Senckenberg Centre. “We also found that variation in these chemical profiles was linked not only to genetic changes in the enzymes that produce them, but also to changes in odorant-receptor genes – the genes coding for proteins which enable ants to sense chemical signals.” This pattern shows how central chemical communication and chemical recognition are to the conflict – and that evolution repeatedly acts on these traits as hosts and parasites adapt to each other.

Together, the two studies offer one of the most integrated perspectives to date on how strongly environmental conditions and biological conflict shape evolution across landscapes. “Host-parasite systems are classic evolutionary arms races,” says Susanne Foitzik. “Because both species rely on chemical communication to recognize each other, their interaction provides a powerful framework for future studies on molecular coevolution.”

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Journal

Journal of Evolutionary Biology

DOI

10.1093/jeb/voaf129 

Method of Research

Observational study

Subject of Research

Animals

Article Title

Climate and parasite pressure jointly shape traits mediating the coevolution between an ant social parasite and its host