mastodon 4.7.2The Australian Science Media Centre works to enhance the media's coverage of science, for the benefit of all Australians. Home of https://scimex.org
😸 Countries with more cats tend to be happier, say international researchers
✨Follow the link for more information on this story✨
https://www.scimex.org/newsfeed/more-cats-the-key-to-happier-countries
#science #sciencenews #research #stem #facts #knowledge #sciencefacts #cats #happiness
📄Yesterday, the Australian Federal Government released the latest ‘Intergenerational Report’, the first since 2023. These reports project outlooks for the economy and the Australian Government’s budget over the next 40 years. They examine the long-term sustainability of current policies and how demographic, technological and other structural trends may affect the economy and the budget.
🗨️ The University of Melbourne, The University of Queensland, The Australian National University, Flinders University, University of Sydney, The University of Western Australia, Western Sydney University, and University of New England, AU experts respond to the report.
✨Follow the link to read the full expert reaction✨
#science #sciencenews #research #stem #facts #knowledge #sciencefacts #intergenerational #auspol
🤒 With the uptick in measles cases happening in Australia and overseas, we have pointed our #ExpertSpotlight at The Dohert Institute's Dr Danielle Anderson
➡️ Find more info about Dani here: https://www.scimex.org/experts?name=danielle-anderson&a=1210264
📱 Children who own smartphones by age 12 may be more likely to report eating disorder symptoms (like binge-eating and tying self-worth to weight)
✨Follow the link for more information on this story✨
https://www.scimex.org/newsfeed/owning-a-smartphone-at-age-12-linked-to-increased-likelihood-of-eating-disorder-symptoms
#science #sciencenews #research #stem #facts #knowledge #sciencefacts #eatingdisorder #smartphones #kidshealth #kidsmentalhealth
🧯 PFOS, a 'forever chemical' from the PFAS family, sticks to and interferes with an important part of our immune system called interferon regulatory factor 3, helping viruses replicate more easily, according to a Chinese study that brought together data from trials in mice and human cells, and two sources of human health data. The team identified the way PFOS affects the immune system in mice, and also found mice fed PFOS (at amounts the researchers say are similar to those found in drinking water) experienced more severe flu symptoms than mice that hadn't been exposed. When the team looked at previous data from humans with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), flu or hepatitis B, they found higher levels of PFOS in the blood were linked to higher amounts of the virus in patients. The study highlights the public health risks of exposure to PFAS, the authors conclude.
🗨️ RMIT University's @Dr_Oli_Jones@fosstodon.org , The University of Queensland's Yong Gao P., and Monash University's Emily S.J. Edwards respond to the research.
✨Follow the link to read the full expert reaction✨
https://www.scimex.org/newsfeed/expert-reaction-banned-forever-chemical-pfos-may-make-us-worse-at-fighting-off-viruses
💉 An investigative article by a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist suggests that US officials suppressed warnings over a flawed COVID-19 vaccine safety algorithm. The reporter says officials relied on a single, compromised algorithm to detect harm from mRNA vaccines, were aware it was flawed, and silenced efforts to fix it. The findings are based on government emails and interviews with public health officials and other scientists. This relates to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which assured doctors and the public that its Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) would spot any harmful reactions to the vaccines. Instead of using two different algorithms as originally planned, the agency used just one, provided by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The investigation found this algorithm failed to detect a link between mRNA vaccination and heart issues, including myocarditis and pericarditis, as well as a range of other disorders, because it simply didn't work properly. Internal records show FDA and CDC officials were aware of this. The CDC finally ran the second algorithm available to them in 2022, and claimed it made no difference, but the reporter says it actually revealed hundreds of adverse events that the agency had missed.
🗨️ University of Sydney and Monash University experts respond to the article.
✨Follow the link to read the full expert reaction✨
https://www.scimex.org/newsfeed/investigation-claims-the-usa-hushed-up-covid-19-vaccine-safety-algorithm-flaws
#science #sciencenews #research #stem #facts #knowledge #sciencefacts #COVID #COVID19 #vaccine #myocarditis
👩⚕️An anesthetic squirted into the uterus via the cervix is well tolerated and greatly reduces the pain involved with getting an intrauterine birth control device, commonly referred to as an IUD
✨Follow the link for more information on this story✨
https://www.scimex.org/newsfeed/local-anesthetic-when-getting-an-iud-could-be-the-best-way-to-avoid-pain
#science #sciencenews #research #stem #facts #knowledge #sciencefacts #iud #birthcontrol
🤖 The Prime Minister has confirmed that an OpenAI agent hacked into an Australian Medicare data portal in June this year. The OpenAI agent gained unauthorised access to the public-facing Medicare statistics reporting service portal, which is administered by Services Australia.
🗨️Experts from across the country respond.
✨Follow the link to read the full expert reaction✨
https://www.scimex.org/newsfeed/expert-reaction-openai-agent-hacks-medicare-data
#science #sciencenews #research #stem #facts #knowledge #sciencefacts #medicarehack #openAI
💊 Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) pills taken during menopause increase the risk of serious blood clots, finds a large Danish study based on the health records of thousands of women in their 50s and 60s. For every thousand women taking the pills for a year, one extra person got a serious blood clot in their legs or lungs. Bigger doses of HRT pills taken for over a year also increased stroke and heart attack risks, but HRT patches, gels and sprays weren't generally linked with higher risks. The authors say that while these results may not apply to more ethnically diverse groups, considering which type of HRT to use could minimise blood clot risks.
🗨️ University of Melbourne and Swinburne University of Technology experts respond to the research.
✨Follow the link to read the full expert reaction✨
https://www.scimex.org/newsfeed/menopause-hormone-pills-may-increase-risk-of-blood-clots-stroke-and-heart-attacks
#science #sciencenews #research #stem #facts #knowledge #sciencefacts #HRT #menopause #clot #stroke #heartattack
🕷️A small study has found that women who regularly get eyelash extensions often also have tiny mites, called Demodex folliculorum, living on their lashes
✨Follow the link for more information on this story✨
https://www.scimex.org/newsfeed/if-you-have-eyelash-extensions-you-might-also-have-tiny-mites-bugging-your-eyes
#science #sciencenews #research #stem #facts #knowledge #sciencefacts #demodex #eyespiders #EyeMites
🐘AS PROMISED: This week on Off Embargo, we talked about some elephants that showed they could think before they act
🤔 What do you think?
🎧 Read more on Scimex or listen to Off Embargo Episode 6 now, wherever you get your podcasts
View the videos here: https://www.scimex.org/newsfeed/asian-elephants-can-resist-impulse-and-think-before-they-act
🍑 A major sexual health clinic in Melbourne has seen a rise in women testing positive for gonorrhoea over the past decade, according to Australian researchers from Monash University and the University of Melbourne. The team analysed data from the clinic between 2015 and 2024 to look at the characteristics of women contracting gonorrhoea amid the rise in the sexually transmitted disease among women in recent years. The researchers say gonorrhoea positivity increased from 1.3% in 2015 to 2.3% in 2024. The researchers say the women diagnosed were predominantly young, had multiple casual male partners and used condoms inconsistently. Oral gonorrhoea saw the largest increase in cases during the study, they say. Most of these cases are asymptomatic and can only be picked up through regular screening, the researchers caution.
✨Follow the link for more information on this story✨
https://www.scimex.org/newsfeed/melbourne-sexual-health-clinic-sees-rise-in-gonorrhoea-cases-in-women
#science #sciencenews #research #stem #facts #knowledge #sciencefacts #STI #STIs #gonorrhoea #sexualhealth
🤔 What the hell is going on here?
🎉 Listen to Off Embargo to find out!
🙌 Episode 6 will be available Monday, wherever you get your podcasts
✨ Or follow the link to listen to past episodes✨
https://smc.org.au/off-embargo
🦟 Mosquitoes are showing signs of resistance against one of the most common insecticides, and researchers may have just figured out how
✨Follow the link for more information on this story✨
https://www.scimex.org/newsfeed/mozzies-most-powerful-weapon-in-fighting-insecticides-discovered
#science #sciencenews #research #stem #facts #knowledge #sciencefacts #mozzie #insecticideresistance
🦟 Canadian scientists pooled and re-analysed the data from 11 previous studies on links between pesticide exposure (including herbicides and insecticides) and motor neuron disease, finding that exposure was linked to a 60-70% increase in the risk of men developing the most common form, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The team says that, compared with no exposure, exposure to herbicides was linked to a 70% increase in a man's risk of developing the disease, and exposure to either insecticides or fungicides was linked with a 60% increase in risk. Interestingly, the researchers point out that there was no increased risk seen in women. It's important to note, the authors say, that this kind of study is limited by the quality of the original studies it is based on, and does not prove the pesticides caused the disease, just that the two may be linked.
Australian scientists from The University of Queensland, RMIT University, University of Sydney and Adelaide University have offered commentary on the research.
✨Follow the link to read the expert reaction✨
https://www.scimex.org/newsfeed/workplace-pesticide-exposure-linked-to-motor-neuron-disease-risk
#science #ScienceNews #research #STEMEducation #facts #knowledge #sciencefacts #pesticides #insecticides #herbicides #fungicide #MND #ALS #motorneurondisease #amyotrophiclateralsclerosis
🔥 A strong El Niño is developing, according to the #WMO, with above-normal temperatures expected worldwide
✨Follow the link for more information on this story✨
https://www.scimex.org/newsfeed/the-world-meteorological-organization-says-prepare-for-a-strong-el-nino
#science #sciencenews #research #stem #facts #knowledge #sciencefacts #elnino #WMO
🦆 As more cases of #BirdFlu are popping up across the country, we would like to point our #ExpertSpotlight at Dr Eric Woehler
🐧 Eric can talk about the seabirds that are being found with #H5N1
🔎More on Eric can be found here: https://www.scimex.org/experts?a=36334
#science #sciencenews #research #stem #facts #knowledge #sciencefacts
💃 With the current discussion happening on celebrity body image, we are pointing out hashtag#ExpertSpotlight towards #AdelaideUni's Dr Sophie Dahlenburg-Grzeczkowski
🧑🤝🧑Sophie's research has a focus on body image/eating disorders and the intersection of sexual and gender minorities.
✨ More info here: https://www.scimex.org/experts?name=sophie-dahlenburg&a=891259
☀️ Using a powerful telescope, researchers have taken images of the Sun’s surface at a higher resolution than ever before
✨Follow the link for more information on this story✨
https://www.scimex.org/newsfeed/high-res-images-of-the-sun-may-reveal-what-powers-solar-flares
#science #sciencenews #research #stem #facts #knowledge #sciencefacts #sun #solarflare
🏠With the current state of the housing market, we would like to point our #ExpertSpotlight on #UniNewEngland's Dr Ali Soltani
🏘️Ali is an expert in urban planning, housing affordability, the housing crisis and much more!
🔎More on Ali here: https://www.scimex.org/experts?name=ali-soltani&a=1213808
🍽️ Open wide! Here comes episode 3!
👩🍳 Serving it up on all good podcasting platforms, Monday
✨Or bookmark this link to listen in on Monday!✨
https://smc.org.au/off-embargo
#science #sciencenews #research #stem #facts #knowledge #sciencefacts #offembargo #sciPod
⛏️ Aussie and UK scientists say mining is a threat to over 12k species across the globe, including close to 6k that are already listed as 'threatened'
✨Follow the link for more information on this story✨
https://www.scimex.org/newsfeed/mining-a-threat-to-over-12-000-species-globally
#science #sciencenews #research #stem #facts #knowledge #sciencefacts #mining #threatenedspecies
💉 Current evidence does not support direct (causal) links between aluminium-boosted vaccines and serious or long-term health outcomes, including autism, diabetes and asthma, according to a review
✨Follow the link in the comments for more information on this story✨
https://www.scimex.org/newsfeed/high-quality-evidence-shows-no-link-between-aluminium-boosted-vaccines-and-serious-health-conditions
#science #sciencenews #research #stem #facts #knowledge #sciencefacts #vaccine #vaccines #vaccineswork #vaxx
🔥 International researchers say there is a link between particulate matter caused by wildfires and people heading to the ED with migraine or headache symptoms
✨Follow the link for more information on this story✨
https://www.scimex.org/newsfeed/smoke-from-wildfires-linked-with-ed-visits-for-headache-and-migraine
#science #sciencenews #research #stem #facts #knowledge #sciencefacts #bushfire #wildfire #smoke #headache #migraine #PM2.5
🐝 UK scientists say heating hives could help bumblebees overcome the cooling effects of certain pesticides
✨Follow the link for more information on this story✨
https://www.scimex.org/newsfeed/heating-hives-may-help-bumblebees-cope-with-pesticides
#science #sciencenews #research #stem #facts #knowledge #sciencefacts #bumblebees #hivehealth
🚗 Has this week's episode changed the way you drive?
🎧 Listen in wherever you get your podcasts
✨ Or follow the link now!✨
https://smc.org.au/off-embargo
#science #sciencenews #reserach #stem #facts #knowledge #sciencefacts #offembargo #scipod
🐬 Meet Bubbles the Dolphin: menace of the sea
🐟 Bubbles has been recorded pestering fish and stealing their food
🎧 Listen to our latest Off Embargo episode to hear more about this, as well as our most popular Scimex story of all time (🚨warning: the contents are NOT PG🚨)
➡️ Available wherever you get your podcasts
🕵️With the current data breach of Origin Energy, we would like to shine our #ExpertSpotlight on A/Prof Katharina Wolf from #CurtinUni
💬Katharina is an expert in strategic communications and public relations. As well as knowing how to manage reputation and crisis communication
🔍Find her details here: https://www.scimex.org/experts?a=1244801
🚨 EXPERT REACTION: AusAlert - Australia's emergency warning system test
💬Check out what experts from across the country have to say about the upcoming alert
https://scimex.org/newsfeed/expert-reaction-ausalert-australias-emergency-warning-system-test
#science #research #stem #facts #knowledge #sciencefacts #ausalert #EmergencyWarning
🚗 Replacing a 2-year-old petrol SUV with an EV, rather than driving it for another 14 years, could nearly halve its owner's lifetime carbon emissions, US researchers found
✨Follow the link for more information on this story✨
https://www.scimex.org/newsfeed/scrapping-even-brand-new-petrol-cars-for-evs-might-be-better-for-the-environment
#science #sciencenews #research #stem #facts #knowledge #sciencefacts #EV #electricvehicles #PlugInHybrid
💪 If you could grow another body part, what would it be?
👀 Tell us in the comments, and catch Ep. 6 to find out why we want to know!
👂 Listen now, wherever you get your podcasts!
📝With the next #census coming up, we're pointing our #ExpertSpotlight on #Swinburne's Dr Xavier Mills
🏳️🌈 Xavier's research examines how social institutions, policy, and data shape the lives of LGBTQIA+ people in Australia
🔍More info here: https://www.scimex.org/experts?name=xavier-mills&a=1244312
💦 Things got a bit wet and wild on Off Embargo this week
⚡ Tune in Monday to hear what's got Pikachu so shocked
🎧 Catch episode 7 wherever you get your podcasts
🧠 Lab-grown human brain tissue, called organoids, transplanted into mouse brains can survive, grow, generate a diverse range of human brain cells, and organise into circuits and complex structures, according to US research, which suggests this may be a new way to grow human brain tissue outside of a human. The researchers engineered the mice to be missing almost all of their cerebral cortex (the outermost “rind” of the brain), and then they transplanted brain-like tissue grown from human cells into the mice. The human cells grew, filling the space, and developed into a range of cell types, including one that hasn’t been able to be grown in the lab. The human cells also developed working connections to the mice’s brain and spinal cord. The experiments, which were conducted following rigorous ethical guidelines, could be useful for studying brain development and disorders.
🗨️ UNSW, Monash University, Flinders University and The University of Queensland experts respond to the research.
✨Follow the link to read the full expert reaction✨
https://www.scimex.org/newsfeed/mice-implanted-with-lab-grown-human-brain-tissue
#science #sciencenews #research #stem #facts #knowledge #sciencefacts #organoids
🩸 High cholesterol was linked to 3.6 million deaths globally in 2023
📈 Every 1% monthly increase in annual inflation has been linked to a 4% increase in the suicide rate one month later in the general population
https://www.scimex.org/newsfeed/the-mental-health-toll-of-rising-inflation-in-australia
#science #sciencenews #research #facts #knowledge #sciencefacts #inflation #debt #mentalhealth #suiciderate
👩⚕️Hey doc, check out this rash!
🤔 Can you figure out what's going on in this case study?
🎧Tune in to the latest Off Embargo episode to see if you're right! Available wherever you get your podcasts
📺 UK scientists investigated the effects of increasing screen use on children's psychosocial development among 2,598 kids who began the study aged five and stuck with it through to age 15. After accounting for family functioning, the team says they found no links between screen use duration and developmental difficulties at age five or ten, and a link with increased difficulties at age 15 was only seen among teenagers who spent the most time video gaming, and not for other types of screen use. They did find a link between early high screen use and difficulties at ten years old, but this had vanished by age 15, they say. The findings highlight the limitations of current guidelines, which focus on duration of screen use, the authors conclude.
But experts from across the country have mixed responses to the research - with some saying the results might provide some relief to parents, while others point out that while the study is solid, the data was collected in a time before iPads existed - meaning the childhood observed in the study no longer exists.
✨Follow the link to read the full commentary on this story✨
https://www.scimex.org/newsfeed/no-link-found-between-kids-screen-use-and-emotional-behavioural-or-social-problems-later
#science #sciencenews #research #stem #facts #knowledge #sciencefacts #screentime
🤳 With the potential upcoming changes to the Social Media landscape, we are pointing our #ExpertSpotlight at Macquarie University's Honorary Professor Dr Mark Williams OAM
🧠 Mark is a cognitive neuroscientist studying how the modern world is reshaping the way we think, learn, and connect. His expertise includes social media, attention, and the brain.
➡️ Find out more about Mark here: https://www.scimex.org/experts?name=mark-williams&a=1258052