Search

Would you be happy as a long-term single? The answer may depend on your attachment style

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/christopher-pepping-1524533">Christopher Pepping</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/griffith-university-828">Griffith University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/geoff-macdonald-1527971">Geoff Macdonald</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-toronto-1281">University of Toronto</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/tim-cronin-415060">Tim Cronin</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/la-trobe-university-842">La Trobe University</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/yuthika-girme-1494822">Yuthika Girme</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/simon-fraser-university-1282">Simon Fraser University</a> Are all single people insecure? When we think about people who have been single for a long time, we may assume it’s because single people have insecurities that make it difficult for them to find a partner or maintain a relationship. But is this true? Or can long-term single people also be secure and thriving? Our <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jopy.12929">latest research</a> published in the Journal of Personality suggests they can. However, perhaps unsurprisingly, not everybody tends to thrive in singlehood. Our study shows a crucial factor may be a person’s attachment style. <h2>Singlehood is on the rise</h2> Singlehood is on the rise around the world. In Canada, single status among young adults aged 25 to 29 has increased from <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/220713/dq220713b-eng.htm">32% in 1981 to 61% in 2021</a>. The number of people <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/220713/dq220713a-eng.htm">living solo</a> has increased from 1.7 million people in 1981 to 4.4 million in 2021. People are single for many reasons: <a href="https://www.ucpress.edu/ebook/9780520971004/happy-singlehood">some choose</a> to remain single, some are focusing on <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12147-020-09249-0">personal goals and aspirations</a>, some report <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2020/08/20/nearly-half-of-u-s-adults-say-dating-has-gotten-harder-for-most-people-in-the-last-10-years/">dating has become harder</a>, and some become single again due to a relationship breakdown. People may also remain single due to their attachment style. Attachment theory is a popular and well-researched model of how we form relationships with other people. An <a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/s?k=attachment+theory">Amazon search for attachment theory</a> returns thousands of titles. The hashtag #attachmenttheory has been viewed <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/08/20/why-attachment-theory-is-trending-according-to-dr-amir-levine.html">over 140 million times</a> on TikTok alone. <h2>What does attachment theory say about relationships?</h2> Attachment theory suggests our relationships with others are shaped by our degree of “anxiety” and “avoidance”. Attachment anxiety is a type of insecurity that leads people to feel anxious about relationships and worry about abandonment. Attachment avoidance leads people to feel uncomfortable with intimacy and closeness. People who are lower in attachment anxiety and avoidance are considered “securely attached”, and are comfortable depending on others, and giving and receiving intimacy. Single people are often stereotyped as being <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/01461672231203123">too clingy or non-committal</a>. Research comparing single and coupled people also suggests single people have <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1467-6494.2012.00793.x?casa_token=6iiCm5PjHgkAAAAA:0kBeofx3M-72YrkVppmNxdWBIAImFwm3lAakCnuiNXL20SVP1zaW7UeDIahW_43imAjSRXgtyN0hLVI">higher levels of attachment insecurities</a> compared to people in relationships. At the same time, evidence suggests many single people are choosing to remain single and <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/17456916221136119">living happy lives</a>. <h2>Single people represent a diverse group of secure and insecure people</h2> In our latest research, our team of social and clinical psychologists examined single people’s attachment styles and how they related to their happiness and wellbeing. We carried out two studies, one of 482 younger single people and the other of 400 older long-term singles. We found overall 78% were categorised as insecure, with the other 22% being secure. Looking at our results more closely, we found four distinct subgroups of singles: <ul> <li> secure singles are relatively comfortable with intimacy and closeness in relationships (22%) </li> <li> anxious singles question whether they are loved by others and worry about being rejected (37%) </li> <li> avoidant singles are uncomfortable getting close to others and prioritise their independence (23% of younger singles and 11% of older long-term singles) </li> <li> fearful singles have heightened anxiety about abandonment, but are simultaneously uncomfortable with intimacy and closeness (16% of younger singles and 28% of older long-term singles). </li> </ul> <h2>Insecure singles find singlehood challenging, but secure singles are thriving</h2> Our findings also revealed these distinct subgroups of singles have distinct experiences and outcomes. Secure singles are happy being single, have a greater number of non-romantic relationships, and better relationships with family and friends. They meet their sexual needs outside romantic relationships and feel happier with their life overall. Interestingly, this group maintains moderate interest in being in a romantic relationship in the future. Anxious singles tend to be the most worried about being single, have lower self-esteem, feel less supported by close others and have some of the lowest levels of life satisfaction across all sub-groups. Avoidant singles show the least interest in being in a romantic relationship and in many ways appear satisfied with singlehood. However, they also have fewer friends and close relationships, and are generally less satisfied with these relationships than secure singles. Avoidant singles also report less meaning in life and tend to be less happy compared to secure singles. Fearful singles reported more difficulties navigating close relationships than secure singles. For instance, they were less able to regulate their emotions, and were less satisfied with the quality of their close relationships relative to secure singles. They also reported some of the lowest levels of life satisfaction across all sub-groups. <h2>It’s not all doom and gloom</h2> These findings should be considered alongside several relevant points. First, although most singles in our samples were insecure (78%), a sizeable number were secure and thriving (22%). Further, simply being in a romantic relationship is not a panacea. Being in an unhappy relationship is linked to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000316">poorer life outcomes</a> than being single. It is also important to remember that attachment orientations are not necessarily fixed. They are open to <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352250X18300113">change</a> in response to life events. Similarly, <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0963721413510933">sensitive and responsive behaviours</a> from close others and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/02654075231162390">feeling loved and cared about</a> by close others can soothe underlying attachment concerns and foster attachment security over time. Our studies are some of the first to examine the diversity in attachment styles among single adults. Our findings highlight that many single people are secure and thriving, but also that more work can be done to help insecure single people feel more secure in order to foster happiness.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/227595/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/christopher-pepping-1524533">Christopher Pepping</a>, Associate Professor in Clinical Psychology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/griffith-university-828">Griffith University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/geoff-macdonald-1527971">Geoff Macdonald</a>, Professor of Psychology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-toronto-1281">University of Toronto</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/tim-cronin-415060">Tim Cronin</a>, Lecturer in Clinical Psychology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/la-trobe-university-842">La Trobe University</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/yuthika-girme-1494822">Yuthika Girme</a>, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/simon-fraser-university-1282">Simon Fraser University</a> Image credits: Getty Images This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/would-you-be-happy-as-a-long-term-single-the-answer-may-depend-on-your-attachment-style-227595">original article</a>.

Relationships

"We want answers": Furious cruise passengers stage protest after itinerary change

Passengers onboard a Norwegian Cruise Line voyage has expressed their outrage after their once in a lifetime trip to Antarctica changed course after the journey had already begun. Melbourne woman Helen Midler was one of hundreds of people onboard the cruise from Buenos Aires to mainland Antarctica, when staff informed all travellers that their itinerary had changed. Days into their journey, those onboard were told they would not be visiting Antarctica at all, but would be doing a "South America round trip" instead. Midler took to social media to share her frustrations, saying the communication between the cruise line and the passengers was very poor. She explained that she only found out about the change after checking the app a few days into the journey and noticed the name of the cruise had been changed. Passengers were later told the change of destination was for "operational reasons" after raising their concerns, however no further explanation was given. Those onboard were allegedly told the decision was made by the head office in the US to not visit Paradise Bay, on mainland Antarctica, before departure on January 31, and that all passengers were notified by email, and again at check-in. However, Midler claims this was not the case. "I can assure you that we never got any email and many of our friends here on board, and I'm talking hundreds of people we know, did not receive any email either," she said in a video posted online. "Until the cruise had commenced, most people on this ship were not aware of the change in the itinerary." Midler said "everyone was angry", with hundreds of passengers meeting at in the ship's foyer one morning in protest to demand further answers from the crew. "Customer service are refusing to acknowledge us, they sent a security officer out to calm us down," she said while standing in the noisy crowd. "We feel we're being cheated, being scammed". Midler said frustrated travellers, some of whom "spent their live savings" on the cruise that costs upwards of $4,000 per person, just "want answers, transparency and clarity" but claims they're being treated with "absolute disdain and disrespect" with little explanation given. "Everyone on this ship has paid a lot of money to cruise to Antarctica, not to do a round trip of South America at sea," she fumed. "We are being dismissed, ignored, refused answers. They're telling us we just have to accept it. "They think we're idiots. We're not idiots and we're not prepared to just accept this sitting down," she continued. "We may not get to Antarctica. The chances of this cruise now going to Antarctica are minimal. But we want answers." In the days after her initial post, Midler updated her online followers and said those onboard were trying to make the best of a bad situation, despite still not hearing any clear answers about the change of itinerary. "We saved and we booked this two years ago for the trip of a lifetime," she said. "We're feeling very disappointed and dejected about the outcomes here." "We'll never be able to afford to do this again. And we've lost that trip to the Antarctica mainland that we had all been hoping and waiting for, and that we'd paid for. But we're going to try and do our best to enjoy it." Image credits: TikTok

Legal

"I want answers": Simon Dorante-Day's cunning plan to prove royal connections

The Queensland man claiming to be the son of King Charles and Queen Camilla has shared his new plan to prove once and for all that he has royal family connections. Simon Dorante-Day has long claimed through his 30 years of research, he discovered that he is the illegitimate son of the monarch, and has attempted to prove his theory through various means. Now, his new plan to get his hands on royal DNA to unequivocally prove his family heritage involves another member of the royal family. Speaking with <a href="https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/aussie-man-claiming-to-be-charles-son-drops-new-prince-harry-dna-bombshell-c-13488374" target="_blank" rel="noopener">7News</a>, the 57-year-old said he and his wife have been told by a “trusted source” that Prince Harry could be amenable to helping them gather proof. “We got advice from a really good, really trusted source that we should approach Harry and make a connection there and ask for DNA,” Elvianna said. Simon added, “I was really taken aback when he said that. But it’s definitely something I’m going to do. I’ve long been a supporter of Harry and Meghan, I think it’s disgraceful the way they’ve been treated by the royal family." “The way they are treated on social media too, it’s just one big ‘Punch-Meghan-and-Harry-a-thon’, seriously. It’s really starting to annoy me." He said he is planning to "make contact with him and explore this as an opportunity," pointing out that the royal family's treatment of Harry could make him more willing to help. "At the end of the day, I feel like he just might be as keen as I am to expose what Charles and Camilla and the powers that be have done to me. The injustice." “It’s worth me pointing out that Charles and Camilla, Buckingham Palace, the entire royal family - not one of them has ever said my claims are not true. They’ve never denied what I believe, told me I’m wrong." Simon said “the wheels are in motion” in terms of making contact with Prince Harry, and that he’s hopeful of a positive outcome. “I want answers,” he said. “And I feel Prince Harry is the man to help me find them.” “And I think their silence speaks volumes.” Simon said “the wheels are in motion” in terms of making contact with Prince Harry, and that he’s hopeful of a positive outcome. “I want answers,” he said. “And I feel Prince Harry is the man to help me find them.” Image credits: Facebook / Getty Images

Family & Pets

It’s time to limit how often we can travel abroad – ‘carbon passports’ may be the answer

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ross-bennett-cook-1301368">Ross Bennett-Cook</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-westminster-916">University of Westminster</a> The summer of 2023 has been very significant for the travel industry. By the end of July, international tourist arrivals globally <a href="https://www.unwto.org/news/international-tourism-swiftly-overcoming-pandemic-downturn">reached 84% of pre-pandemic levels</a>. In <a href="https://joint-research-centre.ec.europa.eu/jrc-news-and-updates/eu-tourism-almost-full-recovery-pre-pandemic-levels-2023-10-23_en">some European countries</a>, such as France, Denmark and Ireland, tourism demand even surpassed its pre-pandemic level. This may be great <a href="https://skift.com/insight/state-of-travel/">news economically</a>, but there’s concern that a return to the status quo is already showing dire environmental and social consequences. The summer saw record-breaking heatwaves across many parts of the world. People were forced to flee <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jul/24/greece-wildfires-corfu-evia-rhodes-heatwave-northern-hemisphere-extreme-weather-temperatures-europe">wildfires in Greece</a> and <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/hawaii-fires-update-biden-b2393188.html">Hawaii</a>, and extreme <a href="https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/world-news/foreign-office-issues-spain-weather-27339111">weather warnings</a> were issued in many popular holiday destinations like Portugal, Spain and Turkey. Experts <a href="https://theconversation.com/european-heatwave-whats-causing-it-and-is-climate-change-to-blame-209653">attributed these extreme conditions</a> to climate change. Tourism is part of the problem. The tourism sector <a href="https://wttc.org/Portals/0/Documents/Reports/2021/WTTC_Net_Zero_Roadmap.pdf">generates around one-tenth</a> of the greenhouse gas emissions that are driving the climate crisis. The negative impacts of tourism on the environment have become so severe that some are suggesting drastic changes to our travel habits are inevitable. In a <a href="https://www.intrepidtravel.com/sites/intrepid/files/basic_page/files/A%20Sustainable%20Future%20For%20Travel%20From%20Crisis%20To%20Transformation-231016-02.pdf">report</a> from 2023 that analysed the future of sustainable travel, tour operator Intrepid Travel proposed that “carbon passports” will soon become a reality if the tourism industry hopes to survive. <h2>What is a carbon passport?</h2> The idea of a carbon passport centres on each traveller being assigned a yearly carbon allowance that they cannot exceed. These allowances can then “ration” travel. This concept may seem extreme. But the idea of personal carbon allowances is not new. A <a href="https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200708/cmselect/cmenvaud/565/565.pdf">similar concept</a> (called “personal carbon trading”) was discussed in the House of Commons in 2008, before being shut down due to its perceived complexity and the possibility of public resistance. The <a href="https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/carbon-footprint-calculator/#:%7E:text=A%20carbon%20footprint%20is%20the,is%20closer%20to%204%20tons.">average annual carbon footprint</a> for a person in the US is 16 tonnes – one of the highest rates in the world. In the UK this figure sits at 11.7 tonnes, still more than five times the figure recommended by the <a href="https://www.openaccessgovernment.org/the-average-british-carbon-footprint-is-five-times-over-paris-agreement-recommendations/152669/#:%7E:text=Despite%20rising%20environmental%20awareness%20across,equivalent%20(tCO2e)%20per%20year.">Paris Agreement</a> to keep global temperature rise below 1.5°C. Globally, the average annual carbon footprint of a person is closer to 4 tonnes. But, to have the best chance of preventing temperature rise from overshooting 2°C, the average global carbon footprint <a href="https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/carbon-footprint-calculator/#:%7E:text=Globally%2C%20the%20average%20carbon%20footprint,tons%20doesn't%20happen%20overnight!">needs to drop</a> to under 2 tonnes by 2050. This figure equates to around <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/ng-interactive/2019/jul/19/carbon-calculator-how-taking-one-flight-emits-as-much-as-many-people-do-in-a-year">two return flights</a> between London and New York. Intrepid Travel’s report predicts that we will see carbon passports in action by 2040. However, <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/travel-short-haul-flights-europe-under-fire-climate-change-cop26/">several laws and restrictions</a> have been put in place over the past year that suggest our travel habits may already be on the verge of change. <h2>Targeting air travel</h2> Between 2013 and 2018, the amount of CO₂ emitted by commercial aircrafts worldwide <a href="https://theicct.org/sites/default/files/publications/ICCT_CO2-commercl-aviation-2018_20190918.pdf">increased by 32%</a>. Improvements in fuel efficiency are slowly reducing per passenger emissions. But <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1352231014004889">research</a> from 2014 found that whatever the industry’s efforts to reduce its carbon emissions, they will be outweighed by the growth in air traffic. For emission reductions to have any meaningful effect, ticket prices would have to rise by 1.4% each year, discouraging some people from flying. However, in reality, <a href="https://www.climatecentral.org/news/increase-in-flights-will-outweigh-carbon-cuts-17875">ticket prices are falling</a>. Some European countries are beginning to take measures to reduce air travel. As of April 1 2023, passengers on short-haul flights and older aircraft in Belgium have been <a href="https://www.euronews.com/green/2022/12/12/private-jets-and-short-haul-flights-face-pollution-busting-tax-increases-in-belgium">subject to increased taxes</a> to encourage alternative forms of travel. Less than two months later France banned <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-65687665">short-haul domestic flights</a> where the same trip can be made by train in two-and-a-half hours or less. <a href="https://businesstravelerusa.com/news/spain-to-follow-frances-lead-plans-to-ban-short-haul-domestic-flights/">Spain</a> is expected to follow suit. A similar scheme could also be on the horizon for Germany. In 2021, a <a href="https://www.cleanenergywire.org/news/seventy-percent-germans-favour-banning-short-haul-flights-survey">YouGov poll</a> found that 70% of Germans would support such measures to fight climate change if alternative transport routes like trains or ships were available. <h2>Cruises and carbon</h2> It’s not just air travel that’s being criticised. An <a href="https://www.transportenvironment.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/The-return-of-the-cruise-June-2023.pdf">investigation</a> by the European Federation for Transport and Environment in 2023 found that cruise ships pump four times as many sulphuric gases (which are proven to cause acid rain and <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesellsmoor/2019/04/26/cruise-ship-pollution-is-causing-serious-health-and-environmental-problems/?sh=468ee2f637db">several respiratory conditions</a>) into the atmosphere than all of Europe’s 291 million cars combined. Statistics like these have forced European destinations to <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/8727387d-590d-43bd-a305-b5ec208a4dfe">take action</a> against the cruise industry. In July, Amsterdam’s council <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-66264226">banned cruise ships</a> from docking in the city centre in a bid to reduce tourism and pollution – an initiative that has shown success elsewhere. In 2019 Venice was the most polluted European port, due to large numbers of cruise ship visits. But it dropped to 41st place in 2022 after a ban on large cruise ships entering the city’s waters <a href="https://www.transportenvironment.org/discover/europes-luxury-cruise-ships-emit-as-much-toxic-sulphur-as-1bn-cars-study/">reduced air pollutants from ships</a> in Venice by 80%. <h2>Changing destinations</h2> Intrepid Travel’s report also highlights that not only how we travel, but <a href="https://joint-research-centre.ec.europa.eu/jrc-news-and-updates/global-warming-reshuffle-europes-tourism-demand-particularly-coastal-areas-2023-07-28_en">where we travel</a> will soon be impacted by climate change. Boiling temperatures will probably diminish the allure of traditional beach destinations, prompting European tourists to search for cooler destinations such as Belgium, Slovenia and Poland for their summer holidays. <a href="https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Tour-Operators/Travelers-seek-cooler-destinations-this-summer">Several travel agencies</a> reported seeing noticeable increases in holiday bookings to cooler European destinations like Scandinavia, Ireland and the UK during 2023’s peak summer travel months. Whatever the solution may be, changes to our travel habits look inevitable. Destinations across the globe, from <a href="https://www.theneweuropean.co.uk/barcelonas-war-on-tourism-ada-colau/">Barcelona</a> to the <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/italy-tourism-bans-controls-fees-restrictions/a-66453047">Italian riveria</a> and even <a href="https://theconversation.com/death-on-everest-the-boom-in-climbing-tourism-is-dangerous-and-unsustainable-114033">Mount Everest</a> are already calling for limits on tourist numbers as they struggle to cope with crowds and pollution. Holidaymakers should prepare to change their travel habits now, before this change is forced upon them. <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ross-bennett-cook-1301368">Ross Bennett-Cook</a>, Visiting Lecturer, School of Architecture + Cities, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-westminster-916">University of Westminster</a> Image credits: Getty Images This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/its-time-to-limit-how-often-we-can-travel-abroad-carbon-passports-may-be-the-answer-216503">original article</a>.

International Travel

Should we still be using RATs to test for COVID? 4 key questions answered

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/hassan-vally-202904">Hassan Vally</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/deakin-university-757">Deakin University</a> We’re currently navigating <a href="https://www.thenewdaily.com.au/life/health/2023/11/15/covid-australia-eighth-wave">an eighth wave</a> of <a href="https://theconversation.com/were-in-a-new-covid-wave-what-can-we-expect-this-time-216820">COVID infections</a> in Australia. However the threat COVID poses to us is significantly less than it has ever been, thanks to immunity we’ve acquired through <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(22)00801-5/fulltext">a combination</a> of prior infection and vaccination. That said, COVID is by no means behind us. The threat of severe illness remains higher for many people, and we’re all potentially at risk of developing <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/topics/covid-19/long-covid">long COVID</a>. While many people appear to be doing fewer rapid antigen tests (RATs) than they used to – if any at all – with rising cases, and as we head towards the festive season, testing continues to be important. So what do you need to know about testing in this wave? Here are four key questions answered. <h2>1. When should I do a RAT?</h2> There are a few situations where determining your COVID status is important to inform your actions, particularly during an uptick in infections. With more circulating virus, your index of suspicion that you have COVID if you’re experiencing cold-like symptoms should be higher. RATs work best when they’re used to confirm whether you have COVID when you <a href="https://www.tga.gov.au/products/covid-19/covid-19-tests/how-testing-works-covid-19">have respiratory symptoms</a> and are infectious. So the primary use of RATs should be to determine your COVID status when you’re sick. A positive test should prompt you to isolate, and if you’re eligible, to seek antivirals. Testing might also be worthwhile if you’ve come into contact with someone with COVID but you haven’t developed symptoms. If you find you have in fact contracted the virus, you can take steps to avoid spreading it to other people (you can infect others even <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/what-is-asymptomatic-covid#prevalence">when you’re asymptomatic</a>). This is especially important if you’re going to be socialising in large groups or in contact with people who are vulnerable. Another situation in which to consider testing, particularly at this time of year, is before attending large social gatherings. While the reliability of a RAT is never perfect, do the test as close to the event as possible, because your disease status <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/omicron-rapid-test-hour-before-party-not-day-before-expert-2021-12">can change quickly</a>. <h2>2. Should I test multiple times?</h2> Yes. RATs are not as sensitive as PCR tests, which is the trade-off we make for being able to do this test at home and <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/public-health-officials-pursue-covid-19-tests-that-trade-precision-for-speed-11599562800">getting a rapid result</a>. This means that while if you test positive with a RAT you can be very confident you have COVID, if you test negative, you cannot be as confident that you don’t have COVID. That is, the test may give you a false negative result. Although RATs from different manufacturers have different accuracies, all RATs approved by Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration must have a sensitivity of <a href="https://www.tga.gov.au/products/covid-19/covid-19-tests/covid-19-rapid-antigen-self-tests-home-use/covid-19-rapid-antigen-self-tests-are-approved-australia#:%7E:text=For%20rapid%20antigen%20tests%2C%20this,specificity%20of%20at%20least%2098%25.">at least 80%</a>. The way to increase your confidence in a negative result is to do multiple RATs serially – each negative test increases the confidence you can have that you don’t have COVID. If you have symptoms and have tested negative after your first RAT, <a href="https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/safety-communications/home-covid-19-antigen-tests-take-steps-reduce-your-risk-false-negative-results-fda-safety">the advice</a> is to repeat the test after 48 hours, and potentially a third time after another 48 hours if the second test is also negative. <h2>3. Do RATs detect the latest variants?</h2> Since RATs <a href="https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/covid-19/testing#:%7E:text=Rapid%20antigen%20tests%2C%20or%20RATs,of%20proteins%20of%20the%20virus.">detect particular surface proteins</a> on SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID), it’s theoretically possible that as the virus evolves, the reliability of these tests may be affected. However, RATs were designed to detect a part of the virus that is not as likely to mutate, so the hope is these tests <a href="https://www.health.com/do-covid-tests-work-new-variants-7967102">will continue to hold up</a> as SARS-CoV-2 evolves. The performance of RATs is continually being assessed by manufacturers. So far, there’s been no change reported in the ability of these tests to <a href="https://www.ama.com.au/articles/tga-updated-advice-rats-nearing-expiry-and-rats-efficacy-current-strains#:%7E:text=The%20TGA%20has%20received%20evidence,19%20RAT%20post%2Dmarket%20review.">detect the latest variants</a>. <h2>4. Can I rely on expired RATs?</h2> At this point in the pandemic, you might have a few expired tests at the back of your cupboard. Technically the most appropriate advice is to say you should never use a diagnostic test <a href="https://www.tga.gov.au/products/covid-19/covid-19-tests/covid-19-rapid-antigen-self-tests-home-use/covid-19-rapid-antigen-self-tests-are-approved-australia">past its expiry date</a>. As a general principle the performance of a test cannot be guaranteed beyond this date. The risk is that over time the components of the RAT degrade and if you use a test that’s not working optimally, it’s more likely to indicate <a href="https://www.health.com/can-you-use-expired-covid-test-6827970">you don’t have COVID</a> when you actually do, which may have consequences. However, as for all things COVID, the answer is not so black and white. Since these tests were new when they were introduced earlier in the pandemic, manufacturers didn’t have specific data on their performance over time, and so the expiry dates given were necessarily conservative. It’s likely these tests will work beyond the expiry dates on the packet, but just how long and how well they work is a bit of an unknown, so we need to be cautious. The other thing to consider is ensuring you store RATs correctly. Storage instructions should be found on the packet, but the key issue is making sure they’re not exposed to extreme temperatures. In particular, <a href="https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/health-wellbeing/how-to-properly-store-your-at-home-covid-19-rapid-antigen-tests-c-5465412">high temperatures</a> may damage the chemicals in the test which may reduce its sensitivity. <h2>The path from here</h2> Regular upticks in COVID cases are something we’re going to have to get used to. At these times, we should all be a bit more cautious about looking after ourselves and others as we go about our lives. What this looks like will vary for different people depending on their personal circumstances. However, being up to date with <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-are-the-new-covid-booster-vaccines-can-i-get-one-do-they-work-are-they-safe-217804">booster vaccinations</a>, having a plan for <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/topics/covid-19/oral-treatments">accessing antivirals</a> if you’re eligible, <a href="https://theconversation.com/with-covid-surging-should-i-wear-a-mask-217902">wearing masks</a> in high-risk settings and testing all continue to play an important role in responding to COVID.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/218016/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/hassan-vally-202904">Hassan Vally</a>, Associate Professor, Epidemiology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/deakin-university-757">Deakin University</a> Image credits: Getty Images This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/should-we-still-be-using-rats-to-test-for-covid-4-key-questions-answered-218016">original article</a>.

Body

Research reveals who’s been hit hardest by global warming in their lifetime - and the answer may surprise you

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/andrew-king-103126">Andrew King</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ed-hawkins-104793">Ed Hawkins</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-reading-902">University of Reading</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/hunter-douglas-1460792">Hunter Douglas</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/te-herenga-waka-victoria-university-of-wellington-1200">Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/luke-harrington-489028">Luke Harrington</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-waikato-781">University of Waikato</a> Earth is warming and the signs of climate change are everywhere. We’ve seen it in the past few weeks as temperatures hit record highs around the world – both in the Northern Hemisphere and the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-is-australia-having-such-a-warm-winter-a-climate-expert-explains-210693">warm Australian winter</a>. Global warming is caused by humanity’s greenhouse gas emissions, which continue at <a href="https://theconversation.com/global-carbon-emissions-at-record-levels-with-no-signs-of-shrinking-new-data-shows-humanity-has-a-monumental-task-ahead-193108">near-record pace</a>. These emissions are predominantly generated by people in the world’s wealthiest regions. Our world-first analysis, <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/2752-5295/aceff2">published today</a>, examines the experience of global warming over the lifetimes of people around the world: young and old, rich and poor. We sought to identify who has perceived warmer temperatures most keenly. We found middle-aged people in equatorial regions have lived through the most perceptible warming in their lifetimes. But many young people in lower-income countries could experience unrecognisable changes in their local climate later in life, unless the world rapidly tackles climate change. <h2>Measuring the climate change experience</h2> We examined temperature data and population demographics information from around the world. Key to our analysis was the fact that not all warming is due to human activity. Some of it is caused by natural, year-to-year variations in Earth’s climate. These natural ups and downs are due to a number of factors. They include variations in the energy Earth receives from the sun, the effects of volcanic eruptions, and transfers of heat between the atmosphere and the ocean. This variability is stronger in mid-to-high-latitude parts of the world (those further from the equator) than in low-latitude areas (in equatorial regions). That’s because the weather systems further away from the equator draw in hot or cold air from neighbouring areas, but equatorial areas don’t receive cold air at all. That’s why, for example, the annual average temperature in New York is naturally more variable than in the city of Kinshasa (in the Democratic Republic of Congo). To account for this, we applied what’s known as the “<a href="https://archive.ipcc.ch/ipccreports/tar/wg1/346.htm#:%7E:text=The%20%EF%BF%BDsignal%20to%20noise,to%20this%20natural%20variability%20noise.">signal-to-noise ratio</a>” at each location we studied. That allowed us to separate the strength of the climate change “signal” from the “noise” of natural variability. Making this distinction is important. The less naturally variable the temperature, the clearer the effects of warming. So warming in Kinshasa over the past 50 years has been much more perceptible than in New York. Our study examined two central questions. First, we wanted to know, for every location in the world, how clearly global warming could be perceived, relative to natural temperature variability. Second, we wanted to know where this perceived change was most clear over human lifetimes. <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541474/original/file-20230807-17-ogjdti.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541474/original/file-20230807-17-ogjdti.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541474/original/file-20230807-17-ogjdti.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=394&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541474/original/file-20230807-17-ogjdti.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=394&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541474/original/file-20230807-17-ogjdti.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=394&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541474/original/file-20230807-17-ogjdti.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=495&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541474/original/file-20230807-17-ogjdti.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=495&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541474/original/file-20230807-17-ogjdti.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=495&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="Annual-average temperatures at four major cities with signal-to-noise ratios shown for 20, 50 and 80 years up to 2021." /></a><figcaption>Annual-average temperatures at four major cities with signal-to-noise ratios shown for 20, 50 and 80 years up to 2021. Author provided</figcaption></figure> <h2>Our results</h2> So what did we find? As expected, the most perceptible warming is found in tropical regions – those near the equator. This includes developing parts of the world that constitute the Global South – such as Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Asia. Household incomes in the Global South are typically lower than in industrialised nations (known as the Global North). We might, then, conclude people in the poorest parts of the world have experienced the most perceptible global warming over their lifetimes. But that’s not always the case. Why? Because most parts of the Global South have younger populations than wealthier regions. And some people under the age of 20, including in northern India and parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, haven’t experienced warming over their lifetimes. In these places, the lack of recent warming is likely down to a few factors: natural climate variability, and the local cooling effect of particles released into the atmosphere from <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ac3b7a">pollution</a> and changes in land use. There’s another complication. Some populated regions of the world also experienced slight cooling in the mid-20th century, primarily driven by human-caused <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nature10946">aerosol emissions</a>. So, many people born earlier than the 1950s have experienced less perceptible warming in their local area than those born in the 1960s and 1970s. This may seem counter-intuitive. But a cooling trend in the first few decades of one’s life means the warming experienced over an entire lifespan (from birth until today) is smaller and less detectable. So what does all this mean? People in equatorial areas born in the 1960s and 1970s – now aged between about 45 and 65 – have experienced more perceptible warming than anyone else on Earth. <h2>Rich countries must act</h2> Our findings are important, for several reasons. Identifying who has experienced significant global warming in their lives may help explain <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nclimate2660">attitudes to tackling climate change</a>. Our findings also raise significant issues of fairness and equity. Humanity will continue to warm the planet until we reach global net-zero emissions. This means many young people in lower-income countries may, later in life, experience a local climate that is unrecognisable to that of their youth. Of course, warming temperatures are not the only way people experience climate change. Others include sea-level rise, more intense drought and rainfall extremes. We know many of these impacts are felt most acutely by <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2022/5/11/climate-change-is-devastating-the-global-south">the most vulnerable populations</a>. Cumulative greenhouse gas emissions are much higher in the Global North, due to economic development. To address this inequality, rich industrialised nations must take a leading role in reducing emissions to net-zero, and helping vulnerable countries adapt to climate change.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/211108/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/andrew-king-103126">Andrew King</a>, Senior Lecturer in Climate Science, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ed-hawkins-104793">Ed Hawkins</a>, Professor of Climate Science, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-reading-902">University of Reading</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/hunter-douglas-1460792">Hunter Douglas</a>, PhD Candidate, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/te-herenga-waka-victoria-university-of-wellington-1200">Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/luke-harrington-489028">Luke Harrington</a>, Senior Lecturer in Climate Change, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-waikato-781">University of Waikato</a> Image credits: Getty Images This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/research-reveals-whos-been-hit-hardest-by-global-warming-in-their-lifetime-and-the-answer-may-surprise-you-211108">original article</a>.

Travel Trouble

Flight attendants answer frequently asked flying questions

A flight attendant has shared the answers to a series of every traveller’s burning questions about air travel. In a video shared to TikTok, Virgin Australia crew member Brodie Capron answered commonly asked questions about why carry-on bags have a weight limit and why the window shades have such strict limits. According to Capron, the reasoning behind why carry-on bags can only weigh so much is pretty simple. "That's because the overhead lockers can only hold so much weight," she said. The Melbourne-based cabin crew member also explained why the window shades need to be up for take off and landing, and it has nothing to do with helping your eyes adjust. "It's so that everyone can see the engines and warn the cabin crew if something is wrong," she said. Capron also debunked a common plane myth, ensuring nervous passengers that the water on planes is indeed “safe to drink”. "It is filtered and it is clean," she said. For those who like to enjoy a drink or two while travelling, Capron did confirm that you can in fact get 'more' drunk when flying. "[It's] because of the lower oxygen percentage in the air, the effects of alcohol are greater," she said. "So make sure you make good choices when you're flying." Her video has received over half a million views with many people thanking her for finally answering their burning questions about flying. Image credits: Shutterstock

Travel Tips

A piggy bank is the answer to saving for your next holiday

Not just for kids, the humble piggy bank is a great way to save up your hard earned cash for something special. How to: <ol> <li>Find a piggy bank for your savings. You can also use a glass jar or vase, which is great to be able to track your progress.</li> <li>At the end of each day come home and throw any coins that you have into your piggy bank</li> <li>Try paying for everything with notes instead of cards and keep all of your change each day for your savings jar.</li> </ol> So what are the benefits? Today we have four great reasons why you should start saving your coins in this way. Pain free You won’t even notice it missing from your wallet. As the money doesn’t feel like much you won’t feel as though you are actively ‘saving’ even though you are. Fast results Think about it, if you place just $5 worth of coins in your jar each day, it will only take one month to save up around $150. Out of sight Rather than keeping it in your savings account, it’s a much better idea to keep your holiday fund somewhere that you can’t accidentally spend it on everyday things like bills or petrol. You’re less likely to dip into it even for unexpected bills, as you know it is for your holiday. Satisfying You can literally see your savings building up, especially if you use a clear vase or jug. At the end of each day you will hear the satisfying sound of the coins being deposited. You’ll know then that you’re one step closer to that holiday that you thought you couldn’t afford. Images: Getty

Money & Banking

Pub trivia baffles the internet

Social media has been sent into trivia turmoil after one Reddit user uploaded a picture from a pub trivia session, declaring that their “mate left before getting the answer”. The image in question, which appeared on a quiz sheet at Sydney’s Penrith Gaels Club, features the silhouettes of five individuals - two female heads and three male figures, with check marks above the heads of the women. “From pub trivia, mate left before getting the answer,” the Reddit user explained, before posing the question, “any ideas?” According to the user, these kinds of questions are typically either a phrase or a saying, but that was the only clue any of them had when it came to figuring out the bizarre puzzle. The post has since gathered over 9,000 responses, with 2.1k commenters stopping by to share their thoughts on the situation. <iframe id="reddit-embed" style="border: none;" src="https://www.redditmedia.com/r/australia/comments/11ezzi0/from_pub_trivia_mate_left_before_getting_the/?ref_source=embed&ref=share&embed=true" width="640" height="468" scrolling="no" sandbox="allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups"></iframe> Some took their chance at guessing, some simply marvelled at the entertainment the struggle was providing, and one even had a laugh at the mate’s expense, noting that they’d fled at “Puzzle #1”. The potential answers kept rolling, but with many stellar contenders, no-one could reach an agreement, though amusement was high as the discussion went on. “Behind all great men is a ticked off woman?” wrote one user, to 670 upvotes. “The right men check on ladies first?” suggested one. “The only thing I've got is two's company, three's a crowd,” was another popular guess, with the user adding, “it's a bit weak, though.” “Is it a microphone test?” asked one clever commenter, “check, check. 1-2, 1-2-3.” Eventually, the original poster informed everyone that he’d taken the plunge and reached out to the pub for the answer, “but another Redditer commented saying he was there and that the Trivia Master accepted all answers because no one got it.” And to what should have been the delight of everyone involved, he got an answer - it just wasn’t nearly as funny as anything they’d come up with on the Reddit thread, with the crowd of trivia fans given a new burst of energy is expressing their annoyance with the uninspired solution. “Alright, the pub saw the post and they have found the answer that the Trivia Master was looking for,” he announced, “the answer is ‘Ladies First’. A little bit anticlimactic but at least we have the answer now.” Images: Reddit

Travel Trouble

“We need answers”: Parents of man shot by police speak out

The parents of a man who was shot and killed by a police officer on a Queensland beach have spoken about how they were told the heartbreaking news. Luke Gilbert was with his girlfriend at Airlie Beach, Townsville, when he allegedly approached police with a pen knife in the early hours on the morning of Saturday, October 1. The 24-year-old allegedly continued advancing towards the patrolling officers when he was shot five times. After police rendered first aid to him, Luke was transported to Proseperine Hospital but died a short time later. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> AIRLIE BEACH: A man aged in his 20’s and allegedly armed with a knife was fatally shot by police in Airlie Beach this morning (October 1) <a href="https://t.co/cBz4wyfM3u">https://t.co/cBz4wyfM3u</a> <a href="https://t.co/mGcTxtosUo">pic.twitter.com/mGcTxtosUo</a> — Queensland Police (@QldPolice) <a href="https://twitter.com/QldPolice/status/1575945897787109377?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 30, 2022</a></blockquote> His parents, Nicola and Darren Gilbert, told 9News of the tragic moment when police informed them that their son had died. “Two police officers came in and they just stood, they didn’t even ask us to sit down, and they just stood at the kitchen bench and just said, ‘We’ve very sorry to tell you but your son has died’,” Ms Gilbert said. Luke, who grew up in Western Australia, was working in Townsville at the time of the incident. Mr Gilbert has called for an explanation for why his son was shot, describing it as a “massive failing” of police. “What happened? We need answers,” he said. “This is a massive failing of the Queensland Police.” According to the police union, officers had no choice but to shoot Luke after he allegedly “lunged” at them with the knife. The officers fired four or five shots at Luke after he continued to approach them despite them drawing their weapons and telling him to stop. Ian Leavers, the President and CEO of the Queensland Police Union, said Luke had “all of a sudden produced a knife from his hoodie and started threatening police”. “The police have tried to further engage and they have retreated and moved from that location and tried and continue to communicate with that male person,” he told reporters. “At a point, (he) has lunged at police and they’ve had no other alternative but to use their firearm. “Police did all they could to try and resolve this matter peacefully.” As police swarmed the popular tourist spot on Saturday to determine the circumstances surrounding the shooting, Superintendent Graeme Paine said officers were speaking to several witnesses and that the incident was captured on CCTV. Several people in the area at the time also captured the shooting on video. In one clip, shots can be heard in the background and a man says, “They just f***ing shot him. “I thought they were gonna get him with a taser. “They just f***ing shot him c***s. He just kept walking to the cops.” In the wake of the news, the 24-year-old’s brother Zac shared an emotional tribute on Facebook. “I don’t know how to say this It’s not even sinking in yet and it doesn’t seem real,” he wrote. “Life will never be the same, he deserved a lot better than this! I can’t believe this has happened, he's at rest now.” Luke’s brother claimed that police used “excess force” after the 24-year-old pulled out a knife “for reasons unknown right now”. “For all those who don't know this, my brother was on a night out with his girlfriend and as far as we know luke walked up to two police officers, they were talking and then for reasons unknown right now, luke pulled out a pen knife (4cm) and in reaction to that the officers shot 4 to 5 times at my brother and 1 of them being fatal,” Zac wrote. “There’s a lot of speculation in the media about the circumstances surrounding the loss of my brother but just know the truth is excess force was used on him which killed him and that can never be undone, they didn’t try the taser, the baton or the pepper spray first they went straight for the guns carelessly.” The incident is being investigated by the Ethical Standards Committee on behalf of the state coroner. Images: 9News / Facebook

Family & Pets

Does a sibling’s gender influence our own personality? A major new study answers an age-old question

Our siblings play a central role in our childhoods, so it stands to reason they influence our personality in the long term. In particular, researchers have long been interested in how growing up with a sister compared to a brother might influence who we become as adults. How do children interact with their sister or brother? How do parents behave differently towards their children of different genders, and how does that interaction influence the children? Past theories have made quite different predictions: siblings of the opposite gender may plausibly result in either <a href="https://doi.org/10.2307/2786054" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gender-stereotypical personalities</a> (a girl may take on a more feminine role to differentiate herself from her brother) or <a href="https://doi.org/10.9783/9781512800807" target="_blank" rel="noopener">less gender stereotypical personalities</a> (a girl may take on more masculine traits because she imitates her brother). In fact, psychological research has been exploring these differences for over half a century. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2015.02.037" target="_blank" rel="noopener">In some studies</a>, siblings of the opposite sex seemed to be more gender-conforming. Girls with brothers later become more “typically female” and boys with sisters more “typically male”. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/h0030055" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Other studies find the exact opposite</a>, however. Opposite gender siblings developed in typically gender-conforming ways. To resolve these contradictions, we wanted to test the effect of sibling gender on personality in a rigorous and comprehensive way. <figure class="align-center "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/480681/original/file-20220823-16-4ll79p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/480681/original/file-20220823-16-4ll79p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480681/original/file-20220823-16-4ll79p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480681/original/file-20220823-16-4ll79p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480681/original/file-20220823-16-4ll79p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480681/original/file-20220823-16-4ll79p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480681/original/file-20220823-16-4ll79p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /><figcaption>Like brother, like sister? Researchers have differed on the likely influence of an opposite gender sibling on personality. Getty Images</figcaption></figure> Using big data In our <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/09567976221094630" target="_blank" rel="noopener">new study</a> we focused on the relationships between children and their next older or younger sibling. We compiled a unique data set by combining 12 large representative surveys covering nine countries across four continents (US, UK, Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Australia, Mexico, China and Indonesia). This resulted in a data set of more than 85,000 people – many times the sample sizes used in previous studies. We also investigated many more personality traits than previous studies have. This included the traits that have been most widely studied in other research, and which have been shown to be important predictors of people’s decisions and choices. The “big five” of these traits are: openness to experiences, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness and neuroticism. The other traits examined were: risk tolerance, trust, patience and “locus of control” (the degree to which people believe they have control over their lives). We also created an index describing to what extent people have a typically female personality. This allowed us to test comprehensively whether growing up with an opposite gender sibling leads to a more or less gender-stereotypical personality. Sibling gender and life experience This study is not only innovative in its use of a large data set, but it also applies a consistent method to identify any causal effects of a sibling’s gender on personality traits. To estimate credible causal effects, we make use of an interesting fact of nature: once parents decide to have another child it is essentially random whether they have a girl or boy. In this “natural experiment” some people are therefore “randomly assigned” a younger sister or brother. This allows us to estimate the causal effect of sibling gender on personality by comparing the average personality of people who grew up with a sister as their next youngest sibling with those who grew up with a next younger brother. Brothers and sisters Our results suggest sibling gender has no effect on personality. For all nine personality traits and the summary index, we find people who have a next younger sister display, on average, the same personality traits as people who have a next younger brother. We also see no difference in personality between people who have a next older sister and people who have a next older brother. Because we have data on more than 85,000 people, these results are estimated with great precision. The results help refute the idea that brothers or sisters cause each other to develop “feminine” or “masculine” personality traits over the long term. However, the results don’t mean sibling gender has no long-term effect at all. Other studies that applied a similar methodological approach have shown that women with brothers in the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.labeco.2019.02.009" target="_blank" rel="noopener">US</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s00148-021-00830-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Denmark</a> earn less. And a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/qje/qjt011" target="_blank" rel="noopener">study of Asian populations</a> has found women with younger sisters marry earlier and women with older sisters marry later. So, there seem to be interesting sibling dynamics related to gender – but personality is probably not part of the explanation for those effects.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/188532/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jan-feld-594140" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jan Feld</a>, Senior Lecturer in Economics, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/te-herenga-waka-victoria-university-of-wellington-1200" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/anne-ardila-brenoe-1373305" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Anne Ardila Brenøe</a>, Assistant Professor of Economics, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-zurich-1139" target="_blank" rel="noopener">University of Zurich</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/thomas-dudek-1372681" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Thomas Dudek</a>, Postdoctoral Researcher, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/te-herenga-waka-victoria-university-of-wellington-1200" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington</a> This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/does-a-siblings-gender-influence-our-own-personality-a-major-new-study-answers-an-age-old-question-188532" target="_blank" rel="noopener">original article</a>. Image: Getty Images

Family & Pets

Which of these pictures is a deepfake? Your brain knows the answer before you do

Deepfakes – AI-generated videos and pictures of people – are becoming more and more realistic. This makes them the perfect weapon for disinformation and fraud. But while you might consciously be tricked by a deepfake, new evidence suggests that your brain knows better. Fake portraits cause different signals to fire on brain scans, according to a paper <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.visres.2022.108079" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">published</a> in Vision Research. While you consciously can’t spot the fake (for those playing at home, the face on the right is the phony), your neurons are more reliable. “Your brain sees the difference between the two images. You just can’t see it yet,” says co-author Associate Professor Thomas Carlson, a researcher at the University of Sydney’s School of Psychology. The researchers asked volunteers to view a series of several hundred photos, some of which were real and some of which were fakes generated by a GAN (a Generative Adversarial Network, a common way of making deepfakes). One group of 200 participants was asked to guess which images were real, and which were fake, by pressing a button. A different group of 22 participants didn’t guess, but underwent electroencephalography (EEG) tests while they were viewing the images. The EEGs showed distinct signals when participants were viewing deepfakes, compared to real images. “The brain is responding different than when it sees a real image,” says Carlson. <div class="newsletter-box"> <div id="wpcf7-f6-p197814-o1" class="wpcf7" dir="ltr" lang="en-US" role="form"> <form class="wpcf7-form mailchimp-ext-0.5.62 spai-bg-prepared init" action="/technology/deepfakes-brain-eegs/#wpcf7-f6-p197814-o1" method="post" novalidate="novalidate" data-status="init"> <input class="wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-text referer-page spai-bg-prepared" name="referer-page" type="hidden" value="https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/" data-value="https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/" aria-invalid="false" /> </form> </div> </div> “It’s sort of difficult to figure out what exactly it’s picking up on, because all you can really see is that it is different – that’s something we’ll have to do more research to figure out.” The EEG scans weren’t foolproof: they could only spot deepfakes 54% of the time. But that’s significantly better than the participants who were guessing consciously. People only found deepfakes 37% of the time – worse than if they’d just flipped a coin. “The fact that the brain can detect deepfakes means current deepfakes are flawed,” says Carlson. “If we can learn how the brain spots deepfakes, we could use this information to create algorithms to flag potential deepfakes on digital platforms like Facebook and Twitter.” It could also be used to prevent fraud and theft. “EEG-enabled helmets could have been helpful in preventing recent bank heist and corporate fraud cases in Dubai and the UK, where scammers used cloned voice technology to steal tens of millions of dollars,” says Carlson. “In these cases, finance personnel thought they heard the voice of a trusted client or associate and were duped into transferring funds.” But this is by no means a guarantee. The researchers point out in their paper that, even while they were doing the research, GANs got more advanced and generated better fake images than the ones they used in their study. It’s possible that, once the algorithms exist, deepfakers will just figure out ways to circumvent them. “That said, the deepfakes are always being generated by a computer that has an ‘idea’ of what a face is,” says Carlson. “As long as it’s generating these things from this ‘idea’, there might be just the slightest thing that’s wrong. It’s a matter of figuring out what’s wrong with it this time.”  <img id="cosmos-post-tracker" style="opacity: 0; height: 1px!important; width: 1px!important; border: 0!important; position: absolute!important; z-index: -1!important;" src="https://syndication.cosmosmagazine.com/?id=197814&title=Which+of+these+pictures+is+a+deepfake%3F+Your+brain+knows+the+answer+before+you+do" width="1" height="1" />  <div id="contributors"> <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/deepfakes-brain-eegs/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">This article</a> was originally published on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cosmos Magazine</a> and was written by <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/contributor/ellen-phiddian" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ellen Phiddian</a>. Ellen Phiddian is a science journalist at Cosmos. She has a BSc (Honours) in chemistry and science communication, and an MSc in science communication, both from the Australian National University. Image: Moshel et al. 2022, Vision Research, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.visres.2022.108079 </div>

Technology

Wordle changes answer amid abortion rights debate

The New York Times has swiftly changed the answer to its daily Wordle puzzle out of fear it would be interpreted politically amid the debate on abortion rights in the US. The wildly-popular browser-based game, which was bought by the masthead in January, gives users six attempts to guess a five letter word each day which is chosen in advance and at random by a computer program. On Monday, the Times scrambled to change Monday’s word which was “fetus”, using the American spelling. The word could have been seen as a controversial choice given the <a href="https://oversixty.co.nz/finance/legal/america-s-roe-v-wade-abortion-law-could-be-overturned" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recent leaked report</a> of a draft decision from the Supreme Court to overturn two laws that grant women the right to access abortions. In a message to readers on the same day, the newspaper said the word choice was “entirely unintentional and a coincidence”. “At New York Times Games, we take our role seriously as a place to entertain and escape, and we want Wordle to remain distinct from the news,” the message said. Monday’s word was changed and a spokesman said a “vast majority” of users saw that, save some who hadn’t refreshed their page and saw “fetus” instead. Many New Zealand users reported seeing “fetus”, according to the <a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/wordle-answer-changed-to-avoid-fraught-word-ny-times-says/2ZONMXP5ZTIXJGVZR2YMJWHZPI/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NZ Herald</a>. However, Cohen wouldn’t say whether the Times received any complaints about the word choice. Image: Getty Images

Legal

Grieving mother’s plea to finish son’s composition answered

A grieving mother has put out a worldwide call for musicians to finish her son’s first musical composition. 12-year-old Kyan Pennell passed away on January 31st after a tragic accident on his family’s property when he got caught between a trailer and a gate.Kyan’s mum Amanda Brierley said he started learning piano just seven months ago, and unbeknownst to her, had started writing his own music. "The thing that has given us some little part of Kyan to hold onto is when I found this composition he was working on in the middle of a blank exercise book," she told <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/radio/brisbane/">ABC Radio Brisbane</a>. "I didn't realise that he knew how to write music. He said he wanted to know how to get what was inside his head out on paper and he must have been learning how to do that."Amanda said Kyan’s neurodiversity gave him a “superpower” to focus and learn more than 30 classical music pieces in just a few months. Earlier in February, Amanda posted a photo of Kyan’s unfinished work and asked other musicians to help finish it."This was just the intro, it is unfinished," she wrote."He was building up to a grand mid-section and then would do an ending but he never got to complete what was in his mind's eye."He imagined it to be performed by wind and string instruments, and of course his beloved piano."Amanda said she has received dozens of submissions and hoped to collect as many as she could to help honour her "beautiful boy"."Finding this composition was an unexpected gift from him," she said."Unfortunately we never got to hear him play it, so I want the world to be able to play it for me.”"I just want to be able to change his memory from a tragic accident to something of beauty for others as well."Image credits: Facebook / Amanda Brierley

Music

Time to upgrade from cloth and surgical masks to respirators? Your questions answered

With the rapid spread of Omicron, many countries are rethinking their COVID mask advice for the community. Respirators have been mandatory in public places in <a href="https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20210125-austria-makes-ffp2-masks-mandatory-in-shops-public-transport">Austria</a> for a year. Now, the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/types-of-masks.html">United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a> suggests respirators be considered for greater protection, for instance, on public transport or in enclosed crowded spaces. It’s time to rethink and upgrade masks for you and your family. <h2>What is a respirator?</h2> Respirators, often wrongly called “masks” because of their appearance, are personal protective equipment made to a particular standard and designed to prevent inhalation of hazardous airborne contaminants. In the US, respirator standards are managed by the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/respirators/">National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health</a> (NIOSH), and cover three things: filter efficiency, breathing resistance and fit. A filter that meets the N95 standard (equivalent to Europe’s FFP2) must capture at least 95% of particles in the most penetrating size range at a high flow rate. In Australia, a respirator must meet <a href="https://www.tga.gov.au/publication/guidance-medicalsurgical-face-masks-and-respirator-standards-key-performance-aspects">TGA standards</a>. A respirator that consists entirely of filtering material – rather than having layers, say for waterproofing – is called a filtering facepiece respirator (FFR). An FFR can be worn multiple times but must eventually be thrown away. Research suggests FFRs lose their ability to fit well after <a href="https://www.ajicjournal.org/article/S0196-6553(11)00770-X/fulltext">20 wears</a> – due to stretching of straps or failure of the nose clip or edge components. The filter material is usually a non-woven polypropylene electret, which means the fibres carry an electrical charge to enhance particle collection while ensuring low breathing resistance. <h2>Why were we told to wear cloth masks at first?</h2> It was initially assumed SARS-CoV-2 spread via droplets (in coughs and sneezes) which caused infection when they landed on the mouth, nose or eyes. For such particles, a cloth or surgical mask is an efficient form of source control to protect others from virus emitted by the wearer. Now it’s understood the virus is <a href="https://theconversation.com/covid-how-the-disease-moves-through-the-air-173490">airborne</a>. Virus-laden particles build up in the air over time indoors because of breathing and speaking. <h2>Will a respirator protect me even if others are unmasked?</h2> It depends on the type of exposure and how long you are exposed. It is important to consider your risk depending on <a href="https://theconversation.com/heres-where-and-how-you-are-most-likely-to-catch-covid-new-study-174473">where you are, what you’re doing, with whom and how long you’re there</a>. The <a href="https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2021/10/commentary-what-can-masks-do-part-1-science-behind-covid-19-protection">safest situation</a>, especially for prolonged contact in crowded settings, is when everyone is wearing well-fitting N95 respirators. It’s hard to show evidence to support respirator use in the community – but lack of randomised controlled trials (RCT) does not mean they are not effective. Studying masks or respirators at a population level is complex and involves many variables. There is <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0020748920301139?via%3Dihub">strong evidence</a> from RCTs in health workers and laboratory studies showing respirators are effective for source control and personal protection. <h2>I really like my cloth mask. Is it OK to keep wearing it?</h2> Probably not. Cloth masks are not made to any particular standard, so their properties and quality vary considerably. In general, they are poor filters of small airborne particles. <h2>Surgical masks are cheaper – can I just switch to those?</h2> Not really. While some surgical masks may have better filtration capacity than cloth masks, they were designed primarily to prevent the emission of large droplets. Some medical-grade surgical masks may also offer protection from body fluid splashes or sprays. No surgical mask will prevent the emission or inhalation of small infectious particles, however. A key deficiency of surgical and cloth masks is their loose fit compared to respirators. While some older, hard-cup style respirators may be uncomfortable, newer styles are <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2022/01/11/n95-masks-cdc-walensky/">better tolerated</a>. This may be due to their greater surface area, which could contribute to lower breathing resistance. <h2>Should I have my respirator professionally fitted?</h2> No. When respirators are used to protect workers from airborne hazards such as dust or pollution, employers are legally required to undertake fit-testing (see for example the US <a href="https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1910/1910.134">Occupational Safety and Health Administration</a> fit-testing standard). But even non-fit tested respirators will provide <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1750-2659.2011.00198.x">superior protection</a>over cloth or surgical masks. A respirator should rest against your face with no gaps, especially around the nose and chin. To create a tight seal, form the nose clip and place both straps around your head, adjusting them if necessary. If the facepiece collapses a small amount when you inhale, the respirator probably fits well. Get in the habit of doing a <a href="https://youtu.be/pGXiUyAoEd8?t=140">“self seal-check”</a> before each wear. <h2>Shouldn’t respirators be reserved for healthcare professionals?</h2> No. Early in the pandemic, the public were discouraged from buying respirators because of a global shortage of personal protective equipment and the assumption healthcare workers were at higher risk of catching COVID from so-called “aerosol-generating procedures” such as intubation. We now know <a href="https://associationofanaesthetists-publications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/anae.15475">everyday activities like talking and singing</a> are more likely to generate infectious aerosols than medical procedures. As with vaccines, there are global equity issues and we need to <a href="https://www.statnews.com/2021/01/07/national-hi-fi-mask-initiative-needed-with-vaccine-rollouts/">expand manufacturing capacity</a> to ensure sufficient supply for everyone. <h2>What about the cost and environmental impact?</h2> Compared to cloth masks, respirators (which are not washable) cost more and have a greater environmental impact. But disposable respirators can be used for <a href="https://journals.lww.com/md-journal/fulltext/2020/12110/determination_of_the_optimal_time_for_n95.143.aspx">extended periods</a> if they are not wet or damaged, and there are re-usable options such as <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/elastomeric-respirators-strategy/index.html">elastometric respirators</a>. A respirator should be thrown away when it gets dirty or the straps, nose clip or other components lose their integrity. Costs and environmental concerns need to be weighed against the costs and waste produced by a single COVID hospital admission. In Australia, the average daily cost of an Intensive Care Unit stay has been <a href="https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2019/211/7/financial-cost-intensive-care-australia-multicentre-registry-study">estimated at $4375</a>. <h2>What if I can’t afford or get my hands on a N95 respirator?</h2> The Korean KF94 and Chinese KN95s are cheaper alternatives that provide better protection than a surgical or cloth mask. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/12-signs-you-have-a-fake-n95-kn95-or-kf94-mask/?smtyp=cur&smid=tw-nytimes">Beware counterfeits</a>, such as those without a GN stamp to show they meet manufacturing standards. If you can’t get hold of a respirator, you can <a href="https://ozsage.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/OzSage-Masks1-4.pdf">improve protection of a surgical or cloth mask</a>. Options include “<a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2778913">double masking</a>” by wearing a tight-fitting cloth mask over a surgical mask. You can also “knot and tuck” a surgical mask by tying the sides and tucking the remainder inside. Finally, a well-designed cloth mask (with three layers) can perform as well as a good quality surgical mask. It’s still true that something is better than nothing. But don’t count on these types of masks to provide the same level of protection for the same amount of time as an N95 respirator. <h2>Respirators should be provided and required</h2> The World Health Organization has stressed the importance of a “vaccines-plus” approach. There is a strong case, when prevalence of COVID is high, for governments to both mandate and fund the provision of respirators for the public, <a href="https://www.cbs58.com/news/500-000-n95-masks-given-away-in-48-hours-more-on-the-way">as some parts of the US</a> are now doing. Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/time-to-upgrade-from-cloth-and-surgical-masks-to-respirators-your-questions-answered-174877">The Conversation</a>.

Body

Daunted by therapy? Virtual reality could be the answer

If opening up to a therapist seems like a near-impossible task, new research shows that you’re not the only one - and proposes a new option that could soon be available. A study from Edith Cowan University, published in <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frvir.2021.750729/full" target="_blank">Frontiers in Virtual Reality</a>, found that 30 percent of people surveyed would rather talk about negative experiences with a virtual reality (VR) avatar than a real-life person. Researchers created a ‘realistic motion avatar’ that appeared similar to its real-life counterpart, then compared the social interactions between people talking to the avatar versus a real person. Participants then rated their experience on factors such as enjoyment, comfort, awkwardness, perceived understanding, and how much they think they disclosed about themselves. Dr Shane Rogers, a psychology and communication researcher involved in the study, said participants found VR and face-to-face interactions to be quite similar in all but one way. “Overall, people rated VR social interaction as similar to face-to-face interaction, with the exception of closeness, where people tended to feel a little closer with each other when face-to-face,” Dr Rogers <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.scimex.org/newsfeed/virtual-reality-could-help-make-therapy-easier" target="_blank">said</a>. “This technology has the potential for broad application across a number of areas such as casual conversation, business, tourism, education and therapy,” he said. “The study found that 30 percent of people preferred disclosing negative experiences via VR. This means that therapy might be opened up to new people who don’t feel comfortable with traditional face-to-face interactions.” <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7846832/vr1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/b6881ee566e74d5ba66c6e6a0c91129a" /> Virtual reality has been used in video games for several years now, but new research shows it can also be used in mental health settings. Image: Getty Images Though VR has been around for several years, the new research is among several new studies and initiatives applying the technology to treat mental health conditions. In the United States, veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are being treated with the assistance of VR, which can transport them back to traumatic experiences - even if they struggle to remember the event or other details. The tech has also been used in “empathy training”, where clinicians wear VR headsets to better understand what patients in their care are experiencing, particularly for veterans with dementia or older LGBTQ veterans. “Now what you hear and what you see in front of your eyes is the same thing as a patient who’s experiencing dementia or an LGBTQ vertan who’s ageing,” Anne Lord Bailey, a pharmacist and director of clinical tech innovation involved in the scheme, told <a rel="noopener" href="https://fedtechmagazine.com/article/2021/12/how-va-using-vr-veterans-therapy-perfcon" target="_blank">FedTech</a>. “All of a sudden, people start talking to you and what you hear is muddled, or your vision doesn’t see what you should be seeing. It looks distorted, or I can’t hear things because they’re not clear, even though I can tell that people are talking to me. Or, I get disoriented: I try to turn to the right, and things are shifty or crooked.” Meanwhile, the UK NHS launched a treatment plan last year using VR to treat patients with trypanophobia, or a phobia of needles, ahead of their Covid vaccinations. Patients are treated by being exposed to scenarios such as a medical waiting room or blood draw, to help therapists treat patients’ fears in a controlled environment. “VR is very effective at bridging the gap between real-life exposure and what the patient feels able to do at the time they enter treatment,” Vanessa Dodds, a cognitive behavioural therapist involved in the UK program, told <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.medicaldevice-network.com/news/needle-phobia-vr/" target="_blank">Medical Device Network</a>. Dr Rogers echoed this sentiment, adding that improvements in the technology will improve its affordability and accessibility as a treatment option - with applications beyond therapy as well. “It might also enable therapists to conduct therapy more effectively at a distance, as a person can be in the therapist room (in virtual reality) while seated in their own home,” he said. “More powerful computers are becoming more affordable, VR headsets are continuing to develop, and more user-friendly VR interaction software platforms are becoming more available and being updated.” Following the work by Dr Rogers and his colleagues, future steps will involve more investigation of how different aspects of the avatar affect user experience, as well as how VR can be used in therapeutic settings. Image: Getty Images

Mind

The one jumping castle question police refuse to answer

As the devastating news of the tragedy in a Tasmanian primary school has sent shockwaves through the country, many people are demanding answers on how such an incident could occur. When a jumping castle was swept 10 metres into the air from the ground of Hillcrest Primary School in Devonport, many children were hospitalised and six children lost their lives. The members of the school community were holding a "Big Day In" to celebrate the end of the 2021 school year, when the the jumping castle and inflatable Zorb balls were picked up by strong winds. Tasmania Police Commissioner Darren Hine and Premier Peter Gutwein fronted the media on Friday, saying the tragedy was "beyond comprehension". “What should have been a celebration for the end of the school year turned into an unfortunate tragedy for our young children at Hillcrest Primary.” While sharing their condolences to the family impacted by the tragedy, the Police Commissioner refused to answer one critical question about the events leading up to the incident. He was asked several times by multiple journalists if the jumping castle was tied to the ground before it became airborne. “Was the jumping castle tethered at all?” one journalist asked, with Commissioner Hine simply replying, “That forms part of the investigation”. “It is fair to say that those injured were inside the castle. We need to piece the movements of the individuals together so we can present a full picture to the coroner,” he added. “What was the connection with the zorb balls, were they inside the castle or outside?” another reporter asked, with Mr Hine again insisting “That will form part of the investigation”. “But my understanding is that the zorb balls were outside. But it will form part of the investigation,” he said, before being asked by yet another journalist whether all the victims were inside the castle at the same time. “Again, that forms part of the investigation,” he said. Despite not being able to share any specific details that are "a matter for the coroner", the Police Commissioner did confirm that three boys and two girls had died in the tragedy. With permission from their families, police have released the names of all six students: Addison Stewart, 11, Zane Mellor, 12, Jye Sheehan, 12, Jalailah Jayne-Maree Jones, 12, Peter Dodt, 12, and Chace Harrison, 11. “There is no doubt this incident will leave its mark and I know people are sending their thoughts and prayers from right across the country and even further afield," he said. “We will be doing everything we can to support the community through this tragedy. Police are liaising closely with the families of the children involved.” Image credits: YouTube / ABC News

News

Travel bans aren’t the answer to stopping new COVID variant Omicron

There is global concern and widespread alarm at the discovery of SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.529, which the World Health Organization (WHO) has called Omicron. The <a href="https://www.who.int/news/item/26-11-2021-classification-of-omicron-(b.1.1.529)-sars-cov-2-variant-of-concern">WHO classified Omicron</a> as a “variant of concern” because it has a wide range of mutations. This suggests vaccines and treatments could be less effective. Although early days, Omicron appears to be able to reinfect people more easily than other strains. Australia has followed other countries and regions – including the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and the European Union – and <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-11-27/new-quarantine-rules-omicron-covid-variant-australia/100656016">banned travellers</a> from nine southern African countries. Australians <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-11-27/new-quarantine-rules-omicron-covid-variant-australia/100656016">seeking to return home from southern Africa</a> will still be able to do so. But they will enter hotel quarantine and be tested. Those who have returned from the nine countries – South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, the Seychelles, Malawi and Mozambique – in the past 14 days will have to isolate. But Omicron has already been detected in other regions, including the UK, Germany, Israel, Hong Kong and Belgium. So while a travel ban on southern African countries may slow the spread and buy limited time, it’s unlikely to stop it. As the Australian government and others act to protect their own citizens, this should be accompanied by additional resources to support countries in southern Africa and elsewhere that take prompt action. <h2>When was Omicron detected?</h2> The variant was identified on November 22 in South Africa, from a sample collected from a patient on <a href="https://www.who.int/news/item/26-11-2021-classification-of-omicron-(b.1.1.529)-sars-cov-2-variant-of-concern">November 9</a>. South African virologists took prompt action, conferred with colleagues through the <a href="https://www.ngs-sa.org/ngs-sa_network_for_genomic_surveillance_south_africa/">Network of Genomic Surveillance in South Africa</a>, liaised with government, and notified the World Health Organization on November 24. This is in keeping with the <a href="https://www.who.int/health-topics/international-health-regulations#tab=tab_1">International Health Regulations</a> that guide how countries should respond. The behaviour of this new variant is still unclear. Some have claimed the rate of growth of Omicron infections, which reflects its transmissibility, may be even higher than those of the Delta variant. This “growth advantage” is yet to be proven but is concerning. <h2>‘Kneejerk’ response vs WHO recommendations</h2> African scientists and politicians <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/nov/26/south-africa-b11529-covid-variant-vaccination">have been disappointed</a> in what they see as a “kneejerk” response from countries imposing travel bans. They argue the bans will have significant negative effects for the South African economy, which traditionally welcomes global tourists over the summer year-end period. They note it is still unclear whether the new variant originated in South Africa, even if it was first identified there. As Omicron has already been detected in several other countries, it may already be circulating in regions not included in the travel bans. Travel bans on countries detecting new variants, and the subsequent economic costs, may also act as a disincentive for countries to reveal variants of concern in future. The WHO <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/articles-detail/updated-who-recommendations-for-international-traffic-in-relation-to-covid-19-outbreak">does not generally recommend</a> flight bans or other forms of travel embargoes. Instead, it argues interventions of proven value should be prioritised: vaccination, hand hygiene, physical distancing, well-fitted masks, and good ventilation. In response to variants of concern, the WHO calls on all countries to enhance surveillance and sequencing, report initial cases or clusters, and undertake investigations to improve understanding of the variant’s behaviour. Omicron must be taken seriously. Its features are worrying, but there are large gaps in our current knowledge. While further analyses are undertaken, the variant should be controlled with testing, tracing, isolation, applying known public health measures, and ongoing surveillance. <h2>What can wealthier countries do to help?</h2> Wealthy countries such as Australia should support African nations and others to share early alerts of potentially serious communicable disease threats, and help mitigate these threats. As the <a href="https://theindependentpanel.org/mainreport/">Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response</a> noted in May: <blockquote> […] public health actors only see downsides from drawing attention to an outbreak that has the potential to spread. </blockquote> The panel recommended creating incentives to reward early response action. This could include support to: <ul> <li>establish research and educational partnerships</li> <li>strengthen health systems and communicable disease surveillance</li> <li>greatly improve vaccine availability, distribution, and equity</li> <li>consider financial compensation, through some form of solidarity fund against pandemic risk.</li> </ul> <h2>Boosting vaccine coverage is key</h2> Vaccines remain the mainstay of protection against the most severe effects of COVID-19. It’s unclear how effective vaccines will be against Omicron, but some degree of protection is presumed likely. Pfizer has also indicated it could develop an effective vaccine against a new variant such as <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/omicron-variant-covid-vaccine-tweaked-b1965155.html">Omicron within 100 days or so</a>. COVID’s persistence is partly attributable to patchy immunisation coverage across many parts of the world, notably those least developed. South Africa itself is better off than most countries on the continent, yet only <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/covid-vaccinations">24% of the adult population are currently fully vaccinated</a>. For the whole of Africa, this drops to only 7.2%. Greater global support is urgently needed to boost these vaccination rates. African institutions and leaders, supported by global health and vaccine experts, have argued for mRNA vaccine manufacturing facilities on the African continent. These would prioritise regional populations, overcome supply-chain problems, and respond in real time to emerging disease threats. Yet developing nations face <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/nov/25/australian-government-trying-to-have-it-both-ways-on-covid-vaccine-ip-waiver">significant barriers</a> to obtaining intellectual property around COVID-19 vaccine development and production. While there is still much to learn about the behaviour and impact of Omicron, the global community must demonstrate and commit real support to countries that do the right thing by promptly and transparently sharing information.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/172736/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/anthony-zwi-144612">Anthony Zwi</a>, Professor of Global Health and Development, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/unsw-1414">UNSW</a> This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/travel-bans-arent-the-answer-to-stopping-new-covid-variant-omicron-172736">original article</a>. Image: Shuttershock

International Travel

When will there be a coronavirus vaccine? 5 questions answered

Is there a vaccine under development for the coronavirus? Work has begun at <a href="https://www.niaid.nih.gov/diseases-conditions/mers-sars-therapeutics-vaccines">multiple organizations</a>, including the National Institutes of Health, to develop a vaccine for this new strain of coronavirus, known among scientists as <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html">2019-nCoV</a>. Scientists are just getting started working, but their vaccine development strategy will benefit both from work that has been done on closely related viruses, such as <a href="https://www.niaid.nih.gov/news-events/niaid-officials-discuss-novel-coronavirus-recently-emerged-china">SARS and MERS</a>, as well as advances that have been made in vaccine technologies, such as <a href="https://doi.org/10.2147/IJN.S39810">nucleic acid vaccines</a>, which are DNA- and RNA-based vaccines that produce the vaccine antigen in your own body. Was work underway on this particular strain? No, but work was ongoing for other closely related coronaviruses that have caused severe disease in humans, namely MERS and SARS. Scientists had not been concerned about this particular strain, as we did not know that it existed and could cause disease in humans until it started causing this outbreak. How do scientists know when to work on a vaccine for a coronavirus? Work on vaccines for severe coronaviruses has historically begun once the viruses start infecting humans. Given that this is the third major outbreak of a new coronavirus that we have had in the past two decades and also given the severity of disease caused by these viruses, we should consider investing in the development of a vaccine that would be broadly protective against these viruses. What does this work involve, and when might we actually have a vaccine? This work involves designing the vaccine constructs – for example, producing the right target <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/antigen">antigens</a>, viral proteins that are targeted by the immune system, followed by testing in animal models to show that they are protective and safe. Once safety and efficacy are established, vaccines can advance into clinical trials in humans. If the vaccines induce the expected immune response and protection and are found safe, they can be mass produced for vaccination of the population. Currently, we lack virus isolates – or samples of the virus – to test the vaccines against. We also lack antibodies to make sure the vaccine is in good shape. We need the virus in order to test if the immune response induced by the vaccine works. Also, we need to establish what animals to test the vaccine on. That potentially could include mice and nonhuman primates. Vaccine development will likely take months. Can humans ever be safe from these types of outbreaks? We expect that these types of outbreaks will occur for the foreseeable future in irregular intervals. To try to prevent large outbreaks and pandemics, we need to improve surveillance in both humans and animals worldwide as well as invest in risk assessment, allowing scientists to evaluate the potential threat to human health from the virus, for detected viruses. We believe that global action is needed to invest in novel vaccine approaches that can be employed quickly whenever a new virus like the current coronavirus – and also viruses similar to Zika, Ebola or influenza – emerges. Currently, responses to emerging pathogens are mostly reactive, meaning they start after the outbreak happens. We need a more proactive approach supported by continuous funding. Written by Aubree Gordon and Florian Krammer. Republished with permission of <a href="https://theconversation.com/when-will-there-be-a-coronavirus-vaccine-5-questions-answered-130590">The Conversation.</a>

Legal

Researchers answer whether or not social media is damaging to children and teenagers

If you have grandkids, chances are you’ve worried about their presence on social media. Who are they talking to? What are they posting? Are they being bullied? Do they spend too much time on it? Do they realise their friends’ lives aren’t as good as they look on Instagram? We asked five experts if social media is damaging to children and teens. <h2>Four out of five experts said yes</h2> <img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/300424/original/file-20191106-88372-1gchds4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="" /> The four experts who ultimately found social media is damaging said so for its negative effects on mental health, disturbances to sleep, cyberbullying, comparing themselves with others, privacy concerns, and body image. However, they also conceded it can have positive effects in connecting young people with others, and living without it might even be more ostracising. The dissident voice said it’s not social media itself that’s damaging, but how it’s used. Here are their detailed responses: <iframe id="tc-infographic-447" class="tc-infographic" height="400px" src="https://cdn.theconversation.com/infographics/447/481cdbb0db0264715f5a913360f033ab19a29f6e/site/index.html" width="100%" style="border: none;" frameborder="0"></iframe> <hr /> If you have a “yes or no” health question you’d like posed to Five Experts, email your suggestion to: alexandra.hansen@theconversation.edu.au <hr /> Karyn Healy is a researcher affiliated with the Parenting and Family Support Centre at The University of Queensland and a psychologist working with schools and families to address bullying. Karyn is co-author of a family intervention for children bullied at school. Karyn is a member of the Queensland Anti-Cyberbullying Committee, but not a spokesperson for this committee; this article presents only her own professional views.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/126499/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/team#alexandra-hansen">Alexandra Hansen</a>, Chief of Staff, <a href="http://www.theconversation.com/">The Conversation</a> This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/is-social-media-damaging-to-children-and-teens-we-asked-five-experts-126499">original article</a>.

Technology

Over 60

News

Shop

Catalogues

Travel

Health

Lifestyle

Finance

Entertainment

Property

Information

Keep up to date

Search

Would you be happy as a long-term single? The answer may depend on your attachment style

"We want answers": Furious cruise passengers stage protest after itinerary change

"I want answers": Simon Dorante-Day's cunning plan to prove royal connections

It’s time to limit how often we can travel abroad – ‘carbon passports’ may be the answer

Should we still be using RATs to test for COVID? 4 key questions answered

Research reveals who’s been hit hardest by global warming in their lifetime - and the answer may surprise you

Flight attendants answer frequently asked flying questions

A piggy bank is the answer to saving for your next holiday

Pub trivia baffles the internet

“We need answers”: Parents of man shot by police speak out

Does a sibling’s gender influence our own personality? A major new study answers an age-old question

Which of these pictures is a deepfake? Your brain knows the answer before you do

Wordle changes answer amid abortion rights debate

Grieving mother’s plea to finish son’s composition answered

Time to upgrade from cloth and surgical masks to respirators? Your questions answered

Daunted by therapy? Virtual reality could be the answer

The one jumping castle question police refuse to answer

Travel bans aren’t the answer to stopping new COVID variant Omicron

When will there be a coronavirus vaccine? 5 questions answered

Researchers answer whether or not social media is damaging to children and teenagers

News

Shop

Catalogues

Travel

Health

Lifestyle

Finance

Entertainment

Property

Information

Keep up to date

Search

Would you be happy as a long-term single? The answer may depend on your attachment style

"We want answers": Furious cruise passengers stage protest after itinerary change

"I want answers": Simon Dorante-Day's cunning plan to prove royal connections

It’s time to limit how often we can travel abroad – ‘carbon passports’ may be the answer

Should we still be using RATs to test for COVID? 4 key questions answered

Research reveals who’s been hit hardest by global warming in their lifetime - and the answer may surprise you

Flight attendants answer frequently asked flying questions

A piggy bank is the answer to saving for your next holiday

Pub trivia baffles the internet

“We need answers”: Parents of man shot by police speak out

Does a sibling’s gender influence our own personality? A major new study answers an age-old question

Which of these pictures is a deepfake? Your brain knows the answer before you do

Wordle changes answer amid abortion rights debate

Grieving mother’s plea to finish son’s composition answered

Time to upgrade from cloth and surgical masks to respirators? Your questions answered

Daunted by therapy? Virtual reality could be the answer

The one jumping castle question police refuse to answer

Travel bans aren’t the answer to stopping new COVID variant Omicron

When will there be a coronavirus vaccine? 5 questions answered

Researchers answer whether or not social media is damaging to children and teenagers

Join Over60