Report finds Canadian youth feel unprepared, scared to have sex


CBC
Sun, October 22, 2023


Young Canadians aren't happy with the quality of sexual education and leave the classroom feeling awkward, unprepared and scared to have sex, a new report from a Toronto-based think tank suggests.

LetsStopAIDS, a youth-driven Canadian charity that raises HIV awareness among young Canadians, released the findings of its second Sex Lives Report this week, based on data collected in May through a survey sampling 1,090 Canadians aged 18 to 24.

Gabrial Brown, a research analyst at LetsStopAIDS, told CBC's Edmonton AM the survey looked to understand young Canadians' relationship with their sexuality, their knowledge of HIV and sexually transmitted infection prevention, and their experiences with sex ed.

"Our findings were loud and clear," Brown said.

"The conventional methods of addressing sexuality are obsolete, more so in today's age that values equality, diversity and respect."


Gabrial Brown, a research analyst at LetsStopAIDS, said the 2023 Sex Lives Report delves into the young Canadians’ relationship with their sexuality, gauge their knowledge of HIV and STI prevention, and understand their experiences with sex ed. (LetsStopAIDS)

The report found sex ed gave students an "abundance" of scientific information but was "severely lacking in practical knowledge or skills," leaving respondents with unanswered questions, Brown said.

LetsStopAIDS's findings suggest young Canadians feel unprepared for sex because their classroom experience was negatively impacted by a stigmatized and "abstinence-focused" class likely stemming from teachers' discomfort around sex.

Young people also felt there were topics teachers didn't cover, notably gender identity and sexual orientation, saying the education they received was "primarily heteronormative."

Finn St Dennis, research and evaluation manager for the Queer and Trans Health Collective in Edmonton, said the report's findings weren't surprising.

Many of the highlighted topics, they said, are present in Edmonton, based on the sex ed "disparity" that the collective hears about from community members, who face similar challenges as their straight and cisgender peers.

"They're also facing additional barriers when you have teachers that aren't teaching about sexual orientation or gender identity, and aren't necessarily comfortable or prepared to have those conversations," they said.


The report by LetsStopAIDS found youth don’t recall learning about HIV-prevention medications like PrEP. (Vanessa Blanch/CBC)

The report also found condom use is down, fewer young people are being tested for STIs despite a rise in infections, and that they don't recall learning about medications like PrEP — a daily pill taken to prevent the transmission of HIV.

'That really speaks to the need to talk about testing in tech said the benefits of testing and destigmatizing testing," St Dennis said.

In the survey, respondents said education about diverse sexual orientations, gender identities and the challenges faced by the LGBTQ community would "foster greater inclusivity, understanding and acceptance."

Said one respondent: "It is so important that kids understand people aren't just cisgender and straight, and those who aren't are not freaks."

With the lack of satisfaction from classes, young Canadians were forced to find answers elsewhere, with six in 10 citing the internet as their primary source of sexual information, followed by friends and family doctors.

St Dennis said LGBTQ young people are often not able to trust a family physician.

"I remember hearing a story from a community member who asked for STI testing and her doctor told her that lesbians don't get STIs, so she didn't need any testing," St Dennis said.

They said research by the collective even suggests some Alberta doctors aren't specialized in new advances in preventing HIV and other STIs.

Over the summer, Canada has seen a national debate over gender identity and sexual orientation, with New Brunswick and Saskatchewan bringing in policies about LGBTQ students that advocates have deemed controversial.

St Dennis believes the debate and resulting stigma play huge roles in the disparity seen in sex education.

"School is a space that's supposed to be safe for kids to figure out who they are," they said.

"We're removing a space that youth can do that if we're preventing conversations around gender identity and sexual orientation."

St Dennis said governments should implement continuing education for teachers around STI prevention as well as space for furthering the conversation around gender and sexual identity.

Brown said LetsStopAIDS is advocating for a comprehensive and positive approach to sexual education. The report, he said, is a starting point for engaging with governments to improve the sex ed curriculum.

Without it, he said Canadian young people will continue to face rising STI rates and knowledge gaps about sex.

"It's such a crucial and dire situation," said Brown.

"This is a real problem we need to address in Canada."

As drought dries up B.C. rivers, conservationists turn to beavers for help


CBC
Sun, October 22, 2023 


The ongoing drought in many parts of B.C. is causing some rivers in the province's northern Interior to reach their driest mid-October levels in years.

In Prince George, the unusually low waters have locals worried.

Harriet Schoeter moved to the northern B.C. city 60 years ago, and loves walking the shore where the Fraser and Nechako rivers meet.

This week, the water was so low she could almost walk right across.

"I've never seen it this low," she said. "It was low before, but not like this."

Wayne Salewski, with the Nechako Environment and Water Stewardship Society, said the river is indeed at its driest for this time of year in decades.

"It's horridly low — unbelievably low," Salewski said, standing on the dry river bottom at the confluence of the two Prince George rivers. "Everything is going to pay the price for that.

"Our streams are dry right now … We need to hold water in place."

A family walks on the riverbed where water normally flows at the confluence of the Nechako and Fraser rivers near Prince George, B.C., on Wednesday. (Jason Peters/CBC)

The shallower and warmer waters will harm salmon, sturgeon, and people whose livelihoods depend on healthy rivers, he said.

Now, Salewski's non-profit is looking for help to slow water loss in tributaries, from Canada's best-known builders: beavers.

'Nature's engineers'

According to data from Environment and Climate Change Canada, the Fraser River near Prince George is at its lowest for this week in 17 years, and nearly a third below the historical average for October.

The Nechako River, which flows into the Fraser from a reservoir to the city's west, is at its lowest for this time of year since records were kept.

A Prince George, B.C., railway bridge at the confluence of the Nechako and Fraser rivers is seen in an October 2021 photograph. This October’s river levels are far below average for this time of year. (Submitted by Chuck Chin)

Salewski asked engineers at the University of Northern B.C. to help plan beaver dam analogues (BDAs), a promising fix that's common in Washington, Idaho and other U.S. states.

Sometimes also known as artificial logjams, the idea is to simulate the flat-tailed rodents' wood-and-mud dams to retain tributaries' moisture in small pools.

"Beavers are nature's engineers," said Mauricio Dziedzic, chair of UNBC engineering. "They tend to build dams that hold for quite a while."

He is helping Salewski's society with the technical aspects of beaver-style building. Thanks to their sharp teeth, he said, beavers cut wood to start a new dam, criss-crossing branches in a stream, adding mud, and then packing it tight with their flat tails.

Beavers use their sharp teeth to cut wood to build dams — criss-crossing branches in a stream, adding mud, and then packing it tight with their flat tails. (David P. Lewis/Shutterstock)

"They use their tails to tap it and and make it almost impervious," he said.

"A man-made structure made to look and function similarly — by keeping that water behind the dam — you recharge the groundwater [and] make the soil moisture increase."

'A more resilient kind of a waterway'

B.C. already has several such pilot projects. The B.C. Wildlife Federation (BCWF) and Nicola Valley Institute of Technology researchers installed nearly a dozen BDAs on a stream near Merritt, B.C., earlier this year.

The federation plans to build at least 100 more across the province's Interior and North, including in Nechako tributaries.

By driving vertical wood poles into the stream bed, and weaving them with debris such as logs, evergreen boughs and mud, their hope is beavers will take over their maintenance.

A beaver dam analogue is set up in Howard Creek, a tributary of the Nicola River, where 10 of the artificial logjams have been built as a pilot project that could soon expand across B.C. (Submitted by B.C. Wildlife Federation)

"It is basically a starter kit for a beaver," explained Neil Fletcher, BCTF's conservation stewardship director. "Can we encourage beavers to come back onto the land base and help hold that water?

"Beaver dam analogues can be part of post-fire recovery, as well as to respond to drought and climate change."

Last April, the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation offered the BCWF $100,000 to try out the woven wood dams across B.C.

A map of B.C. shows the seven-day average streamflow on waterways across the province according to the River Forecast Centre on Friday. The darker-red dots represent the most drought-affected rivers, and paler dots represent the least drought-affected, compared to their usual water flow. (B.C. River Forecast Centre/National Geographic maps)

Fletcher said a key area for study is how BDAs impact fish. But he said U.S. evidence suggests salmon can often migrate past beaver dams, or take advantage of their pools.

Salewski said the artificial beaver dams' low costs have big appeal — especially if beavers themselves can take over their maintenance.

"Fundamentally, a beaver dam analogue is building the landscape for beavers to move in in 10 to 15 years," he told CBC News.

"This idea … is actually trying to work toward wetland corridors, to create this new mosaic and build a more resilient kind of a waterway here."

Uppsala Health Summit 2023 - Chemical Pollution and One Health

Meeting Announcement

UPPSALA UNIVERSITY

Environmental pollutants are responsible for at least 9 million deaths worldwide each year and contribute to significant chronic health issues in humans and animals while also causing serious environmental disruptions. The Uppsala Health Summit 24-25 October brings together international experts from various sectors to discuss solutions that can prevent future emissions and expedite efforts at the global and national policy levels.

One hundred and fifty international experts have been invited to Uppsala Castle in Sweden in October to shed light on and discuss the role of environmental toxins in the so-called triple crisis the world is facing due to rapid climate change, loss of biodiversity, and the impact of chemicals. Nine thematic workshops are planned during the summit's two days, covering topics such as expediting and streamlining chemical testing processes, monitoring methods for chemical exposure, and risk assessment of contaminants in water, animal feed, and food. One workshop addresses the risks of plastic recycling, while another focuses on the connection between chemical pollutants and the prevalence of metabolic diseases such as diabetes and obesity.

The hope is that the meeting will provide concrete improvement proposals and recommendations for ongoing policy processes within the EU and the UN. Special attention is given to the global plastic agreement currently under negotiation and the international scientific policy panel for chemical and waste management currently in development by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

"It is remarkable that the issue of chemicals, with its far-reaching and severe consequences for all life on Earth, has been so low on the political agendas of countries for such a long time. This is partly due to the complexity of the issues, which force us to make difficult choices about lifestyle and consumption, but also because powerful industrial interests want to maintain chemicals with clearly demonstrated negative effects. With this meeting, we hope to gather recommendations that can foster a greater understanding among decision-makers about how urgent this issue is," says Joëlle Rüegg, Professor of Environmental Toxicology at Uppsala University and Program Committee Chair for the Uppsala Health Summit 2023.

Speakers in the plenary sessions (which will also be live-streamed) include Baskut Tuncak, a Professor from the University of Massachusetts Lowell, USA, and former UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Toxics, Dr. Leo Trasande, Professor and Director of the Department of Pediatrics and Environmental Medicine at New York University School of Medicine (NYU), Dr. Sharon McGuinness, Executive Director of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), and Dr. Sinaia Netanyahu, Program Manager in the European Regional Office of the World Health Organization (WHO).

A report will be launched during the meeting that provides a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of the current challenges and the necessary changes to reduce the harm caused by chemicals and other environmental toxins.

 

Soil carried on sea freight loaded with dangerous pests and diseases

Peer-Reviewed Publication

PENSOFT PUBLISHERS

Often introduced unintentionally by human activities, invasive alien species can outcompete and overwhelm native flora and fauna, driving species to the brink of extinction and disrupting the balance of ecosystems. Understanding why exactly they establish in new locations and how they got there in the first place is crucial if we are to mitigate their destructive effects. Unfortunately, there isn’t enough research on this, and the answers might not always be straightforward.

A research team from AgResearch and Better Border Biosecurity (B3) investigated the biological risk posed by soil on the external surfaces of sea freight such as shipping containers or used machinery at sea ports in New Zealand. With their work, the researchers hope to facilitate the assessment of relative biosecurity risks between different introduction pathways and contribute to the development of more efficient measures against them.

The team found soil on most types of sea freight, irrespective of origin, with all soil likely to vector microbes, including plant pathogens. The amount of soil recovered from a single sea container was 5.3 kg, while the overall mean weight collected from sea freight was 417g, with most of the soil found on the underside of sea freight.

“While the presence of soil is perhaps not surprising, the presence of live bacteria, fungi, worms, seeds and insects associated with the soil was of greater concern. Various regulated biosecurity organisms were recovered from the samples, including plant-parasitic worms, seeds, insects and spiders that were not recorded as being present in New Zealand,” says Mark McNeill of AgResearch, who led the study.

“Not only does the spread of exotic species through these networks represent significant environmental, economic and social costs to natural and agricultural environments if invasive alien species were to establish, a loss of biodiversity is also an expected consequence of invasive alien species establishment. For islands, the implications can be significant, as they have high levels of endemism and invasive alien species establishment can lead to extinction of species as well as biodiversity declines,” the researchers write in their paper, which was published in the open-access journal NeoBiota.

Compared to a previous study on contaminated footwear carried in luggage by international airline passengers, the number and diversity in soil on sea freight was smaller than soil transported in more protected environments (e.g., footwear in luggage). This showed that biosecurity risk can vary with pathway. However, prioritising one soil pathway over another according to the risks they present, and differentially allocating resources is problematic, because the relative risk is dynamic, dictated by factors such as new pests or diseases entering the respective pathways.

Even so, the researchers suggest that contaminated sea freight is an important introduction pathway for exotic species. The establishment of such species can be prevented by cleaning containers prior to departure, inspection at the border, and further cleaning where required.

 

Original source:

McNeill MR, Phillips CB, Richards NK, Aalders LT, van Koten C, James TK, Young SD, Bell NL, Laugraud A (2023) Defining the biosecurity risk posed by soil found on sea freight. NeoBiota 88: 103-133. https://doi.org/10.3897/neobiota.88.98440

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JOURNAL

NeoBiota

DOI

10.3897/neobiota.88.98440 

ARTICLE TITLE

Defining the biosecurity risk posed by soil found on sea freight

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

19-Oct-2023

FOREVER CHEMICALS

PFAS remain a concern for hormone health, scientists conclude

Business Announcement

EUROPEAN SOCIETY OF ENDOCRINOLOGY

20 October 2023, Brussels, Belgium – At this critical junction for EU chemicals legislation, the independent scientific voice took centre stage at the 5th Annual Forum on Endocrine Disruptors. Together with an impressive number of concerned stakeholders, they called for the immediate adoption implementation of better EU legislation. While a restriction on per-and polyfluoroalkaline substances (PFAS) is ongoing, it risks being watered down by the massive volume of industry submissions to the public consultation. In addition, the European Commission’s legislative proposal on a revision of the main chemicals legislation REACH is still noticeably absent and is unlikely to still be published during the current term of the European Commission and Parliament.

The Forum brought together policy makers, scientists, industry leaders, and civil society to discuss the most pressing topics in the area of endocrine disruptors, including the most recent scientific developments in the field. The European Society of Endocrinology (ESE) once again took an active part in the Forum organised by the European Commission on October 19-20, 2023, and several of ESE’s affiliated experts were invited to present their research and voice their concerns on behalf of the European endocrine community.

This year’s conference put the adverse health effects of PFAS and the links with endocrine disruption at the heart of the agenda and discussed ongoing national and regional initiatives in Europe aimed at reducing exposure to endocrine disruptors.

Prof. Tina Kold Jensen, CPPEM, Environmental Medicine, University of Southern Denmark, described PFAS’ impact on children’s development by showing data from a child cohort. “The data is clear –PFAS continues to hamper the health of our children including their neurological function, fertility and overall development, stricter EU regulation is needed now to eradicate the presence of PFAS in our environment”, said Prof Jensen.

PFAS differ from other EDCs by their highly persistent and bio-accumulative nature, which leads to contemporary exposures having effects on human and animal health as well as our environment far into the future for generations to come. Extensive peer reviewed literature has described the many adverse health outcomes linked to exposure to PFAS, including altered reproductive function in men and women, abnormalities in reproductive organs, early puberty, immune system disruption, cancers, neuroendocrine tumours, respiratory problems, diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular conditions, altered nervous system development and function, and learning disabilities.

The need for strict regulation on PFAS and other Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) was stressed multiple times in the event by the different participating stakeholders.

“I wonder how long it will take for policy makers to catch up with the science and put in place an EU framework that will effectively protect us from PFAS and other EDCs” said Prof. Aleksandra Buha-Djordjevic, Department of Toxicology, University of Belgrade, Faculty of Pharmacy, Serbia.

 

ESE remains ready to share its expertise to further the regulation of harmful substances and looks forward to continuing to work with the European Commission and other stakeholders to address the issue of endocrine disruptors.

**** ENDS ****

 

To find out more please visit www.ese-hormones.org. 

Follow us on X (formerly Twitter) @ESEndocrinology,

Facebook @EuropeanSocietyofEndocrinology

and LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/european-society-of-endocrinology.

 

 

About the European Society of Endocrinology

The European Society of Endocrinology (ESE) provides a platform to develop and share leading research and best knowledge in endocrine science and medicine. By uniting and representing every part of the endocrine community, we are best placed to improve the lives of patients. Through the 51 National Societies involved with the ESE Council of Affiliated Societies (ECAS) ESE represents a community of over 22,000 European endocrinologists. We inform policy makers on health decisions at the highest level through advocacy efforts across Europe. 

To learn more about the Society, visit our website at Home | ESE (ese-hormones.org). Follow us on X (formally Twitter) at @ESEndocrinology.

Organophosphorus flame retardants induce malformations in avian embryos

Evaluation of developmental toxicity in early chicken embryos exposed to tris(2-chloroisopropyl) phosphate

Peer-Reviewed Publication

EHIME UNIVERSITY

 

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SUMMARY OF DEVELOPMENTAL TOXICITY OF EARLY CHICKEN EMBRYOS EXPOSED TO TRIS(2-CHLOROISOPROPYL) PHOSPHATE USING A SHELL-LESS EMBRYO INCUBATION SYSTEM

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CREDIT: CENTER FOR MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES (CMES), EHIME UNIVERSITY

Tris(2-chloroisopropyl) phosphate (TCIPP) is one of the organophosphorus flame retardants that has been detected in the environment, and in the eggs, feathers, and liver of birds. Early developmental avian embryos are known to be sensitive to chemical exposure, but  knowledge regarding the effects of TCIPP on avian embryonic development is limited. In this study, a shell-less embryo incubation system was used to investigate the toxicity of TCIPP in early chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) embryos.

Fertilized chick embryos were exposed to 50 nmol TCIPP/g, 500 nmol TCIPP/g, or vehicle control, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) on day 0 of incubation. Embryos were observed on days 3-9 of incubation, and expression levels of several genes were measured in embryos on day 4.

Survival was significantly reduced in both groups exposed to TCIPP. Imaging analysis showed that body length, head and bill length, eye diameter, and forelimb and hindlimb length were significantly reduced in both groups exposed to TCIPP. In addition, TCIPP exposure significantly inhibited extraembryonic vascular length and red blood cell production. The heart rate decreased in a dose-dependent manner, particularly on days 4-7, and the somitic angle was significantly increased on days 4-6 in the TCIPP-exposed group, inducing asymmetrical somite formation. The significant correlation between somitic angle and FGF8 expression suggested that TCIPP exposure affects somite formation through an altered FGF signaling pathway.

These results indicate that TCIPP exposure exerts toxic effects on development, including vascularization, cardiac function, and somite formation in avian embryos.

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JOURNAL

Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety

DOI

10.1016/j.ecoenv.2023.115445 

Organohalogen contamination impact on the health of Baltic Atlantic salmon

Peer-Reviewed Publication

EHIME UNIVERSITY

The Baltic Sea Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) consists of both wild and hatchery-reared fish. As these salmon forage for food, they migrate through various areas of the Baltic Sea and are exposed to a variety of environmental stresses, including exposure to organohalogen compounds (OHCs).

This study aimed to determine how salmon origin (wild or hatchery-reared), feeding area (Baltic Sea mainstem, Bosnian Sea, Gulf of Finland), and OHC concentrations affect the salmon liver proteome (protein expression profile), transcriptome (RNA expression profile), and oxidative stress markers.

We performed a multi-level analysis measuring OHC concentration, transcriptome, proteome, and oxidative stress markers from the same individual salmon. This approach allowed us to determine the main factors (e.g., feeding area, OHC concentration, and oxidative stress) that contribute most to the variation in the transcriptome and proteome among different groups of salmon.

Comparison of wild and hatchery-reared salmon revealed differences in pathways related to xenobiotic and amino acid metabolism. Furthermore, comparison of salmon from different feeding areas revealed marked differences in metabolic pathways for amino acids and carbohydrates. Some of these pathways were correlated with polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) concentrations.

Multi-level analysis suggested that the Baltic salmon liver proteome, together with the transcriptome, is influenced more by OHC concentrations and oxidative stress levels in the feeding area than by their origin (wild or hatchery-reared).

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JOURNAL

Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety

DOI

10.1016/j.ecoenv.2023.115424 

Endocrine disruption in seals by environmental contaminants

Structural characteristics of environmental pollutants and computer simulations predict effects on the endocrine system of seals

Peer-Reviewed Publication

EHIME UNIVERSITY

 

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DEVELOPMENT OF A MODEL TO PREDICT THE ABILITY OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTANTS TO ACTIVATE ESTROGEN RECEPTORS IN BAIKAL SEALS

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CREDIT: CENTER FOR MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES (CMES), EHIME UNIVERSITY

In this study, the ability of bisphenols (BPs) and hydroxylated polychlorinated biphenyls (OH-PCBs) to activate estrogen receptor α and β subtypes (bsERα and bsERβ) in Baikal seals (Pusa sibirica) was evaluated by both in vitro (in vitro) and computer-based (in silico) experiments.

In vitro experiments revealed that most BPs and OH-PCBs exhibit estrogen-like activity against each bsER subtype. Among the BPs tested, bisphenol AF exhibited the strongest estrogen-like activity. Similarly, 4′-OH-CB50 and 4′-OH-CB30 showed the strongest activity among the tested OH-PCBs against bsERα and bsERβ, respectively.

In order to further investigate how these environmental contaminants bind to bsER, computer docking simulations were performed. Using the results of this computer simulation and the structural properties (molecular descriptors) of the environmental contaminants as explanatory variables and in vitro experimental data as objective variables, quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) models for both bsER subtypes were developed. These models accurately predicted the activation potential of each environmental contaminant in in vitro experiments, distinguishing, with a high degree of accuracy, between compounds that activate and those that do not activate for both bsERα and bsERβ. From the QSAR model, we also succeeded in extracting important factors that influence the activation potential of environmental contaminants.
Furthermore, we succeeded in constructing a QSAR model that predicts the activation potential of mouse ERs using the same method, demonstrating the applicability of this method regardless of species-specific responses.

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JOURNAL

Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety

DOI

10.1016/j.ecoenv.2023.115495 

 

Land use: Producing more food and storing more carbon

Researchers from KIT and HeiGIT find that land use change can increase both food production and carbon storage capacity

Peer-Reviewed Publication

KARLSRUHER INSTITUT FÜR TECHNOLOGIE (KIT)

 

IMAGE: 

OPTIMIZED LAND USE TAKING INTO ACCOUNT CLIMATIC CONDITIONS COULD INCREASE YIELDS AND STILL LIMIT AREA CONSUMPTION.

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CREDIT: ANITA BAYER

Researchers from KIT and HeiGIT Find That Land Use Change Can Increase Both Food Production and Carbon Storage CapacityResearchers from KIT and HeiGIT Find That Land Use Change Can Increase Both Food Production and Carbon Storage CapacityUse of the Earth’s surface by humans for the production of food, for instance, has changed considerably over the past centuries. Global population is increasing. More food is required and can be transported around the world within shortest periods of time. However, the historically developed food production systems do not reflect the biophysical potential of our ecosystems. The study shows that food is not produced at places where that would be most efficient in terms of area use, water consumption, and CO2 emissions. Instead, deforestation is being continued to obtain cropland and pastures and arid fields are being irrigated. These activities have a massive negative impact on water availability and carbon storage.

But what if fields, pastures, and natural vegetation were moved to where it would be most efficient? What if croplands were restricted to areas that do not require extensive irrigation? To answer these questions, the researchers from KIT and HeiGIT combined a dynamic vegetation model with an optimization algorithm to study alternative global land use scenarios and their impacts.

Optimized Land Use Would Increase Food Production by More than 80 Percent and CO2 Storage Capacity by Three Percent on the Average

The researchers modeled optimized land use for climate conditions of an optimistic scenario and a presently more realistic climate change scenario for the near and far future (2033 to 2042 and 2090 to 2099). The result: Spatial reorganization alone would increase food production by an average of 83 percent, water availability by eight percent, and CO2 storage capacity by three percent. These increases would be even higher, if one of the three parameters would be given priority over the remaining two.

“Our study exclusively covered the biophysical potential as the basis for land use that would consider the target conflicts much better,” says first author Dr. Anita Bayer from KIT’s Campus Alpine in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. “We found that there are indeed regions in which certain land uses would be advantageous or optimal.” According to the study, tropical and boreal forests would have to be preserved or reforested due to their excellent CO2 storage capacities rather than being used as croplands or pastures. Temperate latitudes would have to serve as cropland rather than pastures. This would compensate area loss due to the reforestation of tropical and boreal forests. The wide and open tropical and subtropical savannas and grasslands would have to be used as pastures and for food production. “This optimal land use scheme turned out to be very stable in our study,” Bayer says.

Deliberate Change of Land Use

The study shows that regional practice strongly differs from the theoretically achievable optimum. Massive landuse changes would be required to make better use of the biophysical potential, while increasingincrease food production, water availability, and carbon storage capacity at the same time. “Although such major land use changes appear to be unrealistic, we should be aware of the fact that climate change will be associated with big changes of cultivation areas anyway,” says Professor Sven Lautenbach, researcher of HeiGIT and the Geographical Institute of Heidelberg University. “We should not let these changes happen, but try to manage them taking into account the biophysical potential.”

“Securing global food supply is one of the major challenges of our time and climate change will aggravate this problem in many regions,” says Professor Almut Arneth from the Atmospheric Environmental Research Division of KIT’s Institute of Meteorology and Climate Research, KIT’S Campus Alpine in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. “Our study clearly shows that in spite of unfavorable climatic changes, optimized land use could significantly increase agricultural yields and limit area consumption at the same time. It is now important to find ways to implement land use changes that take into account both biophysical conditions and social aspects.”

Original Publication
Anita Bayer, Sven Lautenbach, Almut Arneth: Benefits and trade-offs of optimizing global land use for food, water, and carbon. Journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), 2023. DOI: doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2220371120

https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2220371120

 

 

About the Heidelberg Institute for Geoinformation Technology (HeiGIT)

 

The Heidelberg Institute for Geoinformation Technology (HeiGIT) is funded by Klaus Tschira Foundation and works to improve knowledge and technology transfer from fundamental research in geoinformatics to practical applications based on innovative geoinformation technologies. The Institute studies and develops smart routing and navigation services for sustainable mobility, uses spatial data mining and machine learning processes for the development of innovative services, and supplies geodata for supporting humanitarian aid.

More Information

More about the KIT Climate and Environment Center

 

 

  

Optimal land use as determined by the study. The green dots reflect optimum solutions in terms of food production, CO2 storage capacity, and water availability, plotted as the global totals of the three target values. Every dot contains a map of the global distribution of natural surfaces, cropland, and grassland. The red dot reflects suboptimal production resulting from current land use.

CREDIT

Graphics: Bayer et al., 2023

Heidelberg University was established in 1386. It is a research university with international reach that offers a rich range of subjects in humanities, social sciences, law, natural sciences, engineering, life sciences, and medicine. The university’s leading role in German science is reflected by its successes in the excellence competitions – Heidelberg University is one of the German Universities of Excellence – as well as by its international rankings. Heidelberg University works on the further development of outstanding disciplines, strengthening cross-disciplinary cooperation, and transferring research findings to society. The about 30,000 students are offered research-based studies in more than 180 degree programs with a large variety of subject combinations and individual qualification pathways.

Being “The Research University in the Helmholtz Association”, KIT creates and imparts knowledge for the society and the environment. It is the objective to make significant contributions to the global challenges in the fields of energy, mobility, and information. For this, about 9,800 employees cooperate in a broad range of disciplines in natural sciences, engineering sciences, economics, and the humanities and social sciences. KIT prepares its 22,300 students for responsible tasks in society, industry, and science by offering research-based study programs. Innovation efforts at KIT build a bridge between important scientific findings and their application for the benefit of society, economic prosperity, and the preservation of our natural basis of life. KIT is one of the German universities of excellence.

 

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JOURNAL

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

DOI

10.1073/pnas.2220371120). 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Data/statistical analysis

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Benefits and trade-offs of optimizing global land use for food, water, and carbon

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

5-Aug-2023

COI STATEMENT

This work was in parts funded by the European Commission’s 7th Framework Program under Grant Agreement No. 308393 Operational Potential of Ecosystem Research Applications (OPERAs). This work was supported, in part, by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) through the Helmholtz Association and its research program The Atmosphere in Global Change (ATMO). We thank the research groups for making their outputs available: Inter-Sectoral Impact Model Intercomparison Project (ISI-MIP) for climate model data, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) for protected area data, and Pouzols et al. for their research results. S.L. acknowledges support by the Klaus Tschira Stiftung. Author contributions: A.D.B., S.L., and A.A. designed research; A.D.B. and S.L. performed research; A.D.B. and S.L. contributed new reagents/analytic tools; A.D.B. and S.L. analyzed data; and A.D.B., S.L., and A.A. wrote the paper. The authors declare no competing interest.

 

Generating clean electricity with chicken feathers

Peer-Reviewed Publication

ETH ZURICH

 

IMAGE: 

A SUSTAINABLE MEMBRANE IS PRODUCED FROM THE KERATIN IN CHICKEN FEATHERS FOR USE IN A FUEL CELL. 

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CREDIT: GRAPHIC: ETH ZURICH / NTU

The food industry generates enormous amounts of waste and by-​products, including from poultry production. Each year, some 40 million tonnes of chicken feathers are incinerated. This not only releases large amounts of CO2, but also produces toxic gases such as sulphur dioxide.

Researchers at ETH Zurich and Nanyang Technological University Singapore (NTU) have now found a way to put these feathers to good use. Using a simple and environmentally friendly process, they extract the protein keratin from the feathers and convert it into ultra-​fine fibres known as amyloid fibrils. These keratin fibrils go on to be used in the membrane of a fuel cell.

Fuel cells generate CO2-​free electricity from hydrogen and oxygen, releasing only heat and water. They could play an important role as a sustainable energy source in the future. At the heart of every fuel cell lies a semipermeable membrane. It allows protons to pass through but blocks electrons, forcing them to flow through an external circuit from the negatively charged anode to the positively charged cathode, thereby producing an electric current.

Making good use of industrial waste

In conventional fuel cells, these membranes have so far been made using highly toxic chemicals, or “forever chemicals”, which are expensive and don’t break down in the environment. The membrane developed by the ETH and NTU researchers, on the other hand, consists mainly of biological keratin, which is environmentally compatible and available in large quantities – chicken feathers are 90 percent keratin. This means the membrane manufactured in the laboratory is already up to three times cheaper than conventional membranes.

“I’ve devoted a number of years to researching different ways we can use food waste for renewable energy systems,” says Raffaele Mezzenga, Professor of Food and Soft Materials at ETH Zurich. “Our latest development closes a cycle: we’re taking a substance that releases CO2 and toxic gases when burned and used it in a different setting: with our new technology it not only replaces toxic substances, but also prevents the release of CO2, decreasing the overall carbon footprint cycle”, Mezzenga says.

Versatile application

However, there are further challenges to overcome before hydrogen can become established as a sustainable energy source. “Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe – just unfortunately not on Earth,” Mezzenga says. Since hydrogen doesn’t occur here in its pure form, it has to be produced, which requires a great deal of energy. Here, too, the new membrane could serve well in the future, because it can be used not only in fuel cells but also in water splitting.

In a process known as electrolysis, direct current is passed through water, causing oxygen to form at the (this time) positively charged anode, while hydrogen escapes at the negatively charged cathode. Pure water isn’t conductive enough for this process and often requires the addition of acids. The new membrane, however, is permeable to protons and thus enables the particle migration between anode and cathode necessary for efficient water splitting, even in pure water.

Patent pending

The researchers’ next step will be to investigate how stable and durable their keratin membrane is, and to improve it if necessary. The research team has already filed a joint patent for the membrane and is now looking for investors or companies to develop the technology further and bring it to market. . 

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JOURNAL

Interfaces

DOI

10.1021/acsami.3c10218 

ARTICLE TITLE

Renewable Energy from Livestock Waste Valorization: Amyloid-Based Feather Keratin Fuel Cells

NTU Singapore and ETH Zurich scientists convert waste chicken feathers into the heart of clean fuel cells

Peer-Reviewed Publication

NANYANG TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY

 

IMAGE: 

(LEFT TO RIGHT) PROFESSOR ALI MISEREZ FROM NTU’S SCHOOL OF MATERIAL SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING AND SCHOOL OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES AND NTU PHD STUDENT MR SOON WEI LONG ARE PART OF A JOINT RESEARCH TEAM WHO FOUND A WAY TO CONVERT CHICKEN FEATHERS INTO A CLEAN AND SUSTAINABLE MATERIAL TO BUILD ZERO-WASTE FUEL CELLS.

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CREDIT: CREDIT TO NTU SINGAPORE

 

Feathers keep chickens warm, and they might also hold the key to creating sustainable fuel cells that can power clean vehicles or water-splitting devices that extract pure hydrogen.

 

In a joint study, scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) and ETH Zurich in Switzerland have found a way to convert chicken feathers into a clean and sustainable material to build zero-waste fuel cells.

 

By extracting the protein keratin from feathers, then processing it into ultra-fine fibres known as amyloid fibrils, the researchers created a thin membrane capable of conducting protons, which are a vital component of fuel cells.

 

The research team, led by Professor Ali Miserez from NTU’s School of Material Science and Engineering and School of Biological Sciences, and NTU Visiting Professor Raffaele Mezzenga, who is also Professor of Food and Soft Materials at ETH Zurich, say that their membrane not only reduces carbon emissions from the burning of unwanted chicken feathers but is also produced in a sustainable manner.

 

Professor Ali Miserez said: “Fuel cells are one of the most promising sustainable energy sources of the future. The poultry industry generates millions of tons of unwanted chicken feather waste, which is burnt off in disposal, releasing large amounts of carbon dioxide and toxic gases such as sulphur dioxide. Our membrane reduces such emissions by repurposing the feathers into further green applications in fuel cells. The membrane not only has a negative carbon footprint from its production, but can operate without further carbon dioxide emissions when used in a fuel cell.”

 

The team’s research was published in September in the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.

The researchers tested their feather-based membrane by assembling it in a commercial fuel cell setup. In their tests, the fuel cell could turn on an LED lamp, spin a small fan, and power a small toy car.

CREDIT

Credit to NTU Singapore

 

Converting waste into sustainable energy sources

 

Fuel cells are a clean and efficient way of producing electricity by using the chemical energy of hydrogen or other fuels.

 

The heart of a fuel cell is a semipermeable membrane that allows protons to pass through but not electrons. The electrons flow through an external circuit from the anode to cathode, producing an electric current. Using hydrogen as the fuel source produces electricity, and water as the by-product, making them excellent clean energy sources.

 

However, producing such membranes in conventional fuel cells uses toxic chemicals, known also as “forever chemicals”, which are expensive and do not break down in the environment.

 

On the other hand, the keratin-based membrane developed by the NTU and ETH team is environmentally friendly as it is composed of a biological material and created in a green process that does not produce carbon emissions.

 

Professor Raffaele Mezzenga said: “Our latest development closes a cycle: we are taking a substance that releases carbon dioxide and toxic gases when burned and using it in a different setting: with our new technology, it not only replaces toxic substances but also prevents the release of carbon dioxide, decreasing the overall carbon footprint cycle.”

 

The paper’s first author, NTU PhD student Mr Soon Wei Long, said: “The extraction process is both fast and economical. Chicken feathers are 90 per cent keratin, which is the useful protein we want due to its high cysteine amino acid content. When burnt, cysteine produces highly toxic sulphur dioxide; however, the cysteine itself is crucial in allowing for the membrane's high proton conductivity when treated. We are turning something that is toxic when disposed of into something sustainable when used in this membrane.”

 

In their study, feather keratin is first isolated from an alkaline extract of chicken feathers. This keratin is heated up and converted into protein amyloid fibrils, rope-like nanostructures made of tightly wound proteins.

 

These nanofibrils are then further processed into membranes and treated in acid, where they undergo a chemical reaction that allows them to conduct protons.

 

The large amount of industrial chicken feather waste produced by the poultry industry also means that the membrane manufactured in the laboratory could be up to three times cheaper than conventional membranes to produce. The researchers say it takes 100g of feathers to make 1 square metre of membrane, which is 80 microns thin – the diameter of a human hair.

 

The researchers tested their feather-based membrane by assembling it in a commercial fuel cell setup. In their tests, the fuel cell could turn on an LED lamp, spin a small fan, and power a small toy car.

 

The membrane could also have potential application in water splitting, allowing for an effective way of producing hydrogen. In a process known as electrolysis, direct current is passed through water, causing oxygen to form at the positively charged anode. In contrast, pure hydrogen escapes at the negatively charged cathode and can thus be captured.

 

The new membrane, however, is permeable to protons and thus enables the particle migration between anode and cathode necessary for efficient water splitting, even in pure water.

 

The researchers’ next step will be to investigate how stable and durable their keratin membrane is and to improve it. The research team has already filed a joint patent for the membrane and is now looking to partner with investors or companies to develop the technology further and bring it to market.

 

 

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Notes to Editor:

 

Paper titled “Renewable Energy from Livestock Waste Valorization: Amyloid-Based Feather Keratin Fuel Cells”, published in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, September 26, 2023. DOI: 10.1021/acsami.3c10218

 

 

***END***

Media contact:

Mr Lester Hio
Manager, Media Relations
Corporate Communications Office
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Email: lester.hio@ntu.edu.sg

 

About Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

 

A research-intensive public university, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) has 33,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students in the Engineering, Business, Science, Medicine, Humanities, Arts, & Social Sciences, and Graduate colleges.

NTU is also home to world-renowned autonomous institutes – the National Institute of Education, S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Earth Observatory of Singapore, and Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering – and various leading research centres such as the Nanyang Environment & Water Research Institute (NEWRI) and Energy Research Institute @ NTU (ERI@N).

Under the NTU Smart Campus vision, the University harnesses the power of digital technology and tech-enabled solutions to support better learning and living experiences, the discovery of new knowledge, and the sustainability of resources.

Ranked amongst the world’s top universities, the University’s main campus is also frequently listed among the world’s most beautiful. Known for its sustainability, NTU has achieved 100% Green Mark Platinum certification for all its eligible building projects. Apart from its main campus, NTU also has a medical campus in Novena, Singapore’s healthcare district.

For more information, visit www.ntu.edu.sg

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JOURNAL

ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces

DOI

10.1021/acsami.3c10218 

ARTICLE TITLE

Renewable Energy from Livestock Waste Valorization: Amyloid-Based Feather Keratin Fuel Cells